The Glass House (DVD)
THE GLASS HOUSE, director Daniel Sackheim`s sleek neo-noir thriller, is a modern Hansel and Gretel story with elements borrowed from HAMLET, set in California. As it opens, Ruby (Leelee Sobieski) watches unflinchingly while her friends cover their eyes from the horrors of a slasher movie. She deals with her over-concerned parents with cool resourcefulness. But, then her parents die in a car crash. Ruby learns from the family lawyer (Bruce Dern) that she and her younger brother Rhett (Trevor Morgan) will be well provided for, and will live with their sympathetic ex-neighbors Terry and Erin Glass (Stellan Skarsgerd and Diane Lane).
Terry and Erin`s new home is a modern mansion--all steel and glass--built on the cliffs of Malibu. But, all is not well beneath the cool surfaces of THE GLASS HOUSE. Ruby has to decide whether it is her imagination, or is she being watched as she undresses; and whether Terry is making a pass at her, or just fastening her seat belt; and whether Erin is shooting up drugs, or simply taking insulin to combat her diabetes; and whether Terry is really being menaced by well-dressed thugs. Leelee Sobieski plays Ruby with steely resolve as she tries to deal with the mysteries of THE GLASS HOUSE.PG-13"
Director: Daniel Sackheim
Big Night (DVD) Closed Caption; Subtitled Spanish A provocative tale of two immigrant brothers who pin hopes to save their struggling restaurant on a banquet honoring star vocalist, the gold golf sweater-wearing Louis Prima, who a friend is supposed t...
A provocative tale of two immigrant brothers who pin hopes to save their struggling restaurant on a banquet honoring star vocalist, the gold golf sweater-wearing Louis Prima, who a friend is supposed to bring there. Awarded the 1996 Sundance Award for Screenwriting.
R"
Director: Stanley Tucci|Campbell Scott
ACTORS: Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub, Isabella Rossellini, Minnie Driver, Ian Holm
The Lost Empire (DVD) With Sensormatic Security Tag A fantastical action tale reminiscent of other television mini-spectaculars like THE MAGICAL LEGEND OF THE LEPRECHAUNS (1999), THE LOST EMPIRE brings the modern-day West together with the ancient East. Nic...
A fantastical action tale reminiscent of other television mini-spectaculars like THE MAGICAL LEGEND OF THE LEPRECHAUNS (1999), THE LOST EMPIRE brings the modern-day West together with the ancient East. Nick Orton (Thomas Gibson), an American businessman and Chinese scholar living in China, meets beautiful Kwan Ying (Bai Ling), who he mistakenly believes to be a business client. Kwan Ying is actually the Goddess of Mercy, however, and she soon lures Nick into a mystical Chinese world. There, he learns that he is the chosen Scholar from Above--the only one who can save this world from impending doom. Nick also meets the Monkey King (Russell Wong), an arrogant, sardonic, but incredibly strong half-man, half-monkey. Ready to save the world, Nick is given his mission: to retrieve a revolutionary manuscript stolen centuries before by the evil emperor, Shu (Duk Kim), who wanted to stop time so that China could keep to the values of its past. Guided by Kwan Ying, Nick must battle terrifying monsters, hideous demons, and countless other obstacles created by Shu to stop him from retrieving the sacred text. Martial arts choreography and intricate art direction make this miniseries a fun, sometimes frightening, and subversively political adventure.
NR"
Director: Peter MacDonald
ACTORS: Thomas Gibson, Bai Ling, Russell Wong, Ric Young, Kabir Bedi
Tumbleweeds (DVD) Widescreen and Full Screen Mary Jo Walker (McTeer) is a Southern mother who hides her self-consciousness by overcompensating. She drinks, wears revealing outfits, and says things that other people would never even consider. Fleeing her...
Mary Jo Walker (McTeer) is a Southern mother who hides her self-consciousness by overcompensating. She drinks, wears revealing outfits, and says things that other people would never even consider. Fleeing her latest abusive relationship, she and her daughter, twelve-year-old Ava (Brown), head out west. They eventually settle in Starlight Beach, California, and seem to be getting along just fine on their own, but it isn`t long before the cycle threatens to repeat itself. McTeer`s portrayal of Mary Jo is so seamless that one might forget she is even acting. Reminiscent of the character driven films that made 1970s Hollywood so exhilarating.
PG-13"
Director: Gavin O`Connor
ACTORS: Janet McTeer, Kimberly Brown, Jay O. Sanders, Gavin O`Connor, Michael J. Pollard
The Man from Elysian Fields (DVD)
In this sophisticated saga, Andy Garcia (who also produced) plays a struggling author who reluctantly (at first) takes a job as a high-priced male escort to support his family. Rock icon Mick Jagger is Luther, his suave, enigmatic employer, and ex-E.R. star Julianna Margulies plays the wife kept waiting at home. It`s a classic morality play given a modern twist as Byron (Garcia) winds up hired by the beautiful young wife (Olivia Williams) of famous, terminally old writer Tobias Alcott (James Coburn). Mr. Alcott is okay with the arrangement and even takes a shine to his wife`s new friend. Soon Byron is a near-permanent resident at their decaying mansion, helping Tobias finish his final novel in addition to bedding his wife. But if he thinks his ship has come in, Byron has some lessons to learn about a gigolo`s place in the world. Lush cinematography and profound, witty dialogue are key here, with director Hickenlooper making good use of color and composition to enhance the story. Performances are all fine, but the show is stolen by Jagger and Coburn. One campily posh, the other vibrantly crusty, the film lights up with old-school majesty whenever either is onscreen.R"
Director: George Hickenlooper
ACTORS: Andy Garcia, Mick Jagger, Julianna Margulies, Olivia Williams, James Coburn
