Archive for May 21st, 2002

Altered States

New Year’s Eve. 1980. Westwood Village, two blocks north of the University of California, Los Angeles. Go Bruins. Five friends and myself are crammed into the back of my sports van in a parking lot next door to the Village Theater. We have just had dinner, and were preparing to see a midnight showing of “Altered States.” What a way to ring in the New Year. As my friends downed pints of Peppermint Schnapps, I took a couple of swills and then munched on some magic mushrooms my roommate gave me for Christmas. Read the rest of this entry »

Films Review May

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (PG-13)

I like when director Steven Spielberg is in a frisky mood, and “Catch Me If You Can” is as frisky as they come. After pummeling us with the high octane “Minority Report,” Spielberg returns with this fanciful period piece starring Leonardo DiCaprio as infamous con man Frank Abagnale Jr., a cocky 16-year-old who impersonated a pilot, doctor, high school teacher and assistant attorney general while on the run from FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks). Read the rest of this entry »