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Reviews
A Knight's Tale (2001)
fun chivalric fantasy
I expected to hate this movie -- I take chivalric literature fairly seriously and and most pseudomedieval movies (especially so-called chivalric stories like "First Knight") disgust me. "A Knight's Tale," however, was a very pleasant surprise.
Most of those who dislike this movie will say they do so because of its lack of "realism" the music doesn't fit the era, they say, Chaucer looks more like a complete fool than the courtier we know he spent part of his life as, and Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon) has hairstyles that would need mousse, gel and spray used all at once to make them stay.
AKT, however, doesn't claim to be a documentary. (It doesn't even take itself as seriously as the mistake-ridden Braveheart.) Instead, it tells a time-worn story with grand affection and great humor. The history isn't all incorrect, either: Helgeland has made Chaucer and Edward the right ages; Edward's personality and armor accord with historical representations and both men would have seen the life and death of the free companies during the Hundred Years War. With some slips (a peasant as a squire, an unmarried woman with the freedom to wander tournament grounds, or the use of the phrase "on paper" long before paper was in use in England), the anachronisms are not only conscious, they are celebrated. They make the audience laugh, sing, stamp their feet and they generally bring enthusiasm for the movie to a whole segment of the population that would not otherwise enjoy it.
The true weakness of this movie is not in the history, it is in the romance. Jocelyn and William seem ill-suited as a couple, having nothing more than lust to keep them together. This fault, however, is the result of the formulaic, traditional chivalric tale. It won't interfere more than a little with the enjoyment of the hours spent in the darkness of the theater. The best advice I can give you is to suspend your disbelief and let A Knight's Tale remind you of all the traditional stories you once enjoyed or introduce you to a type of story you may never had the pleasure to know.
X-Men (2000)
Just about perfect
Loads and loads of fun. Don't go expecting something deep and wonderful...just go expecting to have a really good time. You'll laugh--especially if you remember the old comics. They've gotten the tension between the characters right, and that old, insulting, one-liner humor, too.
The Ninth Gate (1999)
fun and games in the occult
Very entertaining...but don't come to this movie looking to be horrified, terrified or shocked; if you do, you'll be disappointed. The Ninth Gate isn't horror so much as it is humor. Beautifully filmed, the movie takes you right into Europe, but the cinematography and sets are about the only things taken seriously in this film. Satanic camp, if such a thing exists, is probably the category I would put it in. The Ninth Gate is a long movie - almost three hours - and there are no crashing, banging, booming special effects, but if you don't mind that, you will have a great time. The only thing that would have made the movie better would have been hiring a better actress - Emmanuelle Seigner is beautiful, but cardboard.
Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
Pathetic
A truly awful sequel to a mediocre movie. The original Universal Soldier had minimal plot, it's true, but "the Return" has no plot at all. There's no character development and the fight scenes are not even well-choreographed or interesting in any way.
An Ideal Husband (1999)
Great acting, great play, could hardly be better
An Ideal Husband came as a truly pleasant surprise. The movie starts slowly and the humor requires attention, but the rewards are numerous. Rupert Everett is fabulous--the part seems to have been written for him; he delivers his arrogantly bored and sarcastic lines with flawless timing. Likewise, Minnie Driver and Jeremy Northam are completely believable. The movie does retain some of the feel of a play; at times, the camera even shows the action through the curtained entrance to a room. See this one in a good, comfortable theater, where you can be assured of a good print--you'll get the feel of stage right away.
Bleeders (1997)
Bleeders is so nasty that it's sheer grotesqueness keeps you watching.
This is a nasty, nasty horror film. It is visually so repulsive that it is at the same time repellent and attractive. There is no plot to speak of and nothing really surprising happens, but the fascination of the grotesque kept me watching long past the point at which I would have turned off many other films of this caliber.