Archive for April, 1999

Films Review May

A COOL, DRY PLACE (PG-13)

Vince Vaughn is wonderful as Russell Nash, an attorney whose wife Kate (Monica Potter) has abandoned him and their five-year-old son Calvin (an adorable Bobby Moat). Struggling to live life as a single father, Russell is eventually attracted to Beth (Joey Lauren Adams), a sweet woman who fulfills Russell’s life. Read the rest of this entry »

The Car

The Car” is one of those movies that people remember being better than it actually was. Released in 1977, “The Car” hasn’t made the rounds on video, television and cable like other films. When I managed a video store, “The Car” was one of the most requested titles we got from out customers. For some reason Universal Studios Home Video (then MCA/Universal Home Video) never made the title available on video. Read the rest of this entry »

Aliens

Sequels are always difficult to execute, especially when they arrive so late in the game. Look at the recent “Carrie 2.” Since Hollywood dictates that successful movies beget more of the same, sequels of popular films are a given. Timing is important, and if the studio waits too long to make good on the promise, they risk losing the momentum of the first film. That was the problem that plagued writer-director James Cameron when he approached 20th Century Fox with an idea to resurrect the “Alien” series created by director Ridley Scott in 1979. Read the rest of this entry »

Bee Gees: One Night Only

I was feeling a little nostalgic last night so I had the Bee Gees over for a concert. Actually, I popped in Image Entertainment’s “Bee Gees: One Night Only,” but the results were strikingly similar. Originally a pay-per-view event that was eventually shown on cable, “Bee Gees: One Night Only” was the group’s first live concert in 1997 and their first U.S. Read the rest of this entry »

American history X

I was anxious to see “American History X,” and that was even before the controversy over director Tony Kaye’s dismissal from the film during the editing process. I have seen several outstanding movies dealing with skinheads and white supremacists, so I was anxious to see if these film makers could bring anything new to the forum.
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Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss

Brad Pitt better watch out. There’s a new kid in town, and his name is also Brad. Brad Rowe. Remember it. He’s one of the stars of writer-director Tommy O’Haver’s hilarious romantic comedy, “Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss.” He’s what you call dangerously handsome. Oh yeah, and he can act. With his blonde mane, blues eyes, killer smile and dimples only found in perfection, Rowe heats up the screen in “Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss.” But then, that’s his job. Read the rest of this entry »

Bride of Chucky

Before I go any further with this review, it’s important to note two things:

(1) I have a “Chucky” doll hanging on my swinging lamp in the room where I write.

(2) I had a really nasty encounter with John Ritter at a charity benefit once, and ever since then I can’t stand is guts. Read the rest of this entry »

Alien

I was fortunate enough to attend one of the first studio screenings of “Alien” in 1979. It was at the Academy Building in Beverly Hills, and the theater was about half-full. No one knew what to expect. All we knew was that it took place in space. They handed out t-shirts that evening (they were black, with the words “You are my lucky star” on the front, and the title on the back), and since the turn-out was less than half, they let us take all the t-shirts we wanted. Read the rest of this entry »

Death on the Nile

Agatha Christie has always been in favor in Hollywood, especially during the thirties and forties, when some of her most famous novels were made into chilling movies. The love affair waned during the late fifties and sixties, but the film version of “Murder on the Orient Express” changed all of that.
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