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Movies

Robert Zemeckis

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One thing that Zemeckis really has excelled at in his career is taking chances. He was the first director to make a major movie that had actors acting with cartoon characters. He was the first director to use technology that allowed the same actor to interact with himself as another character in the same shot. As a young director  he fired his primary actor who had shot nearly all of his scenes and replaced him. He made a movie where over half of it contains virtually no dialogue. He’s not a great director. He seems unable to elevate a mediocre script, leaving good actors out in the cold. But there’s a few things he’s good at, and he’s very good at them.

Death Becomes Her: Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn compete for Bruce Willis’s love, duking it out Mortal Kombat style as they’ve both consumed immortality treatments that literally makes them survive everything. This should have been good, but the script is really lacking. The special effects are good for the time but even at the age of twelve I was really unimpressed with everything.

Grade: F

What Lies Beneath: Michelle Pfeiffer has been seeing a ghost, so she investigates while her professor husband (Harrison Ford) suffers the consequences. It starts out interesting with some genuinely suspenseful scenes, and then completely derails in the final third.

Grade: D+

Forrest Gump: Tom Hanks is developmentally disabled and fatherless, learning his lessons in life from his mama Sally Field and his best friend Jenny (Robin Wright). Somehow he is able to join the Army in Vietnam, which leads to a number of crazy successes in life as he becomes a table tennis champion, inspires T-shirts, talks to JFK, runs his own shrimp company with the help of Army buddy Gary Sinise, and so on. It’s certainly engaging and the acting performances are top-notch, but as a dramatic story it does little for me. Plus, his relationship with Jenny really starts to make me uncomfortable by the end.

Grade: B-

Who Framed Roger Rabbit: A really cool premise, as the worlds of Hollywood and Toon Town literally meet. The plot is simply a standard detective story, but the jazz comes from real actors engaging with cartoons, completely unheard of 1988. Kathleen Turner does a good job as the sultry Jessica Rabbit, while Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd are capable acting with their toon co-stars. A bit of a novelty these days, but still watchable.

Grade: B-

Contact: Based on Carl Sagan’s story of a girl (Jodie Foster) whose father encourages her scientific spirit and then goes and dies on her, fueling her drive into an all-work, no-play life searching the stars. She discovers what is believed to be plans from an alien species to build a spaceship to go visit them. Politics soon enter the discussion which naturally miffs Foster. More drama than science-fiction, exploring and contrasting Foster’s atheist views to the politicians and other scientists who get to decide whether or not she’ll be allowed to make first contact. Matthew McConaughey is fine but he was miscast as Foster’s lover slash Christian counterpart. Foster is superb and really makes the movie watchable.

Grade: B

Back to the Future Part III: The final movie in the trilogy sees Marty and Doc end up in the Old West, trying to stay alive while figuring out how to get the Delorean to work with 1885 technology. As a western it’s a bit lacking, with an obvious set and a non-authentic atmosphere. As a time travel movie it’s lacking, as the movie focuses mostly on it being a western. However, as a character piece, it’s really quite good. Doc’s character grows by leaps and bounds as he falls in love with a schoolteacher (Mary Steenburgen) who was supposed to die, and Christopher Lloyd hits a home run with his performance. Unfortunately, Marty doesn’t really develop for the second movie in a row, and is there just for comic relief (which Fox is good at). Despite its flaws I can’t help but watch it whenever it’s on thanks to all of the charm. I just wish the ending was more satisfying.

Grade: A-

Back to the Future Part II: The second movie in the series is utterly preposterous, with the primary characters ignoring the obvious several times, making things harder on themselves just to serve the wacky plot, which sees our main characters time travel relentlessly. From a plot perspective, this movie is only here to set up the third movie. There’s no significant character development. However, it’s a hell of a lot of fun thanks to Zemeckis’ and Bob Gale’s vision of the future as well as forcing Marty and Doc to revisit 1955 and run into their own selves from the previous movie. Fox playing four separate characters (including his daughter) is also fun. Zemeckis is a master at exposition. So many times in these movies Doc has to go on a rant, trying to explain the intricacies of time travel to Marty (and the audience), and makes it interesting every time. Christopher Lloyd helps as usual, as he really becomes his character.

Grade: A-

Cast Away: Tom Hanks, a FedEx employee whose life is run by the clock, winds up the sole survivor of a plane crash and finds himself alone on an island without any communication to the civilized world. The movie is bookended by ho-hum drama elements involving Hanks’ relationship with Helen Hunt, but the hour and a half or so that focuses on Hanks’ struggles on the island (and getting off it) is brilliant movie-making. With the only dialogue being Hanks talking to himself (and even that goes away after a while), the movie must rely on Hanks’ acting and Zemeckis’ directing to explore the isolation, fear, and depression that Hanks goes through. They succeed.

Grade: A-

Back to the Future: The hallmark time travel movie (and my favorite movies) sees Michael J. Fox accidentally go back in time and accidentally prevent his parents from hooking up. After seeing this at least a hundred times, I can confidently say that Gale and Zemeckis created as flawless a script as possible. While it’s easily watchable for kids thanks to quotable one-liners, fun music and suspenseful action, there are layers and layers of intricacy weaved in to make it watchable by adults repeatedly. The movie never insults the viewer by overexplaining things, all the while effectively getting buy-in to this world where time travel is possible. Easter Eggs are plenty, and repeated viewings reveal double-meaning in nearly every line of dialogue. Zemeckis somehow manages to weave in incest themes without making it trite or uncomfortable. It also helps that Crispin Glover puts in a dynamite performance as Fox’s father. Despite the amazing scripts, I wonder how successful this would have been with a separate cast. I’ve seen a couple of scenes with Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly, and he just didn’t have the comedic energy that Fox has. Plus, Christopher Lloyd has to the best crazy scientist ever. He’s such a master at subtlety, which makes his over-the-top character work.

Grade: A+

Other Robert Zemeckis Movies You May Have Seen

Flight
A Christmas Carol (2009)
Beowulf
The Polar Express
Romancing the Stone
Used Cars

Movies

Jonathan Lynn

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Another seemingly average but competent director who makes mostly inoffensive comedies, some funnier than others.

Greedy: Kirk Douglas is rich and dying and his family and friends (Michael J. Fox, Nancy Travis, Olivia d’Abo, Phil Hartman, Ed Begley Jr.) are trying to get into his good graces. Of course he recognizes this and has something up his sleeve. Douglas is easily the highlight here, but this is pretty by the numbers and not as funny as it could have been.

Grade: C-

Trial and Error: Jeff Daniels is defending Rip Torn in a class action suit but he gets so hammered the day before trial he can’t make it. Rather than ask for a continuance or anything remotely logical, he sends in his actor friend Michael Richards to take his place, coaching him along the way. Meanwhile, Daniels starts a romance with Charlize Theron. Better than it has any right to be, with some genuinely funny moments and an engaging cast.

Grade: C

The Distinguished Gentleman: Eddie Murphy plays a con-man who gets elected to Congress as kind of a joke, but then when he gets there he takes exception to how easily influenced his colleagues are by lobbyists and begins to make changes. Predictable and as a political lesson is not to be taken seriously. Murphy was still charming in 1992 which helps keep this watchable.

Grade: C+

Clue: Six guests (based on their board game characters) at a strange house must unravel a murder mystery. Appropriately plays the premise for slapstick and parody. Sometimes a bit contrived, but it’s forgiven considering its comedic nature. Tim Curry is brilliant, while the supporting cast puts in some good performances as well, notably Christopher Lloyd and Madeline Kahn. When this was release in theaters, viewers had a chance of seeing one of three separate endings. Talk about a wonderfully fun and manipulative marketing ploy. These days, of course, one can see all three endings simultaneously. Guessing the killer is fun but the modi operandi are so preposterous that it’s mostly just for fun.

Grade: B-

My Cousin Vinny: Joe Pesci helps his cousin, falsely accused of murder in a small town, by defending him in his first case as a lawyer. He’s mostly clueless on even the most basic aspects of law and courtroom etiquette, but with the help of his fiancee Marisa Tomei, he uses his guile and desperation (if he wins, they’ll get married) to win over the jury. Pesci and Tomei are perfect together, and Pesci’s antics are hilarious to this day.

Grade: B

Other Jonathan Lynn Movies You May Have Seen

Nuns on the Run
Sgt. Bilko
The Whole Nine Yards
The Fighting Temptations
Wild Target

Movies

David Fincher

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Even though I’ve only seen four of his movies, I can confidently say David Fincher is one of the world’s best directors, and that he really likes working with Brad Pitt. He really can pull the viewer into not just the movie, but the lives of each of his characters. I can also confidently say that I really need to see The Social Network.

Alien 3: Sigourney Weaver is now getting stalked by the alien. I really couldn’t get into this mess, though there are far worse movies. This one can’t be pinned on Fincher at all, as he had almost no control of the movie and things were changed without his consent. His first movie, and thankfully the experience didn’t dissuade him from continuing his career.

Grade: D

The Game: Sean Penn tells his uptight brother Michael Douglas to get some testing done as part of a birthday gift he prepared for him. Unfortunately for Douglas, shortly after the testing his life begins to fall apart. Strangers come after him and he finds himself in a life-and-death psychological game to save his life. Great fun and really tense the first go-round. Sadly, the ending negates the entire film and it’s not near as enjoyable upon repeated viewings. It also doesn’t help that Douglas is simply not a good actor. He doesn’t ruin the movie, but he’s not really good with any emotion other than pissed.

Grade: B+

Se7en: Detectives Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman investigate a killer (Kevin Spacey) who is systematically disposing of people he feels are in gross violation of one of the seven deadly sins. Extremely well-acted and a knockout ending. I wish it had been a bit more suspenseful, but that’s just nitpicking.

Grade: A-

Fight Club: A burnt out office employee (Edward Norton) first turns to support groups to help with his depression. He meets a girl (Helena Bonham Carter) and things are beginning to look up.  Things take a turn when he teams up with an enthusiastic, care-free soap salesman (Brad Pitt) to develop fight clubs that help men vent their aggression. Brutal, visceral, and a complete mindfuck without being terribly manipulative. Simply brilliant.

Grade: A

Other David Fincher Movies You May Have Seen

The Social Network
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Panic Room
Zodiac
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Movies

James Cameron

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For Cameron’s expertise in atmosphere, research, and camerawork, he certainly lacks in characterization and storytelling. His weakness in that area was hidden in his early movies that focused almost solely on action, at which he’s a master. But with Titanic and (from what I’ve heard, Avatar), he really is in over his head.

True Lies: The first time I saw this I had a temperature of 104 and thought I was going to die. From strep throat, not the movie. There’s some good action here in the vein of Die Hard, and Jamie Lee Curtis is just about perfect. But Tom Arnold is pretty obnoxious and the scene with the horse lost me completely. I wish it had gone for either complete farce or complete seriousness.

Grade: D

Titanic: DiCaprio and Winslet are amazing actors but not even they could save one of the worst romantic plots I’ve seen. It’s a tragedy, since Cameron does a fantastic job with the actual ship and the actual people on the ship. He is able to evoke a decent amount of emotion with the stories of the crew and those in the lower classes. But the script for the added characters is a complete hatchet job. Billy Zane is so sneeringly evil you wonder why he wasn’t given a twirly mustache.

Grade: C

Aliens: I don’t like this as much as Ridley’s film as I prefer a more slowly building tension, but it’s still an example of a good action movie. Good acting and shot well.

Grade: B

The Terminator: The perfect role for Schwarzenegger, and good casting with Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton. It’s nice to have a heroine who is strong but actually seems like an every day person. Good tension. I love the way Cameron keeps things dark and generally slower-paced for most of the movie. Special effects lack at times. I’m also crazy about the soundtrack.

Grade: A- 

Terminator 2: Judgment Day: Much like the sequel to Alien, T2 is less about suspense and more about action. When I saw this in 1991 I was blown away by the special effects and they still hold up every well to this day. In fact, “liquid metal,” instantly became a new thing in the vocabulary of most people I knew. Exceptional casting with Robert Patrick; he absolutely kills it as the villain and the movie isn’t the masterpiece it is without him. Eddie Furlong’s first acting experience, and despite some troubles with projecting, I think Cameron directs him well. I believe this kid and his emotional turmoil. And talk about a transformation for Linda Hamilton.

Grade: A+

Other James Cameron Movies You May Have Seen

Avatar
The Abyss
Piranha Part Two: The Spawning

Movies

Ridley Scott

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If there’s one hallmark of Ridley Scott is that you’ll be hard pressed to forget any of his movies. His ability to create atmosphere is one of the best in the business. He definitely knows how to raise the goosebumps. However, he seems to a bit lacking in character development, which I definitely crave more of as I get older. Can any of my readers enlighten me as to whether or not he’s improved upon this in the last ten years?

Blade Runner: This movie (based on Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”) may have my favorite cyper-punk dystopian vision of the future. To this day the movie is still breathtaking. Harrison Ford plays a blade runner, an enforcement agent tasked with finding and terminating replicants, man-made human slaves gone rogue. I love the ideas here, especially the Voight-Kampff tests designed to detect replicants by asking them benign questions. But oh boy does this movie have a lot of problems. Ford’s character is so callous and cold that I was actually rooting against him by the end. There’s a rape scene which is just brutal and completely out-of-nowhere. In fact, it’s too much like a Christopher Nolan movie in that it’s more or less devoid of emotion, which this story needs in spades. I watched the Director’s Cut, which apparently has a better ending and eschews some god-awful narration by Ford. I’m glad I watched the movie; it certainly made the computer game more enjoyable. But it’s current ranking at IMDb as the 126th best movie of all-time is kind of embarrassing.

Grade: C+

Hannibal: Very stylish follow-up to The Silence of the Lambs, which focuses more on Hannibal than detective Starling. Unfortunately, Foster bowed out and was replaced by Julianne Moore. I like Moore, but I don’t think she was the best choice for Starling and the lack of chemistry in this movie severely dampened the emotional impact the first movie had. That said, the atmosphere is fantastic, dark and horrifying. Anthony Hopkins is great once again.

Grade: B

Alien: Incredibly horrifying movie. Scott is a master of suspense here, creating a claustrophobic environment where the scares rely mostly on the unknown (and some great shooting). Sigourney Weaver is great. I really need to watch this again.

Grade: A-

Gladiator: Loosely based on the lives of Maximus and Commodus, Russel Crowe shines as the former, avenging the murder of his wife and death and engaging in Coliseum battles, trying to survive as a gladiator. Oliver Reed’s final movie. Joaquin Phoenix puts in a masterful performance as Commodus. We are supposed to hate his character and he makes it very, very easy. As is usual with Scott, the visuals are stunning. The story isn’t perfect and is just a teeny bit too manipulative for my tastes.

Grade: A-

Other Ridley Scott Movies You May Have Seen

Prometheus
American Gangster
Black Hawk Down
Kingdom of Heaven
Robin Hood (2010)
Body of Lies
Matchstick Men
Thelma & Louise
A Good Year
G.I. Jane
Legend
Black Rain
1492: Conquest of Paradise

Movies

Andrew Stanton

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A Bug’s Life: Ants are tormented by grasshoppers, and one particular ant is tormented by the other ants. A bit similar to Antz, released the same year, and I like both equally for different reasons. You can tell Pixar was still getting their feet wet with plot and humor, but the visuals are pretty fantastic.

Grade: B-

Finding Nemo: See Lee Unkrich

Grade: B

WALL-E: A delightful tale about a robot designed to pick up and organize trash on Earth while the humans colonize elsewhere. The first 22 minutes have no dialogue, and the next 18 don’t have much either as we watch WALL-E cope with his situation. We learn about him, his struggles, his goals, and his personality without any words being said. It’s a huge testament to the writers and animators and  what we get is one of the best first halves of any movie ever. The last half focuses more on the humans that left Earth and their plight is a little less original from a storytelling perspective. Still, an amazing accomplishment from a company that has no shortage of them.

Grade: A+

Other Andrew Stanton Movies You May Have Seen

John Carter

Movies

Lee Unkrich

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Unkrich co-directed his first three movies with Pixar but he had full reins over Toy Story 3. I don’t know how to gauge the strengths of a director of animated movies, especially when there’s multiple directors. But Toy Story 3 is a masterpiece, so my official opinion is that this guy knows his stuff.

Monsters, Inc.: We learn that monsters scare children to supply the power to their city. We follow a couple of those monsters who struggle with the fact that kids these days just don’t scare as easily as they used to. Home run premise sputters at times with obvious plot points and obvious jokes but it’s charming all the way.

Grade: C+

Finding Nemo: A clownfish becomes separated from his father and they spend a good deal of time trying to find each other. Visually stunning and thoroughly endearing. Seems more geared towards children than other Pixar movies, but it’s definitely still geared for adults.

Grade: B

Toy Story 2: A significantly more engaging story than the first movie, this one focuses even more on the toys. Woody gets kidnapped by a toy collector who learns he’s worth quite a bit. Barbie’s introduction is way better than I would have thought it would be. Rex is absolutely hilarious.

Grade: A-

Toy Story 3: Easily my favorite final movie of a trilogy. An epic story focusing on Andy’s toys being dropped off for retirement at a daycare center and the horrors they find there. I think I had a smile plastered across my face the entire movie and I cried at least once. Funny, beautiful, touching. A perfect end to the series.

Grade: A

 

 

Movies

Richard Donner

1 Comment

Superman: Saw this several times a kid but never as an adult. I do remember liking Hackman’s Lex Luthor and some of the story.

Grade: N/A

The Goonies: Some nerdy kids find a pirate treasure map and try to save the neighborhood from a crime family by getting the treasure. Written by Spielberg and Columbus. I remember kind of liking it as a kid. I saw about 75% of it a few months ago, and was pretty lukewarm about it.

Grade: N/A

Lethal Weapon 3: See below.

Grade: C

Lethal Weapon 2: See below.

Grade: B

Lethal Weapon: Danny Glover is the veteran cop, Mel Gibson is the suicidal young cop. Both hate working together, but because this is a movie, they get paired together for a lot of funny one-liners until they catch some drug smugglers. All three movies are ridiculous and fun, though the third one lacks a bit of the spark.

Grade: B

Maverick: Based on the television show, Maverick (Mel Gibson) finds himself weaseling his way out of many sticky situations while hoping to join a huge poker tournament for a big pay day. He gets competition along the way from a thief (Jodie Foster) and a marshal (James Garner, the original Maverick). The movie goes on a bit too long (just over two hours) but I love every minute of it. Donner really knows how to get comedy out of Gibson, and Foster is fantastic. It’s not particularly laugh-out-loud funny, but it’s consistently charming and amusing from beginning to end. The climactic poker tournament is a blast and features many cameos from famous country singers. It also has a great country-music soundtrack with nearly all original music that fits the movie’s theme.

Grade: A+

Other Richard Donner Movies You May Have Seen

Lethal Weapon 4
The Omen
Conspiracy Theory
Superman II
Assassins
Timeline
Scrooged
Ladyhawke