Told with the assurance of a master filmmaker, “The Green Mile” emerges as one of the most absorbing, heartfelt films of the year.

A good film has the ability to take you away for a couple of hours. A great film stays with you long after the final credits have rolled. “The Green Mile” is a great film. It is filled with memorable characters and images, all perfectly realized by director Frank Darabont. Read the rest of this entry »

Director Alex Proyas is a real visionary. The former music video director proved that he was capable of merging style and substance with his theatrical debut, “The Crow.” He takes that talent even further in “Dark City,” a brainy science-fiction drama that is so dark it goes beyond noir. Read the rest of this entry »

CHANGING LANES (R)

Ever have one of those days. You know, one that begins in the toilet and only gets worse as the day drags on? That’s what happens to Wall Street lawyer Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) and insurance salesman Doyle Gipson (Samuel L. Jackson). Read the rest of this entry »

With its fractured, non-linear storylines, gripping, complex performances, and strong direction, "21 Grams" emerges as one of the best films of the year. While "21 Grams" has nothing to do with drugs, the intoxicating blend of cinema verite and personal drama will leave you numb. Read the rest of this entry »

Since everything in Hollywood is based on perception, most celebrities are forced to keep their private lives private. It may have been easier back in Hollywood’s golden age, when gossip queens Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper were controlled by their publishers. With the expansion of cable and the Internet, keeping a secret has become impossible. Read the rest of this entry »

In the sideshow that is her life, single mom Sammy Prescott has become a master juggler. She’s so busy juggling the men in her life that until recently she has had little time for self reflection. Sammy is so afraid that if she drops one ball her whole life will come crashing down. Read the rest of this entry »

Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds is mind-numbing and jaw-dropping, but not in a good way. It’s a two-hour chase through a maze of technical gee whiz and spoon-fed maudlin about the luckiest family on the face of the Earth, or at least what’s left after those nasty Tri-Pod driving, blood-sucking aliens get done with it. Read the rest of this entry »

Movie trailers can be deceiving. Sometimes they give away too much. Occasionally, like Gap ads, you have no idea what they’re selling. Then there are bad previews that make you scratch your head and wonder what all the fuss is about. Pixar makes great movies. Unfortunately, they don’t make very good previews. Read the rest of this entry »

Twenty-five years after Vietnam, America is still at war. This time the enemy is drugs, or more appropriately, the people who make, dispense and use them. If we are to believe everything we see and read, the war is being lost. Read the rest of this entry »

“Showtime,” a buddy comedy, is directed by Tom Dey, whose freshman outing was “Shanghai Noon,” a buddy comedy starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. The film is co-written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who not only wrote “Shanghai Noon,” but the cop buddy comedy “Lethal Weapon 4.” Read the rest of this entry »