SKeller64 Reviews

Three Kings (1999)

Fantastic War Movie

[10/10 · 3 October 1999]

"Three Kings" ranks as one of the best war movies of this decade and certainly one of the better films of this year (1999). Its story starts out sort of satirical though it quickly becomes something more meaningful. While it seems to be only about four soldiers trying to get rich off of stolen gold it definitely has a more poignant and deeper purpose. The portrayal of enemy soldiers as actual people rather than stereotypical "bad guys" particularly struck a chord with me, and since its message was one of anti-war (as most war movies are) this aspect was very well done. While it may lack the sheer intensity of something like "Saving Private Ryan" or the thoughtful introspective nature of "The Thin Red Line," "Three Kings" stands on its own by using humor to contrast against the realism seen in the characters. Also of note are the great performances, especially by George Clooney who finally proves that he is a very talented and capable actor. Highly recommended, 4/4 stars.

Mumford (1999)

Very Funny With Great Characters

[9/10 · 19 September 1999]

Got the chance to see a sneak preview of Mumford and mainly went to see it for Chasing Amy's Jason Lee (as I'm that big of a Kevin Smith fan) and was rather caught off-guard by how good it was. Starting out, the movie is slightly oddly paced and just throws you into the plot with little explanation as to what's up. The script unfolds expertly and does a great job of drawing you into the storyline and the very believable characters. It's extremely funny in a low-key way with most of the humor coming as a quick comment delivered dead-pan. It's the sort of flick where all of the characters are great because they're so quirky that they are funny in and of themselves. The overall message of the movie is also a good one. Definitely reccomended viewing.

By the way, you get to see Jason Lee skate a bit. Cool beans.

Enemy of the State (1998)

Much Better than Expected

[9/10 · 6 December 1998]

I went into Enemy of the State expecting a rather silly "the NSA is out to get me" type action flick, but it proved to be very clever and genuinely suspenseful at parts. Will Smith gives what is easily one of his best performances (as he gets a part that isn't best described as "cocky hotshot"), and everyone else does a top-notch job as well. The script was fast paced but still cohesive, and the movie never turned into a big gunfight. My chief complaint was the chase scenes (of which there were several) due to the fact that they are shot from roughly 23 angles, all constantly being intercut. I guess it was intended to make it more intense (and give the idea that there are a multitude of cameras watching everyone), but the gimmick ended up simply making it difficult to tell just what was happening.

So long as you're not in the middle of a chase scene, the movie is great. And while it obviously pushes the limits of reality at points, it is still believable enough as to not be a large distraction. The entire thing is worth seeing just for the climax, which is quite intelligent and funny. Recommended viewing for fans of the genre, and even those that don't generally like this type of movie will probably enjoy it.

12 Monkeys (1995)

Great, but not for everybody

[4 December 1998]

Twelve Monkeys is a time travel fan's dream come true. It is highly complex, well acted and is incredibly logical. Of course, it's also quite confusing and takes a while to get into. You'll probably get little of what's going on the first time, which is likely to turn a lot of people off. However, this is the sort of movie that you can watch five times and still wonder what will happen next, simply because in your quest to understand exactly what is going on you missed a scene. This doesn't mean that it makes no sense, rather it just gives the audience a lot of subtle information that's hard to pick up. It's also very spooky and effective, and will probably give you the creeps after each viewing.

In short, if you're up for a heavy, convoluted but overall quite satisfying experience, give Twelve Monkeys a try. Go into it with the proper attitude (and don't watch it with someone who's seen it - they'll just feel the need to explain it to you) and you should come out a devoted fan.

The Waterboy (1998)

Typical Sandler - Stupid but Funny

[8/10 · 8 November 1998]

Waterboy: Silly, cliched, predictable and funny. What did you expect from Adam Sandler? If you like the guy, you'll like this movie. It's also a return to his more traditional humor (which means it probably won't be as widely liked as The Wedding Singer). If you didn't like Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore, you won't like this. But for those that are a Sandler fan (and I happen to be one of them), you should like The Waterboy. Lots of physical humor, crude jokes, and funny voices make up the bulk of the movie. Worth a rental if it sounds like your kind of stuff. Otherwise, you've been warned.

Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again (1992)

Absolutely Pathetic

[2/10 · 8 November 1998]

Ugh. I can't believe I actually watched the entire movie. Where my friends turned it off, I came home and sat through the whole thing. A very bad experience that is made worse by the horrid dubbing. The plot is a cheasy recreation of the Macross idea, but manages to clutter it up with pointless songs and some lame attempts at bringing across it's very trite message of peace and love. The battle scenes are made dull due to the fact that you really don't care whether any of the characters live or die, the time in between battle scenes that try to shed light on the characters is even more tedious.

The movie isn't even officially part of the Macross continuity, which means that it really shouldn't interest anyone who isn't a hardcore Macross fan (and most of them hate it as well). Too bad this is one of those anime that you can find at your local BlockBuster. Go get Macross Plus instead, and if you really must watch Lovers Again, try your best to find a subbed version.

Back to the Future Part III (1990)

Weakest of the Series, but still Good

[8/10 · 8 November 1998]

BTFIII is the worst of the great trilogy, but it is by no means bad. While II is generally considered the worst, it holds up to repeated viewings much better than III. This was also a departure from the other two, as it spends most of the time in the Wild West, and a lot of the pop-culture jokes and references are gone (though there are a fair amount). It's still fun, and you get to see more of the Doc Brown character explored than in the others. If you haven't seen the trilogy, you'll need to watch it just to get the conclusion. However, it's more of a stand-alone movie than II is, so it could be seen even if you're not familiar with the others.

Overall, it gets a vote of 8 from me. Watch it, but watch the other two first. You owe it to yourself to see them all if you haven't ever, or even lately...

Pleasantville (1998)

Fantastic!

[10/10 · 1 November 1998]

Much like one of my other favorite films of the year (The Truman Show), Pleasantville is a funny movie based around TV with a very strong message about society. Unlike Truman, it's not quite as subtle with the message, but that's not a bad thing. The movie is hilarious at times, though it's not quite a comedy. The imagery (the use of color contrasted with the black and white) is very neat, and works incredibly well for the film. Highly recommended.