AT FIRST SIGHT (PG-13)

There’s something askew with this romantic drama that seems blind to the truth of its subject. Val Kilmer is fine (if not overly done) as Virgil, a blind masseur who at the urge of his new girlfriend Amy (Mira Sorvino), undergoes an operation that restores his sight. In this “Charley” wannabe by director Irwin Winkler, you just know that the operation will be a success, and that Kilmer will see everything that he has ben missing, only to lose it again when the effects of the operation wear off. Read the rest of this entry »

When something is broken beyond repair, the only thing to do is go back and start at the beginning. Welcome to Batman Begins, a fascinating recreation of a franchise which began with good intentions and ended up becoming a bat-tastrophe. Under Tim Burton’s direction, 1989’s Batman was a radical left-turn from the campy 1960’s television series. Read the rest of this entry »

The last time director James L. Brooks and Jack Nicholson got together, they created magic and each won an Academy Award. The film was “Terms of Endearment.” That same magic is at work in “As Good As It Gets,” a wonderful collaboration of great material, outstanding performances, and perfect direction. Nicholson is superb as the obsessive-compulsive romance novelist who hates everyone he meets. Helen Hunt is endearing as the waitress who opens his heart, while Greg Kinnear finally hits pay-dirt as Nicholson’s gay artist neighbor whose pet pooch plays a major part in his therapy.
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“Predator” is a film that holds a place near and dear to many Arnold Schwarzenegger fan’s hearts. And why not? “Predator” is a lot of fun, filled with powerful action sequences wrapped up in a silly screenplay by Jim Thomas and John Thomas. Read the rest of this entry »

When the President of the United States is caught with his pants down and charged with sexual misconduct, it’s up to his spin doctors to change public perception. Sound familiar? “Wag the Dog,” loosely structured from Larry Beinhart’s novel “American Hero,” is a darkly comic film that had the good fortune of being released when real life events in the Oval Office seemed to mirror events on the screen. Read the rest of this entry »

As the Millennium comes to a close, it seems that everyone with the desire to do so is compiling lists. The American Film Institute recently hauled out their picks for Best 100 Films and Performers of the Century. Every where you look, someone has a new this or that list. I’ll probably get swept up in this trend as the year comes to an end, but for now I’m trying to avoid the inevitable. Read the rest of this entry »

Agatha Christie’s “Ten Little Indians” has been turned into a movie more than once, but nothing can touch Rene Clair “And Then There Were None.” The infamous French director has assembled an all- star cast to tell Christie’s gripping tale of ten strangers who have been summoned by a mysterious host. Read the rest of this entry »

8mm (R)

Oh, the horror! The inhumanity! The drudgery of having to sit through another neo-noir thriller that barely has time to get on its feet before it stumbles under the weight of a top-heavy performance by Nicolas Cage, seamy direction by Joel Schumacher, and a patchwork script by that guy who wrote “Seven.” Read the rest of this entry »

“Bull Durham” is a romantic comedy about America’s other favorite pastime. The first is baseball, but there’s plenty to root for on and off the field in writer-director Ron Shelton’s extremely enjoyable debut. Before stepping behind the camera as a director, Shelton had written numerous films and served as a second unit director. Read the rest of this entry »

“From Dusk Till Dawn” was the perfect example of what happens when all the right talent comes together to make an explosive film. “Texas Blood Money,” the direct-to-video sequel, is the perfect example of what happens when lesser talent tries to duplicate that formula. Read the rest of this entry »