Category Archives: 1997

Wild America - * 1/2*

Posted on July 2, 1997 by Madeleine Williams

Wild America details the adventures of three brothers who happen to be amateur nature documentarians. Unfortunately, the film never manages to be as interesting as the subjects they are pursuing. Wild America opens in the late 60s, where Marty (Scott … Continue reading →

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Out to Sea - * *

Posted on July 2, 1997 by Madeleine Williams

Out to Sea is the latest collaboration of Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. It is strictly middle-of-the-road fare, not up to par with their recent “Grumpy” outings, but not a complete waste of time, either. Walter Matthau plays Charlie, a … Continue reading →

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Men in Black - * * *

Posted on July 2, 1997 by Madeleine Williams

Aliens are all around us. Disguised as humans, they roam the earth simply trying to blend in. On those occasions when one is discovered, a top secret government agency is dispatched to take care of matters, and cover up the … Continue reading →

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Face/Off - * * * 1/2*

Posted on June 25, 1997 by Madeleine Williams

It is not often that you encounter an action film that can actually challenge its actors (not counting featherbrained musclemen, of course). And it isn’t often that you get strong performances, either. Yet, both of those are true for Face/Off, … Continue reading →

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My Best Friend’s Wedding - * * *

Posted on June 20, 1997 by Madeleine Williams

People bursting out in song. It’s not the sort of thing that you expect in a non-musical, yet it happens quite often in My Best Friend’s Wedding, and exemplifies the type of movie that it is: Light and frothy, enjoyable … Continue reading →

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Batman & Robin - * *

Posted on June 20, 1997 by Madeleine Williams

Batman is back, this time not only saddled with Robin, but Batgirl as well, and facing some of the series’ most lightweight villains to date. Unfortunately, the caped crusader gets no help this time from the filmmakers. A truly awful … Continue reading →

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Hercules - * * *

Posted on June 20, 1997 by Madeleine Williams

Disney’s latest animated adventure has plenty of flaws, but a solid sense of humor and an excellent villainous performance save the show. As has been the custom with Disney’s most recent cartoons, Hercules deviates wildly from its source material. In … Continue reading →

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Ulee’s Gold - * * 1/2*

Posted on June 13, 1997 by Madeleine Williams

Peter Fonda’s good performance is the star of this otherwise slow moving drama about a man’s struggle to draw his family together amid adversity. Fonda portrays Ulee Jackson (short for Ulysses), a widowed beekeeper who is raising his two granddaughters … Continue reading →

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Speed 2: Cruise Control - *

Posted on June 13, 1997 by Madeleine Williams

There’s a memorable moment in Jurassic Park where Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm cautions “your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” While he was talking about genetic tampering, … Continue reading →

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The Pillow Book - * 1/2*

Posted on June 6, 1997 by Madeleine Williams

Director Peter Greenaway has created a film with plenty to look at, but no sense of where it is going. It’s like watching a pretty car spin wildly out of control. Vivian Wu stars as Nagiko, a Japanese woman who, … Continue reading →

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