The Mosquito Coast (1986):

Starring:

Harrison Ford - Allie Fox

Helen Mirren - Mother Fox

River Phoenix - Charlie Fox

Conrad Roberts - Mr. Haddy

Andre Gregory - Reverend Spellgood

Martha Plimpton - Emily Spellgood

Dick O'Neill - Mr. Polski

Director:

Peter Weir (Master & Commander; The Truman Show; Fearless)

Synopsis:

Harrison Ford delivers one of his most-acclaimed performances in Peter Weir's adaptation of Paul Theroux's novel (scripted by Paul Schrader). Ford plays Allie Fox, an inventor embittered by the blighted landscape of the contemporary United States. As he tells his oldest son, Charlie (River Phoenix), "Look around you. It's a toilet." He moves his wife (Helen Mirren) and kids -- Charlie, Jerry (Jadrien Steele), April (Hilary Gordon), and Clover (Rebecca Gordon) -- to the rain forests of Central America, where he plans to create a new civilization starting with his own nuclear family. Allie's family compliantly goes along with his scheme to build a free society, but slowly notices that his obsession has turned him into a tyrannical fascist. Rather than create a utopia, Allie's driving egomania demands total subservience from his downtrodden brood.

Review:

One of four movies that Harrison Ford made between Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom & Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade. A completely different role for him, compared to everything else he has done in his career. Either an intense hero attempting to save his family or friends or a sarcastic comedian who adds laughter & at times good slap stick. This one is a dramatic role with no comedic relief, or at least not in the way he usually adds it to films. Very intense view of the worlds grasp on material things & idealism of the world & American culture through the eyes of an American inventor who feels like everyone is out to help themselves & it will cause a nuclear war in America that will leave the country completely destroyed. So he embarks on a ridiculous adventure into the Central American jungle. It's pretty much a combination of Swiss Family Robinson & Cutthroat Island, but with a slightly darker side & probably not at all for kids. His role is so weird to see him playing, yet somehow he is able to pull it off quite well. Starring alongside Ford is the always gorgeous & most do-able woman over the age of 40, Helen Mirren, who even in the middle of the jungle with rags on, disastrous hair & completely filthy is still sexy as hell. His oldest son is played by River Phoenix, who would play young Indiana Jones in The Last Crusade. The story is fine, it's slow at parts, then packed with action at others. There are a few points where I thought that it should have & would be the climax, but then it kept going which made it seem a little bit too long. Once their camp is invaded by what I'm assuming are Central American Pirates? After they refuse to leave Fox & his son are forced (by Allie) to kill the men, which accidentally destroys their whole village. They leave towards the ocean which I thought was the ending. Then they proceed to build themselves another little village on the ocean & a hurricane or giant storm come & cause them to flee on a raft, which again I thought might be the ending. Then they float up the river, Mirren & the children are wanting to go back to civilization while Ford is looking for another place to settle & build another new colony. Instead they happen upon the missionaries that they met several times earlier in the film (not important enough to have mentioned it previously to this) & then he does some christian hating & then FINALLY it ends after the like 3rd time it should have. Overall it is a good change of pace for Ford, but the movie itself is smart but also slightly boring.

Budget: $25,000,000

Box Office: $14,302,779

Profit: -$10,697,221

Rotten Tomatoes: 75%

Flixster: 56%

55%

Lead Acting: 11/15

Supporting Cast: 6/15

Plot: 5/10

Compared To The Genre: 5/10

Cinematography: 12/20

Intrigue: 12/20

Extra: 4/10

Raising Cain (1992):

Starring:

John Lithgow - Carter / Cain / Dr. Nix / Josh / Margo

Lolita Davidovich - Jenny

Steven Bauer - Jack Dante

Frances Sternhagen - Dr. Lynn Waldheim

Gregg Henry - Lt. Terri

Tom Bower - Sgt. Cully

Mel Harris - Sarah

Teri Austin - Karen

Gabrielle Carteris - Nan

Director:

Brian De Palma (Carlito's Way; The Untouchables; Scarface)

Synopsis:

Jenny Nix, wife of eminent child psychologist Carter Nix, becomes increasingly concerned about her husband's seemingly obsessive concern over the upbringing of their daughter. Her own adulterous affair with an old flame, however, causes her to neglect her motherly duties until a spate of local kidnappings forces her to accept the possibility that he may be trying to recreate the twisted mind-control experiments of his discredited psychologist father.

Review:

John Lithgow, Acting his way out of a paper bag. Maybe one of his most crowning achievements. Simply because he pulls off multiple personalities like it was an everyday occurrence for him. He is just incredible. However once you get past his incredible roles, there isn't much happening in the film that doesn't revolve around him. Every time the story would switch to Lolita Davidovich's character, or any other character I honestly lost full interest in anything that was happening & found a lot of it to be completely irrelevant. It did play a role in the end, but everything up until then was lame. The concept of the film was great. I love stories that involve the human psyche & hidden layers under layers within the human brain. A lot of people think that this movie is shit compared to Director Brian De Plama's other films because they were all box office & critical successes & they found this one to be too simple minded & poorly written. I strongly disagree, not only because I have only seen a very select few of his other films or because I think John Lithgow is one of the most underrated actors of all time, but the film brings a lot of creativity & intrigue that keeps you wanting to find out more about his dark past. Great film, underrated!!!

Budget: $11,000,000

Box Office: $21,370,059

Profit: $10,370,059

Rotten Tomatoes: 55%

Flixster: 41%

77%

Lead Acting: 15/15

Supporting Cast: 8/15

Plot: 7/10

Compared To The Genre: 9/10

Cinematography: 13/20

Intrigue: 15/20

                                                      Extra: 10/10 

The Gift (2000):

Starring:

Cate Blanchett - Anabelle "Annie" Wilson

Giovanni Ribisi - Buddy Cole

Keanu Reeves - Donnie Barksdale

Katie Holmes - Jessica King

Greg Kinnear - Wayne Collins

Hilary Swank - Valeria Barksdale

Michael Jeter - Gerald Weems

Kim Dickens - Linda

Gary Cole - David Duncan

Rosemary Harris - Annie's Granny

J.K. Simmons - Sheriff Pearl Johnson

Chelcie Ross - Kenneth King

Director:

Sam Raimi (The Spider-Man Trilogy; Drag Me To Hell; Evil Dead 1 & 2; Army Of Darkness)

Synopsis:

Set in Georgia, the film concerns a widowed mother named Annie (Cate Blanchett) who is blessed with the ability to have psychic visions. When Annie is asked to use her powers to investigate the murder of a rich society girl (Katie Holmes) who was engaged to a local high school principal (Greg Kinnear), she finds her "gift" is as destructive as it is helpful. Many of the townspeople have mixed regard for Annie's abilities, including an abusive husband (Keanu Reeves) and his brutalized wife (Hilary Swank) (the former threatens Annie and her children with taunts that she is a devil) as well as a deeply troubled auto mechanic (Giovanni Ribisi) who may hold a key to the events in question. The Georgia residents soon find themselves all suspects in the investigation, and Annie is forced to confront past demons while still trying to help solve the mystery.

Review:

Who would have thought that Cate Blanchett would be such a completely sexy white trash woman. A woman who is known for some of the biggest female parts in movies playing a single mother with "The Gift". The story was co-written by one William Robert (Billy Bob to those who aren't on a personal friendship level with him) Thornton loosely based on the story of his mother & her experiences as psychic. Firstly lets say that Keanu Reeves is a complete bad ass in every way in this movie. He is totally the best part & powerful. Cate Blanchett is as always an incredible lead actress & she really delivers all different emotions throughout. Giovanni Ribisi plays as he always does a creep, or in this case a mentally & emotionally damaged man with a seriously messed up background. There is a whole lot of just crazy things you learn about his past that make his friendship with Annie & his character great. The rest of the cast is very good, they all add a great amount to the story. This is of course the famous Katie Holmes topless movie that is alluded to in "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle". Yes they are real. It's got a very unique twist on a genre that has seen its fair share of good films & stinkers. Overall it has a great group of actors, a good story & some very powerful stuff all the way through.

Budget: $10,000,000

Box Office: $44,567,606

Profit: $34,567,606

Rotten Tomatoes: 56%

Flixster: 56%

73%

Lead Acting: 14/15

Supporting Cast: 11/15

Plot: 7/10

Compared To The Genre: 7/10

Cinematography: 12/20

Intrigue: 14/20

Extra: 8/10 

Cold Creek Manor (2003):

Starring:

Dennis Quaid -  Cooper Tilson

Sharon Stone - Leah Tilson

Stephen Dorff - Dale Massie

Juliette Lewis - Ruby

Kristen Stewart - Kristen Tilson

Ryan Wilson - Jesse Tilson

Dana Eskelson - Sheriff Ferguson

Christopher Plummer - Theodore Massie

Simon Reynolds - Ray Pinski

Director:

Mike Figgins (Leaving Las Vegas; Hotel)

Synopsis:

A family relocates from the city to a dilapidated house in the country that was once a grand estate. As they begin to renovate the place they discover their new home harbors secrets, conceals a horrific past, and may not be free of the former inhabitants completely. 

Review:

A lack luster thriller that builds & builds to a climax that is a complete bust. First half is very slowly paced, a lot of boring dialogue & if your smart you can figure out exactly how the next hour will go. Stephen Dorff, kills his family, goes to jail, gets out & someone else now owns his house, so he tries his best to get them out of his house by trying to kill them. Saved you two hours. Yuck, even as a younger girl Kristen Stewart is disgusting. She has never been attractive nor has she ever been a good actress. She is garbage juice.

Budget: $45,000,000

Box Office: $29,119,434

Profit: -$15,880,566

Rotten Tomatoes:12%

Flixster: 30%

27%

Lead Acting: 6/15

Supporting Cast: 8/15

Plot: 2/10

Compared To The Genre: 1/10

Cinematography: 8/20

Intrigue: 2/20

Extra: 0/10