More than 40 years after its release, “Rebel Without a Cause” still packs quite a wallop. Even though its story and situations may be outdated, who can deny the star power of the film? Here was James Dean, hot off of “East of Eden,” playing what has become the ultimate in teen angst. Read the rest of this entry »

I remember it like it was yesterday. 1961. The old Fox Santa Paula Theater. I was only five then, but I clearly remember how much I liked Walt Disney Pictures “The Parent Trap.” I was an instant Haley Mills groupie. I didn’t dare miss any of her following films, like “That Darn Cat,” “In Search of the Castaways,” and “Summer Magic.” Fond memories of childhood. Read the rest of this entry »

28 DAYS (PG-13)

Sandra Bullock is fine as the party girl who destroys her sister’s wedding and her own life in the process. Bullock brings a vulnerable charm to her role of Gwen Cummings, a working alcoholic who spends days as a writer and nights poisoning her body and mind. She’s in good company with her enabler boyfriend, but finds her family harder to please. Read the rest of this entry »

Director-writer Atom Egoyan’s somber drama about the meltdown of a small town after a tragic school bus accident was one of 1997’s best films. Based on the novel by Russell Banks, Egoyan’s screenplay is a bittersweet affair, but tackled with conviction and honesty, it emerges as a touching portrait of the human spirit. Read the rest of this entry »

If ever a film begged for an alien anal probe, it’s “Progeny.” Make it deep and long, because there’s nothing else here that is even remotely as interesting. Read the rest of this entry »

Told with the assurance of a master storyteller, “Butterfly” unfolds like a spirited novel where you can’t wait to turn the page, even if you know where the story is going. Director Jose Luis Cuerda, working from a thoughtful screenplay by Rafael Azcona, delivers a heartfelt and honest story about one boy’s coming-of-age. Read the rest of this entry »

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY (R)

When he’s not busy trying to impress us with his camerawork or confuse us with his conspiracy paranoia, director Oliver Stone remains a potent visionary. Stone perfectly captures the hope and desperation of major league football with this winning drama about players both on and off the field. Read the rest of this entry »

“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is the perfect drive-in movie. That’s where I, and I’m sure millions of others, first saw it. I’ve never seen a decent print of the film. As a matter of fact, the print they used at the drive-in was so worn and faded that I first thought the film was in black and white. The new Pioneer Special Edition DVD of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” looks like a different film altogether. Read the rest of this entry »

Except for “The Wizard of Oz,” films about witches haven’t been able to cast a magical spell at the box office. There have been good witches and bad witches, witches from Eastwick and sorority witches. Read the rest of this entry »

Smokey and the Bandit didn’t start the non-stop car chase craze that followed in it’s wake. Hal Needham’s 1977 action-comedy came a full year after Roger Corman and American International Pictures delivered “Cannonball,” “Eat My Dust” and “The Gumball Rally,” and two years after “Death Race 2000.” Thanks to the star power of Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, and Jackie Gleason, “Smokey and the Bandit” took the genre mainstream, leaping from triple bills at the local drive-in to major box office revenue. Read the rest of this entry »