Movie Rating Ledged 

Do Not Waste Your Money. 

Read A Good Book 

OK if You Have To Do Something 

Worth A Look 

Average Entertainment 

Above Average & Entertaining 

A Good Movie Recommended 

Highly Recommended 

Blockbuster Great 

All Time Classic Great movie A Must See

Half Star Rating

Movies For 1998

Titanic

Top movie, effects-packed, lengthy period romance/adventure about mismatched couple falling in love aboard doomed ocean liner. Romance fans enjoy the sweet-natured love story; those seeking stunning visuals, epic atmosphere will be enthralled.

Saving Private Ryan  

Sweeping, harrowing WWII epic about grizzled US soldiers on rescue mission behind Nazi lines. Its brutal depiction of war's horrors will shock squeamish viewers, but its impeccable drama is masterpiece-level.

So far for 1999

Lavish telling of Exodus from Egypt provides stunning visuals for animation buffs. Serious approach and pacing lessen kid-appeal; superficial treatment may disappoint adults seeking Biblical/historical depth. Age 8 & up (Close to the Biblical Story).

Another great Star Trek Movie, with Data showing more human qualities than ever. Jon Luc and the crew to the rescue.

  Mind-bending action/thriller about programmer discovering his world isn't what it seems.... Some called its plot over-convoluted, but sci-fi fans should jack into the thoughtful storyline, dazzling effects, blistering action.

Effects-soaked space saga about Jedi Knights uncovering galactic plot, meeting gifted boy with an uncertain future. The adventure continues, top sci-fiction as only George Lucas can do....

The Mummy: Comedy Thriller in the genre of Indiana Jones adventure movies. Spoofy remake of 1930s horror classic about Egyptian expedition disturbing mummy's tomb. Boasting spectacular effects, appealing hero, Indiana Jones-style action, and corny, good-natured humour, this amply entertains fun-loving adventure buffs. LOOK FOR THE SEQUEL.

For 2000

GLADIATOR

An Exhilarating Spectacle  |   Ted Fry

There's a thrilling sense of transcendence that won't let go from the first masterfully constructed frames in Ridley Scott's modern epic of ancient Rome. It's that very rare feeling that you're settling into a movie whose individual elements are so finely attuned they fuse into a singular construct of pure entertainment.

Bristling with intense action sequences, loaded with star power, and buttressed by a formidable cast that bring appropriate gravity to an absorbing script, this tale of power and revenge proves that there are still some people in the movie business who know what they're doing.

Leading the long line of creative talent is Russell Crowe as Maximus, a ferocious yet humble general in Marcus Aurelius' Roman Army c. 180 AD. After a years-long campaign in the farthest reaches of the Empire, he's finally on the verge of victory. The battle sequence that opens the film sets a rousing standard for all that follows in its lyrical brutality and razor-sharp pacing.

The dying Aurelius (Richard Harris) implores Maximus to be his successor as Caesar. He believes Maximus can restore Rome to a republic, saving it from the corrupt tyranny that would surely be maintained if his ignoble son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) were to rule as Emperor. But Maximus just wants to go home to his wife, son and olive farm, and his uncertainty allows Commodus to exploit the treachery Aurelius feared.

Betrayed and banished, Maximus' world crashes around him. He loses all that he cared for and finds himself captive as a slave. Proximo (Oliver Reed), a wily human trader, acquires Maximus in a North African market and steers him on a new career as gladiator. An instant sensation for his proficiency in the ring, Maximus makes his way to Rome where thousands cheer him on in the elaborate carnage of the Colosseum. There, Maximus ultimately exacts the revenge that has driven his hero's journey.

Gladiator's literary narrative is perfectly balanced by the strength of its visual style. Whether in squalid pits under the Colosseum or the blazing sun of its magnificently recreated battleground, the burnished light gives every composition a dazzling, painterly quality. Computer-enhanced shots of the virtual Roman landscape are full of detail, from the statuary and columns of the Forum to the retractable velarium sun roof over the freshly minted Colosseum. Ditto the actual interior sets where bedchambers and Imperial throne rooms sparkle with authenticity.

It is the ensemble cast that brings life to the special effects and art direction. Joaquin Phoenix has been waiting for a role that echoes his off-center disposition. As the corrupt young Caesar, he strikes a clever balance of noblesse and puerile arrogance.

You may notice a disruptive flash in the few abrupt cuts and high-tech wizardry used to posthumously complete Oliver Reed's final scene (he died during production). But the late actor's memory couldn't be better served by his turn as the cruelly honorable Proximo.

The biggest winner in the Gladiator experience -- after the audience -- is Russell Crowe who finally takes his place as a bona fide movie star. Exuding authority as a man's man able to stare down any situation and come out on top, Crowe has the steely power to make both men and women quiver at his virility. It's not just sex appeal. Crowe fills the screen with the larger-than-life presence of a mythical hero.

Four decades after Ben-Hur, Spartacus, and Cleopatra set the standard for ancient spectacle, it's exhilarating to experience the glint of clanging swords and gilded chariots in an idealized Roman landscape. Gladiator invents that spectacle anew in a mammoth production that resonates from its deeply intimate core.

2ND REVIEW: Entertainment & Cynicism  |   Robert Horton

Gladiator, a blockbuster-budgeted behemoth about ancient Rome, begins with a lyrical close-up of a man's hand rippling through the wheat in a sun-dappled field. Yes, this has the look of director Ridley Scott, in that exciting/maddening way of his: It's an image that could come from a tone poem, or from a TV commercial. Scott has always had both sides to his directorial personality, which I think is why I have a hard time referring to Alien and Blade Runner as classics (having never gotten over the thud of disappointment I felt on their opening days). In fact, for a highly regarded filmmaker, Scott has an awful lot to answer for, including G.I. Jane, 1492, and that horned fantasy Legend.

Still, there's something there. Hell, White Squall has some utterly enthralling sequences: you want a storm at sea, Ridley's your man. He sees the sky, and the earth, and the trees, in a keen-eyed way of his own. All of which means that Gladiator is in the right hands, for this is a movie about size and scale, and about the price you pay for being an entertainer. Before each battle, the Roman general Maximus, the film's hero (with a name like Maximus, you thought maybe he was the sidekick?), silently rubs his hands together with a bit of the soil he stands on. Ridley Scott knows all about those textures.

The story, concocted by a team of screenwriters including the literate William Nicholson, is pure potboiler. The great hero Maximus (Russell Crowe) is destroyed by a young, degenerate emperor called Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who slaughters the general's wife and child. Maximus escapes the blade but is enslaved, made a gladiator, and eventually returns to fight in the Roman Colosseum, where he will of course exact revenge on Commodus.

The best parts of the script are the wry comments on the nature of "entertainment" and politics, and the way public opinion can be manipulated in either arena. This is a nice sardonic touch, although with millions of dollars on the line, Scott is busy rattling his own sword. The opening battle scene in Germania is awesome, with snow drifting over the carnage, but the real spectacle is saved for Rome, where some stunning digital effects work (and old-fashioned carpentry) has created the ancient city in proper scale. Scenes of Emperor Commodus climbing a stairway before thousands of people, or the gladiators rising from the bowels of the Colosseum to glimpse its arena for the first time -- these are moments that make you remember why you liked going to movies. Scott gets away with it until the final 40 minutes or so, when too much talk and too few complexities grind the movie down.

Russell Crowe confirms his status as the next Mel Gibson, a feeling reinforced by the suspicion that Gladiator is closer to Braveheart than Spartacus. The movie gives a final plum to Oliver Reed, who died during production on Malta, and the old lion comes through with his best performance in years. He plays a former gladiator, now trainer/owner of fighting men; like Hugh Griffith in a similar role in Ben-Hur, he gets the world-weary comic material. From his first moments in a slave market, accusing a trader of damaged goods ("You sold me queer giraffes"), Reed is a robust delight. The other actors do their expected business -- Richard Harris, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi -- although Connie Nielsen, as in Mission to Mars, is a welcome source of calm as the obligatory female lead. She's the sister of the emperor, still carrying an old torch for Maximus, natch.

Commodus, in the best tradition of sicko Roman emperors, carries his torch for his sister. The casting of Joaquin Phoenix in the role is a Ridley Scott coup, because it upends expectations; yet Phoenix fits the part. With a sniveling expression, heavy brow, and ghastly pallor, Phoenix carries himself like some accident of inbreeding and privilege, but he doesn't camp up the role.

None of this is quite enough to make the movie about anything. Ah, but vox populi, you say; the people merely want to be entertained, and Gladiator delivers the goods. True enough. Allow a critic to point out, however, that Gladiator derides "entertainment" while hustling like crazy to provide two and a half hours' worth of same. The heroism and the tigers and the epic grandeur all leave behind the flavor of cynicism.

Coming Soon

The original Matrix film, released in early April of 1999, was a phenomenon. Grossing more than $160 million in the U.S. (and another $200 million worldwide), the stylish cyberthriller inspired legions of otherwise reasonable people to don black leather and cryptically ask each other "What is the Matrix?" It also, in an even more astonishing feat, made Keanu Reeves very, very cool. Even today, the word "matrix" is one of the most frequently searched words on Film.com -- even though the sequel (currently known as The Matrix 2, natch) hasn't even begun production yet, and isn't likely to appear in theaters until late 2002 (if then). Word is that directors Andy and Larry Wachowski are planning to shoot both Matrix 2 and Matrix 3 back-to-back in Australia, starting around March 2001. Expect the original's very buff cast to return (including new addition Jada Pinkett Smith, last seen in Bamboozled, as Niobi, a love interest for Fishburne's character), and if you want to amuse yourself while waiting for 2002 to arrive, just type "matrix" into any Internet search engine, and have a good time.

Conan Returns 

Happy news today for those of you sitting around wondering why nobody makes movies like Conan the Barbarian any more: Variety and the Hollywood Reporter write today that Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to another Conan film, to be written and directed by John Milius, who directed the 1982 Arnold Schwarzenegger original. Just to ensure the film's total coolness, Matrix writer/directors Andy and Larry Wachowski (said to be serious Conan fans) are lined up to "co-create the concept" and possibly direct the second unit. Milius reportedly has been chatting up Ah-nold about appearing in the new film, although presumably not as the title character. No word on who might star (at one point, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, whose acting skills are probably comparable to Ah-nold's, was interested in the film, but he's moved on to The Scorpion King), or exactly when shooting. More news when available.

Sam Neill, who played one of two well-coiffed dinosaur experts (the other was fellow blond Laura Dern) in Jurassic Park, is in talks to star in its second sequel, Jurassic Park 3. The Hollywood Reporter writes that the project is scheduled for a summer start, even though there is no completed screenplay. No other casting has been announced, although Joe Johnston (Jumanji) is on board to direct. Hmmm . . . . And Arnold Schwarzenegger says he's ready to do Terminator 3, and that development of the film is under way, says the New York Daily News. "A script is being written as we speak," Schwarzenegger told Access Hollywood. "It's a film that Jim [Cameron, who's been lying low since Titanic] will definitely produce. If he will direct it or not, I don't know yet because he never makes up his mind until the script is all done and perfect." Ah-nold and Jim are also planning to make a sequel to True Lies. So, let's say it just once, all together now: They're baaaaaack.

This one demonstrates a sacred truism of Hollywood: Genre films that make buckets of money always generate sequels. In this case, the success of The Mummy came as something of a surprise back in May 1999, when the world was waiting for The Phantom Menace (remember?). The combination of Brendan Fraser's dorky charm and some of the best sandstorms to sweep across screens in ages resulted in huge box office, and prompt news from Universal that yes, indeed, a sequel was in the works. Director Stephen Sommers returns, as does Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, and Arnold Vosloo (playing the bandaged one himself), and word is that the plot is set ten years later than the original, with the mummmy being transferred to a London museum. Guess what happens? See you next May.

The inevitable has finally been made official: Variety reports today that Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz has signed for The Mummy 2, which will begin filming this spring for a May 2001 release (exactly two years after the original, which took in $400 million worldwide, made its debut). Screenwriter/director Stephen Sommers also returns, as does second banana John Hannah, as Weisz' goofy brother. The plot reportedly will revolve around the mummy resurfacing in London (never mind how he got there; perhaps he flew British Airways), where Fraser and Weitz's characters, now married, live with their nine-year-old son. We're a bit concerned about the new setting -- London's not a great town for sandstorms. But Universal production president Kevin Misher is quite gung-ho on the sequel (as well he should be - he's getting paid for it), telling Variety, "We're going to give all the fun of the first and then some, with even worse villains." You have been warned.

Yes, Memorial Day 2001 is a long way away, but you might want to go ahead and mark your calendars: Pearl Harbor already owns the weekend that traditionally kicks off the summer movie season. The movie's premise may sound a tad old-fashioned (a romantic triangle between two military men and a Navy nurse, set against the backdrop of the World War II Pearl Harbor invasion), but the execution should be big-big-big: Michael Bay, the noisy fellow behind Armageddon and The Rock directs; Jerry Bruckhiemer (Gone in 60 Seconds, Armageddon, Con Air) produces. So don't expect subtlety, but be prepared for long lines at the box office, particularly with cutie-pie Ben Affleck topping the cast list. Word is that B & B originally hoped to have Affleck, Matt Damon, and Gwyneth Paltrow in the lead roles -- now wouldn't that have been fun? Luckily, Matt and Gwyn were busy, so Josh Hartnett (The Virgin Suicides) and Kate Beckinsale (Brokedown Palace) have stepped in.

 Taylor Hackford, whose last film was 1997's The Devil's Advocate, re-teams with screenwriter Tony Gilroy for this drama about a hostage negotiator (Crowe), a kidnapped American engineer (Morse), and the engineer's wife (Ryan). Yes, a love triangle, set in an unnamed Latin American country. The real question: will the notoriety of its stars result in box-office revenue for the film?

Sixth Day

Arnold Schwarzenegger saves the future from cloning in The 6th Day, but he can't save us from yet another droning formulaic thriller.

Schwarzenegger plays Adam Gibson, a helicopter-charter pilot who comes home one day to find he has been replaced by a clone. But before he has time to get existential about this, along come some thugs trying to kill him. Chase scenes ensue, until Adam is told what's going on -- the thugs work for Michael Drucker (Tony Goldwyn), CEO for the mighty corporation Replacement Technologies, who wants to get human cloning legalized so he can get rich (or richer) off of it. But if anybody discovers two Adams too soon, the whole enterprise goes down the tubes.

The story splices the genetic strains of The Fugitive and Schwarzenegger's Total Recall, all set in the cleaned-up suburban part of Blade Runner -- it's the movie version of the future where holograms are everywhere but the fashions haven't changed. Director Roger Spottiswoode (Tomorrow Never Dies, Turner & Hooch) puts in the requisite number of chases, blown-apart bodies and buildings on fire, but the reliance on flashy special effects bogs down the action. Meanwhile, an interesting cast is underused, including Robert Duvall as Drucker's well-intended researcher and Michael Rapaport as Adam's flying partner (who leaves the movie far too early).

Though the filmmakers deliver a "man should not play God" message, the movie's unsettling brand of gallows humor makes it hard to take such pronouncements seriously. One running gag involves the frequent deaths of Drucker's thugs, who are subsequently cloned and sent back to die again (usually in ways not suitable for the movie's PG-13 rating).

The 6th Day hits bottom when Schwarzenegger makes a lame joke about media violence, a line whose intended irony is drowned by his smirking delivery of it. It's bad enough we're paying to see you make another shoot-'em-up, Arnold -- don't make us feel guilty about it while we watch.

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This NEW feature-length motion picture from Cloud Ten Pictures is based on the worldwide bestselling novel "Left Behind" by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins with stars Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson, Chelsea Noble, and Clarence Gilyard.

Now, in this stunning sequel, three months have passed. Counter-terrorism expert Thorold Stone (Jeff Fahey) is still trying to put the pieces of his life together. His wife and daughter were among those who vanished. Why them?

And now, in the course of his investigation of an underground resistance movement, he discovers a conspiracy that leads right to the heart of the new global order. Would a true Messiah (Nick Mancuso) lie? And if he is not the true Messiah…just who is this new Supreme Leader and what has he done with Stone's family?

With the aid of a band of underground Christians, led by Helen Hannah (Leigh Lewis), a computer geek (Tony Nappo) and beautiful blind cynic (Carol Alt), Stone finds himself in a race against time. The World Government of One Nation Earth (O.N.E.) is distributing virtual reality headsets to everyone on earth. What are they? What will happen when the world puts them on at noon on the "Messiah's Day of Wonders"?

As the investigation continues, Stone discovers a startling secret, a sinister plot that only he can stop. But to do so, he must first decide in what, and whom, he believes. And with eternity and millions of souls at stake, the breathtaking and inspiring climax will challenge every viewer to examine their own place in the epic battle of good and evil that already rages in our day!