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THE OTHERS


Starring Nicole Kidman,Fionnula Flannagan,
Christopher Eccleston


The Others has all the ingredients of an old fashioned horror film.If your the type who prefers flashy SFX and gore,then don't see this film.Clever direction,eerie atmosphere,and good old fashioned acting is what makes this gothic ghost story work.Like the Sixth Sense,it explores the boundaries between the living and the dead.Grace(Nicole Kidman), is a 30'ish,woman caring for her two children in a victorian mansion on the Isle of Jersey,1945.The children(Alakina Mann,James Bentley)suffer from a skin condition that makes them sensitive to sunlight,so Grace has to keep the windows covered at all times.She keeps the strictest care of them,teaching them religion while hoping for the return of her husband(Christopher Eccleston)who's been missing since he went off to war.After her servants leave without notice,three replacements(Fionnula Flanagan,Eliane Cassidy,Eris Sykes) arrive and as you may guess,things begin to happen.Her headstrong daughter begins to have conversations with an imaginary boy named Victor along with the ones she refers to as the "others".Soon Grace believes that these strange occurances are connected with servants.This sophisicated scarefest is something that should not be missed among this summers "blockbusters" and something you can take your kids to see(PG-13).****




AMERICAN PIE 2

Starring Jason Biggs,Eugene Levy,
Seam William Scott,Mena Suven,Alyson Hannigan


American Pie was,in my opinion,the milleniums answer to Porky's(which set the standard for the raunchy teen comedy genre,go and rent it!)The newly released sequel,American Pie 2 does not differ much from the original,but it does take the racy,gross out humor to the next level.Fresh from their first year in college,the five freinds from AP1 decide to spend their summer vacation together at a house by the lake,building up to a big party for the seasons end.Jim(Jason Biggs),Oz(Chris Klein),Finch(Eddie Kaye Thomas),And Kevin(Thomas ian Nichols),have grown a little from their high school days,except the obnoxious Stiffler(Sean William Scott),who actually got worse.Each has their own hang ups,Jim is still sexually frustrated,Oz misses steady girlfreind Heather(Mena Suven),who is studying in Europe,Kevin is struggling to be "just freinds" with ex-girlfreind,Vicky(Tara Reid)and Finch is hung up over his one night stand with Stifflers mother(jennifer Coolidge).Things heat up for Jim when Nadia(Shannon Elizabeth)his "coulda been"shows up for a visit.So he turns to Michelle(Alyson Hannigon)the band geek who took his virginity for help.Eugene Levy has some great moments as Jim's father,whose gone from his nervous attempts at coping with his son's adolescent sexuality to being hilariously supportive.Again,it's nothing progressive,But doesn't fail to entertain and makes you want to see AP1 again!***


ORIGINAL SIN

Starring Antonio Banderas,Angeline Jolie
Thomas Jane


This suspense/drama was based on Cornell woolrichs novel Waltz into Darkness.Set in turn of the century Cuba,A weathly buisnessman(Banderas) secures an arranged marriage through correspondence with an american woman.She(Jolie) arrives,they marry,and He believes he's found stability,or so he thinks.Soon he discovers that his bride is an imposter and makes off with his fortune.Enraged,he tracks her down only to find that he still loves her.Soon he is drawn into Cubas seedy underworld and at odds with Jolies lover,a murderous con-artist(well played by Thomas Jane)Good acting and sleek cinematography makes this a very attractive film.Jolie plays both seductress and victim very convincingly.The passion she shares with Banderas onscreen is scorching,so I highly recommend this film for couples.Read the book too.***





VIDEO REVEIW

JAMES CLAVELL'S THE LAST VALLEY
1970

Starring Micheal Caine,Omar Sharif

Directed by James Clavell


This movie,which takes place in Europe during the Thirty years War,went practically unnoticed when it was released in 1970.Adapted from the book of the same name,It is a gripping look at war,it's effects on the soldiers who fight it and the simple people who are caught in it.Omar Sharif(Lawrence of Arabia,Doctor Zhivago)plays a Teacher turned beggar whose lost everything except his resolve to survive.The film begins as Sharifs character seeks refuge at a impoverished village.Then the village is attacked by a group of mercenaries,who ransack the village and massacre its inhabitants.Sharif flees the slaughter in terror and through chance come across a another village in a peaceful secluded valley,untouched by the war.No sooner than he finds the safe haven,the Mercenaries arrive,who are led by a cold tactful Captain(Micheal Caine,Zulu,The Man who would be King).At their mercy,He convinces the Captain that better to spare a village from carnage and enjoy the comfort it offers than going back to a meaningless war.Soon both men find themselves opposed by a zealot preist,the Mercenaries, and the peasants plagued by the same regilous prejudices that caused the conflict they are trying to escape from.Caines character becomes infatuated with a local widow,who is under suspicion by the preist for witchcraft.Both Caine and Sharif play good opposites as conservative and liberal working together through their predicament,I enjoyed the storyline with its historical background.James Clavell did a credible job directing,so I encourage any movie enthusiast to give this little gem a look next trip to the video store.I beleive it's only available on vhs.***