Archive for April, 2003

Le placard (The closet)

In the new French comedy “Le Placard,” Daniel Auteuil plays Francois Pignon, an accountant who feels invisible. Francois tells his new friend Pierre about his recurring nightmare, being so insignificant at his birth that the doctor tells his mother to keep pushing even though he’s already out and about. Not much has changed since then. Read the rest of this entry »

Quickies 2

Final Destination 2 (R)

(New Line Home Video)

Death doesn’t get to take a holiday in this gruesome but enjoyable horror romp that works overtime to find new and inventive ways to slice and dice a group of strangers after they escape the grasp of the grim reaper. This delightfully ghoulish sequel incorporates elements from the first film, pumping up the volume with each and every dispatch. When Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) looks into the future and sees a horrific traffic accident, she stops the deadly pile-up from occurring, setting off the wrath of death, who is anxious to collect on a debt owed. Read the rest of this entry »

Dragonfly

In “The Mothman Prophecies,” Debra Messing plays the wife of Washington Post reporter Richard Gere. After finding the perfect house in which to start their perfect life, the couple are involved in a car accident, and Messing later dies. Read the rest of this entry »

Fight Club DVD

Tyler Durden, the protagonist of David Fincher’s “Fight Club,” tells his new friend Jack that he can’t know anything about himself unless he has been in a fight. Not just an angry exchange of words, but a drag out, knock down connection of bare fist and flesh. Read the rest of this entry »

From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money DVD

“From Dusk Till Dawn” was the perfect example of what happens when all the right talent comes together to make an explosive film. “Texas Blood Money,” the direct-to-video sequel, is the perfect example of what happens when lesser talent tries to duplicate that formula. Read the rest of this entry »

Duplex

I was visiting relatives in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1987 when “Throw Momma From The Train” was released. I caught a Friday night showing with my cousin, and except for the broad, slapstick humor, the audience just sat there, quiet as a mute locked in a bank vault. Read the rest of this entry »

One Hour Photo

I’ve always been weary of those “One Hour Photo” booths and the people who work there. Because they have to quality check each print, the clerks have access to your life. I don’t mind sharing vacation photos with them, but I would never drop of a roll of family snapshots. That would be the same as inviting complete strangers into your home. Read the rest of this entry »

Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring

Blazing across the screen like the masterstrokes of a true artist, “Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring” is true epic entertainment in every sense of the word. Director Peter Jackson so perfectly captures the very essence of J.R.R. Read the rest of this entry »

Wild Things

The weather may be hot in Florida, but no where is it as sultry and sizzling as in the small, elite beach community of Blue Bay, where the rich and infamous play their blue blood parlor games. Robin Leach has taken us to these small corners of the world, where old money stands head and shoulders above everything else, including the law. Read the rest of this entry »

Cinderella Man

Boxing stories, by their nature, are extremely limited in their outcome: either the protagonist wins or loses. What makes a great boxing movie are the variables, the sucker punches that force us to reexamine our expectations. Winning or losing isn=t nearly as important as the road to the ring, the journey of self discovery, both mental and physical which defines the essence of a fighter. Read the rest of this entry »