Alive Inside is one of the year's mostimportant documentaries.The idea of the film began when filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett wasinvitedto see some of the work being done with elder-care individuals at aretirementhome by computer-whiz Dan Cohen, himself an outsider to the medicalfield andthe practices carried out by the nation's (and largely the world's)healthcaresystem in support of the elderly. Cohen had the idea to bring musicback intothe lives of the elderly living with dementia, Alzheimer's, bipolar,and other medicalissues: to bring music to individuals who struggled with memory loss.He hoped it could help them to regain some of their personal memoriesand emotions through listening to the music, which is something thatwas untried an...Read the entire review

The Film:

The Film:

Spectacular! City Lights has released Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years, a tour-de-force showcase for that Hungarian heat-seeking missile who wowed TV audiences (particularly all the dads out there) for a decade with her yearly song-and-dance specials back in the 1970s. Featuring interviews with co-workers, critics, and Miss Gaynor herself, the Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years documentary rightfully reestablishes Mitzi Gaynor's place as one of television's most versatile, talented performers, giving fans and newcomers a generous sampling of her exhilarating routines.

Born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber in 1931 Chi...Read the entire review

Perhaps one of the most infamous institutions in American history, Staten Island's Willowbrook State School revealed an ugly truth about the neglect of those with mental retardation. Originally built in 1942 and planned as a facility to care for these folks, the grounds were used as an Army hospital during World War II. In the years that followed, this "school" reverted back to its original purpose---and during the next few decades, a gradual decrease in funding and staff support led to a truly deplorable environment. The institution was designed with 2,000 occupants in mind; eventually, it housed almost triple that number. A three-to-one patient/staff ratio ballooned to roughly thirty-to-one on certain days. The rate of hepatitis among patients was eventually 100 percent. Lastly, the moniker of "...Read the entire review

The Movie:

Directed by Hector Babenco and based on the popular novel by Manuel Puig, Kiss Of The Spider Woman was a pretty big deal when it was made in 1985, receiving four Oscar nominations and taking home a statue for William Hurt who earned himself a win in the Best Actor category. Independent studio City Lights Home Entertainment have rightfully decided to celebrate Babenco's wondrous cinematic achievement with their new two-disc special edition release of the film, currently available exclusively through Amazon.

The film tells the story of Luis Molina (William Hurt), a flamboyant homosexual locked in prison somewhere in South America, convicted of immoral behavior. To escape the dreariness of his day to day existence, he tends to drift off into a fantasy world inhabited by things he's seen in the movies. Sharing Luis' cell is a Marxist revolutionary named Valentin Arre...Read the entire review

Brazilian director Cao Hamburger pulls together many well-worn clichés to mediocre effect in the mawkish coming-of-age story The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (2007). Set against a backdrop of politically tumultuous Brazil circa 1970, young Mauro (Michel Joelsas) has his childhood turned upside down when his dissident leftist parents (Simone Spaladore and Eduardo Moreira) decide to leave him with his elderly grandfather in São Paulo while they go underground. Unfortunately for young Mauro, and unbeknownst to his parents who leave him at the curb, granddad suffered a fatal heart attack just after learning that Maruo would be staying with him.

Su...Read the entire review

THE FILM

I've seen very few films with such a rich vibrancy of threat found in "Manda Bala." The picture just walks on air describing inexcusable violations of political faith and public safety, brilliantly forming a claustrophobic visual representation of a country struggling to live under the growing cancer of crime.

The setting is Brazil, and corruption rules the land with an iron fist. "Manda Bala" gives the viewer a front row seat to this elaborate system of sins, tracking the circular pattern of violence from the very top of the governmental food chain to the lowest form of criminal life stalking shadows of the slums. The brew is toxic and bottomless, ironically trapped in a land of overwhelming beauty and passion.

"Manda Bala" is an innovative creation that doesn't strut like other documentaries. In fact, I'm not sure it's a documentary at all; the picture employs a str...Read the entire review

THE FILM

Sexual assault is a blindingly destructive force in desperate need of a cinematic treatment that takes the time to explore dark psychological responses and abyssal emotional cracks. "Descent" is the head-slappingly awful picture that turns rape into a comedy.

Maya (Rosario Dawson) is a bright college student, shy about love, but seeking a connection to another human being. At a party she meets Jared (Chad Faust, in an extravagantly abysmal performance), a greasy jock who is relentless with his come-ons. Falling under his caveman charms, she takes a chance on the drooling brute, leading to a romantic evening that culminates with her rape. Destroyed, Maya withdraws from her world, spending time in a complete drug-fueled fog. Only when the opportunity for revenge presents itself a year later does she begin to show signs of renewed life.

I'm sure there was a pure inten...Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
Following the rules is neither fun nor funny

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: The State, Reno! 911
Likes: Famke Janssen
Dislikes: Jessica Alba
Hates: Being disappointed

The Movie
It's rare that I'll review a film cold, without any previous knowledge of what I'm about to experience. Whether it's an official site or a theatrical review, I'm always curious for some insight into an upcoming film. So when I saw the DVD release of The Ten coming down the river, I sought out the DVDTalk review by Jamie S. Rich, a reviewer I trust and admire.

From reading the review, It was obvious that his family had been wronged by a member of The State at some point, as there was no other reas...Read the entire review