Quentin Tarantino is kicking himself. Were a few epic movies worth enduring all the disappointing imitations that followed? The latest Tarantino copycat is Doug Liman, who directed Go (Columbia Pictures). This film is essentially a teenybopper Pulp Fiction, but Scott Wolf is no Samuel L. Jackson and Katie Holmes is no Uma Thurman. Go develops […]
The Mod Squad (MGM) made me roll my eyes so many times that I saw more of the theater’s ceiling than the screen. Just what movie-goers needed from Hollywood: another ’90s remake of some TV series from the 1960s or ’70s that was better left alone. Another movie that features older white male coffee-drinking corrupt […]
Name your new album 14:59 (Atlantic) and your cheeky, self-deprecating prophecy just might ring true. The brazen title of Sugar Ray’s third full-length album only confirms the inevitable: This California fivesome’s 15 minutes of fame are about one second from expiring, and its album title isn’t half as clever as it thinks it is. That […]
A lovable nerd’s coming-of-age. Unrequited love. Schoolboy rebellion. A bizarre love triangle. At first glance, it would seem that Rushmore (Touchstone) simply is pressing all the Hollywood buttons. Look again. Teeming with finely crafted characters, sincere and witty moments, and a deeper social commentary, this film is fresh, smart and uncommonly endearing. Rushmore is the […]
Leave it to Adam Sandler to resurrect the phrase “open up a can of whoop ass” and the term “needledick.” Yes, the professional goofball who cracked up people with Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison and – one could argue – The Wedding Singer is back. And his latest movie, The Waterboy (Touchstone Pictures) is sure to […]
Nothing is as simple as black and white. But who would have thought so – with all those idyllic black and white television programs from the 1950s? Mothers in dainty aprons are perpetually preparing meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner. Fathers are coming home from a hard day’s work, and the kids – one boy […]
One critic quoted in advertisements for What Dreams May Come (PolyGram Films) hails the film as “a masterpiece.” But when an all-star cast and $75 million in stellar special effects cannot salvage a corny premise and a poorly devised plot, the movie hardly can be touted as a masterpiece. What Dreams May Come is nothing […]
“Check.” “Call.” “Stop splashing the pot.” “Five points then the juice starts flowing.” Who knows what it all means? But when the seedy characters in the underground poker world of Rounders (Miramax) jive these phrases with each other, they enthrall the audience. Rounders is the tale of Mike McDermott (Matt Damon, Good Will Hunting), a […]
Belgians have a knack for making waffles, but the musical recipe for Belgian band Hooverphonic’s latest release lacks flavor and leaves a bad taste in the listener’s mouth. Hooverphonic is one of many electronica artists to creep into the mainstream music world in the past few years. Unfortunately, Blue Wonder Power Milk(Epic) – the electronica […]