Angel of the Mourning

Chances are you don’t know a whole lot about Angel Eyes other than that it’s the brand-new Jennifer Lopez movie. Maybe you also know that it co-stars Jim Caviezel (periodically known as James; he apparently hasn’t decided yet). It’s been described in some articles as a supernatural romance, and Caviezel…

Brothers Beyond

It’s a scenario we’re all familiar with by now: young single guys in search of hot babes, firing one-liners at each other, making pop-cultural references ad nauseam and ultimately finding out that women are somewhat less shallow than they’ve been led to believe. At least it’s a scenario you know…

Lost in the Swamp

This is some damn fine coffee you got here in Twin Peaks. And some damn good cherry pie. But I have to tell you something, sheriff: Last night, I had a dream in which a dancing midget talked backward, thus leading me to believe that our killer is a man…

Wigged Out

If you consider Northern Ireland a part of Ireland proper, then An Everlasting Piece may easily be the best Irish film of the year (not that the competition was too stiff — anyone remember The Closer You Get?). If, on the other hand, you consider the six counties to be…

House of Race Cards

Italian-Americans may be glad to note that Two Family House, which centers on the Italian community in Staten Island, features not a single gangster, gun or ring to be kissed. They might be even happier if the film had also chosen not to depict the men as fat, pasta-eating, quick-tempered…

Jaws: The Revenge

Amanda Peet has some really large teeth. Seriously. Even given the fact that it’s in vogue for a hot, young, would-be sex symbol to have a set of brightly polished choppers prominent for all to see (think Neve Campbell, Casper Van Dien or Denise Richards), Amanda’s impressive ivories take the…

Draw, Partner

It’s the year 3028, and man…is an endangered species! (Haven’t we heard that before — like, just last month?) This time around, though, the threat is a little more intimidating than those effeminate, Xenu-worshiping Conehead psychologists in platform boots. The villains in Fox’s new animated spectacular Titan A.E. are the…

Green Light

Given that most film studios have multimillion-dollar marketing budgets with which to target eighteen- to 25-year-olds, it’s astonishing how little they seem to know about the everyday life of those they’re supposed to be studying. Drew Barrymore has never been kissed? Please. Rachel Leigh Cook undatable until Freddie Prinze Jr…

Aisle Be Seeing You

You’re just going to have to accept that Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd are far too glamorous for the roles they inhabit in Where the Heart Is. It’s an issue that probably won’t hurt the film’s reception: Remember Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias? Your average moviegoer loves movie stars, and…

Detox for Dummies

Rehab, sweet rehab. Last resort of the alcoholic, the drug addict and the would-be suicide. Free room and board, lots of tender loving care and a whole herd of fellow recovering screwups who’ll always be there for you, and are willing to apologize and admit their imperfections at the drop…

Jet Set

Is America ready for Hong Kong’s action style? Certainly there are many fans of the more balletic, guns-and-martial-arts, fly-through-the-air movies that have inspired everyone from Quentin Tarantino to the Wachowski brothers. And yet Hollywood seems to have had trouble marketing the concept. Yes, John Woo gets high-profile projects, but the…

Grappling for Respect

It’s okay. You can say it. Just five little words. Don’t be shy. “I…am…a…wrestling fan.” You certainly wouldn’t be alone if you said it. Recent surveys show that as many as one in four Americans watch professional wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation routinely has the number-one rated program on…

Pluck of the Irish

If you think the prevailing attitude toward sex in the United States is somewhat backward, consider that of late 1960s Ireland, as depicted in Agnes Browne, the new movie directed by Anjelica Huston. When asked by her best friend Marion (Marion O’Dwyer) if she misses “it,” the recently widowed Agnes…

Prepare for Blastoff!

Moviegoers, rejoice! The first fun movie of the year has arrived. Oh, Leo’s little seaside adventure was pretty to look at, but its attempts at depth were a real bummer. And let’s not even talk about Scream 3: Even the first one was highly overrated, and it’s been downhill from…

Super Sunday

Let’s hear it for sports movies! Although the most avid sports fan is occasionally bored by lackluster games on the field, even a casual spectator can appreciate what the big screen can do for an athletic contest: the closer-than-life closeups, the dramatic use of slo-mo (preferably highlighted by driving rain),…

Christ on a Crutch

The last time Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in an apocalypse-themed action movie with a Guns N’ Roses theme song, it was Terminator 2, the biggest and loudest action movie that had thus far ever been seen. Since that time, he’s produced one bona fide balls-to-the-wall action flick (True Lies), one pale…