After the critical success of “The Sweet Smell of Success,” actor-producer Burt Lancaster wanted his company to make something more commercial. He chose the submarine thriller “Run Silent, Run Deep,” based on the novel by Captain Edward L. Beach, and adapted for the screen by John Gay. Read the rest of this entry »

Fifteen years ago when “Romancing the Stone” arrived on the scene, who would have suspected that it would prove to be a launching pad for all involved. Read the rest of this entry »

Even though writer-director Andrew Niccol (“Gattaca”) isn’t a one-trick pony, his second film, “Simone,” trots around like a lame horse begging for someone to shoot it. There’s nothing worse than watching a sick animal labor towards death, unless it’s watching a film like “Simone” do the same thing. Read the rest of this entry »

Like a moth to a flame, director Mark Pellington’s supernatural thriller “The Mothman Prophecies” disintegrates in front of our very eyes. Based on the non-fiction best seller by John A. Keel , supposedly based on true events that plagued a small West Virginia town, “The Mothman Prophecies” will disappoint anyone looking for a good scare. Read the rest of this entry »

In the inevitable yet ultimately tired sequel to “Mission: Impossible,” a brilliant secret agent turncoat has stolen a deadly virus and plans to use it to hold the world hostage. Instead of the usual Swiss Bank account payment, he demands stock participation in the pharmaceutical company that has developed the antidote. Read the rest of this entry »

In Tim Burton’s “Batman,” Jack Nicholson’s character, The Joker, has been so physically deformed that he sports a perpetual grin. Good news or bad, the phony, forced grin stretches from one ear to the next. That’s how I felt watching “Along Came Polly,” a comedy that could have and should have been much funnier than it is.
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