In the Bedroom (DVD)
Todd Field`s IN THE BEDROOM is an artistic and realistic portrait of domestic trouble in small-town America. Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson star as Ruth and Matt Fowler, the parents of a recent high school graduate, Frank (Nick Stahl), who has an affair with a married woman, Natalie (Marisa Tomei). A tragic event near the beginning of the film seems to stunt its action and dialogue, allowing the film to change into a largely visual piece based on memories, feelings, and silent communication; while the film`s slow-moving camera, soft sunny lighting, and cautious pacing give it a resonating intensity.
Set in coastal Maine, the Fowlers are a well-liked family with simple, straightforward values. Dr. Fowler has his own small medical practice. Mrs. Fowler directs the chorus at the high school. Frank is a good kid who is working on the fishing docks for the summer, waiting for college in the fall. Frank falls into a summer romance with Natalie, an older woman with two young sons and a creepy, lurking husband (William Mapother) from whom she is separated. The relationship is worrisome to Mr. and Mrs. Fowler, but they want to be supportive of their son so they gently nudge him to think about the bigger picture, without being overbearing. But when the unthinkable happens, Mr. and Mrs. Fowler come face to face with their worst nightmare. Quietly, calmly, and with the most logic they can muster, they begin a dark and dangerous psychological journey. The result, reinforced by stunning performances from Wilkinson and Spacek, is a pensive, penetrating, and utterly believable story.R"
Director: Todd Field
ACTORS: Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Marisa Tomei, Nick Stahl, William R. Mapother
Salvador (DVD) Special Edition Oliver Stone`s first overtly political film, SALVADOR is a passionate protest against the savagery unleashed by fascist thugs in El Salvador during the early 1980s with the complicity of the U.S. government. It stars Ja...
Oliver Stone`s first overtly political film, SALVADOR is a passionate protest against the savagery unleashed by fascist thugs in El Salvador during the early 1980s with the complicity of the U.S. government. It stars James Woods as combat photojournalist Richard Boyle, an erratic, cynical character with a taste for all things chemical. Hearing rumors of war, he and Dr. Rock (Jim Belushi), another free spirit, head for El Salvador by car. After viewing a right-wing officer`s collection of severed ears and photographing a corpse-strewn garbage dump with ace photographer John Cassady (John Savage), Boyle realizes that the situation is much worse than advertised in the American press. He recognizes familiar faces among the ubiquitous U.S. military brass and CIA personnel from his stint in Vietnam, but they`re predictably reluctant to discuss the reasons for their presence, especially with the outrageous Boyle. As the journalist becomes involved with a Salvadoran native named Maria (Elpedia Carrillo) and observes the selfless dedication of his humanitarian worker friend Cathy (Cindy Gibb), compassion and outrage slowly begin to replace his cynicism. When Boyle swears to the dying Cassady that he`ll get his crucial photos out of the country, he realizes that he must also try to get Maria out before she too becomes a statistic. Woods gives a brilliantly incendiary seriocomic performance in this wild, lacerating, and bitterly observant film.
R"
Director: Oliver Stone
ACTORS: James Woods, James Belushi, John Savage, Kara Glover, Elpidia Carrillo
Brassed Off (DVD)
When government cutbacks threaten a century-old Yorkshire mine, the brass band consisting of the miners and their families struggles to keep it together in the face of economic repression and emotional turmoil.R"
Director: Mark Herman
ACTORS: Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fitzgerald, Ewan McGregor, Stephen Tompkinson, Jim Carter
Monster`s Ball (DVD) Signature Series - Extended Non-Theatrical Version Set in modern Mississippi, MONSTER`S BALL subtly examines the impact of personal loss and the transforming power of human connection. The movie begins in the state penitentiary`s death...
Set in modern Mississippi, MONSTER`S BALL subtly examines the impact of personal loss and the transforming power of human connection. The movie begins in the state penitentiary`s death row, where father-and-son prison guards Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) and Sonny Grotowski (Heath Ledger) administer the execution of a black death-row inmate Lawrence Musgrove (Sean Combs), who leaves behind a wife, Leticia (Halle Berry), and son, Tyrell (Coronji Calhoun). When both Hank and Leticia`s children subsequently die, the two grieving parents are accidentally thrust together, where they begin to find comfort and eventually a form of redemption.
Employing a languid pace and minimalist dialogue, MONSTER`S BALL slowly moves forward on the strength of the cast`s performances (including a supporting turn from Peter Boyle as Hank`s ailing racist father, Buck) and Marc Forster`s understated direction. The complex characters are allowed to develop gradually over the course of the entire movie, making the film a richly satisfying character study rather than a quick, plot-driven confection.
R"
Director: Marc Forster
ACTORS: Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle, Puff Daddy
Noir Vol. 5: Terminal Velocity (DVD)
Mireille Bouquet is a professional assassin who is contacted one day by a young woman claiming to be an amnesiac named Yumura Kirika. Drawn in by Yumura`s story, Mireille is surprised to find out that she also possesses the skills of an assassin and even more surprised when she finds that Yumura may be able to unlock some of the secrets of her own past. In these episodes, Mireille and Yumura slowly begin to discover the secrets of their pasts on a visit to Corsica. Unfortunately, these revelations bring with them only suffering instead of closure.NR"
