Schizopolis (DVD)
Marking a return to the low-budget territory that launched his career in 1989 (with SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE), Steven Soderbergh pulls together this freewheeling comedy that is stuffed with an onslaught of visual and verbal puns. Soderbergh plays dual roles as Fletcher Munson and Dr. Jeffrey Korchek. Munson is a nerdy copywriter who finds himself under an extreme amount of pressure when his boss dies, leaving him to write the upcoming speech for T. Azimuth Schwitters, a revered spiritual leader. Korchek is a dentist who begins to have an affair with Munsons wife but finds himself in trouble when he falls for a new patient. Also thrown into the mix is Elmo Oxygen (David Jensen), an orange-jumpsuit-wearing exterminator who spends more time sleeping with his clients than doing actual work. By the time the moment comes for Schwitters to give his speech, the life of each character has been turned completely upside down. Soderbergh mocks, satirizes, and criticizes the late 20th centurys hurried, soulless atmosphere, including religion, marriage, the media, the workplace, and male-female sexual relations. This fresh blend of lighthearted comedy and crackling dialogue makes SCHIZOPOLIS an exhilarating romp that recalls the early comedies of Richard Lester.NR"
Director: Steven Soderbergh
ACTORS: Steven Soderbergh, Betsy Brantley, David Jensen
Savage Boys (DVD)
An Asian-American mobster gets out of jail to discover that his younger brother has gotten involved in the Los Angeles Asian gang scene.NR"
Under Suspicion (DVD)
Director Stephen Hopkins` (LOST IN SPACE) crime thriller is a remake of the 1981 French film GARDE @ VUE, and is adapted from John William Wainwright`s novel BRAINWASH. On the evening of the San Sebastian festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico, wealthy tax attorney Henry Hearst (Gene Hackman) is supposed to attend a charity ball with his lovely, much younger wife Chantal (Monica Belluci), but is called to police headquarters. The previous day, during his morning run, Hearst discovered the dead body of a 12-year-old girl. Captain Victor Benezet (Morgan Freeman) and the explosive young Detective Owens (Thomas Jane) say they merely want to clarify some details in Hearst`s statement. However, when the questioning begins and Hearst stumbles over his answers, it is evident that the police suspect Hearst is involved. As the interrogation wears on, particulars of the prominent lawyer`s personal life, and his complex relationship with his young wife are revealed. On the quest to discover Hearst`s innocence or guilt, the film features tense duels between Hearst and Benezet, and an inventive retracing of events leading up to the murder while set against the lovely, exotic backdrop of San Juan.R"
Director: Stephen Hopkins
ACTORS: Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Monica Bellucci, Miguel A. Suarez
The Solid Gold Cadillac (DVD)
Based on a Broadway play of the same name, THE SOLID GOLD CADILLAC offers a hilarious satire of big business and big businessmen. Laura Partridge (Judy Holliday) -- who`s just a minority stockholder with 10 shares of stock -- brings the stuffy, arrogant execs of a large corporation to their knees. To stop her constant complaints and protests, members of the board set her up in her own office with the puffed-up position of shareholder relations. But this cushy job doesn`t satisfy the conscientious Miss Partridge; instead, the feisty newcomer to the business world decides to reform the corrupt board of directors... with the help of some unlikely supporters. This light-hearted comedy is based on the stage play by Howard Teichman and George S. Kaufman.NR"
Director: Richard Quine
ACTORS: Judy Holliday, Paul Douglas, Fred Clark, John Williams, Hiram Sherman
Jabberwocky (DVD)
Opening with a quote from Lewis Carroll`s classic nonsensical poem, Terry Gilliam`s JABBERWOCKY is a darkly comic medieval masterpiece about a monster wreaking havoc on helpless villages. Michael Palin stars as Dennis Cooper, a happy-go-lucky ne`er-do-well stock taker who becomes the unlikely hero in a castle`s efforts to defeat the great green beast. The unwitting and pathetic Dennis is in love with Griselda, the furthest thing from a classic princess heroine that film has ever seen. However, she wants nothing to do with Dennis, who is renounced by his father on his deathbed, setting him off on a hysterical adventure that winds up with him facing off against the monster itself. The jousting scenes are particularly funny--and very gruesome, lending the film its seriocomic tone that had the audience somewhat baffled at first, although it`s now much loved. The film is a brilliant parody of medieval epics, featuring lavish costumes, a medieval score, and terrific sets. Monty Python regulars Terry Jones and Neil Innes make cameo appearances, as does director Gilliam himself.PG"
Director: Terry Gilliam
ACTORS: Michael Palin, Deborah Fallender, Max Wall, John Le Mesurier, Annette Badland
