Death and the Maiden (1994)
Based on Ariel Dorfman’s play, who also co-wrote the screenplay, Death and the Maiden is an engaging, multi-textured story about revenge, passion, and how the abuse of power is seductive, especially if put into...
Category: Drama
Laurel Canyon (2002)
Laurel Canyon made me feel like I was watching the pilot to some new “made for HBO” series, featuring the decadent portrayals of a Hollywood family — their life, their loves, and their lessons learned. ...
Poolhall Junkies (2002)
Poolhall Junkies tries very hard to be a hip mix of Rounders grittiness, Reservoir Dogs machismo, and Swingers camaraderie, but doesn’t have the talent to pull it off. Although there is an impressive cast for such a low budget feature ($4...
The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
Slowly but surely, Mexican director Guillermo del Toro has been crafting a nice little career for himself as a director of atmospheric horror, and El Espinazo del Diablo (or The Devil’s Backbone, as it’s known in the English-language...
The Pledge (2001)
The Pledge follows an aging Nevada homicide detective (Nicholson), days from retirement, who investigates a child murder in the snows of the nearby hills. He vows to find the murderer to the parents of the...
Boys (1996)
Ryder is Patty Vare, who has been getting visits from the local police regarding her knowledge about the whereabouts of a stolen car and a missing baseball player. Not wanting to deal with it,...
True Colours (1986)
Lung, Wong, and May have been lifelong friends, but circumstances forced Lung to flee the scene for five years after being a not-so-nice guy. When he returns, he finds that his once tough friend...
Trainspotting (1996)
Sometimes there are those films that not many people will relate to in its subject matter, but the audacious energy keeps them riveted despite it all. Trainspotting is one such film. Adapted from the novel by...
Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976)
Mother, Jugs & Speed is one of many seriocomic work-related movies to come out in the mid-70s, not too dissimilar to Car Wash and FM, with an ensemble cast of eccentric characters, sporting a hip (for the time)...
Alice’s Restaurant (1969)
If Arlo Guthrie could squeeze the real-life events down to an 18-minute “talking blues” song, “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” you could easily squeeze Arthur Penn’s screen adaptation of that song into an interesting film of...