(This may be considered by some to be a spoiler… You might want to read it after you see the film). M. Knight Shyamalan has done it again. He has created another horror film with THE VILLAGE. Sure, there’s a difference between this and SIGNS or THE SIXTH SENSE, or even UNBREAKABLE and WIDE AWAKE (a little movie that people who treasure family films – in the best sense of the word – will love). All of these have a spiritual dimension, other worldly.... Read more

I am a fan of author Robert Ludlum who died in 2001. His spy-thrillers are still a good read, though many took place during the Cold War. One of my favorites is “The Road to Gondolfo” from the early 1980’s about some mafia guys who kidnap the Pope for ransom, but he’s so happy to be out of the Vatican, he doesn’t want to go back. Reminded me of “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O’Henry. Now, people are finishing... Read more

It was a toss-up: I, Robot or Catwoman? I, Robot won. Be warned: this may be a bit of a spoiler. I am always prepared to like a Will Smith film, and this one started off okay. I, Robot is a sci-fi action film based on the collection of short stories of the same title written by Isaac Asimov and published in 1950. Science fiction is an okay genre for me; I don’t seek it out because it seems to always... Read more

I went to see Anchorman this morning. The story of Ron Burgundy played by Will Ferrell, meets the emerging feminism of the 1970’s in the person of Veronica Corningstone, played well enough by Christina Applegate. Hold that syllable there: Corn-ie. I think they had more fun making it than what actually made it through the editing suite. Adolescent body-part sexual-inuendo pseudo-machismo … humor? Poor San Diego. Why? I liked Ferrell better as Buddy the Elf.   Read more

“Ecastatic” may be overstating my mood somewhat after seeing Spider-Man 2, but I liked it ever so much – and it’s the closest adjective on the list the Journal provides to express my response. Better than Spider-Man (2002)? You bet! Spider-Man 2, for its comic book, action-super hero premise, is actually a morality tale about character and virtue. The bottom line: “Don’t listen to them; we have to be steady, give up what we want the most, even our dreams,... Read more

I’ll Sleep When I Am Dead is a bleak, overcast, British film noir tale that leads the audience through the dark streets and underbelly of London’s criminal world on a quest for a reason that morphs into revenge. It is about the deception of memories – and the myths they create. Davey is the younger brother of former crime lord, Will (excellent performance by Clive Owen of King Arthur and Greenfingers – one of my favorite films.) Will had left... Read more

In the midst of movies that entertain, others that are disturbing for various reasons, and others that are mostly about nothing in particular, The Clearing is an exceptional small thriller about the transparency and ultimately the transcendence of married love. Robert Redford plays Wayne, a self-made multi-millionaire who started is own car rental and then consulting business. Eileen, his wife, is played by Helen Mirren. Wayne gets kidnapped one day by the mentally ill, out-of-work, fanatical, and ambiguous Arnold, played by Willem Dafoe.... Read more

On November 9, 2002, I began my essay on Bowling for Columbine: White Men with Guns  http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/mediastudies/reviews/index.html thus: “The massacre of April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado affected our national psyche very deeply. Eric Harris’ and Dylan Klebold’s actions that day remain mysteriously or at best unsatisfactorily unexplained by a hodgepodge of accusations and ideas. I found Michael Moore’s haunting, ironic, and pseudo- documentary as a means to explore and examine the culture that would allow... Read more

I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to post a comment to my random thoughts about the movies I have seen. I appreciate the additional depth or perspective that you have added – as well as the kind words. Tomorrow I am off to see Fahrenheit 9/11. If you’d like to check out my essay on Bowling for Columbine, visit http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/mediastudies/reviews/filmbowling4columbine.html Blessings~ R Read more

From the trailers, I knew The Terminal was a movie I wanted to see. A traveler asks the stranded traveler Viktor Navorsky (Tom Hanks), “Do you ever feel like you live at the airport?” Viktor’s been there about six months, sleeping at Gate 67 when this happens. I travel a lot, so this little exchange made me laugh. Viktor is from a small Eastern European country near Russia. While he is on his way to New York’s JFK airport, his... Read more