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A milestone of both science fiction and cinema! Space travel is the main subject of the film, though it also depicts the history of man. From the dawn of man, where primitive simian-like humans roam the wilderness of pre-history, to the confrontation with a higher power in a life cycle that has no meaning. The main plot revolves around machine vs. man, as a supercomputer HAL 9000 (voiced wonderfully by Douglas Rain), who takes control of a spaceship on a journey to Jupiter and kills all but the commander of the ship (Keit Dullea). Dullea uses all his skills to beat HAL and deactivate him.There are many memorable scenes in here, including the tossing of the bone into the air, Dullea's travel through the life cycle and of course, the star child sequence. It also contains some amazing special effects, that are still brilliant after all this time. Stanley Kubrick made a film that could have been his masterpiece, had he never made another movie. The acting is good, considering what few tasks the actors receive. The best performance comes from Rain as the malevolent HAL. This was also the film that gave Richard Strauss' Thus Spake Zarathustra a listening audience again. To make a long story short, it's a visual delight.
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Based on the William Goldman novel, the story follows a graduate student (Dustin Hoffman), who is thrust into a dizzying world of international intrigue and ruthless assassins. He is trapped in this world, because his spy brother (Roy Scheider) has special information, that is coveted by a deranged Nazi dentist (Laurence Olivier).A generally unpleasant story, full of cold-blooded characters, a plot that could almost be a rip-off of Death Wish and repellent violence. Olivier gives the best performance. He plays the type of dentist that you have nightmares about. Olivier coined the famous line, "Is it safe?" Other than that, Hoffman is just a Jewish Charles Bronson, getting his revenge on the crazed Nazi. John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy) doesn't show his usual director's flare in this one. As for the movie entire? Be afraid. Be VERY afraid!
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A romantic comedy-drama, about what happens when two people of different ages, religions and classes fall in love. A vulnerable yuppie (James Spader), who has recently lost his wife, falls for a sexy older woman (Susan Sarandon), but has to deal with the huge differences between them. He also has to deal with family and friends, who might not like his particular taste in women.Spader and especially Sarandon lift this out of the ordinary, with believable passionate portraits of a May-December romance. My only gripe is the unbelievably cliched ending, which was said to have been a last minute decision. However, the chemistry between the two leads, a vibrant screenplay and stable direction lift this up from the average cheesy love stories of today.
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Robert Townsend is normally a talented comedian. His movies have never been anything special. However, he's sunk to an all-time low with this spoof of comic book superheros. Townsend plays a timid schoolteacher, who is hit by a green meteor, which turns him into a bumbling superhero. Townsend goes up against a large street gang, which is terrorizing his neighborhood.The film constantly hammers the message about street violence, but has few laughs. Townsend sometimes descends into crude and dull humor. It's a waste to see such talented actors and comedians, like James Earl Jones and Bill Cosby playing such excruciatingly dumb characters. If you ever see this film in the video store, fly away faster than a speeding bullet.
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