A chef who destroyed his career with drugs and diva behavior cleans
up and returns to London, determined to redeem himself by spearheading a
top restaurant that can gain three Michelin stars.
Bradley Cooper does his best to portray a disagreeable narcissistic man-child, but the makers' celebration of unnecessary competitiveness and their misunderstanding of the culinary art doesn't help much; the impressive cast serves as mere extras to the one-man show.
Two friends are off on a weekend outing. Marshall thinks the trip is to
re-establish their friendship, but Sam has ulterior motives in mind as
he crashes the wedding of a woman he still loves.
Rather unfunny romantic comedy is well directed with zest, but suffers from the male lead'S thoroughly dislikeable character.
Maltin**: "Romantic comedy almost never recovers from its introduction of Angarano who is so strident it's hard to root for him - or believe that Thurman ever cared for him. Debut feature for writer-director Winkler shows promise, but by the time his two-dimensional characters finally reveal more colors it's almost too late."
The story follows Jack, a highly intelligent serial killer, over the
course of twelve years, and depicts the murders that really develop his
inner madman.
Beyond the serial killer portrait and some truly disturbing scenes this is an excellently complex exploration of human existence and the frailty and ambiguity of art - and a self-critical reflection of von Trier's previous œuvre.
A former sports star who's fallen on hard times starts coaching his
son's soccer team as a way to get his life together. His attempts to
become an adult are met with challenges from the attractive soccer moms
who pursue him at every turn.
Lots of star talent wasted in this minor, mostly uninteresting dramedy about (believe it or not) the marital/parental aches of a has-been football star.
Maltin*1/2: "Innocuous romantic trifle populated by attractive star; easy to take and just as easy to forget."
A genetically inferior man assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.
Atmospheric science fiction drama with excellent cast and settings draws a bleak picture of a genetically controlled future.
Halliwell (no star): "Glossy science fiction with a very soft centre under its hard surface."
Maltin**: "Bracingly intelligent, wittily ironic, and very well acted. Given the premise, however, the dull, conformist society depicted seems unconvincing."
The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of
diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
Arguably Quentin Tarantino's best movie, a stroke of genius concerning several intertwined plots swinging back and forth in time, a treasure trove of cinematic allusions, tongue-in-cheek humour and a very carefully and accurately selected cast; all his subsequent movies have been more or less variations of what you can find here.
Halliwell***: "Clever, witty, violent celebration of junk culture, drawing rather too heavily on past thrillers but blessed with some excellent performances which crackle with menace."
Maltin***1/2: "Audacious, outrageous look at honors among lowlifes, told in a soemwhat radical style overlapping a handful of separate stories. Jackson and Travolta are magnetic as a pair of hit men who have philosophical debates on a regular basis; Willis is compelling as a crooked boxer whose plan to take it on the lam hits a few detours. (In fact, there are no slackersin this cast.) This voluble, violent, pumped-up movie isn't for every taste - certainly not for the squeamish - but it's got morevitality than almost any other film of 1994."
