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Reviews
Nowhere to Run (1993)
Surprisingly good
I had heard that this movie wasn't typical Van Damme, but I still expected it to be mindless action on the whole. I was shocked when it turned out to be truly well done, and not just for a Van Damme movie. The acting is great, especially Rosanna Arquette's performance, and the story is not cheesy at all--it's actually compelling. The (sparse) fight sequences don't involve any weird Van Damme midair split-kicks to the head; they're straight-ahead brawls. This is definitely Van Damme's best, focusing on story and not action, but I guess his presence makes a lot of people overlook it. My rating: 8/10.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Neat
I had never seen any of the 80's slasher flicks until I watched this one today. I think it's a neat movie, to put it simply. It has a downside: the score is kind of cheesy in certain parts, the ending is quite dumb even if entertaining, and the acting is pretty weak, save for the performances of Robert Englund and Johnny Depp. Of course, the movie doesn't really need good acting:
1) Heather Langenkamp is pretty, and a great screamer. That's good enough for me. 2) The visual effects are outstanding; all of them but one are practical. 3) I was expecting the gore to be over the top, but it's fairly light. Of the kills in the movie, only one is graphically violent. If the gore were heavy, good acting would be needed to make it more believable. 4) The boogeyman can kill you in your nightmares? The premise of this movie is gold. 5) There were a few times that my pulse quickened; The Sixth Sense was the last movie I saw that had me reacting that way.
All in all, Nightmare is a decent way to spend 90 minutes. 7/10
Die Hard (1988)
Incredible
This is the ultimate action flick. Bruce Willis shines as the hero John McClane, and Alan Rickman is excellent as the terrorist leader Hans Gruber. Reginald VelJohnson (TV's Carl Winslow) is great as McClane's police contact on the ground. The story is compelling, and the action is incredible. There are plenty of gunshots, explosions, and an amazing hand-to-hand fight between Bruce and Alexander Godunov. John McTiernan outdid himself as an action director with this movie.
Special mention goes to Jan de Bont for his wonderful cinematography. You can say what you want about his directorial efforts, but the man is a top-notch photographer.
X2 (2003)
I can't find a single glaring error in this movie
I saw X2 for the second time yesterday, and after loving it the first time, I can say it was EVEN BETTER upon the second viewing. The acting is brilliant: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Brian Cox all give top-notch performances. Anna Paquin still effects a better southern accent than most American actors, and Alan Cumming is excellent as Nightcrawler. Bryan Singer brought the acting together with good writing, great photography and effects, and a compelling story to make what I'm tentatively calling one of my all-time favorite films.
I want to qualify all of this by saying that my only exposure to X-Men prior to seeing this film was seeing the original X-Men (2000). This review isn't a fanboy-gasm.
10/10 (hope it makes the Top 250!)
Major League (1989)
My favorite movie
This is my favorite movie. I know saying that may make me seem unsophisticated to everybody on the IMDB, but hear me out. I love all of the characters: Taylor, Hayes, Lou Brown, Cerrano, Dorn, Harris, the Wild Thing, Rachel Phelps, and even the hated New York Yankees.
I think there is more quotable dialogue here than in any other baseball movie, including Bull Durham. The amount of profanity is just right; it's not over the top, but it's not subdued to the point that the players come off as unrealistic. The acting is good as well, even on the technical/baseball side of things.
Comedy is tough to quantify, but this is the funniest movie I've ever seen (and I've seen it upwards of 30 times). If you want a heavy look at baseball and how it's a part of the American culture, go with Bull Durham or Field of Dreams. If you want a great comedy that's still a great baseball movie, you won't go wrong here.
10 out of 10
Deliverance (1972)
Scariest movie ever
'Deliverance' is scary because it's rooted in reality. You KNOW something like it has happened somewhere. Bestial, inbred hillbillies are a lot more frightening than clowns with chainsaws.
The acting is great, even on Burt Reynolds' part. And since Brando refused his lead actor Oscar that year, it should have gone to Jon Voight. Ned Beatty is great, too.