RogerEbertJr

I think IMDb explains the plot best: An Italian ship leaves a handful of soldiers in a little island; their mission is to spot enemy ships and to hold the island in case of attack. The village of the island seems abandoned and there isn't a single enemy in sight, so the soldiers begin to relax a little. Actually, the island isn't deserted and when the Greeks understand that those Italians are harmless, they came out of their hiding places in the mountains and continue their peaceful lives. Soon the soldiers discover that being left behind in a God-forgotten Greek island isn't such a bad thing, after all...

The film won the Oscar for Best Foreign film in 1991 and I'm pretty sure this wasn't the best foreign film of that year, but I can understand why it won. The film captures something I think many people can relate to or understand...escape. These soldiers find an escape from the war. Which is something anybody who has been in a war can relate to. And, the film also captures the freedom these men have. For the moment they're at the island they can also escape from their everyday responsibilities and do what they like best. That's something most people want. For instance, the lieutenant enjoys painting and at the island he gets the opportunity to paint the church. Instead of fighting a war or worrying about how to pay the bills he is doing what he enjoys best, painting. The film may not be the best foreign film of 1991, but it is a very warm-hearted film that you will enjoy.

3 (***) out of (****)

When I saw "The Cotton Club" I really loved the musical numbers. As well as the cinematography and how the filmmakers captured the era. However, I could really care less about the characters. The film's characters are supposed to be based on the real gangsters and African-American musicians that made the Cotton Club famous. But, after over twenty drafts I get the idea that director Francis Ford Coppola didn't exactly know what he wanted to accomplish with this project. The other thing that bothers me about this movie is the editing. There is a scene in which most of the main characters are at The Cotton Club and we are presented with about three or four musical numbers intercut with the characters communicating. Like about a minute is devoted to each of the musical numbers. Why would you do that? These were excellent musical numbers that should have been given some proper screen time. I know that it isn't part of the plot or anything, but it's part of The Cotton Club. After all this movie is supposed to be a fictional account of the Club's history. It's important to capture the story of the gangsters and musicians, but also devote screen time to the great music and dancing that made the club so famous.

As for the performances I think they were all good. I really liked the work Richard Gere and the rest of actors did. I didn't really care about the characters but their performances made it watchable. Especially Diane Lane who is beautiful in this film. Gere and Lane reunited almost two decades later for the much better film, Unfaithful. These are two actors who have aged well and it's interesting to see that they even looked great at a young age.

RATING: 2 (**) out of (****)

Batman: The Animated Series was a Saturday morning cartoon series that aired on FOX Kids. I consider that particular series the best adaptation of Batman. The series did an amazing job of providing origins for many of Batman's famous villains. However, it never provided one for the title character. So, this is the team's way of creating a back story for their main character.

When Bob Kane and Bill Finger created Batman back in 1939 they didn't feature an origin on the first issue. That was something they later dealt with and it wasn't even a full issue. It was just prologue for one of the stories. Bruce W. Timm and the rest of the gang remained true to that concept and don't exactly make this film into an origin tale. The origin is just back story for the actual plot. The plot is that a new vigilante has arrived into Gotham killing many mob bosses. Somehow Batman is confused for this new vigilante and he has to prove his innocence, while battling the Joker and catching up with an old girlfriend.

Like the animated series this film is an amazing accomplishment. It's probably even better than Batman Begins. Too bad people don't see it because it's a cartoon.

RATING: 4 (****) out of (****)