[10] “You get what you settle for.” It’s a potent little theme that asks all of us to take stock of our lives. It probably helps that I saw Thelma & Louise at a time when, like the title characters, I was searching for escape and freedom, determined to become my own person and follow what I knew with all my heart was my calling …
[10] It doesn’t matter whether you think Oswald acted alone or not. Oliver Stone’s JFK is stunning in its craftsmanship and enthralling in its narrative construction. If you’re only casually familiar with the people and events surrounding Kennedy’s assassination and the conspiracy theories about it, brace yourself for a fast-paced, provocative, emotionally compelling story that is sure to make you drop your jaw and raise …
[9] It may be steeped in sentiment and nostalgia, but Fried Green Tomatoes doesn’t need to use them as a crutch to elicit a powerful emotional response. It’s got bigger guns than that: character and storytelling. It’s one of the rare movies that successfully captures the importance of real, honest-to-God friendship, whether its reflected in the toned-down affection between Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary-Louise Parker …
[9] I think the movies we see when we’re impressionable teenagers have the greatest impact on our lives. As a quiet kid who started finding his voice in high school, Pump Up the Volume influenced and inspired me. The movie is about a shy student (Christian Slater) who uses a shortwave radio to hold an anonymous late night program. Before long, the entire school is …
[10] Kevin Costner’s ambitious ode to the American frontier is grand, romantic storytelling at its best. And talk about an underdog. People were calling it ‘Kevin’s Gate’ months prior to release — and why shouldn’t they? A three-hour long western with most of its dialogue in Lakota Sioux? How could such a movie find an audience, much less sweep the Academy Awards?
[9] A naive Avon lady discovers a strange young man named Edward who has scissors for hands living in an abandoned castle and decides to bring him home to her suburban community. At first Edward is the talk of the town, but when the novelty wears off, Edward must decide which is worse — the scorn of the mob or the loneliness of his old …
[9] David Lynch’s surreal cinematic mash-up of love and depravity won the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious Palme d’Or. It’s a surprisingly simple story about two fierce lovers, Sailor and Lula (Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern) who try to keep their heads above water in a world gone, almost literally, to Hell. The overt Wizard of Oz references serve as a constant reminder that you’re watching …
[9] Underwater oil drillers are forced to work with the military to recover lost nuclear warheads, but they discover far more lurking in the depths of the ocean… This unique underwater sci-fi/thriller from James Cameron (Terminator, Aliens) is an ambitious, somewhat uneven film with thinly-drawn stereotypes and a pretentious alien subplot, but you know what? I like it anyway. I really like it — in …
[9] This delicate fantasy about regret and second chances casts a powerful spell that brings many grown men to tears before the credits roll. To that effect, Field of Dreams is a beautiful indictment of the unspoken, unrequited nature of father-son relationships — the main ingredient in any male weepy. It helps that Kevin Costner is the lead. He has an ‘everyman’ quality that allows …
[8] Mike Nichols (The Graduate) directs Kevin Wade’s tale of a stalwart secretary trying to climb the corporate ladder in New York. Working Girl is a highly enjoyable comedy-drama with a screwball slant. Melanie Griffith has never been better than she is here, and she’s surrounded by spectacular supporting players. Sigourney Weaver is terrific as the boss from hell and Harrison Ford is his usual, …
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