I have placed "sizzler ratings" next to movies to give you an idea of how good they are

	American Psycho
	Deep Blue Sea
	Hannibal
	Pitch Black
	Scream
	Sleepy Hollow
	The Blair Witch Project
	The Mummy
	The Green Mile
	The Haunting

AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000)

Starring: Christian Bale, Reese Witherspoon, Chloe Sevigny, Willem Dafoe
The plot: Patrick Bateman is a 27 year old Wall Street tycoon in Mergers and Acquisitions. Life is one long endless series of snobby lunch meetings, music discourses and status comparisons. One night, as Bateman walks home, a homeless man asks him for help. Bateman feels empowered when he delivers what he considers to be the best help - relieving him of his life in this world. He seeks to do this again and again...
Comment: I haven't read the book but understand it is very controversial, and have had some graphically disturbing scenes described to me by others. However, I wouldn't say the film went that far. The most enjoyable thing about American Psycho was the extremely dry, satanical approach to depicting the '80's. What's worse, it I don't know which is sad - having known people like Bateman's business persona in the '80's - or still knowing some people like that... However, remove the satire, and this film becomes an never-ending sequence of first power plays, then gore, then psychosis. The first time it happens, its watchable, the second time, OK, the third, fourth, fifth times... Pointless. This rather diminished for me the disturbing theme of the film as I was loosing interest and finding peering at my hand in the flickering light of the screen more interesting than the movie. I would suspect, if you wish to see a graphic depiction of the book, you will be disappointed and if you wish to see a shocking movie, you will be disappointed. Only minor cookie crumbs for the '80's satire...
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DEEP BLUE SEA (1999)

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Jaqueline McKenzie, LL Cool J
The plot: Dr Susan McAlester is one doctor with a mission! She wants to cure the human race of Alzheimer's disease and she believes she can do it by extracting some special protein from sharks. However, her funding is about to cut out from under her, so she invites Russell Franklin to her research base to show him how close she is to a cure. However, as a storm moves in, things start to go horribly wrong as the lethal threat of these special sharks becomes more clear.
Comment: This film might have been slightly better if it had taken itself a little less seriously and a bit more of a spoof on Jaws... True, there are some moments when you feel inspired to sneer and make a sarcastic comment - and the cast do it for you, but... those moments are few and far between. So, you end up with a movie that has a nice weak plot and despite big bucks being spent, you get poor special effects.

The cast were probably the strongest feature in this whole film. All of them (except the stereotypical stud, Carter - Thomas Jane. Maybe he was just bad because it was a bad role, I don't know) put on fine performances although there were points where they were clearly struggling with an unpolished script. In the end, this movie should only be seen if you are in the vengeful and want to pick on something as there is a high sneer factor here!
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HANNIBAL (2000)

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman, Giancarlo Giannini, Ray Liotta
The plot: For 10 years, Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins) , the notorious intelligent yet man-eating killer the FBI let escape accidentally, has been keeping a low profile. Now, his forth victim, a disfigured man called Mason Verger (Oldman), wants to seek revenge on Lecter. To do this, he has to get Lecter out and he does this through Clarice Starling (Moore), believing Lecter has as special bond with this FBI agent. Meanwhile, Lecter is about to be exposed in Italy as a corrupt cop (Giannini) recognises Lecter and tries to gain the reward money for pointing the authorities to where Lecter is hiding.
Comment: Really, this long-winded meandering movie is two stories entwined as one. Much of the first half focuses on Giannini as the cop seeking the reward money and trying to call Lecter's bluff. The second half is Lecter at his evil best. Although I couldn't say where to begin editing this film, it certainly felt long enough in the theatre! Hopkins was - again - is marvelous as the emotionally cold intellectual who methodically outwits those who try to prey on him and in turn, become his prey. Oldman was quite unrecognisable but a fairly malevolent force within the film - even if the camera unnecessarily dwelled on his disfigurements, not doubt to make us squirm in our seats. Moore, well, she lacked the brittle vulnerability Jodie Foster had in Silence of the Lambs, and fell a bit short of expectations - but not for a lack of trying. Giannini conveyed entire depths of emotions through cigarette smoke veiled eyes, adding dimension and suspense to the corrupt cop who tries to turn Hannibal in for the reward. As for the gore - well, this is Hannibal Lecter and Hollywood trying to shock us... It's a long film, no better or worse than the original - but very different, being more steeped in suspense than horror. And why anyone would take their under 7 yo kids to it (as they did at the cinema I saw this at), I don't know - not recommended (albeit, I suspect much would be over their heads).
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PITCH BLACK (2000)

Starring: Vin Deisel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Keith David, Lewis Fitz-Gerald
The plot: A spaceship is knocked off route and crashlands on a planet which is bathed in the eternal light of three suns. With the captain killed during the frantic and chaotic fight for survivial, responsibility falls to fry to lead her mixed-bag of survivors off the planet. However, as they struggle to assess the damage, the survivors are being mysteriously and visciously killed if they stray underground. To complicate things, a party of geologists who had been on the planet 20 years beforehand are all found dead.
Comment: Ah, pity the poor Americans who are being inundated with foreign films which they fund - and then have the gaul to have a mixture of english accents in them... Pitch Black in one such film - a $34million epic made in the hostile Australian outback. That said though, I think it actually adds some realism to the story as any space faring mission in the future is most likely going to consist of a mixture of accents and languages (take any international plane flight today as an example...) than just a bunch of Americans...

Pitch Black is a nice, tight thrilling horror flick with believeable effects, excellent if eccentric (and occasionally annoying) cinematography and a neat plot which doesn't insult one's intelligence. Radha Mitchell is stunning in her role as the reluctant leader and Vin Diesel adds a delicious menacing presence as the psychotic criminal, Riddick. Well worth seeing.
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SCREAM (1996)

Starring: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Drew Barrymore
The plot: This movie is supposed to be a spoof of all previous famous horror movies. In a small town, teenagers begin to suffer violent deaths as that follow the gruesome deaths of past famous movies. Sidney Prescott, look like she will be the next victim, following in the footsteps of her mother who was raped and murdered the previous year. However, she is still a virgin and virgin's aren't killed according to the 'rules.' Of course, as all great horror movies go, the climax of the film occurs with the 'In' crowd from school getting together for a night of fun and partying...
Comment: This film is really borderline between a 2 and 3 flame-rating... However, unlike a lot of horror films, the acting in this film isn't as bad (possibly due to the high profile cast???), and the movie plods along at a pace that won't bore you to tears. There is also plenty of blood to spare, but I guess due to the nature that these murder's follow the rules, the deaths aren't highly inventive. Maybe we should be thankful for that.... However, a special award goes to David Arquette's portrayal of Deputy Duey coz he looks soooo damn cheesy with that pimp mo!
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SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999)

Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Christopher Walken
The plot: Set in 1799, Constable Ichabod Crane is dispatched to upstate New York to apply his newfangled investigation techniques on some mysterious murders occurring at Sleepy Hollow. After being informed that the murders are the result of The Hessian, a foul criminal beheaded 20 years before, Ichabod has his faith in fact and method rather rattled by murders occurring in front of him...
Comment: Although at the very best, this could be toted as an average film, Johnny Depp is absolutely priceless as the fussy, pernickety, fainting Ichabod. The tone of the movie it rathe drab throughout such minimum use of colour that it may as well have been filmed in black and white. Tim Burton (director) has done his best to milk the old tale of Headless Horseman for all its gruesome worth, and to give the makers credit, the film does hum along. But, it's bit of a stretch to say they strayed even a little from formula Hollywood with the the car chases merely replaced by horse and trap chases. However, (and I could rave about this for hours), Johnny Depp keeps you watching - and in hysterics - as he truly brings to life the fickle character of Ichabod - and the movie.
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THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999)

Starring: Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael Williams
The plot: Three young people, Heather, Josh and Mike, traipse off to Burkitsville, Maryland to investigate the rumours of a witch there. Somehow, the myth of the witch get mixed up with the 1940 murders of 7 children by a local. However, our hero's hike into the woods to meet the witch. The footage shown is recovered 3 years after they entered the woods - and never came out...
Comment: Being in Australia, we were about the last country on earth to see this film (legally). Could it have been better if it was released earlier here? Undoubtedly... Instead, the hype was too much, the expectation too high and the reality - disappointing. Although there is much to be admired about the film - the clever way in which it was marketed in North America, the documentary style, the way the plot unfolds - playing on our expectations of every horror film out there, the amount of errors in the thin plot and the occasionally slow pace will have dedicated audiences spending more time analysing the flaws than focusing on the drama unfolding. However, this being the surprise hit of 1999, its worth seeing just to see what all the fuss is about.
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THE MUMMY (1999)

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz,
The plot: Way back in Egyptian times, Imhotep steals the heart of the King's concubine. Caught in action, Imhotep and his men are sentenced and cursed to the worst death's possible. Moving ahead to the early 1900's, the brother of a British librarian stumble across a key to the Book of Gold. Together, with the original discoverer of the key, the head off to find a fabled city believed to hold the book. However, once there, the buried body of Imhotep is discovered instead and the curse is activated...
Comment: With the hype Universal Studio's are giving this movie, it will initially draw in a huge crowd - if nothing else but to see the dust cloud devour the plane! However, after a period of time, word will get out about the lack of chemistry between the lead actors, the rather cheap attempts to solicit laughs and the overall rather weak story line. The obvious comparisons can be drawn with the Indiana Jones movies, but The Mummy is rather lacking in adventure comparatively speaking. Suffice to say, if you just want to be entertained for an evening, this is a good movie to see, but if you wish intellectual stimulation, one might be better waiting for the movie to come out on video...
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THE GREEN MILE (2000)

Starring: Tom Hanks, David Morse, Michael Clarke Duncan
The plot: John Coffey enters the lives of several southern prison officers in a Louisiana prison's death row in 1935. The town is insensed as Coffey appears to be the killer of two little girls. However, Paul Edgecomb, the senior prison officer, becomes intrigued by the seemingly gentle nature of Coffey - and then the sudden recovery of a medical problem after he comes into contact with Coffey. What unfolds is a tale of absolute evil and absolute goodness on Death Row.
Comment: Going in knowing he film is 3 hours long, it is VERY easy to see where they could eliminate 30 minutes right off the bat... For the most part though, the film plods along at a nice pace without ever really bogging down in too much detail. And, for a Stephen King film, this one is actually quite gentle - and coherant. Thanks to trick photography and Clarke Duncan putting on weight for this role, he is truly enormous and his endearing performance will no doubt elicit a few tears. The other actors (of which, one must mention Tom Hanks and David Morse) all put in their usual strong performances - even the mouse! However, despite several Oscar Nominations, I wouldn't say this was by any stretch of the imagination a movie which deserves an Oscar...
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THE HAUNTING (1999)

Starring: Liam Neeson, Lily Taylor, Catherine Zeta-Jones
The plot: Dr David Marrow wants to study the human response to fear, but feels the only way to learn this is to deceive a group of insomniacs. He lures them to a large macabre mansion in northeastern America and tells them the tale of the original owner, Hugh Crane, wanting children but failing and his wife committing suicide. The story revolves around Nell, a worn out woman with no life who feels an affinity for the mansion, but the spirit of Crane has other plans...
Comment: One can't help but wonder if the low body-count in this film is due to Hollywood getting too PC on us... Bearing in mind the movie is based on an old book (The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson), the special effects and good acting by all the cast make up for a weak and outdated plot. In fact, the actors deserve extra comment for managing to carry off some very weak lines and plot development with flair and believability! If you want to be scared though this movie neither delivers in psychological terror or blood, leaving it languishing a bit on the bland side.
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