The writing is on the wall, but the performances and situations leap off the screen in director Lasse Hallstrom’s delicate “The Cider House Rules.” Based on John Irving’s coming-of-age novel, “The Cider House Rules” is a heartfelt Valentine to the wonder of the human spirit. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the benefits of reviewing video and DVD is the opportunity to catch up with old friends, and make new ones. A lot of smaller films come and go so quickly in theaters that your only chance to discover them is during their ancillary runs. I had such a privilege this week when I saw a little film called “Titanic.” I didn’t hear much about it when it played in theaters. Read the rest of this entry »
As far as decades go, the 1980’s are always good for a laugh. There’s plenty of laughs and a lot of heart in director Frank Coraci and writer Tim Herlihy’s sweet and nostalgic romantic comedy, “The Wedding Singer.” Comedian Adam Sandler (“Billy Madison” “Happy Gilmore”) is sensational as small town wedding singer Robbie Hart. Read the rest of this entry »
According to a recent Google search, the population of Dublin, Ireland hovers just above one million people. Add in the boroughs and that number shoots up another five-hundred-thousand. Like the Naked City, that’s a lot of stories, but if you are to believe the new Irish comedy-drama “Intermission,” they’re all somehow connected. It’s a Gaelic “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” Read the rest of this entry »
Despite the bright, pretty images we see on the screen, the film business is filled with dark, disturbing stories, tales of broken hearts and broken dreams. Like a car wreck, we can’t help but look, our curiosity primed and ready for the worst. Read the rest of this entry »
24 HOUR WOMAN (R)
What is it about Rosie Perez’s voice that makes me want to shove hot pokers in my ears? Here’s a genuinely funny and engaging comedy-drama that is almost impossible to sit through thanks to Perez. Read the rest of this entry »
Something fowl is happening on the Tweedy Chicken Farm, and the hens don’t like it. Birds of a feather may flock together, but the ingenious stars of “Chicken Run” have something more daring in mind. Thanks to the pluck of one hen named Ginger, the chickens are about to stage one of the most daring escapes since Steve McQueen jumped his motorcycle over a fence in “The Great Escape.” Read the rest of this entry »
1990 was a good year for screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin. He won an Oscar for “Ghost,” and penned this hallucinatory nightmare for director Adrian Lyne (“Fatal Attraction”). Rubin’s fascination with the afterlife began when he wrote the screenplay for “Brainstorm” in 1982. Read the rest of this entry »
