Al Pacino in "88 Minutes"
courtesy of Sony Home Entertainment
“Time Is Running Out”

Way back many years ago there was a TV game show called “Beat the Clock.” Contestants tried to solve a puzzle or do some challenge before the time on the clock ran out. In the new DVD “Eighty Eight Minutes” Al Pacino races the clock to prevent his own death. This film is the story of a man who has been told he will die in eighty-eight minutes and he is racing the clock all the way through the film. Pacino all but chews up the scenery with his acting techniques but the movie entertains with its mysterious plot.

Jack Gramm (Pacino) is a forensic psychiatrist who testifies in criminal cases. His testimony is what clinches the guilty verdict for Jon Forster (Neal McDonough), a man accused of a ghastly murder. On the day Forster is to be executed Gramm receives a call on his cell phone telling him he has eighty eight minutes to live.

As Gramm races throughout the city of Seattle he tries to uncover who wants him dead. Forster is at the top of his list but he is in prison on death row. Then other murders start happening which mirror the murder for which Forster was convicted. Did Gramm help send an innocent man to death row?

A lot of Gramm’s students seem to be involved in his life. There is his student assistant, Kim Cummings (Alicia Witt). She seems to be awfully attracted to the professor. Then there are Lauren Douglas (Leelee Sobieski) and Mike Stempt (Benjamin McKenzie). They seem to pop up at the most inopportune times during Gramm’s day.

Gramm also seems to have had a physical relationship with the head of his department, Carol Johnson (Deborah Kara Unger). Does she have a reason to want revenge? And what about his assistant, Shelly (Amy Brenneman)? Is she as loyal as she seems?

As the clock ticks down to the point of death Gramm becomes more and more desperate to find the identity of the killer and his/her motive for wanting him dead. For the movie to reach the “revealing ending” a lot of questions have to be answered. Most of them are.

Pacino is frenetic from start to finish in this movie. He is racing here, racing there, and always with that cell phone ringing and ringing and ringing. But whoever provides his service, I want that company. Gramm gets reception everywhere and his battery never grows weak either.

There are some holes in the plot of this movie. Not everything is totally logical and not all the plot questions are answered. Still there are enough to make the story believable and suspenseful. Pacino and company provide a movie on DVD that entertains and that is one of the primary goals of moviemakers.

You have to give Disney credit, this studio can find the talent. Their latest discovery is Selena Gomez who stars in the Disney series “The Wizards of Waverly Place.” Now she has been cast, along with Drew Seeley, in “Another Cinderella Story,” which as you have guessed is another take on the Cinderella story.

What makes this movie so much fun is Gomez. She is a rising star and one heck of a good little actress. She is also a singer and a dancer and this film is a musical. It rides in on the success of “High School Musical” but manages to carve out its success on its own.

This is a movie your kids are going to want to see over and over again. It has the “Cinderella” magic displayed by the adorable Selena Gomez.

Lisa Kudrow still has a lot of fans thanks to her years on “Friends” as Phoebe. In her latest DVD movie she has some Phoebe moments as Leslie, the mother of two mischievous kids. Her husband has been deployed and the bills are piling up.

At the point of desperation she asks her brother in law (Scott Pendergast) to movie in. He brings a whole set of other problems with him. Seeing how they cope is where the comedy comes in.

Kudrow is good as always. She can make comedy out of just about any material. Pendergast is not quite as successful. Still the movie doe shave some laughs and some charm, and it is always good to see Phoebe, I mean Kudrow, back on screen.

Three cult classic movies of the 80’s are (1) The Breakfast Club (2) Sixteen Candles, and (3) Weird Science. “The Breakfast Club” has fans who are the most devoted in the world. They LOOOOVE this movie.

Now you can get a set of the DVD’s with these movies on them, plus a lot of extras. If you can’t lose yourself in these movies then you didn’t live through the 80’s. And if you are too young to remember them then you get the thrill of discovering them all on your own.

These three movies will show you what life and love were like back then. It is a kind of life that is gone with the wind. Get the DVD’s and go down memory lane.

>From the moment Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) showed up on “Grey’s Anatomy” you could tell she was destined for bigger things. And she was. She is the one who got the “Grey’s” spin-off and it is called “Private Practice.”

It will be back this year for its second season and before it arrives you can watch the entire first season on the DVD titled “Private Practice – The Complete First Season: Extended Edition.” It is a three disc set and has all the episodes plus extras.

Kate and the gang bring this medical drama/comedy/romance to life. The cast includes Audra Macdonald, Tim Daly, Amy Brenneman, Taye Diggs, Kadee Strickland and others. It has talent to burn. So get this new DVD and get yourself ready for season two of “Private Practice.”

You can also get caught up with “Dirty Sexy Money.” The writers strike cut short the season for this show but there was still a lot of hot, spicy goings on to see. In the DVD “Dirty Sexy Money: The Complete First Season.” All ten episodes are included in this three disc set and once again the discs are loaded with extras.

You can learn everything you wanted to know about the ultra rich Darling clan and more. Donald Sutherland, Peter Krause, Jill Clayburgh and William Baldwin are just part of a rich cast of talented actors. Get it and enjoy.

Linus Roache stars in the romantic drama “Before the Rains” which is now available on DVD. This film set in the 1930’s tells the tale of a British man and Indian woman who dare to fall in love. Such cross cultural romances are frowned upon by both governments but the heart knows what the heart knows.

As anti-British sentiment breaks out in India the love affair continues. The world is not tolerant and the lovers may find heartbreak is their last emotion. Watch this DVD and feel the passion.
 

 

 

 

 

©2008 Jackie K. Cooper

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