Reviews

This film must have been the best-kept secret in movies, because I never heard of it before. It's a charming and well-acted little comedy romance, I don't know why it was brushed under the carpet. Andy Garcia is extremely funny and energetic in the lead role of Gary, he and Andie MacDowell have a good romantic chemistry, and some of the supporting characters are great. It's not a brilliant film, but it's certainly well worth watching, and I think Andy Garcia should be very proud of this amusing and very good film.

This low-budget film should be judged from a different level than a big-budget production, I suppose. Yes, it was similar in a way to 'Sliding Doors' and at times seemed like a poor man's Woody Allen. But, I enjoyed it. I liked Erin in spite of, or maybe because of, her quirks. I found Alan to be a very noble and charmingly flawed man. I liked that the film focused on the lives of the two main characters separate from each other. How they "almost meet" is reminiscent of 'Sliding Doors'. Erin's string of bad dates is a bit of a cliche, but well-done just the same. I enjoyed this movie, it has a lot to offer and is well worth seeing.

I truly enjoyed this sweet and unique film from Britain.It is a charming and thoughtful portrayal of a young woman named Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow)who is fired from her job, and finds parallel destiny in the doors of a subway train. It is a story of destiny, and how we can never truly escape what we are meant to do, even if we are going in completely opposite directions.

In one version, Helen misses the train, is mugged, goes home to her boyfriend Gerry (John Lynch) who has just finished an afternoon delight with his ex-girlfriend Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn). She then begins a series of menial jobs, unaware that her boyfriend is cheating on her. In the version where she makes the train, she meets the charming James (John Hannah) and returns home to find her boyfriend in the throes of passion with Lydia. She leaves him, moves in with her best friend, starts her own business, and begins a loving relationship with James. We see these two versions, and think we know which direction they are going...but it's destiny, after all, and nothing is quite that simple.

Gwyneth Paltrow is wonderful as usual, doing her British accent in between 'Emma' and "Viola". Her eyes become big as saucers when she is hurt, and she can express more emotion in a twitch of her face than many actresses can with their whole bodies. John Hannah is wonderful as James, the charming, kind, sweet man of most women's dreams, but still with his faults. I wish John Hannah, and this film for that matter, were more successful. I had never watched the film before, I had neglected to rent it many times, because I wasn't completely "aware" of the film. I regret not seeing it sooner. I cried my eyes out at the end, although I am a bit emotional. It is life seen from a different eye, and I highly recommend it.

I was stunned by the simplicity and power of this fine film. It tells the true and tragic story of Teena Brandon/Brandon Teena, a woman living as a man in a small town in Nebraska. No matter what your personal opinions may be, this film does not preach. It tells the story in a matter-of-fact, honest and gritty way, but leaves you shaking your head in shock that such anger and hatred exists in these modern times, for someone who is "different" merely because of their sexual preference.

Relative newcomer Hilary Swank gives a heartfelt and courageous performance as Brandon. I say courageous not only because of the subject matter, but also because she is able to strip away her youthful, movie star glamour and become the character she plays. She is entirely convincing. Also, she shows a tremendous amount of guts for being able to get through the gut-wrenchingly violent rape scene. This was a brave choice, and a wise one.

Chloe Sevigny plays Lana, the girl Brandon loves. She is the only person who truly understands Brandon. Brandon finds himself in a world of drunken trailer trash and convicted felons. No one is free from guilt, but there is always the unspoken sin of being different. Hilary Swank and Chloe Sevigny play their tastefully erotic love scenes without seeming self-conscious. So many actors of their generation might be afraid to tackle these types of roles, but they do their jobs with aplomb.

The film was another that haunted me the day after seeing it. Kimberly Peirce manages to make a simple film about a very difficult subject, and she doesn't resort to Hollywood gloss or preachiness. It is a risky film, very difficult to watch in places, with several very violent and disturbing scenes. It is a story that needs to be told, and with the two Oscar-nominated performances from Ms. Swank and Ms. Sevigny, it succeeds.

I really enjoy this quirky, sensual film, but even after several viewings, I am still a bit confused about the plot. It's not one of those bizarre films where you shake your head and say "what?", but rather one that keeps you going up and down different alleyways. Tommy Lee Jones is very sexy and perfectly cast as the rough and tumble private eye hired to get a man's dead wife off his trail. But, is the wife really dead? What is fantasy and what is reality? Virginia Madsen is drop dead gorgeous, no pun intended. She and Tommy Lee Jones have a very hot sexual chemistry between them. This is the only movie with the formidable Mr. Jones that I have seen him engaged in a passionate, nude love scene. This alone is worth renting the movie. It's not great, but it's very old-fashioned, gritty film noir, and extremely sexy, and definitely not predictable.

I was intensely moved by 'The Green Mile', which is as haunting as 'The Shawshank Redemption', yet far more mystical. It was not nearly as uplifting as 'Shawshank', it was very sad and violent in parts, but also had moments of humor. The acting is first-rate, particularly Michael Duncan as John Coffey, the Gentle Giant and healer on Death Row. The execution scenes are disturbing, and the film is very long. But, as with 'Shawshank', I felt haunted by the film long after I had left the theater. I see images of the film flash in my mind; I hear pieces of dialog. It's heart-breaking cinema, and even if critics are dismissing the film, Hanks and Company have nothing to be ashamed of. I highly recommend this film, but go with an open mind and open heart, and a vivid imagination and sense of hope. These are essential; without them, the message will be lost.

Everything about this picture is beautiful, even the ugliness is beautiful...an oxymoron, but the only way I can describe it. This is a stunning tale of 16th century sex and violence, with a dirty realism, but still an overlay of beauty.

Isabelle Adjani is intense, beautiful, and sensuous as Margot, the highly sexed, intelligent and dutiful sister of the doomed King Charles IX of France. She is forced into a marriage of political and religious convenience by her bitterly ambitious mother, Catherine de Medici (Virna Lisi) to the repulsive Henri Navarre (sympathetically played by Daniel Auteuil). There is a tremendous amount going on, and Margot's incest with her brothers is more than hinted at.

The searingly sensual Vincent Perez plays La Mole, who eventually becomes Margot's doomed lover. Their first encounter is an acrobatic feat of anonymous sex in an alleyway that is breath-taking. Their later love scenes are intensely erotic. This film only becomes better on repeat viewings. I found I was able to grasp more on my second viewing. There is so much going on, so many twists and turns and shocks, and the film is also quite long. It never lags, and even Margot's grudging tolerance, if not love, for her husband, is believingly portrayed. Very highly recommended.

This film never received the attention it deserved, although this is one of the finest pieces of ensemble acting, and one of the most realistic stories I have seen on screen. Clearly filmed on a small budget in a real V.A. Hospital, the center of the story is Joel, very well-played by Eric Stoltz. Joel has been paralyzed in a motorcycle accident, and comes to the hospital to a ward with other men who have spinal injuries. Joel is in love with Anna, his married lover, played by Helen Hunt, who shows early signs of her later Academy-Award winning work.

Although the Joel-Anna relationship is the basic focus, there are many other well-developed characters in the ward. Wesley Snipes does a tremendous job as the angry Raymond. Even more impressive is William Forsythe as the bitter and racist Bloss. I think Forsythe's two best scenes are when he becomes frustrated and angry at the square dancers, and, later, when he feels empathy for a young Korean man who has been shot in a liquor store hold up. My favorite scene with Snipes is the in the roundtable discussion of post-injury sexual options.

The chemistry between Stoltz and Hunt is very strong, and they have two very intimate, but not gratuitous, sex scenes. The orgasm in the ward is both sexy and amusing. There is also another memorable scene where Joel and Bloss and the Korean boy take the specially-equipped van to the strip bar. It's truly a comedy of errors as they make their feeble attempts to get the van going to see the "naked ladies."

The story is made even more poignant by the fact that the director, Neal Jimenez, is paralyzed in real life. This is basically his story. This film is real, not glossy or flashy. To have the amount of talent in a film of such a small budget is amazing. I recommend this film to everyone I see, because it is one of those films that even improves on a second look. It's a shame that such a great piece of work gets overlooked, but through video, perhaps it can get the attention it so richly deserves.

I found this to be one of the most romantic movies I've ever seen. It tells the story of Avik, a young Eskimo boy who meets Walter Russell (Patrick Bergin) when Walter comes to map his village. Avik discovers he has Tuberculosis, and Walter takes the young boy to Montreal where he stays at a Catholic hospital. There he meets Albertine, a young girl of mixed French Canadian and Indian blood. They grow attached to each other, in spite of the meddling of one of the nuns, played by Jeanne Moreau. Eventually, Avik and Albertine are separated. Avik returns to his village, and becomes a man. He finds he is ostracized by his fellow tribe, because he has lived too long among the white people.

Avik as an adult is played by Jason Scott Lee. By this time, Canada is involved in World War II, and Avik joins the Air Force and flies on bombing raids. He is reunited with Albertine (Anne Parillaud) in London, who is also in the military. Unfortunately, so is Walter Russell. And it seems that he and Albertine have met and become romantically involved. Avik does not want to interfere in the relationship, because Walter saved his life.

This is a story of two people who are truly in love, but whom the fates keep apart. An old theme, but with a new twist. I found it heart breaking and romantic. I loved the period portrayed. And the love scene atop the blimp is quite something! This film isn't for everyone, but if you like a good romantic tear jerker, this is for you.

This story is made even more amazing since it is based on fact. The real Solomon Perel has quite a story to tell. I have also read the book, and the movie is a bit factually inaccurate, but it is still tremendously well-made.

Young Solly is played by a beautiful young actor named Marco Hoffschneider. His good looks and charm are part of what get him to convince the Gestapo that he is not a Jew, but an ethnic German. But Solly has much more getting him through this ordeal. His determination and strength of spirit, plus blinding will to live, and perhaps the youthful exuberance of being able to accomplish it, help him to pull off the charade. The young boy speaks several languages, and is able to use this skill to convince Nazi soldiers that he is not Jewish. The soldiers adopt him as a sort of "mascot." Solly is careful not to show his circumcised penis to anyone, including the German girl he falls in love with. Fate is also on his side, since several times when it seemed he might be found out, the hand of a higher power intervenes.

This is an engrossing film, sad and funny. Perhaps Solomon Perel is ashamed that he lived with the enemy to save his life, but, he is alive today to tell his story. The real Solomon Perel makes a brief appearance at the end.

I enjoyed this film from start to finish, and was bowled over by the performances of the young actors. Based on a children's book, 'Freak the Mighty', the film manages to portray the challenges and and friendship of two special young people without being patronizing.

Max, played brilliantly by Eldon Ratliff, is a slow boy, big for his age, whose mother was killed by his father, who is now serving a prison sentence. Max is being raised by his grandparents, the appropriately weary Gene Rowlands and Harry Dean Stanton. Max has failed 7th grade twice, and is the butt of teasing and jokes. His life is changed when Kevin, played by Kieran Culkin (Macauley's more-talented younger brother) moves next door with his single mother, well played by Sharon Stone. Kevin is physically disabled, with a degenerative bone disorder. He has compensated for his disability by being a genius. He is also stronger than Max, the only thing he lacks is Max's physical strength. The two work together, with Max being Kevin's legs, and Kevin being Max's brain.

The world can be an empty place for people who are "different", and Max learns and grows from his friendship with Kevin. The movie never resorts to cheap sentimentality, and this was one of the first films to make me cry in a long time. I don't agree with the criticism that Sharon Stone is too attractive to be Kevin's poor mom. All kinds of people have children with disabilities. There was no need to make Sharon Stone less beautiful, since this film is about the boys, and she is the mom, a supporting role, and her good looks are not really an issue.

I was disappointed in Gillian Anderson's performance as a white trash biker chick. She seems to be borrowing from the Sandy Dennis school of facial twitches, and feels a need to resort to a southern accent to emphasize that her character is from the wrong side of the tracks. Other than that, the movie is excellent, particularly the performance of Eldin Ratliff, who has a great future ahead of him.

What I've always enjoyed about this film is that, once you get past all the slapstick and Jewish American Princess jokes, you find the story of a sheltered young woman seeking her identity and independence. Judy Benjamin has been raised in a very coddled existence, believing she can do nothing, and that her only value is to be someone's wife, or attached to a person in some way. When her husband dies on her wedding night, she foolishly joins the army, where her inability is played for laughs. But this is not what the film is really about, in the long run. When her parents come to retrieve her, Barbara Barrie as Judy's mom is literally holding the pen, showing Judy where to sign. To me, this scene is very believable. It's as if Judy finally realizes that she has set herself up to fail. She decides to stay and proves that she can do a good job, she just believed she couldn't.

Perhaps my perspective is different because I saw this film first in 1980 when I was 18 years old, but I still enjoy it to this day. I can overlook the portions that are not very PC by today's standards. It was, after all, a different world then. I find Goldie Hawn's performance to have great comic timing and believability. Eileen Brennan is memorable in her role, even though it is a bit stereotypical by today's standards. Barbara Barrie and Sam Wanamaker are hilarious as Judy's parents, and Robert Webber is unforgettable as Col. Clay Thornbush. I will always enjoy this film, perhaps always from a different viewpoint.

This is certainly one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, from an aesthetic point of view. I felt swept up by the scenery, the music, the costumes. But, aside from the surface beauty, there beats underneath the heart of a true classic. This is one of Merchant/Ivory's most under-rated films. It is the adaptation of the E.M. Forster novel, 'Maurice', which itself remained un-published until after his death. The film is completely faithful to the book, so faithful, in fact, that it stretches to two and a half hours what could have been told in under two hours. But, no matter. It never ceases to amaze me how the British can produce films of such breath-taking detail and clarity, and spend only a fraction of the budget that their American counterparts do.

James Wilby stars as Maurice Hall, who falls in love with his classmate, Clive Durham, portrayed by Hugh Grant. They are both undergraduates at Cambridge. The time is the Edwardian era, and they must keep their feelings under wraps. Clive is much more reserved than Maurice, in the long run. Eventually Clive gives in to the pressures from his mother (an icily perfect Judy Parfitt) and marries the pretty but uninteresting Anne (Phoebe Nichols). Maurice and Clive never consummated their relationship, and from the looks of things, there isn't much of a sexual relationship between Clive and his wife.

Maurice finds his solace and his savior in Alec Scudder, the gamekeeper on Clive's estate, played with ferociously understated sensuality by Rupert Graves. Indeed, the second half of this film belongs to Rupert Graves. He is young, baby-faced, but with a deep voice and a confident swagger, and the simmering sexuality about ready to explode. You can see his feelings in his eyes. It would be impossible for Maurice to turn him down. This is where the film received some criticism; since Maurice and Alec are from different classes, backgrounds and education, surely their relationship would wither and fade once the passion had ended? E.M. Forster received the same criticism when he shared his manuscript with a few select friends. But, part of the reason the book succeeds is because of the belief and fervent hope that the relationship between Maurice and Alec will work. It must work, against all the odds of society.

The portrayal of the period's homophobia is exquisite. There is a heartbreaking scene where Maurice tries to confide in the family doctor, portrayed by Denholm Elliott. Dr. Barrie merely reacts to Maurice in disgust. Maurice turns to a quack hypnotist, played by Ben Kingsley, but finds he cannot deny his true nature.

Since Hugh Grant has become mega famous in the 10 plus years since the film was made, it is often referred to as a "Hugh Grant film." Grant is extremely reserved in the role, showing no signs of his future as a comic actor. I would have preferred him to portray Maurice Hall, however. James Wilby is sweet and believeable, but he lacks something in the role. Although he does balance well with the erotic Rupert Graves, as Maurice seems as confused and searching as he is intended to be.

A breath-taking, entertaining and extremely intelligent film; I highly recommend it.

I enjoyed this film from many aspects. The acting is first rate, and it is clearly well-researched and presented in a realistic, non-sentimental fashion. Having grown up around the mentally ill and the mentally challenged, I can decipher caricature from character rather quickly. I was absolutely blown away by Courtney B. Vance's depiction of Lucien. Mr. Vance is completely absorbed in this role. His carriage, walk, talk, mannerisms, everything is perfect. I have known people like Lucien. When Tony Goldwyn's character, Jack, imagines a "normal" Lucien, we can see the absolutely perfect acting job of Courtney B. Vance.

The other actors are very good, but Courtney B. Vance is the stand out. Nathan Lane as Norman reminds me very much of mentally challenged people I have known who are forever introducing themselves. Robert Sean Leonard plays a schizophrenic convincingly. And Tony Goldwyn is emotional and not too sentimental as Jack, the hard-working, good-hearted, but all too human caretaker. It is a very good film.

This has been one of my favorite films for years, and my admiration for it only increases on repeat viewings. It's a plain film about plain people. The story goes beyond the surface of gloss and superficial beauty to the heart beating underneath. Ernest Borgnine gives the finest performance of his career as the lonely butcher, Marty Pilletti. It is one of the most multi-layered performances in the history of film. We see Marty as he appears on the surface, then Mr. Borgnine peels away layer after layer, like an onion, revealing the real Marty deep inside. He calls himself "a fat, ugly man" but he has the most beautiful heart in the world. The supporting cast is first rate, especially Betsy Blair as the plain-jane Clara Snyder. The film explores so many issues, how people can ruin another person's happiness, how ideas and perceptions can change everything in a person's life. I cannot imagine this film being made today. Whenever they try to make films about "plain people" they end up trying to make Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino look plain. It just doesn't work. This is a film of beauty, heart and soul, and I've never seen it equaled, and certainly never exceeded.

I found this film to be one of the most incredibly well-acted films I have viewed in a long time. Linus Roache is a revelation as Father Greg Pilkington, who finds his sexual orientation conflicting with his religious faith. The film raises many issues, making the question of celibacy only one of many points. There is also hypocrisy, homophobia, shame, incest...it runs the gamut of emotions. Tom Wilkinson is also brilliant as the parish rector who is having an affair with his housemaid (Cathy Tyson). The deep-seeded condemnation of Father Greg, who truly wants to practice his religious faith but is shamed into a failed suicide attempt, is maddening. The first stone is cast repeatedly, and there are no easy conclusions. The film ends with a beautiful example of forgiveness and empathy. This is an excellent film.

Although I did find this film entertaining, and I could relate to the time period, since I was also starting my freshman year in 1976, I felt there were some things missing in this story. I wanted to know more. I felt that so many different angles were taken in the script, but they were never really explored. And, i was surprised that this film was done by a female, because of the amount of female nudity (obviously done by body doubles). And, Natasha Lyonne was clearly not "big for her age" no matter how convincingly she tried to play a mature-for-her-age 14 year old. Perhaps I was expecting too much, and I ended up feeling disappointed. It was still an entertaining film.

I found this movie to be quite beautiful, and it opened a period of history seldom explored in films. It tells the tale of a Jewess in 19th Century London who must disguise herself as a gentile to obtain employment as a governess. Her joy for life and her searching mind attract her to her employer, who is trying to discover a way to "freeze" the photographic image. It is very much of its time. Minnie Driver is excellent, very sensual and convincing. Tom Wilkinson is incredibly strong and attractive. The dark colors and the general sense of gloom are very well depicted. I thought it was a marvelous film.