Spring 1999

Besieged -- [B+]

Cookie's Fortune -- [B]

The Dreamlife of Angels -- [A]

EdTV -- [B-]
EdTV stars Matthew McConaughey as a video store worker chosen to have is life filmed and broadcasted live on television 24 hours a day. With a witty supporting cast (including Jenna Elfman, Martin Landau, Woody Harrelson, and Elizabeth Hurley), the film is somewhat farsical and full of corny touching moments. It lacks any true message about fame and television other than don't sign a stupid contract or you might lose your girlfriend. The one thing that I asked myself when I first saw the previews for EdTV wasn't whether it was going to be another Truman Show, but rather, whether or not the obnoxious Ellen Degeneres had a big role in the movie. And the answer is that it is big enough to make you cringe every 5 minutes, though the rest of EdTV is funny and amusing enough to keep you entertained all the way through.

Election -- [B+]

Go -- [B+]
Director Doug Liman (Swingers) explores a new kind of hipster in Go, a fast-paced and hilarious trip through the crossing paths of about a dozen young characters. Like Swingers, the movie's appeal relies heavily on a strong cast, including Sarah Polley, Katie Holmes, Desmond Askew, Timothy Olyphant, and Scott Wolf. They work a smart screenplay, which follows three different stories throughout the same 24-hour period all connected by a grocery store, a drug deal, and a rave. Go is the most fun experience on the big screen this year.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels -- [B-]
A lot of cash and bad bet put the fingers of four Brits on the line. They are given a week to come up with a huge debt to a gambling porn king and while attempting to come up with the money, go through a series Tarantinoesque adventures. Director Guy Ritchie take a long, boring time at the beginning of the film setting it up for its hilariously fun but unsatisfying conclusion. I enjoyed the originality that went into the screenplay but its trendy style was a dull glaze.

The Matrix -- [B]
The Matrix is Andy and Larry Wachowski's second film, but it is a far leap from their 1996 debut Bound, dipping into the world of science fiction. Keanu Reeves stars as a computer programmer, who learns from a man named Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) that we are all living in a false world and that "the matrix" is an illusion that controls every aspect of our lives. Reeves must chose between living in a false normal world or diving into the unknown reality. Good direction and magnificent visual effects bring entertainment to the standard sci-fi plot.

10 Things I Hate About You -- [C]