Kristanna Loken and Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Terminator 3"
courtesy of Warner Home Video
"The Man Who Would Be Governor"

Arnold Schwarzenegger has made a fortune being a tough man in the movies. Of all his movie adventures the one that has been the most popular and the most lucrative is the "Terminator" series of films. The latest one is "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" and it is the last pre-governor role Arnold played. 

Once again Arnold is cast as a robot, a role he plays perfectly. In this one he is a new machine sent back in time to protect John Connor (Nick Stahl). There is an evil robot that also travels through time who is played by Kristanna Loken. She is a powerful foe to Arnold and their battles make up the most entertaining part of the movie.

Claire Danes is also on hand as a love interest for Stahl. Her character is the least interesting one in the film, but then the others have many more action sequences than she does. 

Still it is Arnold's film all the way. It is hard to think that with him now being the governor-elect there may never be a "Terminator 4." Bummer!

Another neat little action packed movie is "Dirty Deeds." In this one Bryan Brown plays the owner/boss of a casino in Australia. His success attracts some outside interest and before long he is fighting off a take-over. He also has to deal with a crooked cop (Sam Neill) and a vengeful wife (Toni Collette).

This movie does a great job of building suspense and getting you inside the heads of its characters. You may not have heard of it before, but this is one worth renting.

Also impressive is the French film "Pact of Silence." In this one Gerard Depardieu plays a priest on a mission to uncover a secret kept hidden by two sisters who are twins. The more he pries into the secret the more involved he becomes in the lives of the two women.

Elodie Bouchez is Depardieu's co-star and the two actors keep the movie tense and the secrets desirable. The final revelations are worth watching the film for and provide some surprises.

Less impressive is "Washington Heights," a drama about a Spanish family trying to make a go of life in a city near Harlem, New York. It is a tough neighborhood and the odds are against success, still this family tries and tries.

The cast includes Judy Reyes, Thomas Milan and Danny Hoch. They aren't well known but they do keep the story real.

"Friends" is one of the best comedies on TV and also one of the most successful. Now on DVD we have "Friends: The Complete Fifth Season." Remember this is the one that started off with the non-wedding in London and ended up with the fake wedding in Vegas. And in between there are all kinds of classic TV moments.

On the DVD you also get some extras like deleted scenes but it is the pure joy of the episodes which make this one of TV's best and brightest series - ever!

Classic comedy of a different type can be seen on the four DVD boxed set of "The Looney Tunes Collection." In this set you can get "The Best of Bugs," "The Best of Daffy and Porky" and some other Looney Tunes classics that will keep you thoroughly entertained.

In all there are fifty-six short subjects that are a collection of the best that Looney Tunes has to offer. From beginning to end you will love them all.

Finally there is "Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights." Unlike "The Twelve Days of Christmas" this is an animated musical comedy about the holidays that is not for the entire family. It is rated PG-13.

Sandler provides the voices for seven characters and uses his comedic skills in his bizarre and offbeat way. The story focuses on a man named Davey Stone who has some problems over the holidays with mixed results. 

If you like Sandler you will like this movie. If you don't, well you might want to stick with more traditional holiday fare.

 

 

 

 

 

©2003 Jackie K. Cooper

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