3.5 Rated Films

• Catch Me If You Can (2/1/03)

• Antwone Fisher (12/28/02)

• Frailty: This suspense-drama stars Bill Paxton and Matthew McConaughey and is directed by Bill Paxton.  Paxton is a father that believes God has commanded him to kill demons in human form; McConaughey plays one of his sons grown up.  This film is superb and has the feel of "The Sixth Sense" or "Unbreakable" with the dark touch of "Se7en".  (4/28/02)

• The Devil's Backbone: This Spanish film takes place during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930's.  A remote orphanage holds a supernatural secret that brings out the best and worst in people.  The mood and characters of this film rival the better supernatural Hollywood films like "The Sixth Sense".  (3/03/02)

• Focus: William H. Macy, Laura Dern, and Meat Loaf Aday star in this powerful film set in WWII Brooklyn.  The film effectively shows the institutionalistic and paranoid nature of prejudice as Macy's character is believed to be jewish simply because of the kind of glasses he wears.  I had no idea how ridiculously anti-semitic some parts of our country was during the 1940's.  (1/06/02)

• Vanilla Sky: Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, and Cameron Diaz star in this Cameron Crowe directed remake of the 1997 Spanish film "Open Your Eyes".  The plot moves through a maze of dreams, realities, flashbacks, and plot twists very well.  The story involves you and unlike "Mulholland Drive" which also has an intellectual plot, I understand the ending. (1/1/02)

• A Beautiful Mind: Russell Crowe stars as mathematician John Nash in this Ron Howard-directed film.  The acting, plot, writing, and direction are all very strong here as we follow the life of Nash through his breakthroughs and breakdowns.  This film atones for Ron Howard's "Grinch" and Russell Crowe's "Gladiator" Oscar win.  (12/31/01)

• Ocean's Eleven: An all-star cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, and Julia Roberts star in the "Rat Pack" classic remake.  Steven Soderbergh directs the ensemble cast well as this caper film entertains throughout.  This may be one of the few times that the remake is better than the original.  (12/08/01)

• Waking Life: This animated film about dreams is directed by Richard Linklater.  The movie took live action and animated over it to create a realistic yet dreamlike experience.  Prepare for a heavy experience as this film is thought-provoking, imaginative, and intelligent.  (12/01/01)

• The Man Who Wasn't There: This Coen brothers' film stars Billy Bob Thorton as "The Barber" Ed Crane.  This drama works very well as we follow the mild-mannered Crane through many ups, downs, flips, and spins of his life.  The acting is superb and the story, though it is simple film-noir, involves you all the way through.  (11/11/01)

• Iron Monkey: This martial fantasy film was originally released in China in 1993.  The action is intense, the comedy is good, and the story has the true superhero feel (Unlike "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" which feels more like a realistic dream).  The movie somewhat feels like a Chinese version of a 1960's "Batman" episode, with sidekicks, cartoonish villians, and a moral at the end.  (10/20/01)

• Our Song: This film follows the lives of 3 rising tenth-graders during the end of summer vacation.  Their lives are highlighted by sex, drugs, money, clothes, friends, and just what they are going to do that day.  This film feels like a documentary, which is a complement to the actors and film crew whom create a ultra-realistic feel.  (9/29/01)

• Happy Accidents: Marisa Tomei and Vincent D'Onofrio star in this romantic comedy with a touch of science fiction.  Director Brad Anderson (Next Stop, Wonderland) crafts a film that follows the relationship between Tomei and D'Onofrio as D'Onofrio believes he is a time traveller.  I can understand some persons not liking this film, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  (9/22/01)

• Diamond Men: This wonderful film stars Robert Forster and Donnie Wahlberg as traveling diamond salesmen on opposing sides of music, selling ability, age, and a lot of other things.  Forster's professional, classic, classy widower is the gem of the good cast of characters.  This movie is very simple, but delivers on entertainment.  (9/22/01)

• Made: Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn team up to use their "Swingers" chemistry in this mob film.  Vaughn's character is the definite standout in this movie as he is one of the most irritating persons I have seen in film (he is suppose to be).  The cast does a good job with a good story (even Sean "Puffy" Combs is good).  (8/19/01)

• Apocalypse Now Redux: This version of the Francis Ford Coppola Vietnam war classic has 53 additional minutes.  This version is great, but not as great as the 1979 original release.  If you haven't seen either version of this great film, check it out.  (8/15/01)

• Lumumba: This French film documents the political life and actual death of Patrice Lumumba, first Prime Minister of the Independent Congo.  This is one of the best bio-pics I have seen, showing a man that stands for true independence and a man that pays the ultimate price for his ethics.  This film solidified the thought in my mind to never go into politics.  (7/29/01)

• The Road Home: When his father dies, a man comes back to his village and tells the story of how his mother and father fell in love.  This Chinese film has two average bookends and a GREAT love story in the middle.  All of you romantics out there will love this film.  (6/30/01)

• Angel Eyes: Jennifer Lopez and Jim Caviezel star in this romantic drama about communication, forgiveness, and acceptance.  The characters are true to themselves and the situations that arise are realistic, something missing in far too many films.  Don't bring any preconceived notions into this film and you will enjoy its life-like tone.  (5/19/01)

• Shrek: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz star in this sensational animated fairy tale.  You get the good (as opposed to the bad) Eddie Murphy here and the fairy tale characters add a very nice touch.  The animation is top-notch and the story is entertaining for children and adults.  (5/18/01)

• Memento: This is definitely one of the most unique movies I have seen.  Guy Pierce stars as a man searching for the killer of his wife while trying to overcome the brain damage which causes him to forget things a few minutes after they occur.  You can't leave your seat for a moment since the scenes are shown in reverse order; very compelling.  (3/31/01)

• Fifteen Minutes: I was throughly entertained by this Robert DeNiro-Edward Burns serial killer film.  The movie reminds me of "Natural Born Killers" with the plot about the media's fascination with crime, but "15 Minutes" is not quite as graphic (it does have a few disturbing deaths however).  There are a few Cameos and the ending is so cliche', it actually works.  (3/11/01)

• Malena: This Italian film is about a twelve-year-old boy's infatuation for a 27-year-old woman.  Over the 5 year duration of the movie, the boy grows up and the woman feels all the ups and downs of Sicily during World War II.  I have a certain affection for this film since I too was once a 12-year-old boy.  (2/17/01)

• O Brother, Where Art Thou?: Only the Coen brothers can combine Homer's Odyssey and Depression-time Mississippi to make a great film.  The ensemble cast that creates great characters includes George Clooney, and Coen alums John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and John Turturro.  There will be a song stuck in your head after the movie is over.  (12/31/00)

• Finding Forrester: Sean Connery and newcomer Rob Brown excel in this film about fear, friendship, overcoming obstacles, and writing.  This movie combines of the plot outline of "Scent of a Woman" and the realism of "Good Will Hunting".  This movie is on par with both of those films.  (12/29/00)

• Unbreakable: Bruce Willis and Samuel Jackson star in the 2nd movie by M. Night Shyamalan of "The Sixth Sense".  If you expect to see "The Sixth Sense 2", you will not enjoy this different and strong film.  The story develops slowly but the pace is right by me.  (11/25/00)

• Men of Honor: My favorite actor, Robert DeNiro, and Cuba Gooding Jr. shine as two navy divers on opposite sides of racism and rank.  I would consider the story a little unbelievable and inconceivable if it wasn't true.  Watch for the "Oscaric" dialogue between the two actors with the dramatic music and the whole nine yards.  (11/10/00)

• Requiem for a Dream: Artistic film documenting 4 people falling into drug abuse, drug dealing, and drug addiction.  Movie "students" should appreciate the imaginative, quick-editing, slow-motion, and fast-motion look by Darren Aronofsky (director of "Pi").  If you are a drug abuser or know someone that needs to "kick the habit", this film is the cure for all that ails you.  (11/4/00)

• Two Family House: A slice of Italian-American life from 1950's Staten Island, NY.  The story highlights a man's rise through the racism, classism, and negativism of his environment.  This is a good film to go to with friends and talk about afterwards.  (11/4/00)

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