The Big Lebowski (1998)

 

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

Easy-going (like its titular character), serendipitous drama, full of black humor and numerous memorable sequences and with a colorful ensemble of eccentric characters is thoroughly entertaining; an instant cult classic.

Halliwell**: "A meandering thriller that provides a great deal of incidental pleasures on a journey to nowhere in particular."

Maltin**1/2: "One big shaggy-dog joke, courtesy of the Coen brothers...Mostly an excuse for off-the-wall character vignettes, some of which are amusing, some of which are just...strange. Minor Coen concoction with a most agreeable cast. Turturro is a standout as Jesus the bowler, but Bridges' Dave the Dude has become a pop culture icon." 

Birth (2004)

A young boy attempts to convince a woman that he is her dead husband reborn.

Unusual drama insinuating or rather imagining the possibility of reincarnation skillfully holds its protagonists - and the audience - in a suspended, disquieting state of doubt and belief. 

Maltin***: "Eerie, riveting drama is remarkably effective in building and sustaining a mood of unease - and uncertainty."

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2010)

The adventures of supernatural private investigator, Dylan Dog, who seeks out the monsters of the Louisiana bayou in his signature red shirt, black jacket, and blue jeans.

Comic book style horror romp with some misguided attempts at humor, obviously not meant for an adult audience.

Horsemen (2009)

A recently widowed detective still grieving over his wife's death discovers a shocking connection between a serial killing spree and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Not particularly successful Se7en wannabe loses any credibility by construing a wildly incomprehensible serial killer complot.

Maltin BOMB: "Preposterous, sickening mystery-thriller is only for those who are entertained by graphic images of torture." 

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

A research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there while another team approaches with another agenda.

Great special effects and some humour make this sequel entertaining, but basically this is an old-fashioned monster movie.

Halliwell*: "The special effects are to be wondered at, as is the fact that the script is cloned from the oldest and most familiar elements of monster movies; this is a dinosaur about dinosaurs."

Maltin**1/2: "Completely contrived sequel to JURASSIC PARK benefits from Goldblum's deprecating dialogue and superior special effects. Enough cliffhanger-style action scenes to make up for the lulls."

The Zero Theorem (2013)

A hugely talented but socially isolated computer operator is tasked by Management to prove the Zero Theorem: that the universe ends as nothing, rendering life meaningless.

Intended as a dystopian satire with a message about the meaning of life the result is  haphazard, incohesive and finally disappointing; cast and visual effects are worth the watch, though.

Playing God (1997)

Stripped of his medical license after performing an operation while high on amphetamines, a famed LA surgeon abandons his former life only to find himself crossing paths with an infamous counterfeiter.

Despite the star cast and routine production this is a quite unoriginal and weary crime thriller.

Halliwell (no star): "A lugubrious central performance sinks this sluggish, predictable thriller."

Maltin*1/2: "Preposterous story...The improvised medical treatment is so completely laughable, it upstages the absurdity of the story line. Why this movie was made is truly a case for The X-Files."

Armageddon (1998)

After discovering that an asteroid the size of Texas is going to impact Earth in less than a month, N.A.S.A. recruits a misfit team of deep core drillers to save the planet.

A classic doomsday premise executed with a big budget is ruined by a silly plot and a chaotic ending.

On renewed viewing: a bit more entertaining, if you don't take to too seriously.

Halliwell (no star): "Loud and brainless action movie that was among the top box-office successes of 1998."

Maltin**: "Opens with a bang, and sets up an exciting (if improbable) story...After a while it becomes so routine, so predictable, and so redundant that all the fun is drained away."

Fargo (1996)

A car dealer's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of a pregnant policewoman.

A masterpiece of black comedy and arguably the directors' most perfect work summing up their oeuvre so far.

It's one of the few movies I enjoy rewatching again and again.

Halliwell****: "Deft, witty and original thriller which pits a pregnant, rural police chief against two city slickers; the violence, when it comes, is properly shocking, but it's the humanity that you will remember."

Maltin***1/2: "The Coen brothers put a unique spin on a murder case, layering their story with droll Minnesotans and winding up with a totally disarming comedy!"

Dancer in the Dark (2000)

A young woman has emigrated with her son from Central Europe to America where she works day and night to save her son from the same disease she suffers from, a disease that inevitably will make her blind.

Grim and highly artificial melodrama, staged like a study of genre cinema (including the musical); Björk's surprisingly strong gripping performance (and her songs) makes this it worth the watch.

Halliwell**: "A film to divide audiences into those who will respond to the intense emotions on display, many of them heightened by anguished sequences of song and dance; and those who will find the jerky handheld photography a needless distraction, and will reject the melodramatic sob-story as shameless manipulation. Björk throws herself into the role of the most self-sacrificing mother since Stella Dallas with complete conviction."

Maltin**1/2: "Ambitious, brazenlyoff-putting musical (!)...Writer-director von Trier's attempt to expand cinematic musical conventions is certainly thought provoking, but ultimately cold and very literal minded, and not helped by jagged song-and-dance numbers. Björk is impressive..."

Lockout (2012)

A man wrongly convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage against the U.S. is offered his freedom if he can rescue the president's daughter from an outer space prison taken over by violent inmates.

Sloppily made sci-fi action drama that hardly thrills; Guy Pearce as an endlessly wisecracking Bruce Willis wannabe is particularly unnerving.

Maltin**1/2: "Pearce's Bogart-like banter lifts this futuristic action tale...He definitely saves this over-the-top testosterone yarn by deftly creating an easygoing style of delivery for his clever, smart-aleck rogue."