GREENLIGHT

GREENLIGHT #83: "Obsessed" and "The Soloist"

2009-05-20T13:00:00.000-04:00

For details on this episode, please go to our new and improved website: Lake Effect Radio

And, as always, if you would like to comment on anything you hear, send us an email at: Producers@GREENLIGHTReviews.com

Thanks for listening. Enjoy.

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GREENLIGHT #82: "17 Again" and "State of Play"

2009-05-14T18:02:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT #81: "Hannah Montana" and "Gomorra"

2009-05-06T21:01:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT #80: "Sunshine Cleaning" and "The Great Buck Howard"

2009-04-30T09:01:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT #79: "I Love You Man" and "Duplicity"

2009-04-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT #78: "Race to Witch Mountain" and "The Class"

2009-04-18T21:00:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT #77: "Watchmen" and "Two Lovers"

2009-04-01T21:00:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT #76: "FiredUp" and "Madea Goes to Jail"

2009-03-16T10:40:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT #75: "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and "The International"

2009-03-05T11:00:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #74: "He's Just Not That Into You" and "Pink Panther 2"

2009-02-25T21:09:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #73: "Taken" and "I've Loved You So Long"

2009-02-16T09:09:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #72: "The Wrestler" and "Underworld: RIse of the Lichans"

2009-02-09T21:09:00.005-05:00

GREENLIGHT #71: "Revolutionary Road" and "Last Chance Harvey"

2009-02-02T08:47:00.002-05:00

GREENLIGHT #70: "The Reader" and "Gran Turino"

2009-01-26T17:42:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #69: "Frost/Nixon" and "Valkyrie"

2009-01-23T13:45:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #68: "Benjamin Button" and "Doubt"

2009-01-20T10:44:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #67: "Seven Pounds" & "Yes Man"

2009-01-16T16:28:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #66: "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Milk"

2009-01-13T10:30:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #65: "Australia" and "Four Christmases"

2008-12-22T19:23:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #64: "Twilight" and "A Christmas Tale"

2008-12-13T10:20:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #63: "Quantum of Solace" and "Synecdoche, New York""

2008-12-04T19:00:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #62: "Role Models" and "Madagascar 2"

2008-11-28T12:02:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #61: "The Changeling" and "What Just Happened"

2008-11-25T08:07:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #60: "Rachel Getting Married" and "Pride and Glory"

2008-11-21T09:06:00.001-05:00

GREENLIGHT #59: "W" and "Secret Life of Bees"

2008-11-19T09:05:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT #58: "Body of Lies" and "Duchess"

2008-11-04T09:05:00.000-05:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #57: "Appaloosa" and "Blindness"

2008-10-20T15:06:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #56: "Eagle Eye" and "A NIght in Rodanthe"

2008-10-10T17:06:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #55: "Righteous Kill" and "Burn After Reading"

2008-10-08T17:05:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #54: "Bangkok Dangerous" and "The Women"

2008-10-02T16:00:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #53: "Traitor" and "Tell No One"

2008-09-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #52: "Elegy" and "Bottle Shock""

2008-09-20T15:03:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #51: "Tropic Thunder" and "Vicky Christina Barcelona""

2008-09-13T17:18:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #50: "Pineapple Express" and "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2"

2008-09-08T17:18:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #49: "Swing Vote" and "Brideshead Revisited"

2008-09-05T16:40:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #48: "Step Brothers" and "X-Files 2"

2008-09-04T17:17:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #47: "Dark Knight" and "Mama Mia!"

2008-09-03T19:06:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #46: "Hellboy II" and "And When Did You Last See Your Father"

2008-08-23T14:04:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #45: "Hancock" and "Kitt Kittredge"

2008-07-30T14:00:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #44: "Wanted" and "Wall-E"

2008-07-19T14:00:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #43: "Get Smart" and "Love Guru"

2008-07-10T21:40:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #42: "The Incredible Hulk" and "The Happening"

2008-07-03T17:00:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #41: "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" and "Kung Fu Panda"

2008-06-25T21:25:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #40: "Sex & The City" and "The Strangers"

2008-06-20T09:24:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #39: "Indiana Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and "The Chronicls of Narnia: Prince Caspian"

2008-06-15T11:20:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #38: "What Happens in Vegas" & "Then She Found Me"

2008-06-13T12:28:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #37: "Ironman" and "Made of Honor"

2008-05-22T23:05:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #36: "Baby Mama" and "Deception"

2008-05-15T20:00:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #35: "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "88 Minutes"

2008-05-08T21:21:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #34: "Smart People" and "Street Kings"

2008-05-07T21:08:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #33: "Leatherheads" and "Nim's Island"

2008-05-06T14:07:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #32: "21" and "Stop-Loss"

2008-05-04T20:48:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #31: "Drillbit Taylor" and "Shutter"

2008-05-03T14:05:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #30: "Horton Hears A Who" and "Funny Games"

2008-05-02T19:54:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #29: "The Bank Job" and "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day"

2008-04-29T22:01:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #28: "Semi-Pro" and "Penelope"

2008-04-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #27: "Vantage Point" and "The Other Boleyn Girl"

2008-04-27T20:24:00.001-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #25: "2007 Oscars Predictions"

2008-04-20T22:22:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #26: "Jumper" and "Definitely, Maybe"

2008-04-17T22:23:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #24: "Over Her Dead Body" and "The Eye"

2008-04-17T22:22:00.003-04:00

For details on this episode, please go to our new and improved website: Lake Effect Radio

Sorry for the "buzz" on this one.

And, as always, if you would like to comment on anything you hear, send us an email at: Producers@GREENLIGHTReviews.com

Thanks for listening. Enjoy.

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GREENLIGHT Reviews #23: "Rambo" and "Untraceable"

2008-04-17T22:21:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #22: "27 Dresses" and "Mad Money"

2008-04-17T22:17:00.001-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #21: "There Will Be Blood" and "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly"

2008-04-17T22:16:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #20: "Charlie Wilson's War" and "The Kite Runner"

2008-04-16T19:56:00.004-04:00

For the details on this episode, please go to our new and improved website: Lake Effect Radio

And, as always, if you would like to comment on anything you hear, send us an email at: Producers@GREENLIGHTReviews.com

Thanks for listening. Enjoy.

To listen now, just click here:
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GREENLIGHT Reviews #19: "The Great Debaters" and "National Treasure: Book of Secrets"

2008-04-16T19:55:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #18: "Margot at the Wedding" and "Sweeney Todd"

2008-04-16T19:54:00.004-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #17: "I Am Legend" and "Juno"

2008-04-16T19:49:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #16: "The Golden Compass" and "Atonement"

2008-04-16T19:48:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #15: "Love in the Time of Cholera" and "The Savages"

2008-04-16T19:47:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #14: "Enchanted" and "The Mist"

2008-04-16T19:46:00.003-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #13: "No Country for Old Men" and "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"

2008-04-16T19:45:00.003-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #12: "American Gangster" and "Lions for Lambs"

2008-04-16T19:43:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #11: "Dan in Real Life" and "Bella"

2008-04-16T19:42:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #10: "Things We Lost in the Fire" and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"

2008-04-16T19:41:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #9: "Gone Baby Gone" and "Rendition"

2008-04-16T19:37:00.004-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #8: "Michael Clayton" and "We Own the Night"

2008-04-16T19:23:00.006-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #7: "The Kingdom" and "Feast of Love"

2008-04-16T19:20:00.004-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #6: "Into the Wild" and "The Heartbreak Kid"

2008-04-16T19:19:00.003-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #5: "Across the Universe" and "The Hunting Party"

2008-04-16T19:17:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #4: "Eastern Promises" and "Mr. Woodcock"

2008-04-16T19:16:00.004-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #3: "Shoot 'Em Up" and "The Nanny Diaries"

2008-04-16T19:14:00.002-04:00

GREENLIGHT Reviews #2: "Two Days in Paris" and "The Brave One"

2008-04-16T19:04:00.003-04:00

Well it sure was a long break but, rest assured, we didn't stop recording. As we said on the last post, we moved over to traditional radio. As a matter of fact, we're working on national syndication right now. (By the way, if you want to help get "GREENLIGHT Reviews" on the radio near you, send us an email below with your town and state in it. Your support will help a lot.)
Meanwhile, over the next few days, we're going to put up as many episodes as the system will allow.

For the details on each episode, please go to our new and improved website: Lake Effect Radio

And, as always, if you would like to comment on anything you hear, send us an email at: Producers@GREENLIGHTReviews.com

Thanks for listening. Enjoy.

To listen now, just click here:
To subscribe, click here:

GREENLIGHT Reviews #1: "3:10 to Yuma" and "Superbad"

2007-11-08T21:01:00.003-05:00

Hello fans of "GREENLIGHT Reviews," we're back - almost (still a bit more tweaking to do but we're close.) With this posting, you'll hear the first new episode in our new format. The major change is that now there's more to listen to and less to download each week. The program opens with a dialogue from Ann and Les followed by their reviews of two movies and their related rental recommendations - all contained in one 40-45 minute podcast.

NOTE: We know there is a buzz in this audio. We hope to get rid of it soon.

You can also hear the first run of the program by listening to the online stream at WELW every Thursday at 11am, 4pm, and again at 11pm EST.

It's still the best review going. We'd be happy to hear your comments but for now...on with the show!

To listen now, just click here:
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Opening Dialogue: Ann & Les discuss their background in film before they became critics.
1st Movie: 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Rentals: The Searchers (1956.)
High Noon (1952.)

2nd Movie: Superbad (2007.)
Rentals: Girl Crazy (1943.)
American Graffiti (1973.)

Enjoy!
RUNNING TIME: 51:22

GREENLIGHT Reviews - on the Radio and Online

2007-09-21T22:26:00.000-04:00

Hello fans of "GREENLIGHT Reviews!"

As you may have noticed, we've stopped posting our reviews. Never fear, we haven't gone away we've just changed our delivery system. We're on the radio now - and we're also streaming. Our podcasts will resume within the month.

Meanwhile, you can continue to hear Ann and Les offer their witty and informative opinions by listening every Thursday at 11am, 4pm, or 11pm EST on WELW.

GREENLIGHT Reviews #164: Becoming Jane (with "Pride & Prejudice" and "Educating Rita")

2007-08-21T10:08:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les enjoyed the quiet thoughtfulness of Becoming Jane (2007) but they thought it could have used a little more spice. They also thoroughly enjoyed the masterful performances of the almost all British cast such as James McAvoy and Maggie Smith playing these thoroughly British characters created by the masterful Jane Austen. That raises the question, then, why the producers felt the need to use the relatively inexperienced American Anne Hathaway in the lead role. She doesn’t ruin the sweet little film but she doesn’t add much to it either.

For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends a really good Jane Austen film made quite recently called Pride & Prejudice (2005.) Much to his surprise, this film features Keira Knightley in the lead and she’s a wonderful Elizabeth Bennett to the smooth moves of Matthew Mcfadyen as Mr. Darcy. These two are balanced by Donald Sutherland and Brenda Blethyn as the thoroughly entertaining, if for opposite reasons, Mr. & Mrs. Bennett. Ann recommends a slightly more modern take on a Jane Austen theme (though it’s not based on a Jane Austen novel and it was made over 20 years ago) with Michael Caine playing a stuffy English professor charged with helping the uneducated hairdresser played byJulie Walters raise her intellectual prowess in Lewis Gilbert’s Educating Rita (1983.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:59

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GREENLIGHT Reviews #163: Stardust (with "Princess Bride" and "Shopgirl")

2007-08-21T09:36:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les were split on the magic of Stardust (2007.) Les was charmed by the performance of Claire Danes who plays a fallen star, literally. Ann thinks the ethereal type role is just not suited to her and neither is the mean irony of the wicked witch played by Michelle Pfeiffer. They were both captivated by a new English actor Charlie Cox who practically steals the show. Another big problem with the film for Ann was the running joke based on Robert DeNiro’s character. She thought it was an obvious and cheap shot that went on way too long. Les thought it was funny. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends another magical movie that was truly funny and enduring called Princess Bride (1987.) This movie was a delight from fairy-tale start to fairy-tale finish with a whole lot of fairy-tale shenanigans in between. Robin Wright Penn plays the title character who has to keep a straight face while all sorts of goofballs chase her and her love Cary Elwes . Perhaps the most entertaining of these enemies is Inigo Montoya, played by Mandy Patinkin, you know, the one who’s father was killed. The list of great actors in this film is quite long and much credit for bringing them all together in this light, magical, and delightful comedy must go to writer William Goldman and director Rob Reiner. Ann recommends Ms. Danes in a film she thinks was singularly suited to her by writer and co-star Steve Martin. She plays a naïve shopgirl who is romanced by an older and elegant and rich man, Robert Porter, but doesn’t know it’s not for real. Confusion really sets in when she meets Porter’s opposite in a nice but not-so-together young man played by Jason Schwarzman. It’s a study in one aspect of human nature that can never really be overstudied or understood called, appropriately enough, Shopgirl (2005.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:58

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GREENLIGHT Reviews #162: The Bourne Ultimatum (with "Five Graves to Cairo" and "Cries and Whispers")

2007-08-18T13:06:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les say that of all the action movies released this year, The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) is the best yet. It’s filled with picturesque escapes and chases all over the world. Matt Damon plays it very intensely and they were equally captivated and intrigued by his character – which is really saying something since he barely had anything to say. Ann thinks the real stars of the film are the director Paul Greengrass , the cinematographer Oliver Wood , and the editor Christopher Rouse . They put this film together beautifully and at a breathtaking though still manageable pace. And the performance of David Straithaim is right on too. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends another spy film though decidedly one more obscure called Five Graves to Cairo (1978.) It stars everybody’s favorite Franchot Tone (that is, if you’ve ever heard of him.) This is Billy Wilder movie also featured Ann Baxter and Eric von Stroheim and it tells an intriguing and complicated tale of an English soldier surviving in a small North African city after Rommel decimated his army. He unwittingly ends up playing the role of a German spy and he might be turned in by Ann Baxter’s character who thinks she can help her imprisoned brother by doing so. Ann goes for another kind of intrigue when she recommends an Ingmar Bergman film about the inner lives of anguished women, played by two of his favorites Liv Ullman and Ingrid Thullin, called Cries and Whispers (1954.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:57

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GREENLIGHT Reviews #161: The Ten (with "Going My Way" and "Six Degrees of Separation")

2007-08-18T11:57:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les had faith the The Ten (2007) would be a movie worth seeing but, alas, it was not. To them it was yet another imbecilic film made by immature filmmakers. Even when they managed to stumble upon a funny concept about the Ten Commandments, they manage to beat it mercilessly to death. Almost nothing can be said to recommend the performances of Jessica Alba or Adam Brody and simply nothing other than money can be said for why actors the caliber of Oliver Platt and Liev Schreiber would even do such a movie. And perhaps this movie kindly puts the final ten nails in the coffin of Winona Ryder’s career.

For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends a thoroughly enchanting movie about two religious men called Going My Way (1944.) This film features Bing Crosby as a hip-modern priest (of the 1940’s mind you) taking over the parish of a traditional priest played by the absolutely charming Barry Fitzgerald. Les, a non-Catholic, assures you that you don’t have to be Catholic to enjoy this one – especially the scenes with Crosby and The Robert Mitchell Boy Choir. Where, oh where, did the disciples of director Leo McCarey go? Ann recommends a thoroughly modern movie about people who think they’re thoroughly modern. The cast is lead by Stockard Channing and Donald Sutherland who play a couple who are thoroughly taken with a strange young man, played by a young Will Smith, who introduces himself to them by declaring he is a friend of their children’s and the son of Sidney Poitier. Much interesting thought and theory follow in Six Degrees of Separation (1993.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:57

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GREENLIGHT Reviews #158: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (with "Green Card" and "In & Out")

2007-08-07T22:53:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les had a lively discussion about I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007.) Ann is simply through with Adam Sandler. This is yet another movie that showcases his lack of talent. Les agrees but doesn’t come down as hard on the movie because he really enjoyed the performance of Kevin James and because he thought the last ten minutes of the film made up for the first 110. Ann, as you might imagine, doesn’t agree and furthermore she thinks that any self-respecting gay person should be outraged by this film. Meanwhile, both think the continued appearances in these films of former stars likeDan Akroyd and Richard Chamberlain is downright sad and bordering on pathetic.

For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends a little but delightful film about an arranged marriage of sorts called Green Card (1990.) Andie MacDowell plays a New York artist who needs a husband to move into a couples only apartment and Gerard Depardieu plays a Frenchman (surprise!) whose visa is running out and needs an American wife to stay. Also watch for the always interesting Bebe Neuwirth. Ann recommends a film that sticks with the theme of the featured film but does so in a much more sensitive and entertaining manner. Here Kevin Kline plays a Midwestern schoolteacher engaged to another schoolteacher, played by Joan Cusack, who is dramatically “outed” by a former student, played by Matt Dillon. The film then focuses on how Kline’s character deals with this event and manages to be funny about it while not insulting. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Mr. Kline gets some help with his feelings from Tom Selleck in In & Out (1997.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:57

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GREENLIGHT Reviews #157: Hairspray (with "Grease" and "seven Brides for Seven Brothers")

2007-08-04T23:20:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les were pleasantly surprised by the delightful musical Hairspray (2007.) As yet another remake of a remake, they were skeptical but the performances of Nikki Blonsky , Christopher Walken, and Michelle Pfeiffer won them over quite quickly. They weren’t as crazy about John Travolta’s peformance but it didn’t ruin the picture. All in all it was fun. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends a film that featured a wonderful performance by Mr. Travolta in an equally fun film called Grease (1978.) It’s up there with one of the best high school movies ever. And Olivia Newton John is up there as one of the best high school girls ever. Also pay attention to the names of all the “adults” in the movie – it’s a veritable who’s who of grand old Hollywood including Eve Arden, Frankie Avalon, and Joan Blondell . Ann goes back a bit further for another musical that charms you through and through. It featured the wonderful talents of Howard Keel and Jane Powell as they sang and danced their way to marital bliss for them and their six brothers in director Stanley Donen’s extravaganza called Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:57

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GREENLIGHT #156: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (with "Goldfinger" and "Dead Poets Society")

2007-07-19T22:45:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les were amused by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) but Ann more than Les. Ann thinks this is what movies are all about - magic. Les thinks Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , and Rupert Grint have all gotten just a bit too old to be believable. They were good, mind you. Just a little bit past the “magic-hour.” But, however, really enjoyed the stingy awful performance of Imelda Staunton who played the new Hogwart Headmaster like Nurse Ratchett reincarnated. And based on this film, both Ann and Les would be willing to see more from director David Yates. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends a much more grown-up but still magical film called Goldfinger (1964.) Listen for the story about his 4-year old daughter. It may be why he’s particularly fond of this Bond film but he does think that Sean Connery was and still is the best. And he enjoyed watching Honor Blackmun, Gert Frobe , and Harold Sakata too. Ann stayed with the school-boys in revolt theme and came up with a Robin Williams’ charmer. This was back when Mr. Williams was making films worth watching. Both Ann and Les wish that he would sit down with this director, Peter Weir, for a few pointers on why he was so good and therefore successful in Dead Poets Society (1989.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:57

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GREENLIGHT #155: Transformers (with "Duel" and "Mad Max")

2007-07-17T20:08:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les were surprisingly entertained by Transformers (2007.) They didn’t imagine they’d like a film about inanimate objects coming to life but the story of the lead boy, played by Shia LeBeouf who is desperately infatuated with the lead girl, played by Megan Fox, is so charming that somehow and human that somehow they didn’t mind when all the cars starting to come to life to help in his plight. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends another movie about lifelike automobiles called Duel (1952.) This was a made-for-TV movie and was the “big-break” for director Steven Spielberg and Les thinks this movie should rank up there with Mr. Spielberg’s best. And, frankly, he thinks it’s just good suspenseful fun watching Dennis Weaver being chased by a great big menacing truck. Ann, too, recommends another film involving big trucks on big chases but this time, we know who the good guys and the bad guys are. In this movie, Mel Gibson takes on what’s left of the world after a nuclear detenation, and that consists of him and a bunch of mean motorcycle gangsters. is really plays a young woman who is destroying herself and her swinging partner played by George Miller in risqué and risky activities until she is miraculously cleansed and joins a cult. It’s a restrained and respectful look at this kind of conversion in Mad Max (1979.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:55

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GREENLIGHT #154: La Vie En Rose (with "Lady Sings the Blues" and "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle")

2007-07-17T12:32:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les enjoyed the performances in La Vie En Rose (2007) equally but not the movie. It’s the tale of the marvelous French singer Edith Piaf who had a terrible life – from beginning to end. Ann thought her life worth exploring and the drama real. Les thought the story was just too depressing even if real. However, both loved the music and the incredible performance of Marion Cotillard as the lead character. And they both liked the work of her tragic lover played by Jean-Pierre Martins. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends another film with great music about an incredible singer with a hard-knock life called Lady Sings the Blues (1972.) It’s the story of Billy Holiday – who also had a pretty miserable life – but it didn’t dwell on it as much as the songs. Diana Ross was the lead character and Billy Dee Williams played one of her husbands. Watch for the strong performance of Richard Pryor as the Piano Man too. Ann recommends a movie about a tough woman writer with a tough life. This delightfully sarcastic film features Jennifer Jason Leigh, Campbell Scott, and Matthew Broderick, among many others, who all play writers from The New Yorker who gathered regularly at The Algonquin Hotel in New York. Life there was as rarified as it was rough. These people knew how to dig knives in each others’ backs and not leave visible scars. Director Alan Rudolph adeptly tells the story of Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:55

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GREENLIGHT #153: Live Free or Die Hard (with "The Last Boy Scout" and "Billy Bathgate")

2007-07-11T18:07:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les just had a ball watching Live Free or Die Hard (2007.) If you’re looking for an action-packed thriller with a little boomer humor to boot this is the movie for you. Bruce Willis is back as John McClane, the NYPD detective with a mind and body, apparently, made of steel. No matter what is thrown at him or what he has to jump out of, he manages to survive with that charming smirk on his face. Justin Long is the unwitting victim in this one and he plays the young foil role with much enthusiasm. You just don’t know whether to give him a kick in the pants or a hug –and that’s just the way it should be. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends his favorite but lesser-know Bruce Willis film called The Last Boy Scout (1991.) It’s a Tony Scott film that pairs Mr. Willis with Damon Wayans for lots of fun, adventure and mayhem and one of the first roles for Halle Berry. Ann recommends another small film with Bruce Willis in it. Only, this time, he’s not the lead but a supporting player. Willis plays a mobster on-the-rise in the world of Dustin Hoffman’s brilliant Dutch Schulz and his flighty gunmoll girlfriend played by Nicole Kidman. Director Robert Benton did a great job bringing to the screen E.L. Doctorow’s book called Billy Bathgate (1991.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:54

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GREENLIGHT #152: Evening (with "Romeo + Juliet" and "The Women")

2007-07-09T10:07:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les were sorely disappointed by this Evening (2007.) They couldn’t imagine how a film loaded with such talent could be so dull but it was. No one was able to liven up this story of a dying old woman, played by Vanessa Redgrave , telling her daughters, played by , Toni Collete and Natasha Richardson (who is her real life daughter too – should have been more interesting) of her life secrets which we see in flashback with the old woman now young and played by Claire Danes . And the two major stars touted quite heavily, Meryl Streep and Glenn Close were barely in the film and despite their good efforts, could do nothing to help it. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends a film in which he first saw and loved Ms. Danes called Romeo + Juliet (1996.) It’s a pretty well known story but it had a fresh turn in the modern day suburb of Verona with Leonardo DiCaprio playing Romeo to Ms. Dane’s Juliet. John Leguizamo also turns in a wonderful performance as Mercutio. Ann picked a movie that was everything “Evening” wasn’t. Her movie starred Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, and Rosalind Russell as three high-society New York women backbiting and clawing their way through their days with much spunk. The famed women’s director George Cukor really proves his reputation here when he filmed Clare Booth’s venom-filled screenplay called The Women (1939.)
RUNNING TIME: 15:00

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GREENLIGHT #151: Evan Almighty (with "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Rapture")

2007-07-01T21:20:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les offer a prayer that they will never have to see another movie like Evan Almighty (2007.) While both are big fans of Steve Carell even he, they say, can’t save the lame story here. And why Morgan Freeman would agree to do such a film, even if he did get to play God, is truly a mystery. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends The Shawshank Redemption (1952.) This is one of his favorite movies of all time and it happens to star Mr. Freeman as an almost God-like character who shows Andy Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins, around the prison after he is convicted for murdering his wife which he did not do. Watch for the amazing though thankless performance of the warden played by Bob Gunton. He’s chillingly good as a heartless man. This is not a horror film but it does grab you by the throat many times so it’s not surprising that it’s based on a short story by Stephen King . Ann sticks with the spiritual awakening theme supposedly addressed in “Evan Almighty” but she goes the serious route. In her film, Mimi Rogers plays a young woman who is destroying herself and her swinging partner played by David Duchovny in risqué and risky activities until she is miraculously cleansed and joins a cult. It’s a restrained and respectful look at this kind of conversion in The Rapture (1991.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:55

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GREENLIGHT #150: A Mighty Heart (with "Girl Interrupted" and "Missing")

2007-06-30T15:36:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT #150

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Ann and Les were mesmerized by A Mighty Heart (2007.) Angelina Jolie is a commanding though controlled lead as Marianne Pearl in this true story of the wife of the murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. There are other people in the film, to be sure, and they even do a credible job in their roles but, as Les says, this is an Angelina Jolie film and that’s that. Interesting to note, too, though that Brad Pitt is one of the producers. Michael Winterbottom deserves notice too for his cool direction. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends the film in which he first saw Ms. Jolie called Girl Interrupted (1983.) It’s another true story about the writer Susanna Kaysen a young girl committed to a mental institution in the 1960’s. Ms. Kaysen is played by Winona Ryder who gives a good and interesting performance but the dramatics were offered to and taken with flying colors by Ms. Jolie who plays a very disturbed friend girl who becomes friendly with Ms. Ryder’s character. The energy and youth of the two girls are nicely balanced by the head nurse played byVanessa Redgrave. A bold picture to be made by a man but it was. James Mangold was the director. Ann recommends another gripping movie about the search for a kidnapped loved-one that doesn’t end well though the people conduct themselves well. Here she’s talking about Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek as fellow searchers in Chile for Lemmon’s character’s son. Director Costa-Gavras appropriately titled his film Missing (2003.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:59

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GREENLIGHT #149: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (with "Dragon Heart" and "Space Cowboys")

2007-06-30T15:16:00.000-04:00

GREENLIGHT #149

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Ann and Les simply loathed Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007.) While they assure us there is nothing to recommend this film, they do agree that it probably suffers from being yet another sequel based on yet another comic series. That said, they can’t imagine how the leads Ioan Gruffudd or Jessica Alba managed to make any public appearances after the performances they gave. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends a fantasy-genre film calledDragon Heart (1986.) It’s a sweet little film with Dennis Quaid playing a knight who teams up with a dragon, voiced by Sean Connery, to entertain and con the people in villages throughout the land. Look for the uncredited appearance of John Gielgud. Ann picked a movie that really could have been called “The Fantastic Four.” This film stars Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, James Garner, and Clint Eastwood who is also the director. It’s a romp in space about four has-been astronauts who get called back into action to save the world and it’s called Space Cowboys (1988.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:49

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GREENLIGHT #148: Once (with "The Quiet Man" and "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg")

2007-06-28T10:25:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les simply glow about Once (2006.) They wish everyone they know – and everyone they don’t – will go see this movie. Simply put, it’s a delightful Irish tale about love and music. The leads, Glenn Hansard and Marketa Irglova, are just charming. Many many kudos to writer-director John Carney - he should be showered with praise more than once. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les stays in Ireland to recommend one of his favorites of all time, The Quiet Man (1952.) The leads in this film, John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, and Victor McLaglen are in complete control of this witty and forceful film but Les wants you to particularly watch for the quiet charm of Barry Fitzgerald too in this John Ford classic. Ann goes to France for her rental to bring you a delightful musical featuring the talented beauty Catherine Deneuve who plays a young girl in a dilemma about marrying the boy she loves (and whose baby she’s having,) played by Nino Castelnuovo , or the nice rich boy her mother, played by Anne Vernon , would prefer. And she does it all in melodic song in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964.)
RUNNING TIME: 15:09

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GREENLIGHT #147: Ocean's Thirteen (with "Switch" and "Sea of Love")

2007-06-27T21:25:00.000-04:00

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Ann and Les were amused but not equally by Ocean’s Thirteen (2007.) Every male in Hollywood seems to be in this third “Ocean’s” movie but, as always, leading the way is George Clooney , Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon as they hunt down the “bad guy” played by Al Pacino. The only female in the movie is Ellen Barkin. Les just enjoyed the summer-time caper feel of the movie. Ann tried to but was disappointed by the convoluted storyline. She thinks Mr. Damon didn’t need the fake nose. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends a movie with Ms. Barkin in the lead called Switch (1991.) In this Blake Edward’s comedy, a stereotypical male-pig is rejected in heaven and sent back to our world as a woman played by Ms. Barkin. Most of the fun of the movie comes from watching the other characters figure out who this woman is. It’s particularly hard for his former best friend played by Jimmy Smitts who has new feelings for his character. Ann also recommends an Ellen Barkin film but this time she plays Mr. Pacino’s equal and then brings him to his knees in Sea of Love (1989.)
RUNNING TIME: 15:01

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