Hortense Vasucchi's movie reviews | home
Drama
Mr. Frost This stars Jeff Goldblum, before he sold out. The "film" is full of no names and probably a European release. Synopsis: Is Mr. Frost(Goldblum) a serial killer or is he the Devil himself? Really good story. Sorry, no billion dollar special effects, lots of symbolism though and it will take more than one viewing to catch it all. Fine performance Jeff! No, I still don't want to buy a Mac.
Leap of faith This is not your typical movie that Hollywood cranks out. I mean Bruce Willis or Ben Affleck didn't star in it, the Universe no longer makes sense to me now. Steve Martin in a movie that he doesn't play as a sappy dad or as some character that Soccer mom's will laugh at while taking their daily Valium fix. Synopsis: Martin plays a con artist who swindles people's money in a small town by playing a Religious healer. His miracles are all smoke and mirrors. The ending is too cool to give away! If you like Black gospel music(the choir in the movie will get you dancing) and a story with meaning, then check it out. Who said you had to pay for Miracles?
Wag the Dog If you can't imagine what underhanded evil schemes a group or Country would use, to suppress the truth from the public, then you haven't lived in America long, have you? Just Kidding, NSA! This movie is right on the money. The soundtrack is composed by Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits, sweet blues guitar. The movie also has Willie Nelson in it, they went all out! I did like Wag The Dog, Willie was a good character in the movie. It just struck me as being funny, when you don't expect him and there he is in Dolby Surround in the movie. Synopsis: The President gets caught molesting a Girl Scout type, in a closet at the White House; a loyal band of Suits improvise a War to divert attention from this fact. The elections are coming up and they want their man to remain in the White House. Let's think about this a moment: President gets busted having illicit sex in the White House, his party goes to great lengths to cover it up, even to the point of orchestrating a war and he denies the whole thing so he can remain in office. Man! Where in the World can you get writers to come up with these great fictional stories?
October Sky This movie is named after one of the Zappa kids. That reference ought to tell you how old Hortense is this year. I really loved this movie. I am a sucker for true stories and the human will to never give up. Why just the other day, I almost caught the troll, that turns on my refrigerator light when I opened the door. As you can see I am all about not giving up. The "film" is centered around one boy and expands outward to affect everyone. Synopsis: The lead characters dad is a coal mining foreman. The dad expects the son to follow in the old man’s footsteps. The coal mine has about run dry. The kid is fascinated with Sputnik going up and wants to be a rocket engineer. Trouble ensues. Town people rally around the kid and his friends. That’s all I am going to tell you. October Sky is a great after dinner movie to watch with friends.
Simon Birch This is a movie about a lonely, magical tree and the evil, lesbian dwarves that want to cut him down, no wait, I dreamed that. Man! I have got to stop reading those Pat Buchanan pamphlets before I go to bed. Seriously, this a great film. Simon challenges how people look at life and he seems to affect everyone around him in a positive way, even when he wreaks havoc on them. Synopsis: Simon is a little boy that has a serious birth defect that leaves him in a weakened condition. Simon’s family has hardly anything to do with him. He has stopped developing because of his condition and has only one friend in the entire town. The story is told from his friend’s point of view, and the narration is done by: Jim Carrey. Simon has one main question in the movie, "Does God have a plan for me?" This movie asks great theological questions and delves into your soul, to ask what you really believe. Apart from the serious overtones, you will laugh until you can’t get your breath in some scenes. Check out the manger scene in the Christmas play.
The Usual Suspects A-Ha! Another inquiry into the Kennedy clan! The movie could also be about any of the "Different Strokes" kids. Except for Dana, remember the two B’s that don’t mix, barbituates and booze. This movie stars Kevin Spacey, he is an obscure actor, you might have seen him in everything that came out at the movies for the last two years. Synopsis: Spacey tells a story about a sweet deal that went bad and lots of people getting popped and how he survived to tell the tale. Twists and turns galore! This movie has actors in it that you will recognize, like Gabriel Byrne. He was in the Prophecy movie with Christopher Walken. And it also stars that other guy, you know him, what’s his name. He bagged my groceries last week. I think he stole the change out of my ashtray. Anyway, really good movie. The story has a great script that you can watch by yourself and get more out of the movie.
The Crossing Guard One of my favorite actors is in this one. Good old Jack Nick. This is an older movie, how old you might ask? Well, it was around the time that Jack was making his 200th woman swap. What do you expect. Just like the line out of Dazed and Confused ,"I keep getting older and they stay the same age." This movie has an abundance of profanity, you would never expect that from Jack, would you? So adults only, thank you. Synopsis: Jack’s little girl gets killed by a drunk driver while crossing the street at school. Jack is waiting around for him to get out of prison, so he can put a "cap" in him. The accident has really screwed with Jack’s head and flushed his marriage down the toilet, because he is fixated on killing this guy. I am not going to tell you anymore. However, this is definitely worth checking out. Also, if you don’t cry at the end, it probably means you have no soul or that you watch too much Katie Couric in the morning.
Gattaca This is Madonna's new baby's name the sound of something hung in your throat. This is a movie that everyone needs to see. Although the movie is fictional, it depicts what the World will be like one day,(I might add) in the not too distant future. If you enjoyed the feeling you got when you watched Shawshank Redemption, then pick this up next time at the video store. Gattaca stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. Synopsis: Gattaca is the future workplace for the biological elite. There are no more"natural" means of conception, you go and pick and choose your test tube fetus from the DNA doctor. The doctor can give a readout of life expectancy, IQ, and career profession, from a drop of the baby's blood. Ethan Hawke's character was created in the backseat of a car by the beach. Young Ethan wants to be an Astronaut, however he is not allowed to participate. That's where taking someone else's identity and trying to get around security in the future, come into play. This is a great drama and will have you on the edge of your seat. The whole movie smacks of Human spirit and dignity. Check this out... can't go wrong.