AWN Blogs

Cameron Crowe has not made a bad film. He's written everything he's directed and those films consist of SINGLES, JERRY MAGUIRE, ALMOST FAMOUS and VANILLA SKY. However, his first film, SAY ANYTHING…, may be his best and is definitely my personal favorite. The film is hands down one of the best movies ever set in high school. Teen comedy/dramas can only aspire to be as good as this film.

The story follows Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack, HIGH FIDELITY) as he tries to form a relationship with the beautiful valedictorian, Diane Cort (Ione Sky, DREAM OF AN INSOMNIAC). He invites her to a graduation party and she reluctantly comes with him. But as the movie's tag line says, "To know Lloyd Dobler is to love Lloyd Dobler."

A lot of long movies even when they're good can seem long. However, this movie, clocking in at nearly four hours, zips by. The reason for that is because the action and epic wonder never stop. Modern audiences get turned off by long running times, but BEN-HUR has not faded from popularity, remaining the most beloved Biblical epic ever made.

The story follows the rise, fall and rebirth of Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston, PLANET OF THE APES), a Jewish nobleman living in the time of Christ. In a parallel story the film also follows the rise and fall of Christ himself. And we all know about his rebirth so the film left that part out. The story is a classic tale of two friends torn apart by differing ideologies. Ben-Hur is Jewish and loathes the idea of the Romans suppressing his people. Then there is his childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd), who joins the Roman army and is sent back to Jerusalem to head up the garrison there. After an accident, Ben-Hur is made a slave, finally freeing himself to return to Jerusalem to challenge Messala and find his mother and sister, who were imprisoned along with him.

What else can one say about the film besides that it's the best action/sci-fi film that has come out in ages. It's smart and a lot of fun at the same time. The Wachowski Brothers, who first made the highly stylish and highly recommended crime thriller BOUND, brought an anime aesthetic to live-action for this film. The bullet time effect has become a landmark in visual effects history, but it's how the visuals are used in service of the story that truly makes this film awesome.

The film follows Neo (Keanu Reeves, SPEED) as he stumbles upon a band of rebels led by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne, WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?) and discovers that the world he lives in is not what it seems. Morpheus believes that Neo is the Chosen One, a prophesized leader whose superhuman skills will free all humans from the oppression of the mysterious Matrix and their powerful agents, lead by Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING). Neo doesn't believe he's special and Morpheus's crew is divided. Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss, MEMENTO), Morpheus's second in command, wants to believe with her whole heart, while Cypher (Joe Pantoliano, BOUND) is tired of the rough life of a rebel and has lost faith.

Here’s another amazing film that presents apprehensible behavior and let’s the audience think about what they are watching. This is a horror film on the level of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. With layered characters and deep themes, this is far more than just another splatter fest.

The film follows real life killer Henry Lee Lucas (Michael Rooker, MALLRATS, CLIFFHANGER), his sidekick-in-crime Otis (Tom Towles, THE ROCK) and Otis' younger sister, Becky (Tracy Arnold). The film depicts Henry as a cold-hearted killer, who commits his murders out of sexual frustration, which was spurred on by a troubled childhood. As the plot unravels, Otis joins in on the murders. Though, Lucas is a killer, he reveals his softer side to Becky, who begins to fall for a guy who would clearly be classified as another "wrong guy" in a life full of wrong guys.

Fun is the best way to describe this film. Forget all of the fancy visual effects and modern dialog, because this one owes a great deal to classic action comedies where the key to the film's success was the relationship between the central buddies. Tommy Lee Jones's Agent K and Will Smith's Agent J are among the best screen buddies of recent years.

The story follows the secret government agency called the Men in Black, which protects space aliens living on Earth and keeps the knowledge of their existence from the general population. James Edwards (Will Smith, ALI, INDEPENDENCE DAY) is recruited to join the agency, but the ultra serious Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones, THE FUGITIVE, BLUE SKY) doesn't think the brash rookie has what it takes. The plot follows Agent K and the newly named Agent J as they attempt to stop a killer alien bug, which disguises itself as a farmer named Edgar (Vincent D'Onofrio, ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING), from destroying a galaxy, which would lead to the destruction of Earth.

This is one of the most uplifting films I have seen in ages. A blissful feeling washed over me while watching it unfold. For two hours, the world didn't seem so cruel. People have problems in the film, but they become infected with the joy of living and that's what the film does to its audience.

The story follows a shy, quirky French girl named Amelie (Audrey Tautou), who decides her new goal in life is to do things to make people's lives better. She had a strange childhood marked with tragedy, but instead of becoming bitter, she develops a rich fantasy world in her mind. Her father Raphael (Rufus, THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN) sinks into a closed off world, living in his garden. Not that the doctor was engaging before the death of his wife, he would only touch his daughter when giving her an example, upon which her heart would race, leading him to believe she had a heart condition. Throughout the course of the film, she brings together people who hate each other, raises hopes with lies and love letters, sends a garden gnome around the world and even seeks an elaborate comeuppance on a mean shopkeeper. See the whimsy yet?

What can you say about this movie besides — classic. If you haven't seen it, you should be ashamed of yourself. It's action-packed, dramatic and funny all at the same time. It uncovers the British, Japanese and American point of view during WWII all in the same film. And David Lean's (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DR. ZHIVAGO) Oscar-winning direction is near perfect.

The story follows the building and then attempted destruction of a bridge in India, which the Japanese want to use as a main means of transport. Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa, SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON) is in charge of a prisoner camp, whose prisoners will construct the bridge. Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness, STAR WARS, LADYKILLERS), a British officer, and his men are captured and brought to Saito's camp. Already at the camp is American soldier Shears (William Holden SUNSET BLVD., WILD BUNCH), who has a lot of secrets.

The first time I saw this film — it made me want to rush out and make a movie. Not very many new films affect me in that way. This film became an art house hit in 1999 and won awards at the Sundance Film Festival. It's a remarkable film debut from Michael Polish, who also stars in this melancholy character study.

The story follows conjoined twins, Blake and Francis Falls (Mark and Michael Polish respectively). Blake is the stronger of the two and his heart is what keeps the sick Francis alive. Because Francis is on the brink of death, the brothers check themselves into a seedy hotel and hire themselves a hooker named Penny (Michele Hicks, former model, MULHOLLAND DRIVE). Penny is a prostitute out of desperation. She is initially scared of the twins, but after having to return to their room for her purse, she starts feeling sympathy for them. Noticing that Francis is sick, she calls on a client/doctor named Miles (Patrick Bauchau, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER), who reveals that Francis' heart is failing. Have the Falls brothers checked into the Idaho Hotel to die?

The director's cut of Ridley Scott's (BLACK HAWK DOWN, BLADE RUNNER GLADIATOR) cult classic breathes new life into the film. The longer version benefits from a better narrative flow. The motivations of the characters are clearer and the entire story takes on a more mythic quality.

The story is a classic fairy tale where the Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry, ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW) kills the last of the unicorns so that the world will fall into darkness forever. A young forest boy (Tom Cruise) has to save the princess (Mia Sara, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF) as well as the last unicorn.

Some director's cuts make the film leaps and bounds better, but this one just clarifies the story. The studio monkeyed with the film a lot at the time of release -- insisting that it be cut down and that a pop band do the soundtrack. Most of the added footage makes adds more life to the story. However, some of the scenes could have stayed the way they were -- especially the first scene with the unicorn as well as the ending. If you watch the making of documentaries Scott feels the classical Jerry Goldsmith score creates a more epic feel for the production, however the new wave Tangerine Dream soundtrack sounded more fairy tale-like. In my opinion they could have kept the pop soundtrack (except for the last very cheesy song).

What a powerful film this is. The story is gritty, painful, honest and unflinching. The characters feel like they came from a novel. The performances from Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry are great — Berry's Oscar is well deserved.

The story follows the tragic events in the lives of Hank Grotowski (Thornton) and Leticia Musgrove (Berry), which lead up to them forming a relationship that transcends their pasts because all they really need is someone to comfort them. I simply love the way the film builds their relationship. Nothing is forced, even though their coming together means they must cross huge huddles. Hank is a cop who works death row. Leticia is the wife of Lawrence Musgrove (rapper P Diddy), a man on Death Row where Hank works with his son Sonny (Heath Ledger, 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU). A lesser film would be centered on the fact that Hank keeps his connection with Leticia's husband from her, but this film is more real about it.

If you didn't catch this TV mini-series when it was on TV, you need to catch this on video. Written by Stephen King, this mini-series is one of the better King horror adaptations in quite some time. The longer format allows enough time to build real tension and develop a great myth surrounding the central haunted house.

The story follows a group of psychics who are brought together by psychiatrist Dr. Joyce Reardon (Nancy Reardon, CHAPLIN) to awaken a long dormant haunted house called Rose Red. Steven Rimbauer (Matt Keeslar, WAITING FOR GUFFMAN) is a telepath who is the owner of the house, a descendent of Ellen Rimbauer (Julia Campbell, 2000's BOUNCE), the original cursed owner of the house where she lived with her abusive oil tycoon husband John (John Procaccino) and African maid Sukeena (Tsidii Leloka), who may all still be haunting the large estate.

I've recommended this film to many people before, but this review is more of a reaction to someone I know saying the film was pointless. I beg to differ. The key element that makes this film wonderful is that it can't be locked down into a one-sentence description. You couldn't even say what it's about in one sentence really. It works as a character piece and a meditation on the complexity of life. Director Paul Thomas Anderson was asked what the message of the film was and he said, "To be good to your kids." The film tackles loss, regret and forgiveness. What each character, and there are lots of them, is going through is paralleled by another character.

John C. Reilly (PERFECT STORM, WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE?) plays a hopelessly good-hearted cop named Jim Kurring, who desperately tries to help (and get a date) with self-destructive drug addict Claudia Wilson Gator (Melora Walters, BOOGIE NIGHTS). Claudia struggles with the pain of her abusive father Jimmy Gator, (Philip Baker Hall, BOOGIE NIGHTS), who works as a host of a TV game show. The producer of the game show, Big Earl (Jason Robards), struggles with his guilt over mental abusing his son Frank (Tom Cruise), who has become a misogynistic dating guru. Julianne Moore plays Robards second-wife Linda, who struggles with her infidelity, which parallels her husband cheating on Frank's mother. Philip Seymour Hoffman (FLAWLESS, PATCH ADAMS) plays a good-hearted nurse named Phil who tries to reunite Big Earl with his son. William H. Macy plays former TV show whiz kid, Donnie Smith, who can barely pay his rent. Jeremy Blackman plays inquisitive young quiz kid Stanley on Jimmy's program, who father Rick (Michael Bowen, JACKIE BROWN) is a tyrant who drives his son deeper and deeper into his own shell.