BigScreenBytes

Cold Souls will at first remind movie goers a bit of Being John Malkovich in that this is an abstract idea for a film, but this movie lacks the brilliant screenplay of Being John Malkovich. Paul Giamatti plays himself (or his version of himself), cast in the title role of Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya”. Actor Giamatti [...]

This is a dark comedy with some serious undertones about parents and teenage children, social status and self-acceptance. The storyline is woven with comic moments, pain and a hopeful ending. Robin Williams plays Lance Clayton, a high school poetry teacher whose real passion in life is writing. Clayton is a writer who can’t seem to [...]

“Lost In Yonkers” seemed to be yet another Neil Simon comedy. I selected this film because Richard Dreyfuss was in it, one of the few films of his I hadn’t seen. This film is adapted from the play “Lost In Yonkers”. Having seen a number of Neil Simon plays on stage I thought we were [...]

“Extras” is a quirky, funny take on movie extras and life as a wannabe star. The team of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (“The Office”) works their magic in this series complete with big name guest stars. With clever writing and great comedic acting combined this is satire at its best. Ricky Gervais stars as [...]

“The Wire” is one of the best television shows ever produced depicting the battle between drug dealers and law enforcement. The show focuses on the inner workings of the police department and drug wars in Baltimore. As gritty as “The Shield” the series goes deeper into the world of the drug lords, the neighborhoods run [...]

“Cigarettes and Romance” is produced by the Coen brothers and you certainly see their influence on this John Turturro film. This musical drama is odd, different and interesting, not as cohesive as a Coen film but a good work by the talented actor John Turturro who not only wrote the film but directed it as [...]

I rented “Death At A Funeral” from the previews I saw and because Peter Dinklage was in the movie. When this dysfunctional family attends the funeral of a man with a secret life, comedy ensues. I liked the film but I think the screenplay should have been beefed up. The direction is fine by Frank [...]

This early career fable from Tim Burton is the perfect untraditional Christmas movie for the holidays. Yes it’s dark and yes it is different but then what Tim Burton movie isn’t? “Edward Scissorhands” presents a fable with a remarkable, fascinating character played perfectly by Johnny Depp. If you didn’t know Depp was an exceptional actor [...]

Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson make a good team in the film “The Bucket List”. The storyline revolves around the unlikely friendship between rich guy Edward Cole (Nicholson) and regular guy Carter Chambers (Freeman) when they both find they are diagnosed with a terminal disease. This is basically a buddy movie with an unlikely topic. [...]