Reviews

The plot will be repeatedly rehashed, so I'll skip straight to my take on it.

This reboot certainly takes a respectfully clear path of the original series - while still reprising the original characters. It's quite a tightrope to walk but Director JJ Abrams has done it.

Non-Trek Fans: It's so much better than you expect.

And Die-Hard Trekkies: Abrams actually did you proud, with a newness that gives the original a really fresh approach.

Lots of fun, lots of visual and a pretty snappy script. Much better than the summer films we'll see. Don't put it in the "Made only to sell toys" category. Go see it, and you'll be glad you did.

The New Star Trek Movie = Original Star Trek + Empire Strikes Back + Independence Day + Iron Man.

This little jewel is a madcap romp in the mold of "The Philadelphia Story." Preston Sturges' impressive direction is just light enough to keep things hopping and technically savvy to pull off the zaniness.

There's a lot to like about this movie: the dialogue is both snappy and witty, the costumes are eye-catching, and the acting is inspired.

Now admittedly, a willing suspension of belief and even a temporary romantic bent does help one to enjoy this movie thoroughly. But this is a great result from a delightful blend of Sturges, Colbert and McCrea. (Ah, and the wonderful Mary Astor shines brightly as well).

Of course like many "forget the raging war" films, this one benefits from lots of anachronistic concentration. You almost have to park away the 21st Century to really get the fullest effect of "The Palm Beach Story." So Tune in, turn off the phone and ignore the Blackberry, and enjoy.

One of the nicest surprises in the movie "Collateral" was an uncredited cameo (but pivotal) performance by actor Peter Berg. It was great because Peter Berg throws himself with unparalleled earnestness to any role he gets, even one as small as he had in Collateral. (If you're reading this and haven't seen "The Last Seduction" yet - get thee to a video rental store!) It also made me wonder if Michael Mann was a conscious or unconscious influence on Berg's direction of his cousin (H.G. "Biss" Bissinger)'s book, "Friday Night Lights." Well, no need to wonder. "FNL" is as all new directors' movies are, a hybrid blend of the movie masters he admires. This vertigo-friendly mix of Michael Mann + Oliver Stone + MTV + Cinema verity = a gripping, sports drama that grabs on like a linebacker on a face mask, and occasionally it hits as hard. Now as common with sports films, there is some definite "character abbreviation" here: we have the hard-drinking and take no prisoners father, the mentally-delicate mother that's a 21st century version of a Tennessee Williams character in a faded housedress, the gruff but lovable coach, the flashy knowitall star athlete who's just biding his time until his pro league checks start rolling in. Yes, we've seen these characters before. But triteness is not at fault here - Bissinger did not make these characters up, they are real-life people. Only a few plays and some events were changed to protect the innocent and the undramatic. So when we see shortcuts taken to show these characters, we understand that for our patience, the director rewards us technical creativity like more hand-held camera shots than a reality show, and more extreme close ups than an MRI. "FNL" owes a lot to the sports movies that precede it but it adds a modern sensibility, a directors deft hand at drama and almost-too-revealing cinema verity to the mix. The acting ranges from good to amazingly strong. One of the strongest performances is turned in by country singer-turned-acting newcomer Tim McGraw. McGraw is almost unrecognizable in the callous father who crawls out of a whiskey bottle long enough to chip away at his son's self esteem. It's clear McGraw's character is reduced to living vicariously through his son but then so is the entire town. From middle aged sheriff deputies wearing their old high school championship rings to menacing athletic supporters who accost the coach during a family shopping trip - it's clear that this town lives, breathes, and eats football. Billy Bob Thorton is totally on point as the Coach of the Permian Panthers and if he hadn't done "Sling Blade" or "Monster's Ball" then this would be considered his role of a lifetime. As it is it's damned good although Oscars are handed out quite stingily to actors who don athletic gear rather than executioners' gear or mental hospital uniforms. It's Oscar's loss, Thorton's turn as Coach Gaines will probably be one of the top male drama performances this year. Derek (Antwone Fisher) Luke seems to phone it in as the star player with as much ego as talent. Better is Lee (Jett Jackson) Thompson Young as the young hungry backup running back. One standout is Lucas Black who gives a heart wrenching turn as the overburdened young quarterback, Mike Winchell. Black plays Winchell with just the right touch of uncertainty, premature responsibility and stomach churning fear. Ironically Black's only major TV guest star appearance was an episode of "Chicago Hope" where he starred with "FNL" director Berg, and he's had no formal drama training. It's in this way that his aw-shucks persona adds depth and realism to this role. Would it be great if there were more Lucas Blacks in this film? Yes. It does still stand on it's own as a better than average portrayal of the life and death drama of Texas High Football. And if someone likes football, likes small town drama, and can well the tolerate the stylized *look* of "Any Given Sunday" - you can't make a better Friday Night Movie choice this season. 7/10 if you're open minded, 8/10 if you like fast moving, reality camera-work *and* love football. Give it a try!

The cable version of this dramedy ( drama/comedy) is "Strange Relations" but they could have called it "Strange Bedfellows."

It's such a quirky, unique piece of work. It defies much description, and the plot summaries above tell the tale.

The acting is surprising good.

For once, Paul Reiser is not exactly playing Paul Reiser.

Julie Walters is phenomenal, as always.

Ann Robbins (a cousin of Paul McCartney, and sister to Brit actress Kate Robbins) is excellent, and some might remember her from "Casualty".

The setting is primarily Liverpool, and it's both an unflinching and romantic view of the city, in my humble opinion.

All in all, this is worth 2 hours of your time, and if you spend 120 minutes with it on cable - it won't be time wasted.

I stumbled across this movie on satellite cable last one night. I was mesmerized - it was SO funny, so well written, and so underplayed. This little independent film has a lot going for it. Michael Rappaport has one of his best roles, James Woods plays a weasel like only he can... this movie is "Pulp Fiction" meets "Slacker" but a lot funnier... Guns, drugs, a lost dog, stolen cars, and LOTS of beer. Check this one out - if you like whimsical "small" films then this one is one for you.

Where to begin? This movie is too long, too ambitious, too raw, and too illogical. What it lacks in plot, it makes up for with overacting and ridiculous scenarios. Bad script, bad editing, and bad cinematography? Even decent acting by Kevin Spacey (who gives 110%) can't save this turkey.

Don't bother to run and see this one, folks, it'll be on cable IN DAYS.

P.S.--- As a Texan I can dispel some myths the filmmakers chose to ignore:

1. Texans have dental care, and we utilize it. (See #2) 2. Texans don't generally sound like or look like extras from "Deliverance" 3. Texas is the second biggest state. You can't drive from it's major cities (Houston To Austin To Huntsville) and back within minutes - try hours. 4. The major cities of Texas all look different. When you try to use the Houston skyline & freeways for Austin - it doesn't work. We do notice! 5. In colleges/universities in Texas (like most places): bells don't ring to let us know when the class is over. Try high school for that. 6. We do have cell phones in Texas - all major cities have cell service. 7. Texans, like others state's residents, notice a lack of plot.

This is a taut British crime drama very much in the "Cracker" mould. In this case, our lead character is Dr. Tony Hill. It features a crime-weary psychotherapist who is part profiler, part detective, part forensics expert. (Think "Cracker" meets "Inspector Morse" meets "CSI").There is a bookish, academic quality to Doctor Hill, without him being tweedy and standoffish (he's more human, and less lofty than Morse).

Dr. Hill is well played by actor Robson Green, who played another complex Detective in the British miniseries "Touching Evil."

In "Wire in the Blood" the stories and the crimes often unfold slowly, with just enough bits of clues and hints to make the slow development seem satisfying.

WARNING: The crime scenes can get a bit grisly, but are never gratuitous.

If you like the aforementioned "Morse" series, and enjoy the psychological gymnastics by Robbie Coltrane's "Cracker" then you will not want to miss "Wire in the Blood."

This sci-fi classic may seem, on initial inspection, to be a cliché. But the heartfelt acting, the not-so-buried message (a prescient warning about the excesses of the Cold War and nuclear science), and the (for the time) special effects raise this one above the rest. Yes, the government is the fall guy, and the scientists beg the rest to heed their warnings: but THEM! is a science fiction classic, despite it all. There are some tragi-comic lighter moments ("Make me a sergeant, charge the booze." is one misguided dipsomaniac's mantra). But all in all it's sci-fi noir at its most suspenseful. The most chilling aspect of the movie is that the nemesis is UNSEEN until nearly the end. We know something very, horrible is out there, but we never see them. Their absence is as scary as their later presence... and the sound? You'll never find the nighttime sound of crickets to be innocuous again. Don't miss this one, as several of the retro-movie channels have added THEM! to their lineup. Check it out.

This syndicated show followed the ups and downs of a new single mom played by Diana Canova (of the short-lived "I'm A Big Girl Now" TV series) as an employee of a small fledgling record company. She juggles life as a divorcee while juggling responsibilities at her new job at a small record company.

If you can ever get a chance to view an episode of this mid-eighties series, you can see an improbably young Jane Leeves (fresh from her stint as a "Benny Hill Show" Girl) as "Blue," the de rigueur British import.

The big hairstyles, 80's wardrobes and '80s music would probably make this series seem even more dated now, but not quite seem old enough to be a classic.

It was partly a poorer-man's "W.K.R.P in Cincinnati" mixed with a less-ambitious "Mary Tyler Moore" but wasn't much worse than other 80's syndicated shows. No ground was broken here as the plots were as formulaic as they were predictable, but it had a certain scrappiness.

"My Blue Heaven" should be mandatory viewing for any fans of mob movies and shows from "GoodFellas" to "Wiseguy" and "The Sopranos."

Steve Martin indeed gives one of his funniest portrayals ever as a transplanted Mob guy who is a big fish out of water in a suburban town.

Don't miss the many tongue-in-cheek references to "GoodFellas" as "My Blue Heaven" is a humourous take-off on the real-life mobster that inspired that classic movie. It picks up exactly where "GoodFellas" ends, and that's where the humour starts.

Give this one a try, and you won't be disappointed.

This is a great classic suspense. Those who enjoyed Mel Gibson's 1996 movie of the same name, owe it to themselves to see this 1956 classic. Glenn Ford is spellbinding as the executive whose beloved son is kidnapped. Plot twists, gritty visuals, and outstanding acting and writing make this a first-class suspense drama. Nothing is quite like it seems, and everything can change. Don't miss it.

It's great to see that Python was an funny onstage as on TV. Here, the troupe successfully stages a live medley of some of their funnier skits. Interesting enough, British TV executives never thought Americans would find Monty Python funny, but American audiences (especially college students) became huge fans. The level of fanaticism is evident in the way that this audience is as familiar with the sketches as the members of Python are, and applaud raucously as soon as some of the opening lines are heard. As a treat, rent this along with "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Experienced Python fans can progress right into "Life of Brian" and "Meaning of Life."

This movie was loosely based on a series of articles Rolling Stone published circa 1980. A young writer for the magazine re-enrolled in a local high school and spent nearly a year researching what teens were really doing and saying. The piece became a book which was adapted into "Fast Times". FT is a well-made film that treats its light subject with respect. There are several break-through performances from young actors including Sean Penn as the pot enhanced Jeff Spicoli, Forrest Whittaker (!), Jennifer Jason Leigh (as her standard damsel in distress), Phoebe Cates, and Judge Reinhold.

And the young writer from Rolling Stone that started it all? "Jerry Maguire" writer Cameron Crowe, who also gave us "Singles" and another classic young adult movie, "Say Anything." Don't miss this one.

This amusing film traces the exploits of an awkward adolescent, Max Fischer (played by Jason Schwartzman), and his love-hate friendship with eccentric millionaire Herman Blume (brilliantly played by Bill Murray). Herman Blume takes the young Max Fischer under his rather unconventional wing as Max navigates pressing issues like adolescence and world domination (not necessarily in that order). Both lead characters, Max and Blume, are a complex mix of contradictions. Max rails against his exclusive school's status quo, but wants to belong to it more than anything else. He exposes the predictably thick school bully, but his behaviour is only marginally better than those he reproaches. The wealthy industrialist, Herman Blume, becomes more of a playmate and romantic rival for Max rather than a mentor. Chain smoking in a hospital elevator and serving alcohol to a minor are just some of Blume's many transgressions. "Rushmore" is so well-cast that these exceptional and extreme personalities are loveable while being unlikable. Bill Murray brings surprising depth to the character of the indulgent Herman Blume. Any lessor actor would reduce the character to a caricature, but Murray brings warmth and unflagging good humor to the role. Schwartzman takes on a huge challenge in his first movie role, and succeeds. If genetics counts for anything in acting, Schwartzman is destined for stardom. There is a staggering number of Oscars in the branches of his family. His parents are actress Talia Shire and late producer Jack Schwartzman. His cousin is actor Nicolas Cage and his uncle is famed director Francis Ford Coppola. Jason Schwartzman brings a non-actor's freshness to the character of Max and is a perfect foil for Bill Murray.

Wes Anderson, the film's talented director shines in his sophomore effort (his debut was the low-budget indie, "Bottle Rocket"). With "Rushmore", Anderson seems to approach the process of entertaining others with a tongue-in-cheek wink at its' audience. The "Rushmore" soundtrack is wonderfully sprinkled with not-so-famous 1960s-era music (Like The Who's "A Quick One") and the film's pace is reminiscent of 1960s British films like "Georgy Girl". This film may have been mislabeled as a teen comedy but "Rushmore" is no private-school version "American Pie." The jokes are smaller and more poignant. For example, anyone with any strong sense of irony would have to appreciate watching Max make the gritty cop drama "Serpico" into a memorable high school play. "Rushmore" triumphs in its little moments and it is definitely worth viewing.

I have watched this movie a couple of times, due to TNT's nonstop, almost-nightly airings (more than a dozen at my count). For a really historical view, go to PBS' 'Triumph of the Nerds'. That sets the stage with a lot more fact than 'Pirates'. But for the uninitiated, it's an amusing little trip down RAM memory lane. Anthony Michael Hall was uncanny as Gates, but that was the worst fake-bald head on the actor playing Steve Ballmer that I have ever seen in the history of film.

This engaging British series has been a favorite of mine since I was a girl. The families of this fictitious End London borough become familiar faces and names as the show follows generations of the characters thorough their lives. "EE" is more than a working-class soap opera---it's a genuine episodic drama, which is painfully rare here in the US. The storylines arc over months and years instead of days and weeks like American dramas are scheduled. Unlike many American "soap opera-type" series, the majority of episodes are penned by male scriptwriters. The action can be slow-building, but it is engaging. It takes a few viewings to understand who's who and what's what, but with all the websites devoted to this show, the details and characters can be sorted soon enough. Thanks to the advent of cable TV and the BBC America satellite channel, Americans can watch this cozy drama with only a slight lag behind their British counterparts. Grab your favorite ale and some fish and chips and try this show out.

This film takes a mystery and turns it every which way but loose. It takes all 105 minutes to soak this movie in, and even then, a second viewing only enhances the experience. Expertly directed, brilliantly written, and extremely well cast, "The Usual Suspects" is the product of a film maker carefully studying and recreating what does and doesn't work when keeping an entire audience suspended with curiosity. If this movie is a valentine to the classic film noir mysteries of the 1940s and 1950's, then we could use a few more like it. As a treat, rent it along with "L.A. Confidential". That way, whenever people say, "they don't make 'em like that anymore," you'll know that they do.

Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols was the ultimate 1970's creation. Like disco and polyester, his shelf life was destined to be short. Nancy Spungen was a troubled American teen who plunged head-first into the abyss of drug addiction, violence, and punk rock music. Courtney Love was rumored to have lobbied hard for the part of Nancy, and indeed appears as Nancy's pal Gretchen in this movie. This movie is often dismissed as a 1970's prequel to the Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love story. Not quite. While Courtney may have shared Nancy's privileged background and Anglophilic sensibilities; I doubt Kurt Cobain had Sid Vicious' propensity for senseless violence, and Kurt inarguably had considerably more talent. Sid and Nancy and Kurt however, always seem to lack what Love has in spades: the urge to survive. This movie is a one-way ticket to a world so depressing and dirty, you'll want to shower it off as soon as the film ends. Not for the faint of heart.

I was riveted to this movie since as a child. It's a gritty, no frills portrayal of relentless ambition to get ahead in rock and roll. It's definitely the grittier, earthier Canadian cousin of the fairy tale movie, "Starstruck". The two would make a great combination in a film festival, however. Diane Lane is sullen and striking, and don't miss Fee Waybill (of the 80's band, the Tubes) not-quite-stretching his acting talents by playing a washed-up former rock musician fallen on hard times. This movie is a reported favorite of Courtney Love, and undoubtedly influenced her on her meteoric rise up the rock ladder. "...Stains" makes a unsubtle statement about fame, ambition, and fads. Check it out if you sat through "Smithereens", and "The Decline of the Western Empire" which are its rock underbelly contemporaries.

This movie is my favorite of all time. The dialogue is spectacular, and is delivered with such rapid-fire speed that one viewing is not enough. The film comedy was elevated to new heights with Howard Hawks outstanding direction. Based on the classic play "The Front Page", Hawks gives it a delightful twist by presenting Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant as an estranged couple of newspaper journalists who haven't quite written the final line of their love story. Ralph Bellamy is great as the beleaguered as strait-laced Bruce Baldwin who is the perfect comic victim of Grant's devious deals to get Russell back. Everyone who has ever enjoyed a comedy from "Airplane" to "Blazing Saddles" owes a debt to this movie.

It's an AMC cable channel staple, and rightfully so. It's a 9 1/2 out of 10.

"All About Eve" is the ultimate backstage theatre drama. Bette Davis triumphs as the fading stage star fending off an eclipse by Anne Baxter's Eve. Sarcastic snipes abound with George Sander playing the ultra cad as only he can. Almost every line of dialogue is full of "fire and music." This film takes an unflinching look at ambition at all costs; and does it astonishing well. A Classic.

Long before music videos carved out a spot in MTV's schedule, forward-thinking rock and roll bands like the Who were making short films and clips to accompany their music. "The Kids Are Alright" is the impressive result of Who fan Jeff Stein being allowed access to the band's 15-year visual history. The film is interspersed with concert footage, studio shots, and TV appearances that span the period from 1964 to 1979. Stein created a film that is a simultaneous celebration of a living band, and a celluloid eulogy to late, great drummer Keith Moon. To experience the Who in concert is to really experience the Who, and this movie captures their raw power well.

How can you miss with a side-splitting adaptation of one of Evelyn Waugh's most unsung works? It's a long way from "Brideshead Revisited" to this posh funeral parlor where money is the only true loved one. There are no sacred cows here, and every aspect of death and dying is fair comic game. Almost every character is played by a name-brand star, but the stand outs include Liberace, Jonathan Winters, Roddy McDowell. The true scene-stealer is Rod Steiger as the irrepressible Mr. Joyboy.

Wonderful!

This is worth looking for. Australian film maker Gillian Armstrong's delightful gem traces the path of two Aussie teens trying to make their break in show biz. This is a classic fairy tale story that includes such amusing scenes as young star Jo Kennedy practising tight-rope walking across the bar of her grandmother's pub. This film treats its teen subjects with respect rather than condescension and the finale is a showstopper. Great soundtrack of obscure 80s music, as well.

This delightfully disrespectful adaptation of Elmore Leonard's "Rum Punch" features the return of Pam Grier to the big screen, along with Robert Forster as a stoic bail bondsman and Samuel L. Jackson recreating his signature archetypal criminal type. Set in a Los Angeles that is as metaphorically far away from Tinseltown as possible, the movie follows grizzled flight attendant Jackie Brown as she tries to rescue herself from her own troubled life. The stars shine, although Robert De Niro's one-dimensional character could have been played by a trained gorilla. Lighter than "Pulp" and "Reservoir Dogs", this movie was mislabeled as being Tarantino Lite. Rest assured that this movie features enough clever word play and gun play along with the plentiful expletives that are Tarantino hallmarks. If you tolerate Tarantino's vertigo-inducing direction and like the big screen portrayals of other Elmore Leonard works such as "Get Shorty", then you are sure to enjoy "Jackie Brown."