Average Rating:

.

Deja Vu

starring: Victoria Foyt, Stephen Dillane, Vanessa Redgrave, Glynis Barber, Michael Brandon
directed by: Henry Jaglom

November 21, 2000
(Note: This review was written by my wife, Laura...)

You will instantly be drawn into this beautiful film as the lives of two strangers become interwoven in a magical dance of the soul. How does one choose between a stable, comfortable life and another life that is filled with true love but tainted with uncertainty?

This movie seeks to answer this question as these two strangers are ripped between what their mind wants and is conditioned to want by friends, family, and society, and what their soul desires in this rich display of poetic vulnerability and undeniable synchronicities.

As a result, there are some turns in this movie that challenge conventional views about love and marriage. Depending on how ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Anna Karenina (1985)

starring: Jacqueline Bisset, Christopher Reeve, Paul Scofield, Ian Ogilvy, Anna Massey
directed by: Simon Langton

June 20, 1997
This is one of the best versions of this remarkable story. When is it coming on DVD? With Christopher Reeve, Jacqueline Bisset and Paul Scofield what could be a better cast. It is a engrossing film. Not to be missed...

Average Rating:

.

Looking Glass War

starring: Christopher Jones, Pia Degermark, Ralph Richardson, Paul Rogers, Anthony Hopkins
directed by: Frank Pierson

June 02, 1998
The Looking Glass War is a mediocre adaptation of John Le Carre's novel of the same name. The acting is stilted and awkward, the screenplay poor, and the whole thing feels contrived, which it is. Even Anthony Hopkins' performance is poor. Bought it, watched it, put it up on eBay.

If you are looking for John Le Carre stories that have successfully made the jump from print to the silver screen, you want:

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold - Richard Burton is stunning in his portrayal of a burned-out spy.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - The BBC series starring Alec Guiness. I made the mistake of starting this one evening around 9 PM planning to watch two chapters and go to bed. I finally got to bed at 2:30 AM, having watched the ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Respectable Trade

starring: Warren Clarke, Anna Massey, Emma Fielding, Ariyon Bakare, Ralph Brown
directed by: Suri Krishnamma

December 15, 1998
After coming across this film quite accidentally on PBS, I found it thoroughly gripping, and agree completely with the other reviewers' high praise. I am adding my own words merely to encourage viewers not to overlook the extraordinary performance by Anna Massey as Sarah Cole. It is tempting to dismiss Sarah as a simple villain in this tale. However, I found Massey's stark performance deeply moving and expressive of Sarah's profound experience of displacement and loss. She is clearly the brains in her brother's business, for example, and depends on it for her own welfare, but is helpless to prevent its decline when Josiah begins to exclude her from his decisionmaking process. She is forced to abandon her lifelong home and lifestyle in pursuit of her brother's ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Frenzy

starring: Michael Bates, John Boxer (II), Bernard Cribbins, Jon Finch, Barry Foster

August 03, 1999
Alfred Hitchcock - The Legend Begins (20 Movie Classics)
I saw FRENZY from my Dad's collection. Hitchcock has that rare ability to evoke the most devastating fear with a minimum of on-screen blood and violence. My Dad used to say of Hitchcock films, " It's not what you see, but what you don't see that is so frightening." Hitchcock delights in turning macabre scenes into black comedy. Such is the scene in which a corpse's stiff leg refuses to be neatly packed, intact with its body, into a sack of potatoes. Hitchcock is taking something attractive and making it repugnant by its content and, in a sinister way, rather funny. Hitchcock thoroughly enjoys having a go at the audience by solving the complicated plot in the last ten seconds.

Average Rating:

.

Frenzy

starring: Michael Bates, John Boxer (II), Bernard Cribbins, Jon Finch, Barry Foster

March 01, 1992
Alfred Hitchcock - The Legend Begins (20 Movie Classics)
I saw FRENZY from my Dad's collection. Hitchcock has that rare ability to evoke the most devastating fear with a minimum of on-screen blood and violence. My Dad used to say of Hitchcock films, " It's not what you see, but what you don't see that is so frightening." Hitchcock delights in turning macabre scenes into black comedy. Such is the scene in which a corpse's stiff leg refuses to be neatly packed, intact with its body, into a sack of potatoes. Hitchcock is taking something attractive and making it repugnant by its content and, in a sinister way, rather funny. Hitchcock thoroughly enjoys having a go at the audience by solving the complicated plot in the last ten seconds.

Average Rating:

.

Five Days One Summer

starring: Sean Connery, Betsy Brantley, Lambert Wilson, Jennifer Hilary, Isabel Dean
directed by: Fred Zinnemann

January 27, 1993
This is such a great movie. When will it be released on DVD?

Average Rating:

.

Corn Is Green

starring: Katharine Hepburn, Ian Saynor, Bill Fraser, Patricia Hayes, Anna Massey
directed by: George Cukor

July 01, 1994
This film is a pleasant one. Katherine is in her older days, so she has the tick of her head going from side to side all throughout the film. However, it doesn't detract from the story. There is a lot of Welsh culture reflected. And, also, the tragedy of so many young kids being sent down into the mines. It is a success story and one that emphasizes the value of education and close relationships.

Average Rating:

.

Sakharov

starring: Jason Robards, Glenda Jackson, Nicol Williamson, Frank Finlay, Michael Bryant
directed by: Jack Gold

May 11, 1989
Robards and Jackson bring to life this true & riveting tale of the later years of Nobel Peace Laureate Andrei Sakharov, brilliant physicist and champion for human rights. Elena Bonner, his daring and dedicated partner, plays a crucial role in the complex story of Russian citizens struggling against Stalinist oppression. The Sakharovs fell from a position of privilege in the USSR to exile and ostracism by their colleagues. You will recall that he was forbidden to attend the Nobel ceremonies in Stockholm, & it was Dr. Bonner who delivered his acceptance speech. Iron Curtain secrecy hid from the Free World the family's mortal struggle. Theirs is a deeply moving love story as well as a political historic drama. Their final victory is a piece of history that affects us all.

Average Rating:

.

Tears in the Rain

starring: Sharon Stone, Christopher Cazenove, Leigh Lawson, Paul Daneman, Maurice Denham
directed by: Don Sharp

November 11, 1998
I think that it is one of the best movies I have seen in years. I am trying to buy the VHS, but the price ...is just too much. I also would like to find the music, it stayed with me for days. I think the bonbing scene very realistic, went through them in Coventry.