kevinator_ca's reviews

This movie paints a dark picture of a small town man who is slowly losing his grip on life. After a bitter divorce, Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) finds himself with a daughter who doesn't want to spend time with him and a job as police officer in a town with little crime. He hopes for things that won't happen and when he must tend to his abusive father, he starts to lose it.

This movie is not action packed and doesn't evince any emotions other than pity. Nevertheless, it is well made and Nick Nolte and James Coburn both give excellent performances.

So this is what the Wachowski brothers were doing before they made "The Matrix". A typical post Pulp Fiction mobster movie with guns, money and violence, this film also captures the lesbian thing as Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon heat up the screen. So if you're into the lesbian thing, watch it. If you're not then you have to like crime movies to enjoy this one. The plot has plenty of twists and turns to keep it somewhat intense and the acting is decent.

`Kicking and Screaming' starts off at a college graduation party but ends nowhere. Noah Boambach is definitely trying to copy the style of Whit Stillman of `Barcelona' and `Metropolitan' fame. The dialogue has the intellectual snobbery that is present in Stillman's films. The main reason this movie falls short is because there is not one character in the movie that the viewer can sympathize with. All the characters are self-obsessed and spoiled. Perhaps that's the point but it doesn't make this one any easier to watch. Did I mention there's no plot? None. In fairness to Mr. Boambach, this film deserves some praise because it strays from the typical Hollywood college love story and Eric Stolz gets thumbs up as the guy who has been in school for 8 years.

Joe Lieberman would probably claim that ‘Freeway' is one of those grotesque and brutal films Hollywood should be ashamed of. Fans of Reese Witherspoon will enjoy her performance here as an illiterate Texan living in Southern California but this 90's version of Little Red Riding Hood lacks true substance. My guess would be that it was inspired by ‘Natural Born Killers'. It attempts to shock the viewer with themes of child molestation, serial killing, gory violence and twisted one-liners from the stars. While many people might be offended by this film, I though it was kind of amusing.

`Henry Fool' is truly a different type of movie that shows the transformation of a reclusive Simon Grim (James Urbaniak) from garbage man to poet. Simon is encouraged by Henry Fool (Thomas Jay Ryan) to devote himself to writing. His work is well received by some and generates controversy with others. However, as the Simon progresses, he begins to see that Henry's tirades to the tune of `you can't be a cage around a man's soul' have little to do with actually being an artist.

This film is definitely a drama but you never get the feeling that you are supposed to take it 100% seriously. In this respect, "Henry Fool" fails. It does not convince the audience of its validity. The characters are extremes and difficult to relate to. On the other hand, the acting is very good and the plot provides enough surprises, though hardly realistic and believable, that it is an interesting movie and worth watching.

Daytrippers is a progressive drama about a family that takes an adventure into New York City after Eliza (Hope Davis) discovers a love letter that may uncover an affair between her husband and somebody named Sandy. Anne Meara does a good job as the typical East Coast, controlling mother. The indie-film queen Parker Posey plays Eliza's little sister whose boyfriend Carl, played by Liev Schreiber, is an exaggeration of the young, snobbish, know-it-all author. The family is hardly functional which makes this film particularly honest.

The key to Daytrippers is not the plot, which never fails to keep you watching, but the dialogue and the situations. Pay close attention to the characters that the family meets in the city. They all embody some kind of contradictions that make you think a little bit. Look for the scene where Marc Grapey begins describing his sexual exploits by condemning such practices.

If you are looking for a drama that provokes you, this is one of them. There are no happy endings and none of the issues raised are resolved. Fans of Parker Posey will especially enjoy her performance in this one.

If anything, this movie prepares the escape vehicle for Jason Priestly from the 90210 crowd. Here Mr. Priestly plays Cozmo. In one day, Cozmo is promoted from bookie to hit-man. After hesitating, he discovers that he is pretty good at it. The only problem is Cosmo lacks common sense.

This movie is by all means a Dark comedy. The acting is pretty solid and the ending is good.