Movie Rental Recommendations -- SA-SO
The Sandlot
This "Stand By Me-esque" adventure focuses on a group of childhood friends and their baseball filled, "beast" battling, coming-of-age experiences in a small 60's town. A scene involving the boys' first experience with chewing tobacco is -- alone -- worth the rental. Great for a date, just as good with "the guys." A definite "must rent" fit for a weekend, or week night. See it, or miss out.
IMDb | Other Reviews Jeff Smith
Saving Private Ryan
Well, another Spielberg flick that hits the mark. Simple, direct and, believe it or not, innocent. It's definitely a war pictures, and it's violent, particularly in the beginning scenes, but can you make a war picture that doesn't include blood and guts? It's a story loaded with morality, but, oddly, it isn't presented that way. Tom Hanks, as usual, leads this ensemble cast and shines. The writing is excellent, the story and adventure top rate, and the ending won't leave a dry eye in the house. Well worth a $7 movie ticket, and a weekend feature.
IMDb | Other Reviews
Parker Hodges
You've no doubt heard a lot about this film's first 20 minutes. The opening sequence was perhaps the most graphic and realistic portrayal of war ever captured on film, gripping the audience and searing horrific images and sounds of the battlefield forever into their minds. After such a powerful beginning, you'll be wondering what happened to the rest of the movie. Unfortunately, the last two hours aren't nearly as interesting as opening. Even a multi-talented cast led by Tom Hanks can't save the weak story line that drags on far too long. Spielberg does wrap it up nicely in the end, leaving viewers to draw their own conclusions about the morality and honor involved with being a soldier. But what you'll always remember about this movie are those first few minutes.
Erik Nelson
Scream 2
More photogenic teens get turned into sushi in this blockbuster sequel, set this time at a college where every student appears to have a degree in pop culture. This isn't quite as clever as its predecessor -- the finale, in particular, is so ludicrously silly that I half expected Scrappy-Doo to come in and solve the mystery. But it more than makes up for it with an incredible number of well-orchestrated scares, especially a scene involving three people in a parked car that's the most brilliantly protracted horror sequence since Danny Torrance first kick-started his Big Wheel. Memo to Neve Campbell: What's with the William Shatner impersonation?
IMDb | Other Reviews Andrew Wright
The Siege
Bruce Willis drags Denzel Washington and Annette Bening down to his level of movie-making in this long, dull and predictable terrorist bombers-take-New York story. The FBI, CIA and Army all end up clashing over who should take the lead in this disastrous film. Even in a movie, the idea that the Army would take over a city and set up concentration camps to imprison U.S. citizens is ludicrous. I found myself cheering for the terrorists. Who thought up this ridiculous plot and actually managed to sell it?
IMDb | Other Reviews Erik Nelson
The Sixth Sense
It's one of the smartest movies of the year, but you won't realize it until the end. This story of a boy who sees dead people and the psychologist who tries to help him moves along rather slowly. It's broken up by a few good scares, but it's still more of a drama than a thriller. The shockingly twisted finale, though, makes it all worth while. It will leave you wanting to see the whole movie over again.
IMDb | Other Reviews Erik Nelson
Shakespeare In Love
Finally, a movie worthy of all its hype. This is one of the most original, clever screenplays to hit the theaters in a long time. Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes are truly romantic together and all the supporting characters deliver strong performances as well. A must see.
IMDb | Other Reviews Denise Felder
Shanghi Noon
Yee-haw! East meets west in Jackie Chan's western romp "Shanghi Noon." Chan plays up his fish-out-of water status in this rip-roaring adventure. And of course his high-flying feet and hands never fail to fascinate. Chan is a bumbling Imperial guard in the Forbidden City who is dispatched to the states in pursuit of a kidnapped Princess Pei Pei (Lucy Liu). Along the way he joins forces with Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson), a small-time bandit who is lucky with the ladies but not with the stagecoaches. The two make a good team and their chemistry makes the film fun to watch. And Lucy Liu is a properly petulant princess with a few good kicks of her own. But the standout, as always, is Chan. Nobody will accuse him of subtle acting, but his adorable face and his high-energy fights make "Shanghi Noon" an enjoyable ride.
Full Review | IMDb | Other Reviews Debra Scott
Shall We Dance
Not many people like movies about ballroom dancing, and even fewer people are willing to sit through subtitles. But this Japanese feature tells a nice, humorous story about a conservative businessman who, on a whim, starts taking dance lessons to get closer to the pretty instructor. Meanwhile, he keeps his new hobby secret from his wife and coworkers. I like the way this story, and the characters, reveal themselves slowly.
IMDb | Other Reviews Denise Felder
Shattered
Here's one that likely slipped by most of us early this decade. It's a mystery, a true mystery, although looking at the VHS cover you'd think it was a thriller. It's about a man who survives a car wreck, has his face rebuilt, but suffers from amnesia. Who he was and what happened the night his car careened off a mountain road is the mystery. About one-third of the way through you may think "Parker's way off, this is boring." But about halfway through this quickly paced flick you'll begin thinking, "Hmmmm" and two-thirds of the way through you'll be thinking, "Where is this going" and "what's going to happen." An excellent weekend feature.
IMDb | Other Reviews
Parker Hodges
She's So Lovely
Here's a movie with "mainstream" actors that has a definite "indie" feel to it. The off-, off-, off-center story is simply that: A story. No moralizing. It's short, too. About 90 minutes long. The acting is remarkable and I was happy to see Harry Dean Stanton back in movies. Sean Penn is at the center, and is solid, as always, playing a man with the love of a woman as the center of his life. I won't tell you what happens to separate the pair -- but he returns and she must decide between him and her new husband who she told that she loved someone else when they married and had two children. Solid Friday or Saturday night movie, but remember: It's not a mainstream flick.
IMDb | Other Reviews
Parker Hodges
Shirley Valentine
This is a simple story about a quiet English housewife who wonders how she went from being a wild youth with big ambitions to living an uneventful life as a wife and mother with no identify of her own. A trip to Greece gives her the courage to reconnect with her joie de vive, and watching this funny, well-written movie will make you want to do the same.
IMDb | Other Reviews Denise Felder
Silence of the Lambs
What can I say? There's an obvious reason this made that AFI Top 100 American movies list: It's a great, great movie. Definitely not for weak of heart, this is a creepy flick made more so by the excellent performances by Anthony Hopkins as the brilliant cannibal "with a heart" believe it or not. Jody Foster is excellent as the FBI trainee used to manipulate "Hannibel the Cannibal." Many memorable scenes and memorable lines in this movie about chasing "Buffalo Bill," the new serial killer that skins his victims. Definitely a cozy up on the sofa date movie, one not to be missed.
IMDb | Other Reviews
Parker Hodges
Odds are that you?ve seen ?Silence of the Lambs,? and got a good scare out of it. But it requires many viewings (if you?ve got the stomach) for one to realize its true brilliance. Anthony Hopkins? Hannibal Lecter is probably filmdom?s most fascinating, malevolent ?hero,? and of course Jodie Foster is brilliant. But even better are the film?s layers upon layers of substance. You may not have consciously realized, for example, the spirit of feminism embodied in the capable, ambitious Clarice Starling (Foster), who spends the entire film defiantly battling male sexual aggression in forms both minor (F.B.I. boss Jack Crawford?s condescension) and brutally horrific (the perversities of psycho killer Buffalo Bill). Gets my vote for the best film of the ?90s.
Ed Dykhuizen
A Simple Plan
This "Fargo"-esque story about three men who discover $4 million in a downed plane in the middle of nowhere never gets off the ground. It's simply too difficult to find anyone to like in this movie. The one sane character makes such insane decisions that it's frustrating to watch. The story, of course, centers around what to do with the money. From there, it spirals grimly downward with a series of murders to cover up their theft. Where will it all end? You won't care.
IMDb | Other Reviews Erik Nelson
Sliding Doors
I went to see "Sliding Doors" and expected to see a deep fate vs. chance movie, but instead saw an entertaining light drama. The premise of the movie tries to answer life's big What If questions.
What would happen if I didn't miss that train? What would I do if I caught my boyfriend in bed with another woman? You know what? If I looked like Gwyneth Paltrow and some cutie with a kickin' English accent like John Hannah was there to comfort me, I'd get over it real quick. Soon into the movie, the plot splits in two as the viewers follow to two lives of Gwyneth Paltrow's Helen. One Helen catches her beau sippin' brandy with Jeanne Tripplehorn, the other Helen misses the train and remains clueless of the affair until ... Anyway, while I liked the movie, if I had missed it in the theaters, I wouldn't lose any sleep asking myself "what if ..."
IMDb | Other Reviews Denise Felder
Slums Of Beverly Hills
This is a quirky story about a low-rent nomadic family living in the worst Beverly Hills has to offer. Unfortunately, the movie wasn't quirky enough to leave a lasting impression. Alan Arkin stars as a less-than-ambitious car salesman who depends on his wealthy out-of-state older brother to bankroll him and his three kids. Natasha Lyonne, playing the only daughter in the tribe, struggles with adolescence and her rapidly developing body. She finds an ally in an older cousin (Marisa Tomei) who comes to live with them after running away from drug rehab. The story that unfolds is coming-of-age film that purposely steers away from over-sentimentality and stays true to the Zeitgeist of the 1970s.
IMDb | Other Reviews Denise Felder
Snake Eyes
A top government official is murdered while sitting ringside at a professional boxing match. There are over 20,000 witnesses, and Nicolas Cage is the police detective who must sort out the truth. Interesting premise, but the writing is incredibly poor and plot twists so predictable you'll be wondering why you wasted your time and money. Cage tends to overact his roles, so you can guess what happens when he's asked to play a dirty, flamboyant, egotistical cop. Gary Senise has the perfect looks for a bad guy, but he's just not very believable.
IMDb | Other Reviews
Erik Nelson
South Park: Bigger, Longer And Uncut
The name says it all -- this movie is bigger, longer and less censored than the Comedy Central animated sitcom. And basically, if you like the TV show, you'll love the movie. The story finds the parents of South Park, Colo. on a crusade against movies that are polluting the minds of their already foul-mouthed children. What starts out a debate on family values in the media ends with the U.S. declaring was on Canada, and it's up to Kyle, Stan and Cartman to save the say. A very funny, and accurate, look at the state of the world today. Plus, viewers get to find out what happens to Kenny when he dies.
IMDb | Other Reviews Denise Felder
Copyright 2001 by Channel 4000. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
