Nuts in May (VHS)
Director Mike Leigh delivers another raucous social comedy with NUTS IN MAY. Keith (Roger Sloman) and Candice Marie (Alison Steadman), an interminably smug, self-satisfied English couple, settle down for a 10-day holiday at a rural camping site. It isnt long before their peaceful trip is disturbed with the arrival of Ray (Anthony ODonnell), a college student who blasts his radio continually. Tensions between the campers are eventually calmed, but Candice Maries newfound admiration for Ray sparks friction between her and Keith. When Finger (Stephen Bill) and Honky (Sheila Kelley) arrive, their lack of respect for the rules culminates in a near physical brawl. In traditional Leigh fashion, the director lets his story develop at a leisurely pace, concentrating more on character development for the films first two acts. By the time the new campers threaten Keiths strict moral values by breaking the rules and starting a fire, each character has become a completely distinct individual, resulting in an argument that is hysterical and moving at the same time. As the snotty Keith and Candice Marie, Sloman and Steadman deliver supremely convincing performances along with the supporting players, who add hilarity and class conflict to the proceedings.NR"
Director: Mike Leigh
ACTORS: Alison Steadman, Roger Sloman, Anthony O`Donnell, Stephen Bill, Sheila Kelley
Till Murder Do Us Part (VHS)
Meredith Baxter stars in this drama, based on the headline-grabbing true story of Betty Broderick, the California society woman who stalked and murdered her husband after he left her for another woman. From the chilling planning to the actual murder and subsequent court trial, this powerful television drama features an unforgettable performance from Baxter.NR"
Director: Dick Lowry
ACTORS: Meredith Baxter, Stephen Collins, Michelle Johnson
Storytelling (DVD)
Director Todd Solondz (WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, HAPPINESS) presents this characteristically bleak and darkly comic drama in two distinct parts. The first story, Fiction stars Selma Blair as Vi, a confused university student who engages in an impulsive tryst with her Pulitzer Prize-winning professor (Robert Wisdom) after arguing with her cerebral palsy-afflicted boyfriend (Leo Fitzpatrick). The second (and longer) tale, Non-Fiction, stars Paul Giamatti as Toby, a down-on-his-luck documentary filmmaker who turns his camera on Scooby (Mark Webber), an unmotivated teenager, and his suburban New Jersey family.
At times even more controversial and confrontational than Solondz`s previous films, STORYTELLING bluntly addresses issues such as race, sex, physical impairment, education, censorship, and exploitation, while not-so-subtly referencing and parodying both AMERICAN BEAUTY and AMERICAN MOVIE (whose own Mike Schank appears in the film). Cannily aware of both his admirers and detractors, Solondz has taken the intriguing step of criticizing his own work within the creative confines of the two stories. As with HAPPINESS, the director has assembled an impressive ensemble cast that also includes John Goodman, Julie Hagerty, Franka Potente, and Lupe Ontiveros. As a counterpoint to the often-glum proceedings, a bright, airy soundtrack is provided Belle and Sebastian and songwriter Nathan Larson.R"
Director: Todd Solondz
ACTORS: Paul Giamatti, Selma Blair, Mark Webber, Leo Fitzpatrick, Robert Wisdom
The Conflict (DVD)
This contemporary drama dealing with changing attitudes within the church was the winner of the Peabody Award. A finely acted theatrical experience.NR"
Director: Jack Gold
ACTORS: Martin Sheen, Trevor Howard, Cyril Cusack, Raf Vallone
For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (DVD)
Andy Garcia stars as world-renowned Cuban trumpet player Arturo Sandoval in this moving portrait of his life in Cuba, his passion for jazz, and his eventual defection from his homeland in 1990. A passionate free thinker, Arturo struggled for personal and creative freedom in Cuban, experiencing a lifetime of artistic persecution. Despite strict revolutionary guidelines, Arturo played with the award-winning Cuban fusion band Irakere, receiving critical and commercial success while living under the shadow of Fidel Castro`s dictatorship. In 1981, Sandoval left Irakere and formed his own band, desperate to play jazz by his own rules. A musical virtuoso, Sandoval lived to play his own brash brand of jazz, inspired by his mentor and longtime friend, American jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie (Charles S.Dutton). Ultimately, Arturo`s love for his wife, Mariela (Mia Maestro), and his growing family forced him to stay in Cuba, constantly compromising his artistic freedom for the revolution. Finally, in 1990, after years of artistic frustration, Gillespie helped Arturo to defect with his wife and young son. The Sandovals` remarkable journey to freedom is conveyed through a series of flashbacks, as Arturo reflects on his passion for his country, his wife, and his ultimate desire for musical freedom. Andy Garcia gives an uplifting and moving performance as the jazz legend, swinging and bopping onstage to his own uncompromising rhythm. The film also features a fabulous supporting cast, including Latin superstar Gloria Estefan, and a rousing score from the legend himself, Arturo Sandoval.NR"
Director: Joseph Sargent
ACTORS: Andy Garcia, Mia Maestro, Gloria Estefan, David Paymer, Charles S. Dutton
