One of the best modern Christmas films, LOVE ACTUALLY bears viewing every year, delivering plenty of seasonal laughs, heart and smiles. A massive cast portrays plenty of likable characters, including eight unique couples that eventually cross paths after a very eventful holiday season. Hugh Grant is The Prime Minister, newly elected, single and attracted to his daffy new secretary Natalie (charming Marlene McCutcheon) who melts into profanity every time he's around. Karen

What a strange but oddly watchable holiday movie SANTA CLAUS: THE MOVIE is 40 years after it bombed in theaters back in 1985. The story OF the film is certainly more entertaining than most of the actual movie. A complete waste of top-billed Dudley Moore, most of the film's charms come from Henry Mancini's music score and a lot of scenes with Santa and his reindeer flying across the skies of Manhattan. The scene with Santa soaring around and between the Twin Towers of the Wor

Ethan Hawke has emerged as one of our best American actors. His role as famed song lyricist Lorenz Hart in Richard Linklater's excellent film BLUE MOON is his best performance to date. 90% of the film takes place in famed Broadway restaurant/bar Sardi's, where caricatures of famed stage stars line the walls. Hawke's portrayal of Hart is not a caricature. He physically transforms into a much older man, always ready for a cigar, a shot of whiskey and a dose of gossip. The dirt

A perfect blend of humor, family fun and fantasy with heart to spare, THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES 2 filled us with holiday spirit. Writer/Director Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Mrs. Doubtfire) always delivers, and he's in fine yuletide form taking the reindeer reins for this beautifully produced sequel. I loved the first one, with Kurt Russell delivering one of the best Saint Nicks of all time. How do you top the original? A bigger advent

A proper attempt at merging "Airplane" with Downton Abbey, FACKHAM HALL has its moments, but is too polite to ever really hit comedy gold. At least the premise is fun and brisk at a lean 97 minutes. Lord Davenport (a funny Damian Lewis from "Band of Brothers") and Lady D, (Katherine Waterston) oversee Fackham, a massive, stunning estate in the English Countryside. But they're falling on lean times and running out of money. Their only hope is for one of their daughters to mar

4 hours and 35 minutes of pure Tarantino cinema, KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR is an immersive thrill of killer dialogue and brilliant action. To experience this new epic on the big screen is palpable, from the first notes of "Bang Bang, My Baby Shot Me Down" to the final, new post-credits Lost Chapter! 90% of the sold out audience left during the long final credits, with only us, in-the-know diehards waiting for Tarantino's final surprise. More on that later. This expe

"All my memories are movies...." A dramatic and funny showcase that feels authentic from its first frame to its superb final minutes, JAY KELLY emerges as one of my favorite films of the year. Every moment of this carefully crafted character study avoids cliches, revealing the life of a very famous movie star and those that surround him. George Clooney has never been better than he is here as aging action MOVIE star Jay Kelly. Kelly has everything that a long career in Holl

Based on the true story of how Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol", THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS is an enjoyable holiday film for the whole family. While I know Dickens classic tale inside out and count its many film adaptions among my holiday favorites, I was genuinely surprised by the many facts I learned watching the film. A clever blend of fantasy, author struggles, family drama and Christmas warmth, this one surprised me. Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, Beauty and t

Wait, you're telling me there's a 70's movie with Hannibal Lecter's Anthony Hopkins as a secret agent, James Bond wannabe, blasting his way across Scotland and it's written by Alistair MacLean of "Where Eagles Dare" and "Ice Station Zebra" fame? Indeed. Welcome to 1971's WHEN EIGHT BELLS TOLL . When Sean Connery announced that he was done with OO7 after "You Only Live Twice", film producers Elliott Kastner & Jerry Gershwin thought they had just the recipe to fill the gap. The

So that you will learn by experience that I do not tolerate interference, I will now detonate the nuclear warheads . Yes, they did make thrillers about AI all the way back in 1970, and COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT was one of my favorites as a very young film buff. Thanks to great writing, a strong cast and suspenseful direction, it still holds up 55 years after its release! Deep in the cold war, the USA develops a massive super computer buried underground. As the film opens,