Current Movies - Part 51 - June, 1999
Staff
Ratings: | ||
Extraordinary | ||
Good | ||
Acceptable | ||
Mediocre | ||
Poor |
"Ringmaster", Artisan Entertainment, 1998, Color, Filmed spherically and presented at
measured aspect ratio (DVD) 1.85:1, Surround Sound, DD, 1 Hr 35 min, Rated R;
Jerry Springer, Jaime Pressly, William McNamara, Molly Hagen, Michael Jai
White, Ashley Holbrook, Michael Dudikoff; "Ringmaster"
is the big-screen debut for Jerry Springer, star of television's brash and
irreverent "Jerry Springer Show".
The show takes a behind the scenes look at what it's like to be Jerry
Springer, from Jerry's point of view. The
movie also follows two converging stories that land society's worst on the
"Jerry Springer Show". The
first is the tale of a stepfather named Rusty (Dudikoff); his wife Connie
(Hagan); her daughter Angel (Pressly); and Angel's fianc� Willie (Holbrook),
appropriately titled "I Slept With My Stepfather".
The second story follows a playboy named Demond (White) and his many,
many back stabbing women earning the title, "My Traitor
Girlfriends". Both stories
come complete with an entirely overdrawn, uninspired reconciliation after the
show is over. Maybe bad movies do
have happy endings. The zest the
television version of "Jerry Springer", which is nothing short of a
cultural phenomenon, just doesn't come across in the big-screen version. In fact, the acting on the television show may even be a
little better!. - Jared Baldwin -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | explicit |
Language: | the "F" and "B" words |
"Elizabeth", Polygram Entertainment, 1998, Color, Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect ratio (DVD) 1.84:1, Surround Sound, DD, 2 Hr 4 min; Rated R; Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough, Christopher Eccleston; In 1554, Queen Mary, Catholic daughter of Henry VIII, becomes ill and is dying. The Catholic Church is desperate to keep her Protestant half sister, Elizabeth (Blanchett), from ascending the throne, but Mary refuses to sign her death warrant. Mary dies, and Elizabeth I becomes Queen. Amidst the turmoil of Protestant leaders returning to England from exile, a French warrior attempting to usurp her throne, an assassination attempt by the Catholic Church, treason from the Duke of Norfolk (Eccleston), and a failed love affair with Lord Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (Fiennes), Elizabeth has her hands full. Besides being a history lesson, the film is magnificent. I am sure that Elizabeth I had some bad traits in her personality, and this movie does not really expose them, but if even just some of what is told in the film is true, WOW, what a woman! - JEJ -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | yes |
Language: | no |
"Antz", Dreamworks Pictures, 1998, Color, Filmed spherically
and presented at measured aspect ratio (DVD)1.73:1, Surround
Sound, DD, 1 Hr 23 min, Rated PG; Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman,
Sylvester Stallone; In this animated insect movie that came out at about the
same time as "A Bug's Life", we are treated to another biology
lesson about queens, workers, and soldier ants. One particular worker named Z
(Allen) wants to meet Princess Bala (Stone), so he asks one of his pals (Stallone)
who is a soldier ant, to stand in for him in the hive, while he marches in
front of the Princess during a parade. Unfortunately, the soldiers are called
off to war with a termite colony, and Z is dragged along. Meanwhile, General
Mandible (Hackman) tries to sabotage the hive and take command of the ant
colony. Naturally, Z saves the day and is the hero at the end. There is a
decapitation scene that I would imagine is disturbing to young children. - JEJ -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | no |
Language: | no |
"Psycho",
Universal Pictures, 1999, Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect ratio
(DVD) 1.78:1, Surround Sound, DD, 1 Hr 44 min, Rated R; Vince Vaughn, Julianne
Moore, Viggo Mortensen, William Macy, Anne Heche; Marion Crane (Heche) cannot
resist stealing a large sum of cash that her boss asks her to deposit in a
bank on her way home. She leaves town and stays the night in a motel run by
Norman Bates (Vaughn). Norman has kind of a nasty problem where women are
concerned. Adios Marion. What a mess in the bathtub. Investigator Milton Arbogast
(Macy) and Marion's sister Lila (Moore) try to find her, but the same fate
awaits poor old Miltie in the creaky dark house. Oh well, at least the stuffed
mommy is a better stage prop than the original one in Hitchcock's movie way
back when. That, and the fantastic music of Bernard Herrmann are the only
things in the film worthwhile. If Hollywood wants to remake old movies, let
them do it with something like "Tank Battalion", not the works of
geniuses. - JEJ -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | nudity |
Language: | no |
"Enemy of the State", Touchstone Pictures, 1998, Color, Filmed
in Panavision
and presented at measured aspect ratio (DVD) 2.30:1, Surround
Sound, DD, 2 Hr 12 min, Rated R; Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Regina
King; When Congressman Phil Hammersley refuses a request by National
Security Agency officer Thomas Reynolds (Voight), he has Hammersley murdered.
A surveillance video camera accidentally records the event, and Reynolds sends
a crew to retrieve it. The man who has the video tape realizes he is being
followed, and he drops it secretly into the pocket of his friend Bob Dean
(Smith) who is an attorney. Dean is in the middle of investigating the mob,
getting his information from an informer called Brill (Hackman). Meanwhile,
the NSA discovers that Dean has the incriminating tape, and comes after him.
Brill helps Dean while trying to keep the NSA off his own back. There are lots
of great actors, but the story is very predictable. - JEJ - With the
upcoming vote in Congress on the Telecommunications, Security, and Privacy Act,
special agent Reynolds (Voight) has employed all necessary means to eliminate
opposition to the bill, including murder.
When this sensitive information is caught on tape, the race to recover
this incriminating evidence is on. At
the same time, lawyer Robert Clayton Dean (Smith) gets caught in the middle of
a conspiracy he knows nothing about when this evidence is accidentally passed
to him. With the help of a secret
contact, Brill (Hackman), Dean fights to get his life back. With a very involved story line and complex interactions
among the players, the result is a top-notch action/suspense film.
Be careful what you say, the NSA may be listening. 4 1/2 stars
for entertainment - Jared Baldwin -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | mild |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
"Gods and Monsters", Lions Gate Films,
1998, Color, Filmed spherically and presented
at measured aspect ratio (DVD) 2.32:1, Surround
Sound, DD (two channel), 1 Hr 46 min, Rated R; Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser,
Lynn Redgrave; In 1957, James Whale (McKellen) has long retired from film
making, having been remembered most for his direction of
"Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein". He has had a
stroke, but this does not dissuade him from being attracted to a new gardener,
Clay Boone (Fraser). He befriends Clay, and asks him to sit while he paints
Clay's head. He tells Clay of his past, and slowly Clay realizes that James is
homosexual. Finally, in frustration over his declining health, James commits
suicide by drowning in his swimming pool. Clay and the housekeeper, Hannah (Redgrave),
cover up the suicide by hiding the suicide note until years later. I had hoped
that the movie would spend more time on Whale's experiences making the classic
horror films, but it dwells instead on his emotional distress before his
death. McKellen is superb as Whale, but it is a very depressing story. - JEJ -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | mild |
Sex: | frontal nudity, men kissing |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
"The X Files: The Movie", Twentieth Century Fox, Presented
at 2.35:1 aspect ratio (DVD), Surround Sound, Dolby Digital, THX, 2 Hr 14 min,
Rated PG-13; David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Martin Landau, Armin
Mueller-Stahl, Blythe Danner, William B. Davis;
FBI agents Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) take center
stage in this action packed movie based on the hit television show, "The
X-Files". Follow them as
they try to uncover an ongoing worldwide conspiracy that could mean the end of
humankind. Hidden clues lead
these two in a race against time and the secret leaders of the world.
The movie is surprisingly easy to follow even if you are not an avid
"X-Files" viewer. For
those hardcore fans the movie ties in perfectly with the television plot. Two words: Trust No-One. -
Jared Baldwin -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | alien carnage |
Sex: | no |
Language: | the "S" word |
"Jawbreaker", Columbia Pictures,
1999, Color, Filmed spherically and presented at measured
aspect ratio (DVD) 1.85:1, Surround Sound, DD, 1 Hr 27 min, Rated R; Rose
McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, Julie Benz, Judy Greer, Chad Christ, Charolette
Lopez, Pam Grier; Courtney (McGowan), Marcie (Benz), Julie (Gayheart), and Liz
(Lopez) are the four most popular girls in school. When a surprise party for Liz goes terribly wrong, Liz winds
up dead on her 17th birthday.
Down to the three most popular girls in school, they find a
replacement in a most unusual way in the most unsuspecting character, Fern
Mayo (Greer). Now the girls are
faced with an even bigger challenge than keeping their dirty little secret
under wraps, namely preventing their newly made friend from taking over the
school. With its dark humor and
misuse of big stars (particularly Pam Grier), this movie parallels "Very
Bad Things". - Jared Baldwin -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | killer candy |
Sex: | yes |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
Return to Table of Contents for this Issue.