Movie Review: The Fan (1996)

Genre: Sports Drama Thriller  

Director: Tony Scott 

Starring: Robert De Niro, Wesley Snipes, Ellen Barkin, John Leguizamo, Benicio del Toro  

Running Time: 116 minutes  

Synopsis: Divorced salesman Gil Renard (Robert De Niro) is a die-hard fan of the San Francisco Giants baseball team. He is thrilled the Giants have signed star slugger Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes) for the upcoming season. When Bobby starts to underperform and the fans turn on him, Gil redoubles his commitment to Bobby, and his fandom transitions to obsession. With Bobby's teammate Primo (Benicio del Toro) enjoying a stellar season, Gil descends into criminal acts.

What Works Well: The underlying premise of fan obsession is a worthwhile topic, exploring the pathetic psychology of a loser vicariously living through his dedication to one team, and more narrowly, one player. Without overextending, Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes are never less than watchable.

What Does Not Work As Well: The tone never settles between drama, menace, and an ill-advised search for action. Director Tony Scott is caught in no man's land, contaminating what is ultimately a human story with bombastic overreach into thriller territory. Once Gil flips to criminal mode, the plot's essence is lost in favour of cheap thrills featuring multiple murders, a kidnapping, and a quite ridiculous over-clocked climax featuring a professional baseball game in the pouring rain.

Key Quote:

Bobby: At least you're not one of those diehard, you know, baseball fans. You know, really.

Gil: Why's that?

Bobby: Because those guys are losers.

Gil: Aren't the fans what it's all about?

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Movie Review: Two If By Sea (1996)

Genre: Romantic Caper Comedy  

Director: Bill Bennett  

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Denis Leary, Yaphet Kotto  

Running Time: 96 minutes  

Synopsis: Small-time and rather dim thief Frank (Denis Leary) and his long-suffering girlfriend Roz (Sandra Bullock) have just stolen a precious painting on behalf of a Boston mobster. While waiting to connect with the buyer, they help themselves to a hide-out at a lavish unoccupied Rhode Island vacation home. Roz is soon infatuated by wealthy neighbour Evan (Stephen Dillane), straining her relationship with Frank, while Detective O'Malley (Yaphet Kotto) closes in on the couple.

What Works Well: Yaphet Kotto lends undeserved stature to an otherwise talent-starved project. That a black cop could be called "O'Malley" is about as funny as the script gets. 

What Does Not Work As Well: Ineptly co-written by co-star and stand-up comic Denis Leary, this is a not-even-half-baked idea for an old fashioned romantic comedy that quickly withers and dies. Frank and Roz as a none-too-bright bickering couple are devastatingly uninteresting, charisma-free, and never funny, together creating a black hole that sucks the soul out of the content-challenged plot. An attempt at comic relief through the bungling antics of the Boston goons only serves to expose the witless core.

Key Quote:

Frank (to Roz): People like us are born in little houses and die in little houses, and we've got to find happiness somewhere in between.

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Movie Review: The Whisper Man (2026)

Genre: Suspense Thriller  

Director: James Ashcroft  

Starring: Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Keaton, Adam Scott  

Running Time: 111 minutes  

Synopsis: Tom Kennedy (Adam Scott) and his young son Jake relocate to a small suburban New Jersey community. Local police detective Amanda Beck (Michelle Monaghan) is dealing with a missing child case, raising fears that a serial child murderer is active in the area. 30 years prior, Tom's estranged father detective Peter Willis (Robert De Niro) had apprehended serial child murderer Frank Carter (Michael Keaton), who remains in prison. When Jake disappears, Tom, Peter, and Amanda have to confront the past and race against time to rescue the boy.

What Works Well: The cast is deep in talent, with Robert De Niro (conveying subdued weariness as a retired detective), Michelle Monaghan (grounded), and especially Michael Kearon (sharply unhinged as an incarcerated monster) ensuring quality in the key roles. The adaptation of Alex North's book is rich in characters and incidents, cross-cutting in time and place.

What Does Not Work As Well: Too much of the book appears crammed into a sub two-hour movie, resulting in shallow characterizations and short-changing the key father-son theme. More time was needed with Frank Carter and his offspring to explore a deep reservoir of psychological damage, and similarly the broken bond between Peter and Tom deserved further elaboration.

Key Quote:

Note sent by the child abductor: If you leave a door half open, soon you'll hear the whispers spoken.

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Movie Review: Hypnotic (2021)

Genre: Thriller  

Directors: Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote  

Starring: Kate Siegel, Jason O'Mara, Dulé Hill, Lucie Guest  

Running Time: 88 minutes  

Synopsis: In Portland, Jennifer (Kate Siegel) is suffering trauma after losing an unborn child and ending a long-term relationship with fiancé Paul. Her friend Gina (Lucie Guest) refers Jennifer to therapist Dr. Collin Meade (Jason O'Mara), who uses hypnotherapy to help patients. Jennifer is initially pleased with the results, but a mishap related to Paul's food allergies prompts her to delve into Meade's mysterious background with the help of Detective Rollins (Dulé Hill).

What Works Well: This competent, compact, and undemanding thriller enjoys a decent cast, a slick villain, and a feisty damsel-in-distress. Jason O'Mara as Dr. Meade oozes smiley menace from every thread of his expensive wardrobe, and the Richard D'Ovidio script maintains brisk pacing to wrap up proceedings in under 90 minutes.

What Does Not Work As Well: The hypnosis sessions are often skipped in their entirety, the science relegated to a high-concept demonstration of potential harms. With a singular focus on momentum, the plot gallops past numerous plot holes and revelations related to Dr. Meade's father, a name change, other victims, and previous investigations.

Key Quote:

Dr. Meade (to Jennifer): Only you can control your subconscious.

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Movie Review: The Vanished (2020)

Genre: Mystery Thriller  

Director: Peter Facinelli  
Starring: Thomas Jane, Anne Heche, Jason Patric  

Running Time: 115 minutes  

Synopsis: Married couple Paul and Wendy (Thomas Jane and Anne Heche) along with 10-year-old daughter Taylor arrive in their RV to an isolated lakeside camping site. As Paul gets to know their campsite neighbour Miranda (Aleksei Archer), Taylor disappears. Sheriff Baker (Jason Patric) arrives to investigate, and his men start a search of the surrounding woods. Paul and Wendy grow increasingly frantic when they learn an escaped convict is in the area. They also find Miranda and her husband Eric suspicious, while the camp ground manager and his assistant are plain creepy.

What Works Well: Writer and director Peter Facinelli creates a strong sense of place, the remote lakeside RV park (filmed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama) offering both beauty and mystery. The twisty plot leads Paul and Wendy on a wild ride, and they are soon much more than just concerned parents. Thomas Jane, Anne Heche, and Jason Patric provide sufficient quality in the lead roles to maintain interest.

What Does Not Work As Well: It takes a bewildering amount of police ineptitude to advance the plot. With a vulnerable child gone missing, Sheriff Baker and his officers do not properly search the premises (sordid secrets hide behind most doors), nor do they investigate the backgrounds of key characters, nor do they ever make meaningful progress on multiple related crime scenes (including two deaths and one missing person). Unsurprisingly, the compounding logic holes consume the predictable climax.

Key Quote:

Sheriff Baker, reassuring Paul and Wendy: I promise, I'll always be as transparent and as honest as I can be. You've got a partner here.

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Movie Review: The Man In The Moon (1991)

Genre: Coming-of-Age Drama  

Director: Robert Mulligan  

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Sam Waterston, Tess Harper, Gail Strickland, Jason London, Emily Warfield  

Running Time: 99 minutes  

Synopsis: The setting is rural Louisiana in the late 1950s. 14-year-old tomboy Dani (Reese Witherspoon) is growing up on a farm with her older sister Maureen (Emily Warfield) and their parents Matt and Abigail (Sam Waterston and Tess Harper). Dani likes to skinny dip at the local pond, where she meets 17-year-old Court (Jason London), the son of the widow Marie (Gail Strickland). Dani develops a crush on Court, and while he is interested, he also knows she is too young. A series of unexpected mishaps then shape Dani's transition to adulthood.

What Works Well: This old-fashioned and well-crafted coming-of-age story (written by Jenny Wingfield) combines the nostalgic innocence of simpler times with the joyous dizziness of first love, the responsibility for unintended consequences, and the devastating pain of experiencing loss. Reese Witherspoon (aged 14 in real life) sparkles in her debut, deploying a range of emotions and clever expressions to reveal the first draft of Dani the woman emerging from the shell of a girl. She is surrounded by several other well-drawn characters, including her father Matt, sister Maureen, and first love Court, who also experience their own complex emotional journeys.

What Does Not Work As Well: The burgeoning relationship between Dani and Court goes through some repetitive hot-and-cold beats. A few promising sub-plots are dangled then abandoned, including Maureen's boyfriend and his lecherous father, while the widow Marie has a backstory with Matt and an off-screen tragedy that are only mentioned in passing.

Key Quote:

Dani: You know...sometimes...I think nothing's ever gonna make sense again.

Maureen: Maybe life's not supposed to make sense.

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Movie Review: The Odyssey (2026)

Genre: Epic Action  

Director: Christopher Nolan  

Starring: Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyongo'o, Samantha Morton, John Leguizamo, Jon Bernthal  

Running Time: 173 minutes  

Synopsis: With her husband Odysseus (Matt Damon) now absent for 20 years, Queen of Ithaca Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and her son Telemachus (Tom Holland) are besieged by suitors, including the conniving Antinous (Robert Pattinson). Odysseus had used the Trojan Horse ruse to deliver victory in the exhaustive war against Troy. He sets sail for home with a small group of his soldiers, but they are soon lost at sea, encountering dangerous enemies in the form of giant sheep-herder cyclops, man-eating giants, the witch Circe (Samantha Morton), and the alluring nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron). In the meantime, Telemachus heads out to sea to find information about his father.

What Works Well: The adaptation of Homer's Odyssey is a grand cinematic event, capturing the scope and scale of an epic adventure and conflicted emotions resonating through history. Packed with non-stop incidents, combat, and narrow escapes, director and writer Christopher Nolan ensures no dull moments, and leans heavily on physical and practical special effects to create stunning visuals. The highlights include the heart-pounding magnificence of a small group of warriors emerging from the Trojan Horse to unlock victory, the side-trip to Hades, and a finale soaked in cathartic revenge, all set to the broodingly rhythmic music of Ludwig Göransson. The cast is stocked with star power, and the thematic clash between battleground success and civilization's trajectory is handled with crushing poignancy.   

What Does Not Work As Well: The combat scenes are often edited into smithereens, and the pacing is at times jerky, particularly in short-changing the essential Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) sub-plot. The opening 90 minutes are undoubtedly thrilling, but settle for highlight reel expediency in awaiting the arrival of more soulful character-driven motivations. 

Key Quote:

Agamemnon (to Odysseus, in Hades): Don't make my mistake. Don't walk in the front door expecting garlands and praise. Come in disguise. Take your time. Assess.

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Movie Review: The Greek Tycoon (1978)

Genre: Biography  

Director: J. Lee Thompson  

Starring: Anthony Quinn, Jacqueline Bisset, Raf Vallone, Edward Albert, Charles Durning, James Franciscus  

Running Time: 107 minutes  

Synopsis: Greek shipping magnate Theo Tomasis (Anthony Quinn, based on Aristotle Onasis) enjoys a life of womanizing luxury. He socializes with the rich and powerful, including US Senator James Cassidy and his wife Liz (James Franciscus and Jacqueline Bisset, based on John and Jackie Kennedy). Despite his immense wealth, Theo can be boorish and harbours insecurities stemming from peasant roots. He refuses to divorce his long suffering wife Simi (Camilla Sparv), and clashes with his son Nico (Edward Albert). When Liz encounters a tragedy, Theo sets out to win her heart.

What Works Well: This unauthorized and unacknowledged biography captures the glossy glitz and glamour of the rich and powerful. The Tomasis world revolves around luxury yachts, mansions, and boardrooms, with every foray into common territory accompanied by a paparazzi frenzy. Anthony Quinn's larger-than-life portrayal captures the well-rounded duality of wealth and insecurity, Theo's pursuit of Liz as much about proving his stature to himself as it is about a tumultuous version of global celebrity coupling. Away from the jet-set surroundings, director J. Lee Thompson finds the best moments at a simple restaurant, and in a terrific final return-to-roots scene.

What Does Not Work As Well: The dialogue is often cringey and superficial, and beyond Quinn, the acting is wooden. Several scenes of heightened emotions and physical jostling descend into farcical melodrama.

Key Quote:

Liz: And how could you offend me, Theo?

Theo: I will Lizzy, I will.

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Movie Review: Breakthrough (1979)

Also Known As: Sergeant Steiner-Cross Of Iron 2  

Genre: World War 2 Action  

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen  

Starring: Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Curd Jurgens, Rod Steiger, Michael Parks, Helmut Griem  

Running Time: 93 minutes (original version: 115 minutes)  

Synopsis: After the German defeat at Stalingrad, the legendary Sergeant Steiner (Richard Burton) tangles with his careerist superior Captain Stransky (Helmut Griem). Instead of a reprimand, General Hoffman (Curd Jurgens) grants Steiner a Paris vacation. After the Normandy landings, Steiner is assigned to the French village of St. Bologne, where Stransky is organizing a defence. Leading the planned American assault are Colonel Rogers (Robert Mitchum) and General Webster (Rod Steiger). With the battle looming, Hoffman reveals to Steiner the plot to kill Hitler, asking him to arrange a surrender negotiation with the Americans to avoid a bloodbath.

What Works Well: This lower-budget sequel to Cross Of Iron benefits from a gritty and grimy front-line aesthetic that captures the German army in retreat, packed with soldiers in full cynical mode. Although they are mostly too old for their roles, the grizzled presence of Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Rod Steiger, and Curd Jurgens adds a suitable layer of war weariness.

What Does Not Work As Well: The truncated version is action oriented, with anti-war philosophy reduced to a few glib comments. The editing is clunky (some footage is recycled from Cross Of Iron), the music uninspired, and the plot points border on ridiculous, including amateurish treatment of the Hitler assassination sub-plot and potential surrender negotiations. The messy staging of combat scenes reveals the budget limitations, director Andrew V. McLaglen mainly concerned with shuffling his aging stars away from danger and failing to generate any momentum. 

Key Quote:

General Hoffman (to Steiner): I don't think it's escaped your attention that our situation on this front is rather fluid. That's military jargon for chaotic.

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Movie Review: Dead Again (1991)

Genre: Supernatural Mystery  

Director: Kenneth Branagh  

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi, Andy Garcia, Robin Williams, Wayne Knight, Hanna Schygulla  

Running Time: 108 minutes  

Synopsis: In present-day Los Angeles, private detective Mike Church (Kenneth Branagh) stumbles into caring for the mysterious "Grace" (Emma Thomson), a woman suffering from amnesia. Hypnotist Franklyn Madson (Derek Jacobi) unlocks her memories, which are intertwined with the 1948 murder of socialite Margaret Strauss (also Thompson). Margaret's husband, celebrated music composer Roman Strauss (also Branagh), was found guilty of her murder. Before his execution, Roman communicated with investigative reporter Gray Baker (Andy Garcia). Now Mike has to solve Grace's mystery and her relationship to past events.

What Works Well: The attempt to create a neo-noir detective thriller crammed with hidden agendas is appreciated. The 1948 scenes are captured in smoky yet alluring black and white, and the mystery elements linking the present to the past are initially compelling. The talented cast ensures quality in every role, with Robin Williams contributing as a burnt out psychiatrist.

What Does Not Work As Well: As the plot reveals its details, the drama unfortunately unravels into ludicrous supernatural territory. The tonal disorientation is compounded by large inconsistencies, including sudden confessions and one character apparently working extra hard to self-incriminate. What starts with promise ends in a mess.

Key Quote:

Baker: You really believe that you're lucky to die?

Roman: What I believe, Mr. Baker, is that this is all far from over.

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