American Pie (1999)

American Pie

What is it that attracts us to somebody else? Body language? Pheromones? Location? Lighting? Lots of liquor? It is these and many other things. It is only later that we come to reflect on the merits of what we did. Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) happens to be beside the pool table when Stifler’s Mom (Jennifer Coolidge) comes into the room. He looks at her. She looks at him and asks if he is trying to seduce her. They both then look at the pool table. He is horny teenager and she’s a horny housewife. If doesn’t take rocket science to know what happens next. It seems likely that post-coital reflection is the least of their thoughts.


Director:  Paul Weitz; Chris Weitz
Writer:  Adam Herz
Cast:
Jason Biggs -  Jim Levinstein
Chris Klein -  Chris ‘Oz’ Ostreicher
Thomas Ian Nicholas -  Kevin Myers
Alyson Hannigan -  Michelle Flaherty
Shannon Elizabeth -  Nadia
Tara Reid -  Victoria ‘Vicky’ Lathum
Eddie Kaye Thomas -  Paul Finch
Sean W. Scott -  Steve Stifler
Eugene Levy -  Jim’s Dad
Natasha Lyonne -  Jessica
Mena Suvari -  Heather
Jennifer Coolidge -  Stifler’s Mom
Chris Owen -  Chuck Sherman
Molly Cheek -  Mrs. Levinstein (Jim’s Mom)
Lawrence Pressman -  Coach Marshall
Clyde Kusatsu -  English Teacher









The Bodyguard (1992)

The Bodyguard

I’ve always been a fan of mushy moments in movies. Sometimes it seems forced, sometime contrived. However when Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston) gets pushed of the stage, her headdress taken and the beads ripped away and spilled all over, I was entranced. Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner) grabs a fire extinguisher, hoses down the audience and then elbows and pushes his way through the crowd to finally gather Rachel in his arms carrying her to the limousine leaving Sy Spector (Gary Kemp) and Tony Scipelli (Mike Starr) standing in the rain with the Metropolis stage setting in the background. Wow…


Director:  Mick Jackson
Writer:  Lawrence Kasdan
Cast:
Kevin Costner -  Frank Farmer
Whitney Houston -  Rachel ‘Rach’ Marron
Gary Kemp -  Sy Spector
Bill Cobbs -  Bill Devaney
Ralph Waite -  Herb Farmer
Tomas Arana -  Greg Portman
Michele Lamar Richards -  Nicki Marron
Mike Starr -  Tony Scipelli
Christopher Birt -  Henry
DeVaughn Nixon -  Fletcher ‘Fletch’ Marron
Gerry Bamman -  Ray Court
Joe Urla -  Minella
Tony Pierce -  Dan
Charles Keating -  Klingman
Robert Wuhl -  Oscar Host
Debbie Reynolds -  Herself









The Last Run (2004)

The Last Run

It is easy to get lost. All it takes is a wrong turn and you find yourself looking around and wondering what happened and how you got to this point. Just as Steven Goodson (Fred Savage). He took the advice of his friend Jack Manning (Steven Pasquale), went on a tear after dumping his cheating girlfriend Chloe (Andrea Bogart) and turned into a hound of the first stripe. Now he’s broke, fired from his job and sniffing around any girl that will give him the time of day. One night, he runs into Amelia (Erinn Bartlett), an old high school chum he was too shy to date, and finds himself ambivalent over whether he wants to see her again or seduce her on the spot. Maybe he has run out of steam.


Director:  Jonathan Segal; Anthony Hickox
Writer:  Todd M. Camhe; Jonathan Segal
Cast:
Fred Savage -  Steven Goodson
Amy Adams -  Alexis
Steven Pasquale -  Jack Manning
Andrea Bogart -  Chloe
Erinn Bartlett -  Amelia
Vyto Ruginis -  Clancy
Robert Romanus -  Steven’s Boss
Ray Baker -  Mr. Powers
Abby Brammell -  Bar-Back Chick
Amanda Swisten -  Sage
Lisa Arturo -  Ginger
Jillian Bach -  Felicia
Ina Barron -  Stunning Brunette
Judith Benezra -  Bridget
Art Bonilla -  Landscaping Co-Worker
Sharon Brathwaite -  Renee






Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

Beverly Hills Cop III

Go ahead, admit it. You’d like to wear one just to see what it is like. No? OK, I will. I’d love to try on of those fuzzy cartoon animal suits you see in theme parks. Okey-Dokey, a blue elephant, is the choice of Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) as he goes after the bad guys. But then the scene of the four other animals, playing poker and chewing stogies makes me uneasy.


Director:  John Landis
Writer:  Danilo Bach; Daniel Petrie, Jr.; Steven E. de Souza
Cast:
Eddie Murphy -  Det. Axel Foley
Jon Tenney -  Levine
Joey Travolta -  Giolito
Eugene Collier -  Leppert
Jimmy Ortega -  Rondell
Ousaun Elam -  Pederson
Ray Lykins -  Nixon
Tim Gilbert -  McKee
Rick Avery -  Cline
Gil Hill -  Insp. Douglas Todd
Dick Purtan -  Detroit disc jockey
Fred Asparagus -  Bobby
Louis Lombardi -  Snake
Lindsey Ginter -  Holloway
Timothy Carhart -  Ellis De Wald
Michael Bowen -  Fletch









Bad Company (2002)

Bad Company

Faith. It is hard to have faith in people, year over year, day after day. Jake Hayes (Chris Rock) runs away from Gaylord Oakes (Anthony Hopkins) and the CIA after someone tries to assassinate him while masquerading as his dead twin brother. He lands in the home of his foster mother who whacks him for surprising her in the dark and then ask him whether he needs money. She then expresses her faith in him. Unlike his foster siblings, Jake has yet to make something of himself like she knows he will.


Director:  Joel Schumacher
Writer:  Gary M. Goodman; David Himmelstein; Jason Richman; Michael Browning
Cast:
Anthony Hopkins -  Oakes
Chris Rock -  Jake Hayes/Kevin Pope
Peter Stormare -  Adrik Vas
Gabriel Macht -  Seale
Kerry Washington -  Julie
Adoni Maropis -  Jarma/Dragan Henchman #1
Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon -  Nicole
Matthew Marsh -  Dragan Adjanic
Dragan Micanovic -  Michelle Petrov
John Slattery -  Roland Yates
Brooke Smith -  Officer Swanson
Daniel Sunjata -  Officer Carew
DeVone Lawson Jr. -  Officer Parish
Wills Robbins -  Officer McCain
Marek Vasut -  Andre
Majed Ibrahim -  Dragan Henchman #2









War (2007)

War

There are many types of family. Each type are subject to the strains of daily life. They may come from within as people struggle to assert their independence or dominance. They may come from outside as intruders seek to dissemble the links that hold it together or seek to shear off someone to persuade them to join another family. Each are mutable as new members join because they want its safety or security and others leave to start their own or are torn apart because of death. And sometimes all of these forces combine along with others to scare all members into realizing how fragile a family can be. FBI Special Agent Jack Crawford (Jason Statham) know all about it. He has lost all of his families but his blue one following the murder of his partner Tom Lone (Terry Chen), his wife and child. And now the one whom everyone believes began this disaster is back. He is a former CIA assassin now working for the Japanese Yakuza named Rogue (Jet Li) who seems also to be in cahoots with the triad families and appears to be playing one off against the other. Crawford hopes they kill themselves but he wants to save Rogue for himself but he has a few surprises for him.


Director:  Philip G. Atwell
Writer:  Lee Anthony Smith; Gregory J. Bradley
Cast:
Jet Li -  Rogue
Jason Statham -  Special Agent Jack Crawford
John Lone -  Li Chang
Devon Aoki -  Kira Yanagawa
Luis Guzmán -  Benny
Saul Rubinek -  Dr. Sherman
Ryo Ishibashi -  Shiro Yanagawa
Sung Kang -  Special Agent Goi
Mathew St. Patrick -  Special Agent Wick
Nadine Velazquez -  Maria
Andrea Roth -  Jenny Crawford
Kenneth Choi -  Takada
Mark Cheng -  Wu Ti
Kane Kosugi -  Temple Garden Warrior
Kennedy Montano -  Ana Chang
Terry Chen -  Special Agent Tom Lone









Pistol Whipped (2008)

Pistol Whipped

There always seems to be some guy in some bar that thinks verbally abusing the female staff raises his stature amongst his compatriots. Guys like Bruno (Arthur J. Nascarella) who tells Emily (Rue DeBona) that he’ll rape he anally if he wants and thinks he’s being fresh with her. When Matt (Steven Seagal) sits down at his table and asks him to apologize, Bruno says he’d be happy to do it by not wiping his dick in her drapes. Uh oh… not what Matt thinks is sufficient.


Director:  Roel Reiné
Writer:  J.D. Zeik
Cast:
Steven Seagal -  Matt
Bernie McInerney -  Father Joe
Ashley Greenfield -  Card Player #1
John P. Gulino -  Card Player #2
Antoni Corone -  Sharp
Matt Salinger -  Dealer
Paul Calderon -  Blue
Lance Henriksen -  The Old Man
Lydia Jordan -  Becky
Mark Elliot Wilson -  Steve
Arthur J. Nascarella -  Bruno
Toru Ohno -  Johnny
Renee Goldsberry -  Drea
Rue DeBona -  Emily
Lee Wong -  Mr. Ling
Wass Stevens -  Tim Wheeler









The Big Lebowski (1998)

The Big Lebowski

Sometimes an event is so preposterous, so peculiar, so strange or so downright gob-smacking weird, that all you can do is sit there with your eyes popping and your mouth agape. The sight of Maude Lebowski (Julianne Moore) swinging naked on a trapeze with a slight, clench-teethed English accent is just such an event.


Director:  Joel Coen
Writer:  Ethan Coen; Joel Coen
Cast:
Jeff Bridges -  The Dude
John Goodman -  Walter Sobchak
Julianne Moore -  Maude Lebowski
Steve Buscemi -  Donny
David Huddleston -  The Big Lebowski
Philip Seymour Hoffman -  Brandt
Tara Reid -  Bunny Lebowski
Philip Moon -  Woo, Treehorn Thug
Mark Pellegrino -  Blond Treehorn Thug
Peter Stormare -  Nihilist #1, Uli Kunkel/’Karl Hungus’
Flea -  Nihilist #2, Kieffer
Torsten Voges -  Nihilist #3, Franz
Jimmie Dale Gilmore -  Smokey
Jack Kehler -  Marty, The Dude’s Landlord
John Turturro -  Jesus Quintana
James G. Hoosier -  Quintana’s Partner









10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

10 Things I Hate About You

It took only three things to like this movie. One was the version of Cheap Trick’s I Want You To Want Me by Letters to Cleo with the band playing on the roof. I don’t know how they got them up there but it was inspired. Please don’t tell me it was CGI. I like the idea of someone humping all that gear up there. Number two was the attempt to look cool riding away on his scooter by Michael Eckman (David Krumholtz). Unfortunately a car blocks his path and forces him off the cliff overlooking the football stadium, giving him the ride of his life. The last was Katarina ‘Kat’ Stratford (Julia Stiles) disdain for the attempts by Ms. Perky (Allison Janney) to get her to play a bigger role in high school activities.


Director:  Gil Junger
Writer:  Karen McCullah Lutz; Kirsten Smith; William Shakespeare
Cast:
Heath Ledger -  Patrick ‘Pat’ Verona
Julia Stiles -  Katarina ‘Kat’ Stratford
Joseph Gordon-Levitt -  Cameron James
Larisa Oleynik -  Bianca Stratford
David Krumholtz -  Michael Eckman
Andrew Keegan -  Joey Donner
Susan May Pratt -  Mandella
Gabrielle Union -  Chastity
Larry Miller -  Mr. Walter Stratford
Daryl ‘Chill’ Mitchell -  Mr. Morgan
Allison Janney -  Ms. Perky
David Leisure -  Mr. Chapin
Greg Jackson -  Scruvy
Kyle Cease -  Bogie Lowenstien
Tarance Houston -  Derek
Cameron Fraser -  Trevor