Tag Archives: Kevin Spacey

The Big Kahuna - * * *

John Swanbeck directs this 16mm film starring Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito and Peter Facinelli as a trio of salesmen at an industrial lubricans convention in Wichita. Roger Rueff adapted his comic play. Previously titled Hospitality Suite. Capsule Review: Very obviously … Continue reading

Posted in 2000, Movie Reviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Big Kahuna

American Beauty - * * * *

What is normal? What is ordinary? What is beautiful? American Beauty proposes that appearances are nearly always deceiving, and there’s always more to see if you just look closer. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is burnt out. At forty-two years old, … Continue reading

Posted in 1999, Movie Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on American Beauty

The Negotiator - * * *

Like a successful hostage negotiation, hostage negotiation dramas tend to follow a set pattern. As such, most hostage films fall into one of two camps: those where you sympathize with the hostage takers (see Dog Day Afternoon, or Cadillac Man), … Continue reading

Posted in 1998, Movie Reviews | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Negotiator

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - * * *

John Berendt’s popular nonfiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a very difficult book to adapt. Clint Eastwood’s film version might be as good an adaptation of the book as you could hope, but it is … Continue reading

Posted in 1997, Movie Reviews | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

L.A. Confidential - * * * *

It would be easy to label L.A. Confidential a nineties attempt a film noir, but it doesn’t quite fit. That overeager catagorization does a disservice both to the film and to the genre. Sure, the pulpy film takes place in … Continue reading

Posted in 1997, Movie Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Confidential

Albino Alligator - * * 1/2*

Kevin Spacey makes his directoral debut with this moody hostage drama. After a botched robbery, three crooks (Matt Dillon, Gary Sinise, and William Fichtner) hide out in a small underground New Orleans bar. Things get tense when the cops arrive … Continue reading

Posted in 1996, Movie Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Albino Alligator

A Time to Kill - * * * 1/2*

A Time to Kill is an outstanding courtroom drama, and easily the best adaptation of one of John Grisham’s legal thrillers. Samuel L. Jackson stars as Carl Lee Hailey, a black lumberyard worker in Clanton, Mississippi, whose little girl is … Continue reading

Posted in 1996, Movie Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on A Time to Kill

Se7en - * * * *

Grisly and disturbing, but very, very good. Seven is a thriller about a serial killer obsessed with the seven deadly sins; and the two homicide cops on his trail. Morgan Freeman is the elder cop, seven days from retirement, and … Continue reading

Posted in 1995, Movie Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Se7en

The Usual Suspects - * * * 1/2*

Highly entertaining, highly convoluted whodunnit. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollak, Stephen Baldwin and Benicio Del Toro star as five cons who join together after all are picked out for a police lineup. In a series of flashbacks, the film … Continue reading

Posted in 1995, Movie Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Usual Suspects