Girl, Interrupted (1999)

If "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" were re-made with an all-female cast, then you would have "Girl, Interrupted". The film however, is not necessarily unoriginal. It features an incredible all-ladies cast, including Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), Brittany Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg, and Vanessa Redgrave. The film follows the story of Susanna (Ryder), who checks herself into a mental institution after an aspirin-overdose and stays there for about year. Here she meets Lisa (Jolie), a sociopath, who encourages Susanna to not take her pills and act out against the orderlies. Jolie steals the film with her verbally abusive character, who antagonizes all the other patients, especially Daisy, played by the late Brittany Murphy, who gives her best performance ever as an anti-social patient who constantly brags of her "luxurious" lifestyle. Susanna spends the film trying to discover why she is mentally unstable, and only resolves her issues after a traumatic incident and the help of Dr. Wick (Redgrave). Many scenes are carried solely by Jolie's Oscar-winning performance, but Ryder is not without talent (however, an Oscar-nomination certainly wasn't to be had in this case). The film is certainly entertaining, with many humorous moments mixed with the emotional confusion of each of the patients. What better place to find interesting characters than a mental institution? The film is worth checking out solely for the great performances, though the story itself is thoroughly entertaining. 7 out of 10 stars.

Life is Beautiful (La vita è bella) [1997]

'Life is Beautiful' is the highlight of Roberto Benigni's career as an actor, director, and screenwriter, with Benigni alone being nominated in five different categories at the Oscars. The film follows Guido Orefice (Benigni), a Jewish-Italian who is taken to a Nazi concentration camp along with his family during the end of World War II. Guido uses his vast imagination to help his wife and son survive while they are held as prisoners in the camp. The movie is charming, yet devastating, and humorous yet dramatic. The film beautifully interprets how humor can be the greatest weapon against a merciless enemy. Guido's boundless determination to save his family is incredibly touching, and no amount of a language barrier can prevent the audience from comprehending Guido's infinite love for his son and wife. Highly recommended.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (Italy), Best Actor (Benigni), and Best Dramatic Score. The film was nominated for Best Director (also Benigni), and Best Picture. 8 out of 10 stars.

Shakespeare in Love (1998)

'Shakespeare in Love' is the only comedy to win the Academy Award for Best Picture since 1934's "It Happened One Night". Therefore, expectations were high. The film follows the life of William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes), who struggles to write new material and searches for a woman who can inspire him through love. Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow) is betrothed to Lord Wessex (Colin Firth), yet she aspires to be an actress. However, women are not allowed to act at this point in history, so she disguises herself and auditions for a role. Shakespeare sees right through the disguise, and soon after falls madly in love with her, inspiring him to write Romeo and Ethel, the Pirates Daughter. However, he later changes it to the better-known 'Romeo & Juliet'. The script for the film is exceptionally written, with a wonderful twist on many of Shakespeare's influences for his most famous works. However, the film is carried mostly by an outstanding cast, led by Paltrow, who manages to create a character worthy of the affection of civilization's greatest poet and playwright, earning her the Oscar for Best Actress. Other stars include Ben Affleck as a snob of an actor, Imelda Staunton (of Harry Potter fame) as Viola's nurse, Geoffrey Rush as a theater owner (for which he received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role), and Dame Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth I, earning her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. With the sheer brilliance of the film combined with a remarkable cast, the film easily deserved the recognition it received, and no film since has been able to utilize Paltrow's talents as an actress. 8 out of 10 stars.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

'The Talented Mr. Ripley' should be noted mostly for helping launch the career of Jude Law, who's role as Dickie Greenleaf brought him an Academy Award nomination as well as into the eyes of the American public. The film (based on the novel of the same name) follows Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), a poor student who happens to be very talented with forgery and impersonation. Upon a parent's request, he travels to Italy to find Dickie (Law) and attempts to convince him to return to the United States. In the process however, Tom becomes obsessed with Dickie and his fiancé Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow), which eventually leads him to take on two different personas, that of Tom Ripley, and a Dickie imposter. Confused? As was I. The film lacks a deep understanding of Tom's desire to become Dickie, and therefore a regular audience never comprehends the reasoning behind his actions. Overall, the film is intriguing at times but mostly leaves the audience scratching their heads, trying to riddle out how Matt Damon never got caught for his evil-doings. The film did succeed however, in helping five then-young stars go on to achieve greater fame. Damon and Law have since earned a second Oscar nomination, and Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffman have also won Academy Awards. Damon, Law and Paltrow will all star together once more in 'Contagion', released in October of this year. 6 out of 10 stars.

Rachel Getting Married (2008)

With all of the buzz behind Anne Hathaway's performance and the film's appearance on numerous Critics' top-ten lists, I expected to be impressed with the independent film. However, Rachel Getting Married was anything but a Best Picture. The story follows Kym (Hathaway), who has returned home after an extended stint in rehab to attend her sister's wedding. After a family history of drama and anger, it's no surprise that the family feels uncomfortable with Kym returning home, and so does the audience. Though many issues are resolved throughout the film and the ending leaves hope for Kym, the movie is, at best bearable, and otherwise agonizingly slow with endless, seemingly pointless scenes, such as a drawn-out rehearsal dinner or dishwasher-loading contest. The film also appeared to be on an extremely limited budget, as the entire film is shot with hand-held cameras that leave you with a headache. It feels like Jonathon Demme's (the director's) first experience creating a movie. 'Rachel Getting Married' is definitely one worth missing out on, unless of course, you're a die-hard Hathaway fan. 3 out of 10 stars.

Spotlight On... June 2011

June 2011: James Franco

Mr. Franco, fresh off hosting the Academy Awards, came into the view of the general public playing Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man trilogy, and has since challenged himself further as an actor by taking on grittier roles, such as Aron Ralston in 2010's "127 Hours" for which he received numerous award nominations, including a nod for an Academy Award. He has also maintained his status as an actor in lighter films, such as "Pineapple Express" and "Eat Pray Love". He can be seen this summer in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". Congratulations to James Franco!

X-Men: First Class

As far as summer action movies go, X-Men: First Class has emerged as one of the best of 2011. Despite the absence of Hollywood Heavyweights such as Halle Berry or Hugh Jackman (who actually is featured for about 25 seconds of the film), a young, relatively unknown cast completely hold their own. James McAvory and Michael Fassbender star as Professor X and Magneto, respectively in this prequel to the original X-Men films, set in the 1960's Cold War era exploring the events that left X crippled and those that led Magneto astray. Other stand-out performances include Academy Award-nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) as Mystique, and also an unexpected appearance by Kevin Bacon (Tremors) as the sinister Sebastian Shaw. January Jones (a native of South Dakota) also stars as an accomplice to Shaw, though the role often comes off as campy due to her Austin Powers-esque outfit complete with go-go boots. Overall, the film is fast-paced and intriguing, leaving very little room for a yawn during a slow scene. Though this film likely won't be nominated for any "Boomerang" Awards, it's filled with all the adrenaline rush a summer-action-movie junkie could hope for. 7 out of 10 stars.