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Demon-14
Reviews
The Insider (1999)
Exposing the truth can be riveting. . .
I just saw this film two weeks ago as it finished up it's theatrical release at the second-run theatres, then purchased the DVD three days ago. This is simply the best film I've seen in at least the last two years. I feel it was unfairly ignored at the box-office because the subject matter wasn't appealing enough, and it has no sex or violence to speak of. I dragged a friend with me who had no knowledge whatsoever of the film, and when it was over, he seemed to really have enjoyed it. Pacino and Crowe are excellent (as I'm sure you've heard), and even at 2hrs 40mns, the film moves along at a crisp pace. I usually am pretty suspicious of any film over two hours in length, but this one holds your interest the entire time. One point of criticism, though: There is an undeveloped (and unnecessary, in my humble opinion) subplot involving the Unabomber(!) case. I'm assuming this is because, in reality, "60 Minutes" was probably involved in this case during the story's time-period, but ultimately, this doesn't really serve any purpose in the movie. This doesn't really detract from the film, though, so it's a minor point. Hopefully, this wonderful film will get it's "second wind" (smoking pun intended!) on home video, pay-per-view, and cable. It's definitely worth 2 1/2 hours of your time, maybe on a weekend.
The Matrix (1999)
Two words: O V E R - R A T E D!
I watched this on HBO the other night on the recommendation of a couple of colleagues from work, and I had high hopes for an intelligent sci-fi treat. What I found, instead, was the usual mediocre acting and "look-at-me" special fx one finds in every other Hollywood "blockbuster". Nowhere near as good as it's reputation would have you believe (unless you're as gullible as everybody else who got sucked in by this one). Started out on a promising note, but it was all downhill from there. Keanu is lucky this did so well at the box-office. If it had tanked, the rest of his career would likely have been spent in direct-to-video "b" movie action extravaganzas. Scary thought, huh, Keanu? Whoah.
Westworld (1973)
Top-notch '70s Science-Fiction Hit
Top-notch sci-fi thriller from the mid '70s. Yul Brynner commands the screen in an imaginative performance as "The Gunslinger". Writer-director Crichton manages to take a wild idea and keep it both suspenseful and entertaining. A fine example of '70s science-fiction BSW (Before Star Wars). Skip the sequel, "Futureworld".
High Plains Drifter (1973)
Decent Clint Eastwood westerner
I watched this film just this afternoon. Not a big western fan, but this was pretty good. Not as violent as I expected, from what I'd heard about it over the years, but it had a pretty good dry sense of humor to it. Nice twist at the end!
Catch Me If You Can (1989)
First Big-Screen Effort by Stephen Sommers
A funky little film that was the first effort by "Mummy" director Stephen Sommers. Cliched, unbelievable plot is played in a light-hearted manner by leads Matt Lattanzi (My Tutor) and Loryn Locklin. Co-star Grant Heslov later had a major role in "Congo", while veteran character actors M. Emmett Walsh and Geoffrey Lewis are recognizable from various roles in other films. Somewhat of an ode to director Sommers' hometown of St. Cloud, MN, the film's plot involves high-school kids trying to raise money for their school through illegal road races. Yeah, right. The film is helped by a great soundtrack of 50's & 60's teenybopper staples, and by the fact that none of the major players take themselves too seriously. Trivia alert: Matt Lattanzi is the ex-husband of Australian songstress Olivia Newton-John. Oh, and by the way, being that this was filmed in St. Cloud, yours truly has a "blink and you'll miss it" cameo in one of the football scenes' crowd shots. (As if anybody CARES, I'm wearing a red winter jacket and ski mask.)