Empire Records (1995)

3/5

Empire Records is the kind of classic 90's movie that could never be made now. It acts silly for the sake of silliness, turns mature on a dime, then swerves back to insane. It doesn't fit a genre except the time period in which it was made. There are no words to describe this movie; just know that it is an experience. The story revolves around a young cadre of employees in a local record store about to be bought out by Music Town, the non-infringement version of Tower Records, on the illustrious Rex Manning Day. There is one surprisingly tender moment in this film, when Joe (LaPaglia) tells Deb (Tunney) that she's doing a good job, amidst the utter chaos and non sequitur that comprises the rest of the film. I'm not typically a fan of such haphazard storytelling, but this movie brings back such fond memories of the kind of movies I grew up with that I cannot ignore it. This movie is something else, that's for sure, but it contains a charm and fire you will remember, even if you aren't one of its cult followers.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112950/

Reign Over Me (2007)

4/5

Mike Binder's Reign Over Me is an emotionally satisfying if not deeply complex movie. The story follows the relationship between former college roommates Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle) and Charlie Fineman (in a surprisingly competent performance by Adam Sandler), a man whose life was turned upside down after his entire family died in the September 11 attacks. The story is simple, predictable, but heartfelt. The diverse panoply of characters was intriguing, but I felt it distracted too much from the emotional crux of the story. I really loved the music choices; they were effective without being overpowering. I especially loved BJ Novak's small role, although it was vastly overshadowed by Donald Sutherland's cameo. The cinematography was beautiful, but I hated the editing--too many fades that ruined the pacing and completely took me out of the movie. Even so, I suggest you check it out if you saw the trailer or a commercial or read this review and got interested in it; I doubt you'll be disappointed.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0490204/