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Sweet Home Alabama [2002]

starring: Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey, Candice Bergen, Mary Kay Place
directed by: Andy Tennant

October 06, 2003
Melanie Carmichael is living the life of her dreams; her fashion line is becoming a success, she's dating a handsome politician, and she has a bright happy city life. What could possibly go wrong?

The past she ran away from to have it all is slowly catching up with her and her fiance's mother doesn't really want her in the family. The secret life Melanie left back in Pidgeon Creek in Alabama is about to make a huge impact on her life as she has to return back to finalise a divorce from her first husband - who she hasn't told anyone in her new life about.

Life hasn't really changed much in Pidgeon Creek, but Melanie sticks out like a sore thumb with her sharp tongue, cynicism and hoity toity attitude. And to make ... Read More:

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Being John Malkovich [2000]

starring: John Cusack, Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz
directed by: Spike Jonze

May 08, 2006
I've heard lots of good reviews about this movie and decided to watch it. Of course, this is all a matter of opinion but this movie is seriously wierd (a characteristic I usually welcome) but it's greatest 'no-no' was lack of direction. After finishing the movie I was like 'what the hell was this'. It seriously felt like the creators of it were mocking you after having waisted over an hour of your precious time.
On a more objective note, the acting and direction were very good, it's the story that brings it down like a rock to the bottom of a deep-deep river.

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Private Benjamin [1980]

starring: Goldie Hawn, Eileen Brennan, Armand Assante, Robert Webber, Sam Wanamaker
directed by: Howard Zieff

June 28, 1999
The service comedy is a genre almost as old as cinema itself and, whether it's Charlie Chaplin or Victor McLaglen and Edmund Lowe in the trenches, Andy Griffith befuddling his sergeants, the Carry On team on the assault course or Steve Guttenberg and co at the Police Academy, has an almost immutable formula that is never, ever departed from: through mildly comic misadventure misfit(s) find themselves in the army/navy/air force/police force, are hopelessly unprepared for the harsh realities of basic training, fumble every task yet somehow come out of it all as the perfect soldier/sailor/airman/cop and prove themselves in a mildly comic baptism of fire. Private Benjamin does absolutely nothing to fix what ain't broke, contenting itself to offer the odd slight tweak ... Read More:

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The Big Chill [1983]

starring: Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline
directed by: Lawrence Kasdan

June 07, 1999
I had high expectations for this film, due to the plot and positive reviews. Sadly it's one of the first films I've watched in a long time that I had to turn of after 30 minutes. The pace was slow, it seemed (very) dated, and I didn't connect with the characters (and I like all other films I've seen Kevin Kline and William Hurt in). I love other character driven films like "The Breakfeast Club", but this was just far below what I expected.

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Human Nature [2001]

starring: Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Tim Robbins, Ken Magee, Sy Richardson
directed by: Michel Gondry

August 04, 2003
I was looking forward to this film, being a fan of Michel Gondry, but was sorely disappointed. This is a half-finished Charlie Kaufman idea, padded out into a film by Gondry. My experience is, Gondry is a genius so long as he's either collaborating or not working in feature length. Science of Sleep is another of his directorial let-downs, wheras Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is wonderful. Don't let him steal over an hour of your life people! Get Spotless Mind instead and watch some real cohesive artwork.

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New York, New York [1977]

starring: Liza Minnelli, Robert De Niro, Diahnne Abbott, Dick Miller, Mary Kay Place
directed by: Martin Scorsese

June 13, 2005
Considering the chaotic, often drug-fuelled circumstances of its production, New York, New York seems a lot more disciplined and successful than it has any right to be. While there's never once a sense or flavor of New York - this is pure Hollywood all the way - Scorsese's mixture of stylised settings and naturalistic drama goes beyond the traditional happy ending and takes what starts out a standard boy-meets-girl musical plotline into darker emotional territory. It may lose its way towards the and (partially due to the overlong Happy Endings number taking us away from the characters for too long), but it gets a lot more right than it gets wrong, and has a great use of color. It was also interesting to compare the theatrical version and director's cut included on the DVD - ... Read More:

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Captain Ron

starring: Kurt Russell, Martin Short, Mary Kay Place, Benjamin Salisbury, Meadow Sisto
directed by: Thom Eberhardt

July 26, 2004
One of the best family live action disney films ever! Capt Ron is the humerous geeza as the captain of a boat of yuppies who need to sail back to america from the caribbean seas with their inherited boat, this is a must have for any family that wants a nice film to watch on an afternoon, upon watching it many times it never gets old. In conclusion Ron is the captain of my boat!

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Rainmaker - Dvd The [1998]

starring: Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Mary Kay Place
directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

April 09, 2001
I truly feel that this was the best adaptation of one of John Grisham's books. It was funny, sad and had endearing characters, the only bad thing to it was that it was very slow-paced, but what can you expect from Coppola. Damon and DeVito are a perfect team fighting against that corrupt agency, and Jon Voight was very easy to dislike. I found myself rooting for the heroes although I already knew how it was going to end. I could've done without the subplot about the scorned wife (Claire Danes), though. But the film as a whole was truly something special.

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Lonesome Jim [2006]

starring: Mark Boone, Casey Affleck, Mary Kay Place, Kevin Corrigan, Seymour Cassel
directed by: Steve Buscemi

August 18, 2008
I truly feel that this was the best adaptation of one of John Grisham's books. It was funny, sad and had endearing characters, the only bad thing to it was that it was very slow-paced, but what can you expect from Coppola. Damon and DeVito are a perfect team fighting against that corrupt agency, and Jon Voight was very easy to dislike. I found myself rooting for the heroes although I already knew how it was going to end. I could've done without the subplot about the scorned wife (Claire Danes), though. But the film as a whole was truly something special.

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Judgement Day - The Ellie Nesler Story

starring: Christine Lahti, Mary Kay Place, Andrew Ducote, Robert Bockstael, John Bourgeois
directed by: Stephen Tolkin

March 13, 2006
I truly feel that this was the best adaptation of one of John Grisham's books. It was funny, sad and had endearing characters, the only bad thing to it was that it was very slow-paced, but what can you expect from Coppola. Damon and DeVito are a perfect team fighting against that corrupt agency, and Jon Voight was very easy to dislike. I found myself rooting for the heroes although I already knew how it was going to end. I could've done without the subplot about the scorned wife (Claire Danes), though. But the film as a whole was truly something special.