This film
about the dark side of an American family, and about the nature and price
of beauty in a culture obsessed with outward appearances. Kevin Spacey plays
Lester Burnham, a man in his mid-40s going through an intense midlife crisis;
he's grown cynical and is convinced that he has no reason to go on. Lester's
relationship with his wife Caroline (Annette Bening) is not a warm one; while
on the surface Caroline strives to present the image that she's in full control
of her life, inside she feels empty and desperate. Their teenage daughter
Jane (Thora Birch) is constantly depressed, lacking in self-esteem, and convinced
that she's unattractive. Her problems aren't helped by her best friend Angela
(Mena Suvari), an aspiring model who is quite beautiful and believes that
that alone makes her a worthwhile person. Jane isn't the only one who has
noticed that Angela is attractive: Lester has fallen into uncontrollable lust
for her, and she becomes part of his drastic plan to change his body and change
his life. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the same neighborhood, Colonel Fitts (Chris
Cooper) has spent a lifetime in the Marine Corps and can understand and tolerate
no other way of life, which makes life difficult for his son Ricky (Wes Bentley),
an aspiring filmmaker and part-time drug dealer who is obsessed with beauty,
wherever and whatever it may be.
Following
the life of cocaine-trafficking pioneer George Jung in a way that recalls Martin
Scorsese's Casino, Blow recounts the man's days from his 1950s childhood in
Boston to his downfall in the 1980s. George (played by Johnny Depp) begins his
life as the son of Fred (Ray Liotta), an earnest breadwinner, and Ermine (Rachel
Griffiths), who frequently walks out on them in pursuit of a more fulfilling
life. When George moves west to California in the late '60s, accompanied by
best pal Tuna (Ethan Suplee), he becomes an entrepreneur in the marijuana business,
which soon spreads to the East Coast as well, with girlfriend Barbara (Franka
Potente) smuggling the product during her stewardess shifts. George is arrested
in 1972 -- at which time Barbara dies of cancer -- but George finds a new ally
in Diego (Jordi Molla), who proposes the idea that he become the American conduit
for Colombian kingpin Pablo Escobar (Cliff Curtis). George flourishes in the
heyday of the disco era, and falls for Mirtha (Penelope Cruz), a self-serving
bombshell who eventually has a daughter with him. Trouble escalates as the FBI
threatens to bring George and his crew down, while he desperately
tries to be a stable parent to his young offspring.
2001
Genre: DRAMA
Running Time: 124 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Rating Flags: Violence, Profanity
Substance Abuse (Alcohol, Drugs)
Sexual Situations
Sound: Dolby Digital with Subwoofer
/Digital Surround Sound/Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Release Date: 9/11/2001
2000
Genre: DRAMA
Running Time: 122 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Rating Flags: Violence
Nudity
Profanity
Substance Abuse (Alcohol, Drugs)
Sexual Situations
Sound: Dolby Digital with Subwoofer/Digital Surround Sound
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Release Date: 10/24/2000
2001
Genre: ACTION
MPAA Rating: R
Rating Flags: Graphic Violence
Adult Situations
Adult Humor
Profanity
Substance Abuse (Alcohol, Drugs)
Sexual Situations
Sound: Not Specified
Release Date: 1/22/2002
The
explosive beginning of Saul Bass' customarily brilliant opening credits sequence
seems to bode well for Martin Scorsese's epic portrait of 1970s Las Vegas, Casino
(1995). Weaving a tale about the town, as well as ill-fated mobsters "Ace"
Rothstein (based on actual Vegas-ite Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal) and
Nicky Santoro, the first hour merges documentary-style detail (including copious
narration) with Scorsese's signature technical flair to depict how the Mob skimmed
millions from the casinos. As Rothstein's success unravels, Scorsese unstintingly
reveals the viciousness of the old school Vegas powerbrokers (including more
gruesome violence than any previous Scorsese work), yet the virtuoso final montage
and unsettling coda suggest that the new Disney-fied Vegas robbed the city of
its success-fantasy soul. $19.99 Best Buy
2001
Genre: DRAMA
Running Time: 102 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Rating Flags: Nudity
Strong Sexual Content
Not For Children
Profanity
Substance Abuse (Alcohol, Drugs)
Sound: Dolby Digital with Subwoofer
Release Date: 8/14/2001
Based
on the novel by Hubert Selby Jr., this gritty drama concerns four people trapped
by their addictions. Harry (Jared Leto), and his best friend Tyrone (Marlon
Wayans) are impoverished heroin addicts living in Coney Island, NY, while Harry's
girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) is a fellow addict trying to distance
herself from her wealthy father. Harry dreams of scoring a pound of smack, from
which he could make enough money to open a clothing boutique with Marion, but
so far he and his friends can barely scrape by supporting their own habits.
Meanwhile, Harry's mother Sara (Ellen Burstyn), who spends her days watching
television, is told she has the opportunity to appear on her favorite game show;
wanting to lose enough weight to fit into her favorite red dress, she visits
a sleazy doctor who gives her a prescription for amphetamines. Soon Sara has
a drug habit of her own that is spiraling out of control. $14.99 Best Buy
Requiem:
For A Dream
Casino
Blow
American
Beauty
