Resurfaced Short Reviews, Part XV

These are Resurfaced short or quickie reviews written in 2002 or earlier. For more information, please visit this link: Resurfaced Reviews.

Eve's Bayou

Eve’s Bayou (1997)

Rating

Director

Kasi Lemmons

Screenplay

Kasi Lemmons

Length

1h 48m

Starring

Jurnee Smollett, Meagan Good, Lynn Whitfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Debbi Morgan, Jake Smollett, Ethel Ayler, Diahann Carroll, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Roger Guenveur Smith, Lisa Nicole Carson

MPAA Rating

Basic Plot

Louisiana, 1962 Batiste family shares a common history and a common destiny. Young Eve, named after an ancestor, her sister Cisely and brother Poe are the children of Roz and Louis. Their Aunt Mozelle is an experienced clairvoyant and learns quickly that young Eve also has some clairvoyant ability, yet untapped. Louis has an affinity for his young female patients and is often assumed, and once spied, having affairs with them. Eve tells her sister, but is informed that what she saw did not happened. This is the tale of what happens when a closet full of skeletons catches up to the lives of young children.

Review

From first-time director Kasi Lemmons comes one of the most refreshingly original films of 1997. Lemmons writes and especially directs this superb film with all its predelictions and superstitions like a master craftsman. She easily commands bravura performances from the star-powered support of Lynn Whitfield, Diahann Carroll and Samuel L. Jackson and from the young cast, Jurnee Smollett and Meagan Good, both superbly crafted. Jurnee will be going many places with this performances and rightfully so. I also hope to see more from Miss Lemmons in the future. The cinematography is the only other stand out of the film, but with its acting, direction and writing, that easily makes this one of the year’s best films.

Awards Prospects

Oscar chances are dim, but if the Academy and its production company get behind it, Eve’s Bayou could probably get some awards.

Review Written

Unknown

The Fifth Element

The Fifth Element (1997)

Rating

Director

Luc Besson

Screenplay

Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen

Length

2h 06m

Starring

Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Milla Jovovich, Chris Tucker, Luke Perry, Brion James, Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister Jr.

MPAA Rating

PG-13

Basic Plot

A Fifth element will come along to protect the Earth from a hideos evil. A major roadblock occurs when the aliens, carrying the 5th element, arrive at Earth in time to meet an impending doom on the horizon are destroyed Fifth Element is presumed lost. The element is alive and well and found in the wreckage, after the element is reanimated, she escapes and runs into the arms of Korben Dallas, an overworked, nearly-fired Cab driver. From there, Dallas brings The Fifth Element to a priest who knows over her presence and coming and prepares to lead her to destroy evil. Several other plot twists stand in their way as they attempt to save billions of Earth citizens.

Review

Whether this plotline is old, tired and overused, it is used well this time around. The visual effects are quite impressive and the score is Oscar Calibre. Bruce Willis gives a fine performance, while Milla Jovovich lies a little flat in parts. Overall, not even the acting is in focus throughout, but the comedy and excitement are prevailant. Along with the Oscar contender for Score, it is also a contender for its lavishly beautiful set design, quite nice for a picture of its range. Saving the acting ship, of course, is Gary Oldman a consummate actor of today and a brilliant performer, his Zorg is witty and sly, yet evil enough to earn our dislike.

Awards Prospects

Art Direction, Original Score and Costume Design are the best elements in the film and deserve recognition with Oscar nominations, but an early release might not give it the push it needs come Oscar time.

Review Written

Unknown

Rosewood

Rosewood (1997)

Rating

Director

John Singleton

Screenplay

Gregory Poirier

Length

2h 20m

Starring

Jon Voight, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Bruce McGill, Loren Dean, Esther Rolle, Elisa Neal, Robert Patrick, Michael Rooker, Catherine Kellner, Akosua Busia, Paul Benjamin, Kevin Jackson, Mark Boone Junior

MPAA Rating

Basic Plot

Two towns, one black, one white. The citizens of the black town are slightly more prosperous than their neighbors, but they manage to share an existance together. A White woman is raped by a stranger to the white town, he’s white. He beats her severly then leaves. She is known around the town to be a whore, but when she runs screaming later from her home that she’s been raped and even further yet by a black man town goes up in arms to find the culprit. Things turn violent and the white town goes on a murder spree through the black town.

Review

What impressed me most about the film is a certain scene towards the end that gave me a tear, and a happy one. And it wasn’t even in a place that anyone fully expected. That is by far the main reason I like the film. The acting is quite good, with a few exceptions here and there and Cheadle does a beautiful job as a belligerent prosperous townsperson. The direction is at top form and the story may be tried and true, but it gives a large emotional impact and when you leave you wonder how our society could have thought that way once and actually done such horrid things.

Awards Prospects

If it weren’t for the limited critical support and the early release date, Rosewood could have been a contender for Best Picture and director John Singleton. The Score still has a strong possibility for nomination and the Cinematography, Costume Design and Production Design are also possibilities.

Review Written

Unknown

Kiss the Girls

Kiss the Girls (1997)

Rating

Director

Gary Fleder

Screenplay

David Klass (Novel: James Patterson)

Length

1h 55m

Starring

Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, Alex McArthur, Tony Goldwyn, Jay O. Sanders, Bill Nunn, Brian Cox, Richard T. Jones, Roma Maffia, Jeremy Piven, Gina Ravera, William Converse-Roberts, Helen Martin, Tatyana M. Ali, Mena A. Suvari

MPAA Rating

Basic Plot

A Serial Killer has begun a reign of subversive and bizarre murders. All involving intelligent women from local or nearby Universities. The women are held prisoner until they try to disobey, which is when they pay for their disobedience with their lives. One Woman, abducted by an unidentifiable killer, escapes from his grasps only to assist the police in tracking him down.

Review

With some nice acting and an involving plot, Kiss the Girls makes for an enjoyable two hours. Some dragging portions, occasional bad acting and directing prevent this film from achieving a higher quality. Add to that the similarity in motifs to those featured in The Silence of the Lambs. You have an enjoyable film, but one that is somewhat predictable and drags on beyond where it should have ended.

Awards Prospects

Not likely to be a contender for any major awards.

Review Written

Unknown

G.I. Jane

G.I. Jane (1997)

Rating

Director

Ridley Scott

Screenplay

Danielle Alexandra, David Twohy

Length

2h 05m

Starring

Demi Moore, Viggo Mortensen, Anne Bancroft, Jason Beghe, Daniel Von Bargen, John Michael Higgins, Kevin Gage, David Warshofsky, David Vadim, Morris Chestnut, Josh Hopkins, Jim Caviezel, Boyd Kestner

MPAA Rating

Basic Plot

An ambitious Senator, with high-reaching goals focuses on getting a woman into the toughest military venture Navy Seals. Through her own determination, Demi Moore must face the most grueling punishment to achieve the greatest goal, equality.

Review

In a very powerful with Demi Moore and Anne Bancroft giving stand-out performances, especially the latter remainder of the male-filled cast hangs in the background. With a stirring musical score, a powerful look at the politics behind women in the military and those trying to keep them out, G.I. Jane effectively earns our respect for the fight of female militants and even more respect for the hell-filled training of the Navy Seals. At many times, Ridley Scott’s camera is shaky, out of focus and all too annoying. While commanding powerful lead and supporting performances, Ridley needs to learn what stillness can do for our eyes. The powerful message the film brings overrides many of the tendencies of this terribly long film, while still salvaging our respect with not a single, boring scene.