nick-282 Reviews

Gold Coast (1997 TV Movie)

surprisingly good

[4 December 2000]

I took the trouble to look this up on IMDb after coming in late on it on Showtime because I was impressed with just about all of it. David Caruso was the only actor I recognized, but as far as I was concerned, everyone was excellent, particularly the big guy with the big hat; and contrary to some of the other reviews, I found myself remarking on the excellence of the direction, with good angles and fresh touches all over the place. I was not surprised to find it was written by Elmore Leonard, given the convolution; I'm still not sure who did what to whom and why, but who cares. A very pleasant couple of hours.

Notting Hill (1999)

sugar coated seriousness

[8/10 · 3 December 2000]

Old Billy Wilder was a very serious guy, God bless 'im. Perhaps you remember his movie about sex and the roles of male and female? No? Well, he sugar-coated it and it was called Some Like It Hot.

Notting Hill has some serious things to say, but it is not going to bore us by stating them seriously. Instead it sugar coats them, for the fun of one and all. But pay attention in the middle of the movie, when Julia Robert's character is complaining about the price of fame, and Hugh Grant's character mentions that 18 months ago his best friend slipped while coming down some stairs, and now will never walk again.

Screenwriter Richard Curtis has taken his experience from the great success of Four Weddings and a Funeral and used it to fuel this movie with wiry and witty comment on all that he experienced. I can hardly wait for his next screenplay, and if it makes use of actors with the charm and chemistry of Roberts and Grant, we'll be in for another treat.

Dangerous Mission (1954)

There is nothing like a good B movie, and this isn't one

[29 September 2000]

There is nothing like a good B movie (of which Casablanca is surely the best), and this isn't one, but nonetheless it is enjoyable if nothing else for the editing, which may be the worst I've seen. Victor Mature and Vincent Price in the same picture can't be all bad. Throw in Piper Laurie wandering around the back country in high heels, Indians in grease paint, a fire and a crevasse, and its an (unintentionally) amusing 90 minutes.

Pretty Woman (1990)

a superb retelling of a much told tale

[21 February 2000]

This is Julia Roberts' film, just as Roman Holiday was Audrey Hepburn's film. While Greg Peck's generosity toward Audrey Hephurn is well known, so far as I know, no one has commented on Richard Gere's similar generosity to Julia Roberts. Instead, Billboard magazine comments that he mailed in his performance. He didn't - he stood out of the way, and let the limelight shine alone on Julia Roberts. Perhaps a later generation will acknowledge Richard Gere's extraordinary generosity.

As for the film itself, there are masterful performances all around, from Mr Gere to Miss Roberts, from Hector Elizondo to the master overseeing it all, Gerry Marshall. One of the best films of its time, and an example of how to do it right.

Hilary and Jackie (1998)

disappointing

[5/10 · 20 January 2000]

I had been looking forward to seeing this film, having heard a lot about it, so I was perhaps disproportionately disappointed when I did see it. I found it unfocused, confusing, dull. I couldn't figure out specifically what was wrong until a few nights ago when I happened to see Emily Watson on the Charlie Rose show, were she mentioned that this was director Anand Tucker first movie. That is what is wrong with the film - it is amateurish, a first effort.

The Fifth Element (1997)

wonderful youthful excess

[9/10 · 20 January 2000]

This not a Hollywood film - it is wild, it is colorful, and it is crazy, and more than anything, it is an individual vision, something Hollywood has not allowed since the glorious old days. You will be throughly sick of Chris Rock's over the top DJ by the end of the movie, but other than that, Milla Jovovich is mysterious and beautiful, Bruce Willis is himself, and Ian Holm scores yet again and as the actor with an uncanny sense of what scripts are going to turn into extraordinary movies.

In my opinion, not since Orson Welles was let loose in the Universal back lot to make Citizen Kane has there been such a fine example of youthful cinematic genius. Forget maturity, go back to being a teenager for a couple of hours; you won't get arrested.

The Lady Eve (1941)

grows on you

[9/10 · 18 January 2000]

One of the funniest films ever made, but it may not seem to be that the first time you see it, thanks to Henry Fonda's underplaying of his part. And it is just his underplaying his role that makes it grow with every viewing, the perfect foil to the always superb Stanwick. And Preston Sturges was a genius who produced only four films of note, but what films! You've heard the phrase "die laughing"... so don't watch it too many times.

Lolita (1997)

a two character play

[14 January 2000]

This is essentially a two character play, and as Jeremy Irons is a known quality, it rises or falls on Dominique Swain. It was never released threatically in the US and with good reason, although it was eventually shown on cable; read the book or enjoy Tuesday Weld and James Mason in Stanley Kubrick's version.

Specter of the Rose (1946)

extraordinary film

[8/10 · 25 December 1999]

I am surprised and even saddened that there are no other votes or comments for this extraordinary film about the ballet world, because that would seem to mean that no one using IMDB has seen it; you are missing one of the most unique films ever made.

Ben Hecht wrote and Ben Hecht directed this surreal film about a dancer in the eccentric world of ballet who is obsessed with a ballerina; there are few if any obsessions that are not destructive, and I will not give away the ending, but it is spectacular and moving. You will not forget this film once you have seen it.

Oliver's Travels (1995– )

superb acting

[9/10 · 24 December 1999]

If you want to see what skilled acting is all about, watch these two masters - Alan Bates and Sinead Cusack - turn what could otherwise be a dull and British story in something highly enjoyable almost solely on the strength of their personalities and acting skills. (A equally skilled director helps as well.) Imagine two young American actors in these roles, and you will see what I mean.

This series - which appeared in the US as a PBS Mystery presentation - which in other hands could have been a mess, is one of the most enjoyable things I've seen on television in a long time. I hope it will be shown again.

Your Friends and Neighbors (1998)

not bad

[7/10 · 1 September 1999]

What we need are new young writers and directors and actors who are not going to do things the good old (Hollywood) way, who are going to explore new areas, expand boundaries, and continue to expand the art of the cinema, not just make the same old movies over and over again. This film takes so many chances it was at first slapped with an NC-17 rating. It has its flaws, but still is a pleasure to watch.

The Lion (1962)

charm of Pamela Franklin

[8/10 · 15 August 1999]

This movie has many charms, but foremost is that of Pamela Franklin, an extraordinary young actress who went on to make some interesting movies, but disappeared from the scene many years ago, after making too many horror movies.