Reviews

Original it certainly is, plus very, very well directed by Steven Shainberg. James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal play a couple in a serious S&M relationship, but the film is a comedy, albeit a somewhat dark one. It's very funny, and for once a genuinely kinky relationship is regarded non-judgmentally. Watch for this one-of-a-kind weirdo. It's really worth catching.

Just on the basis of one episode, this is clearly one of the best series I've ever seen. How could it miss when it combines two of my all-time favorites, "The Sopranos" and "Hill Street Blues"? It has an anti-hero to rival Tony S. and a gritty milieu to rival "Hill Street." The comparisons with "Law & Order" and "NYPD Blue" do not do "The Shield" justice. It's better than either of them--by far. Chiklis and Pounder--and Jay Karnes--are superb.

First of all, to correct a comment made by at least one person here, the movie came before the stage musical "Carnival." Second, the movie is far superior to the stage musical. True, it's short. So? True, there's just one song. But the one song, "Hi-Lili Hi-Lo," is better than anything in "Carnival." So much for comparisons. The movie absolutely defines movie magic. It creates an unforgettable world with an unforgettable heroine played with genius by the great Leslie Caron in a performance nominated for an Oscar and deserving of a win (she was beaten by the charming but less-inspired Audrey Hepburn). Anyone who passes up the chance to see "Lili" is denying themselves one of the prime treats in all of cinema. I've seen it countless times and never fail to laugh and cry. But where is the DVD??? Give, already!

Excellent film noir type movie with a wonderful performance by Christopher Walken as an ex-con who gets "pulled back in again," but minus most of the usual cliches of the genre. Surprisingly good acting (surprising, that is, to those who don't fully appreciate the acting that goes into her singing) by Cyndi Lauper, who is everything Madonna would like to be as an actress.

One of the best films of the 1960's is almost forgotten today, along with its superb lead performance by Stuart Whitman, who was nominated for the Oscar for this movie and whose career was downhill from then on. Whitman is given expert support by Rod Steiger as his psychiatrist and Maria Schell (her career high) as his girlfriend. Dicey subject matter (sex crimes) handled with taste and talent.

A marvelously unpredictable screenplay and extraordinary direction of the actors are both the work of Kenneth Lonergan, a superbly talented man. The family comedy-drama is a difficult genre to revivify in these self-consciously ironic and postmodern times, but this movie does it in spades. Every twist and turn of the plot is surprising and yet never contrived. It's funny, touching, and realistic. And the acting is great. A must.

This is one of the handful of great films from the year 2000, an unforgettably powerful look at drug addiction and its effects. It could easily have become a hipper "Reefer Madness," but because of the extraordinary artistry of the director Darren Aronofsky and superlative performances by Ellen Burstyn et al, it becomes a classic cautionary tale. Unpleasant in the extreme--but a must-see by any standard.

Julia Roberts's best film to date also features her finest performance, as well as great supporting work by Albert Finney, Marg Helgenberger, and Aaron Eckhardt, and a stalwart cast from top to bottom. Steven Soderbergh does a fantastic job of providing an audience-delighting comedy-drama that makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you whoop and holler. It's closer in spirit to "All the President's Men" than to the movie it's bound to be compared with, "Silkwood." This one isn't in "President"'s rarefied league, but it puts "Silkwood" in the shade, and Julia trumps Meryl handily by being not only fully up to the emotional demands of the part, but by being hilariously funny as well--and physically a dream. Finney hasn't been this good in years, and Eckhardt displays the kind of charismatic charm one couldn't have guessed he had from "In the Company of Men." This is a genuine winner and an instant super-classic!

I'd avoided this film for years, despite being a huge Costner fan, because people had described it as nearly unwatchable. On the advice of someone on the internet, I gave it a shot, and what a surprise! Although it'll never be one of my favorite films, it's certainly worthwhile, a highly engrossing (albeit graphically gory) trip through a wide and shifting range of emotions. Quinn gives his best performance since "Zorba," and Costner and Stowe are extremely good. The photography is extraordinary, and Mexican music has seldom been used so effectively. I'd recommend it to anyone with a strong stomach. The love scenes, by the way, are romantic AND sexy, a rare combination.

This is that extremely rare thing, a truly great film. Michael Douglas, habitually underrated but frequently over-qualified, here gives a performance of unalloyed genius. No matter when the release, Douglas deserves an Oscar nomination--as do Robert Downey Jr., Frances McDormand, and--particularly--the incredible Tobey Maguire, who is becoming before our astonished eyes one of the all-time screen greats. And as for director Curtis Harrington, the one-two punch of "L.A. Confidential" and "Wonder Boys" makes him one of our national treasures. This is one of the best movies in years, better than any 1999 release.

Saw the movie again (for approximately the 20th time) at the Film Forum in NYC this weekend, and what can I say? The negative was "restored" and looked, I guess, better than ever, but frankly, this movie would be great no matter how bad the negative was. It's an incredible achievement which works in spades no matter how many times you've seen it. It's Hitchcock's best, and one of the very best movies of all time--if not the best. I keep switching it from #1 to #2 and back again on my own all-time best list. Numbers don't matter. The movie is great, great, great. Can't wait to see it again! (The DVD should be fantastic.)

There was a parody on "Saturday Night Live" last night of the praise being heaped on "The Sopranos." I was hysterical with laughter, but I add my praise to the heap. It's the best television series I've ever seen in over 40 years of constant viewing. It beats my other favorites, "Hill Street Blues," "The Larry Sanders Show," "MTM," and "I Love Lucy." It is art--but entertaining art. And better than any feature film since "The Godfather."

I'd somehow gotten it into my head that any movie about space exploration would be boring, and therefore had never seen this flick until now. It's suspenseful almost from beginning to end, with a great cast of second-tier stars who give their all. A bonus is that the final shot is a two-shot of the two Mr. Streisands, Elliott Gould and James Brolin.

Seldom if ever has a star of the magnitude and demonstrable talent of Kathleen Turner appeared in a worse film than this execrable "comedy"--or given a worse performance than Turner's obviously embarrassed and unfunny turn.

This tired revenge melodrama takes a stale plot--out-of-towner Terence Stamp comes to Hollywood to settle score with evil mogul Peter Fonda, and does so--and tricks it up with flashbacks, flash forwards, and admittedly good photography. These added touches don't improve the movie so much as make it needlessly pretentious. A real disappointment inasmuch as Soderbergh directed the cool "Out of Sight" (not to mention the artful "sex, lies, and videotape"). This one's not his best by a long, long shot.

Most successful satires are more witty than actually funny. Here is one that works both as an accurate and scathing satire on the American way of life and as a belly-laugh-style comedy. Set in a high school, it is no more a high school movie than is "Dr. Strangelove." Moreover it features a performance by Reese Witherspoon that is genuinely great.

Very well done film noir set in present-day Atlantic City, which uses the rather depressing boardwalk locations (off-season) to good effect. The story is rather twice-told but the direction and acting are solid, particularly in the case of William Petersen, Michael Wincott, and Eric Schaeffer.

Here's the rare movie I can recommend without one single qualification. I loved every single element in it, from the subtle, funny, sad script, to the top-to-bottom superb performances, to the exquisite direction by the writer, to the marvelous musical soundtrack. It's a small film, to be sure, but perfect.

This is a movie which must be seen if only for the powerhouse performance by Edward Norton. He's given brilliant support by Edward Norton as his younger brother, Beverly D'Angelo as his mother (her career high), and Guy Torry as his prison pal. The director has complained publicly about the treatment he's received, but he comes off looking swell, so he should probably commence to take the high road before he appears even more of a loon than he does already.

I cannot for the life of me understand how someone could give this creme-de-la-creme masterpiece a rating of 8 out of 10 stars (our previous correspondent). This is simply the best thriller ever put on film. It has literally everything you could ask from a film--a fantastically romantic story, suspense, great photography, great editing, the finest achievement of them all by the best film director of all time, and one of the most chemically exciting man-woman pairings ever. Stewart and Kelly virtually DEFINE screen chemistry. Neither one of them ever met another co-star they had anything like this much sexual charge with. WHAT A MOVIE! (Rating: 11 out of 10).

This is mid-level Woody Allen, stylishly filmed in black and white, fast-paced, well acted, semi-cynical, semi-affectionate, and entertaining enough as it passes, but not terribly original, biting, or funny. Kenneth Branagh, Famke Janssen, and especially Judy Davis are brilliant in their roles. Charlize Theron and Winona Ryder are also very effective. Worth checking out, particularly for Woody Allen fans.

There has been so much hype about "It's a Wonderful Life" that I fear "Miracle on 34th Street" is taking a back seat, and this should not happen. "Miracle" is still the top Christmas movie of all time. Photography, music, acting--all are superb. The only holiday movie that comes close is the Alastair Sim "Christmas Carol," and that's not so much a holiday movie as a vehicle for the great Sim. Edmund Gwenn's marvelous Oscar-winning performance as Kris Kringle in "Miracle" is only the tip of the iceberg, what with Natalie Wood, William Frawley, Gene Lockhart, Thelma Ritter, Porter Hall, and so many other wonderful acting turns to choose from--not to mention the charming leading performances from Maureen O'Hara and John Payne. A classic in every way!

If you're an Albert Brooks fan already and you haven't seen this one yet, get set to become an even bigger fan once you do. This ranks with "Lost in America" as one of his two best, and in many ways this takes the prize. It's as funny and painful a view of a dysfunctional person as has ever been put on film in the name of comedy. In other words, it's better than all but the very best of Woody Allen. And that's saying a lot. In fact, Brooks's own persona is more likeable and more identifiable than Woody's--and Kathryn Harrold is unbelievably attractive in the female lead.

This fulfills the REAL definition of "family film" better than any movie I've ever seen; it's an experience that can be equally enjoyed by parents and children. It's action-packed and possessed of fun animation for the kids, and it's witty and satirical enough for the grownups. The voice characterizations are superbly done, with Allen, Stallone, and Walken being particularly effective. Stallone, in fact, hasn't been this good since the first (and only decent) "Rocky" film.

This is the quintessential example of a bad book being turned into an excellent film. The novel was an international best seller which "ripped the lid off" a small town. The movie explored the psychology of the characters and featured some superb acting as well as a musical score that ranks with the very best. Franz Waxman flavored the music with a touch of Aaron Copland and came up with a real winner. Photography was stunning, and the movie makes great use of wide screen.