ChrisNYC

Anna Deavere Smith does an incredible job of presenting the many views and voices of the Crown Heights tragedy. This movie is a must view (if you can find it) for anyone who seriously thinks about race relations and society. There's no easy answer that she presents, and all sides are presented as complex, flawed and intensely... human.

Hey, there are worse reasons to make a movie than the hope that a kid and a few professional ballplayers might be able to change the world. Is Alex English a fantastic actor? No... but he's believable. And if you are willing to suspend your disbelief about the plot, you can have an amazing ride with this movie. It's a great idea... and the movie plays it off pretty darned well.

Nothing wrong with a movie that make you believe that a dream could happen.

O.k., so Reality Bites did much the same thing several years before this movie came out, certainly there's plenty of angst to go around.

This movie isn't perfect, as there are several places along the way where the acting / writing / directing does misfire, but this is a good movie that resonates true as three college friends try to figure out what life after college holds for them.

All three leads are eminently watchable on screen, as all are sympathetic characters despite their flaws. Jason London's self-absorbed credit-card spender shows us why we keep people like him as friends.

If anything, these characters, while still recognizable as X-er archetypes (the shallow biz dude, the waffling woman who can't decide to commit, and the tortured artist in unrequited love) are more real than many other attempts to put them on screen.

A solid piece of work from young writers, directors and actors. Definitely worth a rainy-day rental.

"Nobody could hit like Shoeless Joe..."

Sure, baseball as a metaphor on life has been done before and since. And sure, this movie goes for the heartstrings at every opportunity. But rarely does a movie pull off its goals so effectively. This movie is a classic "guy-cry" movie, and it works on so many levels. It is an elegy for baseball. It hits home with every child who ever had the moment where playing catch with dad didn't seem cool. And it is a wonderful movie about dreams and hopes and idealism.

From the acting standpoint, this represents Kevin Costner at his joyful best. James Earl Jones, Amy Magadin, Ray Liotta and Amy Magidan give strong supporting performances, but this movie does turn around the audience believing (and believing in) Costner's character.

The movie is shot in a way that communicates and compliments the sense of awe that the story conveys. From top to bottom, it's a wonderful "feel-good" movie.

Woody Allen takes two stories, his childhood with his extended family and the heyday of radio, and wraps them together, showing how radio captured the attention of and helped shape America.

The story is occasionally a bit disjointed, and while some critics harped on that, I found that it more fit the way nostalgia feel like... bits and pieces of memories held together by common threads.

The acting and direction are wonderful. Michael Tucker brings a great comic warmth to the screen, and Julie Kavner and Dianne Wiest are both very, very strong. But the star of this movie is the time in which it is set, and the set design, cinematography and overall mood of the movie are captured wonderfully. I've spoken to people who grew up in New York City during the "Radio Days" and they say that Allen captures the era perfectly.

I love this movie because Allen doesn't pretend that the past is perfect, but he loves it even with its flaws, and he presents it to us with the love that feels for this time gone by.

Ah, where to start. This was a fabulously misguided effort -- poor script, wretched direction and bad casting. I mean, I KNOW that this was a talented group of actors (except, of course, for Salma), but the mystery is why none of it was on the screen. The few chuckles I had were painfully wrung from me. I counted two chuckles, actually. The audience around me didn't leave, but I believe it's because they were simply sitting in stunned disbelief. And, as previously mentioned, I am not a Salma fan, but geez, she played the stupidest love interest on screen I've seen in awhile. What was she thinking? Offensive. Don't waste your money.

It was still an absolutely wonderful movie. I think Lucas was faced with the near impossible challenge of making a movie that appealed both to the 12 year olds and the audience that was 12 when they first saw the original.

He came pretty damned close to doing it. A healthy suspension of disbelief and a memory that this is for a new generation of young boys who will need it is needed, but with those two things in place in your head...

Well... it just rocks.

Yes, all the negative comments that get made about this movie (too many loose ends, occasionally disjointed...) are true, but that doesn't change that this is a wonderful movie, and one that has held up over time.

Made several years before the John Hughes Brat Pack movies, Fame really does a great job of capturing the voice, the naivete, the selfishness and the selflessness of youth. You care about these characters as they have to learn about the world around them. Their voices are real, and they remind me of teenagers I knew in the 80s and teenagers I see in my classroom now.

And I haven't even mentioned the music yet... If the closing number of "I Sing the Body Electric" doesn't make smile, then nothing well. It's a great closing scene to a very good movie.

Singles is one of those movies that really does exists as a moment in time. Cameron Crowe captures that feeling, right along the cultural awakenings of Generation-X. Crowe shows his usual flair for great dialogue, so you don't really care much about his plot. The ensemble cast works well off of each other, with particularly notable performances (and characters written for...) the women of the movie. It will be interesting to see how, over time, this movie holds up, and if anyone who wasn't of that age will look upon this movie.

A River Runs Through It is one of those movies that deserves to be seen in the theater so that the majesty of its cinematography can be truly appreciated. The acting is wonderful and understated, with every gesture and smile and nod carrying meaning. Brad Pitt gives a radiant performance and Tom Skerrit is powerful as the preacher father. The movie moves like a river, you have to be willing to follow it through ebbs and flows, but it is well worth it in the end.