Robin Williams gives one of his finest performances in BOULEVARD, a film that allows him to explore the profound loneliness of a gentle man living a painful lie. Alas, it is a story far too fraught with convenient coincidences to be much more than a vehicle for Williams’ considerable depth and humanity. It is elevated,… Read More »
OLD DOGS
OLD DOGS has a strong cast fighting a script that is labored, stale, and obvious. That cast is led by John Travolta and Robin Williams, both of whom are no strangers to comedy, nor to miscalculations when it comes to choosing scripts. They are Charlie and Dan, pals and business partners of 30 years. While… Read More »
FINAL CUT, THE
There is something disconcerting to have a life summed up in the number of hours lived, or to have scenes from that life played out with subtitle indicating the persons name and age, age in years, months and hours. It those moments that provide the grist for THE FINAL CUTs mill, a film that takes… Read More »
ROBOTS
It is interesting to note that the commercials currently running for ROBOTS fail to take advantage of the best features of the film. Sure, we hear the celebrity voices and see the characters they voice to their schtick, with Robin Williams, in point of fact, its pretty much all schtick, but we dont get a… Read More »
THE NIGHT LISTENER
How much of what someone thinks is reality can survive the objectivity test? That’s the question posed in THE NIGHT LISTENER, based on a real-life experience and later a novel by Armistead Maupin, which ponders how perception and raw need have a nasty habit superseding everything else. The answer is an engrossing thriller that probes… Read More »
HAPPY FEET
When it comes to moviedom, penguins are as close as it gets to a sure thing, hit-wise. This is something irresistible about this unlikely bird and the way it’s so easy to anthropomorphize its sturdy waddle and formal wear. To his credit, George Miller, director, co-author, and conceiver of the story as a whole, doesn’t… Read More »
LICENSE TO WED
Like so many young lovers embarking on the adventure that is marriage, LICENSE TO WED begins well, full of hope and the promise that this will be a trip to the moon on gossamer wings fraught with fun. Alas, as with 50% of all marriages in this country, this film breaks down irretrievably, leaving all… Read More »
ONE HOUR PHOTO
Its not a terribly original premise. Lonely guy longs for the warmth and comfort of a family and becomes attached to what he considers to be the ideal set up. Still, obsession can be tantalizing fodder for film when handled correctly, which in the case of ONE HOUR PHOTO, its not. It has all the excitement,… Read More »