This is a surprising change for Disney who holds such classic movies like “Beauty and the Beast”, “Cinderella”, and “Snow White” to their roster. “The Emperor’s New Groove” changes the frequently predictable and rather formulaic plotlines from the recent Disney epics and breaks the mold. It starts off telling the story of a very spoiled Mesopotamian prince by the name of Kuzco (David Spade) who is going to tear down a village for a summer home he is building, but unfortunately Pacha (John Goodman), the leader of the village can do nothing about it. Yzma (Eartha Kitt, Kuzco’s advisor is trying to take over the throne while Kuzco is away on business, Kuzco discovers this and fires Yzma, who then attempts to poison him and claim the throne once more with the help of her assistant, the dumb Kronk.
Almost Famous (2000)
The movie starts off sometime in the sixties with Francis McDormand (Wonder Boys, Fargo) talking to a young William Miller (Patrick Fugit) our reluctant hero about characters from “To Kill a Mocking Bird”, The sister comes home with a record of “Simon & Garfunkel” which the mother bans in the house along with Eggs, Bacon, and meat. Eventually The sister leaves home to become a stewardess and tells William: “Look under your bed. It will set you free”. The Young William discovers a case of classic rock records Like “Zeppelin”, “Cream” and “The Who”. He then begins playing “The Who’s Tommy” and gets introduced into another world. We fast-forward into 1973, where young William becomes an amateur rock critic. He then is sent on an assignment with a not so famous band Named “Stillwater”, where he is introduced into a world of rock, women, and love.
Finding Forrester (2000)
Jamal Wallace played by newcomer Robert Brown is an excellent basketball player who is recruited by a top school in Manhattan for his skills in basketball. But he is also a literary prodigy who is somewhat unrecognized. He then meets William Forrester played brilliantly by Sean Connery who is an excellent yet reclusive author who teaches Jamal the art of writing and creating a good novel. The acting in this is excellent, especially by the two main actors who play off each other very well and have an excellent chemistry together.
Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
This is the action-packed sequel to the dull “Mission: Impossible” based on the show from the 60’s. Now. this is a change from the confusing original and a very good sequel. It’s about an agent from IMF who steals a very deadly virus. Ethan Hunt is enlisted by Anthony Hopkins who tells him to enlist three members for his team to retrieve virus. One of which is the beautiful Nyah who Ethan falls in love with.
Cinema Crazed's Top 10 Worst Films of All Time
10. Batman and Robin
(1997)
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Not even the Filipino and Turkish rip off s of Batman are as bad as this abomination that embraces Batman more than the previous films, but in exchange, rounds out a diasterpiece that’s unwatchable, embarrassing, and ruined the careers of nineties up and comers Chris O’Donnell and Alicia Silverstone. Only because of his connections and willingness to carve out relevant and excellent films was George Clooney able to come out of this unwatchable farce with barely a scratch. Now wholly diving in to homoerotic imagery and the like, Batman and Robin are a bickering couple of crime fighters who want to struggle for power and fame among Gotham’s citizens.
They run around in bright costumes, fighting other glittery thugs, and even have skates on their boots. What’s missing is a make out scene between Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne. To cut the inherent sexual tension between the two men, the film brings aboard two feminine personalities in the form of Batgirl and Poison Ivy, both of whom have little to do but entice the dynamic duo. “Batman and Robin” is a low in cinema and comic book adaptations that tests my endurance every time I try to sit down and watch it the entire way through.
Felix Vasquez’s Top 10 Horror Movies of All Time
10. The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
Directed by: Jack Arnold
The creature is a misunderstood fella; and mostly is considered as the lesser known and all around lesser creature from the Universal monster family because his movies were released later in the monster movie days. However, this film stands as my all-time favorite of the Universal monster series. An archaeological team is informed of a discovery on an island of a fossilized hand from a prehistoric creature. Intrigued, an assembled team of explorers journey to the island to research the hand but arrive to find the village of previous diggers brutally slaughtered by a mysterious animal. What they’ll soon learn is that the creature they’re learning of that was long believed to be dead is alive and living within the lagoons of the island. It soon begins wreaking terror on the crew, and falls in love with the lead explorer’s girlfriend (Julie Adams). I fell in love with this movie when I was a child simply because of the sheer entertainment this movie provides. I love how director Arnold doesn’t show much of the creature until the middle of the film where we’re really surprised to see his appearance as he carries off actress Julie Adams into the water. The monster is purely creepy and very cool, and the entire movie is creepy fun. It was later followed by two sequels which were just as good.
Felix Vasquez Jr.'s Top Ten Films of All Time
10. BEN – HUR (1959)
(Starring: Charlton Heston, Tony Curtis)
Charlton Heston is the main man of epic roles in movies such as “The Ten Commandments”, “Planet of the Apes”, and this. This is arguably the greatest gladiator movie of all – time and my favorite. Who can forget the epic exciting chariot race, and who didn’t nearly burst into tears as Hesston’s character, thirsty for water is helped by an unlikely biblical figure. Heston is truly a commanding actor as he takes this role into him and never comes back. I was breath taken throughout the entire movie’s genius directing and visual style. Truly a movie for all to see.