Review of To Die For (1995) by David H — 09 Oct 2007

Just some numbers and brief words on some 90's movies I still remember pretty well.

[i]The Brothers McMullen,[/i] the directorial debut of Edward Burns, is a chatty little drama about Irish American brothers. When this came out, it was pretty much adored by critics and indie fans, however I just didn't find it engaging enough to fall in love with. Smart dialogue and decent performances. Just an okay movie in my book.

[i]Braveheart. [/i]A lot of testosterone and violence, but not a lot of character development. Think Rambo in a kilt.

[i]To Die For.[/i] Director Gus Van Sant has been all over the map, starting out as kind of a maverick, lefty film director before moving on to mainstream films, and then back again. [i]To Die For [/i]has him moving to the center, yet it retains enough of an edge to appeal to his earliest fans. Starring Nicole Kidman as Suzanne Stone, a bored middle class woman hoping to making it in television. She lands a job at as a weather reporter at a local access station, and then gets the opportunity to do a teen show, bringing Jimmy (Joaquin Phoenix) into the picture. The unhappily married Suzanne then schemes up a plan to use Jimmy to take out her husband Larry (Matt Dillon). This film is a bit underappreciated in my opinion as it works really well as satire. The manipulative Kidman shines in her role, and the great supporting cast (Dillon, Phoenix, Illeana Douglas, Casey Affleck, Buck Henry) is quite enjoyable.

[i]Dangerous Minds,[/i] stars Michelle Pfieffer as a white teacher who accepts a job in an inner city school teaching troubled teens. You know the rest of the story, only it's been done much better than this. Avoid.

[i]Nine Months, [/i]starring Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore, plays like a very bad television sitcom minus the commercials. My advice? Turn the sound down and gawk at Hugh.