Psycho (1998)

Synopsis

Title: Psycho (1998)

Genre: Horror

Rating: R (Violence, sexuality/nudity)

Running Time: 105 Minutes

Director: Gus Van Sant

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, William Macy, Robert Forester

Plot: A woman steals $400,000 and drives off with the money. She runs into an old motel off the main highway and meets Norman Bates. Norman runs the motel and has some obvious quirks about him. The woman would soon wish that she never made a stop at that motel.

My Take

This movie clearly lacked originality. In fact, it was pretty much a direct imitation of the original psycho. What was the purpose? The only difference was that this version was in color and there were different actors. The original Psycho was classic and I guess Gus Van Sant didn’t want to mess with ‘greatness’. The movie doesn’t worry about keeping realistic because the original didn’t worry about keeping scenes realistic. I did notice an obvious editing mistake: The house is on the right of the motel but one of the shots had it on the right.

What About Vince?

I thought Vince did an exceptional job as Norman Bates. He may have played the psycho role just a little early when he was in the long dinner scene with Anne Heche, who it should be noted also did brilliant in my opinon. Although I think he gave too much of his character away too early, I think that is a directorial mistake as opposed to Vince’s mistake. I guess he could argue the point, but ultimately that is probably up to the director. I thought Vince truly shined in this movie. One of his best performances for sure.

Should You Watch???

Watch if you haven’t seen the original, but if you’ve seen the original you’ve already seen this movie. There is nothing new here. Psycho is a movie classic and the updated version is not much worse than the original. I actually really enjoyed it if I’m going to be quite honest. It’s been a while since I saw the original and I thought that while it’s not the most realistic or horrifying movie, it is a classic. While imitation is not original, it doesn’t hurt or diminish the original. If anything, it is a huge complement that they kept everything the same. I would watch this movie again because I really enjoy horror films and Psycho is a classic in my eyes even if it isn’t the best movie.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn

Clay Pigeons (1998)

Synopsis

Title: Clay Pigeons (1998)
Genre: Dark Comedy
Rating: R (Adult Situations, Violence, Profanity, Adult Humor)
Running Time: 104 Minutes
Director: David Dobkin
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Joaquin Phoenix, Janneane Garafolo, Georgina Cates, Scott Wilson, Vince Vieluf
Plot: Out in the country of Montana, an ordinary guy is mistaken by the FBI as a serial killer. As several people close to him wind up dead, he ironically is the one there to report to the sheriff’s office, which is hilariously naïve. The actual serial killer, Lester Long, eventually befriends Clay and it is a roller coaster of a ride from there.



My Take
Clay Pigeons was a directorial debut for David Dobkin. Before Clay Pigeons, he gained notoriety as a music video director. Another person involved in the movie but not mentioned is Ridley Scott who was the executive producer of the movie. Now I’m generally not a fan of black comedies, but I actually liked this movie. Often times black comedies are extremely weird and the plot makes no sense at all. Often times black comedies have no comedic moments whatsoever, but while Clay Pigeons had its weird moments I was able to follow the story and there were some comedic acting and dialogue. I am a big fan of both Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix so maybe that is part of the reason why I liked this movie. I also like Vince Vieluf. He does a perfect job as the dumb deputy Barney. I very much enjoyed watching this film.

What About Vince?
Vince played a very weird character in this movie. He played Lester (the molester) Long who was a serial killer who stabbed numerous woman to death. This role for Vince was different then his past roles which was nice to see. He was a cowboy who had a strong accent and had a very strange persona. While I liked him, I found his fake laugh to be annoying. I concede that it did add to the quirkiness of his character, so I’m sure it was intentional, but it was a little over the top. Other than that though, I liked his performance. He is starting to show some versatility and his performance in this movie has not gone unnoticed by fans of him and the movie.

Should You Watch???
This movie is not for everyone. Firstly, note the rating as there is some sexuality, violence and profanity. Secondly, not everyone enjoys the black comedy genre. I am usually included in that crowd, but for some reason I found myself enjoying the subtle comedy and plot twists. If you are looking for something a little different, check it out. If you are a fan of black comedies, chances are you’ll absolutely love this one.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn

Becoming Jane (2007)

Synopsis

Title: Becoming Jane (2007)

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG

Running Time: 120 Minutes

Director: Julian Jarrold

Main Actors: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith, Joe Anderson

Plot: Becoming Jane follows the life of early 19^th century writer Jane Austen. The movie is loosely based on fact, but the story about her personal life is somewhat unknown. Austin is credited for writing 6 novels including huge successes Pride and Prejudice and Emma. The movie was edited for re-rating and was originally PG-13.

My Take

I have a feeling that although this was not exactly my favorite type of movie, Becoming Jane will be hugely popular among females. I know my sisters will love this movie. I say it isn’t exactly my type of movie because I found it slow and boring at times. I also think it is a little bit too wordy. I know that Austen is known for her humor in her books and witty dialogue, but it got a little annoying to me. The storyline is familiar and good although I think the I-love-you-I-love-you-not can get a little tiresome. The costume design team did a good job making the costumes and set look 2 centuries old. I have no real complaints about the acting or directing. With this movie, you get about what you expect going in to the movie.

Should You Watch???

If you like Pride and Prejudice, you should love this movie. They are very similar. Could this be because Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice? I actually prefered Pride and Prejudice to this movie, but I thought both were pretty good. This movie clearly attracts the female audience, but it is watchable if you are male. If you are a guy and want to do something nice for your female partner, offer to watch Becoming Jane. Just be aware that you may want to check the sports ticker on your computer or phone when the movie hits a dead spot.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn

Vince Vaugh Month Extended

It has become increasingly clear to me that I will not be able to watch all of the Vince Vaughn movies I want this month. For that reason I will be extending the Vince Vaughn theme through March. I may also include some movies that do not include Vince Vaughn, but the majority will. Stay tuned, because a new review should be up shortly.

A Cool, Dry Place (1998)

Synopsis

Title: A Cool, Dry Place (1998)

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 97 Minutes

Director: John N. Smith

Main Actors: Vince Vaughn, Monica Potter, Joey Lauren Adams, Bobby Moat, Devon Sawa

Plot: A single father (Vince Vaughn) balances his work as an attorney with the care of his five-year old son (Bobby Moat) and his work as a high school basketball coach in rural Kansas, where he moved after his wife abandoned him in Chicago. Just as he starts to develop a new relationship with a veterinarian's assistant (Joey Lauren Adams), his ex-wife (Monica Potter) suddenly reappears and wants to re-assert herself in her husband and son's life. On top of the romantic conflict, he is also suddenly presented with the opportunity of a lifetime to join a major firm in Dallas. Written by John Sacksteder

My Take

Usually when you hear about a single parent, you assume it is the mother who takes care of the kid. A Cool, Dry Place looks at the life of a single father whose wife left him. If there was one word for the film, I would say cute. The beginning of the film really emphasizes the father-son relationship. As the film moves on, it focuses more on the difficulties of managing a career and being a parent. This storyline is unfortunately very common in today’s environment. As I watched the movie, I found myself hoping that they would send some messages that were never sent. For example, the teen sex issues. The whole sub-story about the teen was awfully executed and never became resolved. Marriage is about unconditional love. This story proves that several people simply don’t understand what marriage is, and that’s sad. After watching The Locusts however, it was nice to see a little bit lighter hearted movie even if it had its sadder moments.

What About Vince?

Once again, Vince plays the nice guy that you like. He interacts well with his son. His character is believable. I have no complaints with his part.

Should You Watch???

It is not a bad movie. You could do much worse. I think they failed to deliver in the story department, but the story had potential to be very good. Vince Vaughn is good. I think you could watch this movie and be at least somewhat satisfied.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn

The Locusts (1997)

Synopsis

Title: The Locusts (1997)

Genre: Drama

Rating: R

Running Time: 125 Minutes

Director: John Patrick Kelley

Main Actors: Kate Capshaw, Vince Vaughn, Jeremy Davies, Ashley Judd, Paul Rudd

Plot: A young drifter, Clay Hewitt, wanders onto a ranch run by a bossy widow named Delilah Potts. Clay asks for a job on the ranch and discovers Delilah and her son have deep problems. Also released under the title A Secret Sin, The Locusts marked the feature debut of writer and director John Patrick Kelley

My Take

I don’t have much to say about this movie. It is not terrible, but there are few redeeming qualities about the film at the same time. Ashley Judd looks good and Vince Vaughn does a good job with his part. You might remember Jeremy Davies (Flyboy) from Saving Private Ryan. He’s become known for playing the role of a victimized and conflicted young man and he did a decent job. Kate Capeshaw played her role as b*tch well. Smoking was so prevalent in the movie that it became part of the storyline; it was annoying to me. Nothing stood out to me as being great or really even good for that matter. I won’t give anything away and I won’t go into why it is, but I will say that the ending was simply awful. I felt depressed for after the movie in part because of the story and in part because I wasted two hours of my life watching the film.

What About Vince?

Vince Vaughn had a starring role and did a good job. He plays the drifter who was looking for work and found it at a ranch. He befriends the son of the widow at the ranch and much of the movie is about their relationship. He does a good job playing the cool and concerned friend. He has past problems of his own and does a decent job showing emotion, although I don’t think anyone will call that his strong suit as far as acting is concerned. I liked Vince in this movie, but his performance was not so great that I’d say you need to watch the movie for his performance.

Should You Watch???

Umm… I guess you should watch if you think Ashley Judd is hot and that is good enough for you. I guess you should watch if you are doing a movie month on Vince Vaughn. I guess you should watch if your cable goes out, you have nothing else to do, you have two hours to waste, and an extra two hours of sleep doesn’t entice you. In all other instances, I’d say you don’t want to watch this movie.

Popcorn Rating

Plain Popcorn

Jurassic Park: The Lost World (1997)

Synopsis

Title: Jurassic Park: The Lost World (1997)

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 134 Minutes

Director: Steven Spielberg

Main Actors: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, Vince Vaughn, Richard Attenborough, Peter Stormare

Plot: This is the second movie of the Jurrasic Park trilogy. We discover that there was a second island full of dinosaurs that was used as a breeding ground for the original Jurassic Park. Dr. John Hammond decides to send four adventurers to monitor the dinosaur’s lifestyle before a group named INGEN comes to the island. INGEN wants to capture the dinosaurs, take them back to San Diego, and form a “dino” park.

My Take

Unlike the original Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton did not write the script for The Lost World. The script wasn’t terrible, but if memory serves me it was not nearly as good as the first Jurassic Park. This movie was a blockbuster when it came out 10 years ago and it got nominated for several awards, but a lot changes in 10 years. The dinosaurs look good, they must have looked amazing 10 years ago, but the rest of the visual effects were not so good. A number of destruction scenes and plot developments were comical. This is an action/adventure/thriller but it was more of a comedy from my perspective. There were plenty of one-liners and awed faces throughout the movie. Although nothing will ever top the first Jurassic Park where the T-Rex ate the guy sitting on the john, it is still hilarious watching T-Rex kill people. If you haven’t seen the movie you might think that is a terrible thing to say, but watch the movie and tell me with a straight face you didn’t laugh. This movie had a scene where a guy hiding from the T-Rex found a snake on himself and cried “a snake!” and walked right into the T-Rex’s mouth. It’s comedic moments like these, although I’m not sure they were meant to be funny, that make this movie entertaining. However, the music by John Williams is legendary. Some of the acting was good, some was bad, and Jeff Goldblum’s eyebrows are just plain ugly!

What About Vince?

Vince Vaughn did an excellent job in this movie. He played the part of Nick Van Owen who is a photographer and one of the four chosen by Dr. Hammond to monitor the island. True to form, Vaughn delivers comedic relief that only he can. He delivers quick and witty lines at the perfect time and he comes off as a very likable character in this role as opposed to the jerk, which he also plays very well. The movie would not have been nearly as good without Vince Vaughn in my opinion.

Should You Watch???

I think you must watch the original Jurassic Park before you see this one. The original was just that, original, and it was a huge success and deservedly so. The Lost World is not as good as the original Jurassic Park but it will provide you with some of the same comedic dinosaur destructive action you came to know and love in the first one. While I wouldn’t say this was a great movie by any means, I’d say it’s entertaining. There is some violence, but nothing compared to what we are used to seeing these days. Don’t expect a real action/thriller, but I think you’ll be entertained. Just expect to laugh at spots where you shouldn’t be laughing.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn

Swingers (1996)

Synopsis

Title: Swingers (1996)

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Rating: R

Running Time: 96 Minutes

Director: Doug Liman

Main Actors: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Heather Graham, Brooke Langton

Plot: This is a story about Mike, a guy who left his girl in New York when he came to LA to be a star. It's been six months since he left his girlfriend and he's not doing so good. So his best pal Trent and some other friends try and get him back in the social scene and forget about his 6 year relationship.

My Take

This is the definition of the dating scene during the 90’s. It is the most down to earth, true-to-form movie I have ever seen. Although I personally didn’t hit the party scene much, it does bring back memories of my college days. It’s not something I really desire to go back to at this time, but at the same time it was a great experience. Swingers is hilarious, but it is also an excellent story about relationships. What’s the last time you could say that a movie was hilarious with a great story in the same sentence? Swingers was shot on a small budget, but it was done expertly. The swing music was great and it actually brought back swing music in the late 90’s. Everything about this movie, in my eyes, was simply magnificent. I’ll talk about Vince’s performance in a bit, but Jon Favreau and company did an excellent job as well. Great job by director Doug Liman. Everybody was awesome. I own this movie, and it is one of the few movies that I will go back and see over and over again. Several scenes stood out, but especially the last scene, which may be the best last scene in any movie. Swingers is awesome. In fact, it might be my favorite movie of all time. That’s my take.

What About Vince?

This is Vince’s best performance to date. In fact, I think he could go on to star in movies for the next 50 years and he would still be remembered for his part in Swingers. He does simply an amazing job as Trent. This was undoubtedly a springboard for his career.

Should You Watch???

There is quite a bit of language in the film, so that could turn some off I guess. This is a guy’s-guy movie. I can’t speak on behalf of the women, but I will say that this movie will hit home with every young man. It’s so much more than a simple comedy. This movie is about relationships more than anything else. Girls you should be able to watch this one and enjoy it as well. You might learn something about guys unless of course you already have us all figured out. Do yourself a favor and watch Swingers. Guess what? It’s back-to-back Hall of Fame movies. Don’t expect that streak to continue.

Popcorn Rating

Bag of Half-Popped Kernels

Rudy (1994)

Synopsis

Title: Rudy (1994)

Genre: Sports Drama

Rating: PG

Running Time: 114 Minutes

Director: David Anspaugh

Main Actors: Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty, Charles Dutton, Lili Taylor, Vince Vaughn

Plot: Rudy always had a dream to play football for Notre Dame. The problem was that he didn’t have good enough grades nor the athletic ability to have a chance to make the team. At least that’s what everyone was telling him. He believed in himself and proved everybody else wrong..

My Take

We start Vince Vaughn month with a BANG! Call it a cliché sports movie if you want, but this is one of the greatest sports movies if not the greatest sports movie of all time. Rudy, based on a true story, is an inspiration and it gives me a great since of pride and admiration every time I watch it, and I’ve seen it several times; the sign of a truly great movie. This is the ultimate underdog story, and everyone loves a good underdog story. Sean Astin did an awesome job playing Rudy, who made it on the field in South Bend after overcoming great obstacles. The story is rock solid. The acting is rock solid. In addition to Astin’s performance, Jon Favreau did an excellent job as the shy teacher’s aid who needs help socializing with the ladies (sounds very familiar doesn’t it). All the supporting actors did a fine job. The setting is beautiful with scenes from the actual university. The music is breathtaking and classic. The football scenes were very well done, especially for the time. I honestly have no complaints about this movie. Great, great movie.

What About Vince?

Vince Vaughn played the part of a high profile recruit who never lived up to expectations. Rudy was the first film for Vince Vaughn, who struck up a friendship with Jon Favreau and eventually led to more prominent roles. Vince had just 2 or 3 lines in the movie, but he played the part of football jock well. We have all come to realize that he plays the guy nobody really likes really well. Rudy even has an effect on Vince’s character, as Vaughn is the one that makes sure Rudy is put into the final game. So he does have a soft spot. He looks so young in this movie. I can’t wait to watch more of Vince’s films and see how he grows as an actor.

Should You Watch???

Every single person should watch this movie. This movie has everything a sports fan could as for in a movie. This movie has everything a person who has ever had a dream could ask for in a movie. I don’t review movies through the eyes of a critic, but through the eyes of a common person who loves movies and loves a great story. Rudy is a movie that will truly move you emotionally in a way that few movies can. Rudy is a cinematic masterpiece that the whole family will enjoy for years to come.

Popcorn Rating

Bag of Half-Popped Kernels