Opencity

Move over, Vin Diesel. Get lost, The Rock. My new favorite action star is Tommy Lee Thomas. Clearly he studied a lot of Clint Eastwood films and he mastered the legendary star's steely-eyed squint and sparse line deliveries. He also seems to have studied numerous fitness magazines, as half of the film finds him running about shirtless (and looking like a million bucks). But he also co-wrote the screenplay and clearly possesses a sense of eccentric humor -- at one point, he and another inmate are engaged in an intense session of Go (the ancient Japanese strategy game) while later in his torture is prefixed with a strange debate that has him advocating "Terminator 2" in favor of Eric Roberts' beloved "Lethal Weapon." This film is very diverting and highly watchable.

A prescient, disturbing film that forecast both the rise in teen gun violence of the Columbine variety and the destructive power of the Internet on impressionable young people. This indie production was clearly ahead of its time. Sadly, it did not receive the level of attention it deserved when it was in theatrical release. Hopefully, it can find a new audience via DVD. Stuart Alson, executive director of the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival, dubbed "A Packing Suburbia" as "the most controversial film about American youth today since the film 'Kids.'" Mr. Alson also is quoted as saying he thought it was of the best films he has ever seen in his festival. He wasn't half-wrong -- this is a great movie.

A true work of brilliant guerrilla cinema. Breaking all rules of linear storytelling, this surreal comedy is a must-see for anyone who likes their movies rude, zany and bizarre. And you haven't lived until you've seen Galileo in this film!