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Overview: At a turning point in his life, a former tennis pro falls for a femme-fatal type who happens to be dating his friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law. A love triangle ensues and luck will decide the outcome, but not before some unexpected events.

The first thing you have to do is forget that this is a Woody Allen movie because this is nothing at all like anything he’s ever done before. Mr. Allen, who wrote and directed this movie, delivers a story so well developed and so tight, a casting crew that is excellent (Scarlett Johansson is perfectly cast in the role of Nola), and a slow, enticing pace that makes this film virtually flawless.

From its depiction of upper class England life styles with imposing homes, to the utter sex appeal of Nola, and the ambition of Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), the movie slowly but surely takes you in a direction that at first is expected but then veers into surprise. The last third of the movie is as interesting and as unexpected as I have seen in quite a while. And then, when the movie is over, you will realize why Woody Allen is so well regarded – this is the kind of excellent work he’s capable of.

Priceless Scene: You have to see the movie to understand this, but when the wedding band is thrown in the air and… I’ll say no more. That is movie making at its best.

Tags: movie, review, woody, allen, match, point

Overview: Dave Chappelle's Block Party spotlights comedy superstar Dave Chappelle as he presents a Brooklyn neighborhood with its very own once-in-a-lifetime free block party.

There’s a reason why there aren’t that many concert movies: there are no advantages to showing them on the big screen. This movie is no exception. There is nothing especially funny, touching, surprising, or new about this movie. On the balance, this movie was a disappointment. Dave’s comedy is limited, and unless the music by itself moves you, there’s not much else to enjoy. Wait for the rental.

Many opportunities for more humor were missed. In particular, Dave’s visit to a school should yield many funny lines with the little kids (aren’t kids always funny?) but even here that visit was limited to one funny line.

Priceless Scene: Lauryn Hill and the Fugees reunion when they do Killing me Softly was especially nice.


Tags: movie, review, dave, chappelle, fugees, block, party

Overview: A man is shot and quickly buried in the high desert of west Texas. The body is found and reburied in Van Horn's town cemetery. Pete Perkins (Tommy Lee Jones), a local ranch foreman, kidnaps a Border Patrolman (Barry Pepper) and forces him to disinter the body. With his captive in tow and the body tied to a mule, Pete undertakes a dangerous and quixotic journey into Mexico

Quite an overview, hein? Well, let me tell you right away, this is not a movie for everyone. It’s slow moving, has many quirky characters and odd scenes, at times is told out of sequence, it heads in directions you don’t expect, and you aren’t sure it’s making sense as it goes along. If these are turn-offs, avoid this movie. If that’s your cup of tea, this is an interesting ride and very much worth seeing on the big screen.

Tommy Lee Jones stars and directs this movie. He dominates every scene he’s in but gives Barry Pepper an excellent role as a Border Patrolman that did something that Tommy Lee wants to make sure he pays for. The movie is slow getting off the ground, but the journey that leads to the last of the three burials is captivating and excellent movie making. It introduces characters and situations that even if they don’t add up to greatness, make this movie immensely intriguing.

Priceless Scene: This may be Barry Pepper’s best role to date. His moment of forgiveness gives him a great chance at a juicy scene and he’s all over it. His acting is solid during the whole movie but this scene at the end of the movie is the cherry on top.

Overview: The story is based on Jane Austen's novel about five sisters - Jane, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), Mary, Kitty and Lydia Bennet - in Georgian England. Their lives are turned upside down when a wealthy young man (Mr. Bingley) and his best friend (Mr. Darcy) arrive in their neighborhood.

Put simply: a chick flick in every sense of the term. For those who like the genre, or for those who are willing to forgive what they generally dislike about it, this is a wonderful film. Beautifully shot, clever, funny, entertaining, very well acted (even if the Oscar nomination for Keira Knightley seems a bit overdone), and… well… with the usually sprinkles of fantasy that make the genre loved by some and disliked by others.

I saw it in a theater full of females. They found humor and were gasping at passages that just made me roll my eyes. But that’s OK, the movie knows it’s target audience, and for them, it delivers the goods. At the end of the movie, a man accompanying a woman just looked at me and shook his head. I reciprocated as his female mate was chatting away with other woman about how wonderful the movie was. He and I didn’t need words – the Exit sign was our reward.

Priceless Scene: When Elizabeth’s mother wants her to marry someone and she refuses, the subsequent brief conversation between Elizabeth and her father (the always excellent Donald Sutherland), by the brook, with her mother in the background, shows the quiet confidence of a man often overshadowed by a demanding wife and 5 daughters. Mr. Sutherland makes it look so easy.

Pocket-Lint reports:

28 February 2006 - Hollywood Studios including Sony Pictures and Liongate have announced the launch date for Blu-ray movies in America to coincide with the launch of the first player from Samsung. Both Lionsgate and Sony Pictures have said that they will make a number of Blu-ray discs available on the 23 May 2006... Getting High Definition in your house isn’t going to be cheap however. Samsung’s first player – the BD-1000 is expected to cost $1000, however it will come with HDMI output as standard and backwards compatibility with most of today's standard DVD formats.

For details about what Blu-ray is, check this article.