Movie Recommendations

Very good Hitchcock, based on Daphne du Maurier’s fable of avian terrorism. So-so performance by Tippi Hedren mars an otherwise classy film with fine performances from Rod Taylor, Suzanne Pleshette, and Jessica Tandy.

Bright romantic comedy about a movie star who may or may not be falling for an ordinary bloke. While Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts are good, the one you’ll remember is Rhys Ifans as Hugh’s uninhibited and totally winning housemate. Warm story handled deftly by all, with a great soundtrack.

Lots of fun as the masked Curse of Capistrano fights corruption in early California.

Nice second-tier movie; a rather sweet romance that will appeal particularly to immigrants—especially those from the former USSR.

Engaging adaptation of the Oscar Wilde classic examines the perils of idealizing your spouse.

Surreal movie about the tribulations of making an independent movie is also an entertaining glimpse at the world of special effects.

Barry Levinson’s pæan to 1950s Baltimore features a human script and a nice ensemble of young actors.

Fun fantasy of doomed lovers Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer and their attempt to escape an evil bishop’s curse with the help of thief Gaston the Mouse (Matthew Broderick).

In this examination of the subjectivity of reality, a samurai, his wife, a bandit, and a woodcutter offer varying accounts of a rape and murder. (subtitled)

Once again, Richard Lester shot both movies simultaneously; Superman II is actually a better film, with villains who are really evil and a culmination of the Superman-Lois romance.