There is a scene in the third act of “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” where Penelope Cruz’s character, a young Greek woman named Pelagia, begs her lover, Italian Army Captain Antonio Corelli, played by Nicolas Cage, not to leave. Read the rest of this entry »

So mind-numbingly banal, “Spy Game” is an insult to anyone who has to suffer through it. One bad choice piled on top of another, “Spy Game” quickly collapses under the weight of a ludicrous screenplay, flat acting and uninspired direction. The film is an exercise in futility, an albatross that sets a new milestone for big budget, big star, big screen disasters. Read the rest of this entry »

I have seen numerous theatrical and television movies based on the life of Moses. I’ve even been to Universal Studios Hollywood, where they part the Red Sea every ten minutes. Every time I watch as Moses begs to Rameses to “Let my people go,” I get a lump in my throat. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s hard to believe that “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is over fifty years old. It doesn’t look a day over thirty. Honestly, someone took good care of the Technicolor negative that was used to strike this DVD. Read the rest of this entry »

Memory can be a tricky thing. Just ask Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce). The victim of a vicious attack, Shelby has lost his short term memory. He has no problem remembering events before the attack, but can’t tell you what happened ten minutes ago. That means every time Shelby goes to sleep, he wakes up a stranger in a strange land. Read the rest of this entry »

Maybe time has jaded me, or perhaps the 1940’s were a much simpler time, but when I got done watching David Lean’s “Blithe Spirit,” I couldn’t understand the film’s popularity. I remember seeing the film when I was much younger, obviously too young to know better. Now that I’m all grown up and should be able to appreciate a film directed by David Lean and written by Noel Coward, I thought it was time to give “Blithe Spirit” another spin. Read the rest of this entry »

MAY 29 & JUNE 5

AFTER THE STORM CONTAMINATED MAN CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON

JUST ONE TIME Read the rest of this entry »

No one has learned that lesson, often the hard way, than the animators at Walt Disney Studios. A traditional animation feature from Walt Disney was a celebration of the art form, a reminder of how well the studio could tell a story without flesh and blood characters. Read the rest of this entry »

The truth is out there, and you don’t have to be an “X-File” fan to appreciate the spooky first feature from the popular television series. I wasn’t a fan of the series when it first premiered five years ago. At the time, I didn’t need to add an extra hours worth of television viewing to my schedule. My dad turned me on to “The X-Files” half way through the first season. Read the rest of this entry »

Shamelessly playing off natural fears and phobias, “Vertical Limit” is a gripping rescue adventure trapped under an avalanche of clichés. Fortunately, the script has a best friend in director Martin Campbell, who understands the limitations of the written word and works around them to create a film that is exciting and entertaining. Read the rest of this entry »