MEN OF HONOR 2000

AMC Saratoga 14

Robert De Niro, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Charlize Theron, Michael Rappaport, Hal Holbrook.

Story of the first black Navy diver, Carl Brashear, and the obstacles in his path.

Sweeping. Old-fashioned. Corny. Makes you pound your chest and salute the screen.

DeNiro is a bit loud. Gooding is fabulous as usual. Theron is window-dressing, but still looks great. Rappaport is a recruit from Wisconsin with no racial problems. Holbrook is wacky old man in charge of diving school.


FREQUENCY 2000

Videotape

Dennis Quaid. Andre Braugher. That guy from THIN RED LINE. The sister from ONCE AND AGAIN.

Good time travel story with detective caper thrown in. Made we weepy from time to time. Can't look too closely at the logistics. Dead father can talk to his grown son across 30 years of time on a ham radio.

Everyone is great. Quaid especially.



RETURN TO ME 2000

Videotape

David Duchovney. Minny Driver. David Allen Grier. Bonnie Hunt. Jim Belushi. Carol O'Connor.

Duchovney is in love. Wife dies in car crash. Driver is given heart. They meet and fall in love.

Everyone is fabulously understated. There are serious parts and then plenty of comic relief. Duchovney is not flashy. Driver is a waitress. In my post-surgery mood I teared up more than once. Very well done.