Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Loosely based on the book series of the same name, The Darwin Awards is a wry indie film that deals with the premise that some people will live long and prosperous lives, while the weaker will weed themselves out by committing unbelievably stupid acts (such as smashing into a high-rise window to prove it’s shatterproof, or using dynamite as a means to make a small hole for ice fishing).
Equal parts weepy drama and soap opera, After the Wedding is a beautifully filmed story centering on Jacob (Mads Mikkelsen, Casino Royale), a Danish man working at a orphanage in Bombay. Just when funds have run desperately low, Jorgen (Rolf Lassgård)–a wealthy benefactor–promises to donate millions of dollars to the orphanage. But there’s a catch. Jacob must collect the funds himself in Copenhagen… and attend the wedding of the eccentric millionaire’s daughter.
Looking over one of the unhappy children in his charge, Tripper says, “You must be the short, depressed kid we ordered.”
Blondie’s Deborah Harry has said that as a little girl, she had hoped Marilyn Monroe was her mother. The fantasy of having a celebrity parent is not lost on 15-year-old Dinky Bossetti (Winona Ryder), who is positive that the glamorous Roxy Carmichael is indeed her birth mother.
As the women argue about Israeli-Palestinian issues, we sense that there is imminent danger. And that suspense ultimately carries more impact than the dialogue, which is well intentioned but often misguided. Portman is gorgeous and does a fine job emoting (and crying), but this is really Laslo’s movie. Appropriately passionate and stoic, she adds dignity (and at times humor) to a film that is thought provoking, but flawed.
Though the plot is as transparent as some of the clothes Vera Farmiga (who plays a stunning doctor) wears, the film is on par with Mark Wahlberg’s more glamorous The Italian Job: an exciting caper that doesn’t make much sense.
Not nearly as raunchy as some of the other teen exploitation films that came out around the same time, “Summer School” is a feel-good movie in which all the characters are clueless, but also kind of likable for some inexplicable reason.
In the “Secret Life of Words,” a wounded man and a hearing impaired woman forge an unlikely relationship that transcends romance. They reach an understanding that speaks as much for the affection they hold for one another, as it does their need to simply be recognized.
Paying homage to both “The Road Warrior” and “The Lost Boys,” “Solarbabies” is set in a futuristic world where water is scarce, children are locked away in orphanages, and a glowing ball of frenetic energy has the power to make dreams a reality.
When three generations of women collide, it isn’t always pretty. In “Georgia Rule,” Lindsay Lohan stars as Rachel, a wild child whose mother Lilly (Felicity Huffman) ships her off to Idaho to be tamed by Georgia (Jane Fonda)–Lilly’s own cantankerous mom.
Oddly enough, the audition tape of Jennifer Hudson, who won an Academy Award for her breakthrough role as Effie, is nowhere to be seen. Sure, we all know what a powerhouse she is today. But it would’ve been nice to see what the filmmakers saw in her back then, when her competition included her “American Idol” castmate (and that season’s winner) Fantasia Barrino.
An over-the-top film co-starring a young and gorgeous Susan Sarandon, “The Other Side of Midnight” is a deliciously melodramatic adaptation of Sidney Sheldon’s sweeping (and often schlocky) novel of the same name.
Before making a name for himself in Hollywood with the Rush Hour franchise, Jackie Chan was already an international superstar, thanks to Hong Kong films such as Police Story and its sequels. While not quite up to par with that film, Police Story 2 (released in 1988) still manages to pack quite the punch, picking up where Police Story left off.
A family film with plenty of heart, “Opal Dream” draws home the point that sometimes you don’t have to see things to believe in them.
Take two male figure skaters, throw in a preposterous storyline, and you’ve got Blades of Glory, a surprisingly funny film that almost makes you forgive Will Ferrell for his back-to-back 2005 clunkers “Kicking & Screaming” and “Bewitched.”
In the sweet family drama “Aurora Borealis,” Joshua Jackson portrays Duncan, a twentysomething former hockey player who deals with the death of his father–10 years prior–by bonding with his grandfather Ronald (Donald Sutherland), whose own health is deteriorating due to the onset of dementia.
Few would have guessed that Yves Saint Laurent idolized beatniks, and even secretly desired to become one. But already known for his impeccable taste and proper upbringing, the fashion designer was reticent to change too much from what brought him fame–haute couture.
Take “Animal House,” throw in a dose of television’s :Bosom Buddies” and you get the Phoebe Cates/Matthew Modine sex farce “Private School.” The 1983 film was shot one year after Cates won fame in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (thanks primarily to her little red bikini), and two years before Modine won rave reviews for his work in “Vision Quest.”
A coming-of-age story starring a bunch of fiftysomething stars rather than teenage actors, “Wild Hogs” is a well-intentioned comedy starring John Travolta (Woody), Tim Allen (Doug), Martin Lawrence (Bobby), and William H. Macy (Dudley) as a group of Midwesterners facing their own versions of mid-life crises.