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Saayman
Reviews
Hit and Run (1999)
Suspenseful and Involving; Great performance by Margaret Colin
***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** Wow, what a predicament Joanna has found herself in. After accidentally running over a young child, she goes to call for help, only to return to the crime scene amidst a group of very angry onlookers. Understanda- bly, this is too much for her to handle, and she flees the scene. Luckily the child didn't die, but is seriously injured and in a coma. So starts the biggest struggle in Joanna's life: should she keep quiet or speak up? At first she doesn't, but eventually she realises that it's torture living with such a horrible secret.
At one point she even joins a search party to help find the culprit. And gradually a detective starts to question this woman's behavior. She wants to tell the truth, and she never meant to run away from the crime scene, but is it worth telling and having the whole town hate you for it?
The thing about this movie is that you don't choose sides. Joanna is very much a good role model, even though she's made some wrong choices. You feel for her, even though you know what she did was wrong. Her journey is a good representation of what any human being would go through if something like this were to happen to them.
Margaret Colin is an absolutely brilliant actress. She was amazing in the TV series Now and Again and great in films like Independence Day and The Devil's Own. Her performance here is so realistic and unforced that she carries us singlehandedly through the entire film. In the end, I wanted to see more of her. Lisa Vidal also provided some good supporting work as the gentle, resourceful detective.
To wrap it up, if you wanna see a movie that will make you think long afterwards, one that will say "This is reality", then you won't want to miss this one.
My rating: 9/10
Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth (2000)
Mixed Feelings about Shriek
I am an avid horror movie fan, and so I enjoy anything that has to do with horror. Scary Movie was a blast, hilariously spoofing a genre that I had come to love and enjoy. So of course I looked forward to Shriek If You Know bla bla bla. After seeing it, I realised that although it wasn't a great movie, it was a reasonably entertaining movie. The thing with parodies is that the fun doesn't necessarily lie in the outrageous spoof of a certain movie, but that the makers are actually trying to spoof that movie. Even if the gag isn't funny, the fun was in the fact that they tried.
This movie was extremely corny. Half of the gags weren't funny, and some of the actors in it bothered me. I detested Tom Arnold and Coolio and that unknown who played 'Dawson'. On the other hand, Julie Benz, Majandra Delfino and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen were just fine. Shirley Jones was barely in it, although being given top casting honors on the video cover. The kid from Buffy was irritating, and Aimee Graham provided a brief diversion.
The gags. Mmm. Let's see. What worked: I laughed at the Chariots of Fire scene. "And Martina is in the lead; no the killer is in the lead." A really tacky scene, but fun nonetheless. The Pam and Tommy Lee video bit was corny too. Tiffani-Amber Thiessen saying that her name is Hagatha, but her friends call her hag. The cameos by Chucky and Mary gave some fleeting laughs. The take on "I Know", with the plastic reindeer (?) and Barbara repeating five times "Can you all keep a secret". The pop up video sequence was funny, but the prize for the tackiest (and most outrageous) gag (well, at least i think so) goes to the scene with Barbara in the bathroom and the breathmint product placement. Now that was an unexpected, hilarious joke.
What I didn't like: Coolio's Artist formerly known as principil, The Grease spoof, the take on Baywatch and Coach Hasselhoff (it's been done)and the fact that you had to wait forever for someone to die. Plus, the death sequences (when they finally came) were not funny at all. Especially that garage door death scene. I was like, come on, decide what you're gonna do already.
So, all in all, it's a mixed bag of goodies, some funny, others not.
My Rating: 5/10
The In Crowd (2000)
Loved it!
I finally got to see 'The In Crowd' the other day, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. Although this movie didn't figure on most people's 'must see' movie list, I have to admit it was right up there with the big ones for me.
The reason I was so intent on seeing this psychological thriller, was the fact that I used to watch that cancelled soap opera 'Sunset Beach', and found myself being a huge fan of Susan Ward, who mercilessly steals the show over here. I mean, hate this movie if you want, but when it's over one thing will stick to your mind: Susan Ward. Even if this movie didn't do good, I'm sure most of us would love to see Susan in anything again!
The plotline of this teen targeted thriller is quite predictable: Mental girl befriends rich bitch, turns out rich bitch is the crazy one! I know, I know it sounds campy. But believe me: when a chase scene ensues where the villain wields hedge clippers, you know you just gotta love it!!
The movie has an age restriction of 13, but I think if they targeted it for 17year olds, it would have been more successful. The movie isn't terribly violent, but it shows that you don't have to go to extremes to make your movie scary.
The movie is funny (I loved the part where the guy says 'Welcome to the lives of the rich and tasteless' - it sums everything up), scary (the climax is right up there with any good thriller), sexy (the dance club scenes are hot!) and the cast of newcomers are all talented enough. Lori Heuring plays the good girl, she's pretty and cute, but she doesn't make nearly as big an impact as Susan. Mainly because the villains are always the most interesting to watch. The supporting cast, including Nathan Bexton (Go), Katharine Towne (What Lies Beneath), Ethan Erickson (Jawbreaker), Matthew Settle (U-571), Laurie Fortier (To Gillian on her 37th Birthday), Erinn Bartlett (Deep Blue Sea), Kim Murphy (Houseguest) etc. all show great promise, and the veterans Daniel Hugh Kelly and Tess Harper are reliable.
So, all in all, it's a great suspense thriller. If you ignored it while it was in the cinemas, don't forget to watch it when it comes out on video! Even if it's only to glimpse a gorgeous star in the making: Susan Ward. If she's not a big name in a couple of years, then there's something wrong with Hollywood.
My Rating: 10/10
Gladiator (2000)
Oh My God... BRILLIANT!!!
This is quite possibly one of the best movies ever. What can I say about this unique masterpiece that hasn't been said already? . The cast is amazing: Russell Crowe should win an Oscar for his performance; I don't think I could imagine anyone else in the role; Connie Nielsen is beautiful and Joaquin Phoenix is menacing. The scenery is breathtaking; the action scenes are well done and the ending almost had me crying. (I would have been able to cry, but since the theatre was packed, I restrained myself.)
All in all, a masterpiece. This movie is right up there with my all time greats, and I can't wait for the DVD. Also, buy the soundtrack! It's the music that makes the movie! I really hope this movie wins big at next years Oscars, it really deserves to.
This is definately one of my favorite movies ever (if not my favorite.) Everyone should see this!!! This is one of those films that has you thinking for days after you've seen it, and then you want to go see it again!!
My Rating: 10/10
Mother Knows Best (1997)
A Clever and Wicked Thriller
I loved this movie. It was extremely entertaining, and featured an excellent cast. Joanna Kerns was wicked as Celeste, and Christine Elise was also great as the innocent daughter. If you don't know the plot of this story, here it is.
Joanna Kerns plays Celeste, a rich woman who feels that it's time for her daughter to have a serious relationship. So she places a personal ad in the paper. When a guy, played by Grant Shaw of "Melrose Place", answers the ad, it's love at first sight for him and the daughter, played by Christine Elise. But mother isn't impressed with daughter's new boyfriend, because he is a mechanic, and not a lawyer or a doctor. So she arranges for him to be murdered!
A Great little thriller. I Highly recommend it.
My rating: 8/10
Obsessive Love (1984)
This is good
Good TV movie about a mousy young woman who takes her love for her favourite soap opera star one step too far. It has all the usual clichés, but it's boosted by the energetic, and psychotic, performance of Yvette Mimieux. I just loved her in this movie.
My rating: 7/10
Lying Eyes (1996)
Scary, Sexy and Entertaining
Amy falls in love with Derek, starts dating him, and soon after is being harassed. Who can it be? Amy's jealous friend? Her friend's sister? Derek's wife???
Cassidy Rae, who plays Amy, is a fresh young talent who succeeds in playing her character as a strong, yet vulnerable young woman. Her co-stars are also quite competent. It's a slick and entertaining thriller with a lot of plot twists. It'll keep you guessing and at the same time entertain you. It also features a brilliant soundtrack.
So if you get the chance to see LYING EYES, go for it!
My rating: 9/10
The Canterville Ghost (1996)
Good TV Movie, Made Better by Neve Campbell
A Family moves into a castle where a ghost continues to haunt them. The parents think that it is the daughter (Neve Campbell) who is playing practical jokes on them, because she never wanted to move to the castle in the first place.
This is a good movie, but it is made even better by the presence of a fine actress such as Neve Campbell. This movie was made in her pre-Scream days, so she wasn't very well known at the time. She delivers a wonderful performance, as does Patrick Stewart, who plays the ghost. I recommend this movie to Neve's fans and to people who like fairy tales
My Rating: 7/10