The Devil's Advocate (1997)

Al Pacino as the Devil? Yes Please! In a role that allows him to be deadly serious and yet cheesy as Hell (pardon the pun) at parts, “The Devil’s Advocate” is the perfect film for him and the amazing cast that includes Charlize Theron, Craig T. Nelson, Jeffrey Jones, Delroy Lindo, and Keanu Reeves. I consider this film a guilty pleasure because it does have an uneven Keanu Reeves performance as the main character but I’m able to overlook this because Pacino and Theron are so freaking amazing. I really enjoy the story, the special effects, and the quick flow of the final act. And for once the results of the final confrontation with the Devil are not an all or nothing/the end of the world as we know it type of situation.

Kevin Lomax is a defense attorney in Gainesville, Florida who has never lost a case. At times his clients include people who have done some very bad, very despicable acts that he knows that they are guilty of, but his job is to prove that they are innocent and he refuses to lose. His stunning record attracts the attention of a New York City law firm who ultimately hires and relocates him and his wife Mary Ann. Kevin’s abilities are tested with various tasks including picking a jury and defending a voodoo priest before he is given a high profile case defending a billionaire who is accused of murdering his wife, one of his children, and a maid. As Kevin spends more time with the firm’s lead partner, John Milton, and working on the murder case, Mary Ann begins a horrifying descent into madness, seeing visions of demons and a baby holding her bloody uterus. Kevin only begins to realize that something strange is going on when the office manager, Eddie Barzoon, is murdered by two homeless men/demons while running through Central Park and the sudden death of a U.S Attorney asking about John Milton. When Kevin finds Mary Ann covered in deep cuts and naked in a church and then learns that Milton is responsible, Kevin confronts his boss and learns exactly what he has gotten himself and his loved ones involved with.

Favorite moment – “favorite” is not the correct word to use here, but the most intense scene in the movie is when Mary Ann kills herself in the mental ward, unable to deal or live with what has happened to her. 

Ravenous (1999)

“Ravenous” is one of my all-time favorite movies ever; it’s the perfect film to have playing in the background while you’re busy or to totally grab your attention and holds you from beginning to end. I love how this movie incorporates the Wendigo legend that is shared among various Native American tribes, the time period in which it takes place, and the background music. I love the music! There are some great choices in the casting and the ending is an awesome test of endurance. The plot was inspired by real life events and people such as the Donner Party and Alfred Packer.

While fighting in the Mexican-American War, Second Lieutenant Boyd becomes traumatized during the heat of battle and pretends to be a dead body. He is buried under a pile of actual dead bodies and ends up ingesting a fair amount of blood. He eventually regains his resolve, as well as a new found strength and stamina, and is able to overtake the enemy post. He is promoted to Captain but reassigned (exiled) to a far off post at Fort Spencer because his commanding officer finds his version of how he won the enemy post suspicious. At Fort Spencer, Capt. Boyd meets the small detachment that is keep there during the winter months. A short time after his arrival, a strange man named Calqhoun shows up, telling the soldiers that he was part of a wagon train that had met dire circumstances. Half of the detachment goes with Colqhoun to rescue the survivors of the wagon train from Colonel Ives, a man who was leading the train but had turned to cannibalism when they became lost. It turns out to be a trap as Calqhoun is Colonel Ives and he is quickly able to kill off the rescue party. Capt. Boyd decides to jump off a cliff rather than face Calqhoun in a fight. He survives the fall but breaks his leg, landing near the dead body of a fellow solider. He ends up eating the soldier after several days and begins to heal. When he arrives back at Fort Spencer, he discovers that Colonel Ives has been assigned as the commanding officer until the spring. Boyd and Ives begin to play a cat and mouse game of wits, with Ives clearly in the role of the cat.

Favorite moment – I really love the scene when the rescue party arrives at the cave where Calqhoun claims the wagon party is hiding in. Calqhoun acts so strangely and leaves the viewer wondering what the hell is he doing. Then when he starts killing the soldiers, his actions are so fluid and precise and the gleam of insanity and joy in his eyes is priceless!