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L.A. Times Archives

June 21, 2001 12 AM PT

The Pledge (2001). This glum, Jack Nicholson-starring tale of a policeman who gets increasingly obsessed with a brutal child murder he has sworn to solve is further proof that undeniably gifted director Sean Penn is hamstrung by his suffocating, claustrophobic, nobody-ever-has-a-nice-day view of human nature. With Robin Wright Penn and Helen Mirren. Warner: no list price; DVD: $24.98; (CC); R, strong violence and language.

Proof of Life (2000). The real-life romance that developed between stars Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe is the most involving aspect of this tale of a romance that develops between a crack kidnap-and-rescue operative and the wife of the man he’s trying to save. Talk about a conflict. Directed by Taylor Hackford. Warner: no list price; DVD: $24.98; (CC); R, for violence, language and some drug material.

Save the Last Dance (2001). A twist of fate sends a 17-year-old aspiring ballerina (Julia Stiles) from a Norman Rockwell small town to urban Chicago and an interracial romance with a bright youth (Sean Patrick Thomas) hoping to land a premed scholarship. There’s lots of dancing and heart-tugging but a gritty edge of big-city realism as well. The cast includes Kerry Washington, Fredro Starr and Bianca Lawson. Paramount: no list price; DVD: $29.99; (CC); PG-13, for violence, sexual content, language and a brief drug reference.

State and Main (2000). Writer-director David Mamet’s completely delicious show-biz satire is a quintessentially wised-up insider comedy, ideally cast and filled with sharp writing from start to finish. With Alec Baldwin, Charles Durning, Clark Gregg, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Patti LuPone, William H. Macy, Sarah Jessica Parker, David Paymer, Rebecca Pidgeon and Julia Stiles. New Line/Warner: no list price; DVD: $24.98; (CC); R for language and brief sexual images.

What’s Hot

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS rentals:1. Traffic (2000). Director Steven Soderbergh has once again opted for a change of pace. As written by Stephen Gaghan (based on a British TV miniseries), the film effortlessly intertwines several complex stories across two countries and several cities. The film’s best performance is by Benicio Del Toro. With Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones. R, for pervasive drug content, strong language, violence and some sexuality.

2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). A film by Ang Lee that transcends categorization and reminds us--simply, powerfully, indelibly--what we go to the movies for. A delightful one-of-a-kind martial arts romance in which astounding fight sequences alternate with passionate yet idealistic love duets, “Crouching Tiger” is a fusion film from top to bottom. Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi. In Mandarin, with English subtitles. PG-13 for martial arts violence and some sexuality.

3. What Women Want (2000). A vaguely amusing formulaic comedy with a premise--chauvinist male gets the ability to hear what women are thinking--that is more discomforting than endearing. You have to be a Mel Gibson-aholic to fully enjoy the proceedings. Directed by Nancy Meyers. PG-13, for sexual content and language.

4. Vertical Limit (2000). Nail-biting mountaintop peril characterizes this old-fashioned tale. The plot and dialogue are by the numbers. Directed by Martin Campbell. Chris O’Donnell, Bill Paxton and Robin Tunney star. PG-13, for intense life-or-death situations and brief strong language.

5. Miss Congeniality (2000). Sandra Bullock plays a drab FBI agent made over by Michael Caine so she can go undercover as Miss New Jersey in a pageant menaced by a terrorist threat. With Benjamin Bratt, Candice Bergen and William Shatner. PG-13, for sexual references and a scene of violence.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD rentals:

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

2. Traffic

3. Vertical Limit

4. What Women Want

5. Miss Congeniality

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS sellers:

1. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000). A lighthearted animated adventure-morality tale ideal for youngsters yet conceived with a wit that will be appreciated by parents. This story of a spoiled Incan ruler (voice of David Spade) turned into a llama features the also splendidly cast voices of John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton and Wendie Malick. G.

2. The Original Kings of Comedy (2000). Spike Lee’s sharp concert film lets us know why black audiences have turned the Kings of Comedy show, with Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac, into the highest-grossing comedy tour ever. In the grand tradition of Richard Pryor’s “Live on Sunset Strip,” Eddie Murphy’s “Raw” and Martin Lawrence’s “You So Crazy.” R, for language and sex-related humor.

3. Me, Myself & Irene (2000). Jim Carrey has his moments as a schizophrenic Rhode Island state policeman whose two personalities are in love with Renee Zellweger, but this Farrelly brothers comedy lacks the warmth that made “There’s Something About Mary” such a hit. Strictly for the hard-core, gross-out crowd. R, for sexual content, crude humor, strong language and violence.

4. Miss Congeniality

5. Queens of Comedy (2001). The ladies step up to the mike in this companion to last year’s comedy concert hit. With Adele Givens, Laura Hayes, Mo’Nique and Somnore.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD sellers:

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

2. Traffic

3. Vertical Limit

4. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). One of the most rapt and awestruck of American films: Steven Spielberg’s parable about mankind’s first contact with extraterrestrials. With Richard Dreyfuss, Francois Truffaut, Teri Garr and Melinda Dillon.

5. What Women Want

What’s Coming

Tuesday: “The Claim,” “Dude, Where’s My Car?,” “Unbreakable,” “You Can Count on Me.”

July 3: “The Body,” “Dracula 2000,” “Snatch,” “The Wedding Planner.”

July 10: “Down to Earth,” “Malena,” “Monkeybone,” “Thirteen Days.”

July 17: “The Caveman’s Valentine,” “Double Take,” “The Family Man,” “The Gift,” “In the Mood for Love,” “Saving Silverman,” “Sugar & Spice.”

July 24: “Pollock,” “Sweet November,” “Valentine.”

July 31: “The Brothers,” “Head Over Heels,” “The Trumpet of the Swan.”

Aug. 7: “Chocolat,” “An Everlasting Piece,” “The Mexican,” “Recess: School’s Out,” “3,000 Miles to Graceland,” “Vatel.”

Aug. 14: “Blow Dry,” “15 Minutes,” “Get Over It,” “Tomcats.”

Aug. 21: “Hannibal.”

Aug. 28: “Joe Dirt,” “See Spot Run.”