 Teen Movie Critic is a Dream Machine SiteThe Dream Machine --- The Imagination of the World Wide Web |
| Teen Movie Critic is a Dream Machine Site The Dream Machine --- The Imagination of the World Wide Web |
| Home | About TMC | Brothers and Sisters | Directors | Alphabetic Index | Guest Critics | Hall of Flame | Other Film Sites | Feedback |
Best Supporting Actress: Marianne Jean-Baptiste for her unique improvisational acting in Secrets and Lies. Best Supporting Actor: Edward Norton for his Psycho killer in Primal Fear, which showed how much of a chameleon Norton can be in just one role. Best Actress: No debate here. Frances McDormand for her role as the Fargo policewoman, deserves the award for confounding the Minnesota nice stereotype. Best Actor: This is a little more difficult. Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade) and Woody Harrelson (The People vs. Larry Flynt) gave fresh, original characterizations. Harrelson has the more experience at this sort of thing, but Thornton (a relative newcomer to the acting world) has incredibly great raw talent. I guess if I had to decide, I'd make this the first tie between actors in nearly thirty years.
Best Director: Joel Coen, who is probably the most creative of the five nominees. And Coen's Fargo is without a doubt the most original and most entertaining of the five nominees. Sure, The English Patient had that Lawrence of Arabia feel to it (as if that hasn't been done before), Shine had a Rain Man quality to it. Sure, Secrets and Lies had some great improvised moments, and Jerry Maguire was about the only good mainstream movie of 1996. But let's face the facts. Fargo had stunning cinematography, great characters, original storyline (with some devilish plot twists thrown in), people to root for and against, and some sharp directing by Coen. Well, that's that. We'll just have to wait till after March 24 to see what happens. On with the show!
 Buy this poster at  |
A godawful rip-off of Child's Play, that contains neither the suspense nor the originality of that picture. The uninteresting story follows a group of people (cops, robbers, average schmucks off the street), who end up trapped in a warehouse and attacked by a group of possessed (and really nasty) toys. A demon (who looks like a muppet with manure thrown on top of it) is the puppetmaster.A horror film that isn't horrifying, save for the fact that this film was actually made. The repellent violence and the horrendous attempts at black humor don't help things much. I guess if I wanted to sum up what I think of this movie in one word, that word would be: Ugh!.
 Buy this poster at |
For once, an action film that doesn't end up being a merry-go-round of violence. The plot is as follows. A special group of soldiers, computer experts and federal agents are sent to rescue an airliner hijacked by terrorists. Not only do they have to board the plane nearly 10,000 feet off the ground (with the help of a special state-of-the-art jet fighter), rescue the passengers, disarm the terrorists and take control of the plane but...it seems they ALSO have to disarm a chemical bomb that could wipe out the entire eastern seaboard. Led by a special agent (Kurt Russell), most of the film's time is devoted not to non-stop action, but to the tension-packed proceedings of the group, as they attempt to do all these things with time running out.This has everything that terrible action films like The Rock and Money Train don't have. That includes good acting, suspense and a well-paced plot. It also doesn't have bombs, shoot-outs and repetitive blood-and-guts violence every 30 seconds or so. Russell, John Leguizamo as his second-in-command and Oliver Platt, as the nervous computer specialist assigned to disarm the bomb, are all impressive, but it's the constant threat of our heroes being discovered that makes this picture perfect.
 Buy this poster at |
Despite the cult following this has received, I fail to see what all the ado is about. Apparently nothing, that was due to the lack of excitement and uninteresting moments, attempting to keep your attention for any length of time. It details the day in the life of a record store, that is about to be shut down for good. So the characters' attempt to save the store, which results in the last half hour being turned into a recycled Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland "Let's put on a show" routine.Sadly, I wish the filmakers could have paid homage to a better genre. The performances by newcomers like Liv Tyler, Renee Zellwegger, Ethan Randall and Rory Cochrane are quite good, even if their characters seem like extras from countless other "Slacker" films. The soundtrack is pretty good too.
 Buy this poster at |
Just when you thought the courtroom thriller was dead, out pops this surprisingly suspenseful story, with plot twists galore. Richard Gere stars is a lawyer, who seems to have learned his courtroom tactics from Johnnie Cochran. He has been assigned his biggest case ever. It deals with the murder of a well-known cardinal, and the accused who is a baby-faced alter boy (Edward Norton). It seems like an open-and-shut case, but Gere has a few tricks up his sleeve. He gets into a grudge match in the courtroom, when his ex-girlfriend (Laura Linney) becomes the prosecuting attorney on the case.The film has a gritty feel, in both filming and storyline. It's the outstanding performances that dominate the picture more than anything else. Gere is finally given a role he was born to play, displaying his trademark cool, and for once seems to be awake from that long-term coma of his previous movies. Linney, Alfre Woodard as the judge and Frances McDormand as Norton's psychiatrist give crafty performances, while Norton gives a stand-out one as Aaron, the accused alter boy. You must stay for the ending. Just when you think everything is finished, out pops a whammy that will leave you as stunned as Gere's character is at the end.
 Buy this poster at |
Clint Eastwood was mostly acting in Dirty Harry retreads like this, before his masterpiece Unforgiven was made. The plot is standard. Eastwood's partner is killed in the line of duty, during Eastwood's attempt to capture a German arms dealer (Raul Julia!). He's assigned a new young partner (Charlie Sheen) and naturally, they don't hit it off.It has a couple of good action scenes and Eastwood is great as always, but his uneasy teaming with Sheen ends up being terribly embarrassing. Your suspension of disbelief is sorely tested with this one. Another thing!! Did we really need that uncomfortable bondage rape scene of Eastwood by Sonia Braga?
 Buy this poster at |
Director Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night) offers a hilariously different approach to the classic Alexandre Dumas tale of swashbuckling swordsmen. Michael York stars as the famed musketeer-to-be D'Artagnan, who befriends great swordsmen Athos, Porthos and Aramis (Oliver Reed, Frank Finlay and Richard Chamberlain). They risk their lives for Queen Anne (Geraldine Chaplin), and foil the schemes of the nefarious Cardinal Richelieu (Charlton Heston).They fight, trade quips and romance the ladies (Raquel Welch in particular). Lester offers a kind of combination of old-fashion swashbuckling action, with some very funny physical comedy. The combination plays like an old silent film (adventure or comedy will do). I'm sure Dumas purists would object, but why quibble? It's fun!
 Buy this poster at |
Only Ron Shelton of Bull Durham and White Men Can't Jump fame could make a sport like golf interesting, let alone entertaining. Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy (Kevin Costner at his most charming) is a golfer, who lives in a backwater town in Texas and owns a rundown golf course. He's given the opportunity to play in the U.S. Open against his rival, and old partner (Don Johnson). Meanwhile, he is attempting to romance the local stiff-as-a-board psychiatrist (Rene Russo) and practice with his best friend and caddy (Cheech Marin).With a script full of great one-liners and funny conversations, Shelton makes golf interesting by filming it from the viewpoint of the player, which is much different from the viewpoint of an observer. All the performances are good, including Costner in his best role since JFK. Russo is witty and quite funny herself as the heroine, Cheech is the perfect sidekick and Johnson wonderfully slimy. A perfect companion piece with another Shelton-Costner collaboration, Bull Durham.
The Dream Machine --- Network Services
...the best independent ISP in the Twin Cities