Director Michael Mann has created a rich tapestry of history, but unfortunately the performance of Will Smith as Muhammad Ali never rises above imitation. Same applies to Jon Voight’s rubber performance of Howard Cosell, the sportscaster who helps guide Ali’s career from champion to draft dodger to champion again. All of the pieces seem to be in place to tell the story, including exquisite period detail and a talented cast of supporting players, but Mann never allows Smith to become anything more than a caricature of the man.
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Even though it under performed at the box office last Christmas, I really enjoyed “Star Trek: Insurrection.” Maybe it was the title. Maybe it was the time of year. Whatever the reason, this latest entry into the “ST” franchise is a perfect example of what a “Star Trek” film should be all about. Read the rest of this entry »

Taxi Driver is one of those film that stays with you. Once you have seen it, it never goes away. Perhaps that is why the American Film Institute chose it as one of the 100 Top Films of all time. “Taxi Driver” has become so ingrained in our modern pop psyche that it is hard to avoid it. I know people who still use the “You Talking to Me” bit in their everyday lives. My own personal memories are a little more vivid. Read the rest of this entry »

In “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps,” wedding bells are about to ring for brilliant scientist/professor Sherman Klump, but only if he can reconcile the split personality that inhabits his body. Klump may be large, but his immense girth isn’t big enough to accommodate both Klump and Buddy Love, his slick, genetically altered ego. Read the rest of this entry »

FRIDA (R)

Salma Hayek is absolutely amazing as Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who turned adversity into self expression, using paints and an easel to escape injuries she suffered in a bus accident. “Frida” begins in 1922, where Frida is still a student in Mexico City, a young woman who finds inspiration in painter Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina). Read the rest of this entry »

Remember the good old days, not so long ago, when cops in buddy movies were actually cops? I longed for those days after sitting through “Hollywood Homicide,” a strained action-comedy that once again pairs a member of Hollywood’s old guard (Harrison Ford) with a member of the new guard (Josh Hartnett). Read the rest of this entry »

AMERICAN TRAGEDY (PG-13)

Fascinating television miniseries about the O.J. Simpson murder trial and the Dream Team that won him his freedom. Director Lawrence Schiller and writer Norman Mailer deliver the impossible, a film about one of the biggest trials in history that still remains suspenseful. Even though we know the ending, the trip getting there is more than worth it. Read the rest of this entry »

Movies can be romantic, but they seldom capture the true intimacy of romance. Actors may get naked for a sex scene, but they rarely expose anything more than their bodies. I’ve talked with many actors who tell me that it’s impossible to recreate honest emotion under such conditions. Read the rest of this entry »

You know the holidays are fast approaching when the studios start pumping out their major titles at sell-through prices. The fourth quarter has always been favored by their video branches as the perfect time to release the previous summer’s biggest hits and direct-to-video fare. Read the rest of this entry »

ALL THE PRETTY HORSES (PG-13)

Beautifully realized drama based on Cormac McCarthy’s best-selling novel about a young man searching for himself and a fading way of life. Matt Damon is outstanding as John Grady, ready to take on the world after his mother sells their ranch. Read the rest of this entry »