After a sexual harassment incident, Dennis Burke (Peter Coyote), a Nathaniel Hawthorne scholar, goes to work at a California college. He begins correspondence with an imprisoned murderer, Lydia Davis (Nastassja Kinski). Burke is finding old habits hard to break, developing relationships with obsessive coeds. Meanwhile, Lydia escapes from prison. Dennis and his colleague Thurston, a computer scientist and hacker, find themselves caught in a web of intrigue. Written by Ken Miller {wkmiller704@yahoo.com}

When her son disappears and is believed to be dead, a single mother blames an African-American man from the projects for the kidnapping, creating a racial controversy. An African-American detective (Jackson) and a white missing child researcher team up to investigate the case, which they discover may be more complicated than they expected. Written by ljl5@aol.com

(more…)

“This is not a love story - it’s a story about love.”

“Original Sin” is a sexy, sensual, sizzling, romantic thriller. The chemistry between the sultry Angelina Jolie and the dangerously handsome Antonio Banderas explodes off the screen. Very few superstar match-ups have succeeded in doing what “Original Sin” so triumphantly achieves - a brilliant blending of two stars who ooze sex appeal, and whose teaming up makes this film an incredible viewing experience.

(more…)

Evan Treborn grows up in a small town with his single working mom and his friends. He suffers from memory blackouts where he suddenly finds himself somewhere else, confused. Evans’ friends and mom hardly believe him, thinking he makes it up just to get out of trouble, something bad always seems to happen during these blackouts. As Evan grows up he has less of these blackouts until he seems to have recovered. Since the age of seven he has written a diary of his blackout moments so he can remember what happens. One day at college he starts to read one of his old diaries, and suddenly a flashback hits him like a brick! Written by Anonymous

Julia Roberts is one lucky woman. In “Ocean’s Eleven,” she’s the only female in a cast consisting of handsome - and talented - hunks, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Andy Garcia. It must have been quite a sacrifice on her part to put up with such tough working conditions.

Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh did not rely heavily on the original Rat Pack version of the film while shooting his updated “Ocean’s Eleven.” Soderbergh states, “The original ‘Ocean’s Eleven‘ is probably more notorious than it is good. It was the first time that the Rat Pack appeared en masse in a film. They were the epitome of cool and none of us felt like we wanted to compare ourselves to them or to what they were up to. You can’t beat that. We took a completely different tack.”

George Clooney notes, “The truth is, most people never saw the original ‘Ocean’s Eleven.’ They just think they have because those guys were the coolest. Nobody touches Frank and Sammy and Dean, and we won’t ever be that cool. But we do have a really great story.”

Romance plays a major role in Soderbergh’s version of “Ocean’s Eleven.” Danny Ocean (Clooney) gets out of jail and immediately hooks up with old buddies in Las Vegas. Far from being rehabilitated, Danny hatches a plot to break into the supposedly impregnable vaults of Vegas’ three largest casinos. And why does he select these particular casinos? In large part because of the fact that Terry Benedict (Garcia) owns them, and Terry just happens to be involved with Danny’s ex-wife, Tess (Roberts). It’s amazing what some men will do to win back the heart of a woman. Danny still loves and desires Tess, but she’s tired of his choice of career. Danny confronts Tess as he tries to manipulate his way back into her life, while shoving Terry out of it. Danny and Tess’ fast-paced, sharp exchanges of dialogue are exquisite, highlighting the chemistry between the two characters, and between the actors themselves.

Roberts recalls, “When I read the script, I was even more pleased because my part was such great fun. Danny and Tess are so precise in the way that they speak to each other that you can see all the levels and emotions that go on between the two of them.”

Roberts describes her character as “more than just the girl. There’s intrigue and she has some difficult crosses to bear. Tess and Terry are supposed to be boyfriend-girlfriend, but then Tess has to keep evaluating her relationship with her ex-husband. So nothing is as it seems really.”

Does “Ocean’s Eleven” work in 2001? It does in that it succeeds in being entertaining, fast-paced, and just plain fun. “Ocean’s Eleven” serves up some of Hollywood’s biggest stars in a film that’s as enjoyable to watch as it evidently was to film. Clooney may believe this cast isn’t as cool as the original Rat Pack, but the onscreen antics of Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Garcia, and the rest of this talented ensemble, come close to the epitome of movie coolness.

Rebecca Murray
Hollywood Movies Guide

When his daughter is kidnapped and held in exchange for priceless diamonds, the leader of a crew of highly skilled urban thieves (DMX) forges an unlikely alliance with a Taiwanese Intelligence officer (Jet Li) to rescue her. Their race against the clock to find the precious stones ultimately unravels a plot to distribute a deadly new weapon of war. Written by PhatBleek

(more…)

A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People’s Republic. Written by Martin H. Booda {booda@datasync.com}

(more…)

This film is presented as a documentary on the life of an incompetent, petty criminal called Virgil Starkwell. It describes the early childhood and youth of Virgil, his failure at a musical career, and his obsession with bank robberies. The film uses a voice over narrative and interviews with his family, friends and acquaintances. Written by Kunal Taravade {kunal.taravade@symbios.com}

(more…)

Rowan plays the eponymous lead character in a spoof spy thriller. During the course of the story we follow our hero as he attempts to single-handedly save the country from falling into the hands of a despot. Written by Alistair Knight

(more…)

David Aames takes all he has for granted; his wealth, his inherited publishing company, his good looks - his relationships. Especially his relationships. It catches up to him when a friend/sometimes sex-partner can’t see their relationship the way he sees it. From that point, the movie takes a Lynchian twist that ultimately and literally pulls us into Aames’ tortured psyche. Written by Andrew Hope {sputnik67@qwest.net}

(more…)