Chicago – The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning (Rhino) Very few bands have had two completely separate stylistic periods. The late 60s-early 70s incarnation of Chicago was a pioneering force that wed rock and roll with jazz horns and improvisational playing in a way that was totally unique. By the time the late 70s … Continue reading
ONE HOUR PHOTO (2002) Starring Robin Williams. Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan, Dylan Smith, Erin Daniels, Paul Hansen Kim, Eriq LaSalle and Gary Cole. Screenplay by Mark Romanek. Directed by Mark Romanek. Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. 98 minutes. Rated R. Robin Williams’ movie career had seemed to be stuck in a pool of dreck like Patch Adams and Bicentennial … Continue reading
Shakira Tour Service by Jay S. Jacobs The Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Plaza in New York City is a world famous old restaurant right in the heart of downtown Manhattan’s entertainment district. A classic old club that was opened in 1934 in the heart of the Great Depression, designed to radiate class, glamour, elegance, luxury and the spirit of New York … Continue reading
BLOOD WORK (2002) Starring Clint Eastwood, Wanda DeJesus, Jeff Daniels, Anjelica Huston, Paul Rodriquez, Tina Lifford and Dylan Walsh. Screenplay by Brian Helgeland. Directed by Clint Eastwood. Distributed by Warner Brothers Pictures. 110 Minutes. Rated R. Blood Work actually takes the old standard serial killer genre and gives it an interesting twist. Clint Eastwood plays FBI profiler … Continue reading
Tony Bennett & k.d. lang – A Wonderful World (RPM/Columbia) Last year’s dual tour between old smoothie Bennett and former torch-and-twang gal turned chanteuse lang turned out to be a surprisingly smart pairing. It has now spawned this album; a tribute to Tony’s old pal Louis Armstrong. While the songs of the scratchy-voiced Satchmo may seem like … Continue reading
Jennifer Love Hewitt – BareNaked (Jive) There is a stigma out there when actors release albums that they are usually bad vanity projects. And often, that is deserved (J.Lo, take a bow.) But sometimes, that is not the case. Sometimes, the star can actually sing and has something interesting to say. Jennifer Love Hewitt fits into … Continue reading
AUTO FOCUS (2002) Starring Greg Kinnear, Willem Dafoe, Rita Wilson, Mario Bello, Ron Leibman, Ed Begley Jr., Michael McKean, Kurt Fuller, Michael E. Rodgers, Lyle Kanouse, Christopher Neiman, Nikita Ager and Bruce Solomon. Screenplay by Michael Gerbosi. Directed by Paul Schrader. Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Rated R. 105 minutes. The bludgeoning death of 60s … Continue reading
SWIMFAN (2002) Starring Erika Christensen, Jesse Bradford, Shiri Appleby, Clayne Crawford, James DeBello, Nick Sandow, Jason Ritter, Kate Burton and Dan Hedaya. Screenplay by Charles F. Bohl and Phillip Schneider. Directed by John Polson. Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Pictures. 86 minutes. Rated PG-13. Have you ever wondered what Fatal Attraction would have been like if Glenn … Continue reading
SIMONE (2002) Starring: Al Pacino, Catherine Keener, Evan Rachel Wood, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Jason Schwartzman, Winona Ryder, Jay Mohr and Rachel Roberts. Screenplay by Andrew Niccol. Directed by Andrew Niccol. Distributed by New Line Cinema. Rated PG-13. 117 minutes. Simone is pretty much a one-joke gimmick stretched to a movie length. But it’s a pretty good … Continue reading
SIGNS (2002) Starring: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Cherry Jones, Rory, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Kalember and M. Night Shyamalan. Screenplay by M. Night Shyamalan. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Distributed by Touchstone Pictures. 107 minutes. Rated PG-13. M. Night Shyamalan is quickly becoming one of our best suspense directors. Though his last two films have not … Continue reading
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