There is a scene halfway through David Mamet’s lighthearted “State and Main” where a screenwriter tries to explain to the woman he likes why a nude starlet is standing in his hotel room. As strange as his explanation sounds, the woman seems to understand. Read the rest of this entry »

While sitting through writer-director-editor Jake West’s “Razor Blade Smile,” his influences become obvious. Tarantino. Woo. Anne Rice. Julie Newmar. Howard Stern. West has created a film that is definitely style over substance, and even then the style looks like someone’s first film school project. Read the rest of this entry »

I would love to have sat in on the pitch meeting for “Instinct.” “It’s ‘Silence of the Lambs’ meets ‘Gorillas in the Mist.'” Been there, done that. “I’m not done. We’ll also toss in bits and pieces of ‘Cool Hand Luke,’ ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,’ and ‘Mighty Joe Young.'” What else do you have? “Did I mention that it takes place in a prison just like ‘The Shawshank Redemption?'” I wonder how many references the writer had to toss out in order to get a green light. Read the rest of this entry »

Up until this evening, I have to admit that I have never seen Stanley Kubrick’s “The Killing.” I know. Shame on me. What kind of critic am I if I allowed this film to slip by? I wasn’t even born when “The Killing” was released in 1956, but that is no excuse. Read the rest of this entry »

When Robert Altman’s “Nashville” first graced theater screens in 1975, I wasn’t old enough to fully appreciate the effort. I was quite impressed with the musical soundtrack (which as a collector of soundtracks, I immediately went out and bought a copy), but the film’s structure and character development totally escaped me. Read the rest of this entry »

BIRDS OF A FEATHER…

BIRDCAGE, THE

It may have took 20 years for the American version of “La Cage Aux Folles” to get made, but the final result is well worth the wait. “La Cage Aux Folles” started life as a French stage farce, and then jumped to the big screen to become one of France’s biggest-grossing films. Two French sequels and an American stage musical followed, but it took director Mike Nichols 20 years to secure the rights to remake the comedy. Read the rest of this entry »

I love girl groups. Always have. Always will. Especially the girl groups of the late fifties and early sixties. I just love female singers, and I definitely love the music of that period. I’m probably one of the very few people still alive who own both copies of Patty Duke’s albums. Yeah, Patty Duke. Read the rest of this entry »

Director Gregory Hoblit follows up his harrowing courtroom thriller “Primal Fear” with a film that only occasionally courts thrills. “Fallen” begins with one of those promising “Sunset Boulevard” film noir openings in which homicide detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington) exclaims “Let me tell you about the time I almost died. Read the rest of this entry »

THE NEW LOOK….

Sorry about the delays, but hope you like the new look. One of drawbacks of doing this site on a daily basis has been the layout. Doing several DVD reviews, a weekly video column and several film reviews, plus news became a major headache. Not the writing, but composing the layout. Too many graphics, too many colors. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »