Music Within – Recommended

Music Within (Directed by Steven Sawalich, Written by Bret McKinney &
Mark Andrew Olsen. Starring Ron Livingston, Michael Sheen, Melissa George, Hector Elizondo, Rebecca De Mornay and Clint Jung) Is a well-intentioned, if at times, heavy-handed, homage to people with disabilities. It follows the true-life story of Richard Pimental whose speeches in behalf of disabled [...]

49 Up – Thumbs Up!

This fascinating series of British documentaries chronicle fourteen children from the age of 7 up, starting in 1964. The film’s tag line is a famous quote from a Jesuit priest: “Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man.”
The original idea behind the first documentary was to show [...]

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guatananomo Bay

Harold and Kumar Escape from Gitmo picks up where the first Harold and Kumar left off, a few hours later. The movie opens to pulsating hip-hop soundtrack with our favorite buddy-buddy stoners, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) getting ready to go to Amsterdam. Harold is dreaming of his beloved fantasy girl Maria [...]

Rita Reviews Milk

Rita has seen Milk. So what’s the verdict? Did Sean Penn deserve the Oscar? He certainly lends a delightful humanity to Harvey Milk. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay city supervisor for the city of San Francisco. Tragically, he assassinated while in office by Dan White, his former colleague and nemesis. The biopic [...]

Rita heartily recommends….The Visitor

The Visitor

(Directed and written by Thomas McCarthy, starring Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Jekesai Gurira, and Hiam Abbass)
Rita saw a heartwarming movie that might have slipped under the radar. It stars Richard Jenkins, best known as the father character from “Six Feet Under.” Jenkins plays a shut-down man; a professor going through the motions at [...]

Rita tepidly recommends…Across the Universe

You may recall Julie Taymor’s work from Frida and The Lion King. Ms. Taymor, known for her lavish set designs and innovative special effects is a visual wunderkind. Two of Rita’s favorite sequences in Frida, involves the horrific bus accident recreated by creepy puppet skeletons dancing across the screen and the operating table. [...]

Rita highly recommends…Auntie Mame.

Auntie Mame directed by Morton DaCosta. Starring: Rosalind Russell as Mame Dennis, Forrest Tucker as Beauregard Burnside, Coral Browne as Vera Charles, Jan Handzlik as the young Patrick Dennis, Joanna Barnes as Gloria Upson, Fred Clark as Dwight Babcock, and Roger Smith as the grown Patrick Dennis.
“Live! Life is a banquet and most poor suckers [...]

Rita Recommends…You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008)

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008) starring Adam Sandler, Rob Schnedier, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, John Turturro, Mariah Carey, John McEnroe and Lanie Kazan.
Adam Sandler plays a uber-studly Israeli commando who just wants to go to Ameri-ca and make hair “silky smooth” like his idol, Paul Mitchell. This over-the-top, campy satire on Israeli-Palenstinian [...]

Rita recommends Elizabeth but not, Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) are both directed by Shekhar Kapur. I had seen Elizabeth almost 10 years ago and remembered liking it and Cate Blanchett, who is absolutely luminous as Queen Elizabeth, the so-called Virgin Queen. To refresh my memory, I watched it again and also saw its sequel, Elizabeth: [...]

Rita Recommends… three by George Clooney

If you are one of the many fans who swoon at the sight of George Clooney, there are plenty of flicks to get your just delights such as Michael Clayton (2007) and Oh Brother, Where Are Thou? (2000) You can also see his smart side in his directorial debut, Goodnight and Good Luck. [...]