Chuck Koplinski

Despite a promising premise that would have done Rod Serling proud (a likeable heroine caught in a nightmare that forces her to question reality), Gothika plunges headlong into the ridiculous, turning what could have been a taut, atmospheric thriller into a joke. Halle Berry portrays psychiatrist Miranda Gray, who blacks out after a horrific automobile […]

And so the saga of the messiah Neo (Keanu Reeves) ends with a bang instead of a whimper in The Matrix Revolutions. Too bad. Since the original made its debut in 1999, Andy and Larry Wachowski’s sequels have taken on an air of self-importance. Reloaded, the second entry in the series, caused the curious to […]

Who would have ever thought that the crew behind the Airplane! and the Naked Gun movies would actually add a little class to any sort of cinematic endeavor? But writer/director Jerry Zucker and his team of writers do just that with Scary Movie 3, the latest installment in the studio’s horror spoof series. Created by […]

Strong performances overshadow implausible plot of Runaway Jury The latest cinematic adaptation of a John Grisham novel, Runaway Jury, is a shamelessly entertaining film that asks viewers to set aside common sense and overlook some gaping plot flaws. In large part, it succeeds because of gripping performances by a powerhouse cast that includes Dustin Hoffman, […]

Eastwood’s latest is brave, uncompromising Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River is a film of profound sadness, a meditation on the irrevocable consequences of violence and how a single act of cruelty affects not only its victim but also its witnesses. The film explored three troubled souls: one thirsting for vengeance, another searching for absolution and a […]

American Splendor Few people have led more banal lives than file clerk Harvey Pekar but that didn’t stop him from sharing. Inspired by the underground comics movement of the mid-’70s and his close friend, illustrator R. Crumb, Pekar began writing vignettes about his life: conversations with a co-worker, his fight with his partner, his allergies. […]

Secondhand Lions Tim McCanlies’ Secondhand Lions is a deftly handled, heartwarming story that gives its audience exactly what it wants–an affirmation of a sound moral code rendered in the best Capracorn tradition. Credit McCanlies’ fine cast for bringing this coming-of-age story set in rural Texas, circa 1962, to life. Michael Caine and Robert Duvall are […]

Dickie Roberts Former Child Star In his early 30s Dickie Roberts (David Spade) is at the end of his rope. Once the child all America loved, thanks to a wildly successful sitcom and a catch phrase on par with Gary Coleman’s “What you talkin’ about?”, Dickie has hit rock bottom. Now parking cars and appearing […]

Spellbound Documentary filmmaker Jeffrey Blitz follows 8 of the 249 finalists in the 1999 National Spelling Bee. Nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary, the film lost out to Bowling for Columbine, which partly focused on students of another ilk. Though I was an admirer of Columbine’s power, Spellbound has so much more to offer. […]

Open Range More than once the death of the Western has been greatly exaggerated. Whenever critics are ready to hammer the final nail in the genre’s coffin, someone comes along to remind us of why it is the most American of movie types. The Western has always served as a reflective template for whatever social […]

Seabiscuit The story of champion racehorse Seabiscuit and the three men who shaped his destiny sounds like the worst sort of Hollywood hokum. Tragedies affect all of the characters and seem designed to pull at our heartstrings. Yet the story behind the Laura Hillenbrand best-seller and this fine adaptation by director Gary Ross is true. […]