Reviews

I was so fortunate to see ANNIE IN THE AISLE OF IRMA at the Los Angeles New Filmmakers Series. What a fun, beautiful and uplifting story. The casting was extremely well done. It was a thrill to see the wonderful character actress Sandy Martin, currently famous for her infamous role on "BIG LOVE" as the grandmother. The story was so beautifully shot. It really touched my heart. I loved every second of it. The scenes in the modeling class were hilarious. The writer/director has a very bright future ahead of her. I see her directing a great series for SHOWTIME. She's that good. The ending scene is so uplifting. It made me smile. I truly LOVED this film. It's a shame short films don't get seen enough. This one is worth watching!

I spent over ten years of my life in Christian school. I hated every second of it. I wasn't annoyed at the hours of Bible class. I enjoyed it. Although, I didn't agree with the teaching method. For starters, each week we had a Bible verse quiz to write a verse word for word, punctuation perfect. Sure we memorized it, but we didn't truly KNOW it and what it means. The only thing I enjoyed was the occasional film we had to watch in chapel. Now, the movies about the 7 years Tribulation scared me and wrecked my childhood. THE WAIT OF THE WORLD, I found amusing and actually good. I was 10 years old at the time and enjoyed the story of young missionaries going to different parts of the world (including Philadelphia) and making a difference in others, while learning a lot about themselves. Fast forward 22 years later... I saw it on one of the Christian networks airing Christian films. It wasn't bad, but not great. My problem with these Christian films is that the directors want to get their message out very CLEARLY, when they could still get a strong message with realistic dialogue and better production values. I know Christian colleges like Bob Jones have film programs. I'm curious if the productions are getting any better. It would be nice.

I've had Disney Channel since it first premiered. I remember getting up early, before school, to exercise with Mickey Mouse in "MOUSERCISE." I also remember WONDERFUL made for TV movies, such as LOTS OF LUCK. I was a kid and I enjoyed it so much. It truly was FAMILY programming. What happened?! It was wonderful seeing Annette Funicello continuing to work for Disney, now as an adult. I miss the fun, silly humor. I miss it all. I still have Disney and I'm saddened by the loss of wonderful made for TV movies. Of course, Disney has HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, which most likely grossed more money than anything they've created, but the "family programming" is no more. Disney Channel used to air "classic" Disney films from the 1950's-1970's. Fun ones like TREASURE ISLAND, SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON, and all those wonderful gems starring Hayley Mills. Where are they? Getting back to LOTS OF LUCK, it's fun. I doubt Disney will ever air this again, but if you can find it on an old VHS tape, please take the time to watch. You won't be disappointed.

I was extremely blessed to see the U.S. television debut of Visages d'enfants on Turner Classic Movies. My god, this was a masterpiece. Why can't contemporary films be half as good? The children were superb! The acting was magnificent. I thought Jean Forest was astonishing as Jean. Such superb acting from a 12 year old. His performance in the first five minutes of the film is exquisite. I thought Arlette Peyran, portraying Jean's step-sister was magnificent as well. I was just depressed to learn that this was her only film! How unfortunate. She had star written all over her. The adult actors are wonderful. I loved Rachel Devirys portrayal of the step-mother. Such love and grace in that performance. The scenery (all shot on location in the Alps) is glorious. This was a perfect film. The music was heavenly. PLEASE SEE THIS FILM.

I've been a big fan of Richard E. Grant's work for years. I enjoy his manic on-screen energy. I especially enjoyed his 1995 published diary WITH NAILS, where he told of his life in pre/post independent Swaziland: his parents divorce, his father's position as minister of education, seeing Clockwork Orange illegally, etc... Therefore, I was excited to see Wah-Wah. I was wrong. If I get bored very early in a movie, that's a bad sign. I found it very slow and I didn't sympathize with the characters. I thought Gabriel Byrne gave, as always, a very powerful performance. Miranda Richardson is always a strong presence. I like Emily Watson, but I didn't like her in this film. I think she was trying too hard to act "American." Maybe Grant should have just cast an American. Once again, I was excited to see this film, but after seeing it, I felt as if it didn't need to be made.

Drachenfutter or in English "DRAGON CHOW" is one of the most beautiful films I've seen. I first learned about it at the Providence Public Library, when I was a grad student. I saw the box cover and immediately thought of my family. The smiling faces of the two hard working Pakistani men, reminded me of my uncles, who came to America and worked such hard jobs to give opportunities to their families. I had to see it. The film is magnificent. I was so taken by the relationships. Buddy Uzzaman or professionally known as Badl Uzzaman along with Bhasker, and Ric Young were sensational. Their mastery of the German language was very impressive. Badl Uzzaman and Bhasker continue to work in England. Ric Young has become more and more popular in America with his work on "ALIAS." All three of these men should have been nominated for Academy Awards. Their performances were breathtaking. The music is also very touching. Go see this film. Tell everyone you know. It needs to be seen by all. Amen.

Before Hercules and Xena, the WB Network produced great made for TV movies. VANISHING SON, BANDIT (a spin-off of SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT) and THE MIDNIGHT RUN films. MIDNIGHT RUN FOR YOUR LIFE was fantastic. Christopher McDonald as the Robert DeNiro tough-guy bounty hunter with a heart was charming, funny, very entertaining. The beautiful Melora Walters (prior to BOOGIE NIGHTS and MAGNOLIA) is sweet as the lovable Lorna. I loved this movie, and luckily was smart enough to video tape it in 1994. I recently dug it out and enjoyed it again. It is a shame they don't make great movies like this for TV anymore, but it's great to see Christopher McDonald and Melora Walters still going strong.

I remember when this was first on the Family Channel around 10 years ago. Robert Carradine, of the Revenge of the Nerds fame and of course, 10 years later LIZZIE MAGUIRE, plays Clarence Oddbody in this cute "sequel" to IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Now, it's almost impossible to make a sequel to a timeless film such as IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. They tried it with GONE WITH THE WIND and failed miserably. I normally hate sequels. I didn't mind this, because I thought that CLARENCE was a clever idea. Taking the bumbling angel, who saves George Bailey's life, and putting him in another adventure is cute. Robert Carradine gives a nice performance as the innocent angel. Unfortunately, the rest of the actors are weak. The actress playing the single mother, who Clarence has come to help, is a talented Canadian stage actress, but is too serious and tragic in her role! Come on, this is CLARENCE not MACBETH! The video games in the film are pathetic. Video games weren't that bad in 1990. But still, it's wholesome fun. It'll entertain the kids. Enjoy.

Let's face it, Luggage of The Gods isn't GONE WITH THE WIND or CASABLANCA. THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY was a very odd foreign film that somehow got a cult following around the world. Director David Kendal who would go on to shows such as GROWING PAINS did a nice attempt with this very low budget film. The actors in this film are New York stage actors. Not necessarily Hollywood stars, but good actors nonetheless. Especially Mark Stolzenberg. Mark Stolzenberg has popped up as both an actor and a clown in many films and plays over the years, and has written great books on clowning, Mime, and comedy. This is purely a cute film about a group of prehistoric cavemen and women living in modern day America, who never knew that society advanced. It's a great lesson on silent film acting.

GIVE IT A CHANCE

ALF'S HIT TALK SHOW is FUNNY! Bravo to TV LAND for being creative. Instead of 24 hours a day of BONANZA reruns, they decided to be original and actually create something. They have the TV LAND AWARDS, the Dick Van Dyke reunion (which was picked up by CBS) and now ALF. I always loved ALF. It's a funny show, with a good concept. Ed is wonderful, as well as great comedy from newcomer Kevin Butler. I am only angry that TV LAND bumped it from it's Friday night time slot to early Saturday morning. The guests have been great: Drew Carey (first guest), Joe Mantegna, my personal favorite Leon Redbone, Bryan Cranston, etc... The banter between Alf and Ed is great, but I must say that Kevin Butler is one of the show's gems. He is very funny as Alf's protégé. That's original of ALF creator Paul Fusco, Alf could have had some Baywatch model as Alf's protégé, but instead chose some guy named Kevin Butler who is extremely funny, fitting perfectly into Alf's mold. I also love Alf's many Hawaiian shirts.

Watch this show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy the show, life is short!

I saw ZORRO THE GAY BLADE on television in 1983. I was 7 years old and fell in love with the movie. I still remember that amazing night watching George Hamilton in dual roles: Don Diego Vega and Bunny Wiggelsworth. It is truly a hysterical comedy. The performances are over the top, but it works for this camp comedy. George Hamilton gave the performance of his career in this film. In 1995 on his short-lived talk show "GEORGE AND ALANNA," he constantly trashed the film and the director, even though he was nominated for a Golden Globe. I recommend ZORRO, THE GAY BLADE to anyone looking for a fun evening. The music is also great.

Z