New York Minute
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, those nauseously nice TV twins
from a few years back, have grown-up into two very ‘hot’
and delectable young ladies. They have a pretty good time
in this bubbly and likable screwball comedy.
An American Haunting
Set in 1820 this story is supposedly based on real-life events.
The film does have some genuinely scary moments, but, it is
more a character study about obsession and greed. Donald Sutherland
is good as the principal protagonist.
The Omen
A fairly turgid re-make of the 1976 original. As the American
ambassador to the Court of St. James, Liev Schreiber seems
to have plenty of time on his hands to go wandering around
deserted churches and spooky cemeteries.
Whole New Thing
A thirteen year old schoolboy develops a disturbing infatuation
for his ‘gay’ high-school English teacher, which
causes a few problems for all concerned. Much more than literature
is discussed in this sensitive Canadian drama.
Loggerheads
Using the symbolic imagery of migrating Loggerhead sea-turtles,
this movie investigates the vexing relationship between birth
mothers, adoptive parents and the adopted child. Three independent
stories eventually enfold together.
Tennis Anyone
Two sometimes out-of-work film actors spend their time attending
celebrity tennis tournaments in the hope of making connections.
I guess business must be done in Hollywood this way, but,
it is a pretty boring lifestyle and movie.
The Tiger and The Snow
For his latest movie Roberto Benigni creates a very moving
love story with a script that has some beautifully written
poetry, but, I find his acting style hard to take. It is a
personal thing, you either like him or you don’t. I
don’t!
End of The Spear
This true story is set in 1956, and tells of a group of missionaries
who try to make contact with a lost Indian tribe found deep
in the Ecuador jungle. Their eventual dealings with the tribe
have dreadful consequences for all involved.
The Lost City
Andy Garcia directs and stars, in this dull movie about the
transition of power in Cuba after the rise of Fidel Castro.
I think. I fell asleep about halfway through it, and when
I woke up an hour later it was still going on!
The Librarian, Quest For The Spear
As movie matinees go, this film is a hell of a lot of fun.
Noah Wyle lands a job at the Metropolitan Public Library as
its curator, but, the job description is not clear on what
is really expected. You’ll need lots and lots of pop-corn.
Ausentes
This is a fascinating horror story from Spanish director Daniel
Calparsoro. When Julia and Samuel and their children move
into a luxury, isolated, housing-estate things start to go
screwy from the very start. Or do they?
Click
Adam Sandler acquires a magical universal remote-control through
which he can organize his personal and professional life.
Eventually, the control starts to act-up. It is a pity there
wasn’t a button on the control to erase the movie.
Ask The Dust
An Italian-American writer struggles with his career in 1930’s
Los Angeles, while his Mexican girl-friend struggles with
racial prejudice. Colin Farrell cannot match the passion of
Salma Hayek, who, of course, is just fabulous.
The Californians
Noah Wyle and Kate Mara star in this loose adaptation of Henry
James’ ‘The Bostonians’. Boston high-society
is replaced by Californian property developers and environmentalists.
There is a lot of folk singing in the movie.
The Virgin of Juarez
Minner Driver is a journalist hot on the trail of a big story
dealing with rape and mass-murder in the Mexican border town
of Juarez. Then, she stumbles across an even bigger story
dealing with ‘Stigmata’. It is all supposedly
true.
First Daughter
The American President’s daughter is fed-up with life
in the goldfish bowl. She wants to go to college like any
other girl, have the college experience, find true friends,
a boyfriend, and just about everything else. Oh yeah? As if!
Population 436
A census-taker discovers that a small town has had the same
population of 436 residents for over the last 100 years. He
also discovers something else that is very creepy. This low-key
horror movie will have you enthralled.
Side Effects
Katherine Heigl, best-known from TV’s ‘Roswell’
and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, plays a whistle-blower
in the American pharmaceutical industry. The story is actually
quite good but the movie is let down by its cheap production
values.
The Shaggy Dog
Tim Allen has always targeted his movies towards ‘family
values’, and with this fantasy for the Disney Studio
he has created a major hit. When Tim is bitten by a magical
dog he finds himself changing into a shaggy dog himself.
The Corsican Investigation
A private detective is sent to Corsica to inform a local gangster
that he has come into a large inheritance back in France.
Not that the ‘boss’ really needs it. Christian
Clavier and Jean Reno both shine in this terrific French farce.
The Sisterhood
This movie is meant to be a vampire horror flick, but, it
comes across as soft-core pornography. Everything about the
movie is cheap and nasty. Forget it, unless you go for big-breasted
bimbos with no visible talent.
The Best Man
This British comedy about a Best Man who falls in love with
the Bride is very predictable, yet, the enthusiasm of its
lively cast, which includes Stuart Townsend, Seth Green and
Amy Smart, turn it into a very pleasing movie.
One Last Thing…
A teenage youth, who is dying from terminal cancer, reveals
at a televised press conference that his last wish is to spend
the weekend with a famous super-model. This depressing subject-matter
is handled quite sensitively.
Tristram Shandy
English director Michael Winterbottom makes an appalling movie
about making a movie. This theme has been made before by better
directors, such as Fellini and Truffaut. Winterbottom should
have considered not making it.
The Ice Harvest.
John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton and Connie Nielsen ease their
way through yet another film-noir, in-which everyone is conning
everyone else. The dullness of the movie is saved by some
very sharp and witty dialogue.
The Cotton Club.
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1984 musical is a flawed masterpiece,
and time has not improved it. The interweaving stories about
the habitués of the famous nightclub are weak, but,
the production numbers are worth a second look!
