Anthony Minghella’s The English Patient (A-) is about love lost, planes crashed, bodies destroyed, candles extinguished and memories forever buried in the sand of a lonely desert. Gorgeously shot and leisurely paced with a modern story and flashbacks, the film includes a central doomed romance in pre-WWII North Africa between Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas and a subplot with Juliette Binoche (all outstanding performances) as a devoted nurse who connects several subplots. Unlocking the mysteries is part of the intellectual adventure, and those who are interested in austere and thought-provoking cinema masterworks will find sumptuous subtext in this challenging drama.
All posts by Stephen Michael Brown
Show Me the Emotion! “Jerry Maguire” is a Knockout
The man who played America’s top gun, a cocky race car driver, an acrobatic bartender, a brooding vampire and a covert operator is now on the sidelines as Tom Cruise plays the agent behind the sports superstars. Cameron Crowe’s Jerry Maguire (A) is about a man who comes down to earth and discovers what truly matters when he finds romance, discovers a sort of surrogate parenthood and finds a client who can count on him regardless of his prestige. To paraphrase a famous line, the film “had me at hello” with superb performing performances by Renee Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr. as the agent’s loyalists. Crowe uses lovely pop music including Bruce Springsteen’s “Secret Garden” to trace the emotional and romantic journey. Cruise has never been better and gives one of his most restrained and generous performances.
“Scream” (1996) Rewrites the Rules of the Horror Film
Wes Craven deconstructs scary with Scream (B+), a smart comedy/horror hybrid that features characters who are in the know about the rules of horror movies and still fall into their wicked traps. Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, David Arquette and Neve Campbell are strong in the ensemble, and Kevin Williamson’s witty screenplay is truly the star. Craven is the perfect veteran director to both amplify the body counts and multiply the laughs as the proceedings get more and more horrific.
“White Squall” Pretty, Vacant
Jeff Bridges and Scott Wolf headline a picturesque coming of age story in Ridley Scott’s White Squall (C). Despite navigating the young cast through a series of physical and emotional adventures, the makers fail to generate much central interest or momentum. it ultimately kinda looks like a cologne ad.
Unfunny “House Arrest” is Grounded for Life
Kevin Pollack and Jamie Lee Curtis star in Harry Winer’s preposterous comedy House Arrest (F) about a bunch of kids who lock their bickering parents in the basement until they resolve their disputes. Billed as a family film, this pitiful exercise in annoyance wastes the talents of both its adult and child stars. It’s kind of the opposite of a night out (or in) at the movies.
“Mr. Holland’s Opus” Makes Sweet and Sentimental Music
Richard Dreyfuss soars as a music teacher inspired by the people who love him in Stephen Herek’s Mr. Holland’s Opus (A-). This finely tuned film is filled with clichés and somehow still works, possibly because it deals with dreams deferred and the notion that even life’s smallest notes are part of a collective symphony. The quality of the acting, the music and the overall groundswell has quite a power to move.
Terry Gilliam’s “Twelve Monkeys” is Bizarre and Brilliant
Visionary director Terry Gilliam comes back from the future in Twelve Monkeys (B+), an imaginative time travel fantasy with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt. Inventive and moody, the film tames the eccentric filmmaker’s most savage instincts and sustains a very suspenseful and engaging thriller throughout.
“Il Postino: The Postman” a Recommended International Feature
Michael Radford’s Italian import Il Postino: The Postman (B+) is a celebration of love and the human language, buoyed by poetry and romantic awakening. Chronicling a friendship between a simpleton delivery man and his mentor, the exiled poet Pablo Neruda, the film is a touching display of self-discovery as the postman learns to express the words in his head to the woman in his dreams.
Anthony Hopkins Shines in Oliver Stone Biopic “Nixon”
Oliver Stone’s Nixon (B) is a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of one of America’s most controversial presidents. Stone uses some of his trademark visual bombast, but it’s his rare moments of tenderness that humanize the president and Anthony Hopkins’ touching performance that lift the film above revisionist history.
Ang Lee’s “Sense and Sensibility” a Deft Comedy of Manners
Emma Thompson aptly adapts Jane Austin in her screenwriting debut for Ang Lee’s splendid comedy of manners Sense and Sensibility (A). Co-starring the luminous Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant, Thompson the actress and writer unleashes tart exchanges as gossipy socialites, sycophants, snobs and civil servants find their way in a period piece about discovering love and happiness.
“Dead Man Walking” a Gripping Drama
Director Tim Robbins makes the definitive film about the death penalty and shows all angles of a controversial topic through an intimate story about a nun (Susan Sarandon) and a death-row murderer (Sean Penn) in Dead Man Walking (A). Both actors give one of the best performances of their careers, and Robbins deftly directs their story without giving anyone easy answers. This is a thought-provoking drama and a reality injection for anyone who sees it.
Mike Figgis Directed “Leaving Las Vegas” is an Unsentimental Romantic Masterpiece
Meet Ben and tonic as director Mike Figgis addresses an addicted man and the woman who helps redeem him in the outstanding drama Leaving Las Vegas (A+). Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue give career-best performances as the alcoholic and prostitute who enter each other’s lives when they both most need the reflection and support of a fellow human being in their darkest time. Handheld camerawork, vivid colors and the absolute conviction of dialogue and fine acting make this alternately sad and romantic piece work beautifully.