Adam Resurrected is a bizarrely mesmerizing exploration of the darkest recesses of the human psyche and its abilities to turn unimaginable pain into compensatory fanfares of poetic justice, finding redemption when known could be thought possible. Jeff Goldblum excels in the lead role, based on brilliant Israeli novelist Yoram Kaniuk’s novel which I long ago praised in The Los Angeles Times Book Review. Kudos to writer Noah Stollman, director Paul Schrader, and long-suffering producer Ehud Bleiberg for bringing this masterpiece to the screen.
Alice Adams This 1935 film directed by George Stevens, despite probably the most excruciatingly painful dinner scene in the history of cinema and the worst overall acting (including by the hopelessly wooden Fred MacMurray), manages to be utterly delightful because of the sweetly naïve presence of Katherine Hepburn in one of her earliest roles as a girl from the wrong side of the tracks with illusions of grandeur.
Petri Kotwica's BLACK ICE is dark, disturbing, compelling, mesmerizing drama as chilly and chilling as its Finnish winter settings-another tone poem deftly exploring the landscapes of the human heart.
The Cooler For sheer lovability, graced with sex and edge, this movie is a compelling tour de force of great acting (William H. Macy, Maria Bellow, Alec Baldwin) and directing (Wayne Kramer). You won’t be disappointed.
Even Money is a relentlessly depressing, painfully honest, and brilliantly acted (on the part of Danny DeVito, Kim Bassinger, Forrest Whitaker, and Ray Liotta) exploration of the human hunger for more and the terminal trouble it can get us into.
Gloomy Sunday Set in pre-WWII Hungary, this dark and subtly erotic romance (directed by Rolf Schubel) is of the most profoundly fascinating and powerfully compelling films I’ve seen in years. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Hotel for Dogs Thor Freudenthal’s tour de force is an urban fairytale that assimilates the best of your favorite dog movies and serves them with novelty, affection, and aplomb and will leave you tearing up through your smiles.
In The Bedroom A disturbing, stumbling uncentered film (by Todd Field) with marvelous performances by Sissy Spacek, Marisa Tomei, and Tom Wilkinson that yet holds your attention because of the powerful implausibility of its premise (based on the novel by Andre Dubus).
The King of Kong (directed by Seth Gordon) transcends its subject matter and genre to grip you from beginning to end about niche heroism and the human spirit.
Gus Van Sant’s MILK draws you into the truculent and unexpected life of slain San Francisco gay congressman Harvey Milk in away that gives insight into the way a hero is made and courage is born out of responsibility. Sean Penn truly earned the Oscar for his role as Milk.
Miracles Filled with heart, action, and emotion “Miracles” will make you love hockey even if you’ve never seen a game.
The Outsiders Francis Ford Coppola's tribute to adolescence is stylistically compelling, a gritty-surrealistic riff on "West Side Story," and features ingenue performances by Diane Lane, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillion, Tom Cruise-all in all, not to be missed.
Session 9 is a horror film that relies on the power of the human mind, both the audience’s and the characters, to terrify itself. Building gradually from the real to the imaginary, you’re never quite sure where you lose your bearings—but lose them you do, as you take this ride into the horror of piecing together the past in a haunted house that turns out to be the human brain itself. Brad Anderson directs this little gem.
Where The Wild Things Are is Spike Jonze's poetic tone-poem tribute to our favorite kids' book, moody and moving. Catherine Keener brilliant choice for Mom.
Wilde is a quietly moving and beautifully rendered film about the unshakably eccentric vision, both literary and personal, of Oscar Wilde in a world that can stand only so much artistic defiance before it punishes revolutionaries as rebels.
