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Mulan film review

In the rush to contrast the early-nineties Disney golden age (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King) with the current crop of underperformers (Treasure Planet, Brother Bear, Home on the Range) that have resulted in Disney’s foolhardy decision to jettison hand-drawn animation, some pretty decent films have been lost in the shuffle. Disney’s Mulan, ….

Network film review

This groundbreaking film is a rare example of a really god satire that was popular with film critics and the public – and even with entertainment industry insiders, who might not be expected to get the joke or appreciate the abuse. (I guess Hollywood has always had a condescending attitude toward TV, which explains the ….

Sling Blade film review

www.filmfetish.com/images/starf.gif”> Unlike most critics, I’ve been largely unimpressed with Billy Bob Thornton’s work in the past. From One False Move to A Family Thing, I’ve always found his writing to lack depth and miss a true focus. But then there’s Sling Blade, and with Thornton in complete control as the writer, director, and star of ….

Platoon film review

Like no other movie could tell, Platoon shows us categorically that war – and especially the Vietnam War – is hell. The story is vintage Oliver Stone – based on his own experiences in the bush with only a few moments of fictionalization. In Platoon, Charlie Sheen plays a young and naive Private Chris Taylor, ….

Psycho film review

One of Hitchcock’s masterpieces – though I like Vertigo and Rear Window better – about a woman who steals $40,000, the sleepy motel where she spends the night, and the cruel secret behind the motel owner redefined the horror genre and set the standard for thrillers for the next 40 years. A rare must see. ….

Ray film review

Every time former Booty Call-er Jamie Foxx rasps his voice, sways gracefully on a piano bench, or hugs his own torso in triumph, we lose the actor we’ve come to know completely. Left standing in his place is the late Ray Charles, staring back at us from behind those trademark sunglasses – and yes, we ….

Rear Window film review

Not only is Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window one of his best pictures, it’s one of the best films ever made altogether. The master craftsmanship on display (placing virtually the entire film within the confines of the apartment of hobbled photographer L.B. Jeffries — the inimitable James Stewart — referred to as “J.B. Jeffries” on the ….

The Saint film review

Infused with a backstory to set up the past of its nameless hero (Val Kilmer) as something of a "rogue James Bond with a guilty conscience and a Volvo," The Saint is as improbable as it is entertaining. With a plot revolving around a successful cold fusion experiment developed by miniskirt-clad scientist Emma (Elizabeth Shue) ….

Saw film review

You know how some movies have perfect trailers – so imaginatively cut together that you can’t help but have to see the movie when it comes out? And then you see the movie and it doesn’t live up to potential? Saw is that movie. The Saw trailer almost made me soil myself, and that was ….

Serpico film review

Damn dirty cops! It’s gonna take Frank Serpico to clean up this town!!! Based on a true story of rampant corruption and internal affairs in New York City (where else?), Serpico stands as the consummate cop movie, right up there with The French Connection. But while The French Connection is a standard cops-and-robbers movie, Serpico ….

Shall We Dance film review

In Shall We Dance?, Richard Gere plays a man in the throes of a mid-life crisis. This is new territory for the 55-year-old actor who’s always found himself opposite considerably younger leading ladies. Here, he actually plays a man his age, and is married to someone a bit more believable. Has Gere finally grown up? ….

Shanghai Noon film review

The American movie studios are bastards when it comes to taking highly talented Asian directors and actors and pushing them into the American consciousness, invariably stereotyping and watering down the raw talent and energy of the individuals to increase their acceptance in American culture. Jet Li, Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam, Chow-Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh and ….

Showtime film review

Rodney Dangerfield knew it. You can’t get respect being funny. Nobody gets anywhere unless you’re taken seriously. At least that’s the company line these days in Hollywood, where it seems most of the entertainment industry’s best funnymen are becoming more interested in eliciting tears than laughter. It is really quite ironic then that the one ….