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Pas Vega and Adam Sandler in "Spanglish"
courtesy of Columbia Home Video
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"The Adam Sandler Fan Club"
Hear ye! Hear ye! The Adam Sandler Fan Club is hereby called to order. As a member in good standing I want to let everyone know that our boy Adam has another hit on his hands and it is available on DVD. The film is titled "Spanglish" and it is a warm, romantic comedy you will thoroughly enjoy.
Sandler plays John Clasky, a chef in Los Angeles. He lives with his wife (Tea Leoni), mother in law (Cloris Leachman) and two children in Malibu. One day his wife hires a new housekeeper (Pas Vega) who moves in along with her daughter (Shelbie Bruce). John finds himself attracted to this woman and complications arise.
It is a simple story handled beautifully by Director James L Brooks. Sandler is at his comic and dramatic best while Leoni and Vega match him at every turn. This is a movie to be bought, kept and savored. It was one of last year's best movies and it is now available for us all to rent or own.
Another of last year's best that is now available on DVD is "House of Flying Daggers." This Chinese film that stars Ziyi Zhang is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. The photography and the visuals of the movie are breathtaking. Each scene is like an artistic masterpiece and the special effects take your breath away.
Don't let yourself be turned off by the fact the film has subtitles. The story, the acting, and then the beauty are more than enough to make you rent this one and take it home. You will not be disappointed, I repeat, trust me - you will not be disappointed!!
Two comedies that were fairly disappointing to me are "Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason" and "Meet the Fockers." For some reason both of these movies are better and more enjoyable when viewed on DVD than they were on the big movie screen. Don't ask me why but they come across fresher whereas on the big screen they were too repetitive of the original movies that spawned them as sequels.
Renee' Zellwegger's adventures in the continuation of the Bridget Jones' saga are fun. There are still too many fat girl jokes, and you get a little tired of her love problems. Still the scenes of Jones in a foreign prison take on a sweetness and poignancy I didn't remember from the film. Also Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are loads of fun as her two suitors.
In "Meet the Fockers" I was also annoyed by how repetitious the story line seemed to be, but on DVD I was able to sit back and admire the comic timing between Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand. They are amazing, and they make the movie more than it otherwise would have been.
Ben Stiller also comes through as more likeable and desperate for approval. What permeates the whole film is the way these parents love their children. It might border on obsessive but it is still love.
Nicole Kidman seems to be everywhere these days. She is on the big screens in "The Interpreter" and she will be seen this summer in the comedy "Bewitched." You can also catch her on DVD in "Birth," a movie you probably have not seen yet. It did not make a big splash at the box office when it was released last year.
Kidman plays a young widow who becomes convinced a young boy (Cameron Bright) is the reincarnation of her dead husband. The fact the boy is only ten years old makes this storyline very controversial and extremely sensitive for the viewing audience. Still most of it is handled in good taste and both Kidman and Bright are excellent in their roles.
Plus there is a supporting cast and a half. Lauren Bacall plays Kidman's mother, and any movie that has Bacall in it is one I am going to watch. She is a screen legend and deservedly so.
Also in the cast are Anne Heche, Danny Huston and Arliss Howard. Each of these fine actors excels in their roles in this movie. And they all balance the gifts of the lead stars. "Birth" may not be everyone's cup of tea but for lovers of solid dramatic entertainment this is a good movie to watch.
For sci fi fans there is the DVD of the film "Primer." This movie tells of two young scientists who discover a way to travel through time. The reason it makes a good DVD flick is because the storyline is so confusing that you will want to watch it over and over. After I watched it I had it on my mind for days. Then I went back and tried to unravel the plot knots I had. I didn't understand it all but I did learn more each time I went back to the DVD.
The stars are David Sullivan and Shane Carruth, and no I didn't know them either. They aren't the best actors in the world but somehow the movie works. Technically it is not all that good but the plot does manage to tweak your interest.
Finally there is "Larva," another sci fi flick about mutant bugs that eat people. William Forsythe and David Selby are the two most recognizable members of the cast and they have a great time chewing up the scenery as they act in this gory but good movie. What is great is that you don't expect much from it and it turns out to be a lot of fun. |
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©2005 Jackie K. Cooper |
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Click above to find out more about Jackie's books!
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