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Starring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Paul Bettany

Director: Ron Howard

This weekend I rented the award winning “A Beautiful Mind. This movie portrays, better than any movie before it, the thin line between genius and madness. It stars Russell Crowe as the brilliant, groundbreaking mathematician, John Nash. This movie is based on the true story, of Nash, who has possibly the greatest mind of his time. The movie chronicle’s Nash’s rise to genius, his time as a Princeton graduate student, his spiral to madness and his road back. I really can’t say too much more without giving the whole movie away. This movie is too good to disrespect it like that.
A Beautiful mind is, without a doubt, one of the best movies I have seen. Maybe, and this is big, the best movie I have ever seen!!!
It took a well-deserved ‘Best Picture’, along with three others, including one for Jennifer Connelly, who was amazing and earned her ‘Best Actress’ award. Russell Crowe was robbed, but I guess since they had just given it to him the year before for Gladiator, they thought it was someone else’s turn (Denzel Washington for Training Day). If you have not seen this movie yet, go buy it!!

Starring: Lillo Brancato, Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Francis Capra

Director: Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro’s debuts as director in this feature and he does a fine job with obvious Scorsese influence. This is an excellent small-scale movie with a good story and well-developed characters, some excellent performances, along with subtle directorial flair
In a lot of ways, movie this resembles a softer, gentler Goodfellas. The story revolves around Calogero Anello, a seventeen year old Italian growing up in a 1960s Bronx neighborhood played by Lillo Brancato. Calogero is befriended by the local mob boss (Palminteri) over the objections of his father (De Niro). And this movie tells the story of his coming of age in this environment. Capra does a fine job as a nine year-old Calogero, and Palminteri and De Niro show excellence at their craft. Brancato does a respectable job, but suffers from comparison.
This is a personal favorite of mine and I recommend it whole-heartedly. There are some wonderful scenes, strong dialogue and enough action to balance out the story and make this enjoyable by all kinds of viewers.

Director: Bob Clark

Starring: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz

Director Bob Clark, whose career both before and after this film, consisted of forgettable TV work and movies that we try to forget, somehow put it all together, like a Christmas miracle of his own, when he took this Jean Shepard semi-autobiographical screenplay (Shepard also wrote the novel and provided the film‘s narration) and turned it into a Christmas classic. The wonderful story, brimming with gentle authentic, humor and a mood that is sure to remind viewers of their own Christmas memories, combines with excellent acting and appealing Wonder Years/Stand By Me narration to make this one of the best Christmas movies of all time.

The year is 1940, and Peter Billingsley is Ralphie Parker, a nine year old with a desperate Christmas wish for a Red Rider 200 Shot Range Model Air Rifle. His mother (Melinda Dillon) quickly dismisses her son’s request to begin weapon training with the curt response of mothers everywhere; “You’ll put your eye out”. Ralphie doesn’t give up, though and tries to come up with a plan that will result in his cherished dream appearing under the Christmas tree. What follows is some amusing writing, a ballet of bullying, a long-legged lamp and the most elaborate winter scene of a tongue-metal meeting that i have ever seen. The whole thing is pretty entertaining.

This film is all over television every December, so if you have managed to miss it all these years, it won’t be hard to find it. All of your channel surfing efforts will be rewarded with a charming seasonal flick that will guarantee that you have something to discuss at your next boring Christmas party.

Director: Joel Schumacher

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Oliver Platt, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland, Ashley Judd

I like most of the movies based on John Grisham’s lawyers-with-capes novels, but this is not one of my favourites. There is a good story and has interesting characters, however there are too many characters to allow for proper development and the screenplay is emotionally manipulative and seems like the powers that be, really wanted to pump up the violence where ever they could. Some movies do benefit from this kind of treatment, and it may improve this film for some, but it detracts from the story. The dialog is uneven and even the strong cast cannot always save it.

Samuel L. Jackson is a dirt poor southern farmer named Carl Lee Hailey, whose ten year old daughter is kidnapped, abused and raped. When the two white men accused of the horrible crime appear in court, Carl Lee shows up, as well, and brings along an assault rifle. When the dust clears, the two defendants are dead, a deputy is wounded and Carl Lee is charged with murder and facing the death penalty. Enter Carl Lee’s friend, lawyer Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) to defend Carl Lee, in the midst of a growing maelstrom of racial violence, led by Freddie Lee Cobb (Kiefer Sutherland). Soon, Brigance’s wife, played by Ashley Judd has left town, as he faces more and more danger.

This movie has too many stars. It doesn’t need them all, and several characters could have been combined into one. The escalating violence is overdone and seems cartoonish, but still it has the heroic lawyer lead that Grisham is famous for, and Matthew McConaughey is effective as his ‘aw shucks’ good old boy character works on the jury. Worth checking out for Grisham fans, but The Firm it is not.

Director: Sydney Pollack

Starring: Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban, Melinda Dillon, Wilford Brimley

This Sydney Pollack classic is a little dated now, but still has strong performers with a captivating story that holds even more relevance today than it did upon its release a quarter century ago. Nominated for three Oscars, it was well received upon release, but has slipped off into obscurity, unfortunately. Instead, it should be required viewing for all the members of today’s media who fall on stories like scavengers on a dead lamb with little regard for fairness and who is hurt.

Paul Newman is Michael Gallagher, the son of a deceased gangster, who finds himself the target of a news story that identifies him as a murder suspect and then confronts the reporter played by Sally Field which leads to a relationship between the two. This sets off a chain of events that leads to tragedy for a friend of Gallagher‘s, played by Melinda Dillon in an Oscar nominated role. All of this is followed by chess-like moves toward payback by those involved.

Absence of Malice is an intriguing and fairly original (by Hollywood standards) story with a social message about responsibility that is even more relevant today than it was when the film was released. Those who don’t mind older films and enjoy Paul Newman’s work should check this one out, but it’s dated look would not give it wide-spread appeal today, despite it’s strengths.

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmester, Todd Graff, John Bedford, Kimberly Scott.

The Abyss is an original and impressive action/adventure movie by a big budget master, James Cameron, who also wrote the screenplay. There is a strong cast playing well developed characters, and an outstanding story that offers excitement, suspense and wonder. The production values are spectacular. It probably would have benefited from a sharper editing knife, but this only seems to take effect on subsequent viewings and as for the science and believability, well, did I mention the outstanding story?

Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio play Virgil and Lindsay Brigman, a separated couple leading commercial divers working on an underwater work site, who find themselves asked to help in a rescue/salvage mission of a mysteriously sunken submarine. A small band of Navy Seals, led by Lt. Coffey (Michael Biehn) are sent to guide them, but things get a lot more tricky when a hurricane and an accident sink their underwater base, cut them off from contact and give them a limited time to find a solution or die. That’s still not all their problems, though! Other issues soon arise, as well…

The making of this ambitious movie was riddled with problems and the strain led to a breakdown for Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. The results are pleasing for armchair spectators, though. The Abyss is James Cameron’s most underrated work and I hesitate to make comparisons to other films out of fear of ruining the many surprises that this feature packs. If you have seen it, then you don’t need me to tell you what its like. If you haven’t, then its an excellent Friday night choice. Stick with the theatrical version. Its more than long enough. The extended version is wayyyy too long, and really detracts from the impact of the original.

Director: Julie Taymor

Starring: Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther, T.V. Carpio,

Julie Taymor’s vision, as well as her creative and dynamic, movement-oriented direction, certainly make this an artistic piece of cinema, that is helped by a talented, but largely unknown, cast. For my part, however, I find that the psychedelic, abstract imagery gets ponderous about halfway through. The film is an energetic musical that tells its story with Beatles songs, sung by the cast, both stars and extras, who often have such prominent scenes that I wondered if some cameos were flying over my head right beside most of the symbolism. The choreography is unique and the overall effect here is impressive.

The story, here, is set against the violence, pain and uncertainty of the 1960s and Jim Sturgess is Jude, a Liverpool (where else?) shipyard worker who comes to the U.S. to meet his deserting wartime father at Princeton. Once there, he becomes friends with Max (Joe Anderson), a charismatic student looking for a way out of Princeton. They move to New York, where they meet a group of off-beat friends, and Jude begins a relationship with Max’s sister, Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood).

Across The Universe is like a Beatles version of I’m Not Here, and will draw the same kind of polarized views. If this is your thing, you will gush and giggle and proclaim it to be the cinematic event of the year. If it is not your thing, you will nod off and daydream about football, when people start to have a deep discussion about it. I see the artistic value here, and, though it’s entertainment value was limited for me, I didn’t find myself wishing it was over.

Starring: Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Curtis Armstrong,
J.R. Villarreal, Sean Michael

Director: Doug Atchison

Keke Palmer is Akeelah Anderson, a shy, eleven-year-old struggling in a large single parent family, in the Crenshaw area of L.A., after the death of her father. She has an insatiable appetite for words, scrabble and spelling. What a freak! Just kidding. I’m a writer. Of course, I love spelling. I love movies, too. So, it stands to reason that I love movies about spelling. I love every movie about spelling! So, far I’ve seen one. This one.
After being pushed into a spelling bee at school, Akeelah develops a passion for competing with what had been her hidden talent and obsession. Laurence Fishburne comes into her life as a reluctant coach with a story of his own and teaches Akeelah more than spelling. Angela Bassett is wonderful as the harried mother of a gifted youngster who is too busy to holding her world together to lend encouragement. Akeelah’s passion, in which she finds relief from inner pain, leads her to new challenges, new friends and the discovery of friends that she didn’t know she had. This takes us to a wonderfully refreshing ending.
Doug Atchison wrote and directed this gem of a project. I picked it up without a lot of expectations and was delighted to discover a funny, intelligent and poignant drama. The acting is as strong as you would expect from veterans like Bassett and Fishburne, but the talent of the younger cast members was impressive. All in all, this is a top-notch flick about chasing your dreams, conquering your fears and accepting your past. It may make you cry. It may make you laugh. It will definitely make you stand up and cheer.

Director: Colin and Greg Strause

Starring: Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, Johnny Lewis, Ariel Gade, Kristen Hager, Ian Whyte,

Sometimes being a movie reviewer is a hard road. I never saw Alien versus Predator when it was released in 2004, because, well, I didn’t have to, and who would see a movie like this if they didn’t have to? I wasn‘t a reviewer then. Fast forward to the 2007 sequel. Now it’s my job to take the hit on movies like this. I didn’t complain. I just set my jaw, rolled up my sleeves and marched in, ready to take some of the worst cinema I had ever seen. Surprisingly however, this movie was not all that bad. Sure, the muddled story requires that you remove the word ‘why’ from your vocabulary, and there is some pretty bad dialog, but these shortcomings are partially offset by some very impressive visual effects, which figures because the directing duo of Colin and Greg Strause have their backgrounds in providing visual effects for movies like 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer and 300. They manage to build up a little tension and keep the film moving at a pretty good pace.

When a Predator piloted ship turns out to have an Alien on board (is this the ending from the first one?), mayhem ensues and ends with the ship crashing to Earth. A few of these cuddly drool machines leave the Predator corpses on board and set off to find some more things to slobber over, and kill. Some kind of long distance video link allows another Predator guy to see these events unfold from his home planet, and, faster than I can get a pizza on New Year’s Eve, he has flown to Earth to single-handedly kill those nasty chest crackers, as well as any humans he happens across. Meanwhile, ex-con Dallas (Steve Pasquale), returns to the tiny forest town where all of this takes place and meets his old buddy, Morales (John Oritz) who is now sheriff, and re-unites with his kid brother, Ricky (Johnny Lewis), who is having problems of his own. There is also a returning G.I., Kelly (Reiko Aylesworth) and her family. Yup, there are too many subplots going on here, especially for such a weak story. They probably should have just piled on some more action and kept the rest simple. Anyways, before long, there are plenty of body parts flying around as the two E.T.s battle each other, and every human they see. Soon, all our intrepid little crew can do is try to stay alive. But don’t worry, the National Guard is on the way…

Let’s get ready to rrrrrrumble! It’s an interstellar bout between two heavyweights and the octagon is Earth. Let your logic go to lunch, and you may be able to enjoy this visually superb action fest, but be warned, if the original movies for these guys didn‘t appeal to you, then this one certainly won‘t..

Aliens Versus Predator - Requiem - movie quotes:
Movie lines from Aliens Versus Predator - Requiem
“See? No monster.”
“Hey! People are dying. We need guns!”
“That’s crazy. The government doesn’t lie to people!”

Director: Cameron Crowe

Starring: Patrick Fugit, Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand, Jason Lee, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Almost Famous is writer/director, Cameron Crowe’s affectionate reminiscence of his days as the youngest contributing editor to Rolling Stone magazine, and is a warm and captivating motion picture. The performances here are strong by the entire cast, but Billy Crudup and Frances McDormand (what else is new?) really stand out. The characters are strong and well developed. The story is wonderful, but a little slow and could have used a little more punch perhaps, but this is still a very good film.

Almost Famous is a semi-autobiographical story, set in 1973, about an innocent, music-loving teen named William Miller, who finds himself hired by Rolling Stone Magazine despite the concerns of his strong, over-protective mother. Unaware of his age, they send him on the road with an up and coming band named Stillwater, led by its charismatic guitar player, Russell Hammond. William’s innocence and soft-spoken presence wins over both the band, and the small, tagalong group of young, female ‘band aides’ (“We’re not groupies”), led by the charismatic Penny Lane, played by Kate Hudson in her break out role. The fictional band here, is apparently a composite of Crowe’s own teenage experiences with the Allman Brothers and Led Zeppelin. The band’s ego-clashing, bickering, excessive behavior and their general on-the-road lifestyle, power the story to a somewhat sugary finish.

Almost Famous is a must see for fans of music films and strong dramas. Some viewers will find it a bit slow, but almost everyone will likely enjoy it. The well-drawn characters and the gentle well written story, combine with impressive acting to make this an excellent, coming-of-age film.