Higher Learning (DVD)
The third installment in John Singleton`s trilogy about South Central Los Angeles, HIGHER LEARNING examines mid-1990s university politics from racial, sexual, and economic standpoints. At fictional Columbus University (where a statue of the explorer stands witness to the dominant culture`s supremacy), three freshman arrive to find a campus ready to explode. Malik (Omar Epps) wavers among the influences of revolution-preaching super-senior Fudge (Ice Cube), no-excuses Professor Phipps (Laurence Fishburne), and his motivated girlfriend Deja (Tyra Banks). Kristen (Kristy Swanson), another neophyte, is thrown into sexual confusion when she meets a charismatic lesbian, while the socially inept Remy (Michael Rapaport) can only fit in with the local skinheads. The storylines cross and complicate as each character tries to discover what`s right, but the potential for violence grows with every wrong choice they make. Singleton recruited an emsemble of considerable talent to flesh out the complex plot, which allows him to deal efficiently with a breadth of concerns without preaching.R"
Director: John Singleton
ACTORS: Kristy Swanson, Omar Epps, Michael Rapaport, Jennifer Connelly, Ice Cube
Love in the Time of Money (VHS)
Peter Mattei`s depressing, bleakly humorous drama paints a grim portrait of life in the big city. The film follows nine confused and desperate New Yorkers who are looking for love in all the wrong places: an inexperienced prostitute (Vera Farmiga), a troubled contractor (Domenick Lombardozzi), an unstable housewife (Jill Hennessy), her repressed husband (Malcolm Gets), a smitten artist (Steve Buscemi), a beautiful gallery worker (Rosario Dawson), her free-spirited boyfriend (Adrien Grenier), a lonely psychic (Carol Kane), and a suicidal businessman (Michael Imperioli). As these characters listlessly bump into and out of one another`s lives, it becomes painfully clear just how desperate they are to make a connection. By using a non-traditional, episodic chain reaction technique, Mattei is able to better represent the broad range of character types and personalities that populate New York City. And while these individuals may be superficially distinct based on profession or personal appearance, their inner torment is the same. They are all lonely, unhappy, and desperately searching for an interaction that will numb their pain, if only for a few fleeting moments. Unfortunately for them, Mattei doesn`t provide any fairy tale endings, which brings even more reality to their already depressing lives. This film screened in April 2002 in New York City as part of the Gen Art Film Festival.R"
Director: Peter Mattei
ACTORS: Vera Farmiga, Dominick Lombardozzi, Jill Hennessy, Malcolm Gets, Steve Buscemi
The Nutcracker (DVD)
An animated children`s adaption of the classic ballet, THE NUTCRACKER.G"
The Million Dollar Hotel (DVD)
Wim Wender`s THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL is a well-filmed movie set in a majestic, dilapidated hotel on the outskirts of Hollywood. The opener shows Tom Tom (Jeremy Davies), the eccentric, slightly retarded, skateboard-riding narrator, wandering in slow motion at daybreak on the roof of the hotel, as a hypnotic U2 song completes the moment. The film consists of many of these near-perfect fantasy capsules, strung together by a vague plot--that Agent Skinner (Mel Gibson), a clownish detective, is investigating the supposed murder of an artist named Izzy who was living at the hotel, and who is the son of a millionaire. What Skinner learns immediately is that most of the hotel`s residents are, like Tom Tom, mentally disabled and basically harmless. Geronimo (Jimmy Smits) is one of the few hotel occupants who seems capable of committing such a crime, but even he is more entertaining than threatening. Through Skinner`s observation of his subjects, viewers witness some delectably sweet events, such as the magical scene in which Tom Tom meets his true love, Eloise (Milla Jovovich) in the stairwell of the hotel. Both the actors and the sets of THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL facilitate stunning photography that looks as if it were ripped from the pages of Vogue. The script, based on an idea by Bono, and the score by U2, complete this fashionable picture.R"
Director: Wim Wenders
ACTORS: Mel Gibson, Milla Jovovich, Jeremy Davies, Jimmy Smits, Bud Cort
I Love CAT Machines - Vol. 1 (VHS)
Some of the world`s largest and most powerful Caterpillar machines are on display in this video, including giant bulldozers, tractors, loaders, and more digging holes, pushing rocks, and working on risky roads.NR"
