I have a bit of a dilemma this week. Due to my deadline for this article, I am writing it before the Emmy telecast and it will be posted after the telecast, so I won’t be able to talk about the winners and losers until the week of 9/26. Until then, stay on your ps and qs, and I promise uncle Dana will not let you down.

Until then, here are a few little gems of movies that you may have never heard of that will help you get through the week until we meet again.


A Perfect World (1993): Drama
(Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern)
The movie tells the story of an escaped convict that kidnaps a little boy and their travels through 1960’s Texas, being chased by state and local police.
This movie really disappeared pretty much immediately after hitting the theaters and is probably collecting dust on your local video rental shelf. The beauty of this movie is the relationship between the boy without a father and this man who is pushed into that role. It very much reminds me of a modern version of the movie Shane, another movie you should run out and pick up if you haven’t seen it.

Near Dark (1987): Horror
(Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Adrian Pasdar)
A young farm boy accidentally joins a band of roaming vampires after falling for one of its female members.
The most unique vampire movie I have ever seen. A modern telling of a traditional vampire story with plenty of gore and violence, almost like a vampire western.

Dr. Strangelove: or, How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb (1964): Comedy
(Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Slim Pickens, James Earl Jones)
A political spoof on the cold war and the end of the world. As seen through the eyes of Peter Sellers and Stanley Kubrick.
Probably one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. Although some of the jokes are outdated and a little heady, I have to make sure I am wearing diapers so I don’t pee myself. Warning, this is a political movie, and a lot of the humor is politically oriented.

Amelie (2001): Romantic Comedy
(Audrey Tautou, Matthieu Kassovitz)
The story of a sweet but naïve little French girl that is trying to help everyone in her neighborhood, and ends up helping herself in the end.
I listed this movie, only because it will definitely appeal to both men and women. It is a sweet and lighthearted love story, touching and very fun, and the men won’t be able to keep themselves from falling in love with sweet little Audrey Tautou.

This week at your local multiplex: (9/23/2005)

Oliver Twist: Drama, limited release
(Ben Kingsley, Barney Clark)
Plot: Another adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic about the life of an orphan in London who runs into a pickpocket and lives in a home stealing for their master.
Buzz: Roman Polanski directed this one and he may add his special “pedophile” perspective to this classic tale. A movie about a group of little boys and an old man, directed by Roman Polanski. Charles Dickens for the NAMBLA crowd.

Roll Bounce: Comedy
(Nick Cannon, Bow-Wow, Mike Epps Chi McBride)
Plot: Set in the 70’s, when a group of kids’ local roller rink is closed down, the group is forced to skate in an uptown more affluent roller rink, leading to a big showdown between the two groups.
Buzz: No real buzz here. Nothing has really come out about the movie except a short trailer, and by all accounts this just looks like a teen comedy, with a little heart thrown in. If you are a Bow-Wow fan, or Lil Bow-Wow for the old school crowd, you may want to check it out.

Flightplan: Thriller
(Jodi Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean, Erika Christensen)
Plot: On a flight from Berlin to New York, Kyle Pratt (Jodi Foster) loses her daughter somewhere on the plane. Things get tense as not only is no one able to find her, but many of the crew are hard pressed to prove that she even existed.
Buzz: The plot above really didn’t spoil anything. The suspense seems to come in finding out the truth not in the little twist listed above. This movie is being billed as a thriller with final twists and turns ala “The Sixth Sense”.

A History of Violence: Thriller
(Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris, Maria Bello, William Hurt)
Plot: A small town diner owner becomes a hero when he thwarts a robbery, and in a case of mistaken identity, is mistaken for a mark by mobsters.
Buzz: David Cronenberg (director) has a real knack for character driven pieces, and people have been waiting quite a while for his most recent piece. This movie has been getting a bit of Oscar buzz for some of it’s leading characters, and may be worth checking out this weekend.

Dirty Love: Comedy
(Jenny McCarthy, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Carmen Electra, Victor Webster, Kam Heskin)
Plot: When Rebecca (Jenny McCarthy) catches her boyfriend in bed with another woman, she goes on a series of sexual escapades trying to find true love, aided by a psychic and her off beat friends.
Buzz: Written by Jenny McCarthy, this is being touted as a sex comedy where the main character is just looking for love, and happens to get in over her head in the process. The twist is that is totally from the female perspective. It comes across as raunchy in the vain of a Porky’s or a Wedding Crashers, and less of a romantic comedy. Jenny McCarthy and Carmen put in awkward sexual positions. Need I say more?

This week on DVD: (9/20/2005)

The Longest Yard (2005)	Ren and Stimpy (season 5)
Mallrats (SE)	See Arnold Run
Mindhunters	James Dean: Forever Young
Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D	The Outsiders (SE)
Carlito’s Way (SE)	Wallace and Grommit (3 adventures)
Desperate Housewives (season 1)	Parent Trap 1& 2 (Box set)
Scary Movie 3.5	From the Earth to the Moon
Inside Deep Throat	Taboo (season 2)
BattleStar Gallactica (season 1) I	It’s all Gone Pete Tong
Crime Story (season 1 and 2)	Swamp Thing
Gone in 60 seconds (original SE)
Don’t Be a Menace to South Central while drinking your Juice in the Hood (unrated)

As always, if you want any advice from big brother Dana, or just want to rant about my article, you can email me at Dplace76@yahoo.com. Or check out my random thoughts at www.livejournal.com/users/bigdpmpin. Please check out our forums sections and let us know how we are doing.

Thanks,

Dana