Epinions Recent Reviews for MovieBodega

Mixing Old and New in "Snatch"

Tue, 30 Jan 2001 14:19:35 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - Cinematic archetypes tend to have a timelessness about them, a personal charm that transcends years and locales -- the brooding cowboy, the suave spy, etc. For the last decade, a new archetype has been testing the limits of its immortality...the...

The Straight Story

Thu, 28 Dec 2000 17:28:03 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - In the theatre, artists are often aware that, no matter how good your actors, directors, sets, lights, costumes, makeup, or marketing are, there's only one triusm that matters..."the play's the thing." Writers are at the core of every dramatic...

Western Stars And Moonlit Nights

Thu, 28 Dec 2000 13:59:32 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - Although Matt Damon is ostensibly the star of the romantic Western ALL THE PRETTY HORSES, don't be fooled for a minute -- the real star is the landscape. An elegant sunset on the Mexican horizon, the breathtaking depth of the Rio Grande canyon, a grassy...

Cry Of The Heart

Mon, 25 Dec 2000 01:52:38 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - A "cri di coeur."

It's a critics' quote from another era; rarely can the phrase 'cri de coeur' be applied to films anymore. In an age where economics and entertainment rule the cinema, it's hard for anyone to hear, much less make,...

Sentimentality in the South Pacific

Sun, 24 Dec 2000 21:41:38 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - Talented artists often are at their best when fighting against their predilections. The best creative solutions are rarely the first ones thought of, and bypassing one's immediate impulse is often an excellent way of finding a more meaningful. enriching...

Past The "Blast"

Wed, 20 Dec 2000 11:31:19 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - BLAST FROM THE PAST has all the markings of a classic comedy. It also has the potential to be a telling critique of modern life. Unfortunately, it suffers from an identity crisis.

Unable to decide whether it's a teen romantic comedy or a...

Martin's Wit And Murphy's Talent

Mon, 18 Dec 2000 17:10:58 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - Surprises await you at BOWFINGER, an amusing look at down-and-out Hollywood that offers laughs, smarts, and many knowing headshaking moments.

Steve Martin, the star and writer of BOWFINGER, has created a gently satiric trifle that lovingly...

"Brokedown" Indeed

Mon, 18 Dec 2000 12:12:53 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - Thailand. Just say the word to any American and, most likely, it conjures up images of sweatshops, child prostitution, U.S. textile manufacturing, and a corrupt legal system. This xenophobic response is often extended to most of Asia, but Thailand...

Sex And Repression Under The "Quills"

Sun, 17 Dec 2000 22:09:08 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - Can there be a more deliciously sinister, thematically rich historical figure than the Marquis de Sade? The notoriously erotic author, playwright, and 18th century social gadfly has been the inspiration for dozens of books, biographies, and plays, each...

Wicked, "Cruel" Fun

Sun, 17 Dec 2000 16:43:13 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - Never underestimate the power of a good story. For a perfect example of the truth of this axiom, look no further than the erotic teen melodrama CRUEL INTENTIONS, which is a wisp of a movie based upon one of the great novels of the last millenium, Les...

Sinking In The "Sea"

Sun, 17 Dec 2000 16:34:55 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - Here's the shocking, unbelievable secret of DEEP BLUE SEA, something you never would have guessed in a million years. Ready?

Sharks are...scary.

Surprised? I didn't think so. Stephen Spielberg taught movie audiences this truism...

Kevin Smith's Holy Vision

Sun, 17 Dec 2000 16:18:45 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - One viewing of DOGMA, Kevin Smith's latest comedy, will make it clear to anyone why religious conservatives were picketing and protesting the film in its theatrical release. The film is more than a simple redefinition of Christian faith; it quite...

Judd's "Jeopardy"

Sun, 17 Dec 2000 16:04:00 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - If Julia Roberts is America's favorite star, then Ashley Judd is its most under-appreciated. Since her memorable debut in RUDY IN PARADISE a decade ago, Judd has consistently been the best part of every movie she's starred in. It's unfortunate, however,...

The Imperfect Joy Of "Angels"

Sun, 17 Dec 2000 15:50:51 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - It took almost a year for THE DREAMLIFE OF ANGELS to wing its way from the 1998 Cannes Film Festival and European Film Awards (where it was a major award winner) to American wide release. In part, that's due to its inability to snag a Best Foreign Film...

More Than Truman

Sun, 17 Dec 2000 15:41:50 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - Don't miss the witty and thoughtful EDTV because it happens to sound like a retread of THE TRUMAN SHOW. It's true that both films deal with men whose lives are televised 24 hours a day. But unlike Truman Burbank, Ed, the hero of ED TV, is fully complicit...

Film Magic In "Dragon"

Fri, 15 Dec 2000 22:48:03 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - Our new century isn't very old yet, but the remaining 98 years will be hard pressed to find a more rapturous movie than Ang Lee's sumptuous new triumph, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. Lee's elegant combination of mythic romance, ancient warriors,...

His Own Competition

Sat, 9 Dec 2000 02:07:00 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - David Mamet may be the foremost social critic of our times. Whether laying contemporary sexual mores bare in OLEANNA or the ruins of the American Dream in GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, Mamet's view of modern life is often brutally honest, hitting closer to home...

Love, Sex and Kidnapping

Sun, 3 Dec 2000 14:10:45 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - PROOF OF LIFE is a meta-movie...there are many different ways to watch it. On one level, PROOF OF LIFE is a proving ground for star Russell Crowe -- as the first big-budget flick of his to hit screens since GLADIATOR, it's the perfect place to see if...

The Breaking Point

Wed, 22 Nov 2000 22:05:30 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - A sense of mood is always a good thing in a mystery, and the disquieting film UNBREAKABLE, M. Night Shyamalan's follow-up to his creepy, Oscar-nominated blockbuster THE SIXTH SENSE, has mood to spare. Whether it manifests in the furtive glances of the...

Win This 'Election'

Sun, 19 Nov 2000 15:36:53 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - MTV Films--just say the words and you can hear the collective groans of film fans everywhere. Whether it's meaningless tripe like the football snooze VARSITY BLUES or the really stupid JOE'S APARTMENT, the company's short history in cinema has already...

To eXist or not to eXist...

Sun, 19 Nov 2000 15:20:53 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - Any film that mixes virtual reality, science fiction, the talent of Jennifer Jason Leigh, and the mind of David Cronenberg has a great recipe for success. Unfortunately, the film that sports those tremendous assets, EXISTENZ, shows eloquently that a film...

Great Visuals And Little Else

Sun, 19 Nov 2000 15:11:19 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - I recently read an interview with a Hollywood studio president, who stated that in twenty years, IMAX films will be the gold standard of cinema. That may be true, but in my opinion, the wait may be even longer. If ever. The obstacle is a simple one, on...

A Media-Drenched Masterpiece

Sun, 19 Nov 2000 03:30:08 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - Both disturbing and revelatory, upsetting and inspiring, the adrenaline rush called FIGHT CLUB is the anti-hero movie to end all anti-hero movies. With a bone-crunching critical eye towards consumerist culture, David Fincher's opus is the pre-millennial...

Diamonds In The Rough

Sun, 19 Nov 2000 03:18:58 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - When a film is saved from oblivion by the contributions of one singularly sensational party or person, it's always a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you're grateful that you didn't totally waste your ticket admission. On the other, it can only be, at...

A Lesson Learned

Sun, 19 Nov 2000 03:08:49 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author MovieBodega - When THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER came out in the summer of 1999, it was 105 degrees here in New York City. The National Weather Service had put out an Excessive Heat Advisory, the first one I'd ever heard of in my lifetime. Senior citizens were being warned...