Review – Trial and Error

Light comedy of errors wherein a lawyer and an actor who have traded places learn the value of telling the truth. A couple of mildly amusing points, but for the most part just preachy and tedious. Mildly amusing

Review – Kiss the Girls

One could write a book on the sexual politics in this film. I have neither the space nor the inclination to write a book, so I’ll just say that this is another one of those profiler cop versus psycho killer pictures a la The Silence of the Lambs, not strictly speaking a rip-off but still very much the mincemeat pie of MO’s from various real serial killers. Generally wavers between mildly amusing and extremely offensive. And an aside, though it seems almost beside the point in a film so full of misogynist mayhem: gratuitous fish violence. See if desperate

Review – Mercury Rising

Bruce Willis is a virus. He gets into films that might otherwise have had at least a chance at life, and he infects and destroys them. Without Willis, this would have been a trite little piece about an autistic kid who can decipher indecipherable codes, the sinister NSA poo-bah who orders the kid “hit,” and the tough, street-wise FBI agent who plays by his own rules as he tries to keep the kid alive. Cast Willis as the FBI guy, and suddenly the autistic kid who does little besides decode and scream a lot is only the second most irritating part of the movie. Wish I’d skipped it

Review – Top Gun

Here’s a fun game: try and count all the veiled homosexual allusions in this film while you’re watching it. While I didn’t actually keep count, I imagine that the final tally would probably exceed the number of times the word “bondage” appears in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (and that’s saying something). Guys, you’re among friends and supporters. It’s okay to go ahead and come out of the closet. Though properly considered a Tom Cruise vehicle, the diminutive (watch his scenes with Kelly McGillis and try to figure out what he’s standing on to make him look taller than she is) hunk is backed up by such intense young actors as Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, and an odd bit part played by uber-liberal Tim Robbins. Back in the heady days of the Reagan era this was quite an ad for the Navy, though with a little more experience under our belts we can now look back on most of director Tony Scott’s flag-waving, MTV-edited spectacle as more than a little silly. Mildly amusing

Review – Men in Black

This is a fairly clever send-up of the bane of UFO cultists everywhere. The first time I saw it I didn’t know all that much about the whole MIB mythos, but before re-viewing it I read a book on the topic and thus was able to appreciate some of the details in their proper context. Even if you’re not in on the in-jokes, there’s still plenty of mass-market fun to be had here. Worth seeing

Review – The Lost World

Normally I don’t count movies that I saw on TV, but I’ve seen this one a couple of times already (including once in the theater), and the network premiere was sort of a special deal because it included some footage that wasn’t in the theatrical or video releases. Ultimately the extra scenes didn’t amount to much beyond a little extra character development for the sleazy nephew and the way-too-sympathetic big game hunter. I guess this one started out on the wrong foot when the only character from the first one that has more than a quick role in the sequel is the Jeff Goldblum character, whom I couldn’t stand in either film. Meandering and occasionally preachy plot. Impressive, expensive effects. Better on the big screen. Mildly amusing

Review – Jurassic Park

Despite a lack of affection on my part for both Steven Spielberg and Michael Crichton, I really like this film. Some of the criticisms leveled against it when it first came out are legit, particularly the caveat that despite all the dinosaurs and other ostensibly kid-oriented elements, it’s probably too violent for the younger set. Further, some of the science is a bit off (especially the chaos crap spouted by the Jeff Goldblum character, though he almost redeems himself with the line about the Pirates of the Caribbean). Still, if you can set aside all the pseudo-scientific sanctimony and just sit back and enjoy the show, the ride’s worth the price of admission. Worth seeing