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'Vertical Limit' is a real surprise and could be a winter smash, a sleeper hit that no-one's expected. It's an up-to-date version of the traditional disaster movies that much more powerful, entertaining and exciting than this summer's 'The Perfect Storm' or any of the year's blockbusters and wannabes.

I saw 'VM' at a special screening held by its Hungarian distributor. During the opening credits one of my colleague said: "I bet this one'll fall into the <straight-to-video> territory." Fortunately he wasn't right: the opening sequence was so intense and energetic that took every present critic breath away. And then everybody catch that breath simultaneously. And that was the way it went till the very end.

Mountaineer (Robin Tunney) and millionaire (Bill Paxton) are bound to the top of K2, the second highest mountain in the world, and buried alive by an avalanche. While they are fighting for life, Tunney's cliffhanger brother (Chris O'Donnell) put together a rescue team of volunteers. And the climbing is getting started...

Movie screens has lacked mountaineers since 1993's unsurpassable 'Alive' and no-brainer 'Cliffhanger'. So 'VM' is an example of perfect timing. In a survey managed by the Box Office Guru ("Which December release are you looking forward the most?"), contenders got cca. 200, while 'Vertical Limit' got more than 2000 (!) votes.

The engine of the movie is director Martin Campbell's outstanding achievement. Though Robert King's ('Red Corner') and Terry Hayes's ('Dead Calm') screenplay has it tiny flaws (e.g. nitro-glycerine), Campbell cuts in time and never misses. He was the only good thing in 'Escape from Absolom/No Escape' and the one who once again infused life into the 'James Bond' series with 'Goldeneye'. Not to mention 'The Mask of Zorro', another surprise blockbuster from 1998.

'Vertical Limit' has a typical disaster-movie casting: no stars but recognizable faces. Here are Chris O'Donnell, whom Hollywood has almost buried alive after 'Batman and Robin', Bill Paxton, who plays small roles in big movies, Robin Tunney ('End of Days', 'Supernova'), whose performance could be a breakthrough for her, and last but not least Scott Glenn, whose part would probably be played by Sean Connery if 'VM' were an A-star vehicle.

Will 'Vertical Limit' be a winter blockbuster despite lacking for A-listers? Sure it will. Skip the others and get this to take your breath away. 9/10

This film comes from the writers of "Cocoon 2" and tells the story of a family that gets lost in the Bermuda Triangle. Finally we're told what the secret of it.

"Bermuda Triangle" is a cheap tv-show with an almost perfect sreenplay and an average cast. The film keeps us excited to the very last and maybe inspired writer/director Gary Ross to create the world of "Pleasantville".

8 stars of 10.

David E. Kelley's "The Practice" is a high level, energetic series that unites the professialism of the "ER", the terrific performance of Dylan McDermott and the best tradition of the legal dramas.

The episodes - written by Kelley, connected with each other - follow the work of a small lawyer's office consists of honest and gifted people.

This community is probably the nicest in TV-screen history as well as the series the best I've ever seen. Though I've seen more than you think.