Javier Bardem was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for this, and I really wanted him to win. Not only was the story tons more interesting and involving than “Pollock,” (the other Best Actor biopic nominee)but it was told in a visually inventive way. Bardem plays Reinaldo Arenas, a gay Cuban poet who is viewed […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Interesting backstory: When I watched “Chocolat” get the 5th Best Picture nomination weeks ago live at 7 a.m. (a time I am not up at very often), I actually screamed at the TV. THAT WAS “ALMOST FAMOUS”S NOMINATION!!! And it should have been. Or at least “Almost Famous” was the likely 5th selection, after winning […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
This is something I made up with my bass player, Mr. Nick Colby, to ease the pain of watching John Travolta’s love letter to L. Ron Hubbard. The “Battlefield Earth” drinking game You must drink every time someone says: 1. “Psychlo” – 2 drinks when Travolta says he is a Psychlo of his word. 2. […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
This is essentially a pared-down version of Jackie Chan’s much-revered 1994 film “Drunken Master II.” It’s 15 minutes shorter, and for me at least, probably better. I have to be honest. I am not really a martial arts fan and I absolutely HATE watching movies that have been dubbed in English. That said, I enjoyed […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges and especially Gary Oldman all shine in this modern political morality tale, but it gets a bit preachy towards the end. What a great set-up, though. The first half of this film raises many ethical questions, none of them black and white, and all of them infinintely more interesting than the […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Spike Lee’s latest is a seriously challenging movie with such a ridiculous premise and caricatured characters that I didn’t believe a moment of it. That’s not to say I didn’t like it. In “Do the Right Thing,” one of my faves of all time, Spike shows us that race relations are anything but black and […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
I haven’t seen “Pi,” director Darren Aronofsky’s debut feature film, but after seeing this, his second one, I know I have to. It’s a striking, bold movie with some crazy cinematic moments. It’s essentially a “junkie” movie, but it doesn’t pull ANY punches. Watching the downward spiral of the main characters played by Ellen Burstyn, […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Jay Roach, who directed the first and funniest “Austin Powers” movie, directed this comedy. And while credit should be given to him for this hilarious film, Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro really sell their roles. Their timing and dedication to absurdity elevate this from a funny film to a pure comic gem. Don’t believe the […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
While not as funny as his 1997 movie “Waiting for Guffman,” director-writer-actor Christopher Guest’s newest mockumentary “Best in Show” is still light years ahead of most comedies these days. Rather than going for slapstick and obvious jokes, it finds humor in the offbeat charcters it presents. But unlike “Guffman,” it seems a bit more believable […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Lars Von Trier did “Breaking the Waves,” a movie that kicked my ass so completely, I was unsure if I ever wanted to see it again. His newest pic covers more bleak, disturbing material with another horribly tragic protagonist. Except this time she’s played by Bjork AND it’s a damn musical! This is an inspired, […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
It’s weird to see this many great flicks in a row, but I can’t heap enough praise on Cameron Crowe’s newest movie. It’s a coming-of-age story set in the early seventies around a rock band on tour. Did they get it right? Hell, yes. So many times you see rock bands in movies portrayed with […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
What a great movie! I liked this movie so much I saw it twice in the same week. It’s quirky, unpredictable, funny and dramatic. The screenplay is a wholly developed gem, some sort of “Wizard of Oz”-esque fairy tale with a heart of gold masquerading as a violent modern road picture. There are great big […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Like “The Usual Suspects,” this gun-toting double-cross movie isn’t about deep insights. It’s about slimy people, crazy plot twists, and devious motives. Densly plotted, “The Way of the Gun” was penned and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who won an Oscar for co-writing “The Usual Suspects.” Familiar territory, yes, but it’s territory which if done well, […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Q: When you’re on the road with nothing to do, you’ve seen everything you really want to see, it’s your second night off in a row, and your bored in Dayton, OH, what do you do? A: See the movie about cheerleaders. I can take movies for what they are. Even after paying $7.75 to […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Ultimate Fakebook Tour: Movie Review from the Road The Cell (Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn) Still smarting from Hollow Man‘s hollow depths, (you can only do so much when you’re out on the road) we dragged our sorry asses into a theater to see this crap. For the record, there wasn’t much else available at the time, […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }