Reviews

I saw this play in a 99-seat theater tonight in Sierra Madre, CA. I came to the same conclusion; the guys could have been anyone else. Berthe was the star of the show here, too--a really superb actress. The girls were good, But TWA was obviously anorexic. Luftansa was, well, Ruebenesquely cast.

The men were not slick enough for this phenotype, and they tended to garble and fall over the laughs. Most of the laughter came from this mostly SBNN (straight but not narrow) audience, who laughed at the self-delusion and naiveté of both the lead and his foil. They also wanted to know Berthe's cell number.

It's so nice to see a film that came in on time, on budget. Too bad other reviewers thought it had to have special effects and overwrought melodrama to do it.

In real life, sometimes simple conversation and dealing with real life are interwoven with basic heroics. You'd be surprised that people you know have done it and gone on with their lives without making the cover of People magazine or cleaning up on the rubber chicken circuit. Usually, it's the villains who do that, anyway. One traitor was even elected to office in Virginia and now has his own TV show.

The conclusion is simple enough, doable by anyone, and it works. If you don't think this story can happen, you better think again.

Been there, done that.

As Elizabeth Taylor once said, the movies are like real life; they just have $50,000 worth of make-up and lighting.

The lesson of this film, as is the solution here, is simple. But then so are most great ideas in history.

This is one of those little Christmas movies for everyone. Our Scrooge is Ben Affleck, who decides money is not enough, so he rents the family who lives where he thought HIS family did. OK? This is a great little high school soap, PG-13, but the small sex references are comedy, so if your kid can't handle them, they can't live in the real world, either.

Now, Affleck is a hunk, and as usual walks through this fun, OMG, remember when we did..., ensemble piece as if he were at the end stages of some neuroinfectious disease. But that's OK, because even this old Oracle keeps hoping that if Ben's that well proportioned all over, well, there's hope for us ladies yet. Luckily, the rest of the ensemble--Catharine O'Hara, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate, Udo Kier and Josh Zuckerman--fill in and keep this shadow-side-Ozzie-and-Harriet Christmas alternately hilarious, comfortable and warm.

This movie is the kind you can jump up and get popcorn, and when you get back, everyone wants to back it up to show you what you missed.

This is a happy film, after all, and it leaves you feeling good about life, love, family, Christmas and Chanel. There really IS something for everyone.

This is that interesting group of films--the Western remake. It seems it was first filmed in 1916, then in ?1936?, then the current edition. If you want to know what happens, the movie page tells you all you want to know.

This one is the one I have seen: color, lots of desert, lots of John Wayne, lots of mid-century Hollywood, some amazing but in character religious tones for two characters, and small-town-in-the-desert values almost foreign to many city folks.

This is a big-screen home move. The color is really good; the desert scenes are yummy for you desert rats. The sets are interesting, as are the costumes and the extras for you film students. For you families looking for a family flick, this is a great holiday film, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is a date flick too, enough guy stuff for the guys and chick stuff for the chicks. For the PETA crowd, well, that was before you were born, but those guys really loved their horses, and were on serious budgets.

The easy and fluid inclusion of Cal-Mex actors, language and references such as "Rio Bravo" marked a time when films crossed these barriers. Or maybe just the crowd on Duke's sailboat.

So grab the popcorn, dim the lights, cuddle up with a saddle blanket, run the show.

This is a movie that is NOT A FAMILY MOVIE because of the love scene--a winner if you like them--and a woman-swapping subplot. If you can eliminate those scenes, it's OK for teens, but will bore the little ones.

Five or so years ago, Brosnan's partner stole money from their racetrack and purchased emeralds, and, with the help of a crooked cop, sent innocent sucker Brosnan to prison for the deed. Brosnan's woman stayed with the partner and hooked up, being upwardly mobile, I guess. Now he returns to steal money from the track, but return it, get the partner arrested, and get back the girl. How will he do it? If 007, Remington Steele and Pierce Brosnan can't do it, who can? The plot is full of turns and twists, with lots of characters that cannot chew gum and walk, just like you and I know in real life. So, every step is hard on your nerves.

The movie is fun, and because it's complicated, you may want to watch it more than once, so you can "get" the details. But if you're a fan of any of the watchable actors in this film, and yes, there are plenty of women who like Skerritt better than Brosnan, that's noo00oo problemo.

The best part, besides the unowat part, is the final song, which is "Mi Manero," or "My Way" in Spanish. If you are not fluent in Spanish, you can actually hear the infectious joy of this great song without being put off by the embarrassing arrogance of the English words.

This is one great, sweeping, movie you will remember for a long time. It is about history, America, the change of times, Teddy Roosevelt, Morocco, a kidnapped American and her children, and the leader of the Berbers, with the blood of the Prophet in his veins.

This movie is based on a true story--like Jesse James was a banker. An American WAS kidnapped in Morocco and the Marines went part-way to the shores of Tripoli to rescue him. So much for that. You know Hollywood. Sean Connery is the Berber chieftain and Muslim leader. Candice Bergan is the guy who was kidnapped, along with her two kids; the son is Rex Harrison's grandson, Simon, no less. John Huston is Secretary of State, with a great John-Huston-style straight line at a State Dinner, watch out for it. Brian Kieth IS Teddy Roosevelt, all-American, all-male, a character that is an interesting commentary as modern as today.

The sweep and beauty of the desert and Morocco are shown beautifully in the cinematography in this film, which will stay with you, a haunting and compelling memory. The score is as sweeping and exotic as the images.

This is a story about two cultures, both with grand ideas and historic pasts, struggling for the future without an idea at all about one another. In any event, the struggle comes down to might versus ingenuity.

Then at the last, there is the little boy--remember the little boy? What do you think HE thinks?

Here's another one of those funny movies the whole family can enjoy. You can really relate to this one, because the funny things here really happen in real life. My favorite is Niven's toast at dinner that starts a family argument. I can just see my family reacting to it now. As usual in the fifties, family values are squeaky clean, but that doesn't deter from the plot or the humor, which is the kind Niven fans expect.

David Niven is great as usual. Patty Duke is excellent and funny. Mitzi Gaynor is the perfect Barbie send-up, and as always, perfect for the time. If I could find it on tape, I would buy it, since this is a classic for its time, like "The Importance of Being Earnest" was decades earlier.

This movie is a "find" that you will always enjoy. Although set in a classic chicano v. anglo (or rather Aussie) frame, anyone that has had a rebellious family member or mismatched lovers will relate to this story, and that should be everyone. Marin is the ELA che who is hired to rub Dad the wrong way by Daddy's baby girl, played by Emma Samm. Her himbo boyfriend can't take a hint, but Marin keeps taking a dive. The Freudian equestrian cousin is the best character in the movie--you'll want to see it again just for this memorable scene.

Well, it's a chick's movie, so you know how it works out, but the comedy set-ups and Emma are so good, and Marin is so realistic, that it works for the guys.

I have never liked Michael Douglas, but Annette Bening and Michael Fox make the film worthwhile. A great political bedroom comedy. Get some hot chocolate, popcorn and snuggle down. It's a good chick's movie, date movie, cheer-me-up movie. Also good after a bad day at the office.

The story of a widower President and an upcoming election. The opposition here is played with cackling premonition by Richard Dreyfus, who could easily play the current VP to a T. Nina Siemasko is a perfect sister for Annette's Sidney Wade.

Nothing is left out, even the perfect, precocious daughter; but there's a light touch for a story that has to wrap in only two hours. Even Amber Frey had longer than that.

Carrie