Archive for June, 2004

Something’s Gotta Give

Writer-director Nancy Meyers got a chemistry set for Christmas: Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Aside from fleeting moments in Warren Beatty’s “Reds,” it boggles the mind to learn that Nicholson and Keaton have never shared the screen. They’ve been traveling in the same circles for years, it’s hard to believe that it took this long to bring them together. Read the rest of this entry »

Open Water

“Open Water” floats the following irony: A young, burnt out couple, drifting aimlessly in shark- infested corporate waters, sneak away for a vacation, and find themselves drifting aimlessly in shark-infested open waters. Read the rest of this entry »

3,000 Miles To Graceland

“3,000 Miles To Graceland” is one of the most stupefying experiences to come out of a major studio this year. Shot by another music video wunderkind and starring the usually reliable Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner, “3,000 Miles To Graceland” is an unforgiving mess. Nothing makes sense in this homage to gritty crime noir thrillers. Read the rest of this entry »

The Pledge

“The Pledge” begins with the brutal murder of a young girl in a small town. Across town, the local police help detective Jerry Black celebrate his pending retirement. With six hours left on the clock, Black requests to be part of the crime team. Read the rest of this entry »

What Dreams May Come

Even before he dies, Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams) has literally gone through hell. First he loses his two children in a car wreck. Then his wife Annie (Annabella Sciorra) tries to kill herself and ends up in an institution. Adding insult to injury, Chris stops one night to help the victims of a nasty auto accident and ends up a victim himself. Read the rest of this entry »

The Wedding Crashers

The Wedding Crashers makes no apologies for it’s crass, crude behavior. This politically incorrect comedy about two louts who crash weddings to get drunk and have sex with vulnerable women wallows in its conviction to shock and amuse. Let the prudes whine, surely there’s enough room at the local theater to accommodate this bawdy comedy which recalled Bad Santa and Bachelor Party. Read the rest of this entry »

Boogeyman

Sorry, you can put away those bell bottoms and disco shoes. Boogeyman isn’t a sequel to Boogie Nights, or even an homage to K.C. and the Sunshine Band. It’s another creep in the closet experiment in terror, and I’m not talking about that night Uncle Arthur hid out in my walk-in sniffing the lining of my sneakers. Read the rest of this entry »

Something About Mary DVD

There’s something about Mary, all right. She’s a babe. Not just any babe, but a sweet, good-natured, smart and successful babe. From the moment we meet Mary (Cameron Diaz), it’s love at first sight. You can see why the male characters in “There’s Something About Mary” fall all over themselves trying to be the light in her eyes. Read the rest of this entry »

Slums of Beverly Hills DVD

“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. Read the rest of this entry »

Darkness falls

Corporate responsibility and greed have ruined horror movies. Pressured by public and political groups to clean up their act and stop marketing adult material to teenagers, Hollywood has gone to such extremes to comply that most of the horror films of the last couple of years feel like shadows of their former self. Instead of making and marketing R-Rated horror films that obviously appeal to teenagers, Hollywood now makes PG-13-Rated horror films so they can have their cake and eat it too.
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