For those who consider Bulworth to be a savage and unprecedented political send-up, it's worth revisiting Warren Beatty's first, and best, attempt at outrageous social criticism. Mercilessly exposing the essential vacuity of both the sexual revolution and conservative alarmism over cultural permissiveness, Shampoo remains the best movie ever made about Nixon's America, and one of the very best about the tragic and disappointing conclusion to the 1960s.
Coming from the creators of Dumb & Dumber and There's Something About Mary, the sensitivity of Shallow Hal seems like a minor miracle. The codirecting Farrelly brothers haven't forsaken their lowbrow inclinations, but this clever romantic fantasy offers unexpected substance with the same comedic effrontery that made the Farrellys famous.
Woody Allen's wonderful 1920s mystery comedy is the story of one fantastic, Kafka-esque night when the circus came to a small European town and a maniac strangler walked the streets. Recruited by an inept mob of vigilantes, Kleinman (Allen), a cowardly clerk, is forced to search for a notorious murderer - only to stumble upon a feisty sword-sallower, Irmy (Farrow), running away from the circus, and her 'clownish' boyfriend (Malkovich). Determined to help Irmy, and eager to escape the vigilantes, Kleinman abandons his search for the killer... or so he thinks.
Unanimously hailed as one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of the motion picture, Seven Samurai has inspired countless films modeled after its basic premise. But Akira Kurosawa's classic 1954 action drama has never been surpassed in terms of sheer power of emotion, kinetic energy, and dynamic character development. The story is set in the 1600s, when the residents of a small Japanese village are seeking protection against repeated attacks by a band of marauding thieves.
She's living in the gateway to hell. In this gruesome shocker directed by Michael Winner (Death Wish, Lawman), model Alison Parker (Cristina Raines) learns that the Brooklyn Heights house where she rents an apartment guards the gateway to Hell. Base on the bestseller by Jeffrey Konvitz, who wrote and produced the film with Winner, it stars horror legend John Carradine as the blind Father Halliran, who maintains a solitary vigil against the forces of evil.
This comedy is based on Dan Jenkins's novel about two good-old-boy pro football players (Burt Reynolds and Kris Kristofferson). Best friends on the field and off, they're also friendly competitors in the arena of love for the same woman (Jill Clayburgh), who happens to be the daughter of their team's owner. Directed by Michael Ritchie, who was something of a poet of films about competition in the 1970s and early 1980s, this movie has a certain shaggy charm, abetted by Reynolds's knowing way with a one-liner.
The nuts and bolts of the irresistibly danceable music called Tejano are pop, rock, polka, R&B and Latin influences. To millions of fans there's another vital ingredient: the dynamic singer Selena. Selena is the vibrant story of the Grammy-winning singer whose life ended at its creative peak. Pulsating with Selena's voice on the soundtrack, the film is powerfully authentic. In the title role, Jennifer Lopez captures the warmth and electricity of a beloved entertainer.
An original Neil Simon screenplay makes Seems Like Old Times rise above what would otherwise be a forgettable comedy love triangle. Goldie Hawn (Private Benjamin) plays a good-hearted defense lawyer married to Ira, a politically ambitious district attorney played by Charles Grodin (Midnight Run). The craziness of their everyday lives becomes even more ridiculous when ex-husband Chevy Chase is framed for a bank robbery and seeks refuge with the woman he could never get over. Hawn hides the love of her life under her husband's nose as Chase tries to clear his name.
After a career slump that plagued him through most of the 1980s, Al Pacino made a stellar comeback in this taut 1989 thriller, playing a weary New York police detective who falls in love with the woman (Ellen Barkin) who is the prime suspect in the murder case he's investigating. Expertly written by Richard Price and directed by Harold Becker, the story is designed to keep its central characters (and the viewer) in a state of constant suspicion and arousal--an emotional combination that sends dangerous sparks flying between Pacino and Barkin.
Al Percolo is the scout who'd do anything to sign a prospect. Unfortunately, things weren't going his way, and Al found his career heading south--until he discovered Steve Nebraska, the greatest ballplayer who ever lived. Now, Al thinks he's back on top, and Steve believes he's found a new friend. And they're both about to discover how much they need each other.
