Copy Cat

Copy Cat, 1995

Harry Connick Jr. and Sigourney Weaver play a serial killer and psychiatrist with serious history in this not too subtle nod to The Silence of the Lambs.

Tormented by a violent encounter with the now incarcerated Darryl Lee Cullum (Connick Jr.), Helen Hudson (Weaver) prefers not to leave her house.

This proves an obstacle for two detectives who need her help solving a string of grizzly murders.

Copy Cat suffers from a 'made-for-TV feel' and Weaver's not at her best without a gorilla or alien to bounce off.

Holly Hunter (The Piano) and Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend's Wedding) play the detectives on the trail of the 'Copy Cat'.

This isn't going to blow your mind but it's worth a peek to see Harry Connick ham it up. He's really quite good.

5/10

Nutbuckle

A Simple Plan

A Simple Plan, 1998

Bill Paxton (Apollo 13) and Billy Bob Thornton (Bad Santa) play a rather unlikely pair of brothers in this snow covered late nineties thriller.

The siblings, along with an out of work local, stumble across a plane crash complete with rotting pilot and $4.4 million.

The cash spikes their attention more than the deceased pilot and a plan to split and keep the money is hatched.

But before they even get a chance to buy themselves a holiday - trouble strikes and the trio is at odds with one another.

A Simple Plan is an interesting, albeit far fetched look at human character and our decision making skills under pressure.

Billy Bob Thornton changes gears from downright stupid to impressively cunning while Paxton is his usual curious self.

A late cameo from Gary Cole will bring a smile to the face of Entourage fans.

A Simple Plan could well be described as a poor man's No Country For Old Men - but hey - you could be called worse.

6/10

Nutbuckle

The Fifth Element

The Fifth Element, 1997

On a completely different scale to this reviewer's past work featuring Bruce Willis, the Fifth Element is a resounding success.

Luc Besson's vivd glimpse of a future comes fully equipped with George Jetson like flying cars, whizz-bang healing tubes and a memorable voyage into the world of blue alien opera.

Corban Dallas (Willis) is a ultra-washed up military man spending his days in the taxi industry when destiny comes a callin' in the very pleasant shape of all thats powerful and good in the world Milla Jovovich. And wouldn't you know it, Corban and the smoldering Serbian hit it off in a race against the clock battle to save humanity against complete Evil, epitomised by the superbly goulish Zorg (Gary Oldman).

The highlight to this movie, however, comes in the form of Rush Hour's own comic star Chris Tucker who plays the outrageous philandering radio presenter Ruby Rhod who makes Prince look shy and intraverted. Please check this movie out if only for this reason. Please.

While the Fifth Element was never destined for critical acclaim, it sits handsomely alongside other favourites in many DVD collections. This is an innovatively shot movie with a killer score that sees Willis win over many fans as the chain smoking hard ass.

Did I mention Jovovich looks fit dressed only in bandages? and just a tip - I'm not referring to tutankhamun like attire

Hilarious fun.

9/10

Midbus

Boogie Nights

Boogie Nights, 1997

One of Hollywood's most interesting directors, Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, There Will Be Blood), followed up 1996's Hard Eight with the generous and rich Boogie Nights.

Putting together one of the 90's best ensemble casts, Thomas Anderson uses more than two and a half hours giving us a tour of the porn industry in the 1970's & 80's.

Mark Wahlberg builds on his good work in The Basketball Diaries as Eddie Adams - a likeable teenager who will eventually become one of porn's biggest names - Dirk Diggler.

The cast is jammed with some of Thomas Anderson's favourites - John C Rielly (Chicago), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) and William H Macy (Fargo) are all superb.

Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) is well cast as a young man with a head full of dreams, while Burt Reynolds is perfectly porno. Julianne Moore (Hannibal) and Heather Graham (The Hangover) more than hold up their end of the bargain, the former showing her considerable talent.

Throw in the likes of Phillip Baker Hall (Magnolia) and Luis Guzman (Carlito's Way) and it's basically a case of 'you name it, they're in it.

Thomas Anderson's work here is sharp - his tracking shots put you right in the heart of porn's most lavish parties.

You'll enjoy the whole ride but the highlight for me comes late in the piece - an incredibly well shot and acted scene played out to the sounds of Rick Springfield and Jessie's Girl. Movie gold.

It's more than just a big cock.

8/10

Nutbuckle

Knowing

Knowing, 2009.

Nicolas Cage, oscar winner and the biggest action star of the 90s (see The Rock, Con Air & Face/Off) was on a big run of strike outs when this reviewer decided to part with his $15 of his hardest earned to see his latest offering. Bangkok Dangerous, The Wicker Man remake, Next & Ghost Rider were all akin to having tabasco sauce forcefully shoved into one's eyeballs. Quite simply, big Nic needed this film to do well at the box office and for it to be entertaining for his legions of loyal, if not growing somewhat impatient, follwers.

Well, this film goes someway to redemption. The film was a huge box office success taking over $180M worldwide.

The film centres on a series of apocalyptic events, as predicted by a troubled young school girl in the 1950s. A university professor, Cage, takes it upon himself to decipher to girl's predictions in order to prevent any future disasters. Edge of your seat special effects and a surprisingly strong sense of tension throughout keep this film moving along nicely.

It is hard to take Cage seriously these days though in many ways, whether it be the hair plugs or the fact that it is laughable to think of him as a professor.

Early in the film, heavy focus is placed on his relationship with his son and troubles he confronts in moving on from his wife allow him to explore his other side (he did win an Oscar. No really, he did) which hasn't been seen much at all since 2002's Adaptation.

This is an entertaining film which this reviewer believes most will enjoy, although it was hard not to think back to Cameron Poe or Stanley Goodspeed.

6/10

Willo

Independence Day

Independence Day, 1996

On July 2 the question that has always been asked "Are we alone in the universe?" is answered when aliens arrived and these guys are not here for peace. When the aliens atack the world must unite in order to stop them. With the help of computer technician David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) and Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) the aliens are destroyed and humanity saved.

Bill Pullman plays the President of United States fairly well and helps save the day by joining the fight and who does an amazing speech before the final battle scene. It seemed that the world "would not go quietly into night on this our independence day".

7/10

Drowd

Alien Quadrilogy

Alien (1979) - Alien Resurrection (1997).

This series of four films, featuring the greatest heroine of the Sci Fi genre, needs no introduction. Despite more recent spin offs that have seen a bastardization of two franchises, Predator Vs Alien, the original series stands alone as one of the most successful in combining horror, action and science fiction.

Largely due to the brilliance of directors Ridley Scott, combat film specialist James Cameron, David Fincher and to a lesser extent Jean-Pierre Jeunet, all four of these movies approach the battle between humans and a remorseless killing machine known as the Alien.

The Alien species is largely based on a hive concept with a Queen Alien introduced in the second installment but it was without doubt the infamous chest burster that had audiences aghast in 1979 and unlike in space, everyone heard them scream. The basic xenophobia ingrained in all of us on some level is enhanced when the foreign can gestate inside our bodies next to the heart, the symbolic emotional core in all of us. This series was also groundbreaking in its portrayal of gender in science fiction with many suprised that the female character Ripley would be the one to survive time and time again. Even more were suprised by the conflicting imagery of a nurturing mother juxtaposed with the shooting of advanced weaponry and protecting her young. The idea of an evil company (read corporation) was also relatively new in the late 1970s and early 1980s and has been replicated many times since to the point where viewers in the 21st century are used to profit driven executives making their subordinates expendable.

Many fans of the series regularly debate over which installment rates the highest. Alien and Aliens were certainly difficult acts to follow. Production was heavily influenced by studio executives during the shooting of Alien 3, to the point where Fincher would no doubt have drawn parallels between Fox and the dreaded Weyland-Yutani Corporation. This reviewer tends to rate the first two installments equally, followed by 3 and then Resurrection. Each to their own of course.

There is little doubt that this series has fans of all persuasions. Fans of action movies, horror, science fiction and even the feminist movement can find something in these four excellent films. Worth the box set.

Snap says 9.5/10

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, 2007

Blog readers will soon come to learn that Phillip Seymour Hoffman is this reviewer's favourite actor - an honour I'm sure he lists on his bulging CV.

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead isn't the best film he's in but it's a good place to start my Seymour Hoffman review fest.

Hoffman and his brother (Ethan Hawke, Reality Bites) decide robbing mom and dad's jewellery store is a great way to get them out of a financial jam. Surprise surprise, it's not as fool proof as they first thought.

Along for the ride are Marisa Tomei (PSH clearly punching above his weight in this one) and Albert Finney - both very good in supporting roles.

Full of moral dilemmas, giving into vices and general panic - Before The Devil Knows You're Dead is very dark but undeniably gripping.

Directed by Sidney Lumet (who teamed up with Al Pacino in the seventies for Serpico), BTDKYD deserves 7/10.

Nutbuckle

Saw

Spawning the most successful horror franchise of its generation, this film is not for the squirmish. The brainchild of two Aussie blokes (Leigh Whannel & James Wan, the former playing the character of Adam) who went on to make millions from this film and its five sequels (with more in the pipeline).

The film begins with the aforementioned Adam and Lawrence (Cary Elwes) dazed, confused and chained in an abandoned warehouse. Through sharply executed flashbacks and the perspective of investigating officers (one of whom is played by Danny Glover of Predator 2 fame) the audience is dragged through the deviant plots developed by the man known only as the Jigsaw Killer until the brilliant climax which will have you gagging for more...luckily there is more. Heaps more.

This film attracted a stellar cast and the flashback scenes are crisp while the pace of the movie doesn't slow for a moment.

An impressively fresh take on this genre which breathed new life into it.

9/10

Willo

Arachnophobia

Arachnophobia, 1990

A lot of cool things happened in 1990, I was in prep riding trikes, Essendon and Collingwood duked it out at quarter time in the grand final and a little movie called Arachnophobia hit the big screen.

A particularly nasty spider jumps from South to North America and roots itself silly - producing an army of eight legged monsters.

New in town, Jeff Daniels has to shrug off his own phobia to help stop the spiders before they bite and kill EVERYONE.

As usual - Daniels is pretty likeable and so is this movie. Kiddies - here's a tip - if your mum says you can only hire a PG rated movie - grab this; you'll shit your pants.

8/10 Nutbuckle