Writer Paul Rudnick knows a good idea when he hears one. When Tom Hanks talked about his openly gay high school drama teacher after winning the Oscar for Philadelphia, Hanks had already warned the teacher about the prime-time speech. For Rudnick's comedy, golden-boy star Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon) announces at the Oscars (in a great lampoon of the ceremony) that his high school teacher was his inspiration, and by the way, he's gay. It's a shock to Howard Brackett's (Kevin Kline) small world in the corn belt. That includes his students, parents, coworkers and most importantly, his soon to be bride (Joan Cusack). Rudnick, the most successful and outspoken gay screenwriter-playwright (Jeffrey, The Addams Family) working today has hit cinematic gold. Besides Brackett's running around in crisis control, Rudnick allows a great deal of time to what others think. A typical line: "Mr Brackett's not gay! He just likes poetry and Shakespeare and uses his napkin!" In & Out is a screwball comedy first, a banter of how society deals with homosexuality second. Kline is at the top of his comedic talents here; a weaker actor would permit Joan Cusack to steal the entire movie as the bemused bride. Cusack, an Oscar nominee for the role, nails some of the funniest moments from any film that year. Seemingly forgotten as a cinematic presence, a clean-shaven Tom Selleck and his 24-carat gold personality is something to reckon with again. As a Hollywood reporter on the case, Selleck, without moustache, comes off more as George Clooney's older brother than as Magnum PI. The movie is helmed by Frank Oz, the voice of Miss Piggy, who has quietly put together a very impressive list of comedies: Little Shop of Horrors, Housesitter and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. --Doug Thomas
In an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle, John Cleese wrote Fierce Creatures with the purpose of reuniting the comedic cast of A Fish Called Wanda. Media mogul (Kevin Kline) owns a London zoo. He demands that the park raise more profit, so the new zoo director (Cleese) orders that only dangerous animals be displayed in order to maximize ticket sales. In a dual role, Kline also plays the mogul's son, who plans to run the zoo with the help of displaced employees (including Michael Palin) and zoo programmer Willa Weston (Jamie Lee Curtis). The situation lends itself to comedic confusion and split-second timing, and for a few good laughs the film is a pretty safe bet. It's not as hilarious as A Fish Called Wanda (that's a pretty tall order), but Cleese knows comedy, and his efforts are worth a look. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
Inspector Jacques Clouseau returns to the big screen in the form of Steve Martin.
Confronted with life-changing news a middle-aged architect seizes the opportunity to begin living life on his own terms as he builds the house of his dreams and winds up rebuilding the world around him in the process...
The story and characters audiences know and love come to spectacular life in the live-action adaptation of Disney's animated classic Beauty and the Beast, a stunning, cinematic event celebrating one of the most beloved tales ever told. Beauty and the Beast is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a Beast Qin his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle's enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast's hideous exterior and realize the kind heart of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle's father; Josh Gad as Le Fou, Gaston's long-suffering aide-de-camp; Ewan McGregor as Lumière, the candelabra; Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; Audra McDonald as Madame De Garderobe, the wardrobe; Hattie Morahan as the enchantress; and Nathan Mack as Chip, the teacup; with Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.
In an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle, John Cleese wrote Fierce Creatures with the purpose of reuniting the comedic cast of A Fish Called Wanda. Media mogul (Kevin Kline) owns a London zoo. He demands that the park raise more profit, so the new zoo director (Cleese) orders that only dangerous animals be displayed in order to maximize ticket sales. In a dual role, Kline also plays the mogul's son, who plans to run the zoo with the help of displaced employees (including Michael Palin) and zoo programmer Willa Weston (Jamie Lee Curtis). The situation lends itself to comedic confusion and split-second timing, and for a few good laughs the film is a pretty safe bet. It's not as hilarious as A Fish Called Wanda (that's a pretty tall order), but Cleese knows comedy, and his efforts are worth a look. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
Director Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill) clearly set out to make an old-fashioned Western, but he couldn't help bringing a hip, self-conscious attitude to the proceedings. Silverado thus finds its own funky tone--sometimes rousing, sometimes winking. Four cowboys--Kevin Kline (a distinctly modern kind of Western hero), Scott Glenn, Danny Glover, and the rowdy young Kevin Costner--converge on a little Western burg called Silverado. Kasdan peppers the somewhat generic action with smart dialogue and a parade of quirky supporting players, including John Cleese as a sheriff who seems to have stepped straight from a Monty Python sketch into an Old West saloon. Bruce Broughton supplies the music, a real throwback to the glory days of thundering Western themes. One thing's for sure: Silverado's a lot more fun than the later Kasdan-Costner Western, Wyatt Earp. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com
A Fish Called Wanda was the blockbuster which proved that John Cleese could be a movie star in his own right. Directed by the Veteran Charles Crichton, who made the 1951 Ealing Comedies classic The Lavender Hill Mob, Wanda combined Ealing-comedy capers and Basil Fawlty-esque farce with contemporary big-screen swearing and black comedy. The plot develops in classic film noir style as Cleese's lawyer, Archie Leech, gets sucked into the double-crossing aftermath of a London diamond heist. For sound box-office reasons, British comedies often sport an American star and here Cleese delivers not only Jamie Lee Curtis as a smooth operating femme fatale, but Kevin Kline as her idiotic, and insanely jealous lover (for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar). Pushing the limits of bad taste is Michael Palin's animal-loving Ken, who in the film's best running gag attempts to murder an old lady, only to slay her beloved pet dogs. Other highlights include Palin as a man with two chips up his nose and Cleese showing the world a different sort of "Full Monty". One of the funniest British films ever made, A Fish Called Wanda was followed by Fierce Creatures (1997), which reunited the lead cast and claimed to be an "equal" not a "sequel", but sadly wasn't. --Gary S Dalkin
Kenneth Brannagh and Kevin Kline supply the voices for the two young spaniards in search of the legengary city of gold - El Dorado
Billy (Academy Award-winner Michael Douglas) Paddy (Academy Award-winner Robert De Niro) Archie (Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman) and Sam (Academy Award-winner Kevin Kline) have been best friends since childhood. So when Billy the group's sworn bachelor finally proposes to his thirty-something (of course) girlfriend the four head to Las Vegas with a plan to stop acting their age and relive their glory days. However upon arriving the four quickly realize that the decades have transformed Sin City and tested their friendship in ways they never imagined. The Rat Pack may have once played the Sands and Cirque du Soleil may now rule the Strip but it's these four who are taking over Vegas. It's going to be legendary!
Titles Comprise: Dave: Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver star in this box office winner about an uncanny Presidential look-alike recruited as a momentary stand-in for America's Chief Executive. However things don't turn out exactly as planned and Dave finds himself continuing the masquerade indefinitely. Real life Washington politicos and pundits join the fun as Dave uses ordinary-guy savvy to deal with the extraordinary responsibilities of the Oval Office. Mickey Blue Eyes: Hugh Grant plays dapper Manhattan art auctioneer Michael Felgate in this lively fish-out-of-water comedy romp. Eager to marry Gina (Jeanne Tripplehorn) the lovely teacher he's been dating for three months Michael feels it's time he met her family. What he meets is the family. Gina's father Frank (James Caan) is a gangster a 'juicer' who extracts money for the mob. Now the squeeze is on Michael to use the auction house as a money laundering scam for dubious artwork plunging fumbling bumbling Michael into a world where he must pose as a notorious wise guy called Mickey Blue Eyes. You'll call him hilarious. Sandra Bullock stars as a bumbling female FBI agent assigned to go undercover as a participant in the Miss United States beauty pageant when it is discovered that one of the contestants is being targeted for murder. Benjamin Bratt leads the undercover team while also playing the reluctant love interest. Candice Bergen and William Shatner manage the pageant and hire Michael Caine to turn Bullock from rough and tumble agent to stunning beauty queen. The physical transformation is impressive although the klutzy personality remains. Everything seems to be fine once the killer is suddenly caught but Bullock suspects there is more to this story and the truth eventually unfolds with an unexpected twist. Doc Hollywood: A brash young medical resident is driving across the country to begin a career in Beverly Hills as a cosmetic surgeon to the stars. But an accident of fate strands him in a small southern town. There his outlook on life - and love - gets a down-home twist that changes him forever.
In this comedy, Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher) are life-long friends who almost ruin everything by having sex one morning. In order to protect their friendship, they make a pact to keep their relationship strictly 'no strings attached.'
Based on a true story, The Conspirator tells the powerful story of a woman who would do anything to protect her family, and the man who risked everything to save her.In the wake of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State.The lone woman charged, Mary Surratt (Wright) owns a boarding house where John Wilkes Booth (Toby Kebbell) and others met and planned the simultaneous attacks. Against the ominous back-drop of post-Civil War Washington, newly-minted lawyer, Frederick Aiken (McAvoy), a 28-year-old Union war-hero, reluctantly agrees to defend Surratt before a military tribunal.Aiken realizes his client may be innocent and that she is being used as bait and hostage in order to capture the only conspirator to have escaped a massive manhunt, her own son, John (Johnny Simmons). As the nation turns against her, Surratt is forced to rely on Aiken to uncover the truth and save her life.
A Fish Called Wanda (Dir. Charles Crichton 1988): Barrister Archie (John Cleese) falls in love and tosses off more than his wig for sexy thief Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis) - who can charm the pants off anyone! To make things worse Wanda is already using her charms on fellow partner-in-crime Otto (Kevin Kline in an Oscar-winning performance) a dim-witted intellectual psychopath who thinks the London Underground is a political movement! Meanwhile Otto is making eyes at henchman Ken (Michael Palin) an animal loving multiple dog-killer who is infatuated with a fish called Wanda. Get the Picture? A British comedy gem A Fish Called Wanda 'takes a spot' as one of the funniest romantic comedies of the decade (Box Office). Dirty Rotten Scoudrels (Dir. Frank Oz 1988): One's got a sophisticated suave and debonair con act. The other's got... well an act. Together Steve Martin and Michael Caine are Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and they're absolutely ruining the Riviera in this wonderfully crafted absolutely charming classy and consistently amusing comedy. Martin is Freddy Benson a small-time con man sleazing his way through Europe on whatever handouts he can scam. Caine is Lawrence Jamieson an impeccably dressed and high-minded artiste who thinks Freddy's giving him and all con men a bad name. At first Lawrence agrees to help Freddy spruce up his stunts and his wardrobe. But when it becomes apparent that the Riviera isn't big enough for the both of them they make a winner-takes-all wager over the fortune of a nave American soap heiress (Glenne Headly): the first one to 'clean her out' can make the other clear out - and keep the Riviera and its unsuspecting tourists to himself!
Beauty & The Beast (Live Action): The story and characters audiences know and love come to spectacular life in the live-action adaptation of Disney's animated classic Beauty and the Beast, a stunning, cinematic event celebrating one of the most beloved tales ever told. Beauty and the Beast is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a Beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle's enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast's hideous exterior and realize the kind heart of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle's father; Josh Gad as Le Fou, Gaston's long-suffering aide-de-camp; Ewan McGregor as Lumière, the candelabra; Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; Audra McDonald as Madame De Garderobe, the wardrobe; Hattie Morahan as the enchantress; and Nathan Mack as Chip, the teacup; with Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs.Potts. Beauty & The Beast (Animated): One of the most acclaimed and treasured animated films of all time is about to sweep you off your feet. Follow the adventures of Belle, a bright young woman who fi nds herself in the castle of a prince who's been turned into a mysterious beast. With the help of the castle's enchanted staff, Belle soon learns the most important lesson of all that true beauty comes from within. Be our guest and let the music you'll never forget and the characters who will fill your heart cast a shimmering spell like never before. Bonus: Beauty & The Beast (Live Action): Enchanted Table Read A Beauty Of A Tale The Women Behind Beauty And The Beast From Song To Screen: Making The Musical Sequences Extended Song: Days In The Sun With Introduction By Bill Condon Deleted Scenes Making A Moment With Celine Dion Beauty And The Beast Music Video By Ariana Grande And John Legend Making The Music Video: Beauty And The Beast Disney Song Selections Play Movie With Overture Play Movie With Sing-A-Long
I Love You to Death is a spotty black comedy from Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill)--based on a true story--that stars Kevin Kline as a womanising pizzeria owner whose mousy wife (Tracey Ullman) tries multiple ways of murdering him with the aid of sundry friends and hired hands. The film never picks up the necessary momentum or develops the necessary tone to drive it and one is left picking and choosing which of the performers is at least adequately entertaining. Kline is good but perhaps a bit too theatrical and Joan Plowright is hilarious as his mother-in-law. The funniest joke in the whole thing belongs to William Hurt and Keanu Reeves as deeply stoned, would-be-killers who emerge from a taxi and look as if they can't remember what planet they're on. --Tom Keogh
Sleepless In Seattle (Dir. Nora Ephron 1993): Christmas is a magical time when anything can happen. And for Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) a down-to-earth newspaper reporter it's just about to. Whilst driving to her fianc''e's house on Christmas Eve she hears a radio broadcast that will change her life. Eight-year-old Jonah is worried about his recently widowed father and calls a radio station agony aunt. Persuaded onto the phone Jonah's dad Sam (Tom Hanks) tells of his love for his dead wife and how their time together was pure magic. Annie is so touched by his heartfelt sentiment that she becomes determined to meet him. But there are a few problems: Sam's in Seattle Annie's in Baltimore and Sam doesn't even know that Annie exists! Maid In Manhattan (Dir. Wayne Wang 2002): Marisa Ventura is a single mother born and bred in the boroughs of New York City. She works as a maid in a first-class Manhattan hotel. By a twist of fate and mistaken identity Marisa meets Christopher Marshall a handsome heir to a political dynasty who believes that she is a guest at the hotel. Fate steps in and throws the unlikely pair together for one night. When Marisa's true identity is revealed the two find that they are worlds apart even though the distance separating them is just a subway ride between Manhattan and the Bronx. French Kiss (Dir. Lawrence Kasdan 1995): Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline are a Paris match made in heaven in this hilarious adventure-filled romantic comedy. Straight-laced Kate (Ryan)has her future all planned out: marry her fiance Charlie (Timothy Hutton) and live happily ever after. What she didn't count on was Juliette the beautiful French woman Charlie falls for on a business trip to Paris! Determined to win him back Kate jumps on a plane where she meets Luc (Kline) a petty thief whom she immediately dislikes. But when Luc sneaks a stolen necklace into Kate's purse she finds herself travelling through France with him on a trip full of surprises: the biggest one being that this con man is stealing her heart! A sexy savvy and very funny romantic romp 'French Kiss' is a passionate heartfelt reminder that life can always surprise you.
This seminal film about the reunion of thirtysomething friends works even better than when first released in 1983. The fine performances of the ensemble cast and a rockin' soundtrack always made this eminently enjoyable. However, the characters' often pompous blather occasionally stalled the action. Baby Boomer introspection has become so common that such navel gazing seems less problematic than it did in the early 1980s. Seven former classmates from the University of Michigan gather for the funeral of Alex, their idealistic and suicidal friend. They use their time together to become reacquainted, all the while discussing lost dreams and current hopes. (This should appeal to anyone who enjoyed that other famous reunion flick of the 1980s, John Sayles' Return of the Secaucus Seven.) Director-cowriter Lawrence Kasdan culled finely textured performances from his cast and filled the screen with memorable details. He may manipulate us with his writing but the actors do an impressive job of pulling at our heartstrings while Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye play in the background. --Rochelle O'Gorman
Asian American director Ang Lee sums up America in the early 1970s by focusing on the arrival of the sexual revolution in the 'burbs. Isolationism within a family, consumerism, and selfishness are personified by a cast that captures the self-obsession within two New England families. As the children struggle awkwardly with adolescence, their parents stumble through sexual experimentation. In the days of Watergate and Vietnam, society is breaking boundaries and ignoring convention. Following suit, these families are eschewing polite barriers and social taboos, with disastrous results. The Ice Storm of the title refers not only to a natural phenomenon but is a (rather heavy-handed) metaphor for a pervasive emotional temperament. The entire cast delivers textured, finely nuanced performances. This movie lingers in the psyche not only for the scope of the tragedy at its conclusion, but for Lee's often humorous and stingingly accurate assessment of pop culture. Based on Rick Moody's novel, this won the best-screenplay award at Cannes in 1997. --Rochelle O'Gorman
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