Amazon.com

The original cowriter and director of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was Alex Cox, whose earlier film Sid and Nancy suggests that Cox could have been a perfect match in filmingHunter S. Thompson's psychotropic masterpiece of "gonzo" journalism. Unfortunately Cox departed due to the usual "creative differences," and this ill-fated adaptation was thrust upon Terry Gilliam, whose formidable gifts as a visionary filmmaker were squandered on the seemingly unfilmable elements of Thompson's ether-fogged narrative. The result is a one-joke movie without the joke--an endless series of repetitive scenes involving rampant substance abuse and the hallucinogenic fallout of a road trip that's run crazily out of control. Johnny Depp plays Thompson's alter ego, "gonzo" journalist Raoul Duke, and Benicio Del Toro is his sidekick and so-called lawyer Dr. Gonzo. During the course of a trip to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race, they ingest a veritable chemistry set of drugs, and Gilliam does his best to show us the hallucinatory state of their zonked-out minds. This allows for some dazzling imagery and the rampant humor of stumbling buffoons, and the mumbling performances of Depp and Del Toro wholeheartedly embrace the tripped-out, paranoid lunacy of Thompson's celebrated book. But over two hours of this insanity tends to grate on the nerves--like being the only sober guest at a party full of drunken idiots. So while Gilliam's film may achieve some modest cult status over the years, it's only because Fear and Loathing is best enjoyed by those who are just as stoned as the characters in the movie. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (424)

"We can't stay here, this is bat country!"!!!
This movie is a masterpiece, and also very very funny. It is a near perfect adaptation of Hunter S Thompson's novel. The book was based on the true story of a drug crazed self proclaimed doctor of journalism and his sidekick turned loose in Las Vegas to cover a dirt bike race called the mint 400. Thompson, known as Raul Duke (Depp) and his attorney Oscar Zeta Acosta known as Dr.Gonzo (Del Torro) run amok in their desperate search for the American dream. Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Torro are absolutely great in this movie. And the cameos are great: Flea, Lyle Lovett, Gary Busey, Christina Ricci, Tobey Maguire, Ellen Barkin, Cameron Diaz, Steven Schirripa, and even Dr. Thompson himself all make an appearance in the film. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a savage journey into the heart of the American dream. If you haven't seen it, you need too, and fast.....

Extreme entertainment
Prepare yourself for a wild journey into the world of bright lights, flashy people, and non-stop substance abuse. Hunter S. Thompson's book about covering a motorcycle race in Las Vegas through pure "gonzo journalism" has been excellently adapted for the big screen by former Monty Python member Terry Gilliam. The movie stays very true to the story, the product of one of the founding fathers of the drug culture of the 70's. This movie covers both extremes: you will love it or hate it, and it won't allow you to stay anywhere near the middle. People who are interested in the drug culture and beat culture, or even a cynical look at one of America's craziest cities, will probably find themselves enjoying the film immensely, laughing and gasping at the insane antics of a drug-abusing "doctor of journalism" and his attorney. People looking for a more down to Earth experience without the odd visual trip and inexplicable dialogue will only be confused and repulsed, wondering what kind of person enjoys this kind of thing. Johnny Depp's performance is absolutely first-rate, Benicio Del Toro sheds the mediocrity he produced in The Usual Suspects, and cameos by Gary Busey, Cristina Ricci, and Thompson himself add to the perfect blend of acting that make this film one of the best of its kind.

Absolutely Hilarious
This isn't your average movie. Based on the H.S Thompson novel, tt quite succesfully captures the literary insanity of Thompson's books (I'm actually 16, not twelve). Here's the scenario, two stoners running around Las Vegas. All the jokes are based around the wild, outrageous hallucinations of Raul Duke, and his "side kick" Dr. Gonzo. But damned if the many variations of the same basic joke aren't guiltily hilarious every single time. In one scene, Raul and Gonzo are in a bar, When Raul freaks out, thinking that all the bar patrons have been turned into monstrous lizards.
Weird- absolutely Funny- You bet.

It took two viewings to make it through
The first time I started to watch this movie I got a big headache. At my friend's urging I watched it again, and still got a headache. Maybe a little less of a headache, but that's besides the point. It wasn't a headache because the movie's plot made me think, it was a headache because the film was just damn strange.

Offbeat camera angles and dim colored lighting are used throughout the movie. The film quality seemed low and it was hard to understand Johnny Depp's narration at times. The film is very strange in all aspects, including its plot. Hunter S. Thompson (Depp) is supposed to be going to Las Vegas to cover a race in the desert for Sports Illustrated. His lawyer accompanies him on this journey for some reason. They don't really get much reporting done and spend most of the time taking illegal drugs. I kind of lost track of the plot and hardly remember how it ends. Was there even an ending? It seemed kind of like the movie just trailed off.

At one point in the movie they mention something about following the American Dream. Somehow I don't believe the American Dream has anything to do with a suitcase full of illegal drugs. Maybe it was just an attempt to find some rationale behind the entire film.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I found it hilarious at times. I laughed hysterically when at one point Thompson thinks he's standing in a bog and everyone is a lizard. When I was laughing I kept thinking, this is based on a true story, and now this guy is making money off of it? I felt kind of bad for supporting his drug-induced craziness. However, it's almost kind of an anti-drug movie in it's own strange way. Hunter S. Thompson looks like he's having the worst time of his life, and surely should have been arrested multiple times. I don't know, maybe this movie appeals more to stoners and druggies since they can relate to Thompson.

This film is definitely not for everyone. If you are easily offended, I wouldn't recommend it. If you're looking for a normal movie, you really should be someplace else. Look at the cover of the DVD. The whole movie is kind of like that.

---------------------------
http://www.filmstatic.com - We take reviewing movies seriously and with an attitude...but not a serious attitude.

Review of the DVD, not the film
First things first: FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, the film, is quite good. If you can stomach its content, it IS a rather fun drug odyssey with a fair amount of underlying social commentary. Some of it becomes muddled and the reviews were horrible (Ebert gave it 1/4) but I enjoy this more than Terry Gilliam's BRAZIL, to be honest (which, ironically, Ebert also gave a negative review).

THE DVD

An overall wonderful experience. First, the packaging: superb. Criterion is always good at packaging their DVDs and this is one of my favorites. On the inside is an essay by a film critic and two discs. The first has the film, newly remastered under the supervision of Gilliam, along with three commentary tracks: by Gilliam, Depp and Del Toro, and Hunter S. Thompson. Wisely, they had someone interview him most of the time since he's obviously a bit of an oddball and would be prone to sitting there and saying nothing.

The second disc has some extraordinary specials, including an old BBC documentary about Thompson (whose semi-truthful novel this is based upon), TV spots, the theatrical trailer (with optional commentary by Gilliam - which I've never seen before), poster and photo galleries, Hunter Goes to Hollywood (an amusing short documentary about Thompson visiting the set of the film), a selection of somewhat bizarre letters between Depp and Thompson that date back to the pre-and-post-production of the film (Depp reads all of them to the camera for us).

Overall, one of the best DVDs I own. The film isn't a classic, per se, but it IS enjoyable. I'm sure part of my appreciation for it comes from this superb DVD, which is one of the finest I own in terms of special features.

Criterion can sometimes disappoint with single-disc DVDs priced in the $40 range but this one is fairly reasonably priced (compared to some of the others) and packed with special features to whet any die-hard fan's appetite.

A must-buy for fans, and a must-see for others - I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as a blind buy for a number of reasons. It's very selective taste. You love it, or you hate it; it might be good to rent it first. But definitely rent this version, not Universal's. ... Read more

Amazon.com

More than a few critics hailed Spider-Man 2 as "the best superhero movie ever," and there's no compelling reason to argue--thanks to a bigger budget, better special effects, and a dynamic, character-driven plot, it's a notch above Spider-Man in terms of emotional depth and rich comic-book sensibility. Ordinary People Oscar®-winner Alvin Sargent received screenplay credit, and celebrated author and comic-book expert Michael Chabon worked on the story, but it's director Sam Raimi's affinity for the material that brings Spidey 2 to vivid life. When a fusion experiment goes terribly wrong, a brilliant physicist (Alfred Molina) is turned into Spidey's newest nemesis, the deranged, mechanically tentacled "Doctor Octopus," obsessed with completing his experiment and killing Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) in the process. Even more compelling is Peter Parker's urgent dilemma: continue his burdensome, lonely life of crime-fighting as Spider-Man, or pursue love and happiness with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst)? Molina's outstanding as a tragic villain controlled by his own invention, and the action sequences are nothing less than breathtaking, but the real success of Spider-Man 2 is its sense of priorities. With all of Hollywood's biggest and best toys at his disposal, Raimi and his writers stay true to the Marvel mythology, honoring Spider-Man creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and setting the bar impressively high for the challenge of Spider-Man 3. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (251)

Setting the Bar Even Higher
This couldn't possibly have been a better movie than it is. The original Spider-man was an astounding achievement in adapting a comic book super-hero to the screen in a way that could reach both fans and non-fans alike. Spider-man 2 continues that tradition.

Two years after the events of the first movie, Peter Parker is still saving the day as Spider-man, while at the same time shirking his other responsibilities and trying to maintain and ordinary life. As he tries harder and harder, he comes to realize that for Spider-man, there is no ordinary life. He's failing college classes, losing his job, and not keeping up with his friends and family.

Things get rougher when Harry Osborn's new ticket to progress has an accident. Professor Otto Octavius demonstrates the ability of his fusion device that will generate new, reusable power when something goes wrong. His additional limbs that were used to manipulate the fusion environment have been fused to his own spine.

While the ads focus heavily on Doc Oc, the real plot here is Peter Parker's dilemna. Doc Oc might have seemed like an after-thought had not the writers kept Harry closely involved with Peter, reminding him again and again how he wants to kill Spider-man for what he did to his father.

I don't blame the critics who dislike the movie. For most of it, Peter is in misery, as his life spirals down the toilet due to the conflicting sides of Spider-man and Peter Parker. There's humor dispersed evenly throughout to make the experience a little lighter. It's a hard movie to watch because of this, as Peter has to decide between what he wants and the responsibility he has, and even I was a little uncomfortable as his suffering continued.

But Sam Raimi's never been one to leave the audience without a pay-off, either. His love for the material continues to show as it did in the first movie, making Spider-man 2 even more visually dynamic and dramatically endearing than its predecessor. Bruce Campbell also makes a cameo, but people probably guessed that months before it was announced, and that was still months before the movie was released.

The musical score is as spectacular as before, and Danny Elfman wisely maintains the theme he composed for the first movie. Rather than simply supporting the movie or carrying it, the music works with it, something rarely accomplished in film.

I honestly can't think of something negative to say about this movie. I don't think I could have been more pleased. The goal set after Spider-man was a hit was to make the second one even better, and the film-makers succeeded. I can only wonder if they will be able to do the same for the third after such an excellent film as this.

"Isn't it about time someone saved your life?"
I knew it was going to be good, but I had no idea it was going to be THIS good. "Spider-Man 2" is everything a sequel of it's caliber should add up too: better special effects, breath-taking action sequences and a deeper story-line. "Spider-Man 2" succeeds at respecting and building off of the story established in the first movie. Two years later, and Peter Parker is struggling to keep his head above water. His obligations to his alter-ego, Spider-Man, keep him from holding a steady job, making ends meet, keeping in touch with family and friends, and most importantly: being with the love of his life, Mary Jane Watson. As Peter starts to doubt himself, his abilities start waning away, and he finds himself conflicted and forced to make the choice of saving the world, or living a happy life. To make matters worse, a new super-villian is on a the loose by the name of Dr. Octopus, a respected scientist controlled by his own invention. The stakes in this movie are raised really high and the result is a more powerful and gripping film than the first one. So, yes, "Spider-Man 2" is better than the original, which is quite an accomplishment considering the standards it set. Sam Raimi's vision and passion for the material oozes through with each scene. Raimi is easily the most underrated director of the moment. Each scene is played to perfection, and all of the actors have grown into their characters a bit more, especially Rosemary Harris (Aunt May) and James Franco (Harry), both of whom give much more dimension to seemingly peripherral characters. Tobey Maguire shines through in this one, with an improved performance (looking and acting less and less like Keanu Reeves kid-brother) and Kirsten Dunst is fantastic as always. Considering this is a monstrous Hollywood block-buster of the grandest sorts and will no doubt break records throughout the summer, "Spider-Man 2" is intelligent and fun at the same time. Everyone who has interest in it will walk away happy, fully satisfied -- and most importantly -- salivating for what the inevitable "Spider-Man 3" will bring us.

a 13-year-old review
I love this movie i will buy it and i hope you buy it too Tobey Maguire Returns in this awsome action movie. All the same stars return with a new star who is Alfred Molina a great person to do the part in this movie a great action movie that all generations most likely will love i saw it in theaters 2 times and a third time tommarrow so i again this is a great movie just like the first one even better. I think this is an awsome experiance for you i recomened it to anyone!

Spider-Man 2 Pretty Cool Sequel despite it's flaws
Tobey McGuire returns in this special effects loaded sequel however, I unlike some fans was disappointed with this sequel.

Toby McGuire once again stars as Peter Parker/Spiderman, now confronting a new enemy Dr. Octopus (Alfred Molina).

The special effects were awesome, no doubt about that, however unlike the first one, the second half is pure nonsense and I was left unsatisfied.

Alfred Molina as Dr. Octopus is tremendous, just like Willem Dafoe's characters as "Green Goblin" we see his rise to power.

(Spoilers) Yet Raimi's dumb writers in the second half of the film have him playing as a patsy.

Spiderman clashes with Dr. Octopus several times and actually the fights are fair, however Dr. Octopus eventually gets Mary Jane (Dunst, who really doesn't do much as far as acting) and uses that to his advantage while creating a new weapon.

Tobey as Spiderman again like the first film is not a strong presence, yet I know some nerds are trying to hype him up to be like Christopher Reeve but please give me a break. He will never have the same charisma as him.

Alfred Molina is great as Dr. Octopus, but the story seems to go nowhere and we get the same crap from the same movie, like Parker, still being the nerd recluse who is unable to go after what he wants, though this is hilarious in retrospect, but then becomes tiring.

The special effects and action are what saves "Spiderman2" from being a disappointment as far acting and plot go, and that wasn't a surprise was it.

Still though I was left wanting more, and the cheap ending and the way Dr. Octopus out of the thin blue sky has a change of hear for not killing "Spiderman" was pathetic though, that wouldn't have happened really, still I know there will be many nerds seeing the movie 10 times and saying it was the greatest movie ever, but they aint kidding anybody.

"Spiderman 2" is what it is a great special effects bonanza with some great action scenes, but not great character development and predictable plot lines.

Caught in a web of indecision...
It's really hard to say that I did or didn't like this movie; I mean, on the one hand, it surpasses the original in effects, storyline, character development, everything. But as they say, too much of a good thing is bad, and that's part of my feeling about this film.

The story, unlike the original, instead focuses on the negatives of being Spider-Man; Peter Parker is struggling to balance a life of his own, but Spidey always gets in the way. He even forgets his own birthday! And it also shows the effects it has on his family and friends, especially Mary Jane. And to top it all off, Doctor Otto Octavius, a brilliant scientist, is turned into Doctor Octopus, complete with four mechanical arms attached to his body, thanks to a failed fusion experiment.

The battles between Spidey and his foe were terrific, unsurpassed by most action films to date. But I found myself wanting more of these scenes...in the end, you really sympathize with Peter, but I just wish we could've seen our favorite webslinger in action more. But at least the ending was good (left WIDE open for Spider-Man 3.) ... Read more

Reviews (424)

"We can't stay here, this is bat country!"!!!
This movie is a masterpiece, and also very very funny. It is a near perfect adaptation of Hunter S Thompson's novel. The book was based on the true story of a drug crazed self proclaimed doctor of journalism and his sidekick turned loose in Las Vegas to cover a dirt bike race called the mint 400. Thompson, known as Raul Duke (Depp) and his attorney Oscar Zeta Acosta known as Dr.Gonzo (Del Torro) run amok in their desperate search for the American dream. Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Torro are absolutely great in this movie. And the cameos are great: Flea, Lyle Lovett, Gary Busey, Christina Ricci, Tobey Maguire, Ellen Barkin, Cameron Diaz, Steven Schirripa, and even Dr. Thompson himself all make an appearance in the film. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a savage journey into the heart of the American dream. If you haven't seen it, you need too, and fast.....

Extreme entertainment
Prepare yourself for a wild journey into the world of bright lights, flashy people, and non-stop substance abuse. Hunter S. Thompson's book about covering a motorcycle race in Las Vegas through pure "gonzo journalism" has been excellently adapted for the big screen by former Monty Python member Terry Gilliam. The movie stays very true to the story, the product of one of the founding fathers of the drug culture of the 70's. This movie covers both extremes: you will love it or hate it, and it won't allow you to stay anywhere near the middle. People who are interested in the drug culture and beat culture, or even a cynical look at one of America's craziest cities, will probably find themselves enjoying the film immensely, laughing and gasping at the insane antics of a drug-abusing "doctor of journalism" and his attorney. People looking for a more down to Earth experience without the odd visual trip and inexplicable dialogue will only be confused and repulsed, wondering what kind of person enjoys this kind of thing. Johnny Depp's performance is absolutely first-rate, Benicio Del Toro sheds the mediocrity he produced in The Usual Suspects, and cameos by Gary Busey, Cristina Ricci, and Thompson himself add to the perfect blend of acting that make this film one of the best of its kind.

Absolutely Hilarious
This isn't your average movie. Based on the H.S Thompson novel, tt quite succesfully captures the literary insanity of Thompson's books (I'm actually 16, not twelve). Here's the scenario, two stoners running around Las Vegas. All the jokes are based around the wild, outrageous hallucinations of Raul Duke, and his "side kick" Dr. Gonzo. But damned if the many variations of the same basic joke aren't guiltily hilarious every single time. In one scene, Raul and Gonzo are in a bar, When Raul freaks out, thinking that all the bar patrons have been turned into monstrous lizards.
Weird- absolutely Funny- You bet.

It took two viewings to make it through
The first time I started to watch this movie I got a big headache. At my friend's urging I watched it again, and still got a headache. Maybe a little less of a headache, but that's besides the point. It wasn't a headache because the movie's plot made me think, it was a headache because the film was just damn strange.

Offbeat camera angles and dim colored lighting are used throughout the movie. The film quality seemed low and it was hard to understand Johnny Depp's narration at times. The film is very strange in all aspects, including its plot. Hunter S. Thompson (Depp) is supposed to be going to Las Vegas to cover a race in the desert for Sports Illustrated. His lawyer accompanies him on this journey for some reason. They don't really get much reporting done and spend most of the time taking illegal drugs. I kind of lost track of the plot and hardly remember how it ends. Was there even an ending? It seemed kind of like the movie just trailed off.

At one point in the movie they mention something about following the American Dream. Somehow I don't believe the American Dream has anything to do with a suitcase full of illegal drugs. Maybe it was just an attempt to find some rationale behind the entire film.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I found it hilarious at times. I laughed hysterically when at one point Thompson thinks he's standing in a bog and everyone is a lizard. When I was laughing I kept thinking, this is based on a true story, and now this guy is making money off of it? I felt kind of bad for supporting his drug-induced craziness. However, it's almost kind of an anti-drug movie in it's own strange way. Hunter S. Thompson looks like he's having the worst time of his life, and surely should have been arrested multiple times. I don't know, maybe this movie appeals more to stoners and druggies since they can relate to Thompson.

This film is definitely not for everyone. If you are easily offended, I wouldn't recommend it. If you're looking for a normal movie, you really should be someplace else. Look at the cover of the DVD. The whole movie is kind of like that.

---------------------------
http://www.filmstatic.com - We take reviewing movies seriously and with an attitude...but not a serious attitude.

Review of the DVD, not the film
First things first: FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, the film, is quite good. If you can stomach its content, it IS a rather fun drug odyssey with a fair amount of underlying social commentary. Some of it becomes muddled and the reviews were horrible (Ebert gave it 1/4) but I enjoy this more than Terry Gilliam's BRAZIL, to be honest (which, ironically, Ebert also gave a negative review).

THE DVD

An overall wonderful experience. First, the packaging: superb. Criterion is always good at packaging their DVDs and this is one of my favorites. On the inside is an essay by a film critic and two discs. The first has the film, newly remastered under the supervision of Gilliam, along with three commentary tracks: by Gilliam, Depp and Del Toro, and Hunter S. Thompson. Wisely, they had someone interview him most of the time since he's obviously a bit of an oddball and would be prone to sitting there and saying nothing.

The second disc has some extraordinary specials, including an old BBC documentary about Thompson (whose semi-truthful novel this is based upon), TV spots, the theatrical trailer (with optional commentary by Gilliam - which I've never seen before), poster and photo galleries, Hunter Goes to Hollywood (an amusing short documentary about Thompson visiting the set of the film), a selection of somewhat bizarre letters between Depp and Thompson that date back to the pre-and-post-production of the film (Depp reads all of them to the camera for us).

Overall, one of the best DVDs I own. The film isn't a classic, per se, but it IS enjoyable. I'm sure part of my appreciation for it comes from this superb DVD, which is one of the finest I own in terms of special features.

Criterion can sometimes disappoint with single-disc DVDs priced in the $40 range but this one is fairly reasonably priced (compared to some of the others) and packed with special features to whet any die-hard fan's appetite.

A must-buy for fans, and a must-see for others - I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as a blind buy for a number of reasons. It's very selective taste. You love it, or you hate it; it might be good to rent it first. But definitely rent this version, not Universal's. ... Read more

Reviews (1047)

Spider-man spins a complex web of humanity in characters
An excursion to Columbia University science lab transforms the bespectacled Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) with miraculous vision, sculpted body after a genetically-altered spider bits him. He possesses agility in leaping from skyscrapers and can spin webs from his wrist. Henceforth he assumes the identity Spider-man to combat evil manifested in the form of the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), a Species-look-alike perpetrator that terrrorizes the city with a glider that drops bombs.

Spider-Man embodies the heroics created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko who had graced the popular Marvel Comics to become an comic icon as a crime-buster - and now the film further increases the fanaticism. It is a US 140 million blockbuster and gaudy with sleek costumes and galvanizing stunts. It is digitally-enhanced F/X to capture panoramic swings in its most realistic and The Times Square action-sequence is one of the most dazzling in cinematic history.

Yet the superhero adventure fails to surprise because of its conventional storyline of good-vs-evil. The self-discovery and mutation renders so much punch that the second-half falls relatively lack-lustre. Fortunately Spider-Man spins a complex web of humanity and empathy for the characters - and Tobey Maguire as the lead is the emotional core who captivates with his vulnerability in handling his growth traumas, doubts and fears. No less sterling is Willem Dafoe who is all hysterics and maniacal in his split personality inherited from the aftermath of a blundered experiment. Kirsten Dunst as his love-interest Mary Jane, James Franco as his buddy and even his uncle Ben played by Cliff Robertson show surprising dimensions.

Spider-Man is thus an evocative tale of a hero struggling with his adolescence, betrayal and murder. And Sam Raimi displays the same sensitivity here with his eariler works like Darkman with his flawed avenger. He directs it with eye-popping visuals like Army of Darkness and the comic hero resonates in its true-self. Its brooding hero is what makes Spider-Man a nifty web - and Maguire has definitely triumphed the cynics with his soulful spin.

Spinning A Worthy Web
Spider-Man is an entertaining film that is a great summertime, popcorn movie. The film explores the origins of the transformation of Peter Parker from nerdy high school student to the web slinging superhero Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire is quite good in the title role. He plays the character with the right amount of torment as an outcast who has been put down all his life, but injects pride, joy and happiness into the Peter from his newly bestowed powers. Kirtsen Dunst is Peter's next door neighbor, Mary Jane Watson. Ms. Dunst is not given much to work worth in the character, she is the requisite love interest, damsel in distress but she is appealing in the role. Willem Dafoe is plays the Green Goblin who is the villain in the film. The Goblin's alter ego is Norman Osborne who is the rich father of Harry (James Franco), Peter's best friend and roommate. Mr. Dafoe is perfectly cast as the Goblin and he handles the character's schizophrenic outbursts with creepy aplomb. Mr. Franco plays Harry sullenly and he appears as if he is moping through the picture. J.K. Simmons plays Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson as a pushy, demanding blowhard who listens only to himself with hilarious results. People have criticized the fighting and action scenes, but they are really no better or worse than most current action films. There are some Matrix like sequences with the slow motion, but these scenes actually help show Spider-Man's spider senses that allow him to anticipate and react quickly to danger. The film was a box office smash and we should expect to see numerous sequels that will hopefully be as appealing as the first installment.

ETMR - Spiderman
1. Humanity: What events in the film drove Peter Parker to adopting his vigilante attitude toward crime?

2. Implications: How is Spiderman's understanding of "with great power comes great responsibility" an example of contemporary American thought? Think specifically about the nature of evil and the propensity toward intense individual classification when one's existence becomes threatened.

3. Evolution: Spiderman was a hero born out of the 60s, springing from both the dangers of genetic manipulation and the problems of substance abuse (in the form of Oscorp Chemicals). Raimi makes little mention of the chemical abuse in the story, and paints it in a much simpler picture of the probable evil in man's soul and the strange world of pseudoscience. Therefore, it is obvious that in many ways, the film departs from its traditional conditioning while remaining loyal to the original personalities of the characters. In which ways is Spiderman the hero shown to be a creation of the contemporary age, versus a creation of the 60s, in the film?

4. Realism: America has a long history, not only in comics but in legendary history, of people who take the law into their own hands. If a being like Spiderman existed, could he survive in our real world, or is he only a dream?

5. Stageplay: Spiderman is classicly a cynic, an individual thinker, an avid contemporarian (someone "in" the times), a man of passions (versus someone who could care less), an irreligious jokester and a man who is not sure of his destiny, but lives to succeed. Do you feel Maguire fulfills this role? Some critics say he is too much of a "boy" to fill Spiderman's shoes, while others claim it is his boyishness that charms us into belief. What do you think?

Spiderman
This was a good movie with lots of great special effects and action sequences. If you like superhero-type movies you'll really enjoy this family oriented movie. I would recommend this movie.

Spiderman, Spiderman, watch this movie when you can
This movie has exceeded my expectataions of it far beyond my belief. Probably because I went in thinking that it would suck. I'm just not into this kind of stuff. Of course, I'm a closet "Batman" fan so I guess it does say something. Anyway, I really enjoyed this movie. The cinematography was awesome! From all the camera dynamics following Spidey's twists and flips, you really felt that you were flying through the air with him. The cinematography also had a warm, upbeat feeling to it. It was one of the main reasons the movie kept my eyes glued to the screen.

The second reason is, of course, the actors. From Tobey Maguire's clumsy but lovable Peter Parker to Kirstin Dunst's beautiful Mary Jane Watson to Willem Dafoe's deliciously evil Green Goblin, the actors most definitely made the movie. The producers certainly picked the right people to handle the characters.

The only downside to this movie was that the opening credits were too long and too boring. ... Read more

Reviews (163)

A strange and wonderful gem of a motion picture.
Curtis Hanson's follow-up to his brilliant 'LA Confidential' is equally amazing but in a completely different way. 'Wonder Boys' is a wonderfully skewed comedy, with characters who zig and zag across the screen, weaving in through each others lives, and ultimately finding salvation in each other. Michael Douglas gives his second-great performance of 2000 (the other being in 'Traffic') as Professor Grady Tripp, a chronic pot-smoking, english teacher/author who has had great success in the past with his first novel. Problem is, he can't seem to finish his follow-up and he's been trying for years. He is having an affair with a married chancellor at his school (Frances McDormand in HER sceond great performance of the year, the other being in 'Almost Famous'). His barely-in-the-closet editor (the incredible Robert Downey Jr.) is breathing down his throat and a student of his (Katie Holmes) is trying to get in his pants. Not only that he has the chancellor's dead dog in his trunk, thanks to a mishap with a bewildered, mysterious student of his (Tobey Maguire at his usual excellence) and the car he's driving may or may not be stolen. Over the course of one hellish weekend, Grady Tripp will find out what it means to be in charge of one's own life and the way making a simple choice can change things for the better. The movie rides smoothly from start to finish thanks to great, assured direction by Hanson and smooth screenwriting by Steve Kloves (from the novel by Michael Chabon). It's a truly amazing film, whose character's are so well developed and layered that we never know what to expect of them at any given moment. In fact, anywhere you think this movie might be going at any given time, you will more then likely be wrong. It's surprising and heart-felt, as funny as it is involving, as moving as it is intelligent. And you won't find a better performance then Douglas's in any film this year. It's a true stand-out role for him, a break from his normal obsessive, hard-headed monsters. And he is brilliant. And so is Tobey Maguire, who continues to dazzle with every film. One of the best films of 2000.

EXCELLENT! (as God said, and I think rightly..)
I enjoyed this movie immensely. I'd put it right up there with 'American Beauty', 'Magnolia', and 'Being John Malkovich' as one of my favourite films of recent years. I particularly enjoyed Michael Douglas's performance (yes, I was surprised too) as Grady Tripp (pot-smoking college english professor, dubious literary mentor, and flailing, aging author of the critically aclaimed 7-years-gone novel 'Arsonists Daughter'...)

I really enjoyed the down-beat oddities and subtleties of the film and it's cast of strange but endearing characters (yes, yes, THERE you go!) Frances MacDormand's character (The Chancellor) is the only one who you might be able to call something that resembles a "normal" person, but even SHE, underneith her guise of normalcy, is a pregnant-out-of-wedlock habitual gardener! It gets no better I'm afraid. Robert Downey Jr plays Grady's gay book editor who has a penchant for transvestites and certain relaxing pharmacuticals (Terry Crabtree) to great (and oddly touching) comedic effect. Tobey Maguire plays Grady's morose young student/protege (who lays claim to the uncanny ability of being able to list hundreds of movie suicides in alphabetical order..) I'm Sorry 9-to-5ers. Abandon hope all ye who enter here, It gets no more mundane or ordinary than that. Oh well. But, to be honest, this sort of off-the-wall character development only served to make me even more enamored of the film. Speaking intimately as a very weird person (and speaking FOR MY PEOPLE) I desparately want to see more space-cadets and freaks and kooky-spooks casually represented in feature films. It's all about equality really. We don't all live in caves y'know. We're everywhere amongst you! We shop at your supermarkets! (albeit at strange hours..) We attend your schools! We even write movie reviews for enormous websites you visit late at night! Freakitude is not so uncommon a phenomena.. and my people DEMAND SCREENTIME ... And in 'Wonder Boys' they certainly get it. Kudos to whoever it was that wrote it that way. This film allows itself to positively WALLOW in human quirkiness.

The movie also features a fantastic soundtrack (ALWAYS a bonus..)

Best line?

"You're mad at me.. You're mad because I shot your girlfriends dog."

HIGHLY recommended! :o)

Offbeat ecletic mix of comedy and pathos
Adapted from the novel by Michael Chabon, this offbeat dark comedic drama is set at a college in Pittsburgh, a shabby city of bleak weather and aging buildings. Michael Douglas is cast in the role of Grady Tripp, a college professor long past his prime who lives in haze of marijuana and failing marriages. He's gained weight for this role and his face is lined and drooping, capturing the essence of the character so well that he was able to submerge his movie star image. Tripp is a former "wonder boy" who had been acclaimed for his first novel seven years before. Unfortunately, even though he has written more than 2000 pages on his second novel, he can't seem to bring it to completion even though his New York agent, Terry Crabtree, played by Robert Downey Jr. will be in town for the writer's weekend set up at the college.

Tobey Maguire, the rising young actor who made a name for himself in "The Cedar House Rules" is cast as James Leer, a brilliant and troubled young writer from Tripp's class. And Frances McDormand is cast as the Chancellor of the college who's having an affair with Trip. Katie Holmes plays a student who is interested in Tripp for more than his teaching ability. Other characters fade in and out of the scenes, adding interest and contributing to an eclectic mix and which somehow all add to the cohesive whole. There's a transvestite as well as a professor affixed on Marilyn Monroe as well as a black man in a pompadour hairdo and his waitress wife. And, in addition to the people, there's a vintage car and an old manual typewriter and an electric selectric. There's also a dead dog.

All this is put together in a mix that gently pokes fun at it all, played for pathos and humanity instead of slapstick. And it is all slightly off focus in the marijuana haze created by the professor. I did find it a bit slow and I sometimes dozed off. But the beauty of video is that could wake up and replay the few frames I missed. I was always rewarded because of the subtleties of dialog and nuances of the acting and of the fine direction by Curtis Hanson, whose last film was L.A. Confidential. I recommend this video although it is not for everyone. It's quirky and offbeat and the pace is slow and hazy. But I personally thought it was really good.

Best Michael Douglas role ever
A bit of bad luck at the box office prevented this movie from getting the hype it so richly deserves. Good luck finding roles into which Michael Douglas, Frances McDormand, Tobey Maguire, and Robert Downey, Jr., slip into as effortlessly and brilliantly as they do the ones in this film. With a script that neatly repackages Michael Chabon's excellent novel for the screen, Steve Kloves (lately the screenwriter for the Harry Potter series) shows where he mastered the craft of adaptation. And director Curtis Hanson follows up the tour-de-force of L.A. Confidential with this funnier, more bizarre, and ultimately more enjoyable effort.

On one level, the movie plays out like a drug-induced dream sequence; it's almost implausible that so much would happen during a single weekend. Michael Douglas loses his wife, discovers his girlfriend (McDormand) is pregnant, flees the university at which he and his girlfriend work with his darkest and most troubled student after that student kills his girlfriend's husband's dog and steals Marilyn Monroe's wedding coat, exposes that student to pot and his literary agent of ambiguous sexuality, has his car stolen, loses a 2,000 page manuscript...

Did I mention that his girlfriend is the chancellor and her husband is the chair of the department that employs Douglas?

Yet all these events--and many more--feel very real during the movie. And not in the dreamlike way that anything makes sense while you're sleeping: this movie has the feel of truth. Other reviewers have complained that it's too weird, that each character's eccentricities pile on those of the others until it passes a level of acceptability. But people have quirks; some people are pathological liars, some people just like one kind of shoe, some people can only write in a pink bathrobe. In life we take these quirks for granted in the people we know and love; in Wonder Boys a group of people are thrown together, quirks and all, by fate and common interest and the confines of a very realistic university life. The interplay of their quirks, and the way that people who come to them with sympathetic eyes quickly rally to support one another, makes for a movie that engages, entertains, and provokes thought. If that's not what you look for in a movie, look elsewhere. If it is, prepare to add a new movie to your all-time favorites list.

THE CHOICES WE MAKE IN LOVE & LIFE..
This film is of that quirky, self-aware cadre that makes people easily dismiss it as pretentious, or worse, pointless. But I believe those who ascribe such notions to the movie have clearly missed the plot's subtle nuances, and the humorous undercurrent that permeates the entire theme.

Wonder Boys has that charming yet simple elegance that draws on its real but clumsy characters -- all pretty painstakingly drawn out as we almost live their fumbling lives. Professor Tripp (Douglas) in particular was very credible as just about anyone among us. James Leer's (McGuire) obsession with celebrity suicides is made light of and overcast by his pathological lying. Holmes is appropriately cast to tantalize.

Plus, the score is something to cherish thanks in no small measure to Bob Dylan's superb "Things have changed".

A good chuckle comedy with a wistful look at midlife, decisions to be made or avoided. Recommended for the discerning viewer. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Great period pictures make you feel as if you've stepped into anotherera, heard its language, breathed its spirit, and come away with a freshperspective on that time as well as your own. Ride with the Devil is oneof those special films--why wasn't it more widely embraced by reviewers andfilmgoers? Did it rely too much on our patience for slow accumulation ofunforced rhythms and meanings (as opposed to The Patriot, which "moved"audiences with cattle-prod simplicity and manipulation)? Ride with theDevil--smart, handsome, tenderly awed by how individual lives get ambushedby history--is ripe for rediscovery.

The Civil War of battlefields and plantation houses is nowhere to be seenhere. Instead we see the war as an improvised and largely blundering but verybloody feud among neighbors in the border state of Missouri. In this bucolic warzone--more than a little reminiscent of the Balkans in the late 1990s--theTaiwanese-born director Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility) traces thedestinies of several young Southern bushwhackers (guerrilla fighters) as theyexperience violence, the seasons, and different kinds of love. Skeet Ulrichdraws the aristocratic glamour role (and top billing), but he's overshadowed byTobey Maguire as a first-generation American, the magnificent Jeffrey Wright (ashameful oversight at Oscar time) as a freed slave fighting beside his formermaster, and singer Jewel in a very natural acting debut as the young widow whograces all their lives. The title The Birth of a Nation was alreadytaken, but by the end of this movie you feel it would have applied here. -- Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (62)

An Astounding movie wich was shamfully overlooked!
Ride with the Devil is a civil war drama about the kansas/Missuori buskwackers. It is one of the few movies which takes you into its period world so effortlessly. It shows the true violence of the time and yet shows how that violence affected people and changed their lives. Ride with the Devil was directed by Ang Lee, who brought us the brilliant Sense and Sensibility, this is his best work since Sense and Sensibility. Lee knows how to make a period drama come alive to the viewer in a way that few directors can do. Maybe its because he usually does projects he really feels for. The acting in Ride with the Devil was supuerb. Tobey Maguire again proves that he is the most talented young actor in Hollywood, today. He protrays a a first generation american,Jake Rodell, with such heart and sincerity, very few actors could have done that. Skeet Ulrich delivers his best and most seriuos performance to date, as Jack Bull. Singer, Jewel, gives a suprisingly good and nuanced performance as Sue Lee Shelley. Jefferey Wright, protrays a freed black with real integrity and authority. Wright and Maguire were horrible oversights at the Oscars. Actually, i thought the whole movie was a horrible oversight. They brought a whole differnet level to this movie with their performances. they made you see their characters in a way that few could have done. You truely cared what happened to them as if they were a close freind. Wright and Maguire made you see the Civil War not as north and south but as people defending the only life they had ever known. Ride with the Devil is a captivating movie that goes right to your heart and helps you to understand a time in America's history, when nothing was simple and everything was a battle--Freedom, your way of life and survival. it puts a new persepective on a war with split our nation in two and hurt everyone it touched. this movie will probably never get a big following but for those of you reading this you will not be disapointed. so go rent this movie or be like me and buy it. thank you Ang lee and everyone how helped make this magnificent movie!

One of the best films of 1999
In Missouri, in the early years of the Civil War there isn't yet a proper Confederate army, so pro-Confederate folks are pretty much left to defend themselves against the Union Army. Jake "Dutchie" Roedel (Maguire) and childhood friend Jackbull Chiles (Ulrich) become Bushwhackers: roaming, non-regular Confederates who sabotage, attack and kill Union regiments wherever they find them. This film is meandering, giving it an epic quality even though the time covered is only several years. Dutchie and Jackbull join up with other Bushwhackers, including gentleman George Clyde (Simon Baker) and his wry, freed-slave companion Holt (Jeffrey Wright). Led by the grim Black John (Jim Caviezel), these fellows and others fight for their families, revenge, and the thrill of it. The movie gives a thoughtful and not often seen perspective of the Civil War. Like LAST OF THE MOHICANS, it doesn't try to be politically correct or take sides; it concerns itself more with showing how the war the people fight can bear little resemblance to the one the politicians have waged.

RIDE WITH THE DEVIL was one of the most satisfying movies of 1999, featuring one of the strongest ensemble casts I've seen in a long, long time. Highly recommend!

Ang Lee's meditation on friendship during the Civil War
Missouri was one of the slave states that was kept in the Union during the Civil War and since it was on the far side of the Mississippi River it was not really part of the Western Theater of the war. As the critical part of the Anaconda Plan the Union armies were seeking control of the Mississippi, which explained why Grant was fighting his way from Tennessee to Vicksburg while Farragut took New Orleans. In fact, there really was not an organized Confederate army in Missouri, which explains why the young Southern men in "Ride with the Devil" join the Irregulars, who waged guerrilla warfare against Union loyalists. In this part of the war we do not talk about great battles, but rather the infamous raid that torched Lawrence, Kansas on August 21, 1863 as Quantrill's raiders murdered the pro-Union jayhawks.

The story here focus on six young men who join the bushwackers: Jake Roedel (Tobey Maguire), a first generation American who wants to be considered as much a Southerner as any one else even though his father can from Germany (which means he is called "Dutchy"); Jack Bull Chiles (Skeet Ulrich), who hates the Yankees and has seen his family killed; George Clyde (Simon Baker-Denny), a gentleman fighting to preserve a way of life that is going to be gone with the wind; Daniel Holt (Jeffrey Wright), an ex-slave who fights besides Clyde because the man freed him; Pitt Mackeson (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), who is a sadist who glories in killing; and Black John (James Caviezel), almost as brutal but more driven by anger and revenge.

The idea in "Ride with the Devil" is that when America went to war with itself in 1861 the young boys growing up in Missouri and Kansas were suddenly forced into a less than honorable manhood overnight. Consequently, one of the first casualties of the war was their innocence. In 1987 Missouri-born author Daniel Woodrell wrote his Civil War-era novel "Woe to Live On." For Ang Lee the appeal was the drama of young people coming of age in the worst possible time in American history and the theme of self-emancipation. The principal actors were put through three weeks of "boot camp" to capture the way the war dehumanized the young men forced to fight it.

This film start out focusing on the friendship between Jake and Bull as much as it is on anything else, but then while hiding out from the Yankees during the winter Bull takes a liking to Sue Lee Shelly (Jewel), a young widow woman who is helping to provide them with food. Having lost both his father and his best friend, Jake continues to fight because that is what he is supposed to be doing and starts to connect with two other characters in ways that will eventually change his life. After the Lawrence Raid it is clear that the war is going to be lost and a young man who has not even seen twenty years realizes he is lost as well.

Certainly "Ride with the Devil" is a beautiful film with the sense of period authenticity you would expect from Lee. It is not really a movie about the Civil War any more than "Cold Mountain" is (an obvious comparison), but more about the friendships that take place during a war. It is just not clear that this is the central theme because our expectations are raised by more standard plot considerations (love and revenge) that do not get played out the way you would think. There is also a sense in which Roedel is the least interesting character of the bunch, yet he emerges as the central figure and the most important gun in the film is perhaps the one that is not fired.

Excellent and underrated
Apparently, USA, which produced this film, was going under at the time of its release and it was show in only 14 theaters. This is a beautiful, emotionally engaging and entertaining film capturing a period and part of the civil war not often depicted.

Skeet Ulrich and Tobey Maguire play two Missouri teens who join a rebel group of Bushwackers (Confederate sympathizers). But this isn't a film that promotes one side or the other. Rather, it shows the similarity and familiarity between both sides.

The acting is wonderful and the story sensitive.

A Great Discovery
I bought this movie blind. I enjoy period flicks and, while seeing what was out there in Amazon.com land, I came across Ride With The Devil. I must admit, I know little about the stars in this movie (I did recognize MacGuire from Spiderman, and I've heard of - but not heard - Jewel), so it was a chance to spend my hard earned cash on it.
I'm glad I did.
Engulfing, exciting, suspenceful, and, most importantly, realistic. Not politically correct. Maybe that's why it didn't do well at the box office and critics panned it. But, it IS true to its time.
The border wars was a part of the Civil War that has hardly (if ever) been touched upon - that boundary where one straddles the fence. The problem was that one couldn't straddle the fence in a state like Missouri. They had to choose Yankee or Rebel. Jayhawk or Bushwack. And you feel clearly, while watching this movie, the turmoil that must have been raging in these citizen's minds and stomachs when they chose one side and a close friend or family member chose the other.
You also feel the deep sorrow and sympathy for ALL involved - North and South - no matter what side you stand for - when Jake reads the touching letter from a mother to her son, showing that these were people who had lives and loved ones waiting for them at home.
It's movies like this that brings these mid 19th century people to life, showing us that they're not just flat black and white pictures in a history book. And that is why this movie stands above so many other historical films.
I must warn you, however, that there is quite a bit of graphic violence. Believe me, you'll feel their pain! ... Read more

Reviews (81)

REPROBATE ALLEN WINS ME BACK, THIS TIME
When it was first released, I avoided seeing DECONSTRUCTING HARRY (a.k.a., Woody) because I couldn't bring myself to face yet another self-deprecating, neurotic, self-indulgent, self-centered Woody Allen on screen (who the newspapers had just confirmed is that way off screen too!). Having first laughed at and then endured Allen since the 1960s, I'd had enough. Nevertheless, to this day Allen's THE FRONT remains one of my all time favorite movies ... mainly because of its truthfulness, honesty and courage. Unintentionally, one night I saw part of DECONSTRUCTING HARRY on cable TV (and then HAD to buy it here in DVD) ... because I couldn't stop howling. I'd only seen perhaps the middle half hour of it, but that was enough. Mercifully, THIS movie was not ALL about Allen. Rather Harry Block-Woody Allen was "exploited" as a vehicle for a higher form of humor. Then there were a parade of actors who I never imagined had it in them: Richard Benjamin, Kirstie Alley, Amy Irving ... of all people ..., Mariel Hemingway ... yet! ALL were great in this comedy ... they were terrific. Equally terrific were Hazelle Goodman as Harry's motherly hooker Cookie (wonderful), Billy Crystal and Robin Williams ... who you'd expect to be funny, were indeed that.

I must admit, Allen pulled one out as writer, director and star. But not merely because of the brilliant writing and directing (oh, O.K., and the acting) but because for ONCE Harry-Woody was not the center of the neurotic universe. He was in the middle of the action .... but he tied it all together in DECONSTRUCTING HARRY. Many modern interpersonal issues, stereotypes and clichés are brought into scrutiny under this microscope. It is the very absurdity of it all, making the movie hysterically funny.

Clearly, this is a movie for mature audiences. It is definitely not a movie for children and adolescents. Probably they would find it boring and confusing. The language and situations are graphic, raw and irreligious. But in this movie these are necessary "paints" for painting this picture. Grownups will enjoy this movies thoroughly.

Allen's self-exploration vignettes
Weaving between fiction and reality, Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry tells the tale of a writer's sexual exploits, romantic failings, and dealings with depression. Allen's character Harry transfers his life's problems into his books, which causes much strife between the real-life counterparts in his world.

Once again Allen has leveraged his considerable fame to draw in Hollywood's elite. Throughout the film, every face is a familiar one. Billy Crystal is portrayed as the devil who steals Woody's romantic lead, Robin Williams as a blurry actor who can't get his focus, Kirstie Alley as a ex-wife who discovers Harry has cheated with a patient, and countless more celebrity cameos.

The joy in partaking in this film is evident in the celebrity actors who appear. There's a certain prestige in such an endeavor, and we, the film audience, can identify just about everyone in the film. At the same time, each character that appears has so much baggage in our minds. For instance, Demi Moore appears as an ex-wife. How many of us can honestly think of her in any way other that her celebrity profile. While this isn't a major problem, identifying with some of the celebrities proves difficult at times.

Deconstructing Harry catalogs Woody's struggle with sexual desire and his inability to love. Early on we discover that he has finally found true love in a pupil, Elizabeth Shue, but she has fallen in love with his friend.

The plot is shaped around Harry's self-identity questions, and the character's goal is to go to an honorary ceremony at his alum. He has nobody to take. His ex-wife won't let him take his son, his girlfriend has left him, and a hooker is the only one around that will take him up on his need for companionship.

The play between Allen's semi-autobiographical stories, which flash to and from reality, illuminate the film and shows how Allen's writing channels his depression and gives him a release from an otherwise ugly life.

After viewing Deconstructing Harry, I wonder how autobiographical it really is.

Witty, perhaps, but heartless
There is no doubting the genius of Woody Allen. The clever ideas and witty dialogue flow thick and fast here, but there is just one problem: The film is totally and utterly heartless.

Woody Allen's humour here is just downright cynical. Cruel, even. The film has a narcissistic feel to it, where everyone is mocked and ripped apart mercilessly apart from Woody's alter-ego, Harry. Though I saw this a few years ago and loved it, on rewatching it recently, I just couldn't enjoy it. His cynicism here is left untempered by optimism and faith, something that marked out his earlier work. Sorry, but this just left a bitter taste in my mouth.

One of Woody's best!
This belongs on the shelf along with the other Woody greats such as Hannah, Manhattan, Stardust Memories & Crimes and Misdemeanors. I can't imagine any objection to this movie unless you're the type that gets excited whenever you see a Tom Cruise type up on the screen. About as close to art as a movie can get and in the same league as Bergman, Wenders, Godard or any of the other greats.
Enough said.

incredible
This is by far my favorite woody allen film . most people who discredit the movie do so because of course language and/or typical woody allen roles and situations. well, if you can't take a little vulgarity, f__k off this movie's not for you. It's not potty humor, it's unfiltered dialogue fitted to the characters and the situations they find themselves in. As for the typical allen scenerios of love triangles and even squares, that's what has made him. Would you expect a woody allen film where he is not nuerotic, or tense, or in constant insecurity? Then don't expect one in which all the angles of relationships are dissected and exploited. ... Read more

Reviews (201)

The most poignant film of 1999
In 1985, John Irving penned an American classic about a young man's quest for belonging in the world besieged by World War II and self-doubt. The first script adaptations of the novel would have made for a nine-hour movie but being a daring writer, Irving trimmed it down to two hours of human heart and true nature. The result was one of 1999's biggest hits and a Best Picture Oscar nominee. Tobey Maguire stars as Homer Wells, the central character, who has been reared in an orphanage in rural Maine from infancy by a caring doctor named Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine in his superb Oscar-winning performance). For years, Homer has watched and studied the practices of Dr. Larch on pregnant women who either wanted an abortion or refused their babies. When he sees a chance to leave and explore the world on his own, he takes it and begins a self-quest for his true place in the world. Where he finds it is in the last place one would think, but it makes perfect sense once he discovers the true nature behind it. This touching film made me cry in the theater and it's a shame that not more people were willing to see this picture. It only stayed in theaters for about two weeks at a time. The children will steal your hearts and it is the loving performance from Caine that drives the film to its tearful and redeeming finale. Kathy Baker and Jane Alexander are well-cast as the nurses at the orphanage who stand by Dr. Larch no matter how hard things can get for him and his illegal practices. The film does not promote or demote the act of abortion but rather treats it as just a part of the story...and as a fact of life, that it is a woman's choice. Rachel Portman's beautiful and touching music score will move you to tears. Even though it was nominated for an Oscar, it still should have won. The heart of a film can be in its music and that applies here in every way possible. Caine received a standing ovation at the Oscar show when he won for Best Supporting Actor and spent over half his speech time acknowledging the work of his fellow nominees. John Irving also won for his screenplay adaptation of his own novel, the first time a novelist had ever won for adapting his own work for the silver screen since "Dances With Wolves" won for 1990. Outstanding on every level, this film is the pinnacle of the moviemaking industry for the 20th century, as if to offer hope on life and love and the lessons we need for the future, which would start with the 21st century. Don't pass up on this film. It is one of the greatest achievements from Hollywood in recent years.

A Heavy Subject But Great Acting
THE CIDER HOUSE RULES is a movie that deals with tough questions but does not provide any easy answers. It is based on a novel by John Irving and adapted for the screen by the author.

The story is mostly about life and death at an orphanage in Maine called St. Cloud's before and during World war II. In particular it is about a boy (Tobey Maguire) who is twice rejected by prospective parents and returned to the orphanage. He is then trained by the director (Michael Caine) of St. Cloud's to be his assistant as an obstetrician and gynocologist. With great sadness Maguire leaves St. Cloud's as a young man to see the world and ends up on the Maine coast where he works on an apple farm with migrant workers.

Because of the heavy subject matter the mood is often sombre and some of the incidents involving the orphans seem especially heartbreaking. Tobey Maguire is superb in the leading role as Homer Wells. Michael Caine is excellent as Dr. Wilbur Larch. The rest of the strong supporting cast includes Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd, Erykah Badu and Kate Nelligan. Lasse Hallstrom is known as the director of several other fine films including CHOCOLAT and MY LIFE AS A DOG.

THE CIDER HOUSE RULES won Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Michael Caine) and Adapted screenplay. It also received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Director (Lasse Hallstrom), Editing, Original Score and Art Direction.

Impersonal. Not what you'd expect.
Roger Ebert said it best:

"A larger question remains: Why is there such a muddle about the movie's subject? I left the theater wondering what the movie thought it was about and was unable to say. It's almost deliberately unfocused; it shows us many events without guiding them to add up to anything definite."

I got up from my bed wondering the exact same thing. A movie should never leave you with that big of a question. If it does, it did not accomplish anything, because it is as if it felt it had nothing to accomplish.

I was highly disappointed with this film. It just didn't work on so many levels. Lasse Hallstrome is probably my least favorite major director at the moment. It seems he exists solely for Miramax to hire him so they can produce another accessible --no matter how impersonal-- piece of crap such as this in order to garner Oscars and, in the end, more money.

Many have said it is an important film because it approaches family and abortion. But the family aspect was so sparse it felt non-existent for about 75% of the running time. And the issue of abortion is left at an unfortunately impersonal level, exploring whether or not Tobey McGuire's character Homer finds it moral to use the medical skills his confident Dr. Larch (Michael Caine) has taught him in order to help women with abortion without bringing the issue past Homer himself. It does not ever leave the television screen. You aren't left thinking about whether it is right or wrong, or whether it should be legal or illegal, the woman or man's choice. I would further my point, but I would risk spoiling the film.

I think the only thing I truly enjoyed about the film was Charlize Theron. Otherwise, 'The Cider House Rules' was bland and confused.

Excellent movie, well acted, great story, sad in places.
This adaptation of John Irving's book, features a terrific mix of younger and veteran actors; lead by Michael Caine, Jane Alexander, and Kathy Baker. With Tobey Maguire and Charlize Theron; among others, this movie has a perfect mix of drama, tearjerking emotions, and some very intense moments. While I originally bought the movie for Michael Caine, and to see the lovely Ms. Theron, the story was told well enough and acted well enough to sustain the movie. It is a first rate movie and I'd highly recommend it. I look forward to reading the book (I know it should have been the other way around). The "making of" feature helps to convey what emotions the actors, the director, and others; including Stephen King, of all people, felt in making and seeing the movie. Definitely worth looking at [refers to vhs; but I'm likely to be buying the DVD in future].

Not as good as the book
The book the Cider House rules is one of my favorite books. The movie didn't quite do it justice. Many of the sub plots are missing and the whole general plot is condensed into just one generation. Because of this many of the important themes are lost and Homer's ultimate decision doesn't seem as important or meaningful. Also, it only seems to skim over the love between Dr. larch and Homer; it is much more profound in written words. It would be a good movie if you have never read the book because then you don't realize what you are missing, but I would recommend reading the book instead of watching the movie. ... Read more

Reviews (105)

Ang Lee's Look at the 70's..It's A Winter Wonderland
This review refers to the 20th Cent Fox DVD Edition of "The Ice Storm"......

The beauty of Ang Lee's storytelling, is that we never get the same story twice. His films are always a fresh take or a first look at era's past and present. Fresh off his success with "Sense and Sensibility", Lee steps ahead into the turbulant and oft confusing times of the 1970's with "The Ice Storm".The story based on a novel by Rick Moody deals with two upper class suburban families dealing with the changing times and the changes in their lives, all amidst the arrival of a wintry ice storm.He has chosen the perfect cast and adds just the right amount of nuance and subtle comedy to this drama to make it a perfect film.

Ben and Elena Hood(Kevin Kline/Joan Allen) married in the idealistic 50's, now find themselves growing apart and their relationship getting cold as the sexual revolution of the 70's is all around them.Ben growing restless has an affair with the neighbor Janey Carver(Sigourney Weaver), Elena wants to feel the freeness she felt as a young girl. While trying to fit into this new world, they decide to participate in a "Key Party"(who you go home with at the end is anybody's guess).The teenagers(Tobey MaGuire, Elijah Wood, Christina Ricci) are also trying their hand at experiencing life so to speak.As the events of the evening unfold, a freakish storm arrives that seems to blow new life into all of them, their lives will be forever changed with the passing of the storm and the dawning of the new day.

Ang Lee captures the mood of the Nixon era expertly. Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver and Joan Allen are perfect in their performances of the dysfunctional adults trying to cope with the times. Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, and Elijah Wood have all surely stepped up their careers from their brillant portrayals as the precocious but curious kids."The Ice Storm" will take your breath away.

20th Century Fox has made a beautiful transfer to DVD.It is presented in vivid colors and a sharp picture in the original theatrical widescreen(anamorphic 1.85:1). Depending on your set up it may be enjoyed in either 5.0 surround or Dolby stereo(English or French). There is a short featurette on the making of the film, the theatrical trailer and subtitles in English and Spanish.

It's amazing that Oscar missed this little gem, it was just one of those that got lost in the wake of "Titianic" that year. If you have not seen this yet and like a good emotional ride, this film will take you on that ride.And then you'll want to buy another ticket and go again!.......Thanks and enjoy...Laurie

No real story - just moody decadence
Ang Lee's extraordinary glimpse into an era and a culture not of his own (?) does not cease to amaze. But this eroding family and its various sexual hangups are not terribly engaging on their own. I found myself wondering WHO CARES? through most of the movie, yet I had to see how it ended. Lee keeps you hanging on despite the banality and embarrassment (namely sex party ideas of the '70's that even nice upper middle class people dabbled in). In the end it was less about sex and more about the preciousness of life itself - and that family is family no matter how miserable or dysfunctional it might be.

Lee leaves a steady trickle of nostalgia throughout the film which seems deliberately crafted to ensnare the attention of people otherwise bored with art films. (People like me.) HEY, I REMEMBER THAT SONG! AND WHAT'S THAT ON THE T.V. THERE - "TIME TUNNEL"?! These tidbits of trivia hold your attention much the way commercials do - so it is hard to say that the story of "The Ice Storm" is compelling enough on its own merits. You have to remember the era to really get anything out of this flick.

Dark,compelling story set amid social changes in the 1970s
This fim is moody and morose, just like the book which I read a few years ago. It now has a talented director (Ang Lee) and some well-known actors (Kevin Kline, Signorey Weaver). The Ice Storm is a metaphor, of course, and the scenes takes place over a Thanksgiving weekend in New Canaan, CT in the early seventies. The parents are experimenting with the sexual revolution. The teenage children and smoking pot and feeling the anti-war movement. The sudden social changes are confusing everybody.

The story is dark and compelling and the children come across as more real than the parents. It is a hard film to watch, given its subject. Thought it was was excellent athough I wasn't smiling when the film ended. I was thinking.

Take that 1970's!
The Ice Storm is one of the all time great films in the past 25 years if not 50. Ang Lee, who is gifted beyond fathomable belief, directs another deeply moving drama. Lee is one of the finest directors who can get the most of out of his actors. This film teases you and then slaps you upside down by it's stirring climax. This film is a treat; you're cheating only yourself if you don't see it.

one of the best suburban comedy-dramas EVER
while one could easily consider ice storm a companion piece to the great american beauty, the genius film-maker ang lee actually made this film several prior to american beauty & this was unfortunately highly overlooked in 1997 & 1998 sad to say. with the elements of comedy & drama, we get a view of what life could've been like during the seventies right around the holidays. the world outside was going through some great changes, people were searching for their own identities, & family were losing touch with one another. this holiday season, 2 families will be put to the test in terms of loyalty, commitment, & will discover just how they mena to one another. ice storm features some excellent performances from kevin klein, joan & sigourney weaver in addition to some stellar performances from lesser-known actors/actresses around that time such as christina ricci, tobey maguire, & elijah wood. ang lee has crafted a funny, often touching look at a cold world in which we've inhabited based upon the great novel by rick moody. the best scene in my opinion is the scene where kevin klein carries his daughter(played wonderfully by christina ricci) on his back walking through the woods as the snow begins to fall. beautiful & heartwarming scene indeed. another great moment is the thanksgiving dinner where christina ricci's character leads the family into prayer & this is a complete riot. at such an affordable cost on vhs & dvd, why shouldn't you own this little known masterpiece in your library? ... Read more

Reviews (1047)

Spider-man spins a complex web of humanity in characters
An excursion to Columbia University science lab transforms the bespectacled Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) with miraculous vision, sculpted body after a genetically-altered spider bits him. He possesses agility in leaping from skyscrapers and can spin webs from his wrist. Henceforth he assumes the identity Spider-man to combat evil manifested in the form of the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), a Species-look-alike perpetrator that terrrorizes the city with a glider that drops bombs.

Spider-Man embodies the heroics created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko who had graced the popular Marvel Comics to become an comic icon as a crime-buster - and now the film further increases the fanaticism. It is a US 140 million blockbuster and gaudy with sleek costumes and galvanizing stunts. It is digitally-enhanced F/X to capture panoramic swings in its most realistic and The Times Square action-sequence is one of the most dazzling in cinematic history.

Yet the superhero adventure fails to surprise because of its conventional storyline of good-vs-evil. The self-discovery and mutation renders so much punch that the second-half falls relatively lack-lustre. Fortunately Spider-Man spins a complex web of humanity and empathy for the characters - and Tobey Maguire as the lead is the emotional core who captivates with his vulnerability in handling his growth traumas, doubts and fears. No less sterling is Willem Dafoe who is all hysterics and maniacal in his split personality inherited from the aftermath of a blundered experiment. Kirsten Dunst as his love-interest Mary Jane, James Franco as his buddy and even his uncle Ben played by Cliff Robertson show surprising dimensions.

Spider-Man is thus an evocative tale of a hero struggling with his adolescence, betrayal and murder. And Sam Raimi displays the same sensitivity here with his eariler works like Darkman with his flawed avenger. He directs it with eye-popping visuals like Army of Darkness and the comic hero resonates in its true-self. Its brooding hero is what makes Spider-Man a nifty web - and Maguire has definitely triumphed the cynics with his soulful spin.

Spinning A Worthy Web
Spider-Man is an entertaining film that is a great summertime, popcorn movie. The film explores the origins of the transformation of Peter Parker from nerdy high school student to the web slinging superhero Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire is quite good in the title role. He plays the character with the right amount of torment as an outcast who has been put down all his life, but injects pride, joy and happiness into the Peter from his newly bestowed powers. Kirtsen Dunst is Peter's next door neighbor, Mary Jane Watson. Ms. Dunst is not given much to work worth in the character, she is the requisite love interest, damsel in distress but she is appealing in the role. Willem Dafoe is plays the Green Goblin who is the villain in the film. The Goblin's alter ego is Norman Osborne who is the rich father of Harry (James Franco), Peter's best friend and roommate. Mr. Dafoe is perfectly cast as the Goblin and he handles the character's schizophrenic outbursts with creepy aplomb. Mr. Franco plays Harry sullenly and he appears as if he is moping through the picture. J.K. Simmons plays Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson as a pushy, demanding blowhard who listens only to himself with hilarious results. People have criticized the fighting and action scenes, but they are really no better or worse than most current action films. There are some Matrix like sequences with the slow motion, but these scenes actually help show Spider-Man's spider senses that allow him to anticipate and react quickly to danger. The film was a box office smash and we should expect to see numerous sequels that will hopefully be as appealing as the first installment.

ETMR - Spiderman
1. Humanity: What events in the film drove Peter Parker to adopting his vigilante attitude toward crime?

2. Implications: How is Spiderman's understanding of "with great power comes great responsibility" an example of contemporary American thought? Think specifically about the nature of evil and the propensity toward intense individual classification when one's existence becomes threatened.

3. Evolution: Spiderman was a hero born out of the 60s, springing from both the dangers of genetic manipulation and the problems of substance abuse (in the form of Oscorp Chemicals). Raimi makes little mention of the chemical abuse in the story, and paints it in a much simpler picture of the probable evil in man's soul and the strange world of pseudoscience. Therefore, it is obvious that in many ways, the film departs from its traditional conditioning while remaining loyal to the original personalities of the characters. In which ways is Spiderman the hero shown to be a creation of the contemporary age, versus a creation of the 60s, in the film?

4. Realism: America has a long history, not only in comics but in legendary history, of people who take the law into their own hands. If a being like Spiderman existed, could he survive in our real world, or is he only a dream?

5. Stageplay: Spiderman is classicly a cynic, an individual thinker, an avid contemporarian (someone "in" the times), a man of passions (versus someone who could care less), an irreligious jokester and a man who is not sure of his destiny, but lives to succeed. Do you feel Maguire fulfills this role? Some critics say he is too much of a "boy" to fill Spiderman's shoes, while others claim it is his boyishness that charms us into belief. What do you think?

Spiderman
This was a good movie with lots of great special effects and action sequences. If you like superhero-type movies you'll really enjoy this family oriented movie. I would recommend this movie.

Spiderman, Spiderman, watch this movie when you can
This movie has exceeded my expectataions of it far beyond my belief. Probably because I went in thinking that it would suck. I'm just not into this kind of stuff. Of course, I'm a closet "Batman" fan so I guess it does say something. Anyway, I really enjoyed this movie. The cinematography was awesome! From all the camera dynamics following Spidey's twists and flips, you really felt that you were flying through the air with him. The cinematography also had a warm, upbeat feeling to it. It was one of the main reasons the movie kept my eyes glued to the screen.

The second reason is, of course, the actors. From Tobey Maguire's clumsy but lovable Peter Parker to Kirstin Dunst's beautiful Mary Jane Watson to Willem Dafoe's deliciously evil Green Goblin, the actors most definitely made the movie. The producers certainly picked the right people to handle the characters.

The only downside to this movie was that the opening credits were too long and too boring. ... Read more

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