black . a moment's hesitation and then we see the word in simple white lettering : real movie buffs will know that i am quoting the third draft of the godfather , except that the title we see isn't contact . in a moment we are staring into a familiar corner of the earth rather then the face of bonasera . we look on for a moment - the theater is utterly silent . you can almost feel the collective awe . then we begin to pull back . still silent . galaxies fly past us slowly , spiralling into oblivion . they look less like galaxies then like big puffy clouds . and then we realize what the movie is trying to communicate ; that the universe is a huge place that streches back and back . . . farther then we can see or even imagine . that we will never reach into these strange corners , and meet or find those that inhabit it . it's well communicated . and when we are sure that we can't go back further , we do . it's an amazing unbroken shot , far more effective then - say the opening shot of last year's star trek : first contact . but how can the movie top such a wonderful opening ? i wasn't sure myself . but , it does . and it's quite a feat . the sublime shot - practically a bliss out - is broken . it hasn't even happened - it took place in the mind of a young girl , ellie arroway . after a short introduction we cut to ellie as an adult . she is everything we want to be - confident , attractive , jodie foster . to be honest , we also suspect that she is a little stupid . later on she goes to bed with palmer joss ( matthew mcconaughey ) so we think " yes , she is stupid . just a little . " but we are wrong . she's smart - we realize that when she finally contacts aliens ( in a thrilling scene ) . through a series of beautifully staged events she finds herself in a space ship ( well , sorta ) about to be transported to the star vega . and she is . . . oh yes , she is . when she arrives there you are struck by the beautiful vision of a far away planet , in all it's glory . gentle waves lap on the shore . . . you are awe struck . how can director robert zemeckis live up to all of our excpectations when he finally shows us aliens ? he does . the film is glorious . i have now seen contact twice , and i loved it both times . it's not quite 2001 : a space oddessey , e . t , or close encounters of the third kind . who cares ? do we mark it down because of that ? rarely has a film astounded me on so many rare and diverse levels . contact is a masterpiece and an achievement . the last shot tops off everything else and brings the picture to a wonderful and amazing conclusion . intelligently scripted ( gasp ! ) with characters we ( gasp again ! ) identify with , understand and like . contact is a most remarkable film . it is also a spectacle - be sure to see it on the big screen . the greatest films - the godfather , casablanca , singin' in the rain , vertigo , citizen kane , psycho , the world of apu , - cast spells . but the 90s has been a bit short on films like the ones i decsribe . contact breaks the trend . i can't say that about barry sonenfield's men in black , which is pretty bad . the first scene is probably the best ; the credits sequence is spectacular and good fun , and the special effects are dazzling . i saw men in black twice , ( an accident - it's not the kind of film you would like to see more then once . the second time was at a double feature with the mediocre julia roberts comedy , " my best friend's wedding " which has a review below ) and i found comparing my reactions more interesting then thinking about the movie . the first time i liked the movie , but was dissapointed by danny elfman's score . the second time i found the movie stupid and sappy - just barely watchable - made more so by the score which , this time , i liked . yet the score is never as overwhelming as it is in his tim burton films ( the best of his scores can be found in batman , edward scissorhands , and the nightmare before christmas which was not directed by burton but was concieved by him . blah , blah , blah ) . sonenfield is , undoubtedly , the wrong choice for director . so if i you are gonna keep talking who would you elect ? my candidate is tim burton who would have made this a masterpiece ( as steven spielberg would have made contact one of the best films ever . pity he didn't direct that rather then the lost world - which was entertaining and accomplished what it wanted to ) . i'm also a bit sorry to say that the sense of humor this film celebrates doesn't apeal to me . i would have preffered a spoof of old alien movies of the 50s with the aliens invisible , yet causing mayhem . to be fair , there are two excellent scenes/shots . the first is when will smith is first transformed into agent k . i won't say how it is done , but i will say that is a comic moment , and it is truly inspired . the second is the films last shot , a remarkable pull back that is a fancy - less magical and mysterious , but still fun - take on the last shot of contact . if the rest of the film had been that good , and had that impact , we would have been on to something . i loved contact . i disliked men in black . i have no feelings towards my best friend's wedding . it is a julia roberts comedy . it is what you would excpect a julia roberts comedy to be , only a little better . it isn't that bad - it's a bit of fluff . if you are sick of event movies then see it now . julia roberts is good - very good , - and it begins wonderfully . then it degenerates into a formualic mess . it has the best scene of the year , featuring the dazzling vocal talents of cameron diaz . it has another great scene which involves a musical number that takes place inside of a resteraunt . otherwize it's the kind of film that is pleasent and fun . to snooze through . but , hey - it could have been worse . it is worth noting that apart from contact , hercules is the only other really good film i have seen this year . it is far more sophisticated then your average con air . naturally it's doing dismally at the box office . frankly , i'm not suprised at all . just depressed . i also think that 1997 will be remembered as one of the great years for movies . not for new movies but for old ones . reissue galore ! the films being released are mostly bad , but this is a movie lover's dream ! coming soon , reviews of three classics seen on the big screen : the neverending story ( well it should be a classic ) , the godfather , and vertigo . also : the greatest american comedy ( not counting chaplin ) , some like it hot . check out max and micah's movie page <a href= " <a href= " http : //www . garfieldlib . com/yanews/july97/max/max . html> " >http : //www . garfieldlib . com/yanews/july97/max/max . html></a> here . 
