Casablanca (DVD) Two Disc Special Edition World War II Morocco springs to life in Michael Curtiz`s (THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, YANKEE DOODLE DANDY) classic love story. Colorful characters abound in Casablanca, a waiting room for Europeans trying to ...
World War II Morocco springs to life in Michael Curtiz`s (THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, YANKEE DOODLE DANDY) classic love story. Colorful characters abound in Casablanca, a waiting room for Europeans trying to escape Hitler`s war-torn Europe. Humphrey Bogart plays Richard Rick Blaine, a cynical but good-hearted American whose cafi is the gathering place for everyone from the French Police to the black market to the Nazis. When his long-lost love, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), surfaces in Casablanca with her Resistance leader husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), Rick is pulled into both a love triangle and a web of political intrigue. Ilsa and Victor need to escape from Casablanca, and Rick may be the only one who can help them. The question is, will he?
Top-notch performances include Claude Rains as the chief of the French police and the major authority figure in Unoccupied France, Peter Lorre as the doomed Senor Ugarte, Sydney Greenstreet as Senor Ferrari, and Dooley Wilson as Rick`s loyal friend and the cafi`s pianist, Sam. The mesmerizing musical score, by Max Steiner, along with the well-structured plot, flawless acting, and unforgettable dialogue makes this one of the best films of all time.
PG"
Director: Michael Curtiz
ACTORS: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Paul Henreid, Dooley Wilson
Road to Park City (DVD)
This comedy about film and filmmaking focuses on a debut director, John Viener, who is determined to make his first masterwork. Filmed as a mockumentary, ROAD TO PARK CITY precisely follows each of Viener`s actions as he assembles a cast and prepares to shoot his movie with an ultimate goal of entering the film in the Sundance Film Festival. The result is both funny and instructive.
Because ROAD TO PARK CITY utilizes such a variety of disparate film styles, it is hard to place within a specific genre of filmmaking. It is divided up into chapters, each chapter given its own filmic style. It pays homage to the 1960s French New Wave while, simultaneously, ridiculing it. It parodies the 1950s, instructive, science films that are shown in every American middle school, yet it is essentially an instructive film itself. It is experimental in its techniques and approach, yet it models itself on the more conventional indie feature. ROAD TO PARK CITY is truly indefinable; it is a rambunctious manifesto for the scrappy, independent filmmaker whose dreams are big, but budget is small.NR"
Director: Bret Stern
ACTORS: John Viener, Paige Turco, Christopher Lawford, Syd Field
All the Right Moves (DVD)
Stefan (Tom Cruise) is determined to leave the sleepy Pennsylvania mining town of Ampipe where he is growing up. An exceptional athlete, Stef sees football as his ticket out. His pursuit of a scholarship, however, brings him at odds with his combative coach (Craig T. Nelson). While rebelling against his coach and his town, Stef takes up with Lisa Litski (Lea Thompson), an attractive schoolmate and talented saxophone player. Cruise graduated to leading man status with this film, one of many early 1980s pictures with strong teen identities. His sexy, defiant presence carries the film. First time director Michael Chapman (cinematographer of TAXI DRIVER and many other films) proves himself especially adept in capturing the intense football sequences.R"
Director: Michael Chapman
ACTORS: Tom Cruise, Lea Thompson, Craig T. Nelson, Chris Penn, Leon
Pete`s Meteor (DVD)
Mike Myers stars in his first dramatic role as Pete, the title character in this Irish drama. Pete is an ex-junkie in the process of turning his life around when his two best friends die unexpectedly. Pete steps in to help raise the deceased`s children. He moves in with the children and their grandmother (Brenda Fricker) where they all witness a possibly miraculous event. A meteor lands in their backyard and the kids believe it was sent from their parents to keep a wealthy scientist (Alfred Molina) from gaining notoriety by obtaining it.R"
Director: Joe O`Byrne
ACTORS: Mike Myers, Brenda Fricker, Alfred Molina, John Kavanagh
Desi`s Looking for a New Girl (DVD)
When Desi get dumped by her girlfriend for a younger woman, her teen sidekick J.T. decides to make finding Desi a new lover her first priority. With an imaginative subconscious and a rather lively family, Desi reaches highs and lows during this quest for the perfect woman.NR"
Director: Mary Guzman
