Cinema (101):
A Little Princess *** (1995, Children's)
A Little Princess *** (1995, Children's)
Summary: After the critical success of 1993's The Secret Garden, Warner Bros. returned to the novels of Frances Hodgson Burnett to create this 1995 adaptation of A Little Princess, which instantly ranked with The Secret Garden as one of the finest children's films of the 1990s. Neither film was a huge box-office success, but their quality speaks for itself, and A Little Princess has all the ingredients of a timeless classic. A marvel of production design, the film features lavish sets built almost entirely on a studio backlot in Burbank, California. The story opens in New York just before the outbreak of World War I, when young Sara (Liesel Matthews) is enrolled in private boarding school while her father goes off to war. Under the domineering scrutiny of the school's wicked headmistress, Miss Minchen (Eleanor Bron), Sara quickly becomes popular with her schoolmates, but fate intervenes and she soon faces a stern reversal of fortune, resorting to wild flights of fancy to cope with an unexpectedly harsh reality. Rather than label her fanciful tales as escapist fantasy, A Little Princess actively encourages a child's power of imagination--a power that can be used to learn, grow, and adapt to a world that is often cruel and difficult. It's also one of the most visually beautiful films of the '90s and creates a fully detailed world within the boarding school--a place where imagination is vital to survival. A first-class production in every respect, this is one family film that should (if it's not too stuffy to say it) be considered required viewing for parents and kids alike. --Jeff Shannon
Cinema (101):
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver *** (1960)
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver *** (1960)
Summary: Imaginative special effects by the legendary Ray Harryhausen are the highlights of this adaptation of Jonathan Swift's classic fantasy novel. Kerwin Mathews, who rose to fame after appearing opposite Harryhausen's "Superdynamation" effects in The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958), stars as the English Dr. Gulliver, whose travels bring him in contact with both the diminutive Lilliputians and the gigantic Brobdingnagians. Director Jack Sher's script (with Arthur Ross) tempers Swift's pointed satire in favor of broader humor, and the musical numbers are decidedly unwelcome, but viewers of all ages will be delighted by the film's spirited action and Bernard Herrmann's rousing score. Harryhausen aficionados may be disappointed by the lack of fantastical creatures on display (though a giant squirrel and alligator are impressive), but his matte work here is nothing short of spectacular. --Paul Gaita
HD Cinema (105):
Putney Swope *** (1969, Comedy)
Putney Swope *** (1969, Comedy)
Summary: If you're looking for a movie that shocked the filmgoing public with its outspoken take on race relations in corporate America circa 1969, look no further than this Robert Downey debut effort. Made on a shoestring in black and white, this film begins with a wonderful moment of racial discomfort. The board of directors at a Madison Avenue ad agency must elect a new chairman, and, in the maneuvering to make sure that enemies don't get votes, all the board members accidentally cast their ballot for the board's token black man, Putney Swope (Arnold Johnson). Swope immediately cleans house and transforms the agency into New York's hippest shop with a Black Power mentality and a willingness to tell previously unspoken truths in advertising. Though it looks dated today, it is a fascinating time capsule of the period and still contains its share of outrageous laughs. --Marshall Fine
HD Cinema (104):
Mr. Accident ** (2000, Comedy)
Mr. Accident ** (2000, Comedy)
Summary: Writer/director/producer/comedian Yahoo Serious turns out his third opus, this time starring as egg factory maintenance man Roger Crumpkin. Roger's a little bit cracked, but his love for Sunday Valentine (Helen Dallimore) will make him stop at nothing to prove his worth. When it turns his employers might be adding something to their eggs to make them more addictive, Roger dons the yolk of social responsibility and sets out to scramble the factory's nefarious schemes.
Divine-HD:
The Hours and Times **+ (1992, Doc)
The Hours and Times **+ (1992, Doc)
Summary: John Powers, New York Magazine, April 13, 1992
"..the most unexpectedly engrossing American movie I've seen this year"
J. Hoberman, The Village Voice, April 14, 1992
"..a narrative of remarkable precision..raising deftness and economy to a form of elegance"
Description
In 1963, just months before Beatlemania swept the world, John Lennon and the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, took a four day vacation together in Barcelona. They were there to relax after a grueling series of concerts, but the trip remained charged with an unspoken tension. These four emotional days are embodied in The Hours and Times, a flight of imagination that evokes the complex relationships between Lennon and Epstein. Candid, intelligent and loaded with backstage conjecture, the movie captures masterfully the fleeting moments of their intense friendship before celebrity washed over intimacy.
