Chris997 Reviews

Metro (1997)

Murphy's most overlooked performance & movie!

[7/10 · 9 June 2002]

Metro, starring Eddie Murphy, may well be worth your viewing time. Yes it got a fair amount of negative reviews from people who wanted to see another "Nutty Professor" or thought of "Metro" as Murphy trying to play Axel Foley again. Others had problems with the script, the plot, the pace of the film, but nobody cared to mention how good Murphy actually is in this. His character is a San Francisco hostage negotiator, named Scott Roper, who one day meets his worst enemy in a jewel thief (played wonderfully by Michael Wincott) who makes his job a nightmare. From that point on a cat & mouse chase between Murphy & Wincott develops, & plays it's part in a rather amusing way. I don't want to give a lecture here on this subject, because movies like "Metro" are just made to entertain the viewer. "Metro" is a solid action film, with some suspense, some great stunts, and very good performances from the whole cast. Murphy, in what I think is one of his better roles, gives us his comedic touch, but this is more of a dramatic, serious role for him. I saw not Murphy, but Scott Roper, throughout the whole movie. A sure sign that an actor is doing his job quite well! - Murphy is superb.

1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)

1492 is AWESOME!

[10/10 · 14 April 2001]

Simply an amazing look into the life of Christopher Columbus. We discover who he was, what made him tick, we see what he accomplished and how it really backfired on him. This film shows us largely what Columbus had to do to accomplish his discovery of the New World. It shows us that Columbus didn't know where he would wind up, some thought that they would fall off the edge of the world. Columbus didn't seem to think so, he already knew that the world was probably round. What he did not know was that they were not venturing on a new found, easy way to the Asian continent. Instead they were headed to an unfamiliar place, a place full of surprises, wonder and beauty. A gorgeous, lush, tropical, plant filled paradise. The scene where Columbus comes in contact with a new kind of people, the Indians, is simply well filmed and photographed. That scene captured the surprise Columbus had when he discovered that he was merely just a guest, in a foreign place. Somebody already intruding on a land that has already been conquered, by the Indians who inhabit Columbus's dream. It soon turns into his own nightmare, as he trys to accomplish his dream and the natives rebel against him and his men. Near the end of the film a hurricane hit's his New World, basically surprising him and shattering his dreams. Even before the hurricane the film demonstrates to us that his dream was already being ruined. Moxica a spanish nobleman who tallied along with Columbus on his second voyage back to the New World, basically causes havoc for him there. As a result, there are wars and battles that brew, murder, Indians become his slaves, everything falls apart for Columbus. The film not only captures the essence of Columbus's hardtimes, but it also captures some of the remarkable things he did accomplish. Like the raising of a bell in the New World, his first voyage through the vast Atlantic Ocean, his friendship with an Indian native named Utapan, the love he had for his wife and his kids. This film is a special film with excellent performances from Gerard Depardieu who plays the man Columbus. Also the supporting cast is great (Sigourney Weaver, Michael Wincott, Armand Assante, Fernando Rey, Tcheky Karyo). Ridley Scott who directed Gladiator, Blade Runner, Alien, Thelma and Louise, hit's a home run here and wins. Vangelis's musical score is excellent and adds an extra sense of wonder, to a film that is already full of it.

1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)

Not to be missed...

[10/10 · 9 May 2000]

American moviegoers were not interested in Columbus when this film was released back in 1992. Darn, the 500th anniversary of Columbus and his discovery's (1492-1992). The film was released on Columbus day to, and yet it failed at the box office. It doesn't really matter now. Though, with Scott's recent success with Gladiator (Russell Crowe), one cannot help to think that timing is everything for a movie at the box-office. 1492, was released at the wrong time. That's why it failed. That, and the critics who picked on the film didn't help it, just becuase it had a French actor playing an Italian. Gerard I think was wonderful as Columbus. He fit into the role like a rock thrown into the water. Now let's get past all of the nostalgia. Here we have one of Ridley Scott's best motion pictures. A remarkable score (composed by Vangelis). A very human storyline and the film is not just about Christopher Columbus. It's also a study of the human psyche. The cinematography is just breathtaking, gorgeous, very moving. The film itself feels like the real life of the 15th century. No their not carrying cell phones with them. Or pagers. So if you cannot relate with the material, it's probably because their all stuck in the middle ages. The acting is completely solid. Three of the performers deserved Oscar recognition for their roles (Depardieu, Wincott, Assante). The film itself should have taken home and Oscar or two. Especially for Best Picture. Yes, I think it's that good. I am a very picky movie fan. I also admire the likes of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odessy, Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption, Barry Levinson's Rain Man, Terry Gilliam's The Fisher King, Mike Figgis's Leaving Las Vegas. All oscar worthy films. So in some respect, I am trying to tell you that they are all wrong on this film. It's a work of art..... 10/10

Rain Man (1988)

Brilliant, very moving character study!

[10/10 · 9 January 2000]

I saw this film when I was very young, to this day I still really admire this film. Rain Man is about two brothers (Raymond & Charlie), who finally meet eachother in adulthood, the death of their father is what brings the two brothers together. Their father Sanford Babbitt, left three million dollars in a trust fund for Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) before he died, and has excluded out his other son, Charlie (Tom Cruise) from inheriting the money. This really irks Charlie and compels him to find his long lost brother. He does find his brother, but what he finds is not a normal brother, more like a brother who suffers from Autism. From that point he kidnaps his brother from a mental institution, hoping to find a way to get the three million dollars. The two brothers eventually learn alot about eachother, and what really matters more then money, family. Tom Cruise's character begins to understand Raymonds condition, and he begins to realize how special his brother really is. Dustin Hoffman's role is more than just amazing, it's true to life. We begin to feel like we know how Raymond is, we begin to enter his world and see the world as only Raymond can. This film won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Actor & Director, and it really deserved all of the awards. Especially Dustin Hoffman, who's role I think is among one of the finest in film history. This film is really as good as it can get on the big screen!

Man on the Moon (1999)

What a great movie we have here!

[9/10 · 27 December 1999]

I am a fan of Carrey's comedic artistry and all of the elements that he brings to the table. I have seen some of his cartoonish like comedic roles (Ace Ventura, The Mask, Dumb & Dumber, Liar Liar) which in their own right were the signs of things to come. I saw the brilliant film, "The Truman Show", this film proved to the world that hiding beneath that Ace Ventura outfit, is indeed a talented & gifted actor that can do more than just comedy. I just recently had the chance to see his new film, "Man On The Moon". His performance was outstanding, only three times during the entire film did I say to myself, "okay that's Jim up there", the rest of the time I was totally involved in his portrayal of comedic genius Andy Kaufman. I must admit that I'm not familiar with alot of Kaufmans work, but I did get a sense of what he was like here, and now I want to learn more about him.

Credit the film makers here, for creating a film that not only will satisfy the huge Andy Kaufman fans of the world, but also bring in new ones who are now discovering the talents of Andy Kaufman. Also credit the cast of "Man On The Moon", all the performances are solid and powerful. Danny Devito's character was interesting and Courtney Love's performance was very nice. The film's cinematography was great, the directing and editing was great, the script was great, all the performances were great. If this film does not get some recognition by the members of the Academy Awards, then that would be disgraceful. It's a very powerful and moving film about Andy Kaufmans life, played out brilliantly by Jim Carrey.

1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)

The most underrated motion-picture of all time!

[10/10 · 25 September 1999]

Director Ridley Scott brings Columbus to life in this impressive film which, when released in 1992, coincided with the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's discovery of new lands surrounding two unknown continents. For this reason alone, the film deserves to be treasured by viewers all over the world. The subject of Conquest Of Paradise, of course is Christopher Columbus, played wonderfully by French actor Gerard Depardieu (Green Card, Cyrano De Bergerac). Depardieu brings a lot to the role, and creates a realistic portrayal of Columbus. I can't see how any other actor, could bring more to the role, than Depardieu did. In terms of casting, Depardieu's a perfect fit for this role, he resembles Columbus, has a nice smile and sort of a middle age appearance to him, with his long shaggy hair. The rest of the cast shines, and engages the audience. Armand Assante, Sigourney Weaver and Michael Wincott are among some of the film's cast members, and the performances they give are solid. The film succeeds on four of its noteworthy merits. The first one would be Scott's directing, and his reputation for incorporating vivid & gorgeous images into all his films, the second one would be its historical accuracy, the third one would be its score, composed by Vangelis, who can create gorgeous paintings like Scott can, but only to the music he makes. Finally the fourth one would be the casting of Depardieu, who can add spice to basically any film that he stars in. 1492 is an experience for the mind,body and soul. Unfortunately, most people don't think the way I do about this picture. When this film was released most critics were too analytical about it, and the film didn't draw in big crowds. Now, how films like this get lost amongst the trees, is really mysterious. I think this film's a classic, and maybe others will once this film gets its deserved exposure. The film is full of defining Columbus scenes, it's like traveling back in time, if you haven't seen this film, please do so.