Movie Reviews - F
Far and Away: I enjoyed it, especially the way it took many wrong turns for the "happy ending" to unfold. I wasn't even bothered by Tom Cruise.
Farenelli: What happens to those vienna boys when they grow up without their hormones attached? This is a story of one of them. He's loved for his voice, but has trouble being happy because... well... you know. What a bum deal. Anyway, the singing was done by two singers - a man and a woman who's voices were "morphed" together. The result is rather bizarre, but I think it fits the character. Farenelli was bizarre. It doesn't matter if the voice sounds fake, I think it fits even better because of it.
Far From Heaven: If somebody had made a movie about homosexuality & interracial romance in 1958, it would have looked a lot like this one (it probably wouldn't have been as good though). Everything from the dialog to the music is straight from upper-class proto-suburban 1950-something. It's the kind of movie that transports the viewer to another place, time & civic sense. That's what movies are for, aren't they?
Fargo: If you're from rural Minnesota, I have news from you - you DO talk like that. Everyone I meet from MN says this movie picks on them unfairly "we don't talk like that", they say. They oughta take a step back and listen sometime. As for the movie, I liked the way the hero was just a regular gal, and for that matter, everyone in the movie was just darn regular.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Damn good movie. Most of these movies really lose their appeal after you reach a certain age, this one is still very "watchable" for me. Sean Penn put in the best performance of his life in this movie (well, maybe that's a bit extreme, but he was darn funny).
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A couple guys go to Las Vegas, do tons of drugs, trash hotel rooms, get in and out of trouble, and leave. If this sounds cool, then you'll like this movie. I can't imagine that a movie with this plot and script could have been done any better. It's based on a book which I never read, so I can't compare it to anything. it was a nice escape for a little while... now I feel like I don't have to 'do way too many drugs and go to Las Vegas', I can just watch this movie instead.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off: About as much fun as you can have in Chicago on a sunny weekday afternoon.
F/X: This would have been a really good 2-part episode of some TV show, but I wasn't too impressed with it as a movie. I never liked movies where the "hero" knows exactly what's going to happen in the next scene. Let's see, I'm going to be trapped in a hallway with a gun-wielding thug... I better bring my portable mirror with me...
Field of Dreams: Kevin Costner does baseball... again. (or was this his first baseball thing?) Anyway, I never really understood the supposed "magical" quality of baseball. It's just a game. It's not even a good metaphor for anything. I think this movie was more about the power of mass hypnosis and mind control than anything. I wonder if people still visit the actual farm field that was used in the film...
Fierce Creatures: I saw this movie in Pattaya, Thailand in a crummy hotel room. I was totally sick and unable to go golfing with my friends. So, I stayed inside almost all day in a half-conscious daze. The TV didn't really come in very well, there was an annoying flashing horizontal line across the middle of the tiny screen. The speakers buzzed loudly in unison with the flashing line. I could barely hear the movie, but I watched it anyway. It seemed to be OK... a lot like "a fish called wanda" (go figure), but not quite as good. I'm not entirely sure what the plot even was.
The Fifth Element: Whatever you think about this movie, you'd have to agree (even if you're a woman) that Mila whatsherface is a babe. The plot of this movie didn't make a whole lot of sense, but it was fun to watch (and not just cause of Mila). The effects were cool and some of the characters were interesting enough to hold my interest. It was just a bit of eye candy. (PS: I just saw this again... I think I liked it more on a second viewing. There was one odd plot thing though, what are the odds that Mila would fall in BW's cab, with all the crazy traffic zooming around - he just happens to be the same person the government later hires to help with the same problem? - way too coincidental)
Fight Club: This was way cool. I'm not even sure what the message was, but who cares? It was just a fantastic movie. Sure, I understand it wasn't for everybody, but I think it expresses the suppressed desires of a lot of people - Ya! let's blow up mini malls and run amok throughout the city. Start a fight with someone you don't know? - perfect! The twisted end of the movie was great too - it was completely unexpected, original and freaky, yet it made sense if you thought about it.
Finding Forrester: And you thought the writing on this web site was good? Forrester is an old man who wrote one amazing book when he was young & later became a recluse. He magically meets up with a young writer-prodigy from "the hood", and they help eachother. In the end everybody is happy, blah blah blah. It's funny that if one makes a movie about a good writer, one needs to have good writing in it. During the parts where someone is reading aloud, the music drowns out the dialog... I guess the writers of this movie weren't up to the task. If you liked Good Will Hunting, you'd like this movie... then again, you won't really need to see it.
The Firm: I just didn't believe the premise. (Hmmm, wasn't there a porn movie called "The Firm"?)
First Blood (Rambo): I haven't seen this in a long time, and I can barely remember what exactly transpired. I guess that means that it really wasn't that great. At the time it came out though, it was state-of-the-art - there weren't many movies like this. Now, they go straight to video every week.
First Knight: Not bad... I almost forgot about this movie. It does have another unbelievable may-december romance in it (way too many these days), but given the time period in question, it does make sense.
A Fish Called Wanda: Great movie. John Cleese (sp?) isn't always great in movies, but when the character is right, he's perfect. This movie's got a great assemblage of wacky characters, they each have massive flaws which are covered by the other characters. As a team, they can get things done... or totally screw things up. Whatever.
The Fisher King: Someday, I want to try rubbing my bare butt on a grass lawn in the middle of the night. It does look like it'd feel great. Of course I liked this movie... it felt great too. I can't think of a Terry Gilliam movie that I didn't like... or love.
Fists of Fury: Bruce Lee's first real movie (not counting those made when he was a little kid). I wasn't too impressed with it actually - there wasn't a whole lot of action, and the action was the best part. Throughout the first half of the movie, Bruce won't even fight! I guess that's supposed to make his rage at the end all the more real. I think this would have been better if it started out "years earlier" with flashbacks of Bruce taking on multitudes of crazed kung-fu thugs. That way, we'd better understand why he wouldn't fight now. (Plus it would satisfy my needs as a bloodthirsty moviegoer).
Fletch: One of Chevy Chase's best movies. I really can't think of much to say about it though...
Fletch Lives: Chevy chase cashing in... can you blame him? It was actually a decent film, although it didn't have any originality going for it.
Flintstones movie: Once every few months, Hollywood produces a really terrible movie. A few years ago this movie came out, thus assuring the continuation of the tradition.
Flowers in the Attic: Strange film... The solution was so simple, yet so hard to do... just walk downstairs.
The Fly: The remake with Jeff Goldblum. Sure I liked it. Unfortunately, Jeff Goldblum liked it so much that he's portrayed the same character in every movie since. Poor guy. I did like him in this movie, but enough is enough!
The Fly II: This movie is the definition of average. Not great, not horrible, just blah. It had some neat special effects... ok writing, a passable story... I dunno. Worth a watch if you really liked "the fly" and are dying to know what happens next. (update - I just saw this again, and the end was corny and cliche)
Forbidden Planet: To many, this is a classic 50's sci-fi movie... an actual good 50's sci-fi movie. It stands out only next to the abysmal competition from the 50's. It's OK, but pretty straightforward. I have a hard time taking any old sci-fi movie very seriously, they all look so corny.
Forever Young: I don't understand the romance of just "being" with someone... is it just me? am I heartless? I mean, they're together for like 5 seconds at the end, and they make it out to be such a wonderful thing. How can 5 seconds make up for a whole lifetime missed?
1492: Conquest of Paradise: Columbus the man. I liked the way that this movie shows the reason so many subsequent explorers were ruthless, evil warmongers. They had little choice, things were simply anarchy back then and they required a "big stick". In this movie (I have no idea if it's historically accurate), Columbus tries to be a "good guy" and is a total failure.
Forrest Gump: Mama always said life is like a box of hand grenades... you never know when it's gonna explode. Sure, this was a good movie. The thing which scares me is that there are some people who think Forrest Gump is a real person. What a pathetic bunch of morons we humans are.
For Your Eyes Only: James Bond saves mankind again.
The Fountain:Wow. I'm still in a state of eternal dreaming. There were bits and pieces of this movie that seemed a bit forced at the time of watching, but taken as a complete package it was simply a glorious piece of art.
Freejack: A sterotypical manical gazillionaire tries to achieve immortality by stealing soon-to-be dead bodies from the past. Scrawny Mick Jagger plays the part of the bad guy's "muscle"... Emilo Estevez is the targeted victim. I saw this quite a long time ago, and don't remember how it ends, but I'm guessing there are explosions and that the bad guy dies in some grusome way.
Free Willy: The title of this movie sort of gives away the ending. Of course, is there ever any doubt? I think the real-life saga of the whale used in the movie is more interesting. Last report is that "Keiko" is doing quite well.
The Freshman: Quite odd. I did love the ending though - everything tastes like chicken anyway.
Frida: A well-done movie about the painter. I really liked the way they wove her paintings into the imagry of the film, like the paintings were Frida's reflection of her reality (see it and you'll know what I mean)... .
Friday the 13th: The only good one of the bunch. Once upon a time, teen horror flicks with psychopathic killers were actually original. Someone had to be first. This movie, Halloween and the original Nightmare on Elm Street are the only good ones I can think of. The story? Psychopathic killer terrorizes horny teens. simple?
From Dusk Till Dawn: I really liked this movie, at least the beginning of it. Once it turned into a vampire-killing bonanza, it lost its appeal. Well, half a movie is better than no movie at all.
The Fugitive: Intelligently written. That probably enough of a reason to see this. So few movies have even that much going for them.
The Full Monte: The premise was really hard to believe... although, as the movie progressed, it got a little easier... what the heck? it's just a movie anyway.