Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
A comedy with serious intentions, Man of the Year attempts to challenge the audience’s notions of what is and isn’t real when it comes to politics. Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams) is a popular political talk show host. As a lark, he runs for president and wins. The thing is, he’s not any more unqualified than the other candidates, so his victory doesn’t seem quite so outrageous.
With “Tap,” viewers are reminded of the late Gregory Hines’ formidable skills not only as a dancer, but as a dramatic actor. This 1989 film isn’t wholly original–the plot borrows from countless movies where the hero is a flawed man trying to do good. The audience is asked to believe he might revert to his ne’r do well ways, but we’re confident that the ending will reveal his true, heroic colors.
By Jae-Ha Kim Amazon.com September 21, 2006 When you are a tall strapping man who dresses like a woman for a living, finding a pair of sexy but durable shoes can be worth your weight […]
On the surface, “Changing Times” is a love story about a couple that is reunited after decades apart. But unlike many films so desperate for a happy ending that the characters’ development are sacrificed to reach such a goal, this picture concentrates on the bittersweet reality of who they are today.
“The Death of Mr. Lazarescu” is a sadly funny film that tells the story of an old man whom no one really knows or cares about. When he falls ill and needs medical treatment, he faces a team of busy doctors who are concerned because they have to be, not because they really care.
“Broken Bridges,” starring country superstar Toby Keith, is the Country Music Channel’s debut entry into the world of feature films. Though it plays more like a televised movie of the week–complete with an opaque plot, much tears, and a happy ending–“Broken Bridges” is a guilty pleasure, thanks in large part to the surprising likeability (though not believability) of Keith.
“The Proposition” at times is a difficult film to watch. But thanks to a compelling story by rocker Nick Cave and a supporting cast (including Emily Watson as the Captain’s gentle wife), the film is a classic in the making.
The lives of two stoic cowboys and five abused Chinese women become intertwined in Walter Hill’s sprawling miniseries Broken Trail. Print Ritter (Academy Award winner Robert Duvall) and his nephew Tom Harte (Thomas Haden Church, Sideways) agree to deliver a herd of 500 horses from Oregon to Wyoming. Along the way, they rescue the young women–most of them still just girls–who’re being transported to a brothel to have their virginity auctioned off. When the madam sees she is about to lose the girls, she screams at Tom, “What about my property?” He shouts back, “That’s the price of being a capitalist, lady.”
Sometimes people are attracted to each other because of their differences. When there’s a nebulous attraction between a teacher and a young teenage child–as in the superb Half Nelson–the relationship has all the makings of confused disaster. Though there are a few uncomfortable moments when it’s not obvious whether Dan (Ryan Gosling) and Drey (Shareeka Epps) might cross the line, the attraction between the pair is culled less from sexual tension than desperation.
By Jae-Ha Kim Amazon.com August 7, 2006 A disturbing film about a young Belgian couple and their newborn child, L’Enfant tells a heartbreaking tale that is less about love than about the possibility of moral […]