The Coen Brothers are responsible for some of the weirdest movies to come down the pike in Hollywood history. Movies like Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink and Miller’s Crossing are examples of their sheer, odd genius. Fargo is their best and most coherent work to date. To give tooContinue Reading
Kevin Smith, responsible for Clerks and Mallrats, is back with the third installment of his “New Jersey Trilogy.” After getting spectacular reviews for Clerks, most critics, including me, panned the disappointing Mallrats for being too juvenile and too quick to go for cheap laughs. Smith apparently took the criticism toContinue Reading
Trainspotting follows Renton (Ewan McGregor) and his band of friends, most of them heroin addicts, through their trials and tribulations on the streets and backrooms of Edinburgh, Scotland. Renton is determined to get off heroin and make something of himself, but routinely falls prey to temptation and returns to theContinue Reading
Albert Brooks’ movies have consistently been intelligent and hilarious, without compromising either quality. Upon hearing his latest movie was about a divorced man moving back in with his mother, I feared that Brooks would “sell out” and attempt a movie that would appeal to the sitcom crowd. Thankfully, I wasContinue Reading
(Note: This is a review of the Special Edition released to theaters in 1997) Ok, maybe this movie was the reason to retool the entire Star Wars series. The original Return of the Jedi was my least favorite of the trilogy. The cuddly Ewoks grated on my nerves. Luke SkywalkerContinue Reading
The 1980’s produced a lot of “teenage sex” movies, most of which are inane and revolting. 1989’s Say Anything is a complete surprise. It’s intelligent, funny, and full of wisdom. John Cusack plays Lloyd Dobler, who is a teenager with the unique goal of being a champion kickboxer. He doesn’tContinue Reading
Movies about the Mafia usually end up either making the mobsters into heroes or degenerating them into caricatures. Donnie Brasco shows the human side of the Mafia, which makes it seem all the more brutal. Johnny Depp plays Joseph Pistone, an undercover FBI agent sent to infiltrate the mob. AsContinue Reading