ADVENTURES OF YOUNG BRAVE, THE (PG)

Congenial family adventure stars Ashley Peldon and Zachary Browne as two friends who are assisted in their search for gold by the spirit of a Native American, played with gusto by Raoul Trujillo. Read the rest of this entry »

With the immense success of “The Pink Panther,” writer-director Blake Edwards immediately went to work on a sequel, adapting a French stage farce into a workable screenplay (co-written with William Peter Blatty) that would feature Peter Sellers as the clumsy Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Even though Sellers co- starred with David Niven in the first film, his Inspector Clouseau was obviously the real star, and this film took full advantage of Sellers’ unique talents.
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1973 was a seminal year for films and film makers. When you compare his competition, it’s amazing that director Martin Scorsese’s first studio feature “Mean Streets” even found an audience. Read the rest of this entry »

CURVE, THE (R)

Even though they share the same theme, compared to “Dead Man on Campus,” “The Curve” is a classic. The difference between the dumb-dumb “Dead Man” and the smart and sassy “The Curve” is night and day. Read the rest of this entry »

A COOL, DRY PLACE (PG-13)

Vince Vaughn is wonderful as Russell Nash, an attorney whose wife Kate (Monica Potter) has abandoned him and their five-year-old son Calvin (an adorable Bobby Moat). Struggling to live life as a single father, Russell is eventually attracted to Beth (Joey Lauren Adams), a sweet woman who fulfills Russell’s life. Read the rest of this entry »

“The Car” is one of those movies that people remember being better than it actually was. Released in 1977, “The Car” hasn’t made the rounds on video, television and cable like other films. When I managed a video store, “The Car” was one of the most requested titles we got from out customers. For some reason Universal Studios Home Video (then MCA/Universal Home Video) never made the title available on video. Read the rest of this entry »

Sequels are always difficult to execute, especially when they arrive so late in the game. Look at the recent “Carrie 2.” Since Hollywood dictates that successful movies beget more of the same, sequels of popular films are a given. Timing is important, and if the studio waits too long to make good on the promise, they risk losing the momentum of the first film. That was the problem that plagued writer-director James Cameron when he approached 20th Century Fox with an idea to resurrect the “Alien” series created by director Ridley Scott in 1979. Read the rest of this entry »

I was feeling a little nostalgic last night so I had the Bee Gees over for a concert. Actually, I popped in Image Entertainment’s “Bee Gees: One Night Only,” but the results were strikingly similar. Originally a pay-per-view event that was eventually shown on cable, “Bee Gees: One Night Only” was the group’s first live concert in 1997 and their first U.S. Read the rest of this entry »

I was anxious to see “American History X,” and that was even before the controversy over director Tony Kaye’s dismissal from the film during the editing process. I have seen several outstanding movies dealing with skinheads and white supremacists, so I was anxious to see if these film makers could bring anything new to the forum.
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Brad Pitt better watch out. There’s a new kid in town, and his name is also Brad. Brad Rowe. Remember it. He’s one of the stars of writer-director Tommy O’Haver’s hilarious romantic comedy, “Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss.” He’s what you call dangerously handsome. Oh yeah, and he can act. With his blonde mane, blues eyes, killer smile and dimples only found in perfection, Rowe heats up the screen in “Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss.” But then, that’s his job. Read the rest of this entry »