Elaine Stritch at Liberty
Legendary performer, Stritch, appears here in a taped version of her recent and much acclaimed one woman stage show, which is a breathless (even at 144 minutes) run through her life, from the big breaks to the big break ups (dumping Ben Gazarra for Rock Hudson she now realizes was an error in judgment). In between, she manages to sing a boatload of songs, some forgotten, and some classic, like the song she owns, "Ladies Who Lunch", from Sondheim's "Company". Appearing only in a men's dress shirt, the better to show off her legs, Stritch takes us through years of too many martinis in the company of some of the biggest names in stage and screen. Even better, your seat on the living room couch is way closer than most of those at the theater in London, where this was filmed.

 

Elaine Stritch

 

Goodbye Dragon Inn
This much acclaimed Taiwanese film played at the Gene Siskel Film Center last year, and did brisk business among cinema addicts. If you're not a real film fan, you may end up scratching your head, as director Ming-liang Tsai's "The Hole", "What Time is it There?") Camera weaves around an almost empty movie theater one rainy night. But, aficionados will appreciate this loving tribute to the idea of going to the movies. Like one character says (in one of the movies very few lines of dialogue), "No one goes to the movies anymore." The few that attend this almost shut-down theater are a mixed bag of snack snarfing solos, which have in common their love for the movies, in this case the old kung-fu title, "Dragon Inn". Don't give in to the urge to fast forward through the director's familiar long takes, or you'll be missing the whole point of what this movie is saying about the grandeur of the whole movie going experience.

 

Goodbye, Dragon Inn

 

Nearest to Heaven
Everyone loves "When Harry Met Sally", right? Well, that's what Entertainment Weekly. Anyway, Meg Ryan loves "An Affair to Remember", and I bet "WHMS" fans have all rented Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in the 1950s romantic melodrama, only to be befuddled by the adoration it receives. Let's face it, they both made better movies, and the original, "Love Affair", is better. So, what does all this have to do with "Nearest to Heaven", a movie starring Catherine Deneuve and William Hurt? Well, Catherine's character loves "An Affair to Remember", too (the title of this movie is even taken from a line of dialogue from "AATR"), and when she and old flame (Hurt) decide to meet up Yep, just like in "AATR", they decide to rendezvous at the Empire State building. Sure, there's a bit more, involving a secret from Deneuve's past and a daughter with a secret of her own, but it's the light soufflé that audiences of "Nearest to Heaven" want ­ and they get it too, albeit in a somewhat lukewarm and mildly seasoned version. Still, Deneuve looks terrific, and it's good to see Hurt again. In French and English.

 

Nearest To Heaven

 

When Father Was Away on Business
Winner of the 1985 Palm d'or at Cannes, "WFWAOB" isn't revived too much these days, which is one more reason to be thankful for its recent release on DVD. Kusturica ("Arizona Dream", "Underground") filmed this emotional story of a boy's look at the lives of adults in Sarajevo, just a few years prior to the outbreak of fighting. Here, Dad has been sentenced to hard labor for an off-hand comment, and when asked where he is, Mom responds, "He's away on business." As expected form a Kusturica film, the story veers from comedic irreverence to emotional drama, but never let's goes of the examination of individuals trying to live among the politics.

 

Dad sentenced to hard labor