Film

Critic Owen Gleiberman reviews the director's new movie, a violent tale about young love. Despite an excellent performance by female lead Laura Dern, the film fails to capture balance of innocence and weirdness found in Lynch's other work.

Critic Owen Gleiberman reviews the home video release of the curiously high-quality exploitation movie, featuring excessive nudity and a surprisingly emotional center. He says its a better vehicle than Drugstore Cowboy for star Kelly Lynch's talent.

Stephen Schiff reviews The Two Jakes, directed by star Jack Nicholson. Schiff says nothing about the film is particularly bad -- nor does anything stand out.

Film critic Stephen Schiff says Mo' Better Blues, about a trumpet player's struggles balancing his career with his romantic relationships is at best agreeably messy and, at worst, repugnant, especially in its flagrant, anti-Semetic portrayals of Jewish businessmen.

Critic Own Geliberman reviews the home video release of Harvey, starring Jimmy Stuart in an unusual and never-matched role. Gleiberman says the movie is unique today for its 40-year-old perspectives on alcoholism and mental health.

Director Alan J. Pakula's adaptation of the bestselling novel lacks the complexity and humor of the book, says film critic Stephen Schiff. The story concerns the murder of a woman lawyer and the difficult, sexually-charged investigation that follows.

Fear of spiders -- and the infestation of rain forest arachnids in a small California town -- drive the new Frank Marshall horror film. Film critic Stephen Schiff says that it captures producer Stephen Spielberg's charm and humor -- but also his blandness.

Critic Owen Gleiberman says "Ghost" is a tense, touching, and funny love story starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg. Swayze's character dies, and Goldberg channels his spirit to communicate with his still-living love Demi Moore.

Critic Owen Gleiberman reviews The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, which stars comedian Andrew Dice Clay as a rock and roll detective. Gleiberman calls the movie monotonous; Clay's performance, like his standup, is crass, but not without charisma.

Film critic Owen Gleiberman says the original Die Hard succeed in part because it was tightly plotted and plausible -- for an action movie. But it's hard to imagine Bruce Willis's John McClane fighting terrorists throughout the sprawl of Washington, D.C.