Movies to rent:
America's Sweethearts: (Julia Roberts, John Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones) Funny. Good cast. Screenplay has its moments, but Billy Crystal uses some tired lines and gimmicks. Roberts and Cusack are good together. (With their talents, makes you wonder what they could have done with Pearl Harbor.) Roberts shows that she can be funny and angry at the same time and then turn around and make you weep. (Maybe that was just good editing.) Zeta-Jones is good as an over-the-top diva. Hank Azaria will make you chuckle as the classic, stereotypical, stupid foreigner.

Moulin Rouge: (Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor) Spectacular Spectacle. A musical in the great American tradition. The love story is as grande as the Moulin Rouge itself. Sabine (Kidman) and Christian (McGregor) make a most romantic couple willing to risk it all for love.

Bridget Jones's Diary: (Renee Zelwegger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth) Such a funny movie. Based on Helen Fielding's book, Renee Zellwegger is charming as the title character, which helps generate sympathy when she goofs and blunders at all the most awkward times. It takes all of twenty seconds to forget she was raised in Texas and not London. Along with Colin Firth (Lord Wessex in Shakespeare in Love) and Hugh Grant, this movie is a British treat. The humour is not so British that Americans don't laugh right along, but familiarity with those Brits and their ways helps. Singlehood is universal. Anyone who has experienced an office love affair, fallen in love with the wrong person, or had to choose between two relationships, or all three, can relate to Bridget Jones. Jones's three best friends, acting in the collective role as a Greek chorus, are entertaining as her sounding board and sooth sayers. One highlight is Grant's turn as Jones's boss. Contrary to his usual romantic, humble character (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Sense and Sensibilities, Notting Hill), from the moment Grant struts onto the screen, he wreaks with attitude. With his tossled hair and mischievous grin, he radiates danger. These qualities are, of course, the very ones that make him so charming and attractive to Jones. Firth plays the ideal foil to Grant's character. Handsome himself, Firth is cold and brooding. (There is a story there.) Zellwegger delivers a self-effacing performance, complete with embarrassing shots and graceless vignettes. We all should feel a little better about ourselves.

Enemy at the Gates: (Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Ed Harris) This movie proves, in case you were unsure, that life in the Soviet Union sucked (pardon my crudeness). Why did Hitler waste all those resources on that dump known as Stalingrad? That in itself proves his insanity. The movie itself is rich and, although a bit on the predictable side, it is not formula. With such a stellar cast and production, it is difficult to dislike this movie. Not surprisingly strong is the lovely and talented Jude Law (Talented Mr. Ripley) as a Russian sniper. Joseph Fiennes is convincing, but seems too self-conscious at times. Fiennes and Law contrast each other nicely. The cat and mouse game that is central to the story is riveting. Ed Harris, a German major, is the master strategist countering Law's moves. It is difficult to choose sides in this tale of World War II, especially since no Americans are involved to tug on our patriotism. The battle scenes rival those in Saving Private Ryan. Enemy at the Gates illustrates why war is hell.

Memento: "You are a young, independent-movie director, and Oscar nominee Steven Soderbergh has just left a screening of your new film absolutely convinced that the independent-movie scene is dead. Surely this is not a good thing. But wait. Slow down. Soderbergh actually loved your movie--he's just flabbergasted because every distributor in town has seen it, and apparently nobody's had the guts to buy it. 'If somebody had sent me that script, I would have asked if I could have directed it,' he'll say later. 'I mean, it's exactly the kind of movie I love. I sat there in the audience and felt like he made that movie for me. Personally.' Soderbergh doesn't even know you. Still, he calls some distributors . . . . "

House of Mirth (2000): (Gillian Anderson and Eric Stoltz) I thoroughly enjoyed this movie: the cast, the costumes, the screenplay; the whole production is very fine. If you are familiar with Edith Wharton's novel, you know the plot. What her novel does not provide is the on-screen chemistry between Gillian Anderson and Eric Stoltz. Listen for what they don't say. Lily Bart (Anderson) and Lawrence Selden (Stoltz) are in love, although they refuse to act on their feelings. The setting is New York 1905-1907. Lily Bart is still unmarried at the end of a woman's marriageable age and is looking to marry well, as is expected of a woman of her upbringing. Lawrence Selden is an older attorney, a spectator of society, and cannot offer Lily the lifestyle she desires. Familiarity with Wharton's novels and their settings are a must in order to understand the subtle intricacies of this film and the choices the characters make. This is a film you can view twice in one day, as I did, and enjoy it both times, garnering more appreciation for its complexities, and especially for Eric Stoltz.

The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999): (Eric Stoltz, Julie Delpy, Helen Mirren, Peter Fonda) While we are discussing Eric Stoltz movies, I must mention this one. Here is another under-rated and underviewed film. Ayn Rand (Mirren) is a controversial figure and this movie does not settle the debate. Based on the book written by Barbara Branden, it tells the story of Rand's relationship with Branden (Delpy) and her husband, Nathaniel (Stoltz), who was Ayn Rand's passion. Fonda plays Rand's husband rounding out a wonderful cast.

Kicking and Screaming (1995): (Josh Hamilton, Carlos Jacott, Christopher Eigeman, and Eric Stoltz) A group of recent college graduates wittily discuss what to do next. Sweet and insightful, it examines the lives of young adults entering the adult world. Eric Stoltz does not play a major character, as the video box implies, but you will enjoy it anyway. Olivia D'Abo and Parker Posey also play minor characters. It's been a while since I saw this movie, but I remember I really liked it.

Sleep With Me (1994): (Eric Stoltz, Craig Scheffer, Meg Tilley) 1994 was a good year for Eric Stoltz and for independent movies and for independent movies with Eric Stoltz. Despite the cheesy title, this is a creative, experimental, independent movie. Six screenwriters each contributed a scene to create this seamless story that examines the condition of marriage, while mixing in some great humour. Don't judge the movie by the first scene, which is perhaps the least successful. Some highlights are the poker scenes and the party scene in the kitchen. Tell me what you think about the ending.

Killing Zoe (1994): (Eric Stoltz, Julie Delpy) Roger Avary wrote and directed it and Quentin Tarantino co-produced it, hence, this movie is violent, to say the least, and suspenseful. It is about a bank robbery with suprising results. Compare Eric Stoltz and Julie Delpy in Killing Zoe and The Passion of Ayn Rand, two completely different movies.

High Fidelity (1997): (John Cusack, a fave since The Sure Thing, 1985) The characters make this movie. Rob Gordon (John Cusack), a record store owner, examines his fear of commitment, trying to understand why his girlfriend has left him. Joan Cusack plays his girlfriend's best friend. (Yes, you would think she plays his sister, but she doesn't.) Tim Robbins is the new-agey upstairs neighbor, Ian. Cusack's dry humour is complemented by the two record store "employees," two losers who are wonderfully quirky and opposite personalities. In real life, you would run away from these two, but they are hilarious in this movie. So, the concept is not the most original, but the movie's style and Cusack's performance make it a joy.

Being John Malkovich (1999): (John Cusack) A bizarre movie, but very good. This one is plot driven. John Cusack plays Craig Schwartz, a struggling puppeteer who discovers a portal that enters John Malkovich's head and then dumps the visitor onto the New Jersey Turnpike. How can you beat that for a concept!

Wings of the Dove (1997): (Helena Bonham Carter and Linus Roache) Based on Henry James' novel, set in the late Victorian era, a young couple passionately in love seek a way to be together despite society's retraints.

Gattaca (1997): (Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman.) Science fiction tale about when humans are no longer naturally conceived but genetically engineered.

Sliding Doors (1998): (Gwyneth Paltrow.) A clever portrayal of a woman's life in parallel realities. Sounds confusing, but it isn't.

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