With Honors (1994) [PG-13] ****

It's a frigid December, and four Harvard seniors are sharing an old Cambridge boarding house. There's arrogant, boorish Monty Kessler (Brendan Fraser), casual, fun-loving Courtney Blumenthal (Moira Kelly), politically radical Everett Calloway (Patrick Dempsey) and up-tight Jeffrey Hawes (Josh Hamilton). Late one night, while Monty is working on his public-policy thesis, which he expects to earn him graduation with honors, his computer hard disc crashes. With no backup disc, and only one printed copy of the thesis, Monty panics and decides to make another copy.

On the way to the copy center he slips on the icy sidewalk, and his thesis ends up in the basement of the Widener Library. With Courtney distracting the library night guard, Monty sneaks in and goes searching for his thesis. He discovers homeless Simon Wilder (Joe Pesci), living in secret in the library's basement. Simon is reading his thesis, and as he finishes each page, he tosses it into the boiler room fire. Desperate to get his thesis back, Monty agrees to Simon's extortionate demands: for each thing (meal, bath, bed for the night, etc.) that Monty provides for him, Simon will give him back one page of his thesis.

Monty has no choice, and so, what begins as distrustful animosity, grows over the following weeks and months into an uneasy partnership, and then into friendship. Both Monty and Simon learn that you cannot judge a person by his clothes, his living conditions, his past experiences or his social status. And when he learns that Simon has progressive asbestosis and needs medical attention, Monty develops some much-needed humility and compassion, and is able to put his thesis and his honors graduation into perspective.

The screenplay and acting are uniformly excellent, especially Fraser, Kelly, Pesci and Gore Vidal. Although critics panned this film, audiences generally enjoyed it, so if you appreciate poignant yet uplifting coming-of-age comedy-dramas from the '90s, films like Finding Forrester, and Good Will Hunting, you might really enjoy With Honors.

“You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, not look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books. You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me, you shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself.” ~ Walt Whitman, "Leaves of Grass"

Labels: Christmas, college, comedy, drama, romance, tragedy
IMDb 67/100
RottenTomatoes (critics=22, viewers=74)

Sirens (1994) [R] ****

Sirens is set in Australia, sometime in the 1930s, at the rural home of a controversial artist who paints sensual feminine images. A clergyman and his wife visit the artist and try to convince him to remove his most controversial painting from a new exhibit in Sydney. While Sirens is a vaguely erotic film, it's really about the classic conflict between artistic freedom of expression and censorship. The artist, played by Sam Neill, believes that the viewer must decide for himself or herself which images are unacceptable. The clergyman, played by Hugh Grant, believes that once the viewer has seen the images, the damage has been done, and it's too late. Both actors are excellent in their roles, and their verbal sparring is quite entertaining.

During their visit both the clergyman and his wife, wonderfully played by Tara Fitzgerald, are forced to deal with the erotic urges aroused in them by the artist's three lovely models - the Sirens - including supermodel Elle Macpherson and actress Portia de Rossi. Sirens is full of symbolism, and the ending is surprising, and deliciously ironic. If you enjoy period films that deal with the subject of repressed sexuality, films like Belle Époque, Enchanted April or A Room with a View, you might really enjoy Sirens.

Labels: comedy, drama
IMDb 59/100
MetaScore (critics=64, viewers=tbd)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=63, viewers=60)
James Berardinelli's review (2.5 stars out of 4)

Stargate (1994) [PG-13] ****

Hidden for millennia beneath cover stones on the Giza Plateau in Egypt, and only uncovered during a 1928 archaeological dig, the Stargate is a ring more than twenty feet in diameter, made of a metal not found on earth. However, more than sixty more years pass before the U.S. Air Force attempts to activate the device at a secret facility in Colorado. After two years of frustration and failure, Dr. Catherine Langford (Viveca Lindfors), the civilian head of the project team, hires controversial Egyptologist Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader), just as Col. Jack O’Neil (Kurt Russell) takes over command of the project.

With both intuition and luck, Jackson discovers the key to activating the Stargate, which creates a wormhole between itself and a complementary device located a cosmic distance away. After an unmanned probe determines that the planetary body they’ve discovered is an atmospheric match, Jackson volunteers to be part of the military reconnaissance team, to insure they can return home. What he doesn’t understand, is that the team’s mission is not strictly scientific. And only after they goes through the Stargate and emerge on the other side of the wormhole, do they discover that the Earth-like planet they’ve found is populated with a human civilization closely linked with their own - humans who speak a language resembling ancient Egyptian, and who worship the Sun god Ra.

Directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow), Stargate features an inventive script co-written by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, which offers a totally plausible explanation for the existence of the giant pyramids on the Giza Plateau. There’s an excellent cast, especially Spader, Russell, Lindfors and Mili Avital as the girl who teaches Jackson a new, old language. Costumes, sets, cinematography, soundtrack and special effects are outstanding. Stargate is a satisfying sci-fi adventure on all levels; don’t miss it. 

Labels:  action, adventure, sci-fi, space-time
Internet Movie Database 70/100
MetaScore (critics=42, viewers=76)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=54, viewers=76)
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Wikipedia: Stargate (film)

Star Trek: Generations (1994) [PG] ***/****

A film review by Betty Jo Tucker, ReelTalk Reviews.

Suppose you were faced with a choice between living in an eternity of pleasure or performing your duty in a situation filled with danger? In Star Trek: Generations, Captains Kirk and Picard must make this decision. Stalwart as they are, it is not an easy one for either man. Both have deep-seated yearnings for home and family that could be satisfied by staying in a place called the Nexus, a timeless zone of personal delights. Still, the two captains choose duty over pleasure and join forces to stop Dr. Soran, a mad scientist who is willing to destroy an entire galaxy if it helps him get back to the Nexus.

Generations is the Star Trek movie that passes the torch from Kirk (William Shatner) to Picard (Patrick Stewart). Surprisingly, of the two performances, Shatner's Kirk comes across as the most believable. It’s unfortunate that Stewart’s acting in the Picard role is not as effective on the big screen as in the television series. (His background as a Shakespearean actor doesn’t seem to help here.) Shatner gains sympathy immediately with his interpretation of Kirk’s complex reactions to loss of command while inspecting a new Starship. Later, Kirk’s tongue-in-cheek questioning of Picard before they leave the Nexus adds a welcome humanistic touch to this high-tech sci-fi adventure.

Supporting cast member Brent Spiner provides the film’s humor with his excellent portrayal of Data. This talented actor is just as watchable in the movie as on television. My favorite scene occurs after an emotion chip is implanted into Data’s android brain, causing him to catch on to jokes and to laugh unexpectedly when he remembers funny stories told to him years ago. Playing the evil Soran, Malcolm McDowell scowls, shouts, manipulates, and lies in the best tradition of outstanding film villains.

However, all actors in Generations take second place to the real star of the show -- Special Effects. From the opening shot of a champagne bottle floating in space to the pulsating ribbon of an engulfing Nexus, the film’s images dazzled me. And I have to confess they probably hypnotized me into ignoring some major plot loopholes. In fact, it took me several hours after seeing the film to start wondering how Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) got back to the Nexus -- and, if she could return to it, why an intelligent scientist was having such difficulty. But that lingering question doesn’t stop me from rating Star Trek: Generations as one of the best offerings in this popular franchise.

Labels: action, mystery, sci-fi, space-time, thriller
IMDb 66/100
MetaCritic (critics=55, viewers=66)
RottenTomatoes (critics=48, viewers=57)
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Review by James Berardinelli (2.5 out of 4 stars)

Forrest Gump (1994) [PG-13] *****

A film review by James Berardinelli.

Ever find the grind of life getting you down? Is the day-to-day struggle threatening to drag you under? If so, there is a movie out there that can replenish your energy and refresh your outlook. Passionate and magical, Forrest Gump is a tonic for the weary of spirit. For those who feel that being set adrift in a season of action movies is like wandering into a desert, the oasis lies ahead.

Back when Tom Hanks' movie career was relatively new, the actor made a film called Big, which told the story of a young boy forced to grow up fast as a result of an ill-advised wish made at a carnival. In some ways, Forrest Gump represents a return to the themes of that earlier movie. In this case, the main character remains a child in heart and spirit, even as his body grows to maturity. Hanks is called upon yet again to play the innocent.

Forrest Gump (Hanks), named after a civil war hero, grows up in Greenbow, Alabama, where his mother (Sally Field) runs a boarding house. Although Forrest is a little slow (his IQ is 75, 5 below the state's definition of normal), his mental impairment doesn't seem to bother him, his mother, or his best (and only) friend, Jenny Curran (played as an adult by Robin Wright). In fact, the naiveté that comes through a limited understanding of the world around him gives Forrest a uniquely positive perspective of life.

During the next twenty-five years (1956-1981), Forrest becomes a star football player, a war hero, a successful businessman, and something of a pop icon. Through it all, however, there is one defining element in his life: his love for Jenny. She is never far from his thoughts, no matter what he's doing or where he is.

A trio of assets lifts Forrest Gump above the average life story drama: its optimism, freshness, and emotional honesty. Though the movie does not seek to reduce every member of the audience to tears, it has moments whose power comes from their simplicity. Equally as important is laughter, and Forrest Gump has moments of humor strewn throughout.

During the 60s and 70s, no topic more inflamed the turbulent national consciousness than that of Vietnam and those who were sent overseas to fight. Forrest, as might be expected, has a singular viewpoint on his time spent there: We took long walks and were always looking for this guy named Charlie. In this observation can be found the essence of the title character's nature.

Through the miracle of visual effects, Forrest meets his fair share of famous people - George Wallace, Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, and John Lennon. While mixing the real footage of these notables with new images featuring Hanks is not a seamless process, the result is nevertheless effective.

Forrest Gump has several messages, some of which are less obvious than others. The most frequently recurring theme is an admonition not to give up on life. Why surrender when you don't know what lies ahead? By contrasting Forrest's life with the lives of those around him, and by showing how the passage of time brings solace to even the most embittered hearts, the movie underlines this point.

Tom Hanks won last year's Academy Award for Philadelphia, but his performance here is more impressive. The Alabama accent may seem a little awkward at first, but it doesn't take long for the acting to dwarf the twang. Hanks has no difficulty creating a totally human character who is free of guile and deceit, and barely able to comprehend a concept like evil. Robin Wright gives the best performance of her career, surpassing what she accomplished in The Playboys. Looking and seeming like a younger Jessica Lange, she is believable as the object of Forrest's undying affection. The real scene-stealer, however, is Gary Sinise. A renowned director and theatrical actor, Sinise is probably best known to film-goers for his portrayal of George in 1992's Of Mice and Men (which he also directed). In this movie, his Lieutenant Dan Taylor is riveting. The passion and pain he brings to the middle portions of Forrest Gump hold together some of the film's weaker moments.

The soundtrack boasts a wide variety of sounds of the era -- perhaps too wide a variety. Often, music can be useful in establishing a mood, but Forrest Gump rockets into the realm of overkill. There are sequences when the choice of song is inspired (the use of Running on Empty for Forrest's long run comes to mind), but the soundtrack could have used a little pruning.

Ultimately, however, any gripes about Forrest Gump are minor. This is a marvelous motion picture -- a mint julep on a hot summer's afternoon.

Blogger's comments:
The opening scene shows a bus going by Forrest (Tom Hanks) as he sits on a bench, and the side of the bus displays an advertisement for a 1981 Chevrolet Citation. Virtually all of the film, except the final scenes when Forrest marries Jenny (Robin Wright), is done in flashback. The first identifiable date, after Forrest is fitted with his leg braces, is when he and his mother (Sally Field) walk by a store with a TV in the window displaying Elvis Presley singing Hound Dog for a nationwide TV audience on The Milton Berle Show on June 5, 1956. So we know the film covers the quarter century between 1956 and 1981.

Labels: drama, Fifties, history, reunion, romance, Sixties, Tom Hanks, war
Internet Movie Database 88/100
MetaScore (critics=82, viewers=78)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=75, viewers=82)
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Firearms used in the film

Nobody’s Fool (1994) [R] ****

A film review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews.net.

Nobody's Fool is about as sublime a motion picture as is likely to come out of Hollywood. With a structure that contravenes the norm, this film concentrates on character first, letting the plot fall naturally into place. Situations are forced on neither the film's inhabitants nor on those in the audience. It's rare to sit through a drama and not feel manipulated, but the feelings generated by Robert Benton's movie are entirely natural, and likely to bring a smile to the heart.

Paul Newman gives an unforgettable performance as Donald Sullivan (or Sully, as most people know him), a cantankerous aging man living in the small, snowbound town of North Bath, New York. With the spirit of a mischievous teenager but the body of a sixty year old, Sully has the kind of infectious presence that, in his own words, grows on you. He delights in flirting with women half his age, and engages in a game of theft where he and his sometimes-boss Carl Roebuck (Bruce Willis) take turns devising creative means by which to steal a snow blower from one another.

Nobody's Fool is as much about regrets as about choices made; as much about the road not taken as the one traveled. It's about families broken apart, and parent/child relationships mended. Sully's father was a ruthless, violent drunk whom he never forgave, and that is perhaps why he was such a poor father to his own son, Peter (Dylan Walsh). When the boy was just one year old, Sully walked out on him and his mother. Now, decades later, the abandoning father is trying to make amends -- not only to his son, but to his grandson as well.

For those seeking a film with a remarkable central character, Nobody's Fool is not to be missed. Not only does it offer the best in easygoing, non-confrontational drama, but the story is told with a sense of wry, intelligent humor. In fact, the movie is so perfectly attuned to its audience that it can display Melanie Griffith's breasts without the moment's self-consciousness that so often accompanies nudity in American motion pictures.

Speaking of Griffith, this is the best acting she has done in a long time. After a string of lackluster comedies and ineffective thrillers, Nobody's Fool offers a role for which she is suited. Playing the dowdy wife of a perpetual womanizer, she finds the right mixture of strength and pathos.

Also holding his own is Bruce Willis, here in his second consecutive solid performance (on the heels of Pulp Fiction). Jessica Tandy, to whom the film is dedicated, is as effective as ever. Of course, no one can quite match Newman, who shows a chameleon-like ability to shed his star image and don a most atypical personality. This is the sort of part normally associated with a character actor of Albert Finney's status.

Quiet and enchanting in its simplicity, Nobody's Fool is a joy. Admittedly, it meanders a bit, but that's part of its charm. The intelligent sensitivity of the script, coupled with Newman's powerfully understated performance, make this motion picture special. There aren't many of them like this out there. [Berardinelli’s rating: ***½ out of 4 stars]

Labels: christmas, comedy, drama

Internet Movie Database 7.4/10 

Metacritic 86/100 

RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=77, viewers=74) 

Dave (1993) [PG-13] ****

Dave Kovic is a good-hearted guy who runs a little employment agency. He finds work for people, mostly by getting his friend Murray Blum to hire them as temps in Murray's accounting office. Dave also happens to look exactly like the President of the United States; a decidedly evil character named Bill Mitchell. When Dave is recruited to double for the President at a public function, and the President has a stroke, Dave finds himself thrust into a role he first resists, and then embraces, with hilarious results.

Kevin Kline is wonderful both as Dave and as President Mitchell. Sigourney Weaver is terrific as the First Lady who recognizes in Dave what her husband had the potential to be. Frank Langella is superb as Bob Alexander, the malevolent Chief of Staff. And the supporting cast is outstanding, especially Charles Grodin as Dave's friend Murray Blum, Ving Rhames as Duane Stevenson, the Secret Service agent, Kevin Dunn as Alan Reed, White House Communications Director, and Ben Kingsley as Vice-President Nance. This is a funny, heart-warming movie with a love story and a happy ending. It's a film you will enjoy again and again.

Labels: comedy, politics, rom-com-faves, romance, satire
IMDb 69/100
RottenTomatoes (critics=95, viewers=72)
Blu-ray
MetaCritic (critics=76, viewers=67)
James Berardinelli's review (3 out of 4 stars)