Chuck Koplinski

Kingdom of Heaven is the fictional account of one man’s life before the Third Crusade, circa 1184, and his efforts to meet the call of destiny in a world of hypocrites and self-righteous zealots. Director Ridley Scott is fully in his element here, realistically rendering armies of 200,000 in awe-inspiring battles. However, as with many of […]

Who would have thought that director Danny Boyle, the man responsible for Trainspotting, a gritty look at England’s modern drug culture, and 28 Days Later, a grisly zombie film, would be capable of making the sweetest film of the year? His latest, Millions, is a much-needed breath of fresh air at the local multiplex. Brimming […]

Alejandro Amenábar’s The Sea Inside (Mar adentro) is a film filled with contradictions. Based on the real-life struggle of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro, who spent 30 years fighting for the right to end his own life, the film is both a celebration of life and a plea for the right to die. The premise may sound […]

I have no doubt that Sahara, the second of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt adventures to hit the screen (the first being the colossal 1980 bomb Raise the Titanic), will be picked apart by film-going curmudgeons who demand logic and a certain degree of plausibility in their action films. Those folks should just stay home and […]

Kevin Rodney Sullivan’s Guess Who benefits from the unexpected chemistry generated by Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher, which elevates this loose remake of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? above most of today’s comedies. In this twist on the 1967 classic, young and successful investment broker Simon Green (Ashton Kutcher) inexplicably quits his job during the film’s […]

One thing about Bride and Prejudice, Gurinder Chadha’s Bollywood version of a Victorian classic, is certain: It’s really different. And, may I add, it’s audacious, lavish, and enthusiastic — more than enough to help the film over a few rough spots. Chadha’s take on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice plays out as a clash of classes […]

Two years ago, 20th Century Fox entered the crowded animation category with Ice Age. Compared with the blockbusters that DreamWorks and Pixar were turning out, it was an underwhelming effort. I expected the same with the studio’s latest animated release, Robots. Surprisingly, Robots proves every bit as imaginative as anything Pixar or DreamWorks has done. […]

When socialite bimbo Paris Hilton lost her phone book, the private numbers of her celebrity friends, including that of actor Vin Diesel, ended up on the Internet. Good thing — now that I have his number, I can ring Diesel up and tell him his career is now officially toast. Really, it’s a shame. Diesel […]

Son raises the bar for animation When aspiring cartoonist Tim Avery (Jamie Kennedy) comes into possession of an ancient wooden mask, he’s profoundly underwhelmed. “This is the crappiest piece of crap in Craptown,” he declares. That’s precisely the reaction I expected to have to Son of the Mask, the sequel to the 1994 Jim Carrey […]

Hide from this clunker Is Robert De Niro, arguably the greatest actor of his generation, so insecure that he’d appear in almost any movie that’s presented to him? To look at De Niro’s choices over the last five years, you’d certainly think so. Although no actor who has appeared on the screen for 35 years […]

One man who made a difference Intent on a program of rapid ethnic cleansing, Hutu militias in Rwanda slaughtered 800,000 members of the Tutsi tribe and moderate Hutus during 100 blood-soaked days in 1994. Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu, would have been free to flee the country but would not do so: Wife Tatiana is Tutsi, […]

It’s Baby, by a knockout! Since its quiet release in four cities on Dec. 17, Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby has been slowly but surely generating praise, garnering nearly unanimous rave reviews. Rarely does a film live up to its advance hype, but Baby is a notable exception, delivering an emotionally powerful tale told with subtlety […]