The 90's was a decade that was blessed with many great movies, yet there are none greater than that of Basic Instinct. It is a truly great film. With Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone heading a wonderful cast, this was one of the great thriller movies I can remember watching. It had everything a movie could want, a bit of mystery, sex, intrigue and murder. There will need to be a pretty good movie to replace this classic from the top as one of the greatest all-time thrillers.
Nick Curran is a disgraced San Francisco police detective who helps investigate the murder of a prominent city official. Curran has a history of alcoholism and drug abuse although he is clean now. Catherine Tramell, the chief suspect, a spoiled rich girl with a background in psychology is toying with Curran's mind. When Curran is taken off the case, he enters into a dangerous relationship with Tramell, which could have bad implications. Soon everyone Curran comes into contact with turns into a suspect.
Undoubtedly, this movie is most famous for it's high level sex scenes that it contains. While I did enjoy them, they are overrated just a fraction. I must admit Sharon Stone has an incredible body and she certainly knows all the moves. These scenes also turned Michael Douglas into a sex manic of sorts and partially ruined his first marriage to Diandra Luker. Yet they create quite a mood for this film and are the main reason why it was the success it was.
The cast was great in this too. Michael Douglas is a Hollywood legend and this film only made him even more popular. His role as a the down and out cop was great. Douglas has some great films to his credit. These include Romancing the Stone, Fatal Attraction (not to similar to Basic Instinct), A Perfect Murder, and of recent Traffic (alongside his second wife Catherine Zeta Jones) and Don't say a word. Then what do you say about Sharon Stone? Before this film she was virtually an unknown, then she stormed on to our screens, without letting audiences take a breathe. Her film credits include The quick and the dead, Total Recall and The Specialist.
Other cast members include Jeanne Tripplehorn, who played Curran's ex-wife and Psychologist Dr Elizabeth Garner. Her role made me feel very anxious to realise what was going to happen. The sex scene involving her was a little hard to take. Then you have the good guy of the film, Gus, played by George Dzundza, but the way we see him go is also too much to handle. One other actress I did recognise, was Leilani Saralle, who played one of Catherine Tramell's gay lover's, Roxy.
Basic Instinct had a very good director, that being Paul Verhoven. He made this film extremely well and any other director might have got it wrong. He has made some other good films including Robo Cop, Starship Troopers and Total Recall. He did do one big flop, that being Showgirls. He commented on that film by saying `I think it was bad too'. I am sorry Paul, but you were right. Basic Intinct's script was pretty good in how it left you dangling. It was like you were in a big game of cat and mouse. I can understand that some people might not like it for that reason, but I thought it was good. The movie also had a great musical score attached to it, giving the movie a chilling feel to it.
So, all in all Basic Instinct is a film that I will always remember. It was so controversial that where I come from, I remember people needed to show there ID to get into the local cinemas, because of its sexual and violent content. I don't blame the cinemas for doing so, because it is not suitable for young eyes to see. If you want to watch a great thriller, then sit down and watch Basic Instinct. Trust me its ‘nice'!
Basic Instinct
The Devil Wears Prada
With dialog that absolutely crackles, "The Devil Wears Prada" is bound to please most audiences but will primarily appeal to the MTV generation, I suspect. When all is said and done, it's your typical fish-out-of-water, bright-lights-big-city fable, just dressed up all purdy.
Or, put another way, it's essentially "The Princess Diaries" with much, much, muuuuuuuuuch better dialog and a slightly more sophisticated and dramatic story arc.
So while older audiences may feel the film is a bit formulaic, the hysterical, but occasional cruel, one-liners and zingers hurled at Anne Hathaway's Andy are sure to keep them entertained. Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt get most of the barbs, and Blunt in particular is fantastic in the film.
Tucci and Meryl Streep, however, get to make the most provocative and stirring speeches in the film, and they deliver. Hathaway capably carried the movie, perhaps overacting, but she makes it work. Streep proves again that she's a gifted comedian. Emily Blunt, as Emily, is pitch perfect, and her performance here gives beautiful irony to her given name.
The film is just too long, however, primarily because the director feels obliged to explain everything -- every plot point is rendered obviously and painfully clear, and nothing left open for interpretation. That said, we're spared the "perfect ending" and left with a heroine who can truly stand on her own two feet, and in any shoes she might desire.
Forrest Gump
FORREST GUMP (1994) **** Tom Hanks, Sally Field, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson. Brilliantly directed and inspiring comic drama about the truly extraordinary life and times of mentally challenged Forrest Gump (Hanks in the best role of his career won his second Best Actor Oscar in back-to-back winning roles), a simple, honest, and decent man whose childlike innocence is his lucky charm through his altering experiences that span the past two decades flawlessly. Mind-boggling Oscar-winning computerized effects by Industrial Light & Magic has Gump meeting the famous and infamous. Hanks is a wonder (dare you not to get a lump in your throat when it finally registers that he has a child - watch his face!) and gets fine support especially Wright as the love of his life and Sinise as his best friend (Best Supporting Actor nominee) superior adaptation of Winston Groom's novel by Eric Roth (also an Academy Award recepient) that truly captures lightning in a bottle. Oscars also went to director Robert Zemeckis and for Best Picture. *** One of my all-time favorite flicks. I still cry, particularly Forrest telling Jenny why he loves her so much ("You're my girl!") and at the gravesite when the birds fly overhead.
Shaun the Sheep
Genre: Plasticene TV series with no dialogue and a sheep from the third "Wallace And Gromit".
My thoughts: There are lots and lots of good (and not so good) episodes. This series is SO CUTE AND FUNNY AND FUN! I don't know if I should say this but I actually prefer this to any of the "Wallace And Gromit" films!!!!! :O :O The ones I don't like are the episodes with the pigs, they bully Shaun WAY too much. There is also an episode called "Mountains Out Of Molehills" which I don't like very much either. My favourite episode is where the farmer and sheep do some painting. The ones with the chicks is my 2nd favourite, SO CUTE! The chicks are just yellow blobs with beaks AAAWWWWWW!! :) :).
Who I recommend it to: Aardman fans, plasticene fans and Shaun the sheep fans! Enjoy!
Who I DON'T recommend it to: People who are not interested in animation, people who do not have a good sense of humour and grumpy people.
What happens: In every episode, Shaun has some funny, but clever ideas up his wool, some to sort out big, and some to sort out little problems...
