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Little Men (1997)
: :Mariel Hemingway's stern but upstanding schoolmarm Jo Bhaer epitomizes the mood of Little Men, the video version of Louisa May Alcott's under-celebrated sequel to Little Women. Levity levels hit an all-time low here: it's 1871 Boston, and hard knocks aren't hard to come by, particularly if you're an orphan boy like Nat and his street-smart buddy Dan. The lucky few, Nat among them, find benefactors and land at Plumfield, the school set up by Jo and her husband, Fritz (Chris Sarandon). All is apple-pure at Plumfield--mischief is at its maximum during Saturday-night pillow ...
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First Daughter
: :Mariel Hemingway's stern but upstanding schoolmarm Jo Bhaer epitomizes the mood of Little Men, the video version of Louisa May Alcott's under-celebrated sequel to Little Women. Levity levels hit an all-time low here: it's 1871 Boston, and hard knocks aren't hard to come by, particularly if you're an orphan boy like Nat and his street-smart buddy Dan. The lucky few, Nat among them, find benefactors and land at Plumfield, the school set up by Jo and her husband, Fritz (Chris Sarandon). All is apple-pure at Plumfield--mischief is at its maximum during Saturday-night pillow ...
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The Contender
: essential video:Depending on your perspective, The Contender can be praised and damned for the same reasons. A political thriller with an insider's view, it's deadly earnest in its defense of truth, justice, and the American way, but writer-director (and former film critic) Rod Lurie resorts to the same manipulation that his film purports to condemn. But with political savvy, a timely idea (a female vice president), and a cast of first-rate actors, this high-office chess game is unabashedly entertaining. You can argue with Lurie's tactics, but you can't fault his patriotic passion. ...
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Deconstructing Harry
: essential video:Woody Allen roared back at his detractors with Deconstructing Harry, a bitterly funny treatise about the creative process. Known to mine his often tumultuous personal life for his movies, the embattled writer-director-star didn't bother to make his alter ego likable in this movie: Harry Block (Allen) pops pills, frequents prostitutes, and cheats on the women in his life, then writes about their foibles in thinly disguised fiction. No wonder they're all furious with him. As Harry journeys to his alma mater with a hooker, ill pal, and kidnapped son, a series ...
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Little Men
: :Mariel Hemingway's stern but upstanding schoolmarm Jo Bhaer epitomizes the mood of Little Men, the video version of Louisa May Alcott's under-celebrated sequel to Little Women. Levity levels hit an all-time low here: it's 1871 Boston, and hard knocks aren't hard to come by, particularly if you're an orphan boy like Nat and his street-smart buddy Dan. The lucky few, Nat among them, find benefactors and land at Plumfield, the school set up by Jo and her husband, Fritz (Chris Sarandon). All is apple-pure at Plumfield--mischief is at its maximum during Saturday-night pillow ...
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Personal Best
: :It takes a lot to win. This movie is usually considered a classic of lesbian cinema, and that's too bad: its true sensuality lies in powerful erotic associations with running and the sheer pain of competition. The film opens with a memorable close-up of sweat dripping on tarmac, an early glimpse of a visual style which evolves throughout the picture into almost pornographic slow-motion sequences of high jumps, shot puts, and running legs. The story follows a young runner (Mariel Hemingway) from a clueless start in the 1976 Olympic trials through a vexed ...
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Sunset
: :Blake Edwards directed this homage to both the Old West and the silent era in filmmaking that undeservedly received indifferent reviews and did little business. James Garner is perfectly cast as Wyatt Earp who, his lawman days behind him, is brought to Hollywood in the waning days of silent movies to serve as a consultant on a movie about his life. There, he hooks up with cowboy star Tom Mix (Bruce Willis, in relaxed, low-key mode) and together they solve a murder. Though Edwards includes elements of slapstick, he actually puts together a ...
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Delirious (1991)
: :You keep waiting for what should be a wild comedy to really take off, but this film sputters along without truly achieving liftoff. John Candy plays a writer for a TV soap opera whose life is as lovelorn as his show is packed with passion. A bump on the head, however, and it's Wizard of Oz time--except that Candy is now trapped in the world of his soap, with the advantage of knowing everyone's secrets, as well as what's going to happen next. Better yet, he's able to strike romantic sparks with characters ...
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Sex Monster
: :You keep waiting for what should be a wild comedy to really take off, but this film sputters along without truly achieving liftoff. John Candy plays a writer for a TV soap opera whose life is as lovelorn as his show is packed with passion. A bump on the head, however, and it's Wizard of Oz time--except that Candy is now trapped in the world of his soap, with the advantage of knowing everyone's secrets, as well as what's going to happen next. Better yet, he's able to strike romantic sparks with characters ...
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Creator
: :Exuding the charm and grace for which he seems to hold the patent, Peter O'Toole plays Doctor Harry Wolper, a renowned research biologist whose pet project is to clone his sorely missed wife, dead now for 30 years. Assisting him in fine fashion are Meli (Mariel Hemingway), a self-proclaimed 19-year-old nymphomaniac bent on capturing the affections of Dr. Wolper, and a research assistant (Vincent Spano), whose love interest is fellow student Virgina Madsen. This sweet and enjoyable romantic comedy is brought to a head when the Madsen character drops suddenly into a coma. Then ...
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