Adaptation (DVD) Superbit Following up their acclaimed debut, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze are back to metaphysical moviemaking with ADAPTATION. The film stars Nicolas Cage as both Charlie Kaufman himself ...
Following up their acclaimed debut, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze are back to metaphysical moviemaking with ADAPTATION. The film stars Nicolas Cage as both Charlie Kaufman himself and his fictionalized identical twin brother, Donald Kaufman. While the boisterous Donald freeloads off of his sibling and works on a serial-killer movie script, Charlie is tormented by both his own army of neuroses and his new project, adapting THE ORCHID THIEF by Susan Orlean into a screenplay. As Charlie struggles to shape the nonfiction novel into a film, he begins writing himself into the story of Orlean (Meryl Streep), a sad-eyed journalist, and her subject, renegade Florida flower expert John Laroche (Chris Cooper). The resulting tale extends far beyond the scope of the book, stretching from Hollywood to New York to...Hollywood four billion years ago.
Equally as inventive as BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION revels in its gloriously absurd premise. Kaufman and Jonze skillfully sidestep the pitfalls of such a seemingly self-indulgent project, creating a multilayered film that focuses on the writing process as well as the nature of beauty, the beauty of nature, and dozens of other significant themes. Cage makes a stunning return to pre-Bruckheimer form in the roles of the Kaufman brothers, giving their identical appearances completely different personalities and making them believable to boot. Meanwhile, the consistently excellent Streep and the often underrated Cooper are perfectly matched as Orlean and Laroche. Even the less central roles are played by great actors--Brian Cox, Tilda Swinton, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Ron Livingston appear as supporting characters. Careening wildly between the hilarious, the ridiculous, and the poignant, Kaufman and Jonze`s ADAPTATION is another fine example of their bravura yet sincere style of cinema.
R"
Director: Spike Jonze
ACTORS: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Cara Seymour, Tilda Swinton
Beethoven Lives Upstairs (DVD)
The arrival of an eccentric boarder turns a young boy`s home upside down. At first the boy resents their new tenant, Ludwig Van Beethoven, but slowly ten-year-old Christoph comes to understand the genius of the man, the torment of his deafness and the beauty of his music. Set in 19th century Vienna and based in part on historical fact.NR"
Director: David Devine
ACTORS: Neil Munro, Illya Woloshyn, Fiona Reid, Paul Soles, Albert Schultz
The Kid (DVD)
An involving family drama, THE KID is the story of Jimmy Albright, a teenage athlete whose passion is boxing. Extremely talented, Jimmy`s only handicap is that his parents have forbid him to box for fear of his safety. Determined, Jimmy comes up with a foolproof scheme to train with former professional boxer Harry Sloan (Steiger) and work his way to the top of his division. However, when one of Jimmy`s opponents gets wind of his deception, he plans to tip off Jimmy`s parents in order to eliminate him as competition. When this sets off a string of tragedies, it becomes apparent that the only way to settle the dispute is in the ring.PG"
Director: John Hamilton
ACTORS: Jeff Saumier, Rod Steiger, Jane Wheeler
Welcome to Pia Carrot 2 - Volume 3 (DVD)
The Japanese adult anime saga of the Pia Carrot restaurant continues. In this series, Koji has just been hired to work in the restaurant, despite his being late for the interview. Ryoko the manager is extremely harsh on Koji, but beneath the rough exterior she is hiding a secret crush on him.
Contains graphic situations. Totally uncensored and absolutely not for viewers under 18 years of age.Unrated"
The Bank Dick (DVD) Criterion Collection The great W.C. Fields wrote and stars in this zany Universal comedy. He plays Egbert Sousi (pronounced Soo-zay ), a genial, unemployed lush who endures a miserable family life until the day he accidentally trips u...
The great W.C. Fields wrote and stars in this zany Universal comedy. He plays Egbert Sousi (pronounced Soo-zay ), a genial, unemployed lush who endures a miserable family life until the day he accidentally trips up a bank robber and becomes the town hero. The bank manager rewards him with a detective job and Egbert takes advantage of this new situation by embezzling funds in order to buy stock in a beefsteak mine. All hell breaks loose when a determined bank examiner (Franklin Pangborn) shows up in town to go through the books, and the mayhem ends in a hilarious car chase. The film also features Shemp Howard as the local bartender, Una Merkel as Field`s daughter, and Grady Sutton as her whining boyfriend. This was one of Field`s last, and best comedies, directed in typically uninhibited fashion by Eddie Cline.
NR"
Director: Edward Cline
ACTORS: W.C. Fields, Cora Witherspoon, Una Merkel, Evelyn Del Rio, Franklin Pangborn
