Cast: Kevin Bacon (Sean Nokes), Billy Crudup (Tommy Marcano), Robert De Niro (Father Bobby), Minnie Driver (Carol Martinez), Dustin Hoffman (Danny Snyder), Ron Eldard (John Reilly), Jason Patric (Lorenzo 'Shakes' Carcaterra), Brad Pitt (Michael Sullivan)
For complete info on this amazing cast, see IMDb's Sleepers page.
When a friend mentioned Sleepers to me, I was shocked that I'd never heard of it. I only listed the major characters above (and not even all of them) and look at that cast. How could I have possibly missed all information on this movie? Yes, it was just after I got out of college, I moved twice that year and got married, but that's no excuse for missing all information on Sleepers.
If you somehow managed to miss this movie, too, I highly recommend that you rent it. Definitely not an upbeat movie, but this story about boys who pull a prank that goes way too far, leading them to experience horrors in a detention center that scar them for life and the revenge they get 10 years later is very well done. The cast is beyond amazing. The story is gripping and heart wrenching. It's also never been proven either way, so it's possible the events in the movie actually happened. That possibility makes it much more horrific.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1996, Billy Crudup, Brad Pitt, crime, drama, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Patric, Kevin Bacon, Minnie Driver, movie, Robert DeNiro, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Matt Dillon (Tommy 'Birdman' Rowland), Noah Emmerich (Michael 'Mo' Morris), Annabeth Gish (Tracy Stover), Lauren Holly (Darian Smalls), Timothy Hutton (Willie Conway), Rosie O'Donnell (Gina Barrisano), Natalie Portman (Marty)
For complete info on this amazing cast, see IMDb's Beautiful Girls page.
The longer I watched Beautiful Girls, the more I was amazed that with this fabulous cast it hadn't come onto my radar until recently. I came across it in Netflix or Tivo (can't remember which first) and ended up recording it on Tivo. The cast will blow you away. Every time you see a cast member, you'll recognize them and go "Wow - [he/she] is in this too??"
Beautiful Girls follows a groups of adults who gather for a high school reunion, when only one of the guys (Willie) has ever really left their home town. He encounters the young girl next door (a young Natalie Portman) and a friend's hot cousin (Uma Thurman) force him to evaluate his love life. Willie's friends are also dealing with problems in their love lives, of course.
The movie is very entertaining and well worth the time to rent it on Netflix or find it on Tivo! I can't believe that Beautiful Girls was released 10 years ago and I just saw it this year. If you've somehow managed to miss this, too, check it out now.
Grade: A-
Labels: 1996, comedy, drama, movie, Natalie Portman, romance, Uma Thurman
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Meryl Streep (Dr. Carolyn Ryan), Liam Neeson (Ben Ryan), Edward Furlong (Jacob Ryan), Julia Weldon (Judith Ryan), Alfred Molina (Panos Demeris)
For complete cast info, see Before and After page.
Before and After is a very moving movie with a wonderful cast. I rented it mostly because of Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson (I didn't realize Alfred Molina was in it at the time and didn't remember why I recognized the name Edward Furlong), but the entire cast is wonderful. This movie explores what happens to a family when the son is suspected of murdering his girlfriend.
The fact that all of this takes place in a small town really impacts the way the story plays out. Some of what happened really blew me away, but I guess many things work differently in small towns than big ones. I can't imagine dealing with anything the Ryan family has to handle in this movie. I highly recommend renting this movie. I wasn't sure what to expect, since I didn't remember hearing about it when it was released in 1996, but the movie is very well done and held my interest until the very end.
Grade: A-
Labels: 1996, Alfred Molina, crime, drama, Liam Neeson, Meryl Streep, movie, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: David Arquette (Deputy Dwight 'Dewey' Riley), Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), Courtney Cox (Gale Weathers), Jamie Kennedy (Randy Meeks), Skeet Ulrich (Billy Loomis), Rose McGowan (Tatum Riley), Matthew Lillard (Stuart Macher), Liev Schreiber (Cotton Weary)
For complete info, see IMDb's Scream page.
Having finally seen Scream, I really wish I had seen it on the big screen. I thought it would be a bit too much for me that way, but this amazing parody of slasher films was hilarious. The body count was still high, but Scream is such a funny movie that you can forget that at times. The fact that this movie makess fun of a whole genre while still being a part of that genre is wonderful! And who would have ever guessed Drew Barrymore would play that part? I won't say more in case you've missed this gem, but I was really surprised. Such a great move on her part! If you somehow managed to miss this great movie (as I did), you must go see it! Rent it, turn out all the lights, and enjoy!
Grade: A-
Labels: 1996, comedy, Drew Barrymore, horror, Liev Schreiber, movie, mystery, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Ralph Fiennes (Count Laszlo de Almasy), Juliette Binoche (Hana), Willem Dafoe (David Caravaggio), Kristin Scott Thomas (Katharine Clifton)
For complete cast, see IMDb's The English Patient page.
A nurse tending a badly burned plane crash victim at the end of WWII as his past is shown in flashbacks, revealing his involvement in a love affair. I know this movie is only getting raves. And I enjoyed it, but at times it really dragged. At over 2 1/2 hours, there were some points that I thought could have been trimmed to make the story move a bit faster. Of course, when you're being taken care of and badly burned, all time seems to take an eternity, I'm sure. Perhaps that was part of what they wanted the audience to experience in the movie, but I would have enjoyed it more without that aspect. The love story was well done, though, and clearly the movie won a lot of awards, so it's well worth renting if you haven't seen it already.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1996, Best Picture, drama, Juliette Binoche, Kristin Scott Thomas, movie, Ralph Fiennes, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:20 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet), Kate Winslet (Ophelia), Julie Christie (Gertrude), Judi Dench (Hecuba)
For complete cast, see IMDb's Hamlet page.
There have been so many versions of Hamlet on screen that it's hard to count. This version is by far the most complete and, in my opinion, the best. It took a long time to finally be able to see it, since it wasn't very widely released. When we did get around to seeing it, we had to sit in the front row to see it (the next movie would be over 3 hours away due to the length of the movie and it only beeing shown in one theatre), but it was worth the minor torture.
Kenneth Branagh did a wonderful job adapting the play, directing, and starring as Hamlet. I'm not sure how he managed to keep everything straight while doing so many things on the set of Hamlet, but he did a wonderful job. The rest of the cast is also superb. It's nice to see such a complete version make it to film. Perhaps it would have been wise to have an intermission in this movie, since it is about the full length of the play and there is no intermission, but there have been long movies before and audiences have survived.
If you like Shakespeare, this is a must. If you don't, you should probably skip this version of Hamlet, since it is the most complete of the movies out there and that won't interest those who don't like Shakespeare.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1996, crime, drama, Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, movie, romance, Shakespeare
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Woody Harrelson (Larry Flynt), Courtney Love (Althea Leasure), Edward Norton (Alan Isaacman), Brett Harrelson (Jimmy Flynt)
For complete info, see IMDb's The People vs. Larry Flynt page.
Like most people, I knew some things about Larry Flynt before seeing this movie, but I didn't realize the extent which he influenced free speech. I think it's wonderful that he took such a strong stand and I think that Woody Harrelson did a wonderful job playing Larry Flynt. Edward Norton as his lawyer was also outstanding. The supporting cast was also very good. I'm sure the story was altered for dramatic effect from time to time, but from what I understand, Larry Flynt led a very outrageous life, so perhaps it's not as altered as it might seem.
In spite of the title, the movie really doesn't focus on just Larry Flynt. It addresses the rights of everyone in our country to speak freely. Although most Americans probably don't think about this right very often, it is definitely one of our most important rights. Whether you like Larry Flynt or not (most likely not, granted), what he did for free speech can't be denied and it's great that he had the guts to stand up for what he believes in.
Grade: B
Labels: 1996, comedy, drama, Edward Norton, movie, Woody Harrelson
Reviewed by Kat at the 11:50 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: Madonna (Eva Peron), Antonio Banderas (Che), Jonathan Pryce (Juan Peron)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Evita page.
In my opinion, the movie Evita contains the best overall cast of Evita ever. Yes, Mandy Patinkin was a better Che, but the accent Antonio Banderas brought to the part really helped make Che seem more authentic and beneath Eva. They did take out my favorite lyric in the musical, but they didn't alter too much and did an amazing job putting this musical on film.
Although some are upset that the mistress's part was almost complete cut out (since Madonna asked to sing "Another Suitcase in Another Hall"), how can anyone who's heard the song blame Madonna? It's one of my favorites from Evita and she sings it beautifully.
The lowering of some of the notes in "Rainbow High" bothered me quite a bit (as a soprano who used that song in auditions), but it worked in the show and it's still a great song.
I decided to see the movie before deciding if I needed to buy another version of Evita on CD (I owned the American recording already) and I've decided that I need the movie soundtrack, since it's such a great cast.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1996, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Antonio Banderas, drama, history, Madonna, Mandy Patinkin, movie, musical
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Denzel Washington (Dudley), Whitney Houston (Julia Biggs), Courtney B. Vance (Reverend Henry Biggs), Gregory Hines (Joe Hamilton)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Preacher's Wife page.
A little too schmaltzy for my taste, but not bad as holiday movies go. Sure, Whitney Houston's not a good actress, but Denzel Washington is a wonderful actor and I guess they figure if they surround her with great actors the fact that she can't act won't be as annoying. It worked better in this one than it did in her other movies, I think. Probably because The Preacher's Wife is just a light, sugary holiday movie, not meant to be anything more than a sweet romantic comedy.
Not worth seeing in theatres, but worth the time to watch it when it turns up on HBO.
Grade: B-
Labels: 1996, comedy, Denzel Washington, drama, fantasy, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Sylvester Stallone (Kit Latura), Amy Brenneman (Madelyne Thompson), Viggo Mortensen (Roy Nord)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Daylight page.
Not sure what I expected of Daylight, but I know I expected it to be better than it was. As disaster movies go, this is near the bottom of the heap. I liked the idea that it took place in a New York tunnel and thought the plot had a lot of potential, since people are trapped, need to find their way out of the tunnel to the safety of the day light, etc.
Daylight would make an okay rental, but not worth spending the money on for a big theatre experience, even with the special effects.
Grade: C+
Labels: 1996, action, adventure, drama, movie, New York, thriller, Viggo Mortensen
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Meryl Streep (Lee Lacker), Leonardo DiCaprio (Hank), Diane Keaton (Bessie Greenfield), Robert DeNiro (Dr. Wally), Hume Cronyn (Marvin), Gwen Verdon (Ruth)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Marvin's Room page.
I loved the play, so the movie interested me immediately. Perhaps I didn't properly describe the play to my family, since they all thought it was well done, but hated it, since it was so sad... What's funny is that there's probably more humor in the movie than the play.
I think that they did a great job with Marvin's Room on the big screen. They used the fact that they could film in various locations to take you to the places you couldn't really see in the play. The cast was wonderful. Leonardo DiCaprio, who normally doesn't impress me, did a great job, too.
I highly recommend Marvin's Room. Just be aware that it is not a happy movie and you'll love it.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1996, comedy, drama, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, movie, play, Robert DeNiro
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:10 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Jack Lemmon (President Russell P. Kramer), James Garner (President Matt Douglas), Dan Akroyd (President William Haney), John Heard (Vice President Ted Matthews)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's My Fellow Americans page.
Two ex-presidents who are about as opposite as you can get become allies when they're both attacked by someone in President Haney's administration. This is definitely funny at times, but probably only worth renting.
My favorite part was when they shared with each other the lyrics they've each written to "Hail to the Chief" - very funny, since you figure every president has something going through their head every time it plays and it's probably not the correct version.
Grade: B-
Reviewed by Kat at the 6:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer (Melanie Parker), George Clooney (Jack Taylor), Mae Whitman (Maggie Taylor), Alex D. Linz (Sam Parker)
For complete cast, see IMDb's One Fine Day page.
As a big fan of Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney, I wasn't very surprised that I enjoyed One Fine Day. However, the story really is very good and the soundtrack is amazing. Even if you don' t typically like romantic comedies, it might be worth it to see it for the music. Unlike many romantic comedies, One Fine Day isn't sickeningly sweet or too perfect. The characters in it are a bit more real. I definitely recommend renting this one if you missed it in theatres.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1996, comedy, drama, George Clooney, Michelle Pfeiffer, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 6:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Tom Cruise (Jerry Maguire), Cuba Gooding Jr. (Rod Tidwell), Renee Zellweger (Dorothy Boyd), Jonathan Lipnicki (Ray Boyd)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Jerry Maguire page.
Sports and romance - what more could a girl want in a movie? Jerry Maguire combines a couple of my favorite subjects for a movie in one sweet romantic comedy & drama.
The cast is amazing and the story is very sweet. Definitely a bit of a chick flick, in spite of the sports.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1996, comedy, Cuba Gooding Jr., drama, movie, Renee Zellweger, romance, sports, Tom Cruise
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:40 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Jack Nicholson (President James Dale/Art Land), Glenn Close (First Lady Marsha Dale), Annette Bening (Barbara Land), Pierce Brosnan (Professor Donald Kessler)
For rest of the amazing cast, see IMDb's Mars Attacks! page.
I know that this movie got trashed by reviewers and even some people I know, but I think it was exactly what the ads showed - a very stupid funny movie! I'm sure you have to be in the mood for a stupid funny movie to appreciate it, but I thought it was amusing. The cast might indicate a better movie than you get when you see Mars Attacks!, but I think if you saw the previews it lives up to them perfectly.
It's a ridiculous comedy and if you're in the mood for that it's pretty enjoyable. Not a bad idea for a rental.
Grade: B-
Labels: 1996, action, Annette Bening, comedy, Jack Nicholson, movie, Pierce Brosnan, sci-fi
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Mel Gibson (Tom Mullen), Rene Russo (Kate Mullen), Brawley Nolte (Sean Mullen), Gary Sinise (Det. Jimmy Shaker), Liev Schreiber (Clark Barnes)
For complete info, see IMDb's Ransom page.
It might be time to give up on watching previews for a while. I go through phases where I just read brief info about movies, see who's in them, and decide whether or not to see them based on that. I get sick of seeing too much in the previews. Ransom is a perfect example of a movie where the previews tell you everything. I picked this movie for my birthday and none of us were pleased by it. We all pretty much agreed that we'd seen all the interesting plot points in the previews, since we see a lot of movies. It's a shame, since the cast is really good and we believe the movie had potential. Perhaps if I'd seen no previews I would have found Ransom more interesting, but it's hard to say, since I did see the previews.
Grade: C+
Labels: 1996, action, crime, drama, Liev Schreiber, Mel Gibson, movie, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 5:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Geena Davis (Samantha Caine/Charly Baltimore), Samuel L. Jackson (Mitch Henessey)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's The Long Kiss Goodnight page.
Always seems that in a movie people with troubled pasts remember them as things start to get rough again, doesn't it? The Long Kiss Goodnight continues that tradition in a movie that was better than the previews would indicate. This is definitely a decent action movie. If you're looking for action and some pretty good special effects, you'll find them here.
Grade: B
Labels: 1996, action, drama, Geena Davis, movie, Samuel L. Jackson, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:10 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Hugh Grant (Dr. Guy Luthan), Gene Hackman (Dr. Lawrence Myrick), Sarah Jessica Parker (Jodie Trammel)
For complete cast, see IMDb's Extreme Measures page.
Such a great cast! And a story that sounds like it's very interesting... A thriller set in a hospital where not all the doctors have your best interests in mind...
Unfortunately, Extreme Measures doesn't live up to the previews or the wonderful cast they assembled for it. I'm not even sure I'd suggest renting this one, in spite of the cast. Perhaps in a few years when you've forgotten everything you saw about it in the previews it wouldn't be bad to watch it on HBO to pass a bit of time, but it's not worth much more than that.
Grade: C+
Labels: 1996, crime, Hugh Grant, movie, Sarah Jessica Parker, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 5:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Tom Everett Scott (Guy Patterson), Liv Tyler (Faye Dolan), Johnathon Schaech (Jimmy Mattingly), Steve Zahn (Lenny Haise), Ethan Embry (T. B. Player), Tom Hanks (Mr. White)
For complete cast, see IMDb's That Thing You Do page.
A one-hit wonder from Pennsylvania finds a manager and tries to become the next biggest thing. This story written & directed by Tom Hanks is very good. It explores all the changes a band (and group of friends) face when they become an overnight sensation. That Thing You Do shows that Tom Hanks is very talented behind the camera (and before the cameras start rolling) as he is in front of the camera. The movie is fun, funny, touching, and just a great story.
Grade: B
Labels: 1996, comedy, drama, Liv Tyler, movie, musical, Steve Zahn, Tom Hanks
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Mahoney (Mr. Fitzpatrick), Edward Burns (Mickey Fitzpatrick), Mike McGlone (Francis Fitzpatrick), Jennifer Aniston (Renee Fitzpatrick), Maxine Bahns (Hope Fitzpatrick), Cameron Diaz (Heather Davis)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's She's the One page.
She's the One is not a typical romantic comedy. It's a bit darker than most and I liked that. It's not the standard girl who gets between two brothers type of movie. John Mahoney, Ed Burns, and the rest of the cast are amazing. If you missed this one, you should catch it as a rental. It's well worth the time invested.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1996, Cameron Diaz, comedy, drama, Edward Burns, Jennifer Aniston, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:30 PM show | 0 screams