Broken Rainbow (1985)

Jul 24, 2009 by Mr. Nau This Oscar-winning documentary examines the plight of the Navajo and Hopi tribes and how the US Government exploits, and unfairly compensates, the natives of the mineral resources of their land. This eye-opening look at institutionalized oppression is a cry for social justice for people ignored for too long. Grade: […]

A Simple Plan (1998)

Jul 22, 2009 by Mr. Nau Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Bridget Fonda star in this caper thriller about a group of friends who discover $4 million in a crashed plane and decide to figure how to keep it. With a real sense of danger at every turn, this well-scripted gem is engrossingly entertaining. […]

The Spanish Apartment (2002)

Jul 22, 2009 by Mr. Nau In this entertaining comedy, Xavier is moving to Barcelona from Paris for a year to study economics. He finds a tiny room in an apartment with six other European college students. This hilarious character study delves into cultural issues and romantic situations galore and features an interesting array of […]

I Heart Huckabees (2004)

Jul 20, 2009 by Mr. Nau Jason Schwartzman leads an acclaimed cast in this strange adventure in which a guy hires a couple of existential detectives to sort out a strange coincidence in his life. In spots, the story seems to come off the rails, but there are plenty of hilarious moments in this quirky […]

A Little Romance (1979)

Jul 20, 2009 by Mr. Nau Diane Lane is a precocious teenage girl in this surprising romantic adventure—her film debut—who lives with her celebrity mother in Paris and decides to run off to Venice with her French boyfriend, played by Thelonious Bernard, and accompanied by an old pickpocket, portrayed by the legendary Laurence Olivier. Grade: […]

Idlewild (2006)

Jul 20, 2009 by Mr. Nau In this musical set in the Deep South during the Prohibition Era, a piano player is torn between his father’s approval and the love of a beautiful singer. With a very inventive soundtrack and gorgeous speakeasy scenes, this unusual film combines a great love story, menacing villains, and good […]

Melinda and Melinda (2004)

Jul 17, 2009 by Mr. Nau Radha Mitchell plays two different Melindas in this Woody Allen picture about two versions of the same woman, trying to put her life back together among two different groups of people. This interesting character study shows how the same set of circumstances can either be told as comedy or […]

A Room with a View (1985)

Jul 17, 2009 by Mr. Nau Helena Bonham Carter stars in this adaptation of a classic EM Forester novel, playing a young Lucy Honeychurch, whose ever-present chaperone and rigid Victorian sensibilities keep her in romantic limbo. This quiet period piece is well-written and full of wonderful acting performances against magnificent Italian and English backdrops. Grade: […]

Twister (1996)

Jul 16, 2009 by Mr. Nau Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt star in this thriller about storm chasers in Oklahoma, attempting to deploy a pack of sensors to map the inside of tornados. Michael Crichton’s script was full of holes, some of the acting wasn’t terrible, and tornados eat the whole state, right before our […]

A Month by the Lake (1995)

Jul 15, 2009 by Mr. Nau Vanessa Redgrave, Uma Thurman, and Edward Fox star in this quiet sleeper about a group of British vacationers discovering each other and the Italian countryside around Lake Como just before World War II. The story is well-written and the acting good, but the pace is fairly slow and serene. […]

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