Reviews by The Mighty Celestial

I ain't 'fraid no ghost.
Especially if it takes on the form of a dirty dancing roadhouser like Patrick Swayze.
Ghost is a romance film whose supernatural twist plotline pulls at not only the right heart-strings, but also at the same time, at the just the correct amount of logistical levers of suspended-believibility that are required when entering into the world of cinematic escapism.
Swayze plays the perfect polarly opposite straightman to Whoopi Goldberg, who fills up the screen with her comedic charisma, while Demi Moore exudes the same effect, but with her angelic beauty. All this combined with a story that provides just enough Hollywood-scripted plausibilty to a plot-idea that hovers in implausibilty.
For me, all this was just the right mix of ingredients to allow my otherwise jaded hairy pimp-ass to sit still thru the entire run of this blatant but high quality chick-flick (which for me, is usually a rarity).

I was lucky in that I didn't see any of the Godfather movies til much later in life than most people. I didn't get the chance to watch 'em until sometime during my early college years. And the first one I saw was the third installment. So I got to see it without the comparison of it's 2 predecessors.
And, IMO, on it's own, it's a very good mobster movie. Obviously, it can't compare to the first two, but in the genre of mob-flicks, it kicks it's own particuler brand of mafia ass.
Plus, with it's redemption-themed, politically-charged corporation/Vatican storyline,
it's a pretty goddamn smart movie, too.
Now while I know that I will always be in the minutest of the minority in regards to this film, I don't care, I still like it, b#tchez. And I still find watching the whole series as a trilogy to be quite a fulfilling movie-viewing experience.
Now, if only Sofia Coppola would've gotten shot at the beginning of the film instead of the end, maybe this film would get a little bit more respect.

This would be a great movie with just the famous "Sicilian scene" all by itself.
However, that part is just the sweet chewy center of a hard bitter tootsie pop of a movie, that no matter how many licks it takes to get to it's middle, it still seems like it's not enough.
Directed by Ridley's Scott's brother, Tony & written by Quentin Tarantino, this is modern day lovers on the run story told with enough style, edge & violence to make the idea of Elvis as a guardian angel in this flick believable.
Well, sort of.
Anyways, if all romance films were made like this one,
then you could be sure that my girlfriend wouldn't have to use the implication sex afterwards just to have to drag hairy pimp-ass to the theatre any time a chick-flick was playing.

Mostly because of Val Kilmer's performance than anything else. As Doc Holliday, he steals every scene that he occupies in this movie account of Wyatt Earp & Co.'s shootout at the O.K. Coral (a depiction, from what I understand, that allows itself plenty of liberties). Kilmer's portrayal as a sureshot who alcoholism doesn't seem to affect his aim too much, remains memorable in this film as one of the coolest cowboys in recent film history. Sure, he might not be the kind of doctor you'd expect to make house calls,
but he'll be your huckleberry.

I love movies with ensemble large casts & loosely intersecting stories like Nashville, Two Days In The Valley & of course Pulp Fiction.
And while this is a genre of film that we don't get to see much of these days,the few times that we do, it seems like that there are more good being produced that bad. Maybe it's b'cuz the idea of such a type of film can intimidate all but the most talented & those more suited to such an often complicated cinematic undertaking. The fact that the logistics of such a project requires handling people of a profession which allows egos to manifest almost unhindered only adds to the complexity of the task.
Whatever the reason,
Short Cuts is prime example of all the resulting benefits that the eyes of those who first pioneered the idea of these types of films envisioned when they conceived of the genre in the first place.
All the stories intertwine just loose enough to provide an energetic patchwork of distinctive individual stories,
yet close enough to make the movie work thematically as a cohesive whole, with the added benefit of allowing the title "Show Cuts" to do it's job both as a movie description and as a multi-literary metaphor.

Will smith's first movie, & for my money, one of his best.
There are 3 scenes in this movie that make it such a standout for me: confidence man, Paul "Poitier's" (Will's Smith) observations on Catcher In The Rye & the nature of creativity; the phone call dialogue between he & Ouisa Kittredge (Stockard Channing): & finally, Oiusa's heartfelt speech about people's tendency to turn meaningful experiences into throwaway anecdotes.
Who would've thought that a film with this much philosophy could be this entertaining? Plus, not only is this a performance by Will Smith that first revealed his ability to act against other other big screeners, but this is also one of Stockards finest efforts. At this point in her career, she has honed her craft to the point where, in this particular movie, it really allows her to shine. I don't used the word under-rated when it comes to subjects that are based so much on relativity/subjectivity, such as the catergory of films, but if I could, this movie would be one of the main ones that would inspire me to do so. I really, really like this movie alot. Great performances by Will Smith & Stockard Channing along with Mr. Donald Sotherland coming in to provide the final piece of high mark acting to a high quality level movie.

My favorite aspect of this movie is the fact that it was never fully explored why Nick Cage's character wanted to off himself via alcoholism. The viewer is almost forced to come into the character's life with the same info that Elizabeth Shue's character & get to know him from that vantage point. It's a reminder that, many times, the addictions of those who are addicted tend to become bigger than whatever got them addicted in the first place. And instead of being analyzed or even understood, sometimes all they need is to be approached, from the very beginning with a caring & accepting face.

A truly romantic story of how the escapist fantasy high/feeling that initially results with falling in love must eventually be realistically dealt with, as the conditions & responsibilities of one's current situation come quickly creeping back in. This movie always reminds of something I heard once: that couples pairing up for the sake of true love is still a relatively young concept in the context of human history. That we as both a society & a species over-all, have not evolved enough yet to be able to deal & accept each other in a manner that would be considered as total unconditonal love (which is the only real love). And it is because of this that the world population has yet been unable to formulate an effective means of discussion that would truly begin a process of unity between it's racial, social & in this case, gender factions. Maybe, like this film depicts, this is why so many make decisions more for the sake of a security based on social & financial reasons than what is right for us on an emotional level. And as they impeded on Robert Kincaid (Eastwood) & Francesca Johnson (Streep), decisions which may impede on our ability to follow our hearts & therefore sway us, individually and socially, from a path that would lead to true love before it's too late.

What Close Encounters Of The 3rd. Kind did back in the 70's, this film takes to the next evolutionary step, in terms of the actual physics & concepts of an actual meeting 'tween us mere mortals & any life-forms.
For my money, Contact contains some of the best discussions of religion & atheism in any film ever made. It's depictions of the manner that things like general fear & politics can get in the way of a true quest for knowledge is both basely intelligent & comprehendibly poignant. This film's plot does a great job treading on the subject of how our society is constantly struggling between the comfort of what we already know & the confrontational truths about our species that can be revealed as result of the discovery of what is new, especially if seen thru the "eyes" of a life-form that's a lot smarter than us.