90s Movie Review - Kiss the Girls

Director: Gary Fleder
Genre: Thriller/ Crime/ Mystery/ Drama
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 1997
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Ashely Judd, Cary Elwes, Brian Cox, Bill Nunn, Richard T. Jones, Jeremy Piven, Tony Goldwyn

Description: Police hunting for a serial kidnapper are helped when a victim (Ashley Judd) manages to escape for the first time.

Review: Eight kidnapped women. All eight beautiful. All eight talented. All eight have fallen into the hands of the “collector” who calls himself Casanova. The hunt is on for him. With difficulties trying to trace him, they get the help from Alex Cross. When one of the girls, Kate McTiernan, manages to escape, she is determined to help Detective Cross in order to find Casanova and free the other girls.

I have always loved this movie and I have rewatched it many times. The story is strong, the character of Alex Cross is interesting and Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd work very well together. There is enough tension and the mystery is one to keep you on the edge of your seat. It has a vibe like “Se7en”, though not as good of course, but it has the same atmosphere at times.

Maybe the climax is a bit cliché and predictive, but overall “Kiss the Girls” is a really good mystery thriller.

Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - High Crimes

Director: Carl Franklin
Genre: Crime/ Thriller/ Mystery/ Drama
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2002
Starring: Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Jim Caviezel, Amanda Peet, Adam Scott, Bruce Davison, Emilio Rivera, Michael Shannon

Description: A successful lawyer’s (Ashley Judd) husband (Jim Caviezel) is arrested for murdering 9 villagers in El Salvador in 1988 as US soldier under a different name. She defends him in military court and investigates. Framed?

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 22: A MOVIE BASED ON A BOOK
 
Review: The first scene in “High Crimes” shows us a battlefield in El Salvador. Not your typical start for a courtroom drama. But “this film isn’t your typical courtroom drama.

Claire Kubik is a successful lawyer in Marin Country. She is married to Tom, a self-employed entrepreneur. They seem to be living a very happy life. But this happiness is brutally disturbed when one evening the F.B.I. arrest Tom. The accusations against Tom are shocking: He is accused of killing 9 people in El Salvador, 15 years ago, when his name was still Ron Chapman and he was in the military. Tom goes to jail and might be looking at the death penalty, but Claire believes in his innocence. Because the lawyer appointed to Tom is still a rookie, Claire wants to work the case herself. Because military law is different from what she knows, Claire calls the help of the experiences Charlie Grimes.

It sounds like your standard story about a man being accused of a crime which he didn’t commit, but there is much more to it. It has some interesting twists and reveals, which made the film pretty exciting. You’re constantly wondering if Tom really committed this crime or not, you’re never really sure until the very end.

The movie is based on the book by Joseph Finder and it’s clear that the story is very strong. I never read the book, so I can’t compare. I enjoyed the cast, Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman teaming up again after “Kiss the Girls”, which was an even better thriller. But I highly enjoyed “High Crimes”.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

90s Movie Review - A Time to Kill

Director: Joel Schumacher
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 1996
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bulloc, Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Ashley Judd, Kevin Spacey, Charles S. Dutton, Chris Cooper, Beth Grant

Description: In Clanton, Mississippi, a fearless young lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) defends a black man (Samuel L. Jackson) accused of murdering two white men who raped his ten-year-old daughter, inciting violent retribution and revenge from the Lu Klux Klan.

Review: When Carl Lee hailey’s 10-year-old daughter is brutally abused by two racist white men, something snaps inside him. The men will be tried in the usual way, but Carl Lee fears they will be released very soon. According to him, there is only one thing to do: take the law into his won hands. So he kills the two men and is arrested by the police. A trial will have to decide whether and how Carl Lee should be punished. As a lawyer, Carl Lee hires the inexperienced Jake Brigance. He must go up against top lawyer Rufus Buckley. Fortunately, Jake gets help from ambitious Ellen Roark. The trial is the subject of many demonstrations: the Ku Klux Klan calls for prosecution, while the black community pleads for release.

When it comes to courtroom thrillers, author John Grisham is one of the best-known writers. Over the years, numerous of Grisham’s books have been adapted for film.

The story is very clear in who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. The charismatic underdog against the cynical veteran: anyone who has every read anything by Grisham has a clue as to who will win. On thing is certain: because of the complicated issue is portrayed as black and white, it does make it all nice and easy to get along with. And it’s very easy to sympathize with the main character.

A good script is essential here, but a good cast is just as important to deliver it with credibility. Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey are all fantastic in their respective roles, as are Sandra Bullock, Kiefer Sutherland and Donald Sutherland in smaller roles. I believe that the final plead and that ending are a bit too dramatic for my taste, but work well as tear-jerking moments.

A film that doesn’t have a dull moment in it.

Rating: 4/ 5 

00s Movie Review - Someone Like You

Director: Tony Goldwyn
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 2001
Starring: Ashley Judd, Hugh Jackman, Greg Kinnear, Marisa Tomei, Ellen Barkin

Description: After being jilted by her boyfriend, a talk show talent scout (Ashley Judd) writes a column on the relationship habits of men which gains her national fame.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 14: A ROMCOM
 
Review: Effortlessly, Ashley Judd, she shone in “Kiss the Girls”, among others, plays sounding big names like Marisa Tomei, Ellen Barkin and Hugh Jackman off the screen. But to say they know how to save the film is going too far: the weak script with dull dialogues meant that the film was already hopeless from the start.

One cheesy one-liner after another. Jane has a certain theory about men: one a man has slept with a certain woman, he loses interest in her and she is nothing more than an old cow. And she doesn’t stop talking about it. She writes a column about it, together with her best friend Liz and she tries to refine the theory.  

Throughout the film, Hugh Jackman’s character Eddie is around her. Both at work as at home, when Jane is forced to find a new living space and moves in with him. It’s very obviously they are supposed to move closer to each other, but it takes so long for this to happen.

“Someone Like You” is a bland and standard romcom, that only appealed to me because of its leading lady.

Rating: 2/ 5

90s Movie Review - Heat

Director: Michael Mann
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 171 minutes
Year: 1995
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Ted Levine, Dennis Haysbert, William Fichtner, Natalie Portman

Description: A group of professional bank robbers start to feel the heat from police when they unknowingly leave a clue at their latest heist.

Review: “Heat” is directed by Michael Mann and stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. The film has a good mix of action, crime, tension, romance and drama.
The title “Heat” refers to the heat you feel when the cops are just around the corner. Neil McCauley’s (Robert De Niro) life motto is that you should live a life that you can leave behind in 30 seconds. The heat comes from Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), a detective who spends his days tracking down thugs.
When you see a professional at work in a movie, you easily sympathize that character. Even if it’s an unscrupulous serial killer, if he’s good at what he does and you see it through his eyes. In “Heat” they use this. McCauley and his gang and Hanna are all very good at what they do. Add the natural charisma both actors have and it’s really hard to pick a side in this cat and mouse game.
Besides the well-known elements in a gangster movie, director Mann shows us a different side of the leading characters. Workaholic Vincent Hanna is in a relationship that won’t work, because he’s never home and he has a stepdaughter with psychological problems. Neil McCauley falls in love with a woman, but can’t tell her the truth about how he makes a living. Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer)  is a gambling addict and the woman he loves (Ashley Judd) is cheating on him.  
The original story and the fabulous performances make “Heat” a breathtaking action thriller, one of the best in the genre.

Rating: 5/ 5

 

90s Movie Review - Double Jeopardy

Director: Bruce Beresford
Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 1999
Starring: Ashley Judd, Tommy Lee Jones, Bruce Greenwood, Annabeth Gish, Bruce Campbell

Description: Libby (Ashley Judd) is framed for her husband’s murder, but suspects he (Bruce Greenwood) is still alive. As she has already been tried for the crime, she can’t be re-prosecuted if she finds and kills him.

Review: Libby Parsons is crazy about sailing and gets a sailboat from her husband Nick, which they go out on together. One day on the boat, Libby wakes up in the middle of the night covered in blood and Nick is nowhere to be found. Libby is accused of murdering her husband and she is sentenced to a lengthy prison term. Before she is locked up in jail, she asks her best friend Angela to adopt her young son Matty. Angela agrees and she promises to visit Libby regularly. However, Angela only shows up once and Libby never hears from her again. From prison, Libby finds out that Angela has moved to San Francisco and she manages to reach her on the phone. Libby also manages to talk to Matty and during that conversation she finds out that Nick is still alive. She can’t do anything because of being locked up. Her friends in prison encourage her and she learns that once she is released, she can kill her husband without mercy because she cannot be convicted of the same crime a second time. It's called a double jeopardy.
After six years, Libby is released and must behave impeccably for the next three years, without breaking her parole, or else she can be sent back to prison. She reports to her probation officer Travis Lehman, who warns her once again to behave properly. But Libby has just one goal in mind: to find her son at all costs.
“Double Jeopardy” has many similarities to such films as “The Fugitive” and “US Marshalls” in which Tommy Lee Jones likewise takes up the pursuit of a criminal who later turns out to be innocent. Although Jones’ role is not as weighty as in the aforementioned films, he plays the role of Travis convincingly. The same can be said by Ashley Judd. I have always liked her as an actress.
“Double Jeopardy” is an all-round enjoyable crime thriller. The fact is that the story itself is not new. The film is very similar to other films in the genre. But despite this fact, the film remains captivating from beginning to end, partly due to good acting. I enjoyed it.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 44: Divergent

Director: Neil Burger

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 140 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Kate Winslet, Ansel Elgort, Zoë Kravitz, Ray Stevenson, Maggie Q, Ashley Judd, Tony Goldwyn, Mekhi Phifer

Description: In a world divided by factions based on virtues, Tris (Shailene Woodley) learns she's Divergent and won't fit in. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and the mysterious Four (Theo James) must find out what makes Divergents dangerous before it's too late.

Review: The young adult film has, in a short period of time, settled down in Hollywood. Movies like the “Harry Potter” series and “The Hunger Games” series started this all. The movies, mostly adaptations from books, focus on young adults. Friendship, love and the battle between good and evil are central themes in these stories. “Divergent”, based on a book by Veronica Roth, isn’t an exception.

In a futuristic Chicago, five factions fight for power over the city. The factions are divided based on virtues: abnegation, candor, amity, dauntless and erudite. The choice for your faction is made when you’re sixteen. Tris is at that point in her life. Is she going to stay in the faction she grew up in or will she choose another faction? During her test something unusual happens. It appears she doesn’t fit in any of the faction. She is divergent.

Not a lot happens in “Divergent”. A thin plot between political power between the different factions and the place the divergents take in that society. Friendships are made and enemies are formed. Tris has to undergo a tough training and the underdog becomes the hero. And there is also a love story. Not a lot of originality, but time does fly. This is a good sign, because the movie is very entertaining.

That the book is often better than the movie, is also the case here. I feel that some important scenes are cut down. For instance the test. It’s a very important part of the story, but it goes so fast in the film. For people who haven’t read the book, it could have gone too fast.

Shailene Woodley does a good job and is a good leading lady. “Divergent” is a movie that you can’t help to compare to “The Hunger Games”. It’s not as good, but still very entertaining and I did enjoy it.

Rating: 3/ 5