Tag: 1993

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Movie Review

The Fugitive (1993) Movie Review

The Fugitive – ABC Film Challenge – Mystery – F – The Fugitive – Movie Review

Fugitive

Director: Andrew Davis

Writer: Jeb Stuart, David Twohy, Roy Huggins (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. Marshal.

Runtime: 2 Hours 10 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Fugitive starts when Dr Richard Kimble (Ford) has been found guilty of his wife’s murder. He is facing death row, but an accident lets him escape his prison transfer. In the aftermath of this happening US Marshall Samuel Gerard (Jones) and his team must search for any potential survivors.

After Richard’s daring escape, he decides to use his knowledge to track down the real killer. Meanwhile, Samuel and his team look to track him down and re-investigating the murder to see if there are any other clues.

Verdict on The Fugitive

The Fugitive is an action mystery thriller following a wrongfully convicted Doctor who escapes prison in search of his wife’s killer. As he dives deeper into the mystery of the murder, the US Marshall looks to expose the truth that could see Kimble get to walk away free.

This is one of the greatest action thrillers ever made. It gives us an instant crime that has happened along with the conviction. The movie gets to start more with the escape and hunt him down. All this while giving us a mystery about who was really behind the murder. Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones are outstanding in this movie. We might always hear about other movies from their careers, but this one should really be in the bigger conversation.

Final Thoughts – The Fugitive is an outstanding mystery thriller.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – 90s Movies – S – Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Movie Review

Director: Nora Ephron

Writer: Jeff Arch, Nora Ephron, David S Ward (Screenplay)

Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Victor Garber, David Hyde Pierce, Francs Conroy, Rob Reiner

Plot: A recently widowed man’s son calls a radio talk-show in an attempt to find his father a partner.


Tagline – What if someone you never met, someone you never saw, someone you never knew was the only someone for you?

Runtime: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Romance 101

Story: Sleepless in Seattle starts when recently widowed Sam (Hanks) decides he needs to move to start a new life with his son Jonah (Malinger), leaving Chicago, heading to Seattle, 18 months later in Baltimore Annie (Ryan) is introducing her new fiancée Walter (Pullman) to her family.

When Jonah makes a phone call to the local radio show, he tells the doctor hosting the show about his concern about his father, which suddenly sees a large number of women wanting to meet Sam, with Annie assigned to try and make a story about Sam, even starting to get a happy feeling about the stranger on the radio.

Thoughts on Sleepless in Seattle

Characters – Sam Baldwin has just lost his wife, he doesn’t want to fall in love again, believing he could never do this, he wants to focus on raising his son and moving him away from the memories of his wife, starting a new life in Seattle. Building his business up, he hasn’t started dating, until his son calls a radio station for help getting him back out there, he works with his son to find the right women. Annie is a happily engaged woman who is looking forward to her wedding, a reporter at the peak of her career, until she hears the radio show and starts to want to meet Sam, even make a story about his search. She does border along the lines of stalker with why she is trying to get closer to Sam. Jonah is the son of Sam, he is worried about his father not moving on with his life and calls the radio station, which sees him trying to help find a woman for him.

Performances – Tom Hanks is always delightful to watch in this film, he brings his character complete down to Earth with how he acts through the film. Meg Ryan does bring her best too, showing us how an engaged woman could start getting jittery feet, with Ross Malinger being adorable as the son who wants the best for his dad.

Story – The story here follows a widowed father that is happy to help his son live his life, only for his son to try and help him find a new wife, which sees Annie becoming obsessed with the story and wanting to meet the man behind the radio voice. This is a story before the time of the creepiness of what the internet could have created around it, though it does show the good natured desire from a young boy to help his father enjoy his life after losing his wife, it shows that children can understand the pain a grieving. This does also show the jitters that somebody about to get married can have and it also highlights how the world can become crazy when it comes to wanting to know the truth about somebody surrounded in mystery.

Comedy/Romance – The comedy in this film comes from natural interactions, it doesn’t dive into looking for laughs, which is nice to see, with the romance being sweet for the time, though it does become very creepy now.

Settings – The film does show us the distance between the two with maps, which is something a lot of films just assume you know the America geography, this is key to make this more much interesting.


Scene of the Movie – Empire State Building.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is a story that wouldn’t click in the modern world now.

Final Thoughts – This is a romantic comedy with a twist, it does show us how you could find love from anywhere in the world, though it might not be on the same level as it once was when it was made.

Overall: Sweet Little Romance.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Horror – N – Needful Things (1993) Movie Review

Director: Fraser C Heston

Writer: W.D. Richter (Screenplay) Stephen King (Book)

Starring: Max von Sydow, Ed Harris, Bonnie Bedelia, Amanda Plummer, J.T. Walsh, Ray McKinnon, Duncan Fraser, Valri Bromfield, Shane Meier

Plot: A mysterious new shop opens in a small town which always seems to stock the deepest desires of each shopper, with a price far heavier than expected.

Runtime: 2 Hours

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: One of King’s Most Interesting Stories

Story: Needful Things starts when Leland Gaunt (von Sydow) opens up an antique shop in the small town of Castle Rock, the shop known as Needful Things, see the locals visit, with them getting an unusually attachment to certain items in the shop, items that are clearly meant for each individual person, one that strikes a memory.

As the town starts flocking to the shop, it becomes clear that Leland has alternate plans for the town, with Sheriff Alan Pangborn (Harris) needing to investigate a new increase amount of small crimes, which slowly start to build in seriousness before the town turns to chaos.

Thoughts on Needful Things

Characters – Leland Gaunt is the mysterious shopkeeper that arrives to Castle Rock, his shop has everything the people of the town want and he knows everything about everyone in the town. He trades their desires for favours, which mostly involve going against people in the town, he knows how to remain calm through the conversations, knowing just what they want to hear. Sheriff Alan Pangborn left the big city for a quiet life, he is enjoying his life in the town, with his new fiancée, until the crime levels start to rise, which sees him going from dealing with cats in trees, to murders, can he stop the power Leland has over the town before it is too late. Polly is Alan’s fiancée, she runs the local diner opposite the new shop, she doesn’t run in like some of the other residents, which sees her witnessing the changes from the locals. Nettie is a shy former abuse victim that becomes one of the first customers of the shop, showing how easily people can like what he is willing to offer. We do get a string of people that start to get caught in his ideas.

Performances – Max von Sydow is wonderful to watch in this film, he gives the character the mystery and charisma he needs to seem like a friendly person. Ed Harris is always good to watch, here he does the small town cop routine with ease, playing a good man who must help his people. Bennie Bedelia is strong without getting enough important early scenes to make us understand how disturbed her character’s life is.

Story – The story here follows a small town that gets a new visitor in a shopkeeper that soon starts giving the locals everything they ever wanted, for a price, which sees the town turn to chaos and the sheriff needing to solve the problem before it is too late. This is one of the most interesting of the Stephen King stories, it looks at human desires taking control over our own sanity, how one town can be turned upside down by the ideas of what could be ours, rather than giving us what we need. The story is shown to unfold at a delightful pace because it shows how the deals are put in place with each deal, slowly starting to growing from disruptive behaviour right up to murder. The story does rely on the idea of town working together to prove themselves.

Fantasy/Horror – The fantasy side of the film shows just how Leland can bring about whatever the person in the town wants, he can make the impossible, possible, which only plays into the horrors of just what he can do to this world, when people get everything they ever wanted.

Settings – The film is set in the small town of Castle Rock, this is one location where everybody knows each other, which is one of the trademarks for any Stephen King novel.

Special Effects – The effects in the film are very simple, they do play into the idea of fantasy elements, when we see just what will happen with the power given to the people.


Scene of the Movie – He is a monster.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It does feel like it could have gone a lot darker.

Final Thoughts – This is easily one of the more underrated of Stephen King’s adaptions, it gives us a perfect moral dilemma and keeps everything feel a lot more grounded for a horror one.

Overall: Entertaining throughout.

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Movie Review

The Trial (1993) Movie Review

Director: David Hugh Jones

Writer: Harold Pinter (Screenplay) Franz Kafka (Novel)

Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Anthony Hopkins, Jason Robards, Juliet Stevenson, Polly Walker, Alfred Molina, David Thewlis

Plot: Joseph K. (Kyle MacLachlan) awakens one morning, to find two strange men in his room, telling him he has been arrested. Joseph is not told, with what he is charged, and despite being “arrested”, is allowed to remain free and go to work. But, despite the strange nature of his arrest, Joseph soon learns that his trial, however odd, is very real, and tries desperately to spare himself from the court’s judgement.

Runtime: 2 Hours

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Just Confusingly Bad

Story: The Trial starts when Josef (MacLachlan) wakes to find two police officers Franz (Thewlis) and Block (Kitchen) waiting for him, telling him of his arrest, only to let him continue with his day, as they wait for their inspector to call for him to be taken to the station, they don’t announce what he is being charged with, leading to Josef being left wondering just what he is wanted for.

As Josef starts trying to learn about the case, he only learns just how unusual everything about the case is, nothing is playing out like it should do for any other criminal case and he must find a way to prove his innocence.

Thoughts on The Trial

Characters – Josef is the bank clerk that is being arrested and sent straight to trial for something he doesn’t know he has done wrong, he tries to handle everything with his intelligence only to learn that not all the people involved know what is going on. He looks completely lost through most of the events in the film. The Priest is the man Josef turns to for answers. Doctor Hudd is trying to figure out what is wrong with Josef and whether he can be fixed before the trial. This film does have a string a colourful characters that leave everything feeling more confusing that piecing anything together.

Performances – Kyle MacLachlan in the leading role tries to carry this film the best he can, because of the overly confusing storyline, it is hard to get the best out of any of the actors, with everyone in the supporting roles doing all they can and Anthony Hopkins barely getting any screen time.

Story – The story here follows a man that has been accused of a crime and is getting ready for his trial, only not everything is quite as it seems. Now this is a story that is completely difficult to understand, it seems to be poking fun at the culture that is quick to accuse somebody without them having actually committed a crime or even having an investigation about them. If this isn’t the case, it is even more confusing to watch because very little seems to make any sense otherwise, which does make the story feel very weak all around.

Thriller – This is meant to be a story that is sold on the idea of a trial, which on paper should be thrilling and interesting, this isn’t what we get and nothing much really happens.

Settings – The film uses the settings to spin what we would be expecting for the most part, this only adds to the confusing in the film.


Scene of the Movie – The first arrest.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The overly confusing nature of everything else.

Final Thoughts – This is a way to confusing film that is poorly advertised, it does try to turn what you are expecting on its head, only to leave us left wondering why things changed.

Overall: Too messy.

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Movie Review

Alive (1993) Movie Review

Director: Frank Marshall

Writer: John Patrick Shanley (Screenplay) Piers Paul Read (Book)

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano, Josh Hamilton, Bruce Ramsay, John Newton, David Kriegel, Kevin Breznahan

Plot: A Uruguayan rugby team stranded in the snow swept Andes are forced to use desperate measures to survive after a plane crash.


Tagline – They survived the impossible…by doing the unthinkable.

Runtime: 2 Hours

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Brilliant Survival Story

Story: Alive starts when the plane crashes in the Andes, the surviving passengers, including Nando Parrado (Hawke), Antonio Balbi (Spano), Robert Canessa (Hamilton) and Carlitos Paez (Ramsay) look to help keep people calm and deal with injuries as they look to plan for rescue.

Antonio does take control of trying to keep the survivors alive, which includes making sure the food and drink lasts until rescue and people could survive the freezing nights, at this time, 26 people made it through the first night. As the time starts passing by, the realization that they are not being looked for sets in, which sees them having to make a drastic decision in their attempts to survive.

Thoughts on Alive

Characters – Nando is one of the few survivors that wasn’t awake after the crash, once awake, he starts to help with the survival attempts and is one of the few that pushes through the idea of needing to eat the dead to survive. Antonio is the captain of the rugby team and takes the leadership position, trying to keep everyone calm and alive for as long as possible, planning on making sure the food supply and other essentials is being supplied for the survivors. Roberto and Carlitos help with the medical problems after the crash, proving to understand how to survive the injuries they have received. These men and women are based on the real survivors of the accident, not everyone made it out alive and going into character details, might seem unfair to the people.

Performances – Ethan Hawke and Vincent Spano are both excellent in their roles in the film, they do show both sides of survivors as well as understanding how important they both are meant to be. The whole cast is great, showing how difficult it was to survive and instead of just turning to the accents, they keep it looking like an American version of the film, with the Uruguayan names

Story – The story here follows the true story of the survival of members of the Uruguayan rugby team and other passengers of a plane crash in the Anders mountain range, which sees how they must survive over a 2-month period, while they are waiting for rescue. This is a truly amazing story of survival, it showed us just how difficult each day would be for the survivors and shows us how they faced a horrible decision, but one that saved their lives. It is one that does rely on how people did do anything to survive and how we wouldn’t be telling this story if some of the people hadn’t survived.

Adventure/Biopic – The adventure side of this story follows the survivors as they plan on surviving until rescue, which does play into the biopic side of the story, because this event did change the lives of the survivors.

Settings – The film is set in the Andes mountain range, it shows the cold conditions, the fact they can’t just walk away from this location along with the brutal plane crash to start the events off.


Scene of the Movie – The crash is a brutal and honest watch.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – They all seem so perfectly shaved considering they are here for 2 months.

Final Thoughts – This is an amazing story of survival, one that couldn’t even be written by a writer, it shows the impossible and has wonderful performance from the whole cast.

Overall: Must watch survival story.