Titan A.E. - certainly entertaining enough for a Saturday or Sunday morning.
Scary Movie - Funny as hell, in a juvenile way. How many horror movie spoofs did you catch?
Four Rooms - It was recommended. I watched most of it. Pretty funny in some places, pretty boring in others.

Nov 27 - Well, I've caught up a bit with the "digital revolution". I invested in a DVD player. Actually, "Fifth Element" was the first movie I watched. Then "MI:2" below. Tonight I watched "The Chicken Run". And I highly recommend this one for anyone that's a fan of Nick Park (Wallace and Grommit adventures) and for fans of British humor. I laughed my ass off a number of times. You have to listen closely to catch some of the lines. And as usual with Mr. Park's films, there's stuff going on in the background as well as the main story.

Nov 26 - Watched "Heavy Metal 2000" or "F.A.K.K. 2" as it is actually known. I can really only recommend this flick to other fans of Heavy Metal the magazine. And possibly other hard core science fiction fans. As opposed to the original "Heavy Metal: The Movie" this is one long story. The plot of the new movie is kind of hinted at in the last episode of the old movie. But some outstanding animation, and some outstanding "extra footage" of Julie Strain make renting the DVD worthwhile.

Nov 20 - After a bit of a dry spell..I rented "MI:2" or "Mission Impossible 2" as some of us refer to it. Eh, I'd have to agree with John Woo's assessment about a "completely different look", but it's still a Tom Cruise action/adventure vehicle. Action, intrigue, and romance. And I have to agree, it is the best damn motorcycle chase scene I've seen on film. I give it a B plus.

Aug 11 - First real chance to relax after vacation. Rented "Suicide Kings" but don't ask me why. Maybe because it starred Christopher Walken and Dennis Leary, among others. Maybe because it was put out by Artisan Entertainment. But as a movie, it kinda sucked. It did keep me wondering until the very end. One of a group of rich kids' sister gets kidnapped. The Plan: kidnap a "reformed" Mob guy and get ransom for him to pay the sister's ransom. But things go wrong. The "kidnappers" are connected to one of the group of rich kids. But which one? *snore*

Aug 4 - I was suffering a major case of mental lock-up..couldn't leave for vacation until tomorrow morning..didn't want to be at work, or at home. So I went to the movies. "Space Cowboys" sure as heck cleared up my mental confusion. Lot's of laughs, reasonably technically accurate and just a damn fine cast. Clint Eastwood, James Garner, Donald Sutherland, and Tommy Lee Jones. And Sutherland's character was definitely my favorite. Something about that "don't give a damn" grin. No unnecessary slow points in the movie. Romances are hinted at, but not explored remorselessly. A definite "go see" movie.

July 29 - Had to go rent something after those two movies! "The Ninth Gate" was a pretty suspenseful movie, up to the very disappointing end. Johnnie Depp plays and unscrupulous Rare Book "finder" who is sent in search of a rare book of Demonic knowledge. Solving the puzzles can result in raising the Devil himself, and will endow the spellcaster with near infinite powers. Mayhem ensues. But the suspense of the movie was good...up 'til the last 5 minutes of the damn movie. The ending just ruins the rest of the movie for me.

July 29 - I watched "Hope Floats", a Sandra Bullock vehicle. Another movie I wouldn't watch, but it was on HBO. Soon to be divorced woman with daughter returns home to her small town and finds true love, and herself. Definite chick flick.

July 21 - watched "Cookie's Fortune" on HBO. This isn't the typical movie I would watch, but with the list of stars..I got curious. Takes place in Holly Springs Mississippi. An old widow, known throughout the town decides to take her own life in order to be with her departed husband. Her odd ball daughter decides to cover up the fact that it was a suicide and tries to make it look like a murder. The African-American handy-man that lives out back is arrested for the crime..though everyone knows he would never have done it. More relatives are involved. Turns out everyone is related, white and black, from way back. Happy ending. It was just a good movie, what can I say?

July 16 - found out today I have HBO again. So I had the opportunity to watch Will Smith's version of "The Wild Wild West". Now me and my Dad were big fans of the T.V. show so I was kinda biased. But then again, Kevin Kline plays Artemus Gordon, so it couldn't be all that bad. And it wasn't. Stuck to the tongue-in-cheek humor, but updated for '90's audiences. And the outlandish technology. A movie that's plenty amusing for a Sunday afternoon. Oh, yeah. Salma Hayek has a great bottom!

July 14 - At last! The muchly anticipated "The X-Men" movie! My main reason for wanting to see this movie was too see if they could pull it off, as opposed to many of the recent comic-book-to-movie conversions. And boy was I satisfied! Until recently, I had been reading the X-men and related comics since way back in the early '80's. This movie stayed true to the characters for the most part. Gave enough information for people who hadn't been reading the comic to be able to follow along. However, it wasn't so bogged down in the characters to bore the heck out of fans. Good story line. No ill-placed, slow, romantic interlude for no apparent reason, and bunches of humor and in-jokes. For example, Ray Parks plays the "Toad"..he also played Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace. During one of the fight scenes, he ends up with a short rod in his hands..and manages to whirl and twirl it *just* like he did as Darth Maul. There was only one gaping omission in the movie and I'm sure it was editted out to keep the movie on track and on pace. Professor X gets zapped unconcious just before the big action finale..and wakes up just at the end of the movie..with a line about how he had Jean Grey to "lead him back". From where? My guess: he was stuck in the metaphysical plane (he's a telepath). But, as I said, it would have taken away from the movie to abruptly take off into the ethereal and watch his trials and tribulations and final rescue by Ms. Grey. But I think they could have taken five minutes to show him just floating along..and then have her show up and lead him back. But that's just my opinion.

Movie remembered: Sometime back I watched "Three Kings" - it's about one rebellious soldier leading a group of soldiers to steal a bunch of gold that Sadam Hussein had stolen from the Kuwaities during the Gulf War. Along the way, some people get hurt, and a bunch of Iraqi refugees get rescued. A pretty good movie, in general, but not worth seeing in the theater, imho.

June 29, 2000 - Finally watched "Sleepy Hollow" and enjoyed it muchly. Stormy day outside, spooky movie on the telly. And great special effects! Perfect casting of Christopher Walken as the Hessian, a.k.a. the Headless Horseman. However, as I recall the story, Ichabod Crane was a tall gangly fellow, and Johnny Depp is hardly tall, or gangly. But he did pull off the snooty city scientist/cop character very well. If you haven't seen this one..it's pretty darn good.

June 27, 2000 - I watched "Five Aces" - also an independent film, but starring "Charles" Sheen as a guy is about to get married and his 4 buddies have him back to the old home town to discover whether he's really ready or not. These other 4 guys have been through it all: broken hearts, broken marriages, cheating on their spouses, being cheated on, etc. This is one of those movies where the previews are completely misleading. But it kept you watching because you hoped they'd get into some real trouble, Hollywood style. Nope, never happens. not even any nekkid women.

June 26, 2000 - I watched "American Movie" - Mark Borchardt's quest to film first, his fist feature length movie "Northwestern" and later his 35 minute short "Coven". That's like stove, not oven. This film is basically a chronicle of Mark's trials and tribulations along the way, culminating with the debut screening of the movie "Coven". I first heard of Mark on the Late Show with Letterman. Letterman later sent him out to interview whatever presidential candidates would talk to him. I'd recommend watching the movie if you have some morbid curiousity about what goes on in the life of one particular independent film maker. This is "real Americana". However, Mark does demonstrate an infinite patience with realizing one of his dreams as well as a fire that is plain and all-consuming.

June 22, 2000 - At the behest of one of one of my legion of fans..I'll try to restart the Movie and Book Reviews pages. I'll just start with a movie I saw today, and add others as I remember them.

First of all, though, since I saw it at the end of last year, and it just came out on video and I've watched it again..I have to recommend "Galaxy Quest" if you haven't already seen it.

June 22 - I rented "Deuce Bigalow - Male Gigolo" and I have to say it was a much better, much funnier movie than I expected. And a much better plot, too. However, it's still one of those themed movies where nice guys actually finish first..which in real life, in my humble opinion, is a crock.

Sometime in the recent past - I went to the theater to see "Gladiator". Well worth seeing on the big screen! And a much better story than I'd expected. There was some gore..but they didn't get carried away with it. And not nearly enough nudity for that period of Roman history, but I digress. Rome's greatest general finishes conquering the hordes and just wants to go home to his wife and child. But the dying Ceasar, and Rome, has a much greater need. Unwilling to give the crown to his own son, this Ceasar (Not Ceasar Augustus, I forget which one) asks this general to take the crown. The son kills Ceasar and takes the crown, and sends the soon to be Gladiator off to be killed, but he escapes! His family is killed. He becomes a slave, and later a Gladiator! And revenge ensues. I have to admit I liked the imagery happening at the end of the movie, but I won't let on as it might ruin the end of the movie for ya.