Reviews

For the likes of me, I can not understand why this hidden gem of a film by Roman Polanski, was received with such almost universally lukewarm reviews by most critics. The basic plot is that a married couple ( Hugh Grant and Kristin Scott Thomas ) strike up an unlikely friendship with Peter Coyote. I absolutely defy anyone who has seen this film to say that they did not find it thoroughly engrossing. With compelling performances by the entire cast which also includes the very beautiful Emmanuelle Signer and especially by Peter Coyote, it is guaranteed to mesnerize and hold your interest until the very end.

One of the best messed up movies ever. Paradoxically uneven, lame , funny and poignant at various times throughout the entire movie, it is still worth seeing. Boasting an eclectic all star cast who at times make it hard to tell if they are playing it straight or parodying life, it raises existential questions about life that are common to us all.

Somehow the Front Page manages to miss the mark by a wide margin, despite having one of the most talented ensemble casts, not to mention one of the directors most often nominated for an oscar in history at its helm.The main problem seems to be that the movie does not realize whether it is a traditional comedy, paraody, satire or drama.

Some movies seem overly sappy but as the saying goes ' sometimes you need a little shmaltz'. This is one of those movies where the smaltz perfectly adds to the flavour. A 1946 dramatization of the career of Al Jolson, one of the greatest singers of all time ( sadly all but unknown to the last 3 or 4 generations of modern movie goers ) , it offers possibly the greatest lip syncing performance of all time by the incomparable Larry Parks ( whose promising career was sadly almost completely curtailed by the McCarthy anti-red communist witch hunt hearings in the early 1950's ). Featuring a bevy of unforgettable songs, it will open up a whole new world of music to anyone lucky enough to either stumble across it on a classic movie channel such as TCM in the U.S. and Canada or perhaps in a bargain basement bin of an old book store. Park's uncanny ability to mimic Jolson in body language and s exuberant spirit while performing the musical numbers only adds to the deligt. Supported by a more than able cast including Evelyn Keyes and William Demarest ( later better known for playing Uncle Charlie in the 1960's t.v. sitcom My Three Sons alongside Fred McMurray ) you will find yourself rooting for the inevitable success of the title character. True cinephiles should be interested because Jolson helped pioneer the era of talking pictures by starring in the very first one, 1929's The Jazz Singer as well introducing innovations in thatres such as the extended stage jutting out into the audience ( he wanted to be closer to the people ). It is a real pity that it is seldom seen nowadays on any entertainment platform whatsoever. It is a truely lost gem.

Some movies are worth seeing in their totality because they are overall just excellent films encompassing great storylines, breathtaking cinematography, deft direction and fine acting. Some may find the pacing of this film too slow, the cinematography uninspiring and the direction unexceptional ( I am not of any of these opinions by the way ) but the one aspect of this film that is indisputable, is the incredible acting performance by Frank Langella as Richard M Nixon. When an actor is able to make you feel sympathy for a politician of Nixon's obvously dubious moral character, you indeed have something very special. Nominated and robbed in my opinion for a best actor Oscar, Langella is absolutely riveting in displaying a full canvas of human emotions ranging from egotistical, arrogant and insensitive to loving, caring and pathetic. Even if you don't like the film overall, Langella's performance is worth the price of admission alone.

Some movies start out slowly and build up speed almost imperceptibly until the end arrives so suddenly that you feel as if you have just been run over. This is exactly such a film. Boasting excellent performances by Christopher Walkin, Sean Penn and Mary Stuart Masterson it explores the depths of family loyalty versus overall duty to oneself. The catchy theme music composed by Patrick Leonard will play over and over again in your head and you will probably find yourself repeatedly thinking about the film's powerful ending.The title song is sung by Madonna who was Sean Penn's wife at the time. Other notable actors to look for are Crispin Glover ( Back To The Future ) and Christopher Penn, Sean's brother who was perpetually underrated throughout his fine acting career.

Compelling and vastly underrated film boasting several superb performances from Al Pacino. Sean Penn, Luis Guzman and and a relatively unknown John Leguizamo. From the opening scene with background narration by Al Pacino one is completely hooked with utter fascination with where the story will go.

Complete flop that despite a cast that includes Robert Deniro and Sean Connery fails to capture even one iota of the drama and atmosphere of the famous 1950's t.v. series. Lacks any emotional payoff or satisfaction whatsoever.

What was the purpose in making this poorly cast remake for the umpteenth time? The movie rings false on every front, failing to suspend disbelief even for one brief second. Neither the time period nor the era seems genuine at all. I like to refer to this effect as 'clean dirty' meaning that any attempts to make one feel that the events are actually taking place in that particular time period look as though they took brand new movie sets and artificially dirtied them. Think of all the good purposes that they could have put this wasted money toward.