- Has "Saturday Night Live" Finally Become Saturday Night Dead?
When I was younger I used to watch "Saturday Night Live" faithfully because it always seemed to have enough "funny" to keep me positive and laughing. Saturday Night Live is just not as funny as it used to be. Everything is tired. I believe it is not so much the cast as the cast simply needs better material. Recognize this fact: It does not take a lot of talent to come up with bathroom humor, but does bathroom humor really work that well? I think not. Here is a suggestion to save an institution. - The Living Sea - A Look That We Generally Are Never Able to See
The Living Sea may not be as impressive watching it at home on your television as it would be in an IMAX theater, but it is plenty good enough to merit attention. This 40-minute film was nominated for an Oscar as the Best Documentary for a short subject, and is a good family film for children because it is colorful, interesting and informative. We may not realize it, but we are dependent upon the oceans for survival as 70% of the Earth's oxygen comes from ocean plants. - "Finding Nemo" Earns an Oscar and Wins the Hearts of Children Everywhere
In the never ending battle to find good family films without filth and nasty surprises, Walt Disney Pictures comes to the rescue with "Finding Nemo", an animated film about a fish rescue. Finding Nemo is everything that your average Hollywood film is not, a good, clean, entertaining story with likeable characters. Finding Nemo is anything but all wet, it will give you a good feeling in the dry comfort of your home. Add popcorn and low-sugar drinks, and it makes for a good family night together. - "Chicago" Shows Two Murderesses Who Beat the Rap in a Fight for Fame
The musical "Chicago" is absolutely everything it was cracked up to be. A superb cast of singers and dancers under the direction of Rob Marshall brought Chicago together in a super professional, entertaining romp that generated 13 Oscar nominations and won 6 in addition to 30 wins and 52 nominations from other award groups. Winning Oscars at the Academy Awards were Catherine Zeta-Jones for Best Supporting Actress, Chicago for Best Picture, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction. - "Waking Ned Devine" by Kirk Jones Is the Best Comedy I Have Ever Seen
In crafting "Waking Ned Devine" Kirk Jones has done what dozens of his peers have not done on their best day, and that is both write and direct a film worthy of being called the best. I would put Kirk Jones in the same incredible class of writer/directors as Tim McCanlies in Secondhand Lions. Kirk Jones has given this story heart, risk, honor, integrity, unity, romance, love, tolerance, chicanery and Irish whiskey all rolled into a masterpiece of storytelling. Waking Ned Devine is the funniest film I have ever seen and is also a study in relationships. - "Sad Cypress" Is a Woman Scorned Who Becomes a Suspect in 2 Murders
Sad Cypress presents a suspected "murderer" with so much incriminating evidence that it seems unlikely that she did not do it. Even Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) has cause to question the innocence of Elinor Carlisle (Elisabeth Dermot Walsh) who had the means, the motive and the opportunity to commit two murders and is even convicted of doing so. But Poirot is nobody's fool and does not tolerate apparent murders without intensive and thoughtful investigation. - There Are Only 2 Unsolved Murders? Never to Fear - Hercule Poirot Is Here
The Mystery of The Blue train finds Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) boarding the train for the Riviera when an American heiress is killed. Agatha Christie felt this book was not her best work. I felt The Mystery of The Blue Train was no better or worse than many of her other works. Death in the Clouds is the first film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot series that I consider an average effort. I found this script to be over the top with simply too many suspects and too much meaningless detail. - "Cards on the Table" Murder Mystery Stumps Even the Clever Little Belgian
English mystery writer Agatha Christie must have had her gray cells working overtime in 1936 when she created Cards on the Table, another crime novel featuring her clever little Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It is unusual to see Poirot be flummoxed over a murder investigation, but he is in this one. In Cards on the Table, Poirot almost meets his match in the mysterious Mr. Shaitana, who apparently will go to any lengths to prove his fascination with the perfect murder. - "High School Musical" Gives an Outstanding Message About Acceptance by Teenagers
"High School Musical" represents everything that is right about today's teenagers. We see quality athletes, quality academic students, quality relationships and personal growth which leads to right thinking, right motives and right actions at the appropriate time. High School Musical gets quality direction by Kenny Ortega and quality writing by Peter Barsocchini, who sends an excellent message about acceptance that every teen struggles with growing up. - Agatha Christie, a Master Writer, Invents Inspector Hercule Poirot, a Master Detective
The made-for-TV movie "After the Funeral" is based on one of the 41 murder mystery novels involving the proper, obsessive little Belgian inspector Hercule Poirot. The character of Poirot (played to perfection by David Suchet) was created by the famous British author Agatha Christie, whose books only have been outsold by Shakespeare and the Bible. Agatha Christie wrote her first Poirot novel in 1920 at the age of 30 and her last Poirot novel in 1975, 55 years later and a year before her death in 1976. She is arguably the best mystery writer ever. - "Meet the Fockers" Gets a Real Boost From De Niro and Hoffman
Meet the Fockers is the best comedy I have seen in a long time. This movie could have been easily over-the-top with its descriptive title, but there is no hint of it in the presentation. A believable story line and an all-star cast with former Oscar-winners Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand (yes, Streisand won as Best Actress in Funny Girl) gave this comedy a real boost of professionalism. By reducing Ben Stiller to a lesser role and playing up the acting and timing talents of Hoffman and De Niro, this movie is so much better than the first that there can be no comparison between the two. - "Breakfast on Pluto" Is Really Not About an Alien from Outer Space
Breakfast on Pluto is a gender preference movie about a boy who really wants to be a girl, and settles for being a transvestite trying to find a place in a world that curses his very existence. I endured Boys Don't Cry and Transamerica and am pleased to say I did not have to endure Breakfast on Pluto. I think that Neil Jordan is the reason why. Jordan achieves something that few of his counterparts have been able to do and that is direct and write and produce a good product. This film is worth viewing for its message: to thine ownself be true. - "Coach Carter" Sends an Outstanding Message About a Coach with Integrity, Honor and Goodness
Samuel L. Jackson plays Coach Ken Carter in a good sports drama with an outstanding message for today's high school basketball players who see playing with the pros as their only objective in life. Carter believes that scholarship and ethics should go hand in hand with outstanding basketball play. This is an incredible story of a coach who will not compromise his values by not compromising his integrity. Coach Carter has the guts and audacity to stand fast and right wills out in the end. - 4 Average Movies That Do Not Get Any Better the Second Time Around
Here are four average movies that do not get any better the second time around: Anger Management with Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler, The Emperor's Club with Kevin Kline and Emile Hirsch, The Fast and the Furious (a totally mindless guy flick about macho wannabe men street car racing) and Five Easy Pieces with Jack Nicholson and Karen Black (both Oscar nominees in a depressing film about a guy going nowhere 1,000 miles an hour) - You Cannot Forget Captain Jack Sparrow, But National Treasure Is One Heck of a Hunt
It took an inordinately long time for movie land to bring us a modern day treasure hunt worth watching, but Director Jon Turteltaub delivered big time in National Treasure, the story of a secret treasure that crosses the centuries. National Treasure is full of obscure clues. Unlike the Indiana Jones trilogy with Harrison Ford, where you are drawn to Ford and his action adventure antics, National Treasure stays focused on the clues with the actors not upstaging the treasure hunt story line. - To Kill a Mockingbird Exposes the Destructiveness of Bigotry
Gregory Peck won a Best Actor Oscar in this adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about white lawyer Atticus Finch defending an innocent African American man accused of raping a white woman. This is a story that illuminates everything that is wrong about hate, prejudice, bigotry, ignorance, stupidity, lack of backbone and lack of a heart. It is a story about an all-white male jury who makes important life decisions without right thinking and right motives. - These Two Films Create Confusion or Unbelievably Overblown Drama
Ocean's Eleven is a confusing film about a $160 million heist of three Las Vegas casinos from an impenetrable safe 200 feet underground. I say confusing because it is not really evident whether Ocean's Eleven is supposed to be an action flick, a comedy, a crime story or a drama. The Hours features three depressed women from three different generations trying to cope with life, some Academy Award-winning performances and a story line that is even more depressing and repugnant. - Two Films With Tons of Recognition That Leave This Viewer Unfulfilled
A lot of moviegoers saw Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World as a great picture with great acting and pretty much a shoo-in for a handful of Oscars. I did not see it the same way, nor did the Academy. The Lion in Winter is a 2 Star movie with some 4 Star (Excellent) performances. I came away from both movies feeling that they are average films because they stir no emotion in me, foment ill will and breed confusion when clarity should rule the day and resolution should be the result. - An Independent Film Production That Became an Excellent, Big Fat Paycheck
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is simply one of the best movies ever made about close families and their traditions. The estimated $5 million budget for the film generated worldwide revenue of $368 million, making it the highest-grossing independent film of all time, and the the highest grossing movie never to have hit number one at the box office. The reason why was Nia Vardalos, Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Joel Zwick, Michael Constantine, Ian Miller, Lainie Kazan and Andrea Martin. - Hollywood's Most Perfect Actress Had Beauty, Fashion, Grace and Humility
Was there ever an actress who combined these four timeless qualities—beauty, fashion, grace and humility—better than Audrey Hepburn? I think not, especially when I see her again in Breakfast at Tiffany's. We shall not see another like her in our lifetime and by then the film industry may be on the way out when some newer, better technology unknown to us today arrives. See Breakfast at Tiffany's because Audrey Hepburn became an important contributor to our time and culture. She was a model of grace and humility in a world with little of either. - One of the Best Movies Ever Tells of a Boy's Perfect Christmas Gift
A Christmas Story is arguably the best Christmas movie ever. Can there be anything greater than Santa coming to your house on Christmas Eve with the perfect gift of your choice? I think not, especially if it is a genuine Red Ryder 200-Shot, Carbine-Action BB Gun for a 9-year-old named Ralphie living in Northern Indiana in the 1940s. A Christmas Story is about much more than whether Ralphie gets the Red Ryder BB Gun he covets. Find out why in this review. - A Romantic Comedy That Works With a Couple of 60+ Senior Citizens
Something's Gotta Give is a romantic comedy without substance that works because of Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Keaton is one the few actresses at age 60 who has been able to partner with bankable leading men. I found myself wanting to bond with Keaton. She seems to have found the secret to staying young, alive and attractive while Nicholson at 69 and counting appears his age and has not benefited from the passage of time. Keaton is one fine looking 60-year-old woman. - Whatever Happened to Helen Hunt After Making What Women Want?
What Women Want is a romantic comedy light enough to float away. Helen Hunt is a real talent with real hardware and seemed so on top of her game after the release of What Women Want in 2000. Heck, I figured, move over Julia Roberts and hello Helen Hunt as America's newest sweetheart, but Hunt did Cast Away with Tom Hanks and then returned to Broadway. Big screen's loss became Broadway's gain. I believe that the two rising stars today are Reese Witherspoon and Hilary Swank. - Four Average Movies: Two Messy and Two Unpretentious
Here are four average movies, two of which are pretty screwed up (The Family Stone with Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson and Rachel McAdams, and Mona Lisa Smile with Julia Roberts) and two of which are unpretentious and easy on the eye (Indian Summer with Diane Lane and Unlikely Angel with Dolly Parton) Despite being pure fluff, I would rate the last two better than the first two. - Four Romantic Comedies That Will Not Stress Your Emotions
Here are four romantic comedies that will not stress your emotions: Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker in Failure to Launch, Jennifer Lopez (J-Lo) in Maid in Manhattan and The Wedding Planner, and Michael J. Fox and Gabrielle Anwar in For Love or Money. Just sit back and be entertained. If you want great stories, great acting and great direction, try other movies. - Million Dollar Baby: This Is One Fight Where You Get Your Money's Worth
After watching so many pay-for-view, big time, hyped fights on the tube and being totally disappointed, watching Million Dollar Baby was refreshing because I really got my money's worth. This is a really good film that has the hardware to prove it. When the 2005 Academy Awards presentation ended, Million Dollar Baby, nominated for 7 Oscars, won 4, including Best Picture, Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Actress (Hillary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald) and Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman as Eddie "Scrap Iron" Dupris). - Five More Movies You Think Would Be Better Than They Are
Here are five more movies you think would be really better than they are, unfortunately for the films, the scripts, the direction, and the actors, they are not. All five get my terrible rating; they include Imagine Me & You, Down With Love (with Renee Zellweger), In Good Company, It Runs in the Family (with Michael Dougles and Kirk Douglas) and Laws of Attraction (with Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore). - Five Movies You Think Would Be Really Better Than They Are
Here are five movies you think would be really better than they are, unfortunately for the films, the scripts, the direction, and the actors, they are not. All five get my terrible rating; they include About Schmidt (with Jack Nicholson and Kathy Bates as Oscar nominees), The Anchorman (with Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate), Before Sunset, Cocktail (with Tom Cruise) and Corky Romano (with Chris Kattan of Saturday Night Live fame). - An Iranian Foreign Film Fails To Promote Real Understanding
Children of Heaven is an Iranian movie with subtitles about a boy who accidentally loses his sister’s worn out shoes after being sent to get them repaired, and must share his own worn out sneakers with her in a sort of relay while each attends school at different times during the day. Children of Heaven has some touching moments, as you might imagine, and the film is worth a look, but brace yourself for an unsettling ending. If it were not for this terrible ending, I would rate this film higher, but I am not about to reward poor story telling. - Two Excellent Films That Could Not Win an Oscar
Secondhand Lions is a masterpiece of storytelling written and directed by Tim McCanlies (remember the name). Near as I can tell, this film generated little stir when made in 2003, and had absolutely no nominations for Oscars (what a shame). First time French Director Christophe Barratier has given us an incredibly good movie in The Chorus, which was nominated for two Oscars but came up empty handed at the presentations. No matter. It did not affect the effort and excellence of The Chorus. - Two Excellent Films With Oscar Nominations
A Man for All Seasons poses the question: What would a man sacrifice for his principles? When Henry VIII seeks approval to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn, his new Chancellor and Cardinal - Sir Thomas More - stands in his way. In the end, Sir Thomas becomes the only person in England who will die for his principles. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl becomes the best pirate picture every made, thanks to Johnny Depp.
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