Archive for April, 2001

Kundun

Director Martin Scorsese is so well known for his tough gritty crime sagas (“Casino,” “Goodfellas,” “Taxi Driver”) that people seem surprised when he attempts something different. “The Last Temptation of Christ” and “The Age of Innocence” caught a lot of his fans and critics off guard, yet proved he was capable of telling a story without guns and gangsters. Read the rest of this entry »

Flight of the Phoenix

I’m not sure which is worse: surviving a plane crash in the middle of the Gobi Desert with Giovanni Ribisi; experiencing a renegade propeller enema; or sitting through the remake of Flight of the Phoenix. All equate into a pain in the ass. Read the rest of this entry »

Dogma

A war is being waged on Earth between heaven and hell, and the unlikely protagonists are a pair of fallen angels played by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Read the rest of this entry »

The Big Lebowski

Like a rabid pit bull in heat, “The Big Lebowski” goes right for the jugular. It’s a ferociously funny comedy that dares to be different. It’s no surprise that this collage of calamity comes from Joel and Ethan Coen, the dynamic duo whose last film was “Fargo.” “The Big Lebowski” harkens back to the brother’s “Raising Arizona,” a wild, free-for-all comedy with a gallery of bizarre characters and dizzying cinematography. Read the rest of this entry »

BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR

2000 was a very good year for movies. There was something for everyone, and I’m not talking about the endless, mindless stream of wide releases that infested local cineplex’s over the last twelve months. How refreshing to arrive at the end of the year with enough choices to fill out a top-ten list.

1. ALMOST FAMOUS (DreamWorks)

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Lulu On The Bridge

One has to be careful when reviewing writer-director Paul Auster’s “Lulu on the Bridge.” The writer of “Smoke” and writer-director of “Blue in the Face” has proven himself a master of intelligent and thoughtful dialogue. Read the rest of this entry »