Spider-52

Everything there is to be said about this movie has already been said, so I will keep my comments brief. "Gladiator"'s musical score is breathtaking; the rest of the movie, in all other facets, is garbage. If you generally like what the majority of the American population likes, you will enjoy this movie. If you usually prefer films with competent direction (including action scenes where you might actually *GASP* be able to see the action), intelligent dialogue (it took three people to write this?!), professional acting (brilliant death scene Russell...you really deserved that Oscar), or special effects that seem even remotely realistic, you may wish to look elsewhere. The latest in a long string of inane Best Picture choices, this is by far the worst in the history of the Academy Awards.

The only consolation for myself and those who share my opinion is that in twenty years, "Gladiator" will come to rest in the same category as "Rocky" and "Kramer vs Kramer"--not that there were any "Taxi Driver"s or "Apocalypse Now"s released in 2000. If this is a sign of things to come, the future of cinema in the United States will be very grim indeed.

David Lynch's "Dune" is a mixed bag--at times it is a breathtaking film, and at others it is a frustrating one.

The best thing this movie has going for it is, by far, its visual style. Contrary to what many believe, I think David Lynch was an excellent choice to adapt "Dune", even though he goes a little overboard with his portrayal of the Harkonnens (what's with the "heart plugs"?). The visuals are richly textured and match the feel of Herbert's novel, although they make the movie noticeably darker in tone than the book.

It must be said that David Lynch's film should not be viewed by anyone who has not read Frank Herbert's novel. These individuals will be completely lost as to the direction of the story and the meaning of many scenes, and will most likely end up frustrated at what a mess this film is. Watching "Dune", one gets the feeling that it would have been more suited to a long television mini-series than for a feature length film. Far too much of the last half was cut out, and it seems to rush along without bothering to stop and explain anything to anyone.

However, for those who have read the novel, the film version of "Dune" is an excellent companion piece. For these people, the gaping holes in the plot can be filled in by the details from the novel. Although the casting is universally bad, some of Lynch's personal touches are awful (the blob-like creature from the Guild), and it had too much to say in too little time, the effort and visual genius is too great to be ignored. David Lynch's film succeeds from this "Dune" reader's point of view.

"Speed" is pure action. The film relies more on thinking of obstacles for its protagonists than on a real story, but in this case it actually works. The characters are interesting (Dennis Hopper is terrific as usual), the stunts are spectacular, and the action just keeps coming and coming. Along with "Die Hard" and "True Lies", "Speed" delivers one of the fastest 2+ hours of any film in recent memory.

Fans of action films will definitely not want to miss this one.