Liberty Stand Still (2002)

Liberty Stand Still (2002)

3/10

Starring

Linda Fiorentino

Wesley Snipes

Directed by Karl Skogland

I remember seeing Liberty Stand Still when I was much younger, and I thought it was just a Phone Booth rip-off—except instead of a phone booth, this time we had a hot dog stand.
The movie wasn’t that great, and I can see why many people didn’t like it. Because of the bad reviews, it never made it to theaters and was released straight to video. It lacked the jolt of thrill needed to make it worth watching more than once.

What was mostly missing in this movie was the energetic charisma in the leads’ performances. It felt like they were way too comfortable having a gun pointed at them. You’d expect someone with a sniper rifle aimed at them—and who’s already been shot at—to react differently, but that’s not what this movie delivers.
Liberty (played by Linda Fiorentino) was oddly calm and confident with a rifle pointed at her. Joe (Wesley Snipes) was an annoying character with a boring voice, making him hard to root for. His motive might have been more grounded, but the movie tried too hard to be believable and ended up failing to be enjoyable. What it really lacked was the simplicity of Phone Booth.

Liberty is a gun salesperson in an arranged marriage, with a nice boyfriend on the side. She’s not exactly proud of her life, as you’ll see as the movie progresses, but she’s made peace with it.
She and her husband run a company that manufactures guns, and they don’t care whose hands the guns end up in, as long as the buyer can pay.

Joe lost his daughter to one of these guns, and he wants revenge—not just for himself, but to show the world the dangers of guns. His plan is to hold Liberty hostage and force her to make his statement to the American public. The problem is, the movie doesn’t take the time to make that statement or argument believable. Instead, it tries to suck us into the characters’ lives, which, at that point, were pretty boring. The writer didn’t seem to understand what a movie twist is supposed to do.

Twists are supposed to make you go, “Wow!” If you’re like me, watching with the ability to skip back, you’d want to rewind and see how everything added up to that point. If you’re in a cinema, loose ends in your memory get tied up.
The twist in this movie was so pathetic, and the delivery lacked so much enthusiasm, that even if you missed it, it wouldn’t have affected the movie’s outcome.

I can’t, in good faith, tell you to give Liberty Stand Still a try. I’d rather leave it in the memory of movies I saw way back when.

 

Phone Booth (2002)

Phone Booth (2002)

7/10

Starring

Colin Firth

Kiefer Sutherland

Forest Whitaker

Directed by Joel Schumacher

Phone Booth was one of those movies—brief, straight to the point, and packed with a tingly feeling that keeps you excited as you watch. As the events unfold, you ask yourself, “Who wouldn’t answer a ringing phone?”
It was here I first got to see Colin Farrell perform before I had the pleasure of seeing him in Minority Report (2002). He had my full attention with his acting in this movie, and Kiefer Sutherland’s voice is something you’d never mistake anywhere.

The movie was both a critical and commercial success, and when you watch it, you’ll understand why. It’s great, exciting, and comes at you from every possible angle.

The movie’s plot follows a man named Stu (Colin Farrell), a publicist who thrives by spinning lies. He manipulates people and always makes sure he comes out on top. His lies catch up with him when he makes a call from a phone booth and, instead of walking away, hears the phone ring and picks it up.
On the other end is a man who knows everything about Stu—who he is, the lies he’s told, and even his wife Kelly and his side fling, Pam.

Stu is uneasy and wants to hang up, but the voice on the phone has enough information to keep him uncomfortable and glued to the spot.
The voice warns, “Stu, if you hang up, I will kill you.”

This threat becomes real when a man trying to force Stu off the phone is killed by the voice on the other end—via a sniper rifle.

The cops show up, and the movie still has enough juice to keep going. The caller reveals he’s a vigilante killer who targets liars and thieves. He even tells Stu about others he’s killed—people Stu recognizes from news reports about sniper attacks. The movie goes from exciting to thrilling. Because when you are watching something like this, you have an expectation. Either, Stu gets killed, or the sniper gets caught, how the movie navigates these two possible outcomes, well you will need to watch it to find out.

This movie was shot in just ten days and grossed 97 million worldwide against a 13 million budget.
The acting is on point, and Kiefer Sutherland’s voice work isn’t just scary—it’s captivating. I encourage you to go see this movie again if you’ve already watched it. There’s so much fun in reliving all the twists and turns that happen in this film.

S1m0ne (2002)

S1m0ne (2002)

7/10

Starring

Al Pacino

Catherine Keener

Evan Rachel Wood

Rachel Roberts

Directed by Andrew Niccol

S1m0ne is my guilty pleasure movie—it always makes me smile whenever I watch it. Al Pacino takes on a comedic role here, playing a character on the brink of losing his career and seeing his movie production dreams crumble.
The movie’s strength lies in its drama. It packs a punch in that area, while the comedy is subtle and delivers just the right smiles when you need them. Despite its lackluster box-office performance, which likely killed any chance of a sequel, I still believe this movie doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.

The film focuses on a fictional breakthrough in CGI, set in the present day. A software developer creates a powerful program that generates a CGI woman so lifelike, you’d mistake her for real.
He combines the features and characteristics of the best actresses and singers to create the perfect face, physique, and personality. He gifts this masterpiece to his favorite movie producer, Viktor Taransky (Al Pacino), and that’s where the story begins.

We see Viktor struggling after losing his leading lady in a movie he’s working on. He uses the CGI program to create a woman named Simone and casts her in the film. His production, combined with motion-capture acting, makes the movie spectacular, and Simone becomes an overnight star.
This is where the movie truly comes to life, and Al Pacino delivers a performance that can only be appreciated when you see it for yourself.

The film explores the world’s obsession with a woman who lives a secret life but has an impossibly beautiful face. It also delves into the dangers of getting so lost in your work that you create a world of your own. The movie spins these tales exceptionally well.

The movie is written, directed, and produced by Andrew Niccol, who happens to be the real-life spouse of Rachel Roberts, the actress who plays Simone. This is her first movie role, and for me, she gave a fantastic performance.
Even though the movie was criticized for lacking punch and having an unbelievable plot, I think it has everything needed to be fun to watch and enough drama to keep you captivated until the end.

Re-writing this review in 2025, brings this idea for a movie to reality. The internet is filled with deepfake videos, and we have come to see that even picking a call can be from a deepfake voice. Scary when you come to think of it.

The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)

The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)

6/10

Starring

Louis Ashbourne Serkis

Tom Taylor

Rebecca Ferguson

Patrick Stewart

Directed by Joe Cornish

There are movies, which I believe are made to be for children to catch early Sunday morning and not for cinema release, this movie is one of them. Here’s a movie I enjoyed—I think it’s fun to watch. I loved the adventure, the twist on the tale, and how the children are used to deliver a modern retelling of King Arthur’s story.
The Kid Who Would Be King is a King Arthur tale set in modern times. Or, more accurately, it’s about Morgana, who didn’t die and comes back for revenge on England, only to be stopped by a group of children led by a twelve-year-old. The movie was a box office bomb, and I’m not surprised. All you have to do is watch it, and you’ll feel it was an over-invested venture.

It fits better as a small-screen movie (something you’d catch on Disney Channel or Nickelodeon) because of how the cast interacts with the fantasy world. These are children taking on underworld creatures in sword fights (after just five minutes of training, mind you) and defeating Morgana after she transforms into a fiery monster.
All of this is far-fetched, making it hard to take the movie seriously. But if you have kids between six and twelve, they’ll probably enjoy it, and you won’t be bored sitting beside them while they watch.

We all know the tale of King Arthur: he stopped Morgana and her allies with his Knights, and the world was safe—for a while. Centuries later, Morgana is growing stronger. Although Arthur defeated her back then, he didn’t kill her.

Merlin, aware that she’d return centuries later, prepared himself to come back at that time too. So, when a twelve-year-old boy is chased by bullies, falls, and stumbles upon a rundown building with a sword in a stone, he pulls it out.
He takes the sword home and meets Merlin, who tells him he must form a group of Knights to stop the impending doom.

In the end, I enjoyed the ride, and I believe many others would too. This is a safe movie to watch with the family. The CGI is average at best, and the acting by the child-led cast is good. The story needed a little more work to compete with other movies released around the same time, but it’s well-packaged for the small screen. I think it’ll do well there and recoup enough from digital sales.

Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

7/10

Starring

Rosa Salazar

Christoph Waltz

Jennifer Connelly

Mahershala Ali

Directed by Robert Rodriguez

Wow, Alita: Battle Angel is captivating, interesting, and very inviting. While the story isn’t new to me, it can be a bit hard to follow for someone who hasn’t come across it before.
The movie’s biggest strength is its action sequences. They hit you head-on, and many times you’re left sitting in awe, cheering for Alita to kick some serious butt. The special effects are a no-holds-barred masterpiece.
You’ll enjoy how each cyborg or android character in this futuristic world handles their existence—how they move, fight, and battle. The visual feast this movie delivers isn’t something you can get anywhere else, and I highly recommend you go experience it after reading about the downside below.

The movie’s downside lies in its storytelling. It feels like three tales squashed together:
Tale 1: Alita is brought back to life by Ido and has to discover herself, learning to be her own person. Hugo introduces her to the competitive sport of Motorball.
Tale 2: Alita and the bounty hunters (or Hunter-Warriors, as they’re called in this world). Who is Vector, and who is Nova?
Tale 3: Alita becomes a Motorball player, and suddenly, everyone is after her.

What makes this tale work is how the director pieces everything together. It’s a slow unraveling of a story that leaves you wanting more the moment the final curtain drops. Robert Rodriguez (known for the Mexico Trilogy: El Mariachi, Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico) is the man behind the camera for this plot.

In the future (year 2563), we’re shown the aftermath of a catastrophic war known as "The Fall." The war has turned Earth into a devastating place, with many areas reduced to junkyards.
While scouting the junkyard metropolis of Iron City, a man discovers a disembodied female cyborg with a fully intact human brain. His name is Dr. Dyson Ido, a cyborg scientist. He rebuilds the cyborg, who has no memory of her past, and names her "Alita" after his deceased daughter (in the manga, it’s after his cat).

Alita is magnificent, and Ido takes the time to teach her about life. She befriends a young man named Hugo and begins to discover herself and the world she inhabits. A key to her self-discovery comes when she follows Ido out one night.
Ido is a Hunter-Warrior, and when his life is in danger, Alita comes to his rescue. She fights off their attackers, making her a target for Nova, the man running everything.

Nova wants her body and is willing to do anything to get it. As Alita’s memories slowly return, she discovers her true purpose: to go after Nova and stop him.

The movie is a visual masterpiece, and I hope it performs well at the box office because I’d love to see the sequels that are planned for this story.

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)

6/10

Starring

John Hurt

Richard Burton

Suzanna Hamilton

Directed by Michael Radford

Nineteen Eighty-Four (or 1984), which was fittingly released in 1984, is a British dystopian science fiction film. Michael Radford wrote the screenplay and directed it, based on George Orwell’s novel of the same name.
Before diving into the movie’s plot, I want to appreciate how Michael Radford adapted this story. If you’ve read the book, the differences are clear, and you might not fully appreciate how the two rebels were caught. Still, Radford pieced it together well. The conspiracy that leads to the two leads being apprehended for their thoughtcrime is deeper in the book than in the movie, but the film still captures the essence.

The movie does a great job depicting Orwell’s world. The relationship between Smith (John Hurt) and Julia (Suzanna Hamilton) is well-portrayed. As we watch Smith dive into his diary, writing down his doubts about the system, you’re left wondering how your own system might be holding you captive.

Set in the future year of 1984 (the book was written in 1949, when Orwell envisioned a world divided into regions), the world has been split into territories. This division leads to constant conflict as each region vies for dominance.
By this point, most of the world’s population has fallen victim to perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance, and heavy propaganda.

To maintain control over Oceania, the region where the movie is set, history is constantly rewritten. Oceania is under a totalitarian regime, with the Thought Police keeping everyone under constant surveillance. The capital of Oceania is London, where Winston Smith works in a small office cubicle at the Ministry of Truth. His job is to rewrite history to align with the Party’s narrative and its supreme leader, Big Brother.

Smith’s job gives him insight into what’s really going on, and he begins to have doubts. He starts writing his thoughts in a diary. He also notices the attention of a woman named Julia. Love relationships are forbidden in Oceania, but somehow, the two begin a secret affair in a place they believe is safe from prying eyes.

If you’ve read the book, you already know how things unfold. If you haven’t, I recommend watching the movie to see how it all unravels.

The book introduced terms like Big Brother (which has since become a cultural phenomenon), thoughtcrime, Room 101, and 2 + 2 = 5. The movie opens your mind to how the world as we know it can be redefined. The book is incredibly deep, and I highly recommend giving it a read.
I haven’t seen any other adaptations of this book, but I imagine adapting it is no easy task. For that, I applaud Michael Radford for his effort.

Dogma (1999)

Dogma (1999)

6/10

Starring

Ben Affleck

Matt Damon

Linda Fiorentino

 

 

Directed by Kevin Smith

Dogma is a comedic religious movie that takes blasphemy by the tail and spins it as much as it can. The whole idea of this film might make any religious person uncomfortable, but the concept and some of the ideas behind it are worth cheering for.

Kevin Smith, to me, hasn’t been one of the best filmmakers out there. In fact, he wouldn’t even make my list of average filmmakers. He’s found a way to make movies with what seems like minimal effort, and for that, I appreciate some of his work while disliking the rest.
Dogma, however, has a great cast that comes together to make the movie memorable. The downside? The comedy sometimes falls flat, and the movie has an uneven flow that’s hard to ignore. That said, the acting by the cast is solid, with everyone seeming highly committed to their roles.

The story follows two fallen angels who’ve grown tired of life on Earth. They’re on Earth for the same reason Lucifer was cast out: they rebelled. But unlike Lucifer, who tried to overthrow God, these angels were simply disobedient. Their names are Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon), and they’ve been banished to Wisconsin for insubordination.
After more than a millennium on Earth, they receive a message that gives them an idea of how to get back into heaven.

The biggest problem with their plan is that by returning to heaven, they’d undo something God has already done. Since God is infallible, undoing His work would make all of existence cease to exist. But these angels don’t care—they just want to get back to heaven, no matter the cost.

God’s presence is unknown, so He isn’t around to stop these two from rendering existence nonexistent. To prevent this, Metatron (a seraph and the voice of God, played by Alan Rickman) approaches Bethany and tells her she’s been chosen to save the universe. Her only allies are a prophetic duo: Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith).
Joining their quest are Rufus (Chris Rock), the forgotten thirteenth Apostle, and Serendipity (Salma Hayek), a muse.

They must stop the angels while facing opposition from Azrael (Jason Lee). The movie is full of funny twists and turns, and explaining them would turn this review into a spoiler fest. If you enjoy crazy fantasy ideas about religion and blasphemy doesn’t bother you, this is a movie worth watching.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

6/10

Starring

Jason Mewes

Kevin Smith

Directed by Kevin Smith

It’s always been a thrill to see the duo of Jay and Silent Bob in Kevin Smith’s films, especially when their presence is used in small doses. When the idea of giving them their own full-length movie came up, and Kevin Smith actually made it happen, I didn’t know what to expect.
I was worried there might be too much Jay. After all, Silent Bob’s presence is easier to overlook because, well, he’s mostly silent throughout his appearances.

In the end, the movie wasn’t half bad. I enjoyed watching these fools (as their characters are meant to be) let loose in the world without any restraints on their ridiculousness. The movie can come off as harsh with the way Jay curses and behaves so out of tune with societal norms. But the introduction of a significant other, who makes him consider toning down his language at times, was a nice touch. Plus, the movie features an almost endless array of actors making cameo appearances or playing exaggerated versions of themselves.

The movie is fun because it doesn’t take itself seriously at all. If you want to criticize the idea of a stupid plot, well, that’s kind of the whole point of the movie.

The movie starts by showing how the duo met and how Jay developed his foul mouth. The two are doing what they do best—hanging out and selling weed—when their day is interrupted by news of a movie being made.
It turns out Miramax bought the rights to a film based on Bluntman and Chronic, a pair of comic book characters created in Jay and Silent Bob’s likeness. The duo is upset because they’re being left out of the financial benefits. They decide to confront the comic’s creator to demand their cut. He tells them he’s not getting any money either, as he sold the rights to his partner. He directs them to the internet, where they find a long list of people trashing Bluntman and Chronic. The duo takes this personally (even though they’re told not to) and decides to head to Hollywood to stop the movie’s production.

Their journey leads to a wild cross-country chase, with them being mistaken for terrorists. They unknowingly get involved in a diamond heist and end up completely lost in Hollywood.

Well, Kevin Smith is planning a return for these two characters, and I can’t imagine what they’ll get up to next.