Thursday, February 28, 2013

Lilo and Stitch (2002) review


(9/10)

It has been ages since I've last seen this Disney movie, and I remember I loved it then. Now, I love it even more, for it explores sensitive ground touchingly while still creating an action-packed and unique story.

PLOT:Young Lilo (Daveigh Chase) lives with her sister, Nani (Tia Carrere), now that her parents have died in a car accident. She's the odd one out among her peers and just wants to fit in without fighting with them or her sister, who is constantly on-the-watch by their assigned social worker, Mr. Cobra Bubbles (Ving Rhames). Lilo's prayers for a friend are answered when a blue, convicted, destruction-loving alien (posing as a dog) comes along for Lilo to adopt into her home; she names this "dog" Stitch (Chris Sanders). However, his convicted creator, Jumba (David Ogden Stiers), and alien Earth-specialist, Pleakley (Kevin McDonald), go on a journey to go and capture Stitch. Stitch is a very destructive alien, but through love from his new family, he might just warm up to be an ideal being. It's a really good plot executed excellently.



VOICES:The voice acting in here is very great, and all done by famous cartoon actors and good newcomers. The best performances would have to have been done by Chris Sanders as Stitch and Kevin McDonald as Pleakley. These two voice their parts so well that it matches comically as well as entertainingly. There really wasn't a bad voice in this movie, but the other shiners I'd like to mention would be Tia Carrere as Nani, Daveigh Chase as Lilo, Ving Rhames as Cobra Bubbles, David Ogden Stiers as Jumba, and Jason Scott Lee as David.

SCORE:The soundtrack here is very diverse and kind of relaxing in a way. The score is made up of some dramatic score by Alan Silvestri, some Hawaiian songs by Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu, and classic rock by Elvis Presley. It's a very wide variety done all very well, especially the Hawaiian score, which was bright and relaxing to me.

ANIMATION:The animation in here wasn't too special, but it was still done very well. The creative animation of the aliens and the beautiful animation of the waves worked together very well and were overall very precise.



OTHER CONTENT:This is definitely a new idea brought to the Disney canon. This movie brings something fresh and new to the Disney canon (for the time being, I mean) while still keeping the sentimental feeling of warmth the classic Disney films have given in the past. I also liked how they touched upon the idea of keeping a broken family alive while shedding some unforseen light into the reality of it. It's overall a very action-packed, uniquely new, relaxing at times, and heartwarming film. However, some of the new style isn't welcome into the Disney canon and, when put all together, seems a bit cheesy because of how it tries itself to fit in. Either way, this is still a really good Disney film and it deserved the Oscar-nom it got the year of its release.

OVERALL,an awesome Disney film with a unique plot, very great voice acting, diverse and relaxing score, well-working animation, a new change to the Disney canon, and a good look at a realistic family idea, but some of the tonal shifts within the film make it come off as cheesy.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Stephen King's It (1990) review


(6/10)

I previously read the novel before I watched this TV-movie adaptation of this intricate horror, and I have to admit that I am fairly disappointed at the resulats. It makes a fair attempt, but leaves out so much substance!

PLOT:In 1950s Derry, Maine, a group of seven friends bullied by the general crowd meet and join together for protection. However, there are strange things happening in this small town involving a lot of other children disappearing or getting killed. After a few scary incidents, the seven come to the conclusion that there IS a monster haunting Derry that sometimes takes the form of a clown named Pennywise (Tim Curry). However, the monster can really take any shape it wants to. They band together and "defeat" it in the sewers one day and swear to come back if it starts again. Now, in the 80s, Mike Hanlon (Tim Reid) calls up his friends to come back and face it, which include: Bill Denbrough, the novelist with a stutter (Richard Thomas), Ben Hanscom, the architect who lost some weight (John Ritter), Beverly Marsh, the woman with a good shot (Annette O'Toole), Richie Tozier, the smart-mouthed comedian (Harry Anderson), Eddie Kaspbrak, the asthmatic weakling (Dennis Christopher), and Stan Uris, the Jewish wonder (Richard Masur). They must now re-unite to kill the monster once and for all. It's an excellent plot executed poorly.



ACTING:The acting in here wasn't all that good, but it got the job done. It was alright. Tim Curry is the one who really stood at as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, a form of It. He played the monster well and showed the creature a good bit of honor. The lucky seven were played fairly good, in order from best-to-worst, by Richard Thomas as Bill Denbrough, Tim Reid as Mike Hanlon, Dennis Christopher as Eddie Kaspbrak, John Ritter as Ben Hanscom, Annette O'Toole as Beverly Marsh, Harry Anderson as Richie Tozier, and Richard Masur as Stan Uris. The child actors weren't so bad either, in particular Johnathan Brandis, Seth Green, and Emily Perkins as child Bill, Richie, and Beverly. The other shiner would be Olivia Hussey as Audra Denbrough.

SCORE:The score, being a TV-movie, was not very good overall. It was generic and tried too hard to fit the mood it was trying to convey.

EFFECTS:The effects are pretty good. The blood is bright, the claymation effects are interesting, and the creature effects are more than decent. The effects aren't the best, and a lot more could have been done if this were a theatrical film, but they were interesting.



OTHER CONTENT:This really disappointed me in terms of matching the novel. I knew that this, being a movie, wouldn't be exactly the same. You can tell this was made for TV because of the cheap quality of it. This cut out a whole lot of dialogue, important situations, and emotion that the novel had and switched several things around. If this had been released in a theatrical form, I believe this would have had more potential! Alas, it suffers from being a TV movie. However, there are still some good aspects about it. Aside from Tim Curry's acting and the good effects, this movie still had a good bit of scare and fright in it, along with the feeling of youth during the flashbacks. It used to keep me up at night when I was a kid, and now it still creeps me out. I never thought I could find a movie to make me scared of clowsn and spiders both at the same time! I appreciate what substance this did keep to the book and am proud of it for that. I also liked how the TV writers added some of their own flair to it that actually stuck and made it better, as did Kubrick to King's The Shining. Overall, it's a pretty okay horror movie.

OVERALL,an ok horror movie with an excellent plot, accomplishing acting, pretty good effects, a good bit of scare, a feeling of youth, some substance related to the novel, and some flair the writers added to the story that stuck, but the plot had execution problems, the score was generic, a whole chunk of the story was cut out, and it has an overall cheap feeling to it.

Taxi Driver (1976) review


(9/10)

I had been putting off seeing this one for the longest time for absolutely no reason. Now, I'm glad I saw it and wondering why I put it off so long. It's a hard-hitting, smooth, and truthful film on the dark streets of the world.

PLOT:Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) has just gotten a job as a taxi driver in the streets of New York. He's smooth, quiet, and hates most of the rabble of the streets. However, he meets a beautiful blonde working in office named Betsy (Cybill Shepherd) and falls in love. It doesn't last long, though, until he makes a big mistake and scares her way. No matter how much he tries to re-kindle things with her, she always turns him away, which forces him to snap. He then comes up with an idea to kill the candidate in office this girl is working for. Meanwhile, he's trying to help a 12-year-old prostitute named Iris (Jodie Foster) escape from her pimp, Sport (Harvey Keitel), and go back to her parents. It's a good plot executed greatly.



ACTING:The acting in here was very great. Robert De Niro did an excellent job of playing our lead, Travis Bickle. I think it was a very memorable performance, Another performance worthy of note is the young Jodie Foster as 12-year-old hooker, Iris. Even at this young age, she was a very talented actress. The other shiners would be Harvey Keitel as Sport, Cybill Shepherd as Betsy, Peter Boyle as Wizard and Martin Scorsese himself in a cameo as the weird, vengeful passenger.

SCORE:The score in here is very smooth and smoky sounding, like a crime mystery in a bar. It fits the mood of the film very well.

EFFECTS:The blood in here flows pretty freely for an action flick. There are a lot of kills, and blood to accompany. The blood effects in here look pretty realistic and detailed as gunshots are fired and knifes are used.



OTHER CONTENT:This film is a very interesting look at the decline of society today. The exaggerated realism of it all shocks you and puts the urban world into what I believe to be its place. The performances lead the plot through with great direction by the beloved Martin Scorsese. However, this film had a plot issue for me. Though the plot was very well thought-out, it wasn't completely solid. You couldn't sit down and tell me the plot without telling me all the twists in it first, like Dazed and Confused. It makes the film open to suprises, but a little complicated to follow for some.

OVERALL,an awesome film with a good plot, very great performances, smooth score, realistic blood effects, shocking realism, and great direction, but the plot wasn't completely solid

Monday, February 25, 2013

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) review


(7/10)

This movie is a lot of fun; the quirkiness of Quentin Tarentino with the grindhouse-camp feeling of Robert Rodriguez make a very entertaining film with plenty of scare and comedy to go around.

PLOT:Seth (George Clooney) and Richard (Quentin Tarentino) Gecko are two notorious criminals in their area and are on the run to a deal in Mexico that could get them rich. On the way, the stop at a hotel looking to rest a little until they get the idea to hi-jack an RV across the border. The RV in question belongs to ex-pastor Jacob Fuller (Harvey Keitel) and his children, Kate (Juliette Lewis) and Scott. They make it across the border and to a bar/strip club and stop in to have a drink and wait for the deal at dawn. However, the bar's clientelle isn't so desirable; in fact, they almost seems like vampires. If that's the case, will our friends survive until dawn? It's a great plot executed pretty well.



ACTING:The performances in this movie range from very good to alright. For the most part, they're very good. George Clooney and Quentin Tarentino do a great job as Seth and Richard Gecko. They played off of each other rather well. Along with these two, Harvey Keitel and Juliette Lewis both played a really good part as Jacob and Kate Fuller. The other shiners would be Fred Williamson as Frost, Tom Savini as Sex Machine, Salma Hayek as Satanico Pandemonium, Danny Trejo as Razor Charlie and Cheech Marin in multiple roles.

SCORE:The score is made up of some creepy and action themes but mainly a killer soundtrack. The soundtrack contains some classic rock and blues mixed with some smooth bar songs from artists such as ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tito & Tarantula, The Blasters and more.

EFFECTS:The effects in here range to many things. There are vampires exploding, decomposing, bursting into flame, and plenty of blood and guts to go around. The effects range from cheap blood and gore to computer-generated effects. Either way, the effects are campy and very well done for a movie like this. It really adds horror to it all.



OTHER CONTENT:This movie is a lot of fun. With two great directors at the chair (Quentin Tarentino of Pulp Fiction and Robert Rodriguez of Machete), you can expect at least something good out of this movie. What we get is a no-holds-barred, gritty, campy vampire flick/crime drama. This movie is mainly for fun, however, and not for substance, for it has some trouble with character development, cheesy jokes, and any sentimentality. This movie was made for laughs and grindhouse fun and not much else, but that doesn't make it all bad.

OVERALL,a good horror movie with a well-done plot, very good performances, a killer soundtrack, campy effects, and a fun time, but it has a few problems with development, humor, and other emotions. It's just not what I'd call the best movie ever anymore.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Romeo and Juliet (1968) review


(9/10)

I've always loved the tragic, romantic story of Romeo and Juliet, and this film personifies it in such a way that it nearly outdoes the original play.

PLOT:In Verona, there are two families that hate each other with a passion that always end up disturbing the peace with their fights: the Montagues and the Capulets. One day, young Romeo Montague (Leonard Whiting) is invited to a feast held by the family of Capulet. While there, he meets the beautiful young Juliet Capulet (Olivia Hussey) and they basically fall in love at first sight. From here, they decide to get married and be together forever; however, their families are enemies. They have to keep their partnership a secret and get around their family feud along with other new twists. It's a really good plot executed brilliantly.



ACTING:The acting in here was excellent. Everyone did an awesome job! The two leads, Leonard Whiting as Romeo and Olivia Hussey as Juliet, played the roles respectively and had great chemistry as the star-crossed lovers. Other shining roles would be Milo O'Shea as Friar Lawrence, Michael York as Tybalt, John McEnery as Mercutio, Pat Heywood as the Nurse, Natasha Perry as Lady Capulet, Paul Hardwick as Lord Capulet, and Laurence Olivier as the Narrator. There really wasn't a bad performane in the film, but these in particular stood out.

SCORE:The score in here was wonderful. The score was made up of several love themes and a beautiful rendition of "What Is A Youth?" that could send chills down your spine. It really added to the romantic feeling of the film.



OTHER CONTENT:This film is pleasing to all lovers of the play/story. It keeps the original dialogue and uses it in a way to help others understand better, The visuals fit the time period greatly and are pleasing to those who look out for it. The dialogue and situations follow the play almost all the way except for a couple parts. However, the parts it leaves out are vital battles and situations that made the play even better. It's still, overall, a really great film adaption of the play and I loved it.

OVERALL,an awesome film with a brilliantly-executed plot, excellent acting, wonderful score, original dialogue, fitting visuals, and lots of accuracy to the original play, but it leaves out some important parts that would have made it better.

Romeo + Juliet (1996) review


(8/10)

This upbeat update to the age-old Shakespeare play is fresh and inventive, but also lacking in accuracy and putting the pieces together.

PLOT:In the big city of Verona, two families live in hate of each other: the Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo Montague (Leonardo DiCaprio), being depressed about his ex Rosaline, is invited to a party held by the Capulets. There, he meets the beautiful Capulet daughter, Juliet (Claire Danes). They fall in love at first sight and agree to be together in secret. However, new obstacles arrive with the rivalry and make things all the more complicated. This version of the popular play is modernized to the max with fast cars, expensive guns, explosive action, and big trips. It's a great plot executed fairly well.



ACTING:The acting in this film was pretty good. It isn't worthy of an award, but it's pretty good still. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes both played fair parts as Romeo and Juliet, but it could have been done so much better. The other shining performances were John Leguizamo as Tybalt, Harold Perrineau Jr. as Mercutio, Pete Postlethwaite as Father Laurence, Paul Sorvino as Fulgencio Capulet, Vondie Curtis-Hall as Captain Prince, Miriam Margolyes as the Nurse, Christina Pickles as Caroline Montague, Paul Rudd as Paris, and Dash Mihok as Benvolio. The best of these performances had to have been Harold Perrineau Jr. as Mercutio. He almost stole the show with his great supporting role, as well as John Leguizamo or Dash Mihok.

SCORE:The score and soundtrack are both pretty great. Considering the director over this version, you can expect there to be a lot of music in it. The soundtrack to this is very romantic and detailed made up of re-recorded songs and other themes.



OTHER CONTENT:This version of Shakespeare's famous play is very unique and inventive. It's trippy, modernized, clever, and all in the vision of Baz Luhrman. One significant thing I can say about this film is that the emotional impact seems to hit harder at the end of this one than it did in the older version I've seen. It made me really cry because it seemed more real. However, one thing about this film brought it both praise and dislike from me, and that's the fact that it kept the original dialogue. It pleased the Shakespeare fan in me, but it really didn't fit the time period it was set in. It just seemed so out-of-place. Also, this version lost so much and moved around so much that it doesn't hit the same dramatic impact that it did before. It's still very good with emotions, but a little lost in itself.

OVERALL,a great film with a well-executed plot, good acting, romantic Luhrman soundtrack, a bigger emotional impact, inventiveness, and original dialogue, but it all seems so out-of-place and lost a few important story elements in itself.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The Incredibles (2004) review


(8/10)

This addition to the Pixar canon is often overlooked, but that doesn't make it just as good as the rest. This action-packed, pulpy adventure is just entertaining overall.

PLOT:Bob Parr a.k.a. Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) is a super-strong former superhero who married Helen a.k.a. Elastagirl (Holly Hunter), who can stretch extremely long distances. Since the supers were forced to keep their secret identities and try to live normal lives a long time ago, these two have tried to settle down and live a normal life with their kids Dash (Spencer Fox) and Violet (Sarah Vowell), along with their neighbor, Lucius a.k.a. Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson). However, Bob has been longing to relive the glory days and is finally satisfied when a mysterious source contacts him, asking him to do some specific superhero work. However, this work could lead to the re-lighting of an age-old spark with an enemy. It's great plot executed very well.



VOICES:The voice acting is really good. Craig T. Nelson does a great job of voicing Bob Parr, and Holly Hunter does almost better as Helen Parr. Among these two great leads, Jason Lee does a really good job as the villian, Syndrome. The other shiners would be Sarah Vowell as Violet, Wallace Shawn as Mr. Huph, Brad Bird as Edna Mode a.k.a. E, Elizabeth Pena as Mirage, and John Ratzenberger as The Underminer.

SCORE:The score is really well done. It has a jazzy feel to it from Michael Giacchino that makes everything run more smoothly in the film.

ANIMATION:The animation is pretty good. It was the basic Pixar animation with a lot of action put into it. It was different how they experimented with colors in here though. It seemed as though they silhoutted different colors on the characters' faces to get a certian mood. It could be just me, but it seemed pretty different to me.



OTHER CONTENT:This is a really great but overlooked Pixar film. It does have a few flaws, but it's still a really good film. It's action-packed, entertaining, and is just a good story told overall. However, this is one of the Pixar films that doesn't have as much meaning as some of the others, like Wall-E or Up. There are also some scenes where the execution seems a bit offset. Either way, this one has been worth multiple watches for me. I really like it still.

OVERALL,a great Pixar film with a great plot, really good voice acting, well-done jazzy score, pretty good yet different animation, lots of actiong and entertainment, and a really good story overall, but it doesn't hold as much meaning as some other Pixar films and there are times that things seem to be a bit off-set.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Oliver & Company (1988) review


(6/10)

This was one of the most-watched movies for me in my childhood years, but it doesn't stand up to the feeling I had then after re-watching it.

PLOT:Oliver (Joey Lawrence) is a stray, orange cat with no home in the middle of loud New York City. Oliver is struggling to survive until he meets a street-smart dog named Dodger (Billy Joel), whom he follows home after helping him get food from a vendor. There, Oliver meets the likes of Tito (Cheech Marin), Frances (Roscoe Lee Brown), Einstein (Richard Mulligan), and Rita (Cheryl Lee Ralph), along with their owner, Fagin (Dom DeLuise), who is in the hole a lot of money and has three days to come up with it. The gang devises a plan to get some cash, but Oliver is caught and taken to live with the family of a rich, sweet young girl named Jenny, and their pampered dog, Georgette (Bette Midler). The gang must find Oliver and try to come up with the money for Fagin so he don't get in big trouble. It's a good plot executed decently.



VOICES:The voice acting was pretty good for this movie. Joey Lawrence was no big deal in here, as true for any of the child actors here. The real lead performance in here was by Billy Joel as Dodger. He did well, but it wasn't an extremely good performance. The other shiners were Cheech Marin as Tito, Dom DeLuise as Fagin, Bette Midler as Georgette, William Glover as Winston, and Robert Loggia as Sykes. Not a lot of the voices were outstanding, but they weren't horrible either.

SCORE:The score was somewhat questionable. The instrumental score was pretty good and nice to hear, but the songs were pretty much hit-or-miss. The songs came from the likes of Billy Joel, Huey Lewis, Bette Midler, and many others, but not all of them were real good.

ANIMATION:The animation had to have been the worst thing about the movie. Nearly all of Disney's works have had really good animation, but this one failed to live up to that standard. The animation was messy and rushed to the point of looking really poor and unfinished. Some say it goes with the feel of the movie, but it's frustrating for 74 minutes.



OTHER CONTENT:I used to really love this movie when I was younger, but over the years, my interest has really faded in it. Aside from the sloppy animation and the hit-or-miss music, the movie was thoroughly predictable and pretty much a flop in the canon of Disney movies. However, this movie still holds a place in my heart due to the voices, my memories, and the sentimental feeling about pets I get from this movie. It's not completely terrible, but it isn't really good either.

OVERALL,an ok animated movie with a decent plot, pretty good voices, good score, and a good sentimental feeling, but the animation is messy and unfinished-like, the songs are hit-or-miss, and it's very predictable.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Speed Racer (2008) review


(7/10)

This movie suprised me in a lot of ways; I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. The effects are colorful, the script is great, and the excitement is amped-up.

PLOT:In this adaptation of the popular TV series, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsh) is very famous on the standard racing tracks. Along with Pops (John Goodman), his mother (Susan Sarandon), Trixie (Christina Ricci), Spritle, and Chim Chim, Speed has worked his way to a top racer, with several other companies trying to sponsor him. One sponsor (Roger Allam) is in league with the underground and will do whatever it takes to dominate the racing league, especially when Speed decides to take on the Crucible, a dangerous cross-country race. Speed joins with Racer X (Matthew Fox) and others to conquer this race on his way to the Grand Prix. It's a good plot executed fairly well.



ACTING:The acting is pretty good. Emile Hirsch plays a pretty good part as Speed Racer. The most outstanding role aside from Speed would be John Goodman as Pops; he played the role in a pretty legit way. The other shiners would be Susan Sarandon as Speed's mom, Christina Ricci as Trixie, Matthew Fox as Racer X, Roger Allam as Royalton, and Kick Gurry as Sparky. However, a lot of the minor characters and brief appearances were pretty mediocre and badly-acted.

SCORE:The score was very fitting and inspirational by Michael Giacchino. There were some pretty good themes.

EFFECTS:The effects in this movie were what mainly led it on for me. The effects, though cheaply made, are bright, colorful, and exciting. They really took me on a trip and kept the action going.



OTHER CONTENT:This movie, though I liked it so much, still has its flaws. Aside from the minor actors, the execution had problems and it moves in too fast a pace for its own good. The execution was pretty bad in terms that this movie doesn't really have a true plot, but just a bunch of racing. The pacing was also too fast; it made the use of effects headache-inducing to some and made some things seem ridiculous along with the execution. However, this movie is packed full of excitement and a pretty good script. It is a pretty big change from the original series, but I say it wasn't all that bad.

OVERALL,a good movie with a decent plot, good acting, inspirational score, colorful effects, lots of excitement, and a good script, but the minor actors are mediocre, the execution had problems, and the pacing was way too fast.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

American Beauty (1999) review


(10/10)

I consider this to be one of the best movies I have ever seen. It entertains on both a comedic and dramatic level with flawless acting and execution.

PLOT:Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a depressed, old man. He has a negligent wife named Caroline (Annette Bening) and a teenage daughter named Jane (Thora Birch) that pretty much hates him. Things are going horrible for Lester until he meets one of Jane's best friends, Angela (Mena Suvari), and immediately falls in love with her, sending him into a mid-life crisis in which he takes up several new hobbies and a new attitude on life. Meanwhile, Caroline is starting to have frequent lunches with her rival in the real estate business, Buddy Kane (Peter Gallagher) and Jane is developing a crush on the weird neighbor, Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley), who has an abusive veteran father (Chris Cooper). It's a very unqiue plot executed excellently.



ACTING:The acting in here was brilliant. Kevin Spacey performs brilliantly as the confused Lester Burnham, including his narration as well as his on-screen moments. Annette Bening also plays well off of Spacey as Caroline, the controlling wife. All performances were really good. The other shiners would be Thora Birch as Jane, Mena Suvari as Angela, Peter Gallagher as Buddy Kane, Wes Bentley as Ricky Fitts, and Chris Cooper as Colonel Fitts. The ones that stand out in this bunch would be Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, and Wes Bentley; Bentley plays a very memorable and rather likeable part.

SCORE:The score was pretty cool. It wasn't extremely unique or prominent like some film scores, but it was fitting and well done by Thomas Newman. Other than that, the soundtrack was made up of several classic rock songs (The Who, Annie Lennox, etc.) and showtune crooners.



OTHER CONTENT:This film was brilliant. Aside from the acting and execution, this film had a lot of deep meaning embedded within it on the hidden beauties of life you have to realize exist. This film opened my eyes the first time I saw it how beautiful and meaningful the world can be in the slightest things. This film is deep and dramatic, but also funny and comedic at some times. I don't believe it's an uneven mix, but that it all balances out in the end. For being his first film, I believe the director, Sam Mendes, has a lot of potential in him.

OVERALL,an epic film with an excellent plot, brilliant acting, cool soundtrack, lots of deep meaning, and a good balance of comedy and drama.

Monday, February 4, 2013

St. Elmo's Fire (1985) review


(7/10)

This so-called classic isn't as funny as Sixteen Candles or as deep as The Breakfast Club, but it isn't terrible. However, it's so jumbled up and underdeveloped that it can't be considered truly great, either.

PLOT:A group of friends graduate from college and meet up regularly at the local bar, St. Elmo's, while trying to balance their real world lives with catching up. Jules (Demi Moore) is dealing with drug addiction and a fatal attraction in the work field. Wendy (Mare Winningham) has self-image issues and is trying to get with the no-good Billy (Rob Lowe), who plays the saxaphone and can't keep a job. Alex (Judd Nelson) is engaged to his girlfriend, Leslie (Ally Sheedy), but is having issues staying committed to her. Kevin (Andrew McCarthy) is a tortured newspaper writer who also loves Leslie hopelessly. Lastly, lovestruck Kirby (Emilio Estavez) is back in love with his old crush, Dale Biberman (Andie MacDowell), who is now a doctor, while he is pining for law school. It's a unique plot executed decently.



ACTING:The acting was pretty good. The most detailed part would have to have been played by Demi Moore as the troubled Jules. She did really well, but not too spectacular. A lot of the Breakfast Club group was in here, such as Emilio Estavez, Judd Nelson, and Ally Sheedy, and they all played great roles as Kirby, Alex, and Leslie. The other shiners would be Mare Winnigham as Wendy, Rob Lowe as Billy, and Andrew McCarthy as Kevin.

SCORE:The score was very well done by David Foster, and the theme is one of the things about the movie that actually does remain memorable.



OTHER CONTENT:This 80s classic isn't as good as some of the others, such as Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, but it still isn't terrible. It has a handful of deep substantial scenes and represents a pretty good drama, but it's really jumbled up and underdeveloped. It's hard to tell the characters apart for a while considering emotions, and the dramatics all run together at one point and it just seems to come off as a mess, but it's not by far the worst 80s classic I've seen.

OVERALL,a good 80s classic with a decent plot, good acting, memorable score, some deep scenes and good drama, but it jumbles up at points and is very underdeveloped in scenes.