[6] Holly Hunter stars as the youngest daughter in a tight-knit Boston family that’s eager to see her married. But when she finally brings a man home to meet them, he’s not quite who they expected. Richard Dreyfuss plays the boyfriend, a wealthy salesman who seems to mean well, even if he often rubs people the wrong way with his crass humor and over-eagerness to …
[6] What if a widowed U.S. president started dating again during an election year? This question is the premise for director Rob Reiner (Stand By Me, Misery) and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, Moneyball) in The American President. Michael Douglas stars as the leader of the free world, who begins seeing an environmental protection lobbyist played by Annette Bening. While the relationship is perfectly …
[7] Meryl Streep plays a drug-addicted actress forced to stay with her celebrity mother (Shirley MacLaine) in order for insurance companies to allow her to continue working in Hollywood. Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) directs this pseudo-autobiographical story written by Star Wars‘ Princess Leia herself, Carrie Fisher (based on her novel). Nichols captures Fisher’s decidedly snarky, self-deprecating tone on what could …
[8] Writer/director Steven Spielberg follows up his immensely successful Jaws with this tale of extra-terrestrials and government conspiracy. Richard Dreyfuss stars as a family man whose encounter with a UFO brings him into contact with a grieving mother (Melinda Dillon) whose young son has been kidnapped by aliens. Together, they are haunted by visions of a mountain. When they figure out their mysterious, shared vision …
[6] Jean-Luc Godard once said, “All you need for a movie is a girl and a gun.” Watching Helen Mirren seize comand of a blazing Gatling gun, I think Godard may be onto something. RED isn’t terribly original or surprising, but its venerable cast rescues it from mediocrity. Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Mirren play retired CIA agents who return to their old habits …
[6] Oliver Stone presents his third presidential biopic, this time putting George W. Bush under the microscope. The script by Stanley Weiser (Wall Street) is an ambitious one that sometimes struggles to find its focus, but noticeable emphasis is given to W’s estranged relationship to “Poppy” Bush (George H.W.), his struggle with alcoholism, and his born again faith. As played by Josh Brolin, W. is …
[10] Rob Reiner (This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride) adapts this dark coming-of-age tale from Stephen King, about a band of four boys who embark on a weekend journey to find the body of a missing teenager. Stand By Me is the best film of Reiner’s career, and the best film adaptation of King’s work. It’s a moving, hauntingly nostalgic piece, bolstered with healthy …
[10] Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Peter Benchley’s shark thriller is extraordinarily well made and far more sophisticated than your average monster movie. The first half is a solid scare-fest that unwinds beautifully, from the first vicious attack on a late night bathing beauty to the sensational tragedy during the town’s Fourth of July festivities. Once the people of Amnity Island have had enough the movie …
[9] A close-knit group of teenagers relish their last night of summer vacation before their paths diverge, changing their lives forever, in George Lucas’s American Graffiti. Most of the cast succeed in creating wholly believable characters with compelling dilemmas, and Lucas lets the night’s events unfold in a striking, documentary style that makes the film feel immediate and real. The groundbreaking soundtrack features over forty …
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