Run Off

It took a lot of gnashing and grinding of teeth for me to finish this mediocre film. The only thing that kept me going on was the fact that winona ryder was in it. I kept telling myself, "she wouldn't do a movie THIS bad..it probably gets better towards the end..". They say you should always trust your first instincts. In this case, they were dead on the mark. Unless you are totally obsessed with winona ryder and need to see every single one of her movies, AVOID.

"Boys" tells a flimsy story to which Cochran tries to add mystery by keeping information from the audience and revealing it piecemeal via flashback. Cheap shot. Ryder is found unconscious, after being thrown from horseback, by a boarding school student (Haas) who takes her to his room (yeah, right), instead of the obvious choice, the hospital. You know, HOSPITAL...where you take injured people for professional medical care. Duh. Anyway, this dumbassed flick has a list of negatives too long to go into here. File "Boys" in the boys room and don't forget to flush. (D)

I do not care what other users say, this was a good movie. The acting was superb, the directing was on target, and the photography was absolutely beautiful. A fitting soundtrack, a very sufficient cast, and quality transition between short-story and screen. Winona Ryder and Lukas Haas give a chemistry that you cannot find in many movies these days, especially with youth actors. Ok, Granted- that the story builds up and then lets you off to a bad explanation and dull outcome, the ride up to the climax was marvelous. I voted this movie an 8, and anyone who devoutly disagrees can go take a film making course and actually learn to critique.

I was skeptical, as many others may have been, before I saw this movie. The idea of a teenager finding a damsel in distress did seem a little immature. However, the simple plot is mapped out very well. The events in this film occur in a logical manner, and as always Lukas and Winona's acting is superb.

I even found the secondary characters realistic. This is really one of those movies that keeps on giving. I have seen it about four times over the years, and each time I have caught another subtle detail that made me realize how well this was made.

I would not, however, recommend this movie to anyone who must see high action to enjoy a movie. There is quite a bit of dialogue, and you won't hear much noise in the background. And I must comment on the soundtrack, lighting, and clothing of this movie, which really add to the mood.

The main characters in this movie both want to escape from their current situations, and I found myself wanting to escape with them. You should definitely catch this one.

"Boys" is proof positive that two young, attractive leads, Wynona Ryder and Lukas Haas, can't always compensate for a complex, uninvolving plot. Make no mistake, Ryder and Haas are both as good as they can be, given the material, and their love scenes, particularly at the carnival, do generate a goodly ammount of heat. But, on the whole, the story is far too complex and uninvolving. By the time the central mystery is unraveled, you find yourself asking what all the fuss was about. In short, a dynamic team wasted on a trite picture.