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cine index: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z page 1 of 10  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  Breaking Away from 20th Century Fox Peter Yates's flag-waving film stands with To Kill a Mockingbird and American Graffiti as one of the best films about small-town Americana. Steve Tesich won an Oscar for his semi-biographical screenplay about four 19-year-olds who don't know what to do after high school. Dave Stohler (Dennis Christopher) and his three friends--ex-football star Mike (Dennis Quaid), wily comedian Cyril (Daniel Stern), and tough kid Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley)--are doomed to live in the college town of Bloomington, Indiana, where the local kids (nicknamed "Cutters"--a derogatory reference to quarry workers and their blue-collar families) are looked down on by the uppity students of nearby Indiana University. Stohler escapes into a world of Italian bicycling, picking up the lingo, the accent, and a good share of the talent of his heroes. He is also the scourge of his father's life. The used-car salesman (Paul Dooley) doesn't understand his son's affection for bicycling or, for that matter, his pride in being a "Cutter." Breaking Away rehabilitates the word heartwarming as Tesich's uncommonly intelligent script gives us well-rounded characters and a potent sense of place. The grandstanding finale--the real life "Little 500" bike race--gives the film a perfect, crowd-pleasing end. However, the film never sacrifices the development of characters for the action. Dooley is especially effective in one of those once-in-a-lifetime roles. The lifelong character actor's place in film history is established with this indispensable performance. --Doug Thomas This charming, Academy Award winner (1979, Screenplay) cycles high on comedy as four friends come to terms with life after high school. When top-notch cyclist Dave (Dennis Christopher) learns that the world's bicycling champions are always Italian, he attempts to turn himself into an Italian, driving his parents (Barbara Barrie, Paul Dooley) crazy. But everything changes after he meets the Italian racing team-an encounter that ultimately leads him and his friends (Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley) to challenge the local college boys in the town's annual bike race. List Price: $9.98 complete product information... Slap Shot (25th Anniversary Special Edition) by George Roy Hill from Universal Studios Paul Newman and his Butch Cassidy director, George Roy Hill, made a very original comedy in this 1977 story of an over-the-hill player/coach (Newman) for a lousy hockey team who gets results when he teaches his players to get dirty. One of the most hilariously profane movies ever to come out of Hollywood, this is the kind of film that makes its own rules as it goes along. Newman is very good, and while Hill goes for the gusto in terms of capturing the violence of this world, his instinct for comedy has never been sharper. Great support from Strother Martin, Paul Dooley, and the rest. --Tom Keogh List Price: $12.98 complete product information... Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Unrated Widescreen Edition) by Adam McKay from Columbia Pictures Sweet baby Jesus, we thank you for blessing Will Ferrell and Adam McKay with the talent to create a NASCAR comedy as hilarious as Talladega Nights. The so-called "Ballad of Ricky Bobby" is hardly flawless in fact it's not always firing on all cylinders but with comedy star Ferrell and director McKay still hot from the success of their previous comedy hit Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, most of this 108-minute spoof of oval-track racing is so knee-slappin' funny that you can't help but surrender to the stupidity. Obviously, Ferrell's the shining star, and his portrayal of lead-footed pit-crew-member-turned-#1 NASCAR champion Ricky "I Wanna Go Fast" Bobby (how can you not love that name?) is spot-on perfect, righteously spoofing the entirety of NASCAR culture without insulting its oft-ridiculed roots in redneck bootlegging of a bygone era. You could even argue that Talladega Nights is truer to NASCAR than Tom Cruise's Days of Thunder, and it's certainly more entertaining, especially when you add John C. Reilly as Ricky's life-long pal, teammate, and eventual rival Cal Naughton, Jr. (together they're nicknamed "Shake 'n Bake"), and Sacha Baron Cohen (from Da Ali G Show and Borat) as gay French "Formula Un" driver-turned NASCAR rival Jean Girrard, to a stellar cast including Molly Shannon, Greg Germann, Amy Adams and Michael Clarke Duncan. Sure, it's mostly a showcase for Ferrell's loud, over-the-top antics and nonsensical non sequiturs (like cameo appearances by Elvis Costello and Mos Def), but with Ferrell behind the wheel, Talladega Nights rolls into victory lane with fuel to spare, and there's one final bit of comedy (with a tip of the hat to William Faulkner) for those who sit through the credits. --Jeff Shannon Stills from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby(click for larger image) More NASCAR and Talladega Nights at Amazon.com The Calendar On blu-ray NASCAR on PSP Our NASCAR Store NASCAR The Imax Experience Speed, Guts, and Glory Book Other Will Ferrell Films Bewitched Elf The Best of Will Ferrell More Films by Will Ferrell

The fastest man on four wheels Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) is one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. A big hairy American winning machine Ricky has everything a dimwitted daredevil could want a luxurious mansion a smokin' hot wife (Leslie Bibb) and all the fast food he can eat. But Ricky's turbo-charged lifestyle hits an unexpected speed bump when he's bested by flamboyant Euro-idiot Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen TV's Da Ali G Show) and reduced to a fear-ridden wreck. Losing his wife and job to best bud and fellow fool Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly) Ricky must kick some serious asphalt if he's to get his career back on the track beat Girard and reclaim his fame and fortune. 'Cause as Ricky Bobby always says IF YOU AIN'T FIRST YOU'RE LAST!System Requirements:Run Time: 105 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396172340 Manufacturer No: 17234

Breaking Away (Widescreen Edition)

Peter Yates's flag-waving film stands with To Kill a Mockingbird and American Graffiti as one of the best films about small-town Americana. Steve Tesich won an Oscar for his semi-biographical screenplay about four 19-year-olds who don't know what to do after high school. Dave Stohler (Dennis Christopher) and his three friends--ex-football star Mike (Dennis Quaid), wily comedian Cyril (Daniel Stern), and tough kid Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley)--are doomed to live in the college town of Bloomington, Indiana, where the local kids (nicknamed "Cutters"--a derogatory reference to quarry workers and their blue-collar families) are looked down on by the uppity students of nearby Indiana University.

Stohler escapes into a world of Italian bicycling, picking up the lingo, the accent, and a good share of the talent of his heroes. He is also the scourge of his father's life. The used-car salesman (Paul Dooley) doesn't understand his son's affection for bicycling or, for that matter, his pride in being a "Cutter."

Breaking Away rehabilitates the word heartwarming as Tesich's uncommonly intelligent script gives us well-rounded characters and a potent sense of place. The grandstanding finale--the real life "Little 500" bike race--gives the film a perfect, crowd-pleasing end. However, the film never sacrifices the development of characters for the action. Dooley is especially effective in one of those once-in-a-lifetime roles. The lifelong character actor's place in film history is established with this indispensable performance. --Doug Thomas

This charming, Academy Award winner (1979, Screenplay) cycles high on comedy as four friends come to terms with life after high school. When top-notch cyclist Dave (Dennis Christopher) learns that the world's bicycling champions are always Italian, he attempts to turn himself into an Italian, driving his parents (Barbara Barrie, Paul Dooley) crazy. But everything changes after he meets the Italian racing team-an encounter that ultimately leads him and his friends (Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley) to challenge the local college boys in the town's annual bike race.

A League of Their Own

Penny Marshall's popular 1992 comedy sheds light on a little-known chapter of American sports history with its story of a struggling team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The league was formed when the recruiting of soldiers during World War II resulted in a shortage of men's baseball teams. The AAGPBL continued after the war (until 1954), and Marshall's movie depicts the league in full swing, beginning when a savvy baseball scout (Jon Lovitz) finds a pair of promising new players in small-town Oregonian sisters (Geena Davis, Lori Petty). The sisters are signed to play for the Rockford Peaches near Chicago, whose new manager (Tom Hanks) is a former home-run king who wrecked his career with alcoholism. They're all a bunch of underdogs, and Marshall (with a witty script by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel) does a fine job of establishing a colorful team of supporting players including Madonna and (in her movie debut) Rosie O'Donnell. It's a conventional Hollywood sports story (Marshall's never been one to take dramatic risks), but the stellar cast is delightful, and the movie's filled with memorable moments, witty dialogue, and agreeable sentiment. And just remember: there's no crying in baseball! --Jeff Shannon

Tom Hanks stars as Jimmy Dugan a washed-up ball player whose big league days are over. Hired to coach in the All-American Girls Baseball League of 1943- while the male pros are at war- Dugan finds himself drawn back into the game by the heart and heroics of his "all-girl" team. Based on the true story of the pioneering women who blazed the trail for generations to athletes.System Requirements:Starring: Tom Hanks Geena Davis Lori Petty Madonna Rosie ODonnell and Jon Lovitz Director: Penny Marshall Copyright: 1992 Columbia/Tristar Produced by Penny Marshall Elliot Abbott written by Lowell Ganz Babaloo Mandel K; DVD released on 09/09/1997; running time of 127 minutes; Closed Captioned. Deluxe Widescreen Presentation Languages: English Spanish and French Subtitles: Spanish and Korean Dolby Digital One Channel Presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio approx. 2.35:1Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG UPC: 043396512290 Manufacturer No: 51229

The Waterboy

Adam Sandler vaulted into the $20-million-salary stratosphere with this, his second $100-million hit in 1998--a movie that further shows just how deeply embedded he is in the Jerry Lewis tradition of idiot comedy. He plays Bobby Boucher, a backwoods Cajun and a mentally challenged individual with a fixation on water: specifically, on serving the coolest, most refreshing H2O available to the college football team he has served since he was an adolescent. But when he's fired from his position, he takes up a similar job with a lowlier college team coached by neurotic Henry Winkler. One day at practice, Bobby loses his temper and delivers a bone-shaking tackle to the starting quarterback; before he can say, "blackened crawdads," he's the star of the team and leading it to a bowl game. But it's all against the wishes of his overprotective mother (Kathy Bates), who wants to keep her Bobby to herself--and that includes keeping him away from the floozy girlfriend (Fairuza Balk) who's sweet on him. There are two kinds of people in this world: People who find Sandler funny and people who view him as a neon-lit symbol of the decline of popular taste. You know who you are and, based on that, you can decide whether this is a movie for you. --Marshall Fine

America's favorite wild and zany funnyman, Adam Sandler (50 FIRST DATES, MR. DEEDS, PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE), scores big laughs in a smash comedy hit where the laughs never run dry! Just an oddball mama's boy from the back bayous of Louisiana, Bobby Boucher (Sandler) never wanted anything more than to quench the thirst of the dehydrated athletes who treat him like dirt! But when Coach Klein (Henry Winkler -- HOLES, TV's HAPPY DAYS) makes the call that allows Bobby to finally stand up for himself, it unleashes a torrent of bottled-up frustration ... and exposes a talent for tackling that transforms him from a meek "water distribution engineer" into the hardest hitter ever to roam the gridiron! Also featuring award-winning Kathy Bates (ABOUT SCHMIDT, TITANIC, MISERY) and sexy Fairuza Balk (ALMOST FAMOUS, RETURN TO OZ) in a hilarious cast of stars -- here's your chance to join the millions everywhere who've proudly stood and cheered for The Waterboy! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Six Pack

Structured as a star vehicle for country singer turned actor Kenny Rogers, Six Pack is an amiable little film that aims low but showcases the pleasant and easygoing charm of its star. Rogers (The Gambler) plays a down on his luck race car driver saddled with a half dozen delinquents. As he tries to resurrect his fledgling career, he bonds with the little waifs and they form a sort of family, even as they are pursued by a corrupt sheriff who wants to send the kids to an orphanage and ruin Rogers' comeback. A blatant knockoff of films like Smokey and the Bandit, this family-oriented movie works best as a breezy comedy of errors, with the hapless racer contending with his unruly brood as they stay one step ahead of the law. --Robert Lane

Kenny Rogers Is Back On Track With A Half-Pint Pit Crew That Can't Be Beat! Kenny Rogers stars as Brewster Baker, a stock car driver chasing a comeback until a gang of expert thieves steals his new engine. But these are no ordinary car strippers: Brewster's been boosted by a teenage orphan (Oscar® nominee Diane Lane of UNFAITHFUL) and her five car-crazy young brothers. The kids are on the run from a crooked Texas sheriff. Brewster needs a top team of fast mechanics. From small Southern speedways to the NASCAR Grand Nationals, can the most unlikely pit crew in racing history take Baker all the way to the checkered flag? Anthony Michael Hall (THE BREAKFAST CLUB, THE DEAD ZONE), Erin Gray (SILVER SPOONS), Barry Corbin (ONE TREE HILL) and Terry Kiser (WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S) co-star in this warm and funny family comedy featuring a hot soundtrack of country hits by Kenny Rogers, Crystal Gayle, Merle Haggard and more.

Mystery, Alaska

With Russell Crowe (THE INSIDER, A BEAUTIFUL MIND), Hank Azaria (GODZILLA, THE BIRD CAGE), and Burt Reynolds leading an incredible all-star cast, here's a fun, uplifting, action-packed story that everyone will love! A remote hockey-obsessed town populated by 633 of the most eccentric characters you'd ever want to meet, Mystery is the kind of place where nothing ever changes. But then life as they know it gets turned completely upside down! When a publicity stunt brings the world-famous New York Rangers -- and the national spotlight -- to Mystery for a game with the local team of weekend warriors, the whole town rises to meet the challenge of a lifetime! Also starring Mary McCormack (TRUE CRIME, DEEP IMPACT) and Lolita Davidovich (PLAY IT TO THE BONE, JUNGLE 2 JUNGLE) in another critical favorite from the hit-making director of AUSTIN POWERS 1&2 -- you'll stand and cheer as this ragtag bunch shows that nothing can melt their dreams of a miracle on ice!

When it comes to the subject of community, David E. Kelley--the prolific writer-producer behind television's The Practice and Ally McBeal--falls somewhere on a continuum between directors Howard Hawks and Robert Benton. While Hawks's professional characters are bound by a knowledge of how to do what they do even if they don't know why, Benton's people, professional or not, have long ago substituted their own eccentric reasons for that elusive why. Thus we get the kind of in-house, oddball rituals sandwiched between passages of actual work on Ally, and the affectionately entangled personal and professional ties between small-town folks in Kelley's earlier TV series Picket Fences.

Kelley's script for Mystery, Alaska (co-authored by Sean O'Byrne) takes that level of eccentricity to a geographical and spiritual extreme. The film revives the hackneyed Rocky formula, setting a lopsided hockey match within a remote, self-contained hamlet where the members of a tiny population all have to wear multiple hats and still keep neighborly ties intact. The story concerns the town's chief source of identity and pride: so-called "Saturday games," in which local men divide into teams and play pond hockey for the locals. When a prodigal son (Hank Azaria) of Mystery shows up with a television network offer to bring the New York Rangers in for a televised match against the homegrown team, the town fathers agree. Coaching falls to the town sheriff, John Biebe (Russell Crowe), an admirable man and a longtime player recently bumped from the team. John, however, doesn't want the job: everyone knows the real coach in those parts is Judge Burns (Burt Reynolds), but he wants no part of it either. All of that changes after a sad tragedy forces everyone to reevaluate their positions and pull together in order to beat the Rangers.

Following the success of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Jay Roach proves to be an able director of drama, swift action, and low-key, character-driven comedy not unlike that in Benton's Nobody's Fool. He has to deal with some pure corn at the end, but Roach pulls it off and guides the actors to and through far better moments. --Tom Keogh

Let's Do It Again

Back in the day, when Richard Roundtree, Fred Williamson, Issac Hayes, and Pam Grier were stickin' it to the Man, Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby collaborated on three buddy comedies that offered urban audiences an alternative to private dicks, sex machines, and bad muthas. The Uptown Saturday Nightstars re-team for an "outtasite" scam involving hypnosis, a hopeless beanpole boxer (Jimmie Good Times Walker), and two rival kingpins. Though in fashion and patois Let's Do It Again is a candidate for the '70s time capsule, it does hold up better than most of its more militant blaxploitation brethren. Poitier, the straight man, and Cosby, working his improvisational mojo, are a great comedy team. Worth the price of purchase alone is the sight of these icons decked out in flamboyant Mack Daddy duds to impress their marks, Kansas City Mack (John Amos) and Biggie Smalls (Calvin Lockhart). Curtis Mayfield's score, with vocals by the Staples Singers, is also good for the soul. --Donald Liebenson

Comedy about a pair of blue collar cons who raise funds for their fraternal order by hypnotizing a scrawny boxer into believing he's a mighty fighter then betting heavily on him. Trouble ensues when gangsters figure out their plot and seek payback.Running Time: 113 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 085392888429

Rookie of the Year

Baseball movies seem like a sure thing, combining the drama of the game with positive values. So it's too bad this pleasant film takes the field in the most superficial way. Henry, the worst player in Little League, suffers an injury that miraculously heals as the strongest pitching arm in the world. His life becomes a kid's dream with a career in the Majors, but nothing really happens. His strength cannot hide his lack of skill, yet audiences love him, probably to support subplots such as the team being rescued from bankruptcy and Mom's boyfriend turning bad. Small attempts are made to create character, relationships, and themes. Gary Busey, as a burnt-out pitcher named Rocket, finds a family. Henry learns the importance of being a kid, not to mention a surprisingly cynical lesson about stardom, when Rocket says, "One day your gift will be gone." Mom learns Henry always respected her and Henry learns to rely on himself when his "power" disappears in the climactic game. Sadly, a fine cast including Dan Hedaya, John Candy, and '40s comedian Eddie Bracken is given nothing to work with. Worse yet, director Daniel Stern plays Phil, who suffered a head injury that left him an insult to comedy fans as well as the mentally challenged. Kids who love baseball films where kids are the heroes and the comedy is dumb will enjoy sitting through Rookie of the Year, but I wouldn't expect them to pull it off the shelf too often. --Lloyd Chesley

When the cast is removed from his severely broken arm, clumsy 12-year old Henry Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is shocked to find his arm has become a 100 mile per-hour thunderbolt. His throw from the bleachers directly to home plate alerts the last place Chicago Cubs and before you can shout "play ball!" he is signed as their new ace pitcher. With a few pointers from an aging star pitcher (Gary Busey) young Henry actually manages to pull of the impossible.

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