Archive for February, 2002

Carrie – special edition

When I first saw “Carrie” at the studio screening in 1976, I had never read a Stephen King novel. I know, bad me. Go stand in the corner and flog myself. That meant I had no clue what I was in for. Read the rest of this entry »

Films Review March

DEE SNIDER’S STRANGELAND (R)

In the production notes for “Dee Snider’s Strangeland,” the former Twisted Sister lead singer said that he came up with the idea of an ultimate horror film after the birth of his daughter. Snider claimed that he all of a sudden became aware of all of the evil and cruel things that can befall a child in the real world. Read the rest of this entry »

The X-Files

The truth is out there, and you don’t have to be an “X-File” fan to appreciate the spooky first feature from the popular television series. I wasn’t a fan of the series when it first premiered five years ago. At the time, I didn’t need to add an extra hours worth of television viewing to my schedule. My dad turned me on to “The X-Files” half way through the first season. Read the rest of this entry »

Films review February

ALARMIST, THE (R)

Quirky comedy turns serious before the fun is done in this tale of the owner of a home security company and the lengths he’s willing to go to in order to insure business. Stanley Tucci is excellent as Heinrich Grigoris, a sleazy businessman who guarantees customers by robbing their homes. Read the rest of this entry »

Blade 2

Filled with gratuitous gore and rivers of blood, “Blade 2” devours the screen with a ferocious appetite. You can’t make a good vampire film without spilling a lot of the red stuff. As anyone who has ever ridden the elevator at the Overlook Hotel can confirm, you can’t get from here to there without getting soaked. Read the rest of this entry »

Living Out Loud DVD

At first glance, “Living Out Loud” is a brash and sassy comedy about the human condition. Thanks to a literate and funny screenplay by writer-turned-director Richard LaGravenese, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment. Read the rest of this entry »

Films Review February

CRAZY AS HELL (R)

Eriq La Salle (television’s “E. R.”) pulls double duty as director and actor in this atmospheric tale of a psychiatrist (Michael Beach) on the mend from personal tragedy who drags a film crew to a mental hospital to make a documentary on a radical new treatment. Read the rest of this entry »

Films review February

BEYOND SILENCE (R)

Sylvie Testud is absolutely winning as a young woman whose love of the clarinet serves as a wedge between her deaf parents and her dreams of becoming a talented musician. Lara has spent her whole life acting as a go-between for her parents and the hearing world. Read the rest of this entry »

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

There is a scene in the third act of “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” where Penelope Cruz’s character, a young Greek woman named Pelagia, begs her lover, Italian Army Captain Antonio Corelli, played by Nicolas Cage, not to leave. Read the rest of this entry »

Spy Game

So mind-numbingly banal, “Spy Game” is an insult to anyone who has to suffer through it. One bad choice piled on top of another, “Spy Game” quickly collapses under the weight of a ludicrous screenplay, flat acting and uninspired direction. The film is an exercise in futility, an albatross that sets a new milestone for big budget, big star, big screen disasters. Read the rest of this entry »