Grey skies are going to clear up, but not before writer-director P.T. Anderson rains on the parade of his cast of characters in “Magnolia.” One half biblical epic, one half human opera, “Magnolia” emerges as one of the best films of 1999. Read the rest of this entry »

“Slums of Beverly Hills” is one big grin, an awkwardly funny tale that proves that no matter how low you rate on the social scale, you can always depend on family.

Even when I doubted writer-director Tamara Jenkins’ sincerity, I still found “Slums of Beverly Hills” entertaining and morbidly funny. How else do you describe a comedy with a preoccupation for teenage breasts, vibrators, dead cats and female plumbing? Read the rest of this entry »