[9] Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s ode to the ’70s porn industry brings poignant depth to its sensational subject matter. It’s also an amazing showcase of top-notch acting and directing. Anderson is a rare creative talent, as skilled with actors as with the camera, a compelling combination of Steven Spielberg and Robert Altman. The formidable cast includes Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, …
[9] I don’t generally like heist/swindle movies, but this Quentin Tarantino flick (his third, because he’s counting) based on a novel by Elmore Leonard got under my skin with its rich characters and dialogue. Pam Grier plays a flight attendant who smuggles gun money from Mexico to the States for a bad motherfucker played by, who else? Samuel L. Jackson. But when ATF agents (Michael …
[9] Julia Roberts stars in this devilish romantic comedy from director P.J. Hogan (Muriel’s Wedding) and writer Ronald Bass (Rain Man) about a jealous woman who tries to stop her best friend from marrying another woman. Dermot Mulroney plays the best friend who invites Roberts to be his ‘best man’. She is quickly adored by the fiancée’s entire family, but that doesn’t detract from her …
[9] By anchoring his screenplay in one of the most inherently compelling tragedies of the twentieth century and placing the the weight of the story on Kate Winslet’s able shoulders, James Cameron concocts a recipe for the biggest money-making movie of all time (still true as of this writing, though his own Avatar threatens to dethrone the ill-fated vessel). The movie is split in two, …
[9] Admittedly, I’m a bird fan, but don’t let the marketing fool you. This is not just a kid’s movie — it’s an incredibly moving, gorgeously made film based on an inspirational true story, and I blubber every time I see it. After losing her mother, young Amy (Oscar winner Anna Paquin, The Piano, True Blood) goes to live with her eccentric inventor father (Jeff …
[9] Wes Craven’s self-referential teenaged slasher flick soars on the strengths of Kevin Williamson’s clever screenplay and its charismatic cast. Anyone who loves slasher movies will revel in the in-jokes and homages, but the film isn’t all satire — it’s a fine little thriller in its own right. Neve Campbell (Party of Five) picks up the mantle of ‘scream queen’ admirably and the supporting cast …
[9] This ensemble road trip comedy of errors is the sophomore effort from writer/director David O. Russell (Three Kings, Silver Linings Playbook), and stars an impressive troupe of actors who make the whole film feel wondrously improvised. Ben Stiller plays a new father who is searching for his biological birth parents. When an adoption agency rep (Tea Leoni) believes she has located them, Stiller and …
[9] Director David Fincher rebounded from Alien 3 with this seemingly innocuous serial killer flick penned by Andrew Kevin Walker. We’d seen buddy cop flicks and killers with gitchy modus operandis before, but characterization and style put Se7en over the edge. It’s a deeply creepy and unsettling movie centering around a seasoned detective (Morgan Freeman) and a rookie (Brad Pitt) who are paired in pursuit …
[10] Al Pacino is Vincent Hanna of the LAPD robbery/homicide division. Robert DeNiro is Neil McCauley, the leader of a successful bank robbing team that includes his protege Chris Shiherlis, played by Val Kilmer. After a fouled-up heist puts Hanna on McCauley’s trail, Heat becomes an elaborate cat and mouse chase between a driven police lieutenant and a seasoned criminal. Even though it’s grounded in …
[9] It may look like just another silly high school comedy, but Angus is more than that. It’s about a fat kid named Angus (Charlie Talbert) who refuses to let the “normal” kids write him off. After the school’s most popular jock (James Van Der Beek) rigs the voting, Angus finds himself crowned king of the winter dance. He knows it’s a joke, but damn …
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