Ed’s Next Move 
(2001) Indie 
Director/Screenwriter:  John Walsh
Principals:  Matt Ross, Cathy Curtin

*  unfortunately, Ed's Next Move is only available in VHS format.

This guilty pleasure is one terrific date movie.  This film is about a geneticist who moves to New York from Wisconsin and finds love in the big city, well sort of.  The actors are very believable 20-somethings who you might meet in a bar or gym, and everything looks and smells exactly as you would picture New York.  I love the ending and so will you.




Elling
(2001) Norwegian, subtitles 
Director:  Peter Naess; Screenwriter:  Axel Hellstenius
Principals:  Per Christian Ellefsen, Sven Norden, Marit Pia Jacobsen


This absolutely wonderful film is filled with wit, emotion and substance in the way that the characters relate and touch each other.  The acting is superb and the direction insightful but most inspiring is its knockout screenplay in which two misfits leave a mental institution and take up residence in an apartment.  Per Christian Ellefsen stars in the title role and Peter Naess’ direction will make you feel good all over because it affirms life without pity.  Too many films like Elling have either a sad ending or a moral to tell, but to its credit, Elling comes full circle because life is always about new beginnings.  


Emma

(1996) British 
Director/Screenwriter:  Douglas McGrath
Principals:  Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northan, Toni Collette


Another great adaptation of a Jane Austen novel, this film is brought to life by the handiwork of writer/director Douglas McGrath and a bountiful cast led by Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northan, Toni Collette, Alan Cumming and Ewan McGregor.  The story involves a matchmaker who hardly ever gets it right.  But, in the end, love rules triumphant.  




The Emperor and the Assassin
(1999) Chinese, subtitles 
Director:  Kaige Chen; Screenwriter:  Kaige Chen, Peigong Wang
Principals:  Gong Li, Fengyi Zhang, Zhou Sun


If you like Kurosawa, you will enjoy this film.  It is a story of love betrayed, revenge and redemption.  Great acting, direction, and production design characterize this bloody tale about a 3^rd Century King who decides that the best way to conquer the six kingdoms is to send his concubine as a spy to the Han Kingdom.  But, his machinations are upended when love enters the picture. 




Enigma
(2001) British
Director:  Michael Apted; Screenwriter:  Tom Stoppard
Principals:  Dougray Scott, Kate Winslett


This is an old fashioned film about the German Enigma code machine of World War II and the English code breakers at Blechley Park.  What do I mean by old fashioned?  This film has a well written screenplay about a top secret machine that changed the outcome of WWII.  Fine performances by Dougray Scott and Kate Winslett, and beautiful cinematography without relying on over-the-top sappy dramatics and unnecessary special effects round out its tried and true formula for successful filmmaking.  



Evenhand
(2002) Indie 
Director:  Joseph Pierson; Screenwriter:  Mike Jones
Principals:  Bill Sage, Bill Dawes


This film tells the story of two cops whose methods are as different as night and day.  Yet, they support each other and become friends who will stand up for each other no matter what.  This film is directed in a straight forward, clear cut way that matches the subject matter perfectly.  The acting is powerful and the musical score complements the screenplay.  This is a mature view of the life of a policeman without the over-the-top theatrics and special effects which dominate the typical Hollywood treatment. 



Eve’s Bayou
(1997) Indie
Director/Screenwriter:  Kasi Lemmons
Principals:  Jurnee Smollett, Meagan Good, Samuel L. Jackson


This film is about a 10 year old girl growing up in 1950’s Louisiana  Samuel L. Jackson is convincing as a philandering father, and Jurnee Smollett, the child actress who plays Eve, steals the show.  What makes this film special is its depiction of Louisiana’s voodoo, swamps, small towns, and African-American culture. 




Fresh
(1994) Indie
Director/Screenwriter:  Boaz Yakin
Principals:  Sean Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson


This film about life in the inner city stars Sean Nelson as a 12 year old drug courier.  Nelson is supported by Giancarlo Esposito as a smooth talking drug dealer, and  Samuel L. Jackson as an alcoholic tramp who meets and later befriends Fresh (Nelson) because they both play chess.  Although this film deals with a difficult subject that is sometimes hard to take, it tells a story that is important, poignant, and often overlooked.  




Frida
(2002) Mexican, English 
Director:  Julie Taymor; Screenwriter:  Clancy Sigal
Principals:  Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina


The life of artist Frida Kahlo takes many turns.  Born into a life of privilege, she becomes a Communist and lover of famous muralist Diego Rivera.  This film tells her story with passion and color, bringing her to life on the screen.  Director Julie Taymor fills up frame after frame with Kahlo’s paintings.  Through her story, the history of early 20^th Century Mexico also unfolds.  Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina give inspired performances.




The Girl on the Bridge
(2000) French, subtitles 
Director:  Patrice Leconte; Screenwriter:  Serge Frydman
Principals:  Vanessa Paradis, Daniel Auteil


This black and white film starring Daniel Auteil and Vanessa Paradis is a knockout.  They create strange, memorable characters who will reverberate in your mind.  Director Patrice Leconte and writer Serge Frydman have fashioned the perfect connection for two outcasts, a girl who wants to kill herself, and a circus knife thrower who obviously could make her wish come true.  This unusual film deals with love in ways rarely experienced.




Good Bye, Lenin
(2003) German, subtitles 
Director:  Wolfgang Becker
Screenwriter:  Wolfgang Becker, Bernd Lichtenberg
Principals:  Daniel Bruhl, Katrin Salz, Chulpan Khamatova


This film tells the story of an East Berlin family coping with their mother’s heart attack and resultant coma amidst the downfall of the socialist society which she adored.  After she emerges from unconsciousness, her son tries to mold her world so that she is not shocked into another heart attack.  Director and writer, Wolfgang Becker, has fashioned a wonderful story which fuses history with a personal story of love and devotion.  This film exhibits a creativity and wit seldom seen except in such rare treasures as the French film, Amelie.


The Good Girl
(2002) Indie 
Director:  Miguel Arteta
Screenwriter:  Mike White
Principals:  Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal


This surrealistic tragicomedy tricks you into thinking you’re watching a Coen Brothers film, well maybe not quite as good as the Coen’s surrealistic vision, but easily good enough.  Jennifer Aniston plays a dull woman who works at a retail outlet.  Her life is a disaster in every sense of the word.  She gets mixed up with a mental misfit played by Jake Gyllenhaal and then all hell breaks loose.  Aniston creates a very interesting character from her speech pattern, to the way she walks, to her decision-making.  The supporting cast is very strong with John C. Reilly, et al.  This movie is quirky, weird and very funny.  If you like the Coens and Donnie Darko, you will appreciate The Good Girl.


The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
(1966) Italian, English 
Director/Screenwriter:  Sergio Leone; Music:  Ennio Morricone
Principals:  Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef       


An oldie on the Maven List.  The last installment of "the dollar trilogy," also known as “the spaghetti westerns” stars Clint Eastwood as the man with no name.  This film was written and  directed by the great Sergio Leone.  The musical score by Ennio Morricone is worth the price of admission by itself.  Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef are gritty and the overall production will blow you away.  How can a film work where the principal actors speak English while everybody else is speaking Italian?  Watch this film and you will find out.  Please see this unforgettable film. 


Green Dragon
(2002) Vietnamese/American 
Director/Screenwriter:  Timothy Linh Bui
Principals:  Don Duong, Patrick Swayze, Forest Whitaker


In 1975, as the Vietnam War was winding down, relocation camps sprang up throughout the U.S. to handle the refugees.  This film is about Camp Pendleton, California.  Don Duong, Patrick Swayze and Forest Whitaker give stirring performances from both the American and Vietnamese point of view.  Writer/director Timothy Linh Bui portrays with dignity and grace the fate of so many Vietnamese who had to flee their homeland.




Gregory’s Girl
(1980) Scotland 
Director/Screenwriter:  Bill Forsyth
Principals:  John Gordon Sinclair, Dee Hepburn


This coming of age film is about a boy who falls for a female teammate on his soccer club.  John Gordon Sinclair is funny and likeable as Gregory.  The story has a naivety and realness that makes it totally viewable.  The ending is surprising and delightful.