The Insider (1999)

 

Watching this in 2025 is a trip. Seems like 100 years have passed instead of 25. The pace of news is agonizingly slow as people send faxes, ship documents, consult The Yellow Pages, use pay phones, and read newspapers. Everything is outdated. 

Michael Mann’s style feels slow and clunky in this slow burner. It’s white collar legal stuff, so Mann relies on jump cut racoons and shadowy golfers to try and make it exciting. Doesn’t really work. 

Maybe the subject of nicotine and tobacco companies was a bigger deal back then, but the story seems insignificant in the face of the current tsunami of malfeasance and corruption washing over us on a daily basis. Stretched over 2 ½ hours, the film wasn’t very riveting. 

Rating: D+

Emily The Criminal (2022)

 

Aubrey Plaza does a fine job, but the script is dreary. Desperate people doing desperate, illegal things. There are very few light moments to hold off the despair. 

Rating: C-

Thanksgiving (2023)

 

The full length Thanksgiving horror film inspired by Tarantino's Grindhouse, I guess. Mostly dumb and predictable, with needless gore. 

Rating: D-

Blockers (2018)

Occasionally funny. Teens are stupid.

Rating: C-

One Tough Cop (1998)

A fair cop drama with one of the Baldwins and the smoking hot Gina Gershon. Based on a true story.

Rating: C

Killer Joe (2011)

I didn’t care for the beginning, but things got interesting once McCaughnahay came on screen. A real creepy, perverse role that he seemed all too comfortable with. The movie was dark and ultimately pointless.

Rating: D

Driven (2001)

I'm not into Indy car racing or racing of any kind, but I enjoyed The Fast and the Furiuos, and I liked Driven. Gina Gershawn is hotter than ever. Skip the deleted scenes on the DVD... boring.

Rating: C