Jeri Thompson

Gigli
$2.99
Some people have said that this is the worst movie ever made. If you have not seen any of the following films, I advise that you do before making that judgement; Love Me if You Dare, 8 Crazy Nights, Be Kind Rewind, the Wedding Singer - hell, this film is better than Juno or Four Weddings and Funeral (both of which are completely overrated bombs.) The problem with this film is not so much the premise, but the fact that the premise is lead nowhere (the movie ends with Gigli and Ricki sending the prosecutor the thumb of a dead person and fail in their attempt to pass it off as Brian's, so they leave Brian on the beach for his brother to rescue and they drive off east down the 10.) I would describe the movie as slow-paced and a little boring in parts. I did not like Ricki's character (though Lopez did a better job of acting lesbian than I had anticipated, but as a [...] fetishist I completely disagree with the character that the [...] looks like a toe) and I did not see a purpose for her to be in the story (Gigli did everything - up until sending the severed thumb - according to plan, I thought.) I did not care for Gigli to fall in love with a lesbian - a much more beautiful story would have been that Gigli kidnapped Brian and watched him without any company, and that Gigli saw that Brian did not need to be in an adult care facility,(Brian was my favorite character and I felt deeply for him because I felt that he did not need to be there - he was not that low functioning) so Gigli helped Brian find a mate who had the patience to supervise him and Brian find work in a sheltered workshop.

Silent Tongue
$9.98
In a tribute, a Rolling Stone reviewer suggested this was the quintessential River Phoenix movie. I disagree, he gives a much better performance in 'My Own Private Idaho' but this story is better written. It's not really a western, though it is set in that time and place we nostalgically yearn for, with stark wide open spaces in hues of tan and brown. There's lots of dust and horses and broken people trying to mend their fragile lives. There's even a snake oil salesman and his son, complete with sideshow and assorted freaks. Richard Harris plays a father who loves his son (Phoenix) so much that he will purchase a wife for his sad and lonely child, but when she dies in childbirth, why not purchase her twin sister from the shifty, snake oil hawker who fathered them? Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Phoenix broods over the body of his lost love wrapping her in hides and suspending her body in a dead tree. He will not let her go and her spirit doesn't want to stay. Her soul visits him in visions that become so real to him that he almost shoots himself. He can't or won't do it, to join her would be love, to hold on to her is pure selfishness. Her twin sister knows that the dead are powerful and she agrees to help Harris break the hold his son has on her sister, but then she's outta there. Conceived in rape, she knows that she is a double second class citizen. One, she's a woman, and two she's half white and half native. She has nothing but her wits and a dark opportunity to free herself from her father and his mad schemes. She'll take four horses for her trouble and the hope for a new life. (Even the female actresses, who deliver wonderful performances, are overshadowed by their male co-stars in the marketing of this film.)
Although told like a ghost story, this is really a love story about a father's love for his son. Harris will do anything for his child, even fight the apparition of his former daughter-in-law that appears in the form of a wolf. Steeped in native mythology and mysticism this story speaks of ties we create between those we love and those we use. In contrast, the snake oil vendor sees his daughters as commodities. The only love that exited for these lost, little girls was their mother, Silent Tongue, who couldn't even cry out when she was raped by their father. Another victim of his entrepreneurial father, is the twin's half brother, who insists on setting out after his half sister is abducted by Harris, and dragging his father along to do the 'right thing' and rescue her. The entire cast give strong and beautiful performances. It's a crime this is not available in wide screen because the melancholy landscape, is itself, a character in this tale. The film is rife with metaphor and if you want to think and be entertained this is the journey you'll want to take between real love and what poses for the love between us. Even though it is offered in a full screen format it is a good value for the prices that it is offered at. For those who prefer to have nonviolent fare, there are a few scenes including the rape that are inappropriate or upsetting. Overall I didn't know what to expect, but I was surprised and pleased by this complex study of relationships that transcend time and place.

Trekkies
$9.99
"Trekkies" is a fun,affectionate documentary about dedicated Trekkies. Denise Crosby (related to Bing,who starred as Tasha Yar) narrates. It's a whimsical travelogue in the world of Star Trek fandom. These Trekkies not only collect the movies- they want to live as members of the Federation of Planets on Earth.

There's the Whitewater juror who came every day to the trial in her Star Trek uniform. There are people who study Klingon. There's a dentist whose office looks straight off the Enterprise. Denise Crosby and Brent Spiner (Data) are surprised-and a little flattered- when they discover erotic depictions of their characters. (We also learn that Spiner is a Texan,complete with Southern drawl) Slash fiction gets an interesting sidenote. A middle-aged woman,with her face shaded as if she were in the Witness Protection Program,talks about writing erotic stories about the escapades of Kirk and Spock. Times have changed. One wonders if,thanks to Frodo&Sam,Capt. Jack Sparrow&Will Turner,as well as Angel&Spike,this woman would've been "out and proud."

"Trekkies" is an enjoyable excursion into the Star Trek subculture. Pop in the dilithium crystals, hit warp speed, sit back and enjoy!

Akeelah and the Bee
$2.99
The Bottom Line:

Kids (or more likely, their parents) who find films like The Mighty Ducks insipid will no doubt find Akeelah and the Bee's focus on intellectual achievement refreshing, but those of you who have seen a movie or two will find the predictable elements of the storyline tedious and annoying; I liked this movie's pluck and charm, but I wish it hadn't been assembled from parts off the shelf.

2.5/4