for April 20

  • Fracture

    Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling in a murder mystery

  • Vacancy

    Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale check into a motel with horror implications.

  • 1. The Last King of Scotland

    A well-deserved Best Actor Oscar went to Forrest Whitaker for his astonishing portrayal of Ugandan strongman and dictator Idi Amin.  The actor gained more than 50 pounds for the role.  His accolades were well-deserved, but his superb performance overshadowed that of James McAvoy as his personal physician, which was also superbly played. This was the first film made in Uganda since The African Queen in 1950.Rated 14A.

  • 2. The Freedom Writers

    Although it was released too early in the year to be a serious Oscar contender for 2008, this Hilary Swank film based on actual events in an inner-city school in Los Angeles is Academy Award class.  Swank plays real-life teacher Erin Gruwell who uses her own inventiveness and some of her own money to help dysfunctional students, mostly gang members, get over themselves and their environments. Rated PG

  • 3. Notes on a Scandal

    Another Oscar-nominated film, this one a Best Supporting for Dame Judi Dench who wickedly plays off of Cate Blanchett in a story of love and possession, one woman pursuing another.  Every performance here is world-class! Rated 14A.

  • Rick's Pick: The Last King of Scotland

    It could have been any one of the three – all are outstanding films – “Scotland” is based on a book, is not entirely factual, but conceptually recaptures the Amin era with accuracy.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
25 years ago Forrest Whitaker had his first major role in a film … although overshadowed by a young Sean Penn, his performance shines through … Cameron Crowe wrote the screenplay based on his own novel.

  • Perfect Stranger

    Halle Berry is slinky and just a little slippery as Rowena, a journalist caught up in a chilling murder mystery.  Good film!

  • The Hoax

    Richard Gere is excellent as Clifford Irving, the fake Howard Hughes biographer.

  • Disturbia

    Vancouver’s Carrie Anne Moss, famous for the Matrix movies, is a mom to a teenager in a film loosely based on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 Jimmy Stewart movie, Rear Window.  It’s worth the trip to the theatre.