Sneakers (1992)
DIRECTOR: Phil Alden Robinson
CAST: Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, Mary McDonnell, David Strathairn, River Phoenix, Ben Kingsley, Timothy Busfield, Eddie Jones, Donal Logue, Stephen Tobolowsky
REVIEW:
Sneakers, coming out at a time when the pervasive technology at the center of its plot was only beginning to take off toward its virtually limitless full potential, is a bit like a forerunner of heist movies like Ocean’s Eleven. Coming out in 1992, Sneakers is fairly low-tech by today’s standards, but it has a bit in common with Ocean’s Eleven in its offbeat ensemble team and a generally cheerful tone that, even when some scenes turn more serious, permeates the movie with the feeling that, more than anything else, this was made to be fun by people who had fun making it. Continue reading
Alien 3 (1992)
DIRECTOR: David Fincher
CAST:
Sigourney Weaver, Charles Dance, Charles S. Dutton, Brian Glover, Ralph Brown, Pete Postlethwaite, Lance Henriksen
REVIEW:
The phrase ‘third time’s the charm’ doesn’t ring true for the Alien series. Alien was a solid start, and Aliens represented the series at its peak; everything else was downhill from there. Given the notoriously tumultuous production, with the storyline going through various and wildly contrasting versions, ever changing directors, a multitude of screenwriters, clashes between directors and producers and lead actress Sigourney Weaver, and the production running significantly over budget, with millions of dollars wasted on elaborate set pieces that never ended up being used due to the script in continuous rewrites throughout filming, it’s a small wonder the movie ever ended up getting finished in halfway watchable form at all, but in retrospect I’m not sure if it was worth the effort. Alien 3 is a dark, dreary, and depressing experience. Which is not to say that Alien or Aliens were uplifting movies, but the third entry smacks of a lot of pointless nastiness without redeeming qualities. Continue reading
Far and Away (1992)
DIRECTOR: Ron Howard
CAST: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Thomas Gibson, Robert Prosky, Barbara Babcock, Colm Meaney
REVIEW:
For his latest venture, Ron Howard has chosen to tackle a romantic period epic, the lavishly-mounted, if narratively formulaic, Far and Away. How much appreciation one gets out of the proceedings probably depends on how much it sweeps along one’s inner romantic, but for those who fall into that category, Far and Away is a sumptuous, sweeping romantic adventure. Continue reading
Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
DIRECTOR: Richard Donner
CAST:
Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Rene Russo, Joe Pesci, Stuart Wilson, Steve Kahan, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Mary Ellen Trainor, Nick Chinlund
REVIEW:
With the third time around, Lethal Weapon shows beginning signs of age (although it has not yet worn out its welcome as much as it would by the fourth outing ). Lethal Weapon 3 is entertaining, but it lacks the freshness of the first and second installments, settling into a tried-and-true formula. Continue reading
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
DIRECTOR: Nicholas Meyer
CAST:
William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, Kim Cattrall, Christopher Plummer, David Warner, Iman, Kurtwood Smith, Rene Auberjonois
REVIEW:
WARNING: This review discusses elements of the film’s plot
The end of an era came in 1991, when Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country hit theaters, featuring the adventures of the Enterprise with her original crew for the last time. Continue reading
Paradise (1991)
DIRECTOR: Mary Agnes Donoghue
CAST: Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith, Elijah Wood, Thora Birch, Sheila McCarthy, Eve Gordon, Louise Latham
REVIEW:
Paradise is one of those quiet little low-key films that slips through among the summer blockbuster action-adventure flicks and romantic comedies without hardly attracting anyone’s attention. A thoughtful, deliberately-paced drama, it fell largely under the radar despite featuring popular—at least at the time—stars Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. But for those who happen across it, Paradise is not a “great film”, but a nice little story about four people, two adults and two kids, who grow emotionally through their relationships with each other. Continue reading
Regarding Henry (1991)
DIRECTOR: Mike Nichols
CAST: Harrison Ford, Annette Bening, Mikki Allen, Bill Nunn, Bruce Altman, Rebecca Miller, Donald Moffat
REVIEW:
There’s the potential of a deeper, more complex movie somewhere inside Regarding Henry, but Mike Nichols’ direction and J.J. Abrams’ script never aims any higher than earnestly treacly “feel good” fluff that paints both the title character’s rehabilitation and character arc (if it can be called that) in simplistic shallow black-and-white. The result is too technically competent and earnestly intentioned to hate, but its oversimplifications are irritatingly in the way of a better rendition of the basic premise. Continue reading
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
DIRECTOR: James Cameron
CAST:
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Joe Morton, Earl Boen
REVIEW:
With 1984’s The Terminator , then fledgling filmmaker James Cameron displayed narrative prowess, a deft hand with action sequences, and economical use of a limited budget. Continue reading
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
DIRECTOR: Kevin Reynolds
CAST: Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Alan Rickman, Christian Slater, Michael Wincott
REVIEW:
Where is the high-spirited derring-do? The romance? The breezy sense of adventure one might reasonably expect from a big Hollywood rendition of the oft-told legend of Robin Hood? These are all questions one might be asking when viewing Kevin Reynolds’ clumsily-handled take on the classic tale, marred by a whiplashy tone, a low energy level, and a miscast Kevin Costner, largely dependent upon an absurdly (and deliciously) campy performance by Alan Rickman to liven things up. Sadly, it’s not enough.
Continue readingThe Silence of the Lambs (1991)
DIRECTOR: Jonathan Demme
CAST:
Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Anthony Heald, Diane Baker, Brooke Smith, Chris Isaak, Charles Napier, Daniel von Bargen
REVIEW:
Few cinematic villains are a source of as much morbid fascination as Hannibal Lecter. Like the heroine Clarice Starling, we are frightened and disturbed by him, and yet we are too intrigued to turn our eyes away. Dr. Lecter is undoubtebly the character best-remembered from the psychological thriller The Silence of the Lambs, and the acclaim showered on Anthony Hopkins for his Oscar-winning performance sometimes threatens to overshadow Jodie Foster’s also Oscar-winning lead role as FBI trainee Clarice Starling, a fine performance and a well-developed character in her own right. Clarice and Hannibal are two of the strongest characters ever written and acted in a horror movie, and they are given a script that does them justice, a dark, intelligent thriller that relies much less on blood and guts than on well-honed characterizations, a few scenes of indelible purely verbal interactions, and a vivid sense of atmosphere. All of these elements combined to make The Silence of the Lambs a classic of the thriller genre and earned it five Academy Awards in 1991. Continue reading