Laura San Giacomo

Stephen King's The Stand [VHS]
$14.98
I have been a King fan from the beginning and nothing of his that has ever been adapted even comes close to The Stand. It is truly a masterpeice. The TV miniseries actually "fits". The casting is superb, the story stayed intact and the pacing is excellent. I have watched it many times and each time find something else to admire. Buy it Watch it Enjoy it.

Vital Signs
$9.98
"Vital Signs" is a high adrenalin drama focussing on the lives of first year Surgical Residents at a large metropolitan hospital. The TV series "St. Elsewhere" together with "Vital Signs" may have set the tone for TV series such as "ER" and "Chicago Hope", but "Vital Signs" most certainly has set the tone for "Grey's Anatomy". Jimmy Smits turns every character he plays into a golden moment. His role in this film, as mentor to the young doctors, is no exception. If you love "Grey's Anatomy", you'll really appreciate "Vital Signs".

Under Suspicion [VHS]
$9.98
A very interesting movie. Nice setting, violent when necessary. A good transfer and pic quality. Liam Neeson is a very charismatic to watch in this type of movie.

Nina Takes a Lover
$19.94
If you read the plot of "Nina Takes a Lover" written up as if in a divorce court filing, you'd yawn and think, "Great, another sordid story about infidelity."

But "Nina Takes a Lover" is a lot more than that grubby story. It's actually a rather touching and affecting --and erotic-- love story between Nina (played by the wonderful Laura San Giacomo) and her unnamed lover (played by Paul Rhys). It also has some humor, a wonderful score, and some strikingly beautiful images and scenes.



The storyline is simple. Nina is a lonely woman whose husband is always away on business. She suspects but doesn't know for sure that he's cheating on her. We see her in the park innocently flirting with what the movie leads us to think is a handsome stranger, a British (actually Welsh) photographer (Rhys's character). Nina's flirting with this man (only listed in the credits as "photographer") rapidly escalates to what appears to be a full fledged, passionate, and illicit affair. Their relationship hits a crisis when her lover admits to several other affairs. And here we get "the twist." Nina's lover is actually her husband! It seems like they were both just engaged in a bit of romantic role playing.

The story ends beautifully. We last see Nina and her lover and husband dancing in the moonlight on top of her building. I'd like to think that Nina and her husband surmounted their difficulties and lived happily ever after.

That's about it...It's a testament to Laura San Giacomo (who I have always liked a great deal) and Paul Rhys that they really seem to have chemistry and appear to truly care for each other. And that's why I like it so much. I just can't figure out why I didn't realize when I saw it the first time that they were actually married to each other and just playing a game. I guess I might have been too hypnotized by San Giacomo (who I find extremely attractive).