clamont

As the overworked director of this film, I have been pulling my copy of this picture out and showing it to people to show them what can be done on a microbudget. It's too bad we didn't shoot on 16mm, because a lot of us think it would have done more than languish on the straight-to-video shelves. But that's what happens when the Studio has a project they don't believe in and don't support. A lesson for filmmakers everywhere!

The cast and crew were great, and the story is excellent. It was a great opportunity to try and make something with a thriller angle without a lot of money.

This new film "Secret Window" is eerily similar in plot. If you have a chance to see it, I hope you like it. - Chris LaMont

I can't tell you how excited I was to see the new movie by Robert Altman called Dr. T and the Women. First of all, I am a huge fan of The A-Team. One of the best action television shows of the Eighties, it had outrageous stunts, hilarious stories and one of the best ensemble acting groups in recent memory. Who could forget the late George Peppard as Hannibal Smith, the erstwhile leader with his cigar and the `I love it when a plan comes together' line. Or Dirk Benedict, or that guy who played Mad Dog. But the star of that show was Mr. T. Mohawk, Gold Chains and that crazy temper! I was under the impression that he'd been to medical school. Mr. T with a Ph.d! Kicking butt and making the world safe for women of all ages! Hooray Dr. T! So I have to admit that I was a little embarrassed when I'm in the theater. Guess what? Mr. T is not in this movie at all. It's not an action picture. In fact, the movie is about a Dallas gynecologist played by Richard Gere. His character's name is Dr. Sullivan Travis. His friends call him Sully, but his patients call him Dr. T. Get it? The story goes like this. Dr. T is the calming force in the lives of a lot of women. There's his wife, Kate, (Farrah Fawcett, still a hottie) who is having some mental issues because of too much love from Dr. T. There are his two daughters, single Connie (Tara Reid, uber-hottie from American Pie and Urban Legend), the conspiracy theorist, and engaged Dee Dee (Kate Hudson, currently burning up the screen as Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous), the alternate Dallas Cowboys cheerleader who is planning her upcoming wedding with her Maid of Honor, Marilyn (Liv Tyler, MIA since Armageddon hottie). Then there's his sister, Peggy (Laura Dern, plain white hottie, the ex-girlfriend of Billy Bob Thornton, currently married to Anglina (ultra-hottie) Jolie), who has moved herself and her three young daughters into Dr. T's house, and has a little bit of a drinking problem. If Dr. T's home life doesn't sound complicated enough, then wait until you see his office. His gynecology office is a zoo. He's dealing with crazy patients like Dorothy (Janine Turner from Northern Exposure, where did she go?) who has hot flashes and dizzy spells every week because she needs the attention, and his crazy staff headed up by Carolyn (Shelly Long, Diane from Cheers, who has been gone from Hollywood so long that I thought she was dead) who is secretly in love with Dr. T. His only respite is on the golf course, like all good doctors. At the country club, he meets the new golf pro, Bree (Oscar-winning semi-hottie Helen Hunt) and begins to fall in love with her. And that's when things get interesting. This is easily Robert Altman's best movie since The Player. It flows evenly and he gets great performances out of his performers. I can't single out a single actress as being better than the others. It was a great ensemble piece all the way around. He has a great script to work from, written by Anne Rapp, who also wrote the delightful Cookie's Fortune for Altman. I think that women audience members will definitely relate to a lot of the movie and I think that guys will too. I don't think I am going out on a limb by saying that the movie is very, very funny. Not Jim Carrey funny, but sly witty good comedy funny. Watching Dr. T deal with all of the craziness around him is very entertaining. Also, I usually hate Richard Gere, but he is doing his best work in this movie. Maybe because he doesn't have to do a lot of `acting'. He reacts to the storm of emotion around him, and when he finally does crack, it feels very realistic. I liked him, something I can't say for ANY MOVIE THAT GERE HAS EVER BEEN IN. EVER. So don't think that this is your typical Richard Gere film. Actually, it is the ultimate success that happens when a great director and a great script come together with a lot of very talented people, and a movie that shouldn't be missed if you like good-natured, character-driven films.