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Fate can be very cruel at times. That's the conflict Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) and Doyle Gibson (Samuel L. Jackson) share in CHANGING LANES, a great psychological thriller. What began as a small accident on FDR Drive in Manhattan between the two characters escalates into a

tense battle of wits and nerves as Doyle and Gavin struggle to get

what they really want to accomplish on that very day, and how they try to mess each other up at the same time.

This movie gave me my own conflict: who to root for and sympathize

with. At first, Jackson's problems with trying to keep custody of his two children, and how much his life is in deep shambles made me want to keep my utmost feelings for. How Gavin thoughtlessly left

Doyle in the middle of the FDR with his wrecked car left me the

first impression that Gavin is nothing but a self-processed hotshot that disregards the little guy. But, as the movie continues, Gavin starts to develop a conscience, that probably ruining another man's future won't make things any better. So, my considerations for Gavin ultimately changed.

The movie does an expert job representing what both central character thinks, in each of their respective scenes. Jackson is typical great, playing, despite Doyle's uncontrollable fits of rage (you can't really blame the guy for being desperate), a more subtle character than his more popular, foul-mouthed roles like Julius from PULP FICTION, and John Shaft from (obviously) SHAFT. And Affleck, whom I haven't really cared too much for, undertakes a great performance as Gavin.

Russell Crowe and Ron Howard made an unbeatable team when they made A BEAUTIFUL MIND, the touching biographical drama about the life and times of Princeton professor John Forbes Nash. Crowe poignantly

portrays Nash, whom over a span of 40 years, suffered terrible

hallucinations despite being mentally brilliant in the field of mathematics. Jennifer Connelly won her well-deserved Oscar as Nash's doting wife, who stood by her man as he fell into a deep abyss of schizophrenia. Ron Howard's direction is fine as always, showcasing Nash's live over the years, and telling the story that might throw off viewers at first with intriguing twists, but he never fails to entertain.

Steven Spielberg directs what is arguably considered one of his best films, the poignant and terribly depressing SCHINDLER'S LIST. Shot in stark black and white to display the gritty atmosphere of the

concentration camps, SCHINDLER'S LIST portrays the life of Oskar

Schindler, a greedy, womanizing Nazi businessman who has a change of heart after witnessing the slaughter of the Jews during the Holocaust. Playing the role of Schindler is Liam Neeson, who expresses a profound mix of feelings that his character must have endured: loyalty for his fellow Nazi comrades, and sympathy for the victims of the travesty. Quite the opposite is Ralph Finnes, who portrays the stone- cold Nazi stooge Amon Goeth. There are no feelings other than disgust and resentment towards Goeth, who callously and thoughtlessly kills every Jewish prisoner in his camps. The excessive images of carnage and gore might turn off some viewers, but they're shown to prove the horrors of the Holocaust, and the rampant, hateful image of the Nazis. Sure enough, I couldn't get the depressing, haunting scenes of death out of my head. But, thanks to Schindler, hope was restored to those poor people, proving there is hope when it looks impossible to exist.

Dustin Hoffman is superb in THE GRADUATE, a film about youth and lust. Hoffman plays Ben, a graduate out of college who undergoes a major internal struggle after repeated sexual escapades with a much older woman, Mrs. Robinson (the great Anne Bancroft). Not only does she

preceed him in the age area, Mrs. Robinson also happens to be the

mother of the girl that Ben fancies. Mike Nichol's direction is near- perfect, detailing Ben's solemn lifestyle, while the pop duo Simon

and Garfunkel stirs the scenery with their greatest hits "Mrs. Robinson" and "The Sounds of Silence."

Steven Spielberg first entered the world of extra-terrestrials with CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. With great visual effects, from those pint-sized UFOs to the mammoth motherships, CEOTTK's is eye candy to the fullest. The acting is top notch as well, with Richard Dreyfuss playing considerable torment as Roy, a once easy-going man who becomes obessed with the idea of visitors from outer space after a close encounter. The only downside to this great movie is the tremendous length of time the movie takes up to tell the story. And with long length, tedium rears its ugly. No matter; with the

movie's stunning FX, and the great acting by the cast helps the viewer rest easy and enjoy CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE 3RD KIND with no problem.

I was never a huge fan of tearjerker, "chick flicks". For the most

part, they had put me to sleep. But upon watching SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, I was taken aback on how some romantic movies can be so entertaining!

Maybe it's because I'm an avid Tom Hanks fan, or I have a liking for witty screenplays. Those two elements helped me enjoy SLEEPLESS IN

SEATTLE. Hanks teamed up for the second time with Meg Ryan, whom of

which both appeared in the lackluster JOE VS THE VOLCANO (one example of why I don't fancy romance flix!) in this endearing and humorous tale of gaining a second chance for love. The ending pays homage to another good romance movie, AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER.

If not for Orson Welles' brilliant creation, CITIZEN KANE, the stan- dards for great film-making would not exist today. The movie was clearly ahead of its time, thanks to Welles' revolutionary style of direction. The intricately detailed scenes, the unique camera angles, the lighting, etc, all that was new to audiences. The acting is very exceptionally as well, as Welles portrays Charles Foster Kane, the man whose simple childhood quickly dashes away when he gets a taste for the high life, which ends with his last breath proclaiming his one true happy moment.

Stanley Kubrick and Kirk Douglas's greatest collaboration, SPARTACUS, holds strong as one of the best epic movies ever. The film, about the huge slave uprising against the Romans sometime before the birth of Christ, bursts will extravagant settings, fantastic costumes, and thrilling warrior scenes that make GLADIATOR look like SESAME

STREET. Not only does the eye candy help in gaining the viewer's

attention, but the acting by everyone involved is first rate. Kirk Douglas is typically great portraying the movie's namesake, the slave determined to bring down the Roman empire. Laurence Olivier

is equally masterful as Spartacus' Roman nemesis, while Tony Curtis and Jean Simmons supply sentimental material as the people closest to Spartacus' life. In the director's seat, Kubrick scores high in

his second big-budget epic film following PATHS OF GLORY, which also starred Douglas. When you've got a fluid combination of actor and director, it's an unbeatable mix. Douglas and Kubrick have proved that.

Nicholas Cage has played disturbed, hole-in-the-souled characters

before, but he had really reached a whole new level of dark in 8MM. In it, he plays Tom, a PI who has had it good thanks to a loving wife and a newborn baby daughter. His happy life takes a swerve when he is hired to find out if a snuff-porn film is authentic or not. His journey takes him to a myriad of cooky characters and false ends that somewhere along the line, he lost track of reality himself. Totally bizarre and disturbing, 8MM definitely has a solid grasp on the viewer. He (or she) can't help but feel sympathetic for Tom even after he took a dive into the abyss. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the role gave Cage himself a jolt of the senses; makes me wonder if this is the reason why he did a heart-warming tear-jerker like THE FAMILY MAN a year following 8MM!

Steven Spielberg took a break from doing blockbuster action and science fiction films to direct the endearing drama THE COLOR PURPLE. Whoopi Goldberg stars in her most dramatic piece of work as Celie, the quiet, down-trodden African-American woman forced to endure the

physical and emotional torment delivered to her by her own husband, played with frightening intensity by Danny Glover. An example of how much trouble Celie has to go through is the way she's forced to

address her husband, by calling him "Mr." Is that abuse or what? But admist her pain, Celie gets by by keeping faith in the Lord above. All performances involved, and Spielberg's surprisingly subtle

direction, make for a great dramatic movie. A definite must-see for fans of movies that touch the heart.

F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce lead a great cast in this biographical drama about the life and high times of Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Abraham takes an excellent turn as Salieri, the Italian composer who believes strongly this his own great talent was given to him by God, until he met the cackling, womanizing Mozart. How, how can that little rascal be so gifted, yet not take this gift to a serious level? That's the conflict of interest Salieri had been lingering over. Filled with lavish set designs depicting 1600 Austria, even more lavish costumes of that same area, AMADEUS certainly gives owes itself a great deal of credit to its two leads.

Considering the really interesting premise, and the fact that secret agent flix are supposed to be quite intelligent, THE ART OF WAR should have been a blockbuster hit on the grounds on action AND brains. But alas, it fails to focus on the IQ aspect. So Wesley Snipes plays

a spy framed for the murder of a Chinese ambassador and must find out who had set him up, how that happened, and why it happened. The film did answer some of the questions, but not a great deal. What, is this supposed "action movie" just withered and die when it came to logic? Not only that, THE ART OF WAR was terribly predictable. (SPOILER) I

saw a mile away that Michael Biehn's character would fake his own death just to betray Snipes. For one thing, the former seemed like he had a screwloose somewhere to begin with, so he must've been the

villain behind all this! The producers should have known that there is a good number of people in the audience that are smart enough to realize that "plot twist."

Sam Peckinpah went to the extreme with violence in his action-Western hybrid THE WILD BUNCH. The late 60's only had a handful of violent action flix not unlike this one (others include BULLITT, COOGAN'S BLUFF, and BONNIE AND CLYDE), and audiences and critics alike weren't quite ready for relentless action. Sounds quite primitive to people of this generation, but THE WILD BUNCH made a big contribution to the new wave of thriller movies that paved the way for even bigger additions later on. THE WILD BUNCH concerns a ragtag gang of aging crooks (led by William Holden and Ernest Borgnine) who find it hard to accept the changing times as the Old West suddenly became the New West, filled with automatic machine guns and cars rather than scatter-types and horses. The gang, looking to acheive another score, have to learn to accept the changes as the take up an offer to steal guns for some Mexican revolutions. At the same time, they try to stay one step ahead of a former member of their faction (Robert Ryan).

ABC Family's one-hour show THE ZACK FILES works as a sci-fi thriller whose aim is for kids too old for material such as GOOSEBUMPS, but too young for violent and adult-oriented programs like THE X-FILES. I'm an 18-year old guy, and in my case, I'm in the gray zone, aren't I? Anyway, I found THE ZACK FILES to be quite an interesting show. Though at first I thought "Terrific, here's another kid show disguised as science fiction." But as soon as I began watching more episodes, I soon found myself a bit hooked. The most interesting aspect I consider about THE ZACK FILES are the cleverly plotted, if not totally logical, storylines. 3 kids by the names of Cam, Spense, and Zack encounter

strange happenings that spit at the face of reality, and somehow, the trio manages to fix up whatever the occurences have messed! The

acting by the stars are good, especially by Robert Clarke, aka Zack. Upon first watching this show, I couldn't help but think that Clarke seemed like a Frankie Muniz-wannabe, but he pretty much held on his own as Zack Greenberg.

Roberto Benigni won his well-deserved Oscar for in VITA E BELLA, LA, or LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. Benigni, who co-wrote and directed this film, stars as Guido, a bumbling-but-kind hearted Italian-Jewish waiter who wins the heart of Dora (Nicolleta Braschi, Benigni's real-life wife) by means of charming wit and romantic humor. Guido uses the same kind of love and affection to comfort his cute son Joshua when the family is forced into a concentration camp near the end of WWII.

Benigni's acting will no doubt remind movie buffs of the same

whimsical shine Charlie Chaplin glossed with, the kind that tugged onto the heartstrings of people. The love Guido had possessed for his family had warmed me from head to toe; it proves that no matter how bad the odds get, love conquers all.

Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman are in their biggest peaks of their

careers in the hard-hitting drama MIDNIGHT COWBOY. Voight plays Joe Buck, an impressionable Texan who believes he's "a real stud", and tries to make his mark as a hustler. He then encounters Rico Rizzo, who offers to be Buck's "management", aka pimp. With rat-like eccent- ricity, Hoffman portrays Rizzo as if he actually did spawn off the

streets! A great classic, MIDNIGHT COWBOY serves as one of the best urban dramas there are.

Virtual reality has never been so radical and extreme, and VIRTUOSITY puts those points to the utter test. Denzel Washington stars in a

pretty thankless role as Parker Barnes, a vengeance-ridden cop who has to stop a vicious killer named Sid (a deliciously over-the-top Russell Crowe). But there's a twist that helps this seemingly-formulaic cop vehicle out of the cliche pitt: Sid isn't human, but a computer- generated creation made for human likeness, and fitted with 200 person- alities of the most notorious criminals imaginable (Hitler, Charles Manson, and John Wayne Gacy are among the list).

A discriminating viewer would totally dismiss VIRTUOSITY for it's

flamboyant view of violence (when they explain that Sid is a crazed killer, they weren't kidding!). Plus, one can't help but wonder why Denzel Washington, the star of fine films such as MALCOLM X, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, and the intelligent cop drama TRAINING DAY would ever end up in a silly macho popcorn flick such as this one? Despite that, however, Washington tries his hardest keeping his tongue firmly in

cheek. He even has a scene where he himself goes postal on a baddie, which strongly parallels his hardened cop character from TRAINING DAY. But the film's real winners go to Russell Crowe and its creative

out-of-the-ordinary premise. Crowe has a field day playing the maniacal Sid (a totally different character transition as oppose to his more brooding and silent roles such as Maximus from GLADIATOR and Bud

from L.A. CONFIDENTIAL). Plus the new approach of making the killer a creation of Virtual Reality is quite ingenious; in that way,

artificial intelligence is jacked to the max, and the villain isn't human but a machine, much like the Terminator but with more feelings. It's almost like fighting a bloodthirsty Max Headroom.

J.R.R. Tolkien's classic book series THE LORD OF THE RINGS comes to life in the form of an action-packed thrill ride of a movie. Beginning the popular fantasy trilogy is the current film THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, about how a rag-tag band of adventurers (whom of which consists of a variety of beings, from human to elf to dwarf, and of course, the Hobbits) go on a perilous quest to destroy what looks like an

innocent ring, which in reality contains special powers originally made for evil. Filled with lush landscape design (check out the snowy mountainsides and the rolling mountains), eye-filling special FX, great costumes by all the characters, hyperkinetic action sequences (especially the near-dizzying swordplay), and of course, great

performances from the whole cast. Elijah Wood displays a very convin- cing portrayal of Frodo, a young Hobbit with a huge burden on his

little back of trying to destroy the powerful ring. Alongside him is Gandalf (played with subtle eloquence by Ian McKellan, in a role that almost went to Sean Connery), the wise old wizard who guides Frodo, much like how Obi-Wan Kenobi advised young Luke Skywalker (if you the reader are as much of a STAR WARS fan as you are of the LOTR would realize the parallels each movie displays), and Aragorn the Strider,

played with neo-Clint Eastwood machismo by Viggo Mortenson. The sole complaint that I have about this film is the movie's length of 3 hours. The discriminating viewer would find his attention span to drift away after sticking it to the screen within that time range. But thanks to

all the great factors I've mentioned above, the little problem with time can be over-looked. LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING is

a definite winner and is bound to win an Academy award. Would it win best picture? I won't be a bit surprised.

Harry Who? :-)

The genres of science fiction, western, and even film noir (if you notice the moody atmposphere the movie sometimes displays) are

presented in a good fashion in OUTLAND. Sean Connery stars as a

marshal (where the western category fits in) assigned to solve

mysterious deaths on a galactic mining company (sci-fi), along with meeting different and unique characters, some of which have sullen and suspicious dispostitions (the film-noir part). Connery is fine

as usual as the marshal who has his hands full trying to make sense of the whole situation, at the same time entertaining the audience with his typical great thespian skills.

CALL ME CLAUS is a good holiday movie that pretty much is a combination of 4 classic Christmas movies: A MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, IT'S A

WONDERFUL LIFE, THE SANTA CLAUSE, and A CHRISTMAS CAROL. It concerns the plight of the real Santa Claus (Nigel Hawthorne) trying to find a replacement for himself after 200 years of delivering gifts to kids every Christmas. He finds her, in the form of a cranky home shopping network executive named Lucy (a wonderfully sarcastic Whoopi Goldberg). Lucy is understandably confused when St. Nick asks her to be the next real Santa. Though the premise is a bit far-fetched (it's a Christmas movie, so it's ok for it to be wacky!), the best highlight for this little gem of a movie are the performances. Whoopi Goldberg is terrific as Lucy, and Nigel Hawthorne is delightful as he portrays yet another Santa Claus who proclaims that he is the real McCoy (and he IS!).

THE CHRIS ISAAK SHOW represents a day in the life of a popular country- rock singer, namely the dude the title represents. Chris Isaak is

portrayed as himself, as he deals with the many ups and downs his

status has to offer. Among them are his putting up with a female

stalker, his bandmates' misadventures with love, and great musical numbers. I'm an avid fan of Isaak's music, and having discovered this cool show (now that it's being broadcast in VH1 every so often), I had realized how well the guy can act, too. It just goes to show how being talented can go a long way. Just ask Chris Isaak!

The stars of all the categories of the sports and entertainment

industries combine their efforts to raise money for those deeply

affected by the multiple tragedies that took place on September the 11th. In the form of a 2-hour marathon, the celebrities involved did their parts by giving anecdotes about the victims in the buildings and planes, and the brave people who risked their lives trying to save total strangers. Other activities done by the stars in the show were helping out in the telethon's phonelines, and to play heartfelt music in reference to that grave day.

Ted Danson, Tom Selleck, and Steve Guttenberg star in this light- hearted comedy about how 3 New York bachelors receive a big change in their lives after finding a baby on their doorstep. With humor that primarily surround the ordeal the 3 men have to contend with, 3 MEN AND A BABY relies on the chemistry the 3 main stars generate with

each other. At first they experience dismay with the infant; I mean, how can three unmarried men take care of a baby?! But soon enough the 3 guys fall in love with her. But with good measure, a drug- smuggling subplot is thrown in (probably to make it not look like your a typical family-oriented comedy). Nevertheless, Danson, Selleck, and Guttenberg shine. The same goes for the cute little baby Mary, and a

good direction from an unlikely director, Leonard "Mr. Spock" Nimoy himself!

Filled with loud, gun-toting action, big-named stars, but not a whole lot of logic and great acting, 3000 MILES TO GRACELAND is a heist film that doesn't compare to the likes of the more better-made examples of that genre. Movies to that effect include $ (DOLLARS), THE SCORE, HEAT, OCEANS 11 (the original, mind you!), and of course RESERVOIR DOGS.

Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner lead a name cast in a film about a major casino heist performed by a gang of crooks dressed as Elvis imper- sonators. I have to hand it to the writers of this movie, for the

premise is quite creative. Plus the Elvis song number in the end is catchy, too. But 3000 MILES TO GRACELAND suffers is a crime drama that

relies too much on the constant gun battles, the big-name casting, and the overly flashy production values. Not much quality acting is at stake, even at the hands of the usually competent Russell and Costner. SCARFACE fans take note of the reference (rip-off?) to that classic crime flick when Murphy (Costner) decides to let it all hang out with an M60, and gets his own ass blown out.

With a cast consisting of some of the best character actors in Holly- wood (Danny Aiello, Giancarlo Esposito, Ossie Davis, and Bill Nunn)

and dialogue only found in the roughest parts of town, DO THE RIGHT THING is a stunning film about how life can take an upside down turn when racism rears its ugly head. Spike Lee leads the cast (not to

mention directs the movie) as Mookie, a soft-spoken black pizza

delivery boy who works for Sal (Danny Aiello), who owns the pizzaeria. What seemed like an regular day of work turns into a firestorm of racial conflict as two acquaintances of Mookie's (Esposito and Nunn)

becomes outraged at Sal's subtle racism towards African-Americans. Lee directed DO THE RIGHT THING with a rugged view of urban life,

adding a bit of reference to another film called NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. If you've seen the rings on one of the characters' hands, you'll catch the reference a mile away.