Archive for August, 2005

Almost Famous DVD

The heart of rock and roll is still beating in writer-director Cameron Crowe’s affectionate, knowing nostalgic nod to his teenage years as a writer for Rolling Stone Magazine.

Anyone who was old enough and conscious to appreciate the early 1970s will totally fall in love with Crowe’s glorious Valentine to rock and roll. This film couldn’t have come from someone who wasn’t there. His observations are so passionate you feel like you’ve been transported back to 1973.
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The Sons of Katie Elder

It was raining the night I saw “The Sons of Katie Elder” with my mom at the Drive-In back in 1965. She didn’t care. It was a John Wayne movie, and she had to see it. My mom was a huge John Wayne fan, and even got to sit in his lap when she was younger. When I was growing up she would always pull out a box of photos and show me the one of him that he autographed to her. Read the rest of this entry »

Mallrats

Even if you don’t like his films, you have to admire director Kevin Smith’s Hollywood sensibilities. As budgets skyrocket towards the heavens, Smith is able to make entertaining and engaging films for less than most mainstream film’s advertising budgets. His first film, “Clerks,” cost nothing to make. When Gramercy Pictures offered him $6 million to write and direct “Mallrats,” Smith asked them why. Read the rest of this entry »

My Dog Skip DVD

“My Dog Skip” is a swell movie, a winning tale of a boy and his dog. Based on Willie Morris’ fond recollection of his childhood, “My Dog Skip” is rich in nostalgia and feel good moments. Read the rest of this entry »

The General’s Daughter

As a film, “The General’s Daughter” is as conflicted as its characters.

At first glance, the film looks like another one of those John Grisham Southern thrillers. It’s images are soaked in a golden honey hue, and you can literally feel the humidity and smell the sweat that permeates each and every scene. Read the rest of this entry »

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

With a sinister smirk in his smile and a wicked glint in his eye, Willy Wonka betrays the spirit of the confections bearing his name. Those expecting the same milk chocolate rush of 1973’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in director Tim Burton’s remake Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will be in for sour balls. Read the rest of this entry »

Catwoman

It’s not often when a movie comes along that catches my cat’s fancy. I have several, but Mr. Kitty, a Siamese with definite attitude, takes his movies very seriously. He’s very vocal, often showing disdain for films where cats are the butt of the joke, or a tired cliche in a horror film (according to Mr. Kitty, he has never licked tuna juice from the private area of a teenage boy, or leapt out of the shadows to scare anyone). Read the rest of this entry »

Deuces Wild

“Deuces Wild” is so mind-numbingly bad you wonder if any of it is supposed to be taken seriously. The sophomore effort of director Scott Kalvert, who hasn’t been behind the camera since 1995’s “The Basketball Diaries,” “Deuces Wild” plays like a junior high school drama production of “West Side Story” minus the music, or the talent. Read the rest of this entry »

Snake Eyes

When director Brian De Palma is on the money, he’s one of our greatest directors. Whether he’s pumping out pseudo-Hitchcock like “Carrie,” “Dressed to Kill” and “Obsession” or popular popcorn fare like “The Untouchables” and “Mission: Impossible,” De Palma knows how to tell a story. Read the rest of this entry »

Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines

He said it and he meant it! “The Terminator” is back in “Rise of the Machines,” and he’s back with a vengeance. Though it’s been 12 years since his last appearance, “The Terminator” is just as formidable. Credit a tongue-in-cheek performance by star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who still looks as menacing as ever, plus a cheeky script and tightly wound direction by Jonathan Mostow (“U- 571”), taking over for creator/co-writer James Cameron. Read the rest of this entry »