Archive for October, 1999

Films Review November

UNDER CONSTRUCTION…COMING NOVEMBER 27

BLACK & WHITE (R)
(Columbia-TriStar) Read the rest of this entry »

Films Review October

DETOUR (R)

Joey Travolta used to be the butt of a lot of jokes when he pursued a career in front of the camera. Now Travolta is behind the camera, serving as director of this decent crime drama. Read the rest of this entry »

The Red Violin

When most people look at a Stradivarius, they only see a musical instrument. When someone who has a passion for music sees a Stradivarius, they see more. They see its soul, its history, and most of all, its allure. It’s not just musical instrument, but a connection to a time and place that no longer exists. Read the rest of this entry »

Cabaret

More than thirty years after it’s Broadway debut, “Cabaret” is alive and well. There’s a new Tony Award- winning Broadway revival, and now this very special “Special Edition” DVD. The Bob Fosse-directed musical-drama was an instant hit when it was released in 1972, and garnered eight Academy Awards, including Best Director, Actress and Supporting Actor. “Cabaret” lost the Best Picture nod to “The Godfather,” but Fosse’s decadent vision of Berlin in 1931 beat out Francis Ford Coppola for Best Director. More vibrant than ever, “Cabaret” stars Michael York as the English tutor who takes a room at the boardinghouse of Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli), a friendly cabaret star who will sleep with anyone who can make her a star. Read the rest of this entry »

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is the perfect drive-in movie. That’s where I, and I’m sure millions of others, first saw it. I’ve never seen a decent print of the film. As a matter of fact, the print they used at the drive-in was so worn and faded that I first thought the film was in black and white. The new Pioneer Special Edition DVD of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” looks like a different film altogether. Read the rest of this entry »

Eyes Wide Shut

After attending an evening of drinking and flirting at a Christmas party, Dr. William Harford (Tom Cruise) and his wife Alice (Nicole Kidman) retire to their swank Central Park West apartment for a little dope smoking and mind games. Read the rest of this entry »

Films Review October

ARLINGTON ROAD (R)

I saw a tight, thrilling, suspenseful 3-minute movie. Now someone has had the audacity to turn it into a two-hour coming attraction. Read the rest of this entry »

The Mummy

Walking corpses, flesh-eating bugs, fire from the sky and enough Saturday matinee serial close- calls make “The Mummy” such a giddy, fun-filled adventure. Not for one second do you believe any of it, but this remake of the 1932 horror film is such a good time you’re willing to give in to its big screen charms. Read the rest of this entry »

A Bridge Too Far

For most of its existence, Arnhem was just a small town in Holland. All that changed during World War II, when the town’s cobbled streets became the scene of one of the war’s most fruitless battles. Arnhem had the unfortunate luck to be a stone’s throw away from Germany, with only a river and a bridge separating them. That bridge plays an important role in “A Bridge Too Far,” a failed attempt at a good, old-fashioned war movie. Even with it’s high profile list of actors and actresses, “A Bridge Too Far” failed to attract an audience, especially an audience still stinging from our Jungle escapades in Vietnam. Read the rest of this entry »

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

I’ve read several negative reviews of “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.” Their main gripe was that the sequel was just more of the same. Really? No kidding? You see, that is the beauty of spoofing films like those in the James Bond series. Most of the Bond films were nothing more than mutant versions of themselves. Bigger budgets. Bigger set pieces. Still, it all boiled down to either a madman or criminal genius holding the world for ransom. Read the rest of this entry »