Lou-5 Reviews

The Fraidy Cat (1924)

Hilarious, the Little Rascal's film debut

[9 October 2000]

A little known fact is that the incomparable Charley Chase introduced the world to the Little Rascals. This is their first short. They play a bunch of annoying kids who torment poor Charley until he gets his nerve and fights back, with hilarious results. One of Chase's best.

Short Cuts (1993)

Extremely interesting

[21 March 2000]

One of the most interesting movies I've ever seen. Close attention NEEDS to be paid to a movie with so many characters, but it always sustained my attention. All performances were perfect and the all-star cast helped me keep up with all the characters (Julianne Moore is married to Matthew Modine, etc.). Altman is the real star of this movie though.

Dreamers (I) (1999)

So-so

[14 March 2000]

I had the oppurtunity to attend a sneak preview of this movie before it was released. While I think that Lu is a terrific story-teller and I would like to see what she has in store next, this movie did nothing for me. I've seen a story similar to this many times. The actor's were all adequate. I don't know what it was but it was a very unpleasant movie to watch, and you're reading a comment by a guy who thought Boogie Nights is one of the best movies of the decade. The characters were all kind of cardboard. I couldn't relate to any of them on a personal level. I definately understand if people like it though because there's a lot to like.

Magnolia (1999)

Excellent all the way through

[10/10 · 15 January 2000]

Magnolia is an excellent movie. It has heart, a moral, great acting, AND a ending straight out of the Bible. What more could you want? But seriously, Magnolia is a thinking man/woman's movie with a great script. I think anyone who says that the ending didn't make sense is because they're not very smart or are just part of Generation-X and depend on MTV to do their thinking for them. Anyway, of course the ending has nothing to do with the PLOT, but it has everything to do with the THEME, which was the whole point of making the movie: ".......Sometimes people need to be forgiven.....".

P.S. Of course, that isn't the only theme of the movie, just the theme that spoke to me the loudest.

Magnolia (1999)

Brilliant!

[10/10 · 23 December 1999]

(*WARNING* DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE) Paul Thomas Anderson, whose explosive film "BOOGIE NIGHTS" is probably one of the best of the decade, almost out-does himself with his latest masterpiece. He is definitely a filmmaker worth watching. What especially liked about this movie, aside from the great cast and great music, is the way that Anderson subtly inserted objects that can only be seen if attention is paid. One example is the painting of the magnolia in Philip Baker Hall's character's house, under which it states the movie's theme, revealed during the climax: "Things like this have happened" or something like that. No one would have been able to catch that, had attention not been paid. Also, I had difficulty trying to figure out what Jason Robard's character, Earl Partridge, and the rest of his family had to do with the game show "What Do Kids Know?", until I saw the end credits of the t.v. show where it said that it was a "Big Earl Partridge" production in big letters. That's the only way to actually link all the character's stories together. I saw the movie with three people and I was the only one to catch that. The last thing I would like to say is to all the people who say that when it started raining frogs, it didn't make any sense. If you think that, then you didn't understand any of the movie and you wasted three hours of your life that could've been spent on an absolutely amazing movie-going experience.

American Beauty (1999)

Best movie of the year

[9 October 1999]

American Beauty is the best movie of the year without a doubt. The characters are brilliantly drawn out and everyone's performance is brilliant. Kevin Spacey is great as always, as are Annette Benning, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper, and Mena Suvari. Words cannot describe it. See it for yourself.

Titanic (1997)

Great, but overrated

[6/10 · 13 April 1999]

Titanic is NOT the best film ever. In fact, it's not even the best film of '97. But it's a great movie. The visual effects are amazing, but some of the acting is awful (Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, and especially Billy Zane). The last 1 1/2 hours of it are an emotional powerhouse, but a LOT of the dialogue is cheesy. Also, it made me angry that Leo, Kate, and Gloria Stuart (she was good, but not great) got all the acting spotlight shined on them, when it was Kathy Bates' finely tuned performance that stole every scene and showed that she can truly do everything an actress can do and more. The Billy Zane character was poorly written, poorly acted, and poorly conceived. All he was missing was a pencil-thin mustache and an evil laugh. There was a lot of talk about how bad the script was. The script was great. Sure, the dialogue sucked, but dialogue is about 10% of a screenplay. And storytelling is the other 90%. James Cameron's storytelling abilities are, today, only matched by Spielberg's.

Something I really hated about it was when everyone compared it to Gone With the Wind. What is up with that?!?!?!?! Sure, there are some similarities in the plot, but Gone with the Wind is regarded by many as the best movie ever and a classic. There is no awful dialogue. There are no awful , one-dimensional characters. There are no bad performances. It's just full of good old-fashioned Hollywood storytelling at its best. It is more entertaining than Titanic, too. It is a half an hour longer, but holds your attention even better than Titanic ever could. Plus, if you take into account inflation, Gone With the Wind made twice as much as Titanic in America alone. That is a true epic. Titanic is only a pretender to the throne. But it is a great movie.

8 out of 10, ***1/2 out of ****

True Crime (1999)

Great!

[22 March 1999]

True Crime is a great film. Unlike recent thrillers like Snake Eyes, Kiss the Girls, and Fallen, True Crime actually has an interesting plot and no plot holes. Though it seems like an average reporter-or-lawyer-trying-to-stop-an-innocent-man-from-dying movie, it is far from it. It has great plot twists. The script is great. Clint Eastwood shows great directing skills. He knows how to keep everything simple, not too simple, and still tell the story. Attention must be paid though.

Very Bad Things (1998)

Best dark comedy in years

[5 March 1999]

Very Bad Things is a great, deliciously evil movie. Peter Berg's script elicited strong responses, but that's what makes a great director. This movie is a great examination of how evil people can be. Christian Slater's charcter is perhaps the best-written character in a decade, second only to Cameron Diaz's character. Peter Berg pulls out all the stops, sparing the audience nothing. The final scene in the movie, after the car crash that makes Jon Favreau's character paralyzed is the funniest scene in any movie of '98. Just wait 2 hours after eating before you see it.

The Impostors (1998)

Great, silly fun

[5 March 1999]

The Impostors is a spirited romp. Campbell Scott is absolutely hilarious as the ship captain and Steve Buscemi is also very good as the suicidal clown. Oliver Platt is a great rising star.

Wild Things (1998)

An entertaining satire

[20 February 1999]

Wild Things is a well thought-out and clever satire, and I think that most people who saw it took it too seriously and didn't realize that. The acting and the writing are extremely cheesy, but intentionally so.

Boogie Nights (1997)

A great film

[10/10 · 22 January 1999]

Boogie Nights is a great and startling film which demands multiple viewings. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson deserves most if not all the credit because of his brilliant script, densely populated with many complex and memorable characters and frequent jabs at the porn industry that are absolutely hilarious. He also has a somewhat unique and hypnotic directing style. The final scene in which Dirk Diggler is rehearsing his lines in front of the mirror is great, and the scene in which Dirk Diggler and his 2 friends try to rip off a millionaire for money is probably the most memorable and mesmerizing scene of any movie in the past 20 years. The ensemble cast is uniformally excellent. Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, Burt Reynolds, Mark Wahlberg, and Don Cheadle are absolutely perfect. One of the best movies of the 90's. In my opinion, 2nd only to Fargo.