Memento-like psychological thriller.
With Ryan Gosling too.
Unless you don't feel like thinking, this is a great film.

This USA Network documentary caught me off guard. The film revolves around a fight between six time world champion Emile Griffith and Benny "Kid" Paret. Paret was carried off in a strectcher after going down in the 12th round, and passed away 10 days later. The death of Paret left his family burdened with debt and Griffith with a scar that he would never shake.

The film goes on to follow the lives of Paret's family and Griffith's interesting life after he hung up his gloves. The film comes to a emotional close when Emile Griffith meets Benny Paret's young son Benny Jr.

A stellar film!

I am a sap for love stories and I fell hook and sinker for this one. There was something about the chemistry between Noah and Ellie that made me believe. Love is paramount. And this film shows us that love is so powerful, that just watching two people in love makes you feel alive.

Uma Thurman is going to KILL BILL, in Quentin Tarantino's latest film about a former assassin betrayed by her boss, Bill (David Carradine). Four years after surviving a bullet in the head, the bride (Thurman) emerges from a coma and swears revenge on her former master and his deadly squad of international assassins, played by Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox and Michael Madsen.

What a movie! Just all around tremendous.

Michael Moore at his best. This movie is what a documentary can be. A scathing look into guns and America. Makes you wonder why America is what America is. A little sad but you can only hope Mike Moore can change our nation the way that he changed the life of the boy from Columbine. Must see movie!

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IMDB: Tracy Flick is the smartest student in all Carver High and the only one having an affair with a teacher. Her other teacher Mr. McAllister is the most involved teacher at Carver High and is messing around with his wifes best friend. Elections are coming up and Tracy Flick is the only one running and after seeing Tracy always winning something and doing everything right, Mr. McAllister bribes the dumb jock Paul to run against her for his own pleasure. Tracy is mortified that Paul is even trying to compete. Tammy, Paul's lesbian sister who got dumped by her girlfriend to go with Paul decides that running against her brother is the best revenge. After the three say their speeches everything goes on a downfall. Who will win the election this year? Summary written by Kyle {Kazoom32@aol.com}

IMDB: An American in Ho Chi Minh City looks for a daughter he fathered during the war. He meets Woody, a child who's a street vendor, and when Woody's case of wares disappears, he thinks the soldier took it. Woody hunts for him. A cyclo driver, Hai, gives a ride to Lan, a hotel call girl, and starts waiting for her daily; he falls in love with her and tries to break through her tough veneer. Kien An, a young woman, takes a job harvesting lotuses in the ponds of Teacher Dao, a reclusive man who has leprosy. Her singing awakens him from depression, and he asks her to write down poetry he has composed. The characters' paths cross in small ways, around flowers and kindnesses. Summary written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

Director Todd Solondz goes to a higher level with his second film, a dark comedy which shows a side of society that most people could do without . Solondz introduces a host of wacko's who cross each other's paths over the course of the film. The characters introduced include a child molster, a chronic masterbator, and a murderer, to name a few. While criminals on the inside, they are all leading a day to day life that would lead a person to suspect nothing. You won't be able to hold back a few guilty laughs as the cast of characters go forth with their crimes of passion. A must see, unless you have a weak stomach.

Dora is a retired school teacher who now tries to make a little extra money on the side by transcribing and mailing letters for people that she refers to as "trash" at Rio de Janeiro's Central Station. One of Dora's customers dictates a letter to her husband, who abandoned her and Josue, her nine year old son just before he was born. After leaving the station the customer is killed when hit by a bus, leaving Josue to fend for himself. Dora recuctantly takes Joshe in, and soon they find themselves on a journey across Brasil in search of Josue's father. The bond that forms between the two, and the journey they make are beautiful. This film is a gem!

Seen at the Boston Film Festival.

Another stellar film out of Iran. Ali, has lost his sister Zahra’s only pair of shoes. Knowing that their parents are doing all they can to get by, Ali and Zahra try to get by without letting their parents on to the fact that Ali has lost Zarha's shoes. Together they share Ali's sneakers, struggling to make the best of a bad situation. Things start to look up when Ali gets the opportunity to run in a race which offers a new pair of sneakers as one of its prizes, and his father finds new opportunities as part time gardener in the city. Pure and simple indeed, but this film is great. Seen at the Boston Film Festival.

After years of hard work Joe Floss has invented "The Process." Soon after unveiling his breakthrough to the senior staff at his company, he begins to feel slighted. His company is slow in rewarding him for his hard work, the company then brings in lawyers in fear that Joe may reveal the process to others. Feeling slighted by the company Joe decides to consult in a new found friend for advice. Soon Joe's life is turned upside down as parties from all sides move in to try and capture "The Process." The events that unfold leave you on the edge of your seat. What starts off as a slow movie blows you away by the end. A real gem - why does something like this go completely unnoticed?

Contemporary French Cinema at its best. Ludovic is a small boy who fantasizes about being a girl. Ludovic carries this out to the point of actually dressing up as one, and talks of marrying the boy next door. This does not go over well, causing problems with the neighbors, at school, and even at home. Ludovic’s parents try everything they can to get him to stop behaving this way, but nothing seems to work. Throughout we are treated to some beautiful fairly tale scenes, and an ending which is better sweet. Fabulous!

Gaspard has decided to spend the summer in Dinard so that he can be with his girlfriend Lena, who is expected to arrive in Dinard in a few days. While spending his days alone waiting for Lena to arrive he meets Margot, who works in a small creperie in town. Gaspard and Margot spend their time together discussing Gaspard’s unlucky past with women, and the fact that Lena, his girlfriend has not shown up. As the days pass his hope for Lena arriving grow dimmer and dimmer, and soon his interest turn towards another girl, Solene. Almost as soon he starts getting close with Solene, Lena arrives. Soon he find himself juggling between three women, Lena, Margot, and Solene, and he does a horrible job of it. A text book light romantic comedy.

This film breaks through all of my stereotypes. Always one to bash big budget films often without even seeing them, this one puts me in my place. Perhaps the most expensive film of all time, Titanic delivers. Storyline, character development, special effects, its all there. I credit the director for holding true to his vision on this film. Playing over three hours, every minute was well worth it. Cameron's story of romance on the high seas between Jack and Rose works perfectly as a backdrop to the tradgedy that occurred on the moonless night of April 15, 1912. Stellar indeed, this film is sure to pull in dozens of awards.

A true to life look in on the singles scene today. Mike is coming off a six year relationship now finds himself playing all the games that his friends have been playing for years, trying to make the score, trying to be money. Although the men involved talk the good talk, reality is something much different, with rejection and disappointment always close at hand. A great film showing life as it really is.

IMDB: Danny and Freya are two teenagers, living in an Australian rural town in 1962. They have known each other all their lives and are very close friends. When Freya falls pregnant to Trevor, a macho football coach, the ensuing scandal forces Freya to move to the city, leaving behind her closest friend. (Summary written by Alexander Lum {aj_lum@postoffice.utas.edu.au})

The film is superb. Shown through Danny's eyes, we see his passion for Freya. The film shows us things which we can all relate to. Young Danny holds on desperately to his childhood friendship with Freya, in awe of her coming of age. He then watches, still holding on, as Freya gets involved with the recluse Trevor. Simple and straightforward, the film is stellar at all angels - this makes my top ten for sure. - Followed by the sequel Flirting.

A brilliant yet simple script leave you on the edge of your seat wondering what horrible event will happen next. Two couples who hardly know each ofther spend the night together after meeting at a school facultiy social. The four of them drink and talk and drink and talk, and drink and talk. As the drinking goes on the dirty laundry starts to come out. The stakes and secrets continue to rise, each more brutal than the last.

Filmed in 1930, the film has a message as true then as it is today. With war raging overseas, thousands of young men have stepped forward to "die for their country." After being told by so many how honorable it is to serve their country, they enlist. Soon after going overseas they find out that war is hell, and that there's nothing glamorous about dying for one's country, but rather that war is insane, and that the people who should really be fighting the war are the diplomats who started it all. The ending is both powerful and brilliant, all done to project the directors anti-war message, and it is done well.

IMBD: Isaac, 42, has divorced Jill. She is now living with another woman, Connie, and is writing a book in which she will reveal some very private points of their relationship. Isaac has a love affair with Tracy, 17, when he meets Mary, the mistress of his best friend Yale. Yale is already married to Emily. (Summary written by Yepok).

Making a habit of peeping in on others, Monsieur Hire witnesses a murder. With a real desire for the women involved however , he keeps quiet. He continues to watch her day after day, and eventually he is discovered by her. She doesn't shy away, instead she forms a relationship with him. Obsessed with this young woman, he does all he can to hold on to her. Knowing that she is an accomplice in a murder case which the police are working hard to crack, he pays the ultimate price to protect her.

Part two to Smoke. This film is done on a bit of a lighter note, taking a real look at the people and places that make up Brooklyn. The film is full of laughter and character. While Smoke was good, Blue In the Face was even better.

Kane, the richest man to live in the first half of the twentieth century, and now he has died. His dying words were "Rosebud," and now a young writer is given the assignment to find out just who or what "Rosebud" was. The search is long and hard, taking him through many parts of Kane's life, but after allot of searching he comes up empty. In the end however, we learn the answer to the question on our own. Known to be one of the greatest films of all time, after watching you know why.

One of Peter Sellers last appearances, and probably the best of his career. Chance has lived a sheltered life, working as a live in gardener. He finds himself forced out on the street after his employer of so many years passes away. Strolling the streets of Washington DC, quite by accident he is hit by a car. From this little incident, which left him with no more than a slight limp, he is taken into a life of power and prestige. Although Chance is no more than a gardener, he is looked upon otherwise by his new group of friends. This film is satire at its best, a stellar script and a stellar cast bring this film to the top.

A true classic. A Vietnam vet has taken to the streets of New York as a taxi driver, using the job as a way to deal with his ongoing ordeal of not being able to sleep. We watch as the bitterness of this character come to a head. Disgusted by the 4 of society he decides to take things into his own hands. All the while DeNirro narrates his diary entries, which seem to grow in their bitter nature as time goes on. Truly stellar.

Simple as can be, a little girl who wants a goldfish. She begs and whines, and finally her mother gives in and hands he some money for "The fat one." Getting the money for this fish is only the beginning of this little girls adventure. The story and its characters are pure to the core, and that's what makes this film so genuine and perfect.

This documentary digs deep to give us as true a picture as one will get of who Anne Frank was. The director tells the story by both interviewing a number of people who knew Anne and the Frank family and filming the small shleter where her family hid trying to escape the terror of the Nazis. After the family was discovered, we listen to the many accounts of the people who knew her, and met with her within the concentration camps. The details are harsh but true, and this film, like so many others of its kind, does a fantastic job of keeping us aware of the horrors of genocide,

A gem! The postman is a simple man, trying to get his life started on a different track on an island where most men are fisherman. His delivery route brings him to the house of a famous poet who has been banished from Chile, and now lives in exile on this small Italian island. We watch as the poet and the postman grow to become close friends, until the day comes where the poet is given immunity to come back to Chile.

A true love story. Done with incredible subtlety. Simply a perfect film. The one daughter who kept on the straight and narrow has taken a liking to a traveling admiral who seems to keep crossing paths with her. Given time, their paths become one.

A real emotional roller coaster. A successful businessman has his life fall apart, and now has sold everything and has moved to Las Vegas, where he plans to spend his dying days as an alcoholic. After making the move from LA to Las Vegas, he finds love - a prostitute, and the prostitute find love in him, the alcoholic. A true gem.

A documentary about the amazing life of Leon Theremin, inventor of the theremin, the electronic musical instrument so beloved of 50s sci-fi movie music. Theremin amazed America with his instrument until his kidnapping by Soviet agents in the mid-30s. Upon his release from a labor camp, he worked on surveillance devices for the KGB. Almost 60 years later , he is brought back to America for a touching reunion with his friends and colleagues. Summary written by Erik Gregersen {erik@astro.as.utexas.edu}

The film opens with a man walking aimlessly across the desert southwest, before being picked up by the local authorities. The man, ruined by his past, tries his best to pick up the pieces after his brother gets word of his situation, and takes him in at his home in LA. There, the man rediscovers his son, who his brother and brother's wife have taken in as their own. Bent on trying to make things right, he tries to reunite the family which he has toren apart.

IMDB: After the murder of his wife, hotshot banker Andrew Dufresne is sent to Shawshank Prison, where the usual unpleasantness occurs. Over the years, he retains hope and eventually gains the respect of his fellow inmates, especially longtime convict "Red" Redding, a black marketeer, and becomes influential within the prison. Eventually, Andrew achieves his ends on his own terms. Summary written by Reid Gagle

Tom, a bright young college student suddenly finds himself involved with the some upper class ivy leaguers. Although he's not from money like all the others, he has quickly found his place as part of the in crowd, with his wits and intelligence more than making up the gap. The stellar dialog in this upscale comedy will keep you smiling all the way.

This film is of nothing more than a working theater in New York City putting on an rehersal of Checkov's "Uncle Vanya". The setting is completely simplistic, leaving everything to the script and the acting - every cast member gives it their all, and it shows.

A young intellectual does his best to find his dream women, even though his cousin is doing everything he can to make sure that dream doesn't come true. Set in Barcelona, the dialog in characters in this film are very entertaining.

Follow Arthur Agee and Bill Gates on their journey to escape the ghetto in hopes to become one of the few to make it to the NBA. The movie is real - a documentary that follows these guys from 13 to 20 years old. An incredble journey, with plenty of highs and lows along the way.

Desperate for a better life, a man and his wife leave everything behind including all but one of there children in a search for something better. In the end they end up asking if the price was worth it, as we see just how unfair life can be.

A young judge doesn't know it, but he is following in the footsteps of a judge thirty years his senior. A young model who has become friends with an older judge doesn't realize that she is about to fulfill his dreams. Last of the Trois Couleurs Trilogy. Stellar! Seen at the Boston Film Festival.

A quote from the director Krzysztof Kieslowski:

"At this moment, in this cafe, we're sitting next to strangers. Everyone will get up, leave, and go their own way. And then, they'll never meet again. And if they do, they won't realize that it's not for the first time."

IMDB: In 1931, a chartist lands a plane in the Arctic to map unrecorded regions. He takes an Eskimo boy with tuberculosis back to civilisation where he is healed and indoctrinated in a Catholic foster home. The Eskimo meets a "half-breed" girl (father was French, mother was Indian) and they fall in love. They are separated and the Eskimo returns to the Arctic. Years later he encounters the chartist again and sends a message to his love via the chartist. He joins the air force to fight Hitler, and runs into her again, but there are obstacles that threaten his friendships and relationships. Summary written by Ed Sutton {esutton@nortel.ca}

Set in a small oil town in the middle of nowhere, some of the men get a chance at a way out, but at what cost? There are four openings to transport an fragile and explosive payload across the desolate and rugged countryside. Truly a must see!

A quote from film critic Roger Ebert:

One thing that establishes THE WAGES OF FEAR as a film from the early 1950s, and not from today, is its attitude toward happy endings. Modern Hollywood thrillers cannot end in tragedy for its heroes, because the studios won't allow it.

IMDB: Ingemar lives with his brother and his terminally ill mother. He may have a rough time, but not as bad as Laika - the russian dog sent into space... He gets sent away to stay with relations for the summer. While there, he meets various strange characters, giving him experiences that will affect him for the rest of his life.
Summary written by Colin Tinto {cst@imdb.com}

The true story of Oscar Schindler, a powerful German businessman who does his best to save Jews by employing them in his factory during World War II.

IMDB: A Spanish soldier deserts from the army in 1931, only to find himself arrested by a group of local policemen. He is released and soon befriends a lonely, old man in the local village. Problems arise when the old man's daughters come to visit their father and the soldier quickly falls in love with each of them. Summary written by Julio Avalos {javalos@gate.net}

An epic Chinese drama follows two famous Opera stars from childhood through to their middle ages. The story moves them through changes in government and many other dramatic ordeals. Destined to be a classic.

The story of one man's obsession with hairdressers, and later about his marriage to one. Truly romantic, truly sensual, truly perfect! A must see!

A young Russian Jew uses his fluent German to his advantage during World War II. He avoids death, but has to become a Nazi to stay alive.

Set at the turn of the century, a couple and a younger sister journey aimlessly through the countryside, ending up in the heartland working for a rich land owner who's on his last legs. The couple tries their best to take advantage of the situation, but in the end they get burned. Also of note in this film would be its stellar soundtrack.

Once a Cuban refugee, now Tony Montana sits on top of the Miami drug underworld. But in the end it all comes crumbling down on him.

IMDB: A collection of five stories involving cab drivers in five different cities. Los Angeles - A talent agent for the movies discovers her cab driver would be perfect to cast, but the cabbie is reluctant to give up her solid cab driver's career. New York - An immigrant cab driver is continually lost in a city and culture he doesn't understand. Paris - A blind girl takes a ride with a cab driver from the Ivory Coast and they talk about life and blindness. Rome - A gregarious cabbie picks up an ailing man and virtually talks him to death. Helsinki - an industrial worker gets laid off and he and his compatriots discuss the bleakness and unfairness of love and life and death. Summary written by Ed Sutton {esutton@nortel.ca}

IMDB: In World War II Casablanca, Rick Blaine, exiled American and former freedom fighter, runs the most popular nightspot in town. The cynical lone wolf Blaine comes into the possession of two valuable letters of transit. When Nazi Major Strasser arrives in Casablanca, the sycophantic police Captain Renault does what he can to please him, including detaining Czech underground leader Victor Laszlo. Much to Rick's surprise, Lazslo arrives with Ilsa, Rick's one time love. Rick is very bitter towards Ilsa, who ran out on him in Paris, but when he learns she had good reason to, they plan to run off together again using the letters of transit. Well, that was their original plan. (Summary written by Gary Jackson {garyjack@wchat.on.ca})

IMDB: Caine plays a man on holiday in Rio with his best friend. Both men have teenage daughters with them. When Caine falls for the amorous daughter (played by Michelle Johnson) of his best friend, they embark on a secret, if slightly one-sided relationship. Johnson's father is furious when he finds out about the 'older man' in his daughter's life, and sets out to hunt him down with the aid of Caine!
(Summary written by Rob Hartill).

Wow. No, wait.. scary wow.

A sad but beautiful look into the state of Africa and the power of the human spirit.

Film won the Acadamy Award for Best Foreign Film this year. Had to see it, and was not disapointed. A very good look at what life it probably like for an unfortunately large minority in the Middle East. Disturbing but true.

Big Philip Seymour Hoffman fan since I saw Happiness. Did not disapoint. Very good movie.

Some of those controversial movies that get good ratings I get really skeptical about. I was skeptical about this one too. But it was good. Real good.

Not sure if it is because I am a father or just a sap. But, I couldn't help crying over and over throughout this movie. It just got me - good. To me of course, a sign of a good movie is whether or not you cried. And this movie gets four tears for sure.

IMDB: In 1974, a teenage newspaper heiress and Berkeley undergrad was kidnapped at gunpoint from her apartment, setting off one of the most bizarre episodes in recent US history. The kidnappers, completely off the map before Patty Hearst disappeared into the San Francisco night, were a small band of young, ferociously militant political radicals, dedicated to the rights of prisoners and the working class. They called themselves the Symbionese Liberation Army. Over the course of about three years they robbed banks, senselessly killed two innocent people, instigated a firefight after attempting to shoplift a pair of socks, and, most famously, converted their hostage and victim. They also achieved an undeniably visionary manipulation of the media, inciting perhaps the first modern media frenzy. Presenting resonating questions about the role of the media in America--mouthpiece? Messenger? Truth seeker? --The ethical dilemmas posed by new technologies, and the proximity of madness to political extremism. Summary written by Sujit R. Varma

This film is also known as: Neverland: The Rise and Fall of the Symbionese Liberation Army

A classic. This movie was a total riot. In the midst of getting stoned, a commercial for White Castle comes on the tv. Harold and Kumar are overcome with visions of White Castle and their adventure to fulfill their craving for White Castle burgers begins. Haven't seen a movie funny like this since the days of Sixteen Candles.

After I finished this movie I felt like I did when I watched Titanic. I felt like I had been there. Just a real experience. I only wish I had seen it on the big screen.

My big three are tragedies, documentaries and movies based on true stories. Seabiscuit is an amazing movie about the little guy who thinks he is big. The story is about a rich man that brings together a down-and-out horse, trainer and jockey and inspires all three to greatness. It is really a beautiful film of course based on a true story.

I wanted to see this movie so badly when it was at the theaters. I am glad I finally got to see it. A very disturbing look at the drug culture of Rio de Janeiro.

Hard to forget the scene with the little boy.

Directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Sean Penn, you can not go wrong with that combination. I had been wanting to see this movie for a long time. It lived up to it's billing. A drama about the lives of three boys growing up in an urban neighborhood in Boston. The boys grow up to be three very contrasting adults, but are always held together by something that happened one summer day during their childhood. Although sometimes a bit overly melodramatic, the story is well written and acted. I cried at one point which is always the sign of a good movie/tragedy in my book.

A surreal French animated cartoon with no words. An absolute niche of cinematic style. The story follows the life of a mother who adores her son who aspires to be a world class bicyclists and someday win the Tour de France. Along the way we meet the eccentric/mysterious/debonair tripplets of Belleville who help save our boy from the evil French mafia. Belleville what a place!

The Bride is back! After being in a coma for four years, the assasin known as the Bride returns to conscience to avenge her (almost) husband and baby. Volume Two takes us on her journey to ultimate revenge to Kill Bill! But, there is a twist.

Mary liked this one better than Volume One while I thought Volume One was better. Nevertheless, both Kill Bill's are must sees. Tarantino is back to Pulp Fiction form with these two.

Two thumbs up, way up!

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Really good zombie movie.
I was shitting bricks.

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IMDB:Professional photographer L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries breaks his leg while getting an action shot at an auto race. Confined to his New York apartment, he spends his time looking out of the rear window observing the neighbours. He begins to suspect that the man opposite may have murdered his wife. Jeff enlists the help of his society model girlfriend Lisa Freemont and his nurse Stella to investigate.
Summary written by Col Needham {col@imdb.com}

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IMDB: Hollis Mulwray is a wealthy Californian landowner. Ida Sessions, pretending to be his wife Evelyn, asks P.I. JJ Jake Gittes to investigate his adulterous ways. Jake takes photos of Hollis with a young lady. Hollis then turns up murdered, which Jake decides to investigate. Jake finds more than he was looking for. He discovers a plot to buy cheap, unwatered land for low prices, water the land, and sell it for millions of dollars. The plot is masterminded by one Noah Cross, who is Evelyn's father and Hollis' one-time business partner. His investigation leads him to an affair with Evelyn and a discussion with Noah Cross, both of whom seem curiously interested in the girl Hollis was seen with. Summary written by Stacy Werblin

Film.com: The movie kicks off with a series of recreated news stories in which bizarre coincidences of timing and place resulted in even more bizarre deaths. It's a meditation on "chance" and its impact on our daily lives. From there, we're dropped into the midst of a humorous police search that introduces us to both a hapless police officer and a young inner-city kid who functions, briefly, as a kind of oracle. We're then quickly spun through a cast that includes a crusty old man who's dying of cancer, his male nurse and ditzily distraught wife; a child prodigy and his exploitive, manipulative father; a misogynistic guru who tutors men on how to take advantage of women; an aged host of a kiddie television show and his estranged, druggie daughter; and a washed up TV whiz kid who's broke and lonely. As their separate tales unwind, so do their ties to one another. What Anderson really does, though, is take the sad, bittersweet notes that they all sound in their individual lives and orchestrate them into a moving commentary on the nature of human interaction, on how much casual brutality and violence is folded into everyday existence. He does this, though, without sentimentality or cheap tugs at the tear-ducts. He does it through a deft mixture of humor and unflinching characterizations. Review written by: Ernest Hardy

IMDB: Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) has to deliver 100000 DM. Unfortunately he leaves the cash in the subway - a dosser (Joachim Krol) is very happy about that. Now there are 20 minutes remaining for Manni to deliver the money otherwise he's for the high jump. Desperately he phones his girl-friend Lola (Franka Potente) who helped him out of every situation so far. Will she be able to get 100000 DM in twenty minutes. Well, there are different ways to do that... Summary written by Marco Radke {ds@serve.com}

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IMDB: Lester Burnham is a loser suburbanite rebelling against his dead-end job, bitch-on-wheels wife, unloving daughter, and imminent middle-age. His subsequent actions unfold into a darkly comic drama laced with a stellar supporting cast and enough roses to fill a nursery. Summary written by lianna g. {buzzie@beer.com}

IMDB: In April, 1975, civil war breaks out; Beirut is partitioned along a Moslem-Christian line. Tarek is in high school, making Super 8 movies with his friend, Omar. At first the war is a lark: school has closed, the violence is fascinating, getting from West to East is a game. His mother wants to leave; his father refuses. Tarek spends time with May, a Christian, orphaned and living in his building. By accident, Tarek goes to an infamous brothel in the war-torn Olive Quarter, meeting its legendary madam, Oum Walid. He then takes Omar and May there using her underwear as a white flag for safe passage. Family tensions rise. As he comes of age, the war moves inexorably from adventure to tragedy. Summary written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

IMDB: Heather Donahue, Michael Williams and Joshua Leonard, student filmmakers, set out to shoot a documentary about a local legend, the Blair Witch. In the forests near Burkittesville, Maryland, many children have vanished in the 1940s and people still avoid going too deep into the woods. So, the party sets out to look for facts that prove the legend, equipped only with two cameras and a little hiking gear. First, they find little piles of stone that must have been arranged artificially, later, they have to admit to be lost in the woods. Eerie sounds at night and more piles of stones in places where they have not been before cause the already desperated group to panic. And one night, days after they should have been back home, Josh disappears completely. Only what has been recorded and filmed with the cameras is found a year later and shows what happened in the woods. Summary written by Julian Reischl {julian.reischl@usa.net}

IMDB: Southpark is a quiet and peaceful place until the latest Terrance and Philip movie comes out. Once all the kids see it, all hell breaks loose, as the parents try to find a way to stop their kids from saying all the naughty words coming out of their mouths. The parents blame Terrance and Philip, place them under Citizen's Arrest, and declare war on their home country, Canada. It is up to the kids to save the world from Satan and keep Terrance and Philip from being executed. Summary written by Anonymous

Two brothers, one a hardware store manager named Hank, the other an unemployed slob named Jacob and Jacob's friend Lou stumble across a plane wreck while out hunting for a fox. A closer look at the plane reveals a payload of 4.4 million dollars in cash. Hank uses his wits to immediately take control of the situation and the money. The three men agree to wait until spring, split the money, and leave town. As time passes things become complicated by greed and distrust. Eventually the three men will wish they never found the plane to begin with.

IMDB: In Lille, two penniless young women with few prospects become friends. Isa moves in with Marie, who's flat-sitting for a mother and child in hospital in comas following a car crash. Isa is out-going, unskilled, with hopes of moving south to warmer climes. Marie usually is either angry or detached. Then, while Isa begins to visit the child in whose flat they live, going to hospital to read to her, Marie slowly falls for a rich youth. At first Marie keeps him at bay, then she not only pursues him, she begins to dream he is her life's love. When Isa tries to warn Marie, their friendship flounders. How will Marie handle the inevitable? And once they lose the flat, where will they go? Summary written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

IMDB: An affluent family take holiday at their lakeside home and soon encounter two young men who, without cause or provocation, turn their vacation into a living hell. The why is unimportant and, in fact, never really made clear. It is the how, the layout of the nightmare, which takes you by surprise and leaves you in utter disbelief. Like stumbling upon a horrific traffic accident, you instinctively feel the need to look away and at the same time you cannot bring yourself to avoid witnessing the carnage. Summary written by Matt Lauer (mattlauer@aol.com)

IMDB: An elderly street performer is offered a chance to practice his art with the Peking Opera. He refuses, wanting only to pass the tradition onto an Hier of male descent. One night, while going home from a performance, he is sold a young boy by a destitute parent. The Boy and the old man become close until it is discovered that the boy is really a girl Summary written by R. L. Strong {RS080455@pacbell.net}

IMDB: Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski is the ultimate LA slacker, until one day his house is broken into and his rug is peed on by two angry gangsters who have mistaken him for Jeffrey Lebowski, the LA millionaire, whose wife owes some bad people some big money. The Dude becomes entangled in the plot when he goes to visit the real Lebowski in order to get some retribution for his soiled rug, and is recruited to be the liason between Lebowski and the captors of his now "kidnapped" wife. Summary written by Alex Barron {resevoirdog@earthlink.net}

Film.com: Set in Montreal, the film (which was also written by Rudolph) concerns two married couples in different seasons of life. Nick Nolte plays Lucky Mann, a general repairman and small-jobs contractor who openly and routinely cheats on his wife, Phyllis (Julie Christie), a sexually withdrawn, former B-movie actress who spends a lot of time watching her old films. Across town, Jeffrey Byron (Jonny Lee Miller), a twentysomething corporate climber and all-around prick, toys with the Oedipal vibe between himself and his older secretary while providing no comfort at home for his miserable wife, Marianne (Lara Flynn Boyle). The latter wants a child but Jeffrey doesn't. Meanwhile, the root of all problems between Lucky and Phyllis is in their own history as failed parents who inadvertently drove away their beloved daughter years before.
A karmic stew starts simmering when Lucky begins an affair with Marianne, while Phyllis lets Jeffrey woo her to the point where she spends a weekend with him on a business trip. Neither illicit couple knows about the other, but destiny is bound to force these people to deal with their own problems eventually. Review written by: Tom Keogh

Film.com: Abandoned by an activist boyfriend, Erin finds herself unwillingly thrust back onto the dating scene when her pushy mother (Holland Taylor) places a personal ad for her in a local newspaper. Already resistant to pick-up ploys, Erin nevertheless decides to check out some of the 62 respondents who leave messages for her. (Film.com) Writer-director Brad Anderson has a lot of fun creating and casting some of the real losers who don't even rate a return call from her, but he proves to have a truly savvy eye for the ones who manage to intrigue Erin for an hour or two with various pretensions. What Erin doesn't know, however, is that several of these men are friends who have conspired to see who can have sex with her first. She also doesn't know that the brother of one of these clowns is Alan, a good guy who keeps crossing her path but not meeting her, and who is innocent of the seduction plot. Anderson makes it clear that fate keeps trying to get these two people together; unfortunately, it's only possible to care about Erin. Review written by Tom Keogh at Film.com

Based on the novel by Vladimir Nabokov. This film like the one made by Kubrick pushes above and beyond the social acceptance of the day. Hubert Humbert is a middle aged novelist who has rented a room in the house of Charlotte Haze. Hubert's twisted little dream comes to life little by little, as he finds himself getting closer and closer to Charlotte's daughter. Things become even sweeter when Hubert marries Charlotte, making little 14 year old Lolita his daughter. Charlotte unravels Hubert's plot to be close to her daughter and in one of her moments of weakness commits suicide, leaving Lolita all to Hubert. What follows is a twisted incestual relationship which leaves Hubert the victim. Over done at times, the visuals in this film help to more than make up for some of its shortcomings.