I've Totally Seen That Movie Before

The Ref (1994) Director:  Ted Demme Writers:  Marie Weiss (story), Richard LaGravenese (screenplay) Cast:  Dennis Leary, Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey, Robert J. Steinmiller Jr., Glynis Johns, Raymond J. Barry, Richard Bright, Christine Baranski, Adam Lefevre, Bill Raymond, J.K. Simmons Synopsis: Cat burglar Gus (Leary) is left stranded in an upscale Connecticut town after his partner Murray (Bright) abandons him during a heist on Christmas Eve. Alone and on the run from the police, Gus takes a married couple, Lloyd (Spacey) and Caroline (Davis), hostage and hides out in their home until he can craft an escape plan. Unfortunately for Gus, Lloyd and Caroline are a dysfunctional couple on the brink of divorce and frequently get into loud arguments. To make matters worse, the couple is not only expecting their son, Jesse (Steinmiller Jr.), to arrive home from military school that evening but also Lloyd's mother (Johns), as well as his brother (LeFevre) and his family. To avoid th...

Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) Director:  Berry Levinson Writers:  Arthur Conan Doyle (characters), Chris Columbus (screenplay) Cast:  Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Sophie Ward, Anthony Higgins, Susan Fleetwood, Freddie Jones, Nigel Stock, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Earl Rhodes Synopsis: A prequel examining the first meeting between famous detective Sherlock Holmes (Rowe) and his sidekick John Watson (Cox), while they were in boarding school together. The pair are soon thrust from their normal academic duties into investigating a series of murders which seem to be targeting prominent London businessmen. They soon uncover that the murders are being perpetrated by a mysterious Egyptian cult called the Rame-tep. With the help of their fencing instructor Mr. Rathe (Higgins), Holmes and Watson discover not only is the cult responsible for the murders but also for the disappearances of several young women around London.  First Impression: I didn't see this one in theaters, not becau...

Spider-Man (2002) Director: Sam Raimi Writers:  Stan Lee (comic book), Steve Ditko (comic book), David Koepp (screenplay) Cast:  Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Joe Manganiello, Bill Nunn, Ron Perkins Synopsis: During a field trip to Columbia University, nerdy high school student Peter Parker (Maguire) is bitten by a genetically enhanced spider. When he wakes up the following day, he discovers that he has the abilities of a spider. Peter decides to use his new powers to earn money to buy a car to impress his crush Marty Jane (Dunst). However, after his uncle, Ben (Robertson), is murdered, he vows to use his abilities to protect the innocent and fight evil as the Amazing Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Norman Osborne (Dafoe) - an industrialist and father of Peter's best friend Harry (Franco) - performs a dangerous experiment on himself to save his company from being sold. Unfortunately, the experiment goes awry, c...