Samba (1995)

Comedy from Hungary - Overly zealous actor/director raises his son to be an actor. Fun glimpses of theatre training and hardships of an actor's life. Some pretty scenes of rural Hungary. Acting is fine despite being a low budget film. 98 mins

Sanjuro (1962)

Samurai Drama by Akira Kurosawa - black and white - action, wit, and comedy. Staring Toshirô Mifune as a uncouth vagabond with awesome fighting skills. In Clint Eastwood-like fashion he finds himself a hero to the weak as he helps cleanse the village of corrupt and powerful foes. Fine combination of seriousness and humor. A fun look at Japanese life several hundred years ago. 96 min.

Elizabeth I (2005)

Historical Drama - Awesome depiction of Queen Elizabeth of England and her powerful reign. Skillful acting, witty script, beautiful photography, and costuming make one terribly impressive movie ! Originally for television and later for DVD. Helen Mirren plays the queen. (also starring Hugh Dancy, Jeremy Irons, Toby Jones) 211 minutes.

Antz (1998)

Comedy/Animation - Awesomely well done look at the life of ants, and in particular, one worker ant with plenty of personality ! "Z" the worker ant (voiced by Woody Allen) falls in love with the Queen Bee to be, Princess Bala (voiced by Sharon Stone). Such adventures they have as they attempt to battle the caste system and the traditional ant "do as your told" mentality. Really really fun movie. (incredible cast of voices include Sylvester Stallone, Anne Bancroft, Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, Jennifer Lopez and more) 83 min.

Prelude to a Kiss (1992)

Comedy/Fantasy - young New York businessman (Alec Baldwin) falls for lovely female bartender (Meg Ryan) and the two decide to marry happily ever after. HOWEVER on their wedding day a most unusual event transpires - something that seriously alters both their destinies. This is not your typical boy meets girl rom/com - this movie explores gender and why people love each other or don't. Mixing comedy with fantasy midway through the movie may cause some viewers discomfort. The performances are real and the performers lovable. 106 min.

The Rainmaker (1956)

Drama/Western/Play - romantic comedy - poetic idealistic con-man arrives on a cattle ranch plagued with drought. He claims he can bring rain ! A miracle if he can, but his real miracle is the changes he manages to catalyze in his short visit to this dysfunctional ranch family. Acting is fine (Burt Lancaster, Katharine Hepburn, Lloyd Bridges, Wendell Corey) 121 min.

A Face in the Crowd (1957)

Drama - a nobody and drifter is discovered in a small town jail by a radio programmer looking for talent of any type. Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes possesses a lovely singing voice and an innate talent to tell engaging stories. "Lonesome" soars to fame via radio and later syndicate television. Awesome looks at what vast popularity can do to a weak personality. Brilliantly played by Andy Griffith as "Lonesome" and Patricia Neal as his female radio partner. 126 min.