Oedipus Rex (DVD)
Sir Tyrone Guthrie, the venerable British actor and director, is the mastermind behind this acclaimed 1957 of Sophocles` classic tragedy, SOPHOCLES. The legendary story of a man who murders his father and marries his own mother, the Oedipus narrative has become deeply embedded into popular mythology and culture. In this version, Guthrie has the actors wear ancient Greek masks, just as the very first performers of the play did.NR"
ACTORS: Tyrone Guthrie
Around the Fire (VHS)
Teenage LSD dealer Simon (Devon Sawa) freaks out at a rock concert and winds up in rehab. There, he reflects on his life and butts heads with Kate (Charlayne Woodard), his drug counselor. In flashbacks, his dope-smoking boarding school roommate (Eric Maibus) takes him to his first show (the band is never identified, but it`s presumably The Grateful Dead) where he meets Trace (Colman Domingo), HIV-positive hedonist Kevin (Henri Lubatti), and lovely blonde stir-fry vendor Jennifer (Tara Reid). Under the influence of pot and acid, Simon falls in love with the tie-dyed lifestyle, the groovy music, and the people. Eventually, unresolved issues send him into a downward spiral of drug abuse, until finally, with Kate`s help, he faces buried grief over his dead mother and resentment towards his affluent, controlling father (Bill Smitrovitch). This colorful, good-hearted indie film benefits from groovy music, an authentic recreation of the culture, and fine performances, particularly from Domingo, Smitrovitch, and Woodard. Most interesting of all is the film`s non-judgmental frankness about both the spiritually liberating and self-destructive aspects of psychedelic drug use. John Jacobsen directed this movie from a script by producers (and former Deadheads) John Comerford and Tommy Rosen.R"
Director: John Jacobsen
ACTORS: Devon Sawa, Tara Reid, Charlayne Woodard, Bill Smitrovich, Eric Mabius
Heavenly Creatures (DVD) Uncut Version HEAVENLY CREATURES represented a departure of sorts for horror director Peter Jackson and was the first film to earn him widespread critical acclaim. Jackson both co-wrote and co-produced the picture, which is based on an...
HEAVENLY CREATURES represented a departure of sorts for horror director Peter Jackson and was the first film to earn him widespread critical acclaim. Jackson both co-wrote and co-produced the picture, which is based on an actual 1954 murder case. The two protagonists, New Zealand schoolgirls Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, first meet when Juliet (Kate Winslet in her silver-screen debut) is introduced to Paulines class as a new student. Pauline (Melanie Lynskey), an introvert who feels misunderstood by her family and peers, is instantly smitten with the sophisticated and self-confident newcomer, and the girls become best friends. Eventually, Pauline and Juliet begin spending more and more time together, withdrawing into a magical land of their own invention--Borovnia, a fairy-tale kingdom populated by lifesize clay figures. The girls distraught families fear that the friendship is becoming unhealthy, and Juliets parents decide to end things by sending their daughter away. Faced with their impending separation, the girls decide nothing will tear them apart, leading to an unexpectedly grisly denouement made even more unnerving by the ignorance of their own delusion. A harrowing story of misdirected adolescent creativity, Jackson`s HEAVENLY CREATURES is chillingly unforgettable.
R"
Director: Peter Jackson
ACTORS: Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent, Clive Merrison
The Duellists (DVD)
To the surprise and admiration of their fellows, two officers, like insane artists, trying to gild refined gold or paint the lily, pursued a private contest through the years of universal carnage. Thus wrote Joseph Conrad in the opening paragraphs of the story that provides the basis for Ridley Scott`s first feature. During the era of the Napoleonic wars, a conflict arises between two of the emperor`s cavalry officers when one of them, the aristocratic Lt. D`Hubert (Keith Carradine), is sent by his superior to deliver the message to commoner Lt. Ferraud (Harvey Keitel) that he`s to be placed under house arrest for having wounded a man in another duel. Since Ferraud is with a woman at the time, he takes offense at the intrusion and challenges D`Hubert to a duel. Their match, though fierce, is without resolution. Whenever their paths cross, they continue their battle, fighting a series of six duels over the course of 14 years, paralleling Napoleon`s major battles of the period. Scott`s meditation focuses on the absurd vanity behind the old European code of honor--and the nature of warfare itself. All the distinguishing marks of Scott`s later work is already on display here, from the meticulous re-creation of period costume, decor, and behavior to the lush, carefully composed photography.PG"
Director: Ridley Scott
ACTORS: Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel, Albert Finney, Edward Fox, Cristina Raines
Diseqador Ambos Sexos (DVD)
In the sexy and freewheeling style of television sitcoms in the United States such as Will and Grace, Just Shoot Me and Three`s Company, Diseqador Ambos Sexos has turned into a Mexican television smash. Juan Felipe Martinez has to pretend that he is gay in order to get the job he wants at a clothing design house, and many comedic complications and plot twists ensue out of the inevitable secrets and misunderstandings.NR"
