The Return of Swamp Thing

Release Date: 04/01/2008

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The Return of Swamp Thing

Release Date: 02/18/2003

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Uptown Girls

Release Date: 01/06/2004

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Double Tap

Release Date: 01/26/1999

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The Perfect Man (Widescreen Edition)

This is a cute enough movie with a cute enough premise. Hilary Duff plays Holly, a girl who, along with her little sister, keeps getting shuffled around the country by their mother (Heather Locklear), who leaves a town as soon as her latest relationship hits the rocks. She simply runs away, instead of actually confronting her problems. (Real good example she's setting for the kids, huh?)

Holly is sick of moving around, especially after the latest breakup has landed them in, of all places, NYC. When her mother starts dating Lenny, whom Holly perceives to be a complete loser, she concocts a scheme to send her mother flowers and love letters from "the perfect man" to keep her mother from going out with Lenny. Holly is helped by Ben (Chris Noth, total heartthrob), a chef who feeds Holly nothing but cheesy advice about love. Holly then realizes how simple it is: Ben IS the perfect man! Now if only she hadn't given her mom pictures of Ben and all these love letters and flowers, because all this is unbeknowst to Ben! Of course there's a guy in there for Holly, too, but, like her mother, she's terrified of getting her heartbroken.

Forget the perfect man. It's not really about finding the perfect guy, it's a movie about a mother and a daughter trying to find out who they are and what exactly they want. The whole time I was practically screaming at the TV because I just wanted the mother to give it up already and be happy by herself, at least for a while. The movie's biggest flaw is not clearly showing how the mother feels. Does she like Lenny? Does she think he's stupid? I wasn't quite sure. Her actions and her words are contradicting, and I find that quite annoying. But it's still cute, and it's especially good if you're hankering for some Mr. Big. RECOMMENDED. -- Ashley Quinn "Ash" (IL United States)

Release Date: 11/01/2005

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Looney Tunes - Back in Action (Widescreen Edition)

In the world of "Looney Tunes: Back in Action", cartoon characters and humans co-exist and interact. As the story goes, Warner Brothers studios has grown tired of Daffy Duck's demands, and since the studio has a low estimate of his market value anyway, they have fired the Duck. But Bugs Bunny just can't work without Daffy to pick on, so Warner Brothers has insisted that the vice president of their comedy department, Kate Houghton (Jenna Elfman), get the Duck back pronto. In the meanwhile, a dejected Daffy (voice of Joe Alaskey) has taken up with D.J. Drake (Brendan Fraser), the security guard who escorted him off the studio lot. D.J. has been shocked to learn that his movie star father is actually a secret agent, and both he and Daffy have gone to Las Vegas to rescue the elder Drake and recapture the "Blue Monkey", a diamond that has supernatural powers. When they learn of D.J. and Daffy's whereabouts, Kate and Bugs Bunny (voice of Joe Alaskey) set out after them. They all end up trying to foil the plans of the evil Chairman (Steve Martin) of the Acme Corporation who wants to use the Blue Monkey to achieve global domination.

So the plot is hokey. It's a spoof of James Bond films, featuring former Bond himself, Timothy Dalton, as secret agent Damian Drake and Steve Martin as the head of a very Spectre-like Acme Corporation, alongside a host of Warner Brothers cartoon characters. "Looney Tunes: Back in Action" may appeal to young children, but there's nothing to entertain adults who enjoy the looney gang from Warner Bros. It has some clever moments, and the writing for Daffy Duck is good, but between the bright spots it's a real snooze. There are cameos by a host of television and film stars, including Heather Locklear and Joan Cusack. The story is far too silly, even for a cartoon, to keep the attention of any but the youngest viewers. The film exploits the humor of its Warner Brother characters but needs a much better story to tie them together. Looney Tunes have traditionally been sophisticated enough to entertain fans of all ages, so I see no reason why this movie shouldn't be. I'm giving it three stars for some occasionally clever writing, but as a whole "Looney Tunes: Back in Action" isn't very watchable. It may entertain children under 6 if they have the patience for it.

The DVD: Bonus features include "Behind the Tunes", a comical making-of documentary narrated by Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny, "Bang, Crash, Boom", a special effects documentary also narrated by the cartoon duo, "Whizzard of Ow", a short animated film featuring Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner in which the Coyote makes use of a book of wizardry in pursuing the bird, deleted scenes, a theatrical trailer, and a DVD-ROM which contains additional scenes. "Behind the Tunes" is only mildly informative, but it's fun. "Whizzard of Ow" is a must for Road Runner fans; it's the same format as all Road Runner cartoons. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, and French. Dubbing is available in French and Spanish. -- mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA)

Release Date: 06/01/2004

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Uptown Girls

In terms of the basic plot "Uptown Girls" is totally predictable. Molly Gunn (Brittany Murphy) is a spoiled little rich girl who needs to grow up when she is forced to go out and get a job for the first time in her life. Ray Schleine (Dakota Fanning) is an 8-year-old even littler little rich girl who is not only a hypochondriac and wise beyond her years but who needs to learn how to be a kid. Of course circumstances throw them together when Molly becomes Ray's nanny. There is the comic period of butting heads, the tentative beginnings of friendship, the point at which things blow up big time, and the heartfelt reconciliation. But one of the reasons that formula films like this continue to be made is because more often than not they work. The result is not a great film, but an enjoyable one where the best part of the film is the finale, where between them writers Julia Dahl, Mo Ogrodnik, Lisa Davidowitz and Allison Jacobs come up with a creative way of bringing together major plot elements.

The twist with Molly Gunn is that she is the daughter of a rock 'n' roll legend, guitarist Tommy Gunn. Her parents were killed in a plane crash when she was about Ray's age and she has been living off the residuals. In her apartment there is a shrine in which all of her father's guitars are displayed, including the one on which he wrote his biggest hit, "Molly Smiles," the song that Molly can no longer bear to here. Molly might be spoiled, but she has a kind heart and not a mean bone in her body. When her accountant steals all of her money and disappears she has her friends, Ingrid (Marley Shelton) and Huey (Donald Faison), who stay true and try to help her survive in the real world (I liked not having to do deal with her friends forgetting her now that she is broke). She also likes Neal Fox (Jesse Spencer), the young musician who plays at her birthday party. The only problem is that he is 274 days in his sobriety and wants to be celibate the first year. But he too is inspired by Molly to write a song that becomes a hit.

Ray's mother, Roma Schleine (Heather Locklear) runs a record label, which, of course, signs Neal. This also explains why Ray needs a Nanny and we already know why the kid's attitude has a long procession of nanny's coming and going. But beyond her immaculate room and her preoccupation with germs and disease, Ray has her own father issue: he suffered a stroke and is now a vegetable set up in the library of the apartment. She seldom talks about her dad and she never visits him. To Molly, this is just wrong, but she does not give the obvious speech. Ray is smart enough to know what she would say and Molly bides her time until the time comes to say the right thing. In the counter-part to that scene that comes shortly afterwards, Molly and Ray communicate a whole range of emotions without either one of them even saying a word. Films like this rarely let silence speak so well on the behalf of the characters.

Dakota Fanning was the best thing in "Taken," and after her solid performance in "I Am Sam" it is nice to see her do a more comedic role in this film. Count me in the growing list of those who think she could well be the Jodi Foster of her generation (to wit, she is better than Jodi Foster was at this age and you have the sense that she can make the transition from child star to adult star). Brittany Murphy, who was wasted in "Just Married" and was asked to do something decidedly different in "8 Mile," sinks her teeth into this role. She has the ditzy parts down pat, but it is the honest moments that she shares with both Ray and Roma that she achieves her best grace notes in the film. She should get a lot of opportunities to do more romantic comedies and as long as they have some basis in the real world and do not require her character to go over the top, she should thrive in such roles.

Again, I want to applaud the creativity shown at the end of the film. Coming up with a payoff at the end of a film like this is difficult, because you need something that brings the characters together in a happy ending. What I like about this ending is that it achieves this without the characters involved ever making physical contact, by involving at least a half-dozen key plot elements, and, most importantly, by having the song we have been waiting almost the entire movie to hear be as good as it was supposed to be. When you watch the film a second time pay attention to how the music is set up during the auction scene. There might not be enough new here to make this a great film, but director Boaz Yakin has made "Uptown Girls" a nicely crafted formula film that more than meets our expectations. -- Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota)

Release Date: 01/06/2004

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Double Tap [Region 2]

The last time I saw Heather Locklear in anything was her performance as Sammy Jo in TV's Dynasty. Come to think of it, she was quite wonderful in that role. This film is has the advantage of a 100 percent cast, story, production, etc., and some rather great music. Let's hope to see more of Heather in films of this calibre. She deserves the opportunity, after all these years, to go straight to the top. --- Liz "Birdmother" (Seattle, WA USA)

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Money Talks

I don't care what anybody else says. This movie is utterly hilarious. Yes, the humor is crude at times and Chris Tucker must say the "f" word 5,000 times. But, his delivery is unbelievable. Perfect timing. Imagine Chris Tucker passing himself off as the son of Vic Damone and Dianne Carroll! He attends a posh Italian American wedding reception and tells everyone he is Vic Damone Jr. There is a scene where Chris calls in a bomb threat at a disco that made me laugh so hard I hurt afterward. Charlie Sheen is a terrific partner in crime. If you liked Rush Hour, you will also like Money Talks. Comedy mixed with some pretty graphic violence. But it works! Take a chance on this one. It's worth it.

Release Date: 01/14/1998

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The First Wives Club

In 1996, Hugh Wilson directed a very funny comedy about three friends that were all dumped by their husbands for younger women in the film "First Wives Club". Based upon the 1992 novel of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith (1949-2004), the three friends (who had met in college) are brought back together after their fourth friend, Cynthia Swann Griffin (Stockard Channing), jumped from her penthouse apartment in Manhattan after her husband left and she felt totally alone. Upon learning about each others similar marital problems, the surviving friends, which include the boisterous Brenda Cushman (Bette Midler), the movie actress Elise Elliot (Goldie Hawn) and the timid Annie Paradis (Diane Keaton), decide to work together to attain vengence upon their ex-husbands. Brenda's ex-husband, Morton 'Morty' Cushman (Dan Hedaya), wants to marry the very young and shallow Shelly Stewart (Sarah Jessica Parker). Elise's ex-husband, Bill Atchison (Victor Garber), is dating the very young aspiring actress Phoebe LaVelle (Elizabeth Berkley). Annie's separated husband, Aaron Paradis (Stephen Collins), is having an affair with Annie's therapist, Dr. Leslie Rosen (Marcia Gay Harden). To assist them, the trio of first wives enlist help from their friends, which include the interior decorator Duarto Feliz (Bronson Pinchot), Annie's daughter Chris Paradis (Jennifer Dundas), the socialite Gunilla Garson Goldberg (Maggie Smith) and Brenda's Uncle Carmine (Philip Bosco).

Though the plot was somewhat weak and the acting and screen writing were not Oscar-worthy, "First Wives Club" is still very entertaining and engaging. The most memorable acting comes from Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker and Victor Garber. The film did receive an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score. Memorable scenes in the film include Cynthia on her balcony, her funeral, the trio at the restaurant, Elise visiting Bill's office, Annie's visits with Dr. Leslie Rosen, Morty's commercial, Shelly with Gunilla, Morty's apartment, the auction, the fight, Annie's purchase, Chris' announcement and the closing scenes. Other memorable characters include Annie's mother Catherine MacDuggan (Eileen Heckart, 1919-2001), Dr. Morris Packman (Rob Reiner) and Brenda's son Jason (Ari Greenberg), as well as cameos by Ivana Trump, Kathie Lee Gifford, Gloria Steinem and former NYC mayor Edward I. Koch. Olivia Goldsmith also made an unaccredited cameo. Overall, I rate "First Wives Club" with 4 out of 5 stars. It's a fun film that both women and men can enjoy, though women may enjoy it more since the men in the film are the bad guys.

Release Date: 12/01/1998

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Wayne's World 2

This is more great comedy from the minds of the cast members of Saturday Night Live. Dana Carvey and Mike Myers are among my favorites, so Wayne's World has always been a favorite of mine.

In their ode to die-hard 80s hair band fans, Wayne and his faithful sidekick, Garth, set out on another adventure. This time around, Wayne begins to question his mortal purpose. He is soon visited in a dream by a naked indian man who leads him through the desert sands to Jim Morrison. Morrison tells him that the purpose of his life is to put on a concert.

Of course, there are obstacles... Namely, Bobby (played by Christopher Walken), the smooth-talking and suave record producer in charge of managing Cassandra's (Wayne's girlfriend) budding music career.

Garth has issues of his own, though. He has just "gotten his first pubes", so he is eager to become familiarized with the ways of the woman. A snake of a woman, played by Kim Basinger attempts to take advantage of his innocence and loyal nature. The scenes Dana Carvey shares with Basinger are hilarious.

This is just a funny and ridiculous movie. With a good cast of actors, the story leads from one funny scene to the next. Carvey and Myers are great together...

Highly recommended for fans of SNL comedy. -- Matt (NJ)

Release Date: 07/10/2001

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