1998 dir. Jack Perez
Is it a Western? Neo-Noir? Depressing as hell? Strangely funny? Yes. And it stars Eric Roberts in what may have been his most brilliant under-rated role in a long career checkered with them. Brilliant writing by James McManus.
Lethal Force **
2001 dir. Alvin Ecarma
A loving homage to/spoof of the early HK action pics from Tsui Hark and John Woo, this hysterically seriously-played fight-fest contains some of the greatest off-kilter humor and stone-faced performances ever filmed.
Love & a .45 **
1994 dir. C.M Talkington
We love this movie.
Mean Guns *
1997? dir. Albert Pyun
Pyun has done more to make bad-movies unwatchable than anyone since Andy Sidaris, so why is this movie so damn fun to watch? Over the top perfs from Ice T, Chris Lambert, Yuji Okumoto, Michael Halsey, Tina Cote and Thom Matthews help, so does the out-of-place but upbeat mambo soundtrack. Somehow, you can't watch it just once.
Psycho Beach Party *
2000 dir. Robert Lee King
I rented this movie because it starred Nicholas Brendan, of TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His top notch performance was my least favorite part of the movie, which ought to give you an idea how much I loved it. Written by Charles Busch, who adapted it from his successful play. Starring Lauren Ambrose as Chicklette, a wanna-be surfer girl with multiple personalities, it is a campy murder-mystery-surfing-etc. movie full of laughs.
The Raven *
1963 dir. Roger Corman
Loosely (loosely!) based on the Edgar Allen Poe poem of the same name, this film boasts Vincent Price as the vegetarian son of a magician, mourning his wife Lenore, Peter Lorrie as The Raven, and Boris Karloff as the dead father's arch-nemisis. It also has Jack Nicholson in one of his earliest film roles, as Lorrie's son.
Ravenous
1999 dir. Antonia Bird
After this and Best Laid Plans both tanked, many said that writer Ted Griffin would never work again. Then came the remake of Ocean's 11. Which just goes to say, if you don't have something nice to say about someone, shut the fuck up. Now before I discourse about Ted and Scott Frank's conflicting drafts of the Soderburgh pic, Ravenous kicks a lot of ass, mainly due to the cast and the director, who made a far different film than the one Griffin envisioned. I like this one.
Safe Men
1998 dir. John Hamburg
Sam Rockwell, Steve Zahn, Paul Giamatti, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Showalter and Michael Lerner all give performances that say a lot for talent, both theirs and that of writer-director John Hamburg. A truly funny caper film with more warmth and less posing than you would expect� sort of an antidote for all the post-Tarantino crime films that popped up like mushrooms in the mid 90s.
She's So Lovely
1997 dir. Nick Cassavetes
Written by John Cassavetes and lovingly (I mean that) directed by his son. Gena Rolands (widow of John, mother of Nick) has a small role in this movie starring Robin Wright Penn as Sean Penn's ex-wife, now married to John Travolta. This is one of those love stories that makes me want to crawl into bed with my lover and never come back.
Soulkeeper *
2001 dir. Darin Ferriola
If you watch the Sci-Fi channel you might remember seeing ads for this for one weekend. So did I when I saw the box in the video store and thought: "What do I have to lose? I�ll be drunk before I watch it anyway." I proceeded to watch it sober and laugh my ass off. I surprisingly well-made horror/action/comedy, with nekkid boobies, terrific cameos, and Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr. playing cute. Director/writer Darin Ferriola, where are you now!?!?!
The Supergrass
1985 dir. Peter Richardson
A post-Young Ones Adrian Edmonson (and Nigel Planer and Alexei Sayles), a pre-French & Saunders Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, and Robbie Coltrane sinking a sailboat all on his own.
Tempest *
1982 dir. Paul Mazursky
John Cassevetes, Gena Rowlands, Raul Julia, Susan Sarandon, Vittorio Gassman a young Sam Robards and a really young Molly Ringwold in this mid-life-crisis re-telling of Shakespeare�s magical storm. Cassevetes rules
the screen even through Julia�s accomplished stealing. Very poignant, very funny, very good.
The Wicker Man *
1973 dir. Robin Hardy
One of the most famous movies that no one has seen, partially because it was so hard to find for the longest time. Christopher Lee calls it the "most important movie" of his long, long list of credits. Edward Woodward gives
one of the most memorable performances in my memory, and Robin Hardy never directed before, or since.
back to popcorn and blockbuster