RIC'S PICKS

RIC'S PICKS...by Ric Pantale

About Movies

Ric's Picks by Ric Pantale

Never trust what critics say. Often, unfortunately, a good film will go down the drain because of a negative review. Most of us get our reviews from newspapers or magazines. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but often newspaper reviewers and such don't often agree with each other.

How many times have you been delighted by a film you read was a real stinker? How many times have you seen a real stinker that most critics raved about? Reviewing movies is a highly subjective form of writing. If a critic hates a star or a certain director, nine times out of ten, the movie goes down. Also, the times we live in influence critics' opinions. Right now, any movie with the word Iraq in it is poison. Also any comedy, no matter how lame and stupid, will get favorable reviews-as long as it made the critic laugh at least once. This must be because everyone is depressed. The point is, if you want to see a movie, see it, or wait 'til it comes out on video.

April releases; catch these movies out already-

· LIONS FOR LAMBS (Rated R)
Interesting underrated film. Great perfomances by Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise. Maybe it's too preachy, but heck, it's an anti-war film. It's supposed to be.

· JUNO (PG-13)
A great film doesn't have to cost a zillion dollars to make.

· BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD (Rated R)
All you need to know is Sidney Lumet directed it.

Avoid these-

· WALK HARD (Rated R)
Unfunny, dumb. What's with Phillip Semour Hoffman (not in it) and John C. Reilly becoming serious sex symbols?

· CLOVERFIELD (PG-13)
Take a sea sickness pill as you watch some idiot videotaping a Godzilla Lobster attack on New York City. He really should be running for his life-although I think he runs into a streetlight.

May releases; a great month weatherwise but not so great videowise-

· THE GREAT DEBATERS · release 5-13 · (PG-13)
The best film of the month, but we've been-there-seen-that before. Still, anything with Denzel Washington is worth seeing.

· NATIONAL TREASURE BOOK OF SECRETS · release date 5-20 · (Rated G)
A fine adventure for the whole family. Maybe it stretches our history a bit, but it's all good clean fun-and it has Helen Mirren.

· RAMBO 36 release date 5-27 · (Rated R)
Watch Rambo slaughter and maim 379 Burmese Terrorists. Watch him never run out of ammo. Watch a 65 year old man do somersaults and cartwheels while blowing his nose.

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