Susan Sarandon and Richard Gere in "Shall We Dance?"
courtesy of Disney Home Video
"Richard Gere Dances Again"

When last we saw Richard Gere he was tap-dancing his heart out in the movie "Chicago." Now he sets those feet to moving again in the sentimental film "Shall We Dance?" This movie, which is now out on VHS/DVD is a perfect movie for the cold winter nights. Gere and co-star Susan Sarandon steam it up when they find out married love is the best love of all.

Jennifer Lopez is also in the movie but her role is a supporting one and she plays it very low key. She is a dance instructor who helps Gere find his inner Arthur Murray. He has discovered ballroom dancing is his passion and he pursues it with reckless abandonment, even causing his wife to think he is having an affair.

This is a film full of music, romance and even comedy. It is a film to share with someone you love, or even someone you hope to love. Gere is in fine form and so is this movie.

The Gere version of this movie is a remake of a Japanese film of the same name that is also out on video. I found it to be a more complicated film and also one in which the lawyer and the dance instructor were more interested in each other. So for an Asian perspective on the story, watch this Japanese version.

An even more romantic movie is "P S," a story about love that transcends time. Laura Linney stars as the college admissions officer who falls for Topher Grace, who is an applicant for admission to the school. Linney thinks he looks so much like her dead lover that he could be a reincarnation.

See the movie and see what you think, and see how powerful love in all its phases and forms can be. This is a solid movie with brilliant performances by Linney and Grace.

Life in the 1930's is the source for the material that makes up "Bright Young Things." This film focuses on a group of people who are determined to live life to the fullest and do it in the most sensational ways. As the days and years pass they become more and more out of control.

Academy Award nominee Imelda Staunton, Jim Broadbent, Emily Mortimer and Stephen Campbell Moore are four of the stars of this film. There are also featured performances by Stockard Channing and Dan Aykroyd.

The frenzy of this era is well presented and the movie will hold your interest from start to finish.

As a tool to help your child with some problems he/she might encounter as they grow, Disney has brought out a series titled "Growing Up With Winnie the Pooh." The first two titles in this series are "A Great Day of Discovery" and "Friends Forever." Each of these titles features stories concerning Winnie the Pooh and the Hundred Acres gang and focuses on how we can all help each other in the "growing up" game.

These movies are subtle and entertaining so the lessons learned are not strictly taught but are absorbed by the children as they watch. Check them out and you will see just how good they are as example makers and lesson teachers.

A movie for kids and adults alike is "Aloha Scooby-Doo," another animated adventure featuring the entire Scooby Doo crew. Velma, Daphne, Freddy, Shaggy and Scooby head to Hawaii for some fun and of course some mystery.

Adults as well as children seem to enjoy these movies, and it is safe to say the plots are inventive and the characters are fun. So get "Aloha Scooby Doo" and join the kids for the entertainment.

That old monster Godzilla is alive and well and starring in two separate videos this month. You can get "Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster" and/or "Godzilla vs Megagodzilla." In the first, Godzilla battles a terrorist type organization called Red Bamboo. In the second, he battles a robotic counterpart. Both adventures are rated PG and show there is life in the old monster yet.

 

 

 

 

 

©2005 Jackie K. Cooper

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