Reviewerrific

Sucker Punch 8/10

2011-03-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

Sucker Punch (PG-13) 2011
Reviewer's Tilt (9)
Action-109 minutes

Sucker Punch tells the story of Baby Doll (Emily Browning). After a series of unfortunate events leaves both her mother and sister dead, Baby Doll’s depraved father sends her away to an insane asylum. Baby Doll copes with her incarceration by creating her own reality and plotting her escape. Fellow inmates (Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone and Jamie Chung) become Baby Doll's fellow mercenaries in adventures ranging from a steampunk World War II, to a medieval world of fire-breathing dragons and asylum guards (headed by Oscar Isaac) transform into a smarmy Rat Pack of abusive sadists. As Baby Doll’s “escape” becomes more imminent, the line between fantasy and reality blurs.

Much like its main character, Sucker Punch creates its own reality, heralding in a new genre of movie, a kind of adrenochromatic reverie. The film not so much pushes the boundaries of visual stimulation, as uses its stunning visuals to convey a continuous and satisfying flow of cerebral stimulation. The dialogue is sparse, the acting intentionally overwrought and the story is one we have seen before. What distinguishes Sucker Punch is not its pedestrian parts, but the three-dimensional emotional excitement the sum of those parts convey.

The manifest aspects of the film, the deeply troubled woman creating an escapist alternate reality, the burgeoning camaraderie of her hardened fellow inmates and the cliched evil of the caretakers, conceal a latent, but ultimately powerful, beauty. Sucker Punch’s gratuitous action, carnage and sexuality function merely as cables, uploading emotion directly to our Limbic systems. From wrath, to gluttony, to greed, to sloth, to pride, to lust, to envy, and, ultimately, to pleasure, the film does not miss a bit.

To view Sucker Punch as a superficial, gratuitous extravagance misses its underlying beauty. Zach Snyder’s stunning visuals and pastiche of homages to directors ranging from Victor Fleming to Quentin Tarantino, rewards the receptive viewer with a strangely addictive series of emotions. Had Snyder been content to create a typical big-budget action movie, Sucker Punch would not leave one with such a strong desire for another fix. The desire stems not from the story, or from a need to make sense of the somewhat cryptic ending, but from the rush of intense feelings Zack Snyder’s new genre brings to the big screen and to his richly rewarded audience.

(500) Days of Summer 8/10

2011-02-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

(500) Days of Summer (PG-13) 2009
Reviewer's Tilt (3)
Romance-95 minutes
Special DVD Features worth a look – Deleted and Extended Scenes
Contains forced trailers.

500 Days of Summer bends the romance movie genre, jumping around between 500 days in the lives of Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel). Tom writes romantic clichés for greeting cards and Summer takes a job as Tom’s boss’ assistant. While Tom is instantly smitten, he realizes Summer’s beauty, charm and general ZooeyDeschanelosity places her well out of his league.

During a night out with co-workers, Summer discovers Tom is attracted to her. The next day at work, Summer initiates a physical relationship with Tom. She makes it clear they are not boyfriend and girlfriend, but Tom believes they are more than merely friends with benefits. The film boasts much wit and whimsy in its story-telling, as well a spectacularly placed dance number. The real beauty of this film however, rests with its confidence to step beyond the template of a typical Hollywood romance and explore the harsh reality of a one-sided love affair.

One can never know love until one knows unrequited love. Unrequited love embodies a permanence and grandeur that becomes more romanticized over time. The good parts take on a stylized beauty, while the bad parts merely fade from memory. One forgets the subtle, intentional distancing, and only remembers how it made the heart grow fonder. This film is a testament to the collapse of a one-sided romance, one that is both riveting and heartwrenching.

The film is not without flaws. Rather than avoid clichés altogether, director Marc Webb merely pushes them all into the last three minutes. To invest so much in Tom’s journey means understanding the pain and the scar. Webb’s fairy floss after the park bench scene tries to sate this pain, but merely marginalizes the journey. If you can avoid watching the final scene, 500 Days of Summer offers a unique insight into a side of love rarely treated with such honesty and reverence.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1).
Extras: Deleted and Extended Scenes. Commentary by Director Marc Webb, Writer Michael Webber, Co-Writer Scott Newstator and Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt

My Life So Far 7/10

2011-02-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

My Life So Far (PG-13) 1999

Period Comedy-93min

Special DVD Features worth a look- None

This semi-autobiographical tale of one summer in the life of Denis Forman has much to offer. Robert Norman gives an entertaining and engrossing performance as Fraiser Pettgrove, a 10 year old coming of age in Argyll, Scottland in the late 20’s. As if wearing a kilt weren't enough trauma for a young boy to endure, Faiser has to deal with a wealthy uncle (Malcolm McDowell), a sexy aunt (Irene Jacob), a frustrated father (Colin Firth) and a strict gamma (Rosemary Harris). The film artfully compares life in a Scottish Manor, with the life of a child. Both involve idyllic memories and incomparable freedoms, woven with a matriarchal austerity, which, while always loving, at times feels regimented and capricious. Like a child, those in the manors knew their warm, comfortable lives, would one day change, as they were forced from their warm haven, into the harshness of self-supporting adulthood. Scenes such as Frasier’s ten-year old interpretations of the lusty books lurking in the attic are warm, heartfelt and very funny. The acting is impressive and the backdrops gorgeous. The story, however, while tender and funny in parts, asks many questions, and provides few answers. While this may be reflective of most memorable events in our own lives, the skill of the true storyteller lies in his or her ability to offer us at least some glimpse of the truths life has to offer.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.

Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1).

Extras: Film recommendations.

Reindeer Games 4/10

2011-02-08T12:12:00.000-08:00

Reindeer Games (R) 2000

Reviewer’s Tilt (8)

Suspense/Action-98min

Special DVD Features worth a look- None

Reindeer Games involves a gang of gunrunners forcing an ex-con to help them with a casino heist. Director John Frankenheimer fills the film with action and tension, Gary Sinise plays the gang leader with rugged style, and Charlize Theron infuses the sweet-smiled love interest with a wry malevolence. A bad script, however, undercuts these valiant efforts, leaving little of value in its wake. Ben Affleck plays the ex-con, coming off a six-year stint in the “big house” looking and acting like a cocky frat boy. It would seem to me that that coping that kind of attitude in prison would get you a starring role as some bad man’s boyfriend, but I could be wrong. This flaw, however, is just one of many in the ridiculous script. The action scenes are great, but are constantly interrupted for a Batman/Joker style explanation of why everyone did what they did, and why they are about to do what they are about to do. In one scene, Affleck’s character “hotwires” a hotel door in seconds, leaving no trace of tampering. The script explains this feat as merely a minor extrapolation of his automobile hotwiring prowess. Whether or not such a maneuver is even possible, let alone capable of being accomplished with such aplomb, by someone who has never tried it, this scene, and many like it, distracts you for several minutes as you contemplate their implausibility. The film contains many such minor flaws, and numerous major ones. To explain the major flaws, however, would give too much away. Just do not anticipate the conclusion wrapping up all of the loose ends, or even providing the story with a plausible explanation. If you can check reason at the door, Frankenheimer’s action sequences are entertaining. Otherwise, this film has little to offer.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Fullscreen pan and scan, Closed captioned.

Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)

Extras: Director commentary, deleted scenes, “Making of” featurette, trailer.

A Clockwork Orange 9/10

2011-02-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

A Clockwork Orange (R) 1971

Reviewer’s Tilt (10)

Futuristic/Drama-137min

Special DVD Features worth a look- None

A real horrorshow this one is, really toys with your gulliver. (Note: Before viewing this masterwork, you may wish to refer to the Nadsat Glossary of Russian-derived terms. A Clockwork Orange examines the ugly inner workings of a deeply disturbed mind (Malcolm McDowell) and his ultra violent gang. Set sometime in the future, the film’s only drawback is the set, which gives off an eerily early seventies vibe. Obviously few would argue the benefits of nihilism, but this movie uses nihilism to question whether societies efforts to condition its citizens are feasible, or even desirable. A Clockwork Orange examines the societal drive toward conformity and the complex question of whether society should sacrifice freewill to eliminate violence, an issue even more relevant today than in 1971. Be prepared, dear reader, as this film includes much violence, not the least of which are a phallic slaying and a rape set to “Singing in the Rain.” It is disturbing to see how films such as Pulp Fiction and Saving Private Ryan have made the violent scenes in A Clockwork Orange much less revolting than their original design. This is too bad, since to miss the satire in the violence is to miss the metaphor of the story as society. Watch the movie and then read Anthony Burgess's novel of the same name for two different takes on this very engaging theme. Finally, do not miss a young David Prowse (Darth Vader) as the bicep bulging therapist.

Format: Color, Widescreen, Closed-Captioned.

Sound: (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)

Extras: Production notes, trailer.

The Host 8/10

2007-09-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

This Host has Seoul
Host, Korea’s biggest blockbuster, will shock you – but not like you think. After only 13 minutes, writer/director Bong Joon-ho throws us a screen-wide money shot of the monster capturing a young girl. Rag-tag protagonists then utilize equal parts Wizard of Oz and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, navigating Seoul’s sewers toward an inevitable showdown with a surprisingly cute tadpole T-Rex of a villain. In between, we laugh at a funeral, empathize with child noodle love, and thank our stars we wore brown pants. It is these, between the carnage moments, that cement Host’s place in movie-making history.

The Abyss 8/10

2007-05-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

The Abyss (PG-13) 1989
Reviewer’s Tilt (7)
Suspense-146/171min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Extra Footage Version

Before Titanic, James Cameron wrote and directed a little film called the Abyss. When a nuclear submarine gets lost in one of the deepest parts of the ocean, it is up to an oil rig crew and their deep sea equipment to get it back. Bud (Ed Harris) and Lindsey (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), are recently divorced oilrig specialists, hiding from one another the small spark left in their relationship. Although somewhat overlong, and provided with a disappointing conclusion, The Abyss is one of the most visually stunning movies ever produced.

It is rare for any special effects to hold up for over a decade, but these effects clearly do. Instead of guns and carnage, Cameron uses these special effects to paint an artistic calmness across the screen. The special effects prove to be stars themselves, moving the story forward in a way no real actor ever could. Scenes such as the mercurial water creature amaze, explain and entertain more than any of the movie’s dialogue, and images such as the liquid-breathing mouse are truly worth a thousand words, eliminating much of the geek-speak that would otherwise be required to explain the technology.

Winning an Oscar for best special effects, the beauty of The Abyss lies in the journey, rather than the destination. The spectacular visuals and winning score are enough, in and of themselves, to make this a successful film, worthy of multiple viewings. Avoid getting hung up on the destination, and just enjoy this stellar trip.

Format: Color, Widescreen, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), THX-Mastered Audio
Extras: Featurette: Under pressure: Making The Abyss, Biographies, Script, Original Treatment, Storyboards, Photos, Mission Components, The Abyss In-Depth, new version of film with 28 minutes of added footage, pop-up caption version of film, trailer.

Titus 8/10

2007-05-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

Titus (R) 1999
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Classic/Tragedy-162min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Director Commentary

Imagine Shakespeare on acid, directing Hannibal Lector in an MTV version of Sweeney Todd. This will give you some idea of what Titus is all about. In this breakneck from the Bard, Shakespeare possesses his pitiful cast of characters with crazed revenge. Through their bloodlust, they cannot see the destruction their vengeance wreaks on their own families and broken souls. In the opening scene, Roman General Titus Andronicus (Anthony Hopkins) has returned from defeating the Goths, with their Queen, Tamora, (Jessica Lange), her three sons, and a Moor (Harry Lennix). Over the Queen’s protests, Titus orders the grisly execution of her eldest son.

With Emperor Caesar recently deceased, Rome elects the war hero Titus as its next Emperor. Instead of accepting the title however, Titus abdicates the throne to dead Caesar’s eldest son Saturninus (Alan Cumming). When Saturninus selects Tamora as his bride, Tamora plots her vengeance on Titus and his family. This is where the fun really begins. Be prepared, however, this is atypical Shakespearean fare. Like Baz Luhrmann’s version of Romeo & Juliet, Titus contains much surrealism and many modern touches, most of which are great additions to the story. I mean, what could be better than Hannibal Lector as a bloodthirsty general, Goths with guns and a dead ringer for Pee-Wee Herman as the Roman Emperor? While most of these artistic flourishes work, some, like the opening scene, do not.

Casting disapproval on the violence subjected upon today’s youth, the opening scene should, like Titus itself, be over the top, highlighting the violence in the video games, gangs, movies and domestic disputes many children experience everyday. Ketchup on toy robots simply does not convey the requisite feeling. Fortunately, such minor flaws are few and far between. Hopkins, Lange, Lennix and Cumming are mesmerizing. If you like Shakespeare, the quality and complexity of this material will keep you entertained across multiple viewings.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Director commentary, minor commentary by Hopkins and Lennix, director interview, Making of featurette, costumes, trailer.

Brett Trout

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 8/10

2006-11-01T16:30:00.000-08:00

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (R) 1994
Reviewer’s Tilt (4)
Comedy-104min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

This movie will make you laugh, make you cry and make you wish you were a ping-pong ball. Well maybe not laugh and cry, but trust me on the ping-pong ball. This film showcases tough guys Terence Stamp (Wilson in The Limey) Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith in The Matrix) and Guy Pearce (Detective Lieutenant Exley in L.A. Confidential) as a transsexual and two transvestites traveling across the Australian Outback. The three are secluded to perform a cabaret show at a secluded casino if their big pink bus can make the trip. Flamboyant dress and cliché dialogue, which would otherwise destroy a lesser movie, bring this movie to life. The costumes won this picture and Oscar and the impeccable acting puts feeling behind the hackneyed script.

Although the movie is a comedy, and is replete with unfair stereotypes, the actors convey an underlying angst that sets this movie apart from lesser attempts. More than a film about age, gender, transgender or homosexuality, this film is about the difference between who we are, and who we appear to be. Do not spend too so time looking for this film’s deeper meaning, however, that you miss the subtle humor. Finally, you must view the film in Widescreen format to avoid missing half of the action.

Format: Color, Widescreen, Pan and Scan, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.0), French (Dolby Digital 5.0)
Extras: Trailer.

Brett Trout

Pleasantville 9/10

2006-10-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

Pleasantville (PG-13) 1998
Reviewer’s Tilt (5)
Comedy-124min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Director commentary

On one level this film is a "back in time" comedy about a boy and his sister coping with 1950’s sitcom values. Looking a little deeper, this film really takes a stab at today’s society and the strictures affecting us all. Do not get me wrong, this is not an incredibly deep film, but the story is good and the points well made. A wacky TV repairman (Don Knotts) gives David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) the secret to transporting themselves into the surreal environment of a 50’s sitcom. As we laugh at the cloistered affected mannerisms, we slowly realize how society still subtly censors our own actions. The film separates themes with the adroit intertwining of Color and B&W images.

Upon first blush, the separation appears to be based upon 50’s attitudes and 90’s attitudes. The separation is better viewed, however, as the difference between societal conformity and freewill. The obvious progression of things taking color, first a rose, then an apple, lips, a car and paintings, make it obvious that love, knowledge, sex, technology and art are the themes writer/director Gary Ross feels are stifled in today’s society. Once you have tasted the apple, having it taken away is much more painful than never having tasted it at all. Can knowledge be bad? This film conveys the trite truism knowledge gained through making mistakes and choosing what is right is what makes life worth living. It does so, however, in a way that brings this truth uncomfortably close to home.

Format: Color and B&W, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Director commentary, isolated score with commentary, cast and crew bios, Featurette "The Art of Pleasantville," Fiona Apple video, storyboard, color TV set-up, trailer

The Limey 7/10

2006-10-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

The Limey (R) 1999
Reviewer’s Tilt (9)
Action-89min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Director commentary

Aging cockney street thug Wilson (Terence Stamp) invades Los Angeles in search of the answers in the “accidental” death of his estranged daughter. Powerful music promoter Terry Valentine (Peter Fonda) appears to be the prime suspect, but answers are not easy to come by in this taunt drama. The search for his daughter’s killer purifies and focuses Wilson’s anger, vengeance, love and regret. Director Steven Soderbergh and actor Terrence Stamp add depth and emotion to what would otherwise be a rather trite tale. Although not all of Soderbergh’s artistic flourishes work fluidly into the picture, a solid cast and tight story make this a worthy rental.

Format: Color, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Director, writer and actor commentary, production notes, cast and crew bios, featurette, music score, trailer.

The Usual Suspects 5/10

2006-10-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

The Usual Suspects (R) 1999
Reviewer’s Tilt (9)
Suspense-106min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Director commentary

In what has recently become a popular story format, The Usual Suspects reveals itself through voice-overs and flashbacks. Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), the only surviving member of a gang of would-be cocaine thieves, spins this tale of being drawn into a score with four other small time crooks. Veteren detective Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) pulls a one-man good cop/bad cop on Verbal throughout the movie. During the interrogation, Verbal begins recounting the events leading up to the explosion and carnage that killed his cohorts and rocked a San Pedro pier the night before.

Intricately woven through Verbal’s tale of criminals, robbery, murder and mayhem are the exploits of the mysterious Hungarian killer Kaiser Soze. So ruthless is this killer that he murdered his own family to prove his resolve to a rival gang. Although this film won an Oscar for its screenplay, the “surprise” ending is the weakest part of the film. The acting and story are intriguing, but the master criminal is really no master if he never gets what he was after all along (trust me, this is not giving anything away).

Watch this film for its curious character interplay and the stellar performances by Spacey, Gabriel Byrne and the enigmatic Pete Postlethwaite as Mr. Kobayashi. Just do not expect a satisfying, or rational, conclusion.

Format: Color, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Director and writer commentary, trailer

Brett Trout

Stonebrook 3/10

2006-08-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

Stonebrook (PG-13) 1998
Reviewer’s Tilt (7)
Suspense-89min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

I wish I could remember who recommended this movie to me so I could convene an intervention of friends to make sure they never recommend another movie to anyone . . . ever. Stonebrook starts out well enough, with farmhand Erik (Brad Rowe) getting a scholarship to the Ivy League Stonebrook through a family friend. Although Erik’s roommate is an enigmatic rich kid named Cornelius (Seth Green), the two become friends.

When Erik’s scholarship falls through due to a technicality, Cornelius sees this as an opportunity to help his friend and execute some of the self-concocted con games he never had the guts to execute. The con games work well until the two cross paths with local small-time crime boss Alexander Tali (Stanley Kamel) and the law. Stonebrook attempts to tell a story of fortune, downfall and redemption in a “Usual Suspects” type format. Unfortunately, neither the story, nor the acting comes close to that seminal work.

While plot twists are the mark of the genre, these characters go from being upstanding honest citizens one minute, to adroit con men the next, then back to being the model of morality. While I realize people change, in this movie the bad guy is the only one of the characters that does not go through two lifetimes of catharses in a matter of months. I am thankful, however, that Director Byron Thompson mercifully combined the wild characters swings, the trite dialogue, the bad acting and the ridiculous plot twists into only 89 minutes, and did not insist on providing any “extras” on the DVD. At least he has some empathy for his audience.

Format: Color, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Extras: None

The Beach 6/10

2006-08-16T07:18:00.000-07:00

The Beach (R) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (3)
Suspense-119min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Director commentary

Trainspotting director Danny Boyle latest pays homage to many great films, combining different directorial styles to present a single story. The underlying tale lies somewhere between Animal Farm and Blue Lagoon, but gets from point “A” to point “B” using direction elements from Trainspotting, Apocalypse Now, Lord of the Flies and many other films. The story revolves around Richard, (Leonardo DiCaprio), an American seeking all the indulgences the world’s unseemly back streets have to offer.

Whether it is drugs, women, booze or parties Richard is looking for the next fix. Pondering his next exotic experience in a seedy Thailand hotel, Richard encounters Daffy (Robert Carlysle), a psychologically disturbed drug addict, regaling Richard with tales of a utopia he experienced on a secluded island. Richard then meets a French couple (Virginie Ledoyen and Guillaume Canet), and the three decide to seek out Daffy’s island utopia. The story follows the three through fear, pain, love, heartbreak, pity and growth as they wash off society and seek their true selves. Carlysle is riveting as Daffy, and Tilda Swinton's scene stealing performances as the island leader are very satisfying.

Unfortunately, neither DiCaprio nor the script develops enough empathy for Richard to make the viewer care about his journey or his catharsis. The movie has a lot to offer in terms of style and cinematography, but a weak performance by DiCaprio and overindulgent direction, are distracting and prevent the viewer from fully participating in the experience. Boyle presents this uneven, trite piece of escapism in a cinematographically beautiful package, but fails to deliver any real depth or substance.

Format: Color, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Director commentary, alternate ending, deleted scenes, All Saints music video, storyboard, trailer.

Girlfight 2/10

2006-08-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

Girlfight (R) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (6)
Drama-110min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Girlfight won Director Karyn Kusama the best director award at Sundance and shared the Grand Jury Prize with Kenneth Lonergan’s "You Can Count on Me". Why it received these awards, I do not know. Girlfight is the hackneyed story of angst-ridden teen Diana (Michelle Rodriguez), seeking outlet in an unconventional manner, in this case, boxing. The tale vacillates between inner-city clichés and unbelievable plot turns.

Try as it might, Girlfight simply could not convince me that this young woman, as strong and skilled as she was, could so soundly physically thrash the men in her life. I understand boxing is an art, and that skill triumphs over strength, but this movie does not lay the groundwork to make Diana’s beatings plausible. The film is rife with tired characters, including the former boxer (Jaime Tirelli), living vicariously through his prodigy, the abusive inner-city father (Paul Calderon)., the sensitive, bookish brother (Ray Santiago) that does not want to fight, and the boxer (Santiago Douglas), with the heart of gold. Tirelli, the veteran and Rodriguez, the newcomer are both stunning, but cannot overcome the films many weaknesses.

Format: Color, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Extras: Director commentary, making-of featurette, trailer.

Mansfield Park 7/10

2006-08-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Mansfield Park (PG-13) 1999
Reviewer’s Tilt (7)
Period Drama-112min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Director commentary

Director Patricia Rozema combines Jane Austen’s personal notes and letters with Austen’s novel Mansfield Park, in an attempt to open a window into the classic author’s soul. Frances O'Connor, plays Fanny, Austen’s alter ego, raised in poverty, but given a taste of the good life when she moves to the great Mansfield Park, a country estate owned by her relatives. Her aunt and uncle love her, but relegate her to third class citizenship (second class citizenship being reserved for “privileged” women). Fanny falls in love with her cousin Edmund (Jonny Lee Miller), but sees little chance of ever entering proper society. Soon, a charming and wealthy rake (Alessandro Nivola) and his beautiful sister (Embeth Davidtz) enter the picture, pursuing Fanny and Edmund and offering them a chance to escape their poverty and lack of social status.

Undercurrents of slavery, debauchery, lust, incest and betrayal flow just beneath the surface of this great estate. Like her mother and aunt before her, Fanny must make the Hobson’s choice between poverty and ennui. Harold Pinter is fabulous as the family patriarch, and the supporting cast all give fine performances. My only reservation about this film is Rozema’s attenuation of Fanny’s venom and the buffoonery of those around her. In her attempt to make the heroine both more likable and plausible, Rozema undercuts Austen’s artifice. This unfortunate direction tempers both Austen’s wit and her vilification of nineteenth century society. The movie is good, but Austen’s original vision is genius. Not that genius vision is inviolate. Rozema’s changes however, ultimately weaken, rather than strengthen, the underlying story. I heartily recommend this film, but anticipate a future version of Mansfield Park, incorporating this great acting with Austen’s unabridged artistry.

Format: Color, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Director commentary, making-of featurette, trailer.

Trainspotting 9/10

2006-07-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

Trainspotting (R) 1995
Reviewer’s Tilt (10)
Action-93min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Based upon the much more graphic (believe it or not) cult novel by Irvine Welsh, Director Danny Boyle takes you underneath the underbelly of the Scottish heroin scene. This graphic film is neither a PBS documentary about the horrors of drugs, nor a party flick about the joys of disorientation. Instead, is a riveting analysis of why addicts stay addicts. Addicts say it is for the drugs, but this film delves into a much deeper addiction—the connection addicts share with one another. It is addiction’s insidious nature to prey on society’s weak. Although addicts may be stockbrokers and accountants, it is more often the poor and the abused that take refuge under its wing.

Trainspotting drives home the point that the underprivileged not only seek the “high,” but also that brief period of time when the ugliness of their lives melt away. Unfortunately, when they shake off the fog, they are worse than they started. This film’s crisp and taught script shows us that addictions cruelest blow the disturbing codependency it demands of other addicts. The very talented cast of Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd and Robert Carlyle play close-knit addicts sharing their lives, while maintaining the awareness that any one of them will betray the other for a single fix. They have the same wants, the same needs, the same dysfunctions, and the same understanding of why they do the inexplicable things they do.

You would never convince a non-addict to dive into “The worst toilet in Scotland” to recover a single suppository. Other addicts, however, understand and actually covet accounts of such behavior as vindication of their own wrongdoings. The only thing that would make this film better would be the provision of English subtitles throughout to catch every witty word. On the surface, this film is very drool and entertaining. As with most fine films, however, its beauty lays in the deeper connection it seeks with our consciousness—not judging right and wrong, but telling us why others are as they are.

Format: Color, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (2.0 Surround)
Extras: New versions of this DVD have no extras. Older versions have a second playable side and extra features including outtakes, interviews, and "Railway Sounds."

Memento 8/10

2006-06-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

Memento (R) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (10)
Suspense-113min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) is the murderer, killing Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) with a 9mm bullet to the head. Don’t worry; this is no “spoiler” in the ordinary sense. This merely recounts the opening scene. Writer/director Christopher Nolan turns the murder mystery genre on its head with this superb thriller. The film gives us the “who” in the first scene, and keeps us guessing at the “why” for the remaining 110 minutes. A mysterious accident leaves Leonard with anterograde amnesia. Like Dana Carvey’s character in Clean Slate, Leonard remembers everything before the accident, but cannot make any new memories. What the movie calls a problem with Leonard’s short-term memory is actually a problem with his long-term memory. Leonard can remember things only as long as they stay in his short-term memory. He simply has no ability to transfer them to long-term memory. Accordingly, he cannot remember anything that happened the previous day or week, and rarely remembers things for more than a matter of minutes. Despite what you may have heard, this film is not shown backwards. The story plays out in short snippets, giving us information in packets roughly equal to Leonard’s short-term memory capacity.

The film intermixes both black and white and color snippets. Black and white represents a forward story progression, while color represents a reverse story progression, both of which culminate toward the opening scene. Matrix veterans Pantoliano and Carrie-Anne Moss do an excellent job building the tension and twisting the story. At first I was disappointed that the DVD did not provide the option of watching the movie in chronological order. Unlike the typical mystery, however, where the logic of the plot twists are crucial to enjoyment of the film, the importance of this film lies not in its logic, but in its perception. A chronological viewing would greatly diminish the film, highlighting many logical inconsistencies in an otherwise impressive story. It is only in its final edit that this film reveals its true vision: None of us is that different from Leonard. Like Leonard, our perception is our reality. Our egos could not withstand the shock of seeing their images directly reflected by the world around them. Only through the filtering force of our own sheltering perception, and the mercurial nature of our memory, can we survive.

Format: Color and B&W, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Cast and crew info, trailer.

Batman: The Movie 6/10

2006-06-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

Batman: The Movie (NR) 1966
Reviewer’s Tilt (10)
Comedy-110min
Special DVD Features worth a look-West and Ward commentary

Perfectly executed campiness should leave at least some small part of your brain thinking "are these guys are actually taking themselves seriously" Batman: The Movie is a premiere example of such campy perfection. Ridiculous puns, delivered with stoic solemnity abound in this cult classic. Watching the relationship between Family Guy's Adam West’s slightly pot-bellied Batman and Burt Ward’s overly exuberant Robin for any length of time may just convince you that Saturday Night Live's Ace and Gary are just good friends.

As you might expect, the good guys are all unidimensionally good, and the bad guys unidimensionally bad, but not too bad. This movie strives for nothing more than delightful escapism, completely devoid of angst, sex and graphic violence, (assuming punching a foam shark does not fall under one or more of the foregoing categories). Batman: The Movie harkens back to a simpler time, when society regarded moral corruption with such disdain that it was not a required character in every single movie. Do not get me wrong, only a lobotomy patient could feed on a steady diet of Batman: The Movie and Leave it to Beaver; I mean I like Road Trip as much as the next guy.

It is just that I also respect the wit and artistry required to be funny, without being gross or cruel. While clearly not a masterpiece, this film is filled with subtle humor. The supporting cast of baddies includes Lee Meriwether as Catwoman, Burgess Meredith as the Penguin,Cesar Romero as the Joker, and Frank Gorshin as the Riddler all of who provide the precise amount of overacting to this predictable, but entertaining experience. Batman: The Movie is a true family-friendly movie, capable of entertaining kids from six to sixty.

Format: Color, Widescreen anamorphic, Fullscreen, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital Mono)
Extras: Commentary by Adam West and Burt Ward, Batman featurette, Batmobile featurette, photos, trailer.

GoodFellas 9/10

2006-06-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

GoodFellas (R) 1990
Reviewer’s Tilt (10)
Drama-146min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” Outwardly, this is mobster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) voice. Inwardly, it is director Martin Scorcese’s. There have been many mob films before and since Godfellas, but none create such a connection with the viewer. Goodfellas delves into the problems that plague gangsters—not the blood and the guts and the lying and the cheating--but the much more pedestrian problems of infidelity, broken friendships and the daily grind. Believe it or not, mobsters have the same problems everyone else has. The only difference is that when wiseguy problems get out of hand, someone gets dead. This film revels in its gore and violence, but also focuses on the petty problems behind the cruelty. Rather than repulse, this tactic actually garners empathy with viewers, and even serves as the basis for the wildly successful series The Sopranos.

Goodfellas underscores that the bad guys are not one-dimensional monsters, but are individuals, programmed through circumstance to rationalize the ugliness of their actions. Macrocosmically, it is wrong to kill. To a wiseguy, however, the key is to preserve order and authority. In a world where mercy is weakness, self-preservation mandates participation in heinous acts. Part of what makes this film so watchable is that Nicholas Pileggi and Scorcese developed the screenplay from “Wiseguy,” Pileggi’s book based upon the real life adventures of mafia badguy Henry Hill. Goodfellas does not justify the mafia lifestyle. It merely provides objective insight into the lives of these criminals and their myoptic drive to garner respect. Be sure to catch Joe Pesci in his Oscar winning performance as the psychopathic Tommy DeVito and Lorraine Bracco as Hill’s wife, following Hill along his downward spiral of drugs and betrayal.

Format: Color, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Trailer, production notes.

Bringing out the Dead 6/10

2006-06-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

Bringing out the Dead (R) 1999
Reviewer’s Tilt (9)
Drama-118min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Making of Featurette

"You have to keep the body going until the brain and the heart recover enough to go on their own." Ambulance driver Frank Pierce (Nicholas Cage) repeats this mantra in his head as he patrols the mean streets of Hell’s Kitchen. Frank refuses, however, to incorporate this truism into the context of his own tortured existence. A junkie of sorts, Frank gets high on saving lives and doing good deeds. Things have dried up cold turkey for Frank in the last few weeks, with life after life slipping through his gifted fingers. Ghosts of the recently deceased haunt Frank, while his partners distract themselves with food, violence and the love of the Lord.

Whereas his partners do everything in their power to avoid staring into the abyss, Frank opts for a long hard look. What he sees is not an answer, but helpless babies, denied the joy of life, and tortured souls, denied the succor of death. In a nod to Joseph Heller, the more Frank tries to get fired, the more his boss realizes Frank’s compassion and refuses to fire him. “I’ll fire you tomorrow . . . I promise” his boss assures him. Director Martin Scorsese collaborated on this film with screenwriter Paul Schrader, as he did on the classics “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull.” The end result, however, falls far short of these two prior works. There is a lot to like in Bringing Out the Dead: great music, dark comedy, frenetic editing and a touching tale.

Indeed, Ving Rhames, Mary Beth Hurt, Tom Sizemore, and John Goodman all deliver terrific supporting performances, adding humor and a humanity to the story. Unfortunately, there is no common thread linking these wonderful elements and performances together. Probably the biggest disappointment in this film is Patricia Arquette. She plays a reformed junkie, watching her father revived daily from the death he so desperately desires. Arquette plods through the film, failing to generate either sympathy for her character, or chemistry with Cage. In addition to Arquette’s stoic performance, there are several Scorsesesqe elements and plot devices that simply do not deliver in the context of this film. Kudos to Scorsese for dancing on the edge, but just because something is clever, does not mean that it merits the final cut. Despite these distractions, the underlying premise of the movie is still uplifting and heartfelt. Whether you are a middle class old white man or an impoverished young mother of color, your life is what you make of it. We are the ones who choose approval over guilt, satisfaction over angst, and happiness over grief. This film shows us why the manner in which we embrace life, is critically more important than the manner in which life embraces us.

Format: Color, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (DTS 5.1 Surround), (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Making of featurette, trailer.

Dead Calm 8/10

2006-06-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

Dead Calm (R) 1989
Reviewer’s Tilt (7)
Thriller-96min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Devastated by the tragic death of their young so, Aussies John and Rae Ingram (Sam Neill and Nichole Kidman) set out to sea to reclaim their lives and rebuild their marriage. Miles from shore, they run across a stranded ship. Hughie Warner (Billy Zane), the ship’s sole surviving crew member, rows a lifeboat over to meet the couple. Hughie explains that his ship’s engine is down and that food poisoning killed everyone on board, including the mechanic. When John visits the stranded ship to investigate, things take a turn for the worse, and thus begins this white-knuckle psychological thriller.

Actually, this movie is two separate thrillers; each with its own cast and plot. This is a rather amazing feat, given that the movie basically has only three characters and two locations. A particularly entertaining aspect of this film is that the protagonists must save themselves to save their spouse. Some have criticized this film because Rae had opportunities to resolve the conflict if she was willing to take a life. It is easy to sit in your Lay-Z-Boy and say that you would kill this guy or that. Anyone who has actually confronted this decision, however, will tell you it is very difficult, especially if there are other options. Combine this with Rae Ingram’s grief associated with her son’s death and the decision not to kill is much more understandable. With only three basic characters, this film could not have worked without incredible performances all around.

Lucky for us, every actor in this film delivers. Neill is the epitome of the good, resourceful husband. Kidman is mesmerizing as the attractive young wife, willing to use anything at her disposal to save herself and what is left of her family. Billy Zane embodies one of the most satisfying villains I have ever seen. Toss in outstanding direction by Phillip Noyce, great cinematography and a stunning score by Graeme Revell, and you have all the makings for an incredible thrillride. Despite a slightly ridiculous conclusion, Dead Calm is a slick and savy thriller, definitely worth a look.

Format: Color, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Extras: Trailer

Penny Serenade 4/10

2006-06-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

Penny Serenade (NR) 1941
Reviewer’s Tilt (4)
Drama-125min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

“When I woke from my dream she was gone, my poor heart was broken
Still I pray that wherever she may be she will remember
In her heart she will always hear my Penny Serenade”
Irene Dunne and Cary Grant, famous for their incredible comedic chemistry, come together in this tragic tale of a young couple trying to adopt a child. After a whirlwind romance, Roger and Julie Adams marry and move to Tokyo with Roger’s job. The storybook marriage starts to unravel when Roger quits his job and Julie becomes infertile. Julie wants to adopt a child, while Roger wants to do whatever is necessary to save the marriage. What initially started out as Julie’s project, soon consumes Roger, bringing out a joy he has never experienced. The family struggles through various hardships, each of which draws them closer and closer together. When tragedy threatens to destroy their lives, and their family, the couple must look deep within themselves to rekindle their love.

Be prepared for the audio and visual, which are distractingly bad in this poorly preserved piece of celluloid. Despite being technically deficient, overlong and melodramatic, however, this film does have several touching scenes. Both the scenes Roger acclimating himself to the new baby, and professing his love for his daughter appear heartfelt and moving. Unfortunately, however, nothing but the child appears to be holding the marriage together. It would have been much more interesting to see the couple grow through the tragedies, rather than drift further apart. Seeing the couple communicate with each other through the child and about the child, rather than discussing their own pain and frustration, leaves the viewer ultimately unsatisfied. Although the film presents Roger and Julie as model parents, even the fix-it guy, Applejack Carney (Edgar Buchanan) displays more true human compassion and caring in one scene with the kid than either Roger or Julie do throughout the remainder of the movie. Applejack’s genuinely unselfish nature highlights and exposes the dysfunctionality of the marriage. Although billed as a tearjerker, it is tough to feel compassion for such a shallow couple.

Format: B&W, Fullscreen, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital Mono)
Extras: Trivia, Photo of the movie poster, Cary Grant bio.

His Girl Friday 6/10

2006-06-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

His Girl Friday (NR) 1940
Reviewer’s Tilt (5)
Comedy-92min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None
Review
In 1928, Ben Hecht's three-hour play The Front Page had critics abuzz. The story involved a news editor trying to get prevent his ace reporter from getting married and moving away. In 1931, Producer Howard Hughes turned the story into a very well-received movie. Nine years later, Director Howard Hawks teamed up with one of the screenwriters from the original movie, Charles Lederer, to remake the picture with the ace reporter as the ex-wife of the editor. This spin breathed new depth and dimension into the story, paving the way for sexual innuendos and wry humor.

His Girl Friday became an instant classic, solidifying the “screwball” comedy as an American icon. The film begins with Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) playing the hard-nosed reporter recently divorced from her suave, self-centered, but impossibly charming editor Walter Burns (Cary Grant). Hildy has left the newspaper and is all set to embark on her new life as a housewife in Albany with her responsible fiancé (Ralph Bellamy). When corrupt officials set out to win an election by hanging a pardoned anarchist, Walter sees an opportunity to regain his ace reporter. Walter feigns the absence of his main reporter and asks Hildy for her help, just one more time.

The draw is just too much. Hildy agrees, and Walter unleashes all of his devilish guile to reclaim his ex. Rich with satire, the film weaves wit, charm, and slapstick humor throughout the story. His Girl Friday is the paradigm of frenetic pacing, life and death scenarios and Curlyesque yucks associated with the “screwball comedy.” Unfortunately, the first third of the film sets the bar impossibly high for the finale. The early scenes with Russell and Grant in Burns’ office and later in the restaurant are pure poetry. Not only are Russell and Grant incredible actors, deploying impeccable comedic timing, they share a true chemistry. The comedy moves effortlessly across overlapping dialogue and not-so-subtle mugging. The later scenes do involve witty dialogue and great acting, but never recapture the energy of the opening. Had the movie been able to maintain its initial momentum, this film would be a hands down champion, rivaling any comedy, from any era. As it stands, however, His Girls Friday is simply an enjoyable film, flecked with glimpses of greatness.

Format: B&W, Fullscreen, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital Mono)
Extras: production notes, audio commentary, featurette, cast/crew bios, vintage ads, trailer(s)

Pleasantville 9/10

2006-06-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

Pleasantville (PG-13) 1998
ReviewerÂs Tilt (5)
Comedy-124min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Director commentary

On one level this film is a Âback in timeÂ comedy about a boy and his sister coping with 1950Âs sitcom values. Looking a little deeper, this film really takes a stab at todayÂs society and the strictures affecting us all. Do not get me wrong, this is not an incredibly deep film, but the story is good and the points well made. A wacky TV repairman (Don Knotts) gives David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) the secret to transporting themselves into the surreal environment of a 50Âs sitcom. As we laugh at the cloistered affected mannerisms, we slowly realize how society still subtly censors our own actions. The film separates themes with the adroit intertwining of Color and B&W images. Upon first blush, the separation appears to be based upon 50Âs attitudes and 90Âs attitudes. The separation is better viewed, however, as the difference between societal conformity and freewill.

The obvious progression of things taking color, first a rose, then an apple, lips, a car and paintings, make it obvious that love, knowledge, sex, technology and art are the themes writer/director Gary Ross feels are stifled in todayÂs society. Once you have tasted the apple, having it taken away is much more painful than never having tasted it at all. Can knowledge be bad? This film conveys the trite truism knowledge gained through making mistakes and choosing what is right is what makes life worth living. It does so, however, in a way that brings this truth uncomfortably close to home.

Format: Color and B&W, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Director commentary, isolated score with commentary, cast and crew bios, Featurette "The Art of Pleasantville," Fiona Apple video, storyboard, color TV set-up, trailer

Caligula 2/10

2006-06-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Caligula (Unrated Version) 1979
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Drama-156min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, Caligula (little baby boots) to his friends, ruled most of the free world from 37-41 A.D. After orchestrating the death of the evil syphilitic Emperor Tiberius, the soulless and psychopathic Emperor Caligula wrought torture and death on his people and even his own family members. Caligula’s reign is the least documented and, as a result, Caligula’s legacy is left one of unabashedly libidinous orgies and an insatiable sexual appetite. While pleasures of the flesh leading a man to ruin is a tried and true Hollywood formula, this film posts Caligula as a soulless perversion of nature from the first incestuous scenes. Wishing the protagonist dead from the opening scenes does not bode well for any movie.

But wait, it gets worse. Producer and Penthouse mogul Bob Guccione acts as the film’s black hole, successfully sucking every last drop of talent from such stars as Peter O’Toole (Tiberius), Malcom McDowell (Caligula), Helen Mirren (Caesonia) and Sir John Gielgud (Nerva). Guccione dropped a reported $15-20 Million on the project, but you would not be able to tell it from either the sets or the cinematography, each of which are equally appalling. If that were not enough, Guccione, thinking the final product lacked the requisite girl-on-girl action, went back and added some of his own “artistic” flourishes.

As a result, Director Tinto “Il Maestro” Brass and screenwriter Gore Vidal demanded their names be removed from the project. What remains is a wretched collection of otherwise fine actors, unsuccessfully plodding through this pile of filth, trying to maintain some shred of dignity. The film is almost so bad as to be good. Almost. While a touch of camp could have turned this picture into riotous fun, the uncomfortable seriousness of the actors, and the gratuitous lasciviousness of the subject matter, combine to make this film anything but funny. The film is very bad, but at least it is long. I know there are those of you who will still rent the DVD, thinking the erotica factor will outweigh the annoyance factor. Trust me, it does not. You will simply be left lamenting those nearly three hours of your lives you will never reclaim.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Extras: Production Notes

Things to do in Denver When You Are Dead 6/10

2006-06-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

Things to do in Denver When You Are Dead (R) 1995
Reviewer’s Tilt (9)
Action-115min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Screenwriter Scott Rosenberg and director Gary Fleder deliver this interesting precursor to more recent breaknecks like Pulp Fiction and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. These guys have the right idea, but just miss the mark. The story begins with Jimmy the Saint (Andy Garcia), a reformed mobster, starting a business that videotapes dying peoples’ advice to their heirs. Jimmy, having shed his mobster skin, is trying to make it as an honest businessman in this struggling new venture. His troubles compound when he becomes indebted to Denver’s ruthless, but paraplegic mob boss (Christopher Walken). The boss wants Jimmy to “scare” a kid into not marrying the boss’ son’s former girlfriend. As an additional incentive, the boss offers Jimmy $50K for this “action.”

Initially reluctant, Jimmy sees this as an opportunity to dig himself out of a hole. And hey, nobody gets hurt. Jimmy take the job and rounds up his old crew. The crew, Pieces, a porno projectionist with leprosy (Chistopher Lloyd), Critical Bill a psychotic funeral home worker (Treat Williams), Franchise a blue color family man (William Forsythe), and Easy Wind, the tempered muscle (Bill Nunn) concoct and execute a detailed plan. When details get left out, however, the crew finds themselves on Mr. Mob Boss’ caca list, with reservations in the fish berth. Feeling guilty for drawing them into this sad state of affairs, Jimmy tries to make it right. What Jimmy does not see, is that he cannot make it right, for any of them, ever again. When Jimmy realizes how thouroughly he has screwed things up for everyone around him, including his girlfriend (Gabrielle Anwar), he enlists an old friend (Fairuza Balk) to help him wipe the slate clean and start a new life.

Jack Warden plays an ex-mobster watching the action and acting as your humble narrator. Christopher Walken and the fine actors in Jimmy’s crew do an incredible job creating memorable characters. Warden’s character, however, is distracting and unnecessary. Andy Garcia also falls somewhat short, gliding through, rather than carrying, his scenes. Granted, it is not an insubstantial task to carry scenes with these great actors, but a dose of charisma and grit in the title role would have made the difference between a good film and a great film.

Format: Color, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Making-Of Featurette, trailer(s)

Last Man Standing 8/10

2006-06-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last Man Standing (R) 1996
Reviewer’s Tilt (9)
Action-101min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

I can just see the producer “Write me a screenplay where Bruce Willis is a gangster, and there are about fifty other gangsters, and there is only one man standing at the end . . . oh yeah and did I mention, throw in some gratuitous violence” This cannot be far off the mark. If you are looking for a deep story, sets that match the time period, plausible gunplay or true romance, you have come to the wrong place. The story takes place in Jericho, Texas during prohibition. Besides the undertaker, the barkeep, the sheriff and a girl, the only other people in town are two rival gangs comprising about two dozen baddies each. Apparently, all decent folk jus up’n left. The gangs stand at a shaky truce until decidedly indecent John Smith (Bruce Willis) rolls into town. Smith decides to play the gangs against one another and roll out of town with all their money. Things go a little off kilter, however, when Smith fails to consider basic human compassion in his calculations. What follows is a dark, dusty tale of a tainted hero, doing what heroes do best.

Although the film claims to be loosely based upon Akira Kurosawa's 1961 Yojimbo (which also served as the basis for Sergio Leone's 1964 A Fistful of Dollars) Last Man Standing has neither the story, nor the acting of either of its predecessors. What it does have is cajones, big ones. Willis kills more guys in this movie than in all three Die Hards combined. Christopher Walken turns in his trademark psychopathic gangster role, Michael Imperioli impresses as the son of a Chicago mafia boss sent to keep an eye on things and Bruce Dern plays a great local sheriff paid to keep his eyes closed and his gun in his holster. The remainder of the acting is mediocre at best. If you are looking for a real story and great cinema, this is not your movie. If you are looking for a mindless shoot-em-up, however, it does not get much better

Format: Color, Widescreen anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo),
Extras: Making-of featurette, production notes, trailer(s)

High Fidelity 8/10

2006-06-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

High Fidelity (R) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (7)
Comedy-113min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

The screenwriters for Grosse Pointe Blank team up to transform Nick Hornby’s novel about a forlorn London record dealer into a film about a forlorn Chicago record dealer. Director Stephen Frears directs John Cusak as Rob Gordon, the owner of Championship Vinyl, one of the few remaining places in Chicago to pick up an LP. On the exterior, Rob is an aging slacker wondering why life and relationships have done him wrong. On the interior, Rob is a gun-shy teenage music, lover trying hard not to open up to his current girlfriend for fear of getting hurt again.

While this film could have easily digressed into a whiny or melodramatic wimpfest, Cusak and his fellow screenwriters infuse a decidedly male perspective into the genre. Rob’s top five likes are: his music, his store, his buddies, his woman and his top five lists (but not necessarily in that order). The film follows Rob’s month long catharsis from a petulant change-hating child, into an introspective relationship-nurturing adult. The film is funny, clever, entertaining and musically astute.

Although Iben Hjejle’ performance as Laura, Rob’s girlfriend, rings a little flat, Jack Black’ delivery as Rob’s friend and co-worker provides more than apt compensation. If you are wondering who Jack Black is and why he merited his own film (Shallow Hal), opposite Gwyneth Paltrow, High Fidelity provides you with all the answers. High Fidelity mixes pop culture, slacker love, teenage misogyny, pop music, wry comedy and male angst in the precise proportion. High Fidelity evolves as an entertaining character study of the goofy little boy trapped inside most American men.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Deleted scenes; Frears and Cusak featurettes, trailer(s)

Best in Show 8/10

2006-06-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

Best in Show (PG-13) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (7)
Comedy-90min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Deleted scenes

Mockumentary screenwriter Christopher Guest (This is Spinal Tap and Waiting for Guffman) brings us a satirical look at another twisted enclave of Americana. Best in Show features five groups of dysfunctional families living vicariously through their dogs and dog shows. While the script itself may be a little uneven, the seasoned cast’s adroit improvisation and impeccable timing hide most of the blemishes. In sending up everything from dominatrix lesbians to neurotic attorneys, this movie slaughters many sacred cows, showing no mercy to any lifestyle. The stereotypes are so far over the top, so noone should take offense. Despite being parodies of various lifestyles, however, there is just enough underlying truth to give the comedy a rather smart edge.

The film does have some very funny lines, but the real beauty lies in the skillful improvisation. The actors are not spontaneously witty in character, but they flawlessly set up and feed off each other. This seamless interplay creates an undercurrent of constantly flowing humor, which fills in the interstices in the script. Standouts in this talented cast include Parker Posey, John Michael Higgins, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara and Michael McKean. Posey plays Meg, the neurotic attorney taking out her marital frustrations on an Asian pet storeowner, while Higgins plays a gay dog trainer that would make Liberace blush. Levy, O’Hara and McKean take the opposite route, garnering laughs with subtlety and timing. Pay particular note to Fred Willard’s amusing performance as the politically incorrect half-wit of a dog show announcer and Eugene Levy’s reactions to the running joke about his wife’s past relationships. The movie is worth the watch if for no other reason than the Willard’s obliviousness and Levy’s puzzlement.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Director/Actor audio commentary, deleted scenes with commentary, dogs and their owners featurette, cast bios, TV spots, trailer.

American Beauty 9/10

2006-06-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

American Beauty (R) 1999
Reviewer’s Tilt (7)
Drama-122min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Making of featurette

Beauty lies within all things. Unfortunately, the harder you look, the more elusive it becomes. American Beauty is about men striving for success, wives driving their men, children seeking parental approval, parents seeking understanding with their children and everyone seeking a loving respect. Middle-aged husband and father, Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), slowly discovers his white suburban life is devoid of respect, fulfillment, love and meaning. Rallying the few remaining drops of moxie left in his tired bones, Lester catalyzes a life altering catharsis. He chucks his white-collar job for a fast food gig, starts getting high and buys a cherry 1970 Pontiac Firebird.

Surprisingly, as Lester sheds responsibility, his family and those around him actually begin to respect him more envying his newfound peace. This message of this film is profound. People generally think “If I just had this” or “If this person would just do this” they would be happy. Fulfillment, however, is never found in another’s reflection or in material pleasures. Fulfillment comes with inner peace. You must change yourself. As Lester discovers, once the material possessions and the transgressions of others no longer direct your life, you have achieved inner peace.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), (Dolby Digital 5.1), (DTS 5.1 Surround)
Extras: Director and writer commentary; making-of featurette; cast and crew info; interviews with cast and crew; Storyboard commentary with director and cinematographer; Digital screenplay and storyboards (DVD-ROM).

Arsenic and Old Lace 2/10

2006-06-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

Arsenic and Old Lace (NR) 1944
Reviewer’s Tilt (7)
Comedy-118min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Filmed in 1941, the studio did not release this “classic” until 1944. Joseph Kesselring’s original play was still on stage, and the producers wanted to give the play its full run. The stage actors Jean Adair (Aunt Abby Brewster), Josephine Hull (Aunt Martha Brewster), and John Alexander (Theodore Brewster) also needed an opportunity to immortalize their roles on celluloid. Combining a hit play, with seasoned stage actors, the directorial talents of Frank Capra and the star power of Cary Grant, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorie and Indianola, Iowa born Priscilla Lane, sounds like a recipe for success.

The result, however, is far less than the sum of its parts. Audiences received the film very well, but even Grant was disappointed with his performance. Throughout much of the movie he mugs for the camera with a contorted face and eyeballs popping out of their sockets. Many of the actors, including Alexander, fail to tone their performances down several notches to garner the subtleties of the big screen. Cast more appropriately and placed into the hands of a different director, this film might have shown some promise. The overblown melodrama (even for a screwball comedy) frenetic pacing and dated, unfunny lines, however, result in a dark comedy only a mother could love . . . and only if the mother was stuck in 1944.

Format: B&W, Fullscreen, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital Mono)
Extras: Production notes

An Ideal Husband 8/10

2006-06-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

An Ideal Husband (R) 1999
Reviewer’s Tilt (7)
Comedy-98min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Rupert Everett plays 19th century Lord Goring, a self-involved playboy and misanthrope with a keen sardonic wit. When it appears his good friend and gentleman Sir Robert (Jeremy Northam) may have become ensnared by a past transgression, Lord Goring casts aside his ennui to come to the rescue of his friend. Unfortunately for Lord Goring, his involvement drives matters even further awry. The addition of Goring’s blackmailing ex-lover (Julianne Moore), Sir Robert’s adoring wife (Cate Blanchett) and Sir Robert’s beautiful sister (Minnie Driver) certainly appears to foreshadow the downfall of both men.

As this film is based upon the play by Oscar Wilde, however, you know this could never be the case. Wilde’s story plays upon the stoic hypocrisy of English convention. Under this regime, no deceit, however grave, is contemptible unless society finds out. Flawlessly adopting Wilde’s acidic tongue, Everett simultaneously narrates the tale, while working to extricate himself and his friends from the direst of circumstances. As implausible as it is that either Wilde or Everett would retire their playboy status for an ingénue, the mere possibility certainly livens the plot.

The only thing keeping this fine film from a perfect rating is the modifications made to Oscar Wilde’s original text. Such an undertaking reflects the height of hubris. That being said, take solace in the large portion of Wilde that remains. You may catch most of the humor upon a simple listen, but run the subtitles to prevent missing even a single pearl.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Making-of featurette, trailer.

Coyote Ugly 2/10

2006-06-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

Coyote Ugly (PG-13) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (3)
Drama-101min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Don’t be fooled by the Jerry Bruckheimer production or the Kevin Smith script rewrite. This movie is nothing but eye-candy—no exploding buildings, no witty dialogue, no impressive plot, just lots of scantily clad vixens dancing on a bar. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find any imprint of Bruckheimer or Smith on the film whatsoever (Actually Smith did just one rewrite, with very few of his changes making it into the final cut). Coyote Ugly definitely lives down to its expectations. The movie's one redeeming quality is that it is a great date movie. The dialogue will make any drivel that pours out of your mouth seem to rival the Bard of Avon. As an added bonus, the movie gets worse as it progresses, making alternate endeavors much more attractive.

Thankfully, not a single ounce of talent goes down with the ship; the acting, direction, story and dialogue are all equally bad. Piper Perabo plays Violet, the undiscovered singer from New Jersey, with stars in her eyes. Violet is filled with stage fright, but apparently not at all self-conscious about simulating sex on a Manhattan bar to the drunken cat calls of forty drunken strangers. Maria Bello plays the hard-nosed, but attractive bar owner willing to give Violet the chance to prove herself. Adam Garcia plays the sweet boyfriend, with John Goodman filling in as the concerned father. There is nothing in this film you have not seen done better in such films as Cocktail, Pretty Woman and Flashdance. But, who am I to say. Baywatch is wildly popular. For all the same reasons, this “Baywatch in a bar” may become a cult classic . . . although I am not holding my breath.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Audio commentary; Featurettes: "In Search of Violet: Casting the Lead Role, Piper Perabo," "Coyote 101: actor prep; "What It Means to be a Coyote," "Howling Good Time: Filming the Bar Scenes"; deleted scenes; LeAnn Rimes music video.

Jacob’s Ladder 9/10

2006-06-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

Jacob’s Ladder (R) 1990
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Suspense-116min
Special DVD Features worth a look- Making of" Featurette

Jacob’s Ladder is the story of Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins), a Vietnam vet who goes on to obtain his PhD and settle into sedentary life as a mailman. Having lost his young son, being bayoneted in Vietnam, and divorcing his wife, Jacob tries to make sense of his life as it unravels years later. His angst over unresolved past issues leads to horrible dreams, disturbing flashbacks and unsettling visions. Jacob’s girlfriend, Jezzie (short for Jezebel) (Elizabeth Pena), is a sexy co-worker, deeply in love with Jacob, but trying to help him put his disturbing past behind him. As Jacob tries to piece together the horrible scenes of drug-induced violence and carnage during his last days “in country,” he comes to the conclusion that there is a military conspiracy to keep him quiet about what happened.

Not until Jacob climbs all the way down this ladder of madness is he able to begin his ascent. The movie reflects numerous religious and spiritual philosophies. In the Bible, the ill-fated Tower of Babel was a man-made attempt to rise up to God. Jacob’s Ladder was the stairway God used to communicate with Man. The moral is that you cannot communicate with God on your terms; you must do so on his. In the Bible angels and demons, as well as lost souls used the ladder to ascend into heaven or descend into hell.

In the film, director Adrian Lyne proclaims that your perspective determines whether demons lead you down the ladder or angels lead you up. As written in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, however, at death the soul cannot release from the body until the soul reconciles the decedent’s life. Until this time, the soul experiences realistic demons which are actually ethereal reflections of the soul’s own inner self. The demons are actually no more than the disembodied consciousness symbolically expressing its psychic conflicts. Seen in this light, the demons are really angels, assisting the soul with reconciliation and release.

Lyne juxtaposes the Christian key to heaven, God’s forgiveness, against the Tibetan key to peace, self-forgiveness. In making sense of his life, Jacob must reconcile many ladders. Grief, drugs, posttraumatic shock, metal illness and death are the ladders he must climb or descend. Ascension leads to closure and growth, while descension leads to continued pain. Why then does Jacob not simply start up each ladder? Lyne provides a uniquely disturbing window into Jacob’s motivations. In one particularly notable scene, Jacob becomes trapped in the subway. Jacob tries to take the stairs out, only to find them barricaded. It is not until he first descends and reconciles his fears, which he is then able to rise out of the “tomb.” This truly disturbing movie is difficult to follow, but rewards close attention and multiple viewings with a profound message.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Director commentary, "Making of" featurette, deleted scenes, production notes, cast and crew bios, trailer.

The Killing 9/10

2006-06-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Killing (NR) 1956
Reviewer’s Tilt (10)
Thriller-83min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

The remake of Ocean’s 11 grossed hundreds of millions of dollars. Why? Partly due to the cavalcade of stars, but partly, actually mostly, due to the taunt underlying plot. Far from novel, this plot has entertained movie audiences for nearly half a century; since it was originally unveiled in Stanley Kubrick’s 1956 “The Killing.” In the early 50’s Frank Sinatra was mulling over purchasing the rights to Clean Break, a gang robbery novel by Lionel White. Sinatra balked, and Kubrick stepped up to buy the rights out from under him. Although Kubrick wrote the screenplay, the movie is heavily based on the book, and owes its realistic gangspeak to crime writer Jim Thompson.

If you think Quentin Tarintino created the “breakneck” genre, with chronologically shuffled scenes, gritty characters and tense action, you would be sadly mistaken. The killing stands as the first, and probably most sterling example of the genre, holding up impeccably nearly over four decades later. The story focuses on seasoned criminal Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden), who hatches a plan for an incredible heist. The take is two million dollars and nobody gets hurt. The gang must execute like clockwork though and everyone has to keep his mouth shut. Clay is careful to pick only seasoned professionals for the job. Realizing there is more than enough dough for everyone, he seals the deal with an even split of the money.

This skewed “morality” also surfaces in Johnny’s doting and protective relationship with his mousy fiancée (Coleen Gray). The plan is flawless, except for its inclusion of a spineless racetrack cashier (Elisha Cook). Short and balding, the pathetic sod finds the more he does to impress his vixen of a wife Sherry Peatty (Marie Windsor), the more evil she becomes. When he finally spills the plan to his wife in an attempt to impress her, she teams up with boyfriend Val (Vince Edwards) to reap the rewards of the heist for herself. As with any breakneck, things do not go according to plan and someone always gets hurt. The artful cinematography nicely complements the riveting plot; skillful direction and fine acting make getting from point A to point B an edgy and entertaining ride. The film holds up as impressively today as they did in 1956. Pay particular attention to the great performances by Tim Carey, as the sociopathic gunman, Ted DeCorsia, as the crooked cop and Joe Sawyer, as the bartender trying to raise money to save his dying wife.

Format: B&W, Fullscreen, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital Mono)
Extras: Trailer

Moulin Rouge 9/10

2006-05-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

Moulin Rouge (PG-13) 2001
Reviewer’s Tilt (5)
Musical-127min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Extended scenes

This is not your grandfather’s musical. Baz Luhrmann, the inventive director behind such movies as “Strictly Ballroom” and “William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet” brings his creative juices to bear on the notorious Parisian dance hall. Set a century ago, the plot revolves around Christian (Ewan McGregor), a would be writer with towering aspirations and few prospects. Along the way, he teams up with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (John Leguizamo) and a band of bohemians. The plan to buffalo Christian’s way into a paying gig at the Moulin hits a snag when Christian spies the impossibly fetching, and hopelessly unattainable courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman) performing at the theater.

Dying to resuscitate his dying venue, the theater’s cunning impresario Sidler (Jim Broadbent) marshals Christian, Lautrec, Satine, and the roving band of bohemians to impress the theater’s last hope of funding, the Duke (Richard Roxburgh). The Duke, of course, is interested in nothing other than Satine’s baser talents. With more than a passing nod to Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, the characters all maintain a pretense, to forward their own aspirations. Do not look for any unusual twists--the story is pedestrian. What is new, and what makes the movie so endearing, is its presentation. Luhrmann repackages 70’s and 80’s standards in millennial wrapping and transplants some of the more famous hooks directly into the screenplay toward rewarding ends. Luhrmann also enlists the talents of director of photography, Donald McAlpine and editor Jill Bilcock. These two are true symbions, anticipating each other’s next move like professional dancers, creating some rather stunning celluloid.

Luhrmann’s wife, Catherine Martin shines through her magical production and costume design. Kidman and McGregor survive the duets with their honor intact, but just barely. They are good enough to get the job done, but not so good as to distract from the experiences. Criticized for its frenetic pacing and MTVesque editing, Moulin Rouge creates a conscience, rather than a parable. It would be a simple task to grab at its flaws as if they were loose threads and pull the movie apart at the seams. It is a little more difficult, but infinitely more rewarding, however to fall into the arms of this devilish endeavor and let it carry you along its sound and vision of love and ribaldry. Luhrmann speaks to his audience through Satine “I make men believe what they want to believe" Moulin Rouge is filled with all the right glitz, glamour, love and tragedy . . . but you still have to believe.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (DTS 5.1 Surround), (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Production commentary by Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, and Don McAlpine, Writing commentary by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce, 8 behind-the-scenes branches, HBO's making-of featurette "Behind the Red Curtain", 5 star featurettes, earlier drafts of screenplay, 6 extended scenes, 4 re-cut dance sequences, interview with John "Cha Cha" O'Connell and Caroline O'Conner, dance pre-shoots, 3 multi-angle dance sequences, 2 music videos, design and marketing gallery, Easter Eggs, trailers, live MTV performance of "Lady Marmalade”.

The Big Kahuna 8/10

2006-05-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

The Big Kahuna (R) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (10)
Adapted Play -91min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Virtue is more to be feared than vice,
because its excesses are not subject to
the regulation of conscience.
-Adam Smith

What a premise—Samuel Beckett referees a cage match between Adam Smith and Jesus Christ in a Hospitality Suite in Wichita. Well, not quite. The Big Kahuna is ambitious, however, asking questions such as: What is the meaning of life? Could it be that our simple souls and meager minds are incapable of grasping that life is entirely devoid of meaning? Are capitalism and religion merely our futile attempts to imprint order and meaning onto our lives? First-time director John Swanbeck examines these questions in his big-screen adaptation of Roger Rueff's play, Hospitality Suite. The premise is fantastic, but the execution falls a little short.

Kevin Spacey plays Larry, the consummate salesman, dedicated, honest and a certified “closer.” Danny DeVito plays Phil, an aging, divorced salesman, reexamining his erstwhile understanding of the meaning of life. Peter Facinelli plays Bob, the new guy, recently married, born again and excited about his job. Although their performances are fine, neither Spacey nor Facinelli deliver the internal fervor required of their characters. DeVito, however, steals the show, delivering one of his finest performances ever, and resetting the bar in the “less is more” category. The story evolves in the small Hospitality Suite where the three salesmen for an industrial lubricant company, are on a mission—to land the “Big Kahuna.”

The Big Kahuna is the president of one of the largest manufacturers in the Midwest, and landing his account will make them all heroes. The goal is to draw the Big Kahuna to a reception in their suite and glad hand him into giving them the account. As events conspire against them, they begin to confront each other, chipping away at each other’s most firmly held beliefs. Larry and Bob pit economics against religion, while Phil, the omniscient presence, subtly reveals the true meaning of life. Phil uses scripture, parable and example to explain that religion, economics and all other “Big Kahunas” are red herrings—rationalizations and distractions to avoid accepting the meaninglessness of life. Phil explains that accepting this reality is a seemingly impossible burden, but is the true mark of character. On we plow.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Trailer, recommendations.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 10/10

2006-05-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (NR) 1966
Reviewer’s Tilt (10)
Adapted Play-131min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Before directing Catch-22 and The Graduate, Mike Nichols made his big screen debut directing this adroit adaptation of Edward Albee’s play “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Nominated for thirteen, and winner of five, Academy Awards, this dark tale centers on history professor George (Richard Burton), and his wife Martha (Elizabeth Taylor), daughter of the college president. At first George and Martha appear to be the average Ozzie and Harriet, an aging, well-adjusted, educated couple, comfortable with their lives and their love. George and Martha quickly shatter this illusion, as they return from a faculty cocktail party, to exchange a caustic barrage of verbal barbs. Just as quickly, however, the couple turns witty and civil when the young new biology professor Nick (George Segal) and his shy, but pretty wife Honey (Sandy Dennis) stop by for a nightcap. Unfortunately for Nick and Honey, the sardonic exchange does not disappear, it merely changed guise. Soon Nick and Honey find themselves helpless pawns in the elder couple’s sick-witted exchange.

Throughout the remainder of the movie, George and Martha dance their finely choreographed, oft-rehearsed dance of despise. The two alternate the lead, alternately dishing out and enabling the abuse, but they never miss a step. Thankfully, writer Albee’s sublime play translates to the big screen almost unadulterated. Taylor and Burton deliver his lines with great force and impeccable timing. At one point George proposes “Now that we're through with Humiliate the Host...and we don't want to play Hump the Hostess yet...how about a little round of Get the Guests?” This provides some idea of the precarious twist of uncomfortable wit that drives the action from start to finish. Albee’s stellar writing notwithstanding, the real star of this film is Taylor and Burton’s alchemy, converting Albee’s words into cinematic gold.

Ok, I will grant you that playing a pair of aging, drunk, selfish lovers may not have been much of a stretch. Both actors, however, deliver their lines with the chilling reality of a serial killer describing his most gratifying slaying. Often unpleasant and disturbing, this film never allows you to relax or look away. Simultaneously seamlessly smooth, and ingeniously rocky this is not a “feel good” movie. “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is, however, a memorable film that will stick with you for years to come.

Format: Black and White, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Production notes.

To Die For 8/10

2006-05-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

To Die For (R) 1995
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Dark Comedy-106min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

“To Die For” is a satirical look at media’s fascination with the sensational. Instead of descending into farce, director by Gus Van Sant and writer by Buck Henry add a keen edge to this satire. Based on Joyce Maynard's novel, To Die For follows Suzanne Stone Maretto (Nicole Kidman) as she attempts to ply her spectacular looks into a career as the next Jane Pauley. Susanne’s mantra is “What's the point of doing something good if nobody's watching.” Despite her blinding ambition, Susanne finds it difficult to parlay a small mind and a dearth of talent into a gig as a big time television reporter. Her lack of talent and the lack of stories in her small town conspire to keep her out of the limelight. Suzanne finally decides to muster all of her wiles, cunning, ambition and amorality to create her own opportunity.

Borrowing a trick from a famous female reporter, she lands a job as a local weathergirl. Everything is looking up, until Susanne learns her husband Larry (Matt Dillon) wants a baby. Terrified over what a baby would do to her incredible figure, she hatches a plan to simultaneously save her physique and launch her career. Susanne enlists three troubled teenagers Jimmy (Joaquin Phoenix), Lydia (Alison Folland), and Russell (Casey Affleck) to film a documentary. Leveraging the teens’ hidden desires, she uses sex, friendship, and compact discs to convince them to kill Larry. If all goes right, she should have her story and be able to leave her small life in a small town behind.

Fortunately, Larry’s sister Janice (Illeana Douglas) uses her family’s mafia ties to protect her oblivious brother. Although Susanne succeeds in immortalizing her beauty, she never realizes the error of her ways. While the entire cast turns in incredible performances, Kidman shines as the personification of immorality and drive. Van Sant and Henry also hit their marks precisely, conspiring to simultaneously make you laugh at the media, and leave you cringing that the story may be more empirical than satirical. More importantly, they bear witness to the destructive impact the blurred line between news and entertainment has on our children and our society.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Extras: Trailer.

Mean Streets 8/10

2006-05-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

Mean Streets (R) 1973
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Drama-112min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Sandwiched between the release of “The Godfather” in 1972 and “the Godfather II” in 1974, Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets chronicles the lives of small time hoods in New York City. Scorsese co-wrote the screenplay and enlisted the talents of relative unknowns, Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro, to play the lead roles. Scorsese’s Charlie Cappa Jr. (Keitel) is the conflicted nephew and number runner of mob boss Giovanni (Cesare Danova). Johnny Boy is the volatile punk who once “took a beating” for Charlie. Out of loyalty and compassion, Charlie carries more and more water for the cocky Johnny Boy, protecting him from the circling local loan sharks. Unfortunately, as Johnny Boy’s debt to one particular loan shark grows, so to does Johnny Boy’s bravado and self-destructive behavior. Complicating matters is Charlie’s love for Johnny Boy’s epileptic cousin Teresa (Amy Robinson).

In true Scorsese style, Mean Streets is a semi-autobiographical snapshot of New York’s “Little Italy.” Charlie’s upbringing imbibes him with the conflicting codes of the Mafia and Catholicism. Charlie knows, penance is done on the streets and at home, not silently in a church. He knows he must do penance for every bad deed, but knows penance is not enough; he must change his life. Throughout the movie red overtones and flames foreshadow that Hell awaits sinners like Charlie. Charlie sticks his hands directly into the flames as penance and a reminder of the damnation that awaits him if he does not reform. Coming to terms with his mortality and guilt, Charlie intervenes on Johnny Boy’s behalf, seeking to save Johnny Boy’s physical self and his spiritual self in the process. Keitel, De Niro, Robinson, Richard Romanus (as the loan shark), David Proval (as Tony), and Jeannie Bell (as Diane) all provide stunning performances. Scorsese himself even does a passable job as a Mafia hit man.

Overall, Mean Streets provides fine acting, incredible camera work, great music and many flourishes of avant-grade direction, to back up the action. Although the screenplay is a little rough and unbalanced, nearly every Mafia film since takes away some small part of this film and makes it its own. Stunning in its day, and wearing the test of time quite well, Mean Streets is a classic in the truest sense of the word.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital Mono)
Extras: Cast bios, trailer.

Made 6/10

2006-05-26T12:19:00.000-07:00

Made (R) 2001
Reviewer’s Tilt (9)
Action-94min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Alternate Scenes

Swingers Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn team up again to try to recreate some of the onscreen chemistry of their earlier collaboration. This time Favreau is producing writing directing and acting, while Vaughn acts and co-produces. With more than a nod to Scorsese’s “Mean Streets” Favreau plays blue collar mason Bobby, trying unsuccessfully to become a successful boxer. Bobby and his stripper girlfriend Jessica (Famke Janssen) also work bachelor parties for L.A. mobster Max (Peter Falk). Bobby is the classic “good guy,” trying to get out of the business and make a family with Jessica and her daughter Chloe (Makenzie Vega). When Max offers Bobby the opportunity to do “a job” in New York, Bobby sees his opportunity to make a better life for Jessica and Chloe.

Just like Scorcese’s Charlie, Bobby is laden with an oblivious, but rather obnoxious friend Ricky (Vaughn). Over his better judgment, Max reluctantly agrees to send Ricky along. Lacking even a modicum street smarts or savvy, Ricky’s mouth quickly lands the two in trouble with their NY contact, gangsta Ruiz (Sean “P Diddy” Combs). Vaughn drives a fantastic chemistry between the actors, generating several amusing reactions to his character and peppering the film with some grins. Deep down Ricky is truly a good guy, but his mudflap model T-shirt advertises his complete lack of empathy. He likes everybody; he just cannot understand why nobody but Bobby likes him.

Vaughn actually plays the character too well, annoying not only the other characters, but the audience as well. Adding further distraction is the film’s vacillation from a comedy, to a buddy picture, to a love story to a mob movie, failing to represent any genre particularly well. Impressively shot for a mere $5 Million, the great acting and camera work simply cannot overcome the underlying weakness of the story. I recommend this film only to the most die-hard Swingers fans, and only then if they are in desperate need of a new catch phrase or two. You know how I do.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Favreau and Vaughn commentary, deleted footage, alternate scenes, music cuts, music video, production info, cast and crew bios, trivia and fact track, scene edit workshop, Featurettes: "Independent Filmmaking in America," "Gangster Lifestyle" and "Making the 'Made' Music," trailer, teaser trailer.

Midway 8/10

2006-05-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

Midway (PG) 1976
Reviewer’s Tilt (5)
War-131min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Making of Midway Featurette

Crank up the big screen and plug in the subwoofer; this one is big and loud. Even if your home theater cannot quite replicate the original “Sensurround” experience and the intentionally graininess appears blurry on your new plasma screen, Midway will still leave your heart thumping. Recreating the most pivotal naval battle of WWII, Midway follows United States forces as they track Japan’s elusive fleet of aircraft carriers six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Fate and luck play heavy roles in shifting the advantage, making these true events even larger than life. Told through the fictional character of Captain Matthew Garth (Charlton Heston), the film explores the personal, political and human impact of this decisive victory. Despite being over two hours long, the movie moves quickly, sacrificing neither coherence nor plausibility. The reason this great story took over three decades to hit the big screen was its sheer scale.

Integral to the story are the interaction of several aircraft carriers, dozens of support ships and hundreds of aircraft, many of which were no longer even in existence. To overcome these logistical problems, the film interweaves war footage and scenes from other movies, adding epic scope and realism to the story. Realizing you are watching actual lives being lost adds both a soberness and somberness to the historical tale. The film does a fine job of balancing United States and Japanese jingoism, while highlighting the racial tension of the time. Midway also boldly explores the United States’ deplorable treatment of Japanese Americans during the war.

Despite chronicling one of the United States’ most impressive victories, the film does not fall victim to Japan bashing. Instead, the film portrays the Japanese as intelligent, resourceful and patriotic. The screenplay was so objective in its portrayal of the Japanese, that it was able to land Toshirô Mifune in the role of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. The quality and the objectivity of the storyline, led to the film playing extremely well even in Japan. In addition to Heston and Mifune, the film boasts the talents of Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Hal Holbrook, Robert Mitchum, Pat Morita, Glenn Ford, and Robert Wagner. Look closely and you might even catch a glimpse of burgeoning newcomers Tom Selleck and Erik Estrada.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital Mono)
Extras: Featurettes: "They Were There," "The Making of Midway," John Williams’ score, Sensurround, Additional scenes shot for television, photos, trailer, production notes.

Saving Silverman 4/10

2006-05-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

Saving Silverman (R) 2001
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Comedy-95min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Saving Silverman boasts lots of jokes, but little humor. There are some very funny, sophomoric and crude jokes; they just do not happen to appear in this movie. Actually, having watched the DVD, I had to go back and rewatch the trailer to make sure all of the trailer scenes were in the movie. I just could not believe the previous ninety-five minutes had contained thirty seconds of humor. Kudos to the trailer team; the movie does not do your efforts justice. The story involves Darren Silverman (Jason Biggs) being swept off his feet and away from his buddies, by the very fetching Judith (Amanda Peet). While the buddies J.D. (Jack Black) and Wayne (Steve Zahn) initially support Silverman’s fling, they quickly become concerned about Judith’s darker side. Finding themselves not up to the task, they enlist their old ex-con, sociopathic coach (R. Lee Ermey) to set things straight.

There are some tepidly humorous references to Neil Diamond, and Black’s Tenacious D cohort Kyle Gass is very amusing as a forlorn lounge lizard, but that is all there is. The story has potential, it just falters under the paralyzing dead weight of an unfunny script. Unfunny movies are a dime a dozen, but this one is a real travesty of wasted talent. I understand casting Jason Biggs and Steve Zahn, but it is simply selfish and unconscionable to waste the talents of Ermey and Black in a film this poor. While Black and Ermey perform admirably, these shiny nuts are simply not enough to make the remaining lump of excrement palatable.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Extras: Director commentary, deleted scenes; production info; Easter eggs, trailer.

Rififi 9/10

2006-05-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

Rififi (NR) 1955
Reviewer’s Tilt (9)
Foreign-118min
Special DVD Features worth a look- Interview with Jules Dassin

Pay particular attention to the 9 Reviewer’s Tilt on this one. If you do not like black and white, foreign, noir, or bank robbery films, you will not like Rififi. Actually, I take that back, this movie is so good, even if you hate all of those genres, you might like it despite yourself. Blacklisted director Jules Dassin moved to France to make this criminal masterpiece. Filled with ex-cons, hardened criminals, tough guys, sultry prostitutes, smoky songstresses, weasely jewel thieves and strong women, Rififi stands as the definitive film noir. All every-guy-has-a-job-to-do heist pictures, from Kubrick’s The Killing, to last year’s Ocean’s Eleven, take a page out of Rififi’s playbook. Quentin Tarantino is such a fan of this picture, he even borrowed some of its atmosphere for Reservoir Dogs. Despite their ubiquity in other films, however, Rififi’s low-tech, well-orchestrated scenes maintain their freshness and honesty. Their realism makes you forget you have seen it all before, and makes you realize this is where the scenes were born, and why they never quite fit in any other picture.

The action revolves around a meticulously planned jewel robbery. Aging ex-con Tony le Stephanois (Jean Servais) yearns to celebrate his recent parole with one last big heist. After smacking his girlfriend around, he enlists friends and fellow criminals Jo (Carl Möhner) and Mario (Robert Manuel) to assist with the thievery. Cesar le Milanais, a skillful Italian safecracker (Director Jules Dassin) rounds out the team. While the story does involve gambling, kidnapping, beatings and killings, its crown jewel is the heist itself. Devoid of dialogue and high tech gimmicks the robbery itself relies on masterful acting, direction and cinematography to engross the viewer. Although the story becomes a little melodramatic near its conclusion, Rififi stands leagues above its imitators, stunning audiences with its no-holds-barred tough guy tale.

Format: Black & White, Full Screen, Closed captioned.
Sound: French (Dolby Digital Mono)
Extras: Interview with Jules Dassin, production stills, design drawings, trailer

Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her 4/10

2006-05-24T10:21:00.001-07:00

Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her (PG-13) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (4)
Drama-109min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Miss this one at the theaters? Do not feel bad, so did everyone else. Oh yeah, a few artsy types frequenting art houses in San Francisco might have had the pleasure, but for the rest of us, the experience is strictly relegated to the small screen. Other the short art house runs, the film went straight to Showtime and DVD. Although the direct-to-video route is typically reserved for bad, low budget animation and slasher flicks, this film is neither, actually winning awards at both Cannes and Sundance. Borrowing the talents of Holly Hunter, Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, Amy Brenneman, Calista Flockhart and Kathy Baker, each for a one week stint, “Things You Can Tell” parlays a miniscule $2 Million budget into an engaging tale, interweaving the lives of seven, very different women. Hunter plays a single bank manager, living the lie that her adulterous affair is not eroding her soul. Close, is a doctor, seeking the warmth and companionship her aging mother cannot provide. Brenneman and Diaz play single sisters, one overprotective and the other blind, but incredibly resilient. Flockhart plays a woman witnessing cancer slowly and painfully steep the life out of her lover (Valeria Golino). Kathy Baker plays a divorced mother enchanted by her vertically challenged neighbor, played skillfully by Danny Woodburn.

The stories never shock or astound, but simply engage the viewer in the ebbs and flows of the complex lives of women. Never losing sight of the premise that “Only a fool would speculate about the life of a woman” the film uncovers many subtle similarities and several distinct differences in the decidedly diverse lives. Make no mistake; this is first and foremost a movie for women. It just so happens to be told so well, the rest of us cannot help learning a thing or two about how little we actually know about the women that surround us.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Trailer.

Dark City 6/10

2006-05-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

Dark City (R) 1998
Reviewer’s Tilt (9)
Sci-Fi-100min
Special DVD Features worth a look- Commentary by Roger Ebert

In a classic case of sacrificing the forest for some very meticulously crafted trees, Writer/Director Alex Proyas draws us into his eerily noir universe. The acting is great: Rufus Sewell is haunting, Jennifer Connelly is mesmerizing, William Hurt is stunning and Richard O’Brian is positively inhuman. The acting takes a back seat only to the great direction and masterful camera work. The problem lies with the story. Obviously, every Sci-Fi flick requires a certain suspension of belief. Dark City, however, sets us up, and then refuses to play by its own rules. Proyas gives us beings with the power to create completely furnished buildings with their minds, but for some reason, they have to create a candelabra and physically place it in the building. Why it the candelabra different than the chandelier, or the flatware that came with the building? Roger Ebert explains this in his commentary, but the explanation does not make the scenes any less distracting.

Keifer Sutherland unconvincingly plays a doctor with an affected speech pattern, which leaves him sounding like a cross between Peter Lorie and “Stevie” from Malcolm in the Middle. The doctor’s daily chores would appear to take months, but are evidently completed in a matter of hours every night. The worst part, however, is the dues ex machina conclusion, manufacturing a hero from whole cloth. Throughout the film, the existentialist in me yearned to be drawn in, projected, into the film. I wanted to feel “How do I know this is not happening to me, right here, right now.” Needless McGuffins and numerous plot flaws, however, made this impossible. This is not a bad movie; the tragedy is that it could have been a true masterpiece. Watch Dark City for its acting, set designs, special effects and attention to detail; just remember to check reason at the door.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Director, co-writer, cinematographer and production designer commentary. Commentary by Roger Ebert, production notes, Metropolis comparison, set designs, Neil Gaiman analysis, interactive game, and trailer.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? 8/10

2006-05-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (PG-13) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Comedy-106min
Special DVD Features worth a look- Coen brothers interview.

After The Big Lebowski, I was afraid that the Coen Brothers had lost their mojo. O Brother has reaffirmed my faith in the talented twosome. Although they base the movie on Homer's Odyssey, the Coen Brothers claim never to have read the underlying work. Strange as it may seem, however, this is not necessarily a weakness. Allusions to the Greek tragedy include Homer’s title character and wife, lotus-eaters, sirens, Helios’ crazed bovine massacre and the blind seer Tiresias. While there are additional, more obscure references, these are, thankfully, more of the “Nudge, nudge, wink, wink” variety, unassociated with any critical plot device. The tale involves three erstwhile chain gangers, George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson, desperately seeking a multimillion-dollar fortune.

Along the way, they encounter a Faustian musician, some luscious lovelies, a brazen bank robber and an accomplice with an unfortunate lack of forks in his family tree. Astute acting neatly complements the crisp and impossibly witty dialogue. The cinematography is splendid and the music is magical. As with most Coen brothers’ movies, and Homer's Odyssey as well, the start and end of the tale take a back seat to the intervening adventure. Sit back and enjoy the trip, as overzealous analysis and Draconian attention to logic will most certainly spoil all the fun.
Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (DTS 5.1 Surround), (Dolby Digital 5.1)

Extras: Director, writer and cast interviews, making of featurette, "Painting With Pixels" featurette; script/storyboard/scene comparison; "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow" music video; trailer.

Killing Zoe 7/10

2006-05-24T09:01:00.001-07:00

Killing Zoe (R) 1994
Reviewer’s Tilt (9)
Action-96min
Special DVD Features worth a look- None

This debut film by Director Roger Avary won him best film awards at Italy's MystFest and Japan's Yubari International Film Festival as well as a Prix Tres Special award at Cannes. Often compared to buddy Quenten Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, Killing Zoe does not include the complex story lines and jumbled temporal flow of a true breakneck film. This is not a criticism, merely a description. Killing Zoe is a manic French bank heist; a kind of Rififi on acid. Like many breaknecks, however, Killing Zoe revolves around good people involved in bad situations. Zed (Eric Stoltz) is an American safecracker who meets up with the captivating French prostitute Zoe (Julie Delphi). Although Zed is a criminal, he does not want to actual hurt anyone and although Zoe is a prostitute, she only turns tricks occasionally to pay her way through art school. While this “good in the bad” may be a little hard to swallow, it is easy to understand that this is how these characters actually perceive themselves, how everyone perceives themselves.

Even the worst of us rationalize our actions as a product of circumstance. In the film, Zed travels to Paris to meet up with his childhood criminal cohort Eric (Jean-Hugues Anglade) to pull off a Bastille Day bank heist. Zed, Eric and a miscreant mob of bank robbers, including Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp, spend the first half of the film planning the robbery. This “planning” involves ten minutes of pouring over bank blueprints and several days of pushing the envelope of human opiate toxicity. Although this half of the film introduces the characters, and sets up their relationships, it is far too long and moves at an excruciatingly slow pace.

Fortunately, the second half of the film pushes the pedal to the metal, with incredible pacing, great presence and a refreshing lack of flaws. Not for the squeamish, the final half of the film expertly weaves action, violence, suspense, drama and dark humor into an impressive tapestry. The story is tense, the acting superb and the action lively. If you can stay awake past the halfway point, and do not mind a little salacious violence, Killing Zoe has a lot to offer.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Cast and crew info, production notes, trailer.

Rollerball 7/10

2006-05-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

Rollerball (R) 1975
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Sci-Fi-125min
Special DVD Features worth a look- Jewison commentary

The year is 2018 and corporations have supplanted traditional governments. The corporations stifle individual achievement, and promote team effort, driving the point home with the bloodsport Rollerball. Rollerball is a violent cross between roller derby and ultimate fighting, played on a sloped circular rink with roller skates, motorcycles and a sold metal ball. A microcosm of the corporate environment, Rollerball rewards teamwork and punishes individual accomplishment. Against the odds, however, one athlete, Jonathan E. (James Caan) rises above his fellow teammates, unwittingly undermining the collective philosophy and becoming an inspiration to the proletariat.

Enter corporate head Bartholomew (John Houseman), keen to dial up the violence and vindicate the corporate philosophy. The conclusion is predictable, but the stunts are engaging and the special effects impressive, having been accomplished without any GCI. Ironically, director Norman Jewison uses this rough and tumble vehicle to vilify gratuitous violence and warn of the dangers of capitalism run amok. The film sanitizes the blood from the gore, focusing more on the cerebral carnage being done outside the rink.

The story plods a little, missing several opportunities to build suspense and create a truly creepy futuristic vision ala A Clockwork Orange and Metropolis. Rollerball is a valiant effort, but its failure to build suspense or move the action, along undermine a story with much unrealized potential.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Director commentary, trivia, behind the scenes featurette, interactive game, trailer.

Killing Zoe 7/10

2006-05-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Tao of Steve 9/10

2006-05-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Tao of Steve (R) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (6)
Romantic Comedy-87min
Special DVD Features worth a look- Commentary track

American’s are great. We are so engulfed in slacking off, that we bring every brain cell to bear on the matter of increasing the efficiency of our lives to maximize our slacking. In the Tao of Steve, erstwhile lothario Dex (Donal Logue) has become horizontally challenged in the ten years since college, but has not had any less trouble courting the fairer sex. Since his school days, Dex, no less the libertine, has honed his skill into a philosophy of life—the Tao of Steve. Having little to do with outward aesthetic the philosophy focuses on projecting disinterest
in the pursuit of women. Dex has perfected his approach to the point where it does not matter how fat, slovenly, lazy or poor he becomes, the technique still works. A meeting with an attractive former classmate Syd (Greer Goodman), however, convinces Dex that there may be more to life. Dex becomes concerned that his philosophy may be dragging him away from true love and toward the hell that is his life of ennui. His conquests, being so easily taken, wind up being unfulfilling notches on a bedpost. He realizes that he is equally parts suave Don Juan and existential Kierkegaard, both of whom were so afraid of love that they died lonely and alone.

Dex’s catharsis leads him from the Tao of Steve to the Koan of Syd. He realizes that life is not an algorithm to be identified and solved, but an unmasterable experience, capable of dispensing love to those who succumb to it, and sorrow to those who attempt to conquer it. It is only when we stop trying to “solve” life questions and start “experiencing” life’s mysteries that we learn what it is “to be.” A little heavy on 90’s culture, pop references and impossibly witty existentialist exchanges, the film does exude a certain wit, due in no small part to the effortless delivery of its talented cast. Donal Loge, Greer Goodman and David Aaron Baker imbibe the movie with the effortless charm missing from most romantic comedies and indie films. The writing, complements of real life “Dex” Duncan North, director Jenniphr Goodman and her sibling, leading lady Greer Goodman, is crisp and lively, although, like my own, occasionally overwrought and pedantic. Despite the occasional wart, as lighthearted indie films go, this is one is one to take home to mother.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Cast & crew commentary, bios, trailers.

Love and Sex 6/10

2006-05-23T08:32:00.001-07:00

Love and Sex (NR) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (3)
Romantic Comedy-82min
Special DVD Features worth a look- None

The engaging talents and chemistry of Jon Favreau and Famke Janssen infuse this trite genre with a warm glow. Although the film also stars the talented Cheri Oteri, she has roughly the same screen time and number of lines as a rather ubiquitous cheese sandwich. Janssen plays Kate Wells, an attractive thirtyish single female, bouncing from one unhealthy relationship to the next. As a writer for the Cosmoesque magazine “Monique”, Kate turns in a how too on the Do’s and Don’ts of proper fellaciation. Tired of such tripe, Kate’s boss lays down an ultimatum: Kate can either turn in substantive piece on relationships within the next twenty four hours or she can clean out her desk. Kate sulks back to her desk to reflect on life lessons learned through her many failed relationships. From her twisted high school French teacher to the married man trying to recapture his fleeting youth, Kate waxes philosophic on the remote potential for permanence in any relationship. Analyzing her former suitors, Kate’s thoughts continually return to Adam Levy (Favreau).

Although ennui was the only flaw in their relationship, it was enough to start a rip that split the relationship in two. It is tough to portray a relationship going from giddy newness to irritating boredom over the course of forty minutes, but Favreau and Janssen do a phenomenal job. Kate focuses on the inevitable “no fault” stagnation of any relationship and incredible mutual effort necessary to keep it alive. She realizes no relationship can ever be as fresh as it first appeared. She realizes that with time comes complacency and accommodation. What she cannot see is that with time also comes a growth and a synergy, infinitely more powerful and lasting than any first encounter. This realization requires a maturity neither Kate nor Adam possess. Although physically mature, Kate and Adam are emotionally stunted, Kate because of her many unhealthy relationships and Adam because of a dearth of experience with the fairer sex. The two have fallen in and out of love before, but this time is different. The story follows their mutual introspection, seeking a maturity sufficient to sustain their relationship beyond the shiny newness. The story is trite, but thankfully does not debase itself with senseless male bashing or ridiculous plot twists. This film survives on the clever banter and Protean interaction between the lead actors. And sometimes, just sometimes, that is enough.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Movie synopsis, cast and crew info, trailer.

North by Northwest 7/10

2006-05-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

North by Northwest (NR) 1959
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Suspense-136min
Special DVD Features worth a look- None

Classic Hitchcock aplomb tangles Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) in a web of mistaken identity and international espionage. Grant, at his best as boring businessman Thornhill, enlists a single-minded focus to convince big time bad guys (James Mason and Martin Landau) that he is not the arch spy they seek. Thornhill hops and engages in a little pickle me tickle me with an attractive mystery woman (Eva Marie Saint). Love, suspense and intrigue track Thornhill across the country, culminating in a South Dakotan cliffhanger. The chemistry between the three main actors is pure magic. Grant is impeccably suave, Marie Saint is satisfyingly sultry, and James Mason is fiendishly evil. Hitchcock’s direction and Bernard Hermann's score provide the perfect backdrop for the talented trio.

The only flaw lies in the story itself. Somewhat slow moving, the real crime is the utter absurdity of it all. It is implausible that the mistaken identity portrayed in the movie would progress as far as it does. The problem is especially hard to follow in the case of Mason’s character that is supposed to be a brilliant spy. It is simply inconceivable that such a brilliant intelligence operative would be so easily duped, especially when Grant’s character will do anything to prove his true identity. Add this to the ridiculous 50’s in-car camera shots and the warts begin to become a little distracting. All in all, however, the good definitely outweighs the bad in this entertaining romp across Cold War America. I realize, of course, that giving this film anything less than an unmitigated 10 is pure heresy, so please forward all requests for my head on a pike directly to trout@bretttrout.com.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Photos, production info, Behind-the-scenes Featurette, Screenwriter commentary, trailer.

The City of Lost Children 10/10

2006-05-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

The City of Lost Children (R) 1995
Reviewer’s Tilt (10)
Foreign-112min
Special DVD Features worth a look- Director/Actor Commentary

The City of Lost Children is a fresh twist on the artsy post apocalyptic genre. While dark and twisted, the film details entertaining characters interacting along an inspired storyline. The typical effects laden, post-apocalypse film contemplates the sad lot of its one-dimensional characters. By contrast, this film focuses on complex characters, transcending their squalid surroundings, in search of their own preconceptions of love, loyalty, honesty and happiness. The plot revolves around the slow, but good-hearted sideshow strongman “One” (Ron Perlman). One is searching for his kidnapped ward Denree (Joseph Lucien), secreted off to a hidden laboratory by Krank (Daniel Emilfork), a genetically flawed madman. Krank cannot dream, and must extract the pleasant dreams of children to stop his premature aging. One allies himself with nine-year old Miette (Judith Vittet), leader of a gang of orphan thieves. Together they set off on the Herculean task of rescuing Denree.

Along the way, the two encounter clones, murder, bottled dreams and some rather ingenious trained fleas. The sets, costumes (Jean-Paul Gaultier), CGI, cinematography, effects, direction, screenwriting and direction all gel perfectly into a milestone of movie making magic. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet picks at the film on the commentary track, but most of his perceived flaws remain invisible to the viewer. The story is fresh, the acting superb, the costumes incredible, the sets stunning and the direction flawless. The film could easily be mistaken for collaboration between Federico Fellini, Terry Gilliam, Salvador Dali, Alex Proyas and the Wachowski brothers. The result is even more than the sum of its incredible parts. From the overlapping dialogue of the ruthless conjoined twins, to the hilarious expressions of the clones, to the deadpan brain in a tank, the film rivets the viewer with a precise mix of action, humor, suspense, horror and drama. In French with English subtitles, this dark glance is not for everyone, but for fans of the genre, The City of Lost Children is not to be missed.

Format: Color, Pan and scan, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Commentary by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Lead Actor Ron Perlman, Costume Design Gallery, Production Sketch Gallery, Trailer.

Citizen Kane 10/10

2006-05-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

Citizen Kane (NR) 1941
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Drama-119min
Special DVD Features worth a look- Roger Ebert Commentary

You simply cannot make a movie like this. You cannot eliminate cuts in scenes. You cannot have everything in focus throughout the film. You cannot have the entire cast making a screen debut. You cannot make a movie attacking the most powerful man in the world. You cannot give a first time 25 year old director complete control over the entire process. Thank goodness no one told Director Orson Welles what cannot be done. Although not without flaws, Citizen Kane merits is legendary praise. From the revolutionary "deep focus' cinematography to the adroit use of overlapping dialogue, this film represents a landmark celluloid masterpiece. Kane (Orson Welles) is a young boy ripped from his mother's arms, ironically, as a result of newfound wealth. When Kane's mother's (Agnes Moorehead) land literally becomes a goldmine, she reluctantly abdicates motherhood to give her boy a taste of the well heeled.

Black and white imagery imparts a mythical aspect to the story. Huge props and seamless special effects impart wealth and grandeur to the entire film. Ostensibly a caricature of William Randolph Hearst, Kane is actually a composite of wealthy men who wield power in an almost childlike attempt to gain love and acceptance. Welles is a genius, but heavyweights Gregg Toland (cinematographer), Herman L. Mankiewicz (screenwriter), and Bernard Herrmann (composer) arguably bring their best efforts to bear on this picture. Add in the talents of Welles’ radio Mercury Theatre players, (including Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane, and Agnes Moorehead) and you get a slight cut above simple genius. This film requires active participation on the part of the viewer, and the commentaries are invaluable to the neophyte. While not your typical bubble gum fare, this film rewards concentration with an experience that will last a lifetime.

Format: Black and White, Fullscreen, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Extras: Biographer Peter Bogdanovich Commentary, Roger Ebert commentary, original 1941 movie premiere, storyboard, rare photos, alternate ad campaign, studio and personal correspondence, call sheets and other memorabilia, trailer.

Face Off 3/10

2006-05-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

Face Off (R) 1997
Reviewer’s Tilt (7)
Action-140min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Teaming action director John Woo with great casting and a new twist on an old story sounds great on paper. Unfortunately, the devil is in the details. Like most of Woo’s films, “Face Off” is designed more for visual, rather than cerebral stimulation. Woo does what he does best, stringing along a sequence of “over the top” action scenes with just the slightest nod to a cohesive storyline. The action scenes are well done, but not the spectacle one would expect from such an accomplished action director. The plot pits FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) against criminal masterminds Castor and Pollux Troy (Nicolas Cage and Alessandro Nivola).

For those of you keeping score at home, Castor and Pollux, were the twin sons of the Roman god Jupiter, and were revered for assisting the Romans in battle. Archer’s search for Troy covers land, sea and air, well . . . almost air. In scenes only marginally shy of comic book hyperbole, Archer and Troy switch faces and take on each other’s lives. The film accepts and embraces the intuitive implausibility of the situation, through the use of wry one-liners and droll glances. The obliviousness of ambient characters to Travolta and Cage flowing in and out of character, however, greatly diminishes the dramatic impact of what is apparently intended as some form of modern soliloquy.

Most importantly, Woo fails to imbibe the films’ complex elements with much needed cohesiveness. Artistic flourishes, like a Judy Garland gunfight and taglines like Castor’s rakish “I could eat a peach for hours” are simply too few in number to overshadow trite fights, cliché dialogue and obvious plot development. Joan Allen, Gina Gershon and Dominique Swain temper the action with some sensitivity, just not enough to compensate for the film’s many flaws.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: None

The Wizard of Oz 9/10

2006-05-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

The Wizard of Oz (G) 1939
Reviewer’s Tilt (5)
Musical-103min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Cast interviews

Regardless of whether you are a kid, a kid at heart, a friend of Dorothy’s, or just really really high, The Wizard of Oz has something for everyone. (For those of you in the last category, be sure to start the “Dark Side of the Moon” immediately after the third MGM lion roar). This is the tale of a young girl, Dorothy (played by a very talented 17 year old Judy Garland) who runs away from home, only to find herself lost in the surreal and magical land of “Oz”. There she meets an anthropomorphic Lion, a Tinman and a Scarecrow. The four team up to find the mythical “Wizard,” the only one, they feel, that can supply the missing pieces of their incomplete lives. Magic, deceit, kidnapping, death, flying monkeys and various show tunes menace the quartet while supplying life lessons to young audiences. Indeed, the only thing this film lacks is the vantage of a five-year-old to fill in the cracks and make it all seem real.

A “must see” for children, I recommend an adult viewing companion to avoid nightmares and inevitable therapy. Although innocuous on its face, only the Bunuel/Dali collaboration Un Chien Andalou can provide an adult some feel for the impact The Wizard of Oz has on the minds of young children. Although it could be the musical numbers that cause this film to linger in the dark recesses of a child’s psyche well into adulthood, it is more likely the classic battle of good versus evil that provides such a lingering finish. Devoid of any shade of gray, good and evil manifest themselves in many forms throughout the movie. The innocence of childhood simply magnifies this battle to apocalyptic proportion. The film concludes that God is a fake, and that it is nothing more than base Freudian insecurities that govern our lives. Pretty heavy stuff for the Power Ranger set.

If you cannot resurrect the five year old in you to watch this film, watch it with a five year old. Only through their eyes can you polish the flaws and feel the magic. If you never saw this film as a child, and have no children to view it through, it will still impress. It will simply not that which you take to your grave in a small dark recess of your mind.

Format: B&W and Color, Fullscreen, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), (Dolby Digital Mono), French (Dolby Digital Mono)
Extras: “Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and “Making Of” featurettes, musical outtakes, newsreels, cast interviews, script, recording sessions, vintage movie and cartoon clips, trailers.

Don’t Say a Word 4/10

2006-05-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

Don’t Say a Word (R) 2001
Reviewer’s Tilt (7)
Action-113min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Actor Commentaries

If you had never seen any other suspense film, you might find Don’t Say a Word entertaining, not great, but entertaining. If you have seen at least one other suspense film, save yourself the four bucks. You have seen it before, albeit likely in the context of a much more plausible storyline. The plot here revolves around a gang of ruthless jewel thieves, bent on reclaiming their missing booty. Compounding the problem is that only a catatonic mental patient (Brittany Murphy) knows the whereabouts of the cache. The baddies hatch a plot to kidnap the daughter of the catatonic’s mild-mannered psychiatrist (Michael Douglas), to force him to draw the information out of his patient. There is a lot of action and some nice acting, but the film is crippled by a series of implausible contrivances segueing the ridiculous plot twists. As just one example there is a 98.5% probability that the random number the crooks seek would not have worked with the plot twist that leads them astray. Such unbelievable devices, hackneyed bits and plot flaws all converge toward a ridiculously contrived and ultimately unsatisfying finale.

Much like Director Gary Fleder’s earlier effort, Things To Do In Denver When You Are Dead, Don’t Say a Word ends up as nothing more than so much unrealized potential. The plot is an amalgam of dozens of other movies, so many in fact, that identifying them all would supplant this review. Lifting so much, so poorly, from so many other great films, leaves this film without its own identity. Rent one of the template Hitchcock movies instead. You will be glad you did.
Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (DTS 5.1 Surround), (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Director interview and commentary, Commentaries by Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, Brittany Murphy, Famke Janssen and Oliver Platt, storyboards, production workshop, screen test, making-of featurette, cast and crew info, trailer.

All Quiet on the Western Front 8/10

2006-05-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

All Quiet on the Western Front (NR) 1930
Reviewer’s Tilt (7)
War-130min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Production notes

Erich Maria Remarque’s story remains as impressive an achievement today as it was in 1929. Recognizing this potential, Universal obtained the movie rights, threw over a million dollars and thousands of people at the project, and garnered two Academy Awards (including Best Picture) in the process. The film follows a group of young German classmates into war. Whipped into a patriotic frenzy by their zealous teacher, the boys dream of heroism and adventure. Cruel training and horrific battles quickly supplant fervor with despair. Battle whittles their number, but the psychological toll is even more devastating. The boys actually begin to congratulate the wounded for getting a ticket out of the war. A discussion of wartime tactics by noncombatants brings home the chilly realization that only the killers and their victims are able to grasp the futility and wrongness of war.

The dialogue and acting are trite and stilted. The special effects are crude and distracting. The audio and video are barely intelligible. The focus and vision, however, come across completely untarnished. The fact that the Polish decried the movie as pro-German and the German’s decried it as anti-German is evidence that the movie strikes a nerve in everyone. At its core, the film is a painfully accurate reflection of the governments and attitudes in place during WWI, and, unfortunately, still in place today. As the seminal work in the genre, this film, despite its many flaws, is still a “must see.”

Format: B&W, Full Screen, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital Mono)
Extras: Production notes, trailer.

Caligula 2/10

2006-05-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

Caligula (Unrated Version) 1979
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Drama-156min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, Caligula (little baby boots) to his friends, ruled most of the free world from 37-41 A.D. After orchestrating the death of the evil syphilitic Emperor Tiberius, the soulless and psychopathic Emperor Caligula wrought torture and death on his people and even his own family members. Caligula’s reign is the least documented and, as a result, Caligula’s legacy is left one of unabashedly libidinous orgies and an insatiable sexual appetite. While pleasures of the flesh leading a man to ruin is a tried and true Hollywood formula, this film posts Caligula as a soulless perversion of nature from the first incestuous scenes. Wishing the protagonist dead from the opening scenes does not bode well for any movie. But wait, it gets worse. Producer and Penthouse mogul Bob Guccione acts as the film’s black hole, successfully sucking every last drop of talent from such stars as Peter O’Toole (Tiberius), Malcom McDowell (Caligula), Helen Mirren (Caesonia) and Sir John Gielgud (Nerva). Guccione dropped a reported $15-20 Million on the project, but you would not be able to tell it from either the sets or the cinematography, each of which are equally appalling.

If that were not enough, Guccione, thinking the final product lacked the requisite girl-on-girl action, went back and added some of his own “artistic” flourishes. As a result, Director Tinto “Il Maestro” Brass and screenwriter Gore Vidal demanded their names be removed from the project. What remains is a wretched collection of otherwise fine actors, unsuccessfully plodding through this pile of filth, trying to maintain some shred of dignity. The film is almost so bad as to be good. Almost. While a touch of camp could have turned this picture into riotous fun, the uncomfortable seriousness of the actors, and the gratuitous lasciviousness of the subject matter, combine to make this film anything but funny. The film is very bad, but at least it is long. I know there are those of you who will still rent the DVD, thinking the erotica factor will outweigh the annoyance factor. Trust me, it does not. You will simply be left lamenting those nearly three hours of your lives you will never reclaim.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Extras: Production Notes

The Virgin Suicides 9/10

2006-05-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

The Virgin Suicides (R) 1999
Reviewer’s Tilt (6)
Drama-96min
Special DVD Features worth a look- The Making Of The Virgin Suicides

With The Virgin Suicides, screenwriter/director Sophia Coppola pays audiences back the debt she owes them for her performance in The Godfather III. For those of you who have seen The Godfather III, you realize what an accomplishment this film must be. Transforming the best selling novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, Coppola guides the project with the knowing hands of a loving mother. Giovanni Ribisi is perfectly understated as the narrator of this 25-year flashback of a well-heeled Michigan neighborhood. The story follows four neighborhood boys who become infatuated with the teenage Lisbon sisters. Years later, they reexamine the unsettling events leading up to the film’s titular conclusion. Like all great films, the visceral experience rests in the “feel” of the film, rather than in any particular dialogue or visual.

Deft cinematography, casual acting and an adroit soundtrack convey the melancholy of youth, reminding us of the utter vulnerability lurking just below the surface of every teenager. Just like the precipitous infection of the Lisbon’s Elm tree, the virulence of life critically infects the girls, leaving them mere hollow shells, devoid of feeling. Unlike Nabokov’s Lolita, the Lisbon girls exude an accidental sensuality, a sensuality belying their rotting interiors. The true tragedy of adolescence is the indifference with which it doles out pleasure and pain. This film captures that feeling, drawing adults of all ages and all generations back to a time they all cherish, but few would repeat. The Virgin Suicides is a timeless original, destined to become a classic.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Featurette "The Making Of The Virgin Suicides," Air "Playground Love" video; photos, trailer.

Training Day 7/10

2006-05-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

Training Day (R) 2001
Reviewer’s Tilt (7)
Action-120min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Deleted scenes

Bad movies come and go. Moviegoers simply accept them as the tax levied on the incalculable experience of a truly great film. Much worse than a bad movie, however, is a movie with unrealized potential. That is this film. Denzel Washington plays Alonzo Harris, the hardened undercover cops stopping crime using whatever means necessary. If one must commit crimes to stop crimes, then so be it; the end justifies the means. Ethan Hawke plays Jake Hoyt, up and coming golden boy, looking to land his detective shield his first day out of uniform. Conflict between new school and old school frames the opening scenes. Old school wins out, backed by unquestionable brute force and sociopathic drive. On his first day on the job Hoyt witnesses adultery, prostitution, threats, drug usage, beatings, theft, murder and conspiracy. And that is just the good guys. Comparatively, the bad guys do not seem all that bad.

Deleted scenes flesh out the story, but were obviously left on the cutting room floor to maintain the action at a fever pitch. The tension is impressive, but the tale is strong enough to have weathered some additional flesh and a more satisfying conclusion. Additionally, although Washington is a fine actor, he simply could not cross that line from functioning human to sociopathic criminal. Perhaps it was a glint in his eye or a curl of his lip, but there was never a point I would have felt uncomfortable asking him for a cigarette. Perhaps I have seen too many real bad guys. Their cool indifference to human life is not easily replicated, even by the most skilled thespian. Notwithstanding, the acting and ubiquitous ad lib are impressive overall, maintaining a high level of tension throughout the film. Just do not anticipate a rational conclusion on par with the first ninety minutes.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Director commentary, deleted scenes, alternate ending, Making of Featurette, Nelly and Pharoahe Monch music videos, trailer

Manchurian Candidate 9/10

2006-05-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

Manchurian Candidate (PG-13)
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Thriller-129min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

"You gotta give it everything . . . and sometimes that's not even enough." director John Frankenheimer was quoted as saying. The Manchurian Candidate embodies this mantra and, at least in this instance, demonstrates that “everything” is more than enough. This magnificent film stands toe to toe with the greatest thrillers of all time. Screenwriter George Axlerod artfully crafts Richard Condon’s novel into a heart-pounding screenplay. The direction and source material wring once-in-a-lifetime performances from Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Angela Lansbury. The story focuses on Raymond Shaw (Harvey), an army sergeant who single-handedly saves his military patrol from certain death. Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor, events surrounding his heroism have left him strangely cold and distracted.

Even the vice-presidential campaign of his Joe McCarthesque stepfather (James Gregory) fails to invigorate the war-ravaged veteran. When another soldier in his outfit, Maj. Bennett Marco (Sinatra) begins to have startling visions of what actually happened, a riveting cold war cloak and dagger drama begins to unravel. The film marks America’s abrupt transition from naiveté to paranoia. Wedged between the height of McCarthyism and the slaying of JFK, the Manchurian Candidate played the then rudderless country for all it was worth. Although many scenes in the film might have qualified as hyperbole prior to the Assassination of JFK, the chill and paranoia engendered in that single act have left us a country fearful of faceless foreign enemies and distrustful of our leaders’ ability to keep them in check.

Not surprisingly, the hyperparanoia angle plays even better today, heightened by America’s post 9-11 xenophobia. The political backdrop of the last three decades, however, does temper some of the black comedy. Ridiculously vacuous politicians and fatal foreign conspiracies of recent memory transform much of the film’s satire. Viewed through millennium colored glasses, the intentionally satirical scenes often play more as Oliver Stone type docuconspiracy than comedy noir. For these reasons, the film is even more powerful and revered today than it was upon its debut. If that still does not convince you, be advised that the subtleties Angela Lansbury infuses into her a “mother” character are more perverted than anything that lurks in the darkest of children’s nightmares. Her performance alone merits a rental.

Format: B&W, Pan and scan and widescreen, Closed captioned.
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (French), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (Spanish)
Extras: Director commentary, Interviews with Frankenheimer, Axelrod and Sinatra. Trivia, Production notes, Trailer.

The Tao of Steve 9/10

2006-05-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

The Tao of Steve (R) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (6)
Romantic Comedy-87min
Special DVD Features worth a look- Commentary track

Americans are great. We are so engulfed in slacking off, that we bring every brain cell to bear on the matter of increasing the efficiency of our lives to maximize our slacking. In the Tao of Steve, erstwhile lothario Dex (Donal Logue) has become horizontally challenged in the ten years since college, but has not had any less trouble courting the fairer sex. Since his school days, Dex, no less the libertine, has honed his skill into a philosophy of life—the Tao of Steve. Having little to do with outward aesthetic the philosophy focuses on projecting disinterest in the pursuit of women.

Dex has perfected his approach to the point where it does not matter how fat, slovenly, lazy or poor he becomes, the technique still works. A meeting with an attractive former classmate Syd (Greer Goodman), however, convinces Dex that there may be more to life. Dex becomes concerned that his philosophy may be dragging him away from true love and toward the hell that is his life of ennui. His conquests, being so easily taken, wind up being unfulfilling notches on a bedpost. He realizes that he is equally parts suave Don Juan and existential Kierkegaard, both of whom were so afraid of love that they died lonely and alone. Dex’s catharsis leads him from the Tao of Steve to the Koan of Syd.

Dex realizes that life is not an algorithm to be identified and solved, but an unmasterable experience, capable of dispensing love to those who succumb to it, and sorrow to those who attempt to conquer it. It is only when we stop trying to “solve” life questions and start “experiencing” life’s mysteries that we learn what it is “to be.” A little heavy on 90’s culture, pop references and impossibly witty existentialist exchanges, the film does exude a certain wit, due in no small part to the effortless delivery of its talented cast. Donal Loge, Greer Goodman and David Aaron Baker imbibe the movie with the effortless charm missing from most romantic comedies and indie films. The writing, complements of real life “Dex” Duncan North, director Jenniphr Goodman and her sibling, leading lady Greer Goodman, is crisp and lively, although, like my own, occasionally overwrought and pedantic. Despite the occasional wart, as lighthearted indie films go, this is one is one to take home to mother.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Cast & crew commentary, bios, trailers.

Chopper 9/10

2006-05-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

Chopper (R) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (9)
Drama-90min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Director/Author Commentaries

Eric Bana (2003’s “The Hulk”) delivers uncanny bravura in this fictionalized account of Australia’s most notorious criminal. Erstwhile comedian Bana supplants cute, whimsical Paul Hoganesque Australian stereotypes with a steely cold ruthlessness we have not seen since “Mad Max”. With dead eyes, Bana portrays Mark “Chopper” Read both in and out of prison. Panache, the sine quo non of a cult classic, flows in waves throughout the movie. From bolt cuttering a victim’s toes, to ordering his own ears sliced off to avoid a prison hit, Chopper Read is a true original, in the utmost sociopathic sense of the word. The film does take artistic license with actual events, but is not billed as a biography. Rather, the film is simply a medium to convey a sense of an acutely disturbed soul.

Chopper Read himself wrote the underlying book upon which this movie was based, but Bana and Director/Screenwriter Andrew Dominik are the true auteurs of this work. Bana’s lifeless visage and curiosity over the psychopathic actions of his own character frame well within Dominik’s artful guidance. It is not so much the actions themselves: the stabbings, beatings, shootings, sex and drugs that transform the audience into perverse rubberneckers. It is much more the riveting direction and the particular portrayal of the man himself that lends the film such magnetism. As cult status has painted Chopper Read much larger than life, it would have been easy to overplay or “camp up” the role. Bana does neither.

In scenes such as the fight with his girlfriend, Bana seamlessly vacillates the character between predator and prey, embodying the parody that is Chopper. With the inspired assistance of Simon Lyndon, playing Chopper’s erstwhile friend, the film captures a slice of life we all yearn to see and then try to pretend does not exist. Watch this film. You will not forget it. Be forewarned, the violence in this movie is nothing new, but the callousness with which it is delivered should have earned this film an “NC-17” rating. This film is not recommended for anyone under the age of eighteen.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (DTS 5.1 Surround), (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Director and author commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes "Weekend with Chopper," Eric Bana meets Mark "Chopper" Read, trailer.

Sexy Beast 7/10

2006-05-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

Sexy Beast (R) 2001
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Heist-89min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

Noone ever truly appreciates what they have until events conspire to teeter it on the precipice. When all is said and done, one is either left with nothing, or a profound appreciation for that which nearly was lost. Sexy Beast is a quaint, cockney yarn of love, rage, graft and violence, transcending strict genre classification to reveal a tale of modern romance. Gal (Ray Winstone) plays a retired thief passing his days in his remote Spanish villa with his beautiful wife Deedee (Amanda Redman) Gal has grown very much in love with his wife, and, in an unusual twist of double irony, his wife is also very much in love with him. In the opening scene, a deadly boulder foreshadows the turmoil about to enter, and shatter, their earthly heaven.

After a disturbing phone call, Gal, Deedee and their close friends Aitch (Cavan Kendall) and Jackie (Julianne White) discuss the impending visit of an earthbound devil. Don (Ben Kingsley), moniker notwithstanding is not the head of a mob family. He is, however, a seriously miswired sociopath, bent on conscripting Gal for another heist. As is his wont, speak of the devil and the devil appears. Don arrives, charged with directing his “will” to find a “way” to accomplish the impossible. In this case, the impossible is convincing Gal to leave his idyllic life and wife for the proverbial “one last job.” Deedee knows that Gal no longer has the skills or the mettle for the job. Another job would mean a death sentence for Gal and everything they have built together. To even consider the opportunity would be to spit on everything they hold sacred. A mobster himself, Gal would have no trouble turning anyone else down. But Don is different.

Don is a complete void of compassion, coupled with a temper and penchant for violence. As you might imagine, this makes for rather touchy negotiation. Kingsley’s Oscar nominated performance is truly a new take on the gangster heavy. Rather than brute strength, Don’s persuasion rests with his mercurial and volatile nature. The grisliness of Don’s past atrocities remains unspoken, but stands indelibly etched on the faces of Gal, Deedee, Aitch and Jackie. Truly between Scylla and Charybdis, Gal feels the tranquility and peace of his former life quickly fading to memory. The story evolves into a tragic love story, woven with violence and explicatives, refreshing the age old expression “the things we do for love”. Although original in parts and replete with impeccable acting, the story does suffer some plot flaws and has some noticeably spartan production values. Overall, however, Sexy Beast is refreshing, engaging and worth a look.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: Kingsley and Producer Jeremy Thomas commentary, Background Featurette, trailer, trailers for other movies.

Croupier 8/10

2006-05-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

Croupier (NR) 1998
Reviewer’s Tilt (9)
Drama-94min
Special DVD Features worth a look-Deleted scenes
Review
In disembodied first person Clockwork style voice over, Croupier pessimistically compares our lives to those of hapless gamblers. We know the odds are stacked against us, yet we continue to play the games. Gamblers, or “punters” as they are more derogatorily known, however, play their games under the watchful eyes of the croupier (casino dealer). Constantly pulled by the siren song of fast money, the croupier knows better than anyone that to play is to lose. Thus, the cool croupier relegates himself to his addiction of watching others lose.

Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) is the croupier, raised by his croupier father (Nicholas Ball) who taught him all the tricks of the trade. Through his losses both in the casino and in his personal life, Jack’s father also taught Jack that the only way to win is not to play. Punters are sorry sods; the croupier is king. From father to son, the lesson passes -- watching others strive and falter is the only real enjoyment in life. Despite decades of croupier training, Jack is compelled to write the great novel burning deep inside him, yearning to escape. Jack’s publisher regrettably relates to Jack that his novel idea is trite; stories of real life graft and corruption are what sell.

When Jack’s father informs Jack of a casino opening in a small London Casino, Jack snatches the opportunity to parlay his skill into a novel exposing the seedy underbelly of London’s casinos. Unfortunately, Jack’s ex-cop girlfriend sees the job hardening and irreparably changing Jack for the worst. In an attempt to fool himself, Jack creates alter ego “Jake” to bear the brunt of inequity, attempting to maintain Jack both morally and physically unscathed. The absence of any clear delineation between the personas becomes apparent when a lovely punter (Alex Kingston) approaches Jack with a scheme to rob the casino. Jack slowly comes to the realization that no one can have it both ways, either in the casino or in life. You are either in the game, or you are not.

Seasoned veteran director Michael Hodges deftly crafts this tale around the subtle talents of the ultra cool Clive Owen. Owen rules this drama, not with flex and volume, but with glances and nods. Less is truly more, much more, in this low budget escape from the unsatisfying blockbuster suspense films of recent memory. Croupier proves that it is not a large budget, but direction, dialogue and acting that drive the genre.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Extras: None