Dark City
A-
3/1/1998 7:30pm East Village
This dark and gothic sci-fi fantasy delivers a city where it is always night,
and at Midnight everyone falls asleep, strange alien creatures walk throughout
the city, changing the landscape and replacing people's memories.  As a
result, no one can really remember what the city used to be like.  One man,
however, fails to fall asleep like everyone else, and he slowly learns about
the secret aliens, and their grotesque motives.  In film noir fashion, there
are many scenes that are just tributes to the old days of cinema, such as
the beautiful woman singing in a nightclub, or the seasoned detective in
a trench coat.  There's a lot going on in the film, but it's purely a fantasy,
so don't expect realism.  Expect surrealism instead.

The Man in the Iron Mask
B+
3/14/1998 7:10pm Guttenberg
Yet another popular Leonardo DiCaprio draw.  Unfortunately in this film, he
displays very little acting ability.  He's very dry and dull.  Fortunately,
the movie is not about him, but rather about the three musketeers and their
friend D'Artagnan, all of whom are much older now.  The movie has great sets
and costumes, and the actors playing the musketeers really steal the show.
The downside of the film is that there's not enough action and adventure,
I would have preferred more excitement.  As for the plot, well, the screenplay
wasn't written very well, you'll just have to appreciate the film for the
great musketeers.

Mr. Nice Guy
B-
3/22/1998 4:30pm Secaucus
Jackie Chan plays a TV chef who gets caught up trying to help a woman on the
run from the mob.  This movie is a bit under par for Jackie Chan, but still
lots of fun.  Expect lots of quick-action martial arts and humor.  As Jackie
Chan becomes more famous, I would expect him to develop better films, with
more budget; but so far, the quality has not improved much.

The Newton Boys
C+
3/28/1998 4:40pm Secaucus
This is the supposedly true story about the most successful bank robbers
in our nation's history.  The only problem is that it's not really true,
although they go to great lengths to make it seem real, including interviews
with the real gang members during the end credits.  The acting was not up
to par, and neither was the writing.  The story lurches from one bank
robbery to another, and the characters never really develop.  I didn't
feel much attachment to any of them, and I was glad when the movie was
finally over.  The sets were nice though, as the story is based in the
1910's and 20's, so we get to see the wild west (actually midwest) as it
became more civilized.