Pretty In Pink (1986, PG-13)

This John Huges film (The Breakfast Club, Ferris Beuler's Day Off) is about a high school senior girl (played by Molly Ringwald [The Breakfast Club, 16 Candles]) and her social/romantic interactions in an environment that has a strong divide between the wealthy and not-so-wealthy.  She's one of the have-nots.  Her best friend (your quintessential "friendzoned" guy) is played by Jon Cryer (Two And A Half Men.  James Spader (Wolf, Stargate) plays a douchebag rich kid who resents Ringwald for spurning his advances, and Andrew McCarthy (St. Elmo's Fire, Weekend At Bernie's) plays his best friend who is miraculously a nice rich guy and has mutual interest in Ringwald.

Bad Leiutenant (1992, NC-17)

The title is a pretty accurate description.  It stars Harvey Keitel (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) as a scumbag dirty cop in New York.  This film didn't have much of a plot at all.  It's just an illustration of a dirty cop getting lower and lower.  He makes one bad decision after another and we see him spiral downward.  It not rated NC-17 for nothing, as we get to see several methods of drug use (including needles), some frontal (male) nudity, sexual violence against women (which I guess does leave a little to the imagination), and harsh language to children and adults.

Poolhall Junkies (2002, R)

This film was written by, directed by, and starred Mars Callahan.  When one person does these three things, it’s usually a bad sign, but it worked out pretty well here, like in Good Will Hunting.  Actually Callahan looks a little bit like Ben Aflek and I wondered if they were related (they’re not).  Callahan plays a billiards savant named Johnny who had dreams of becoming a professional billiard, but is now a very successful pool hustler.  Chazz Palminteri (A Bronx Tale) plays his controlling mentor/financial backer for his bets.  Also in the cast are Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville, Justice League), Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Pulp Fiction), and Philip Glasser (An American Tale).

 

If you liked Rounders, this is pretty much the same movie but with 8-ball in stead of poker.  I happen to like both films, though this one had a more independent-film feel (film stock was still good, but somehow I got an off-Hollywood vibe).

Red Cliff (R, 2008)

This Chinese film takes place in the third century A.D. and concerns the military campaign of a Prime Minister warlord's invasion of two southern regions.  The PM just wants to invade the independent areas of the country to get them under his control, and he easily convinces the weak young emperor to approve his war.  The leaders of the two southern regions form an alliance to the surprise of the PM in order to combat the massive imperial army.

I didn't recognize any of the actors in the film but further investigation shows that several actors had parts in House Of Flying Daggers, Hero and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.  The director was John Woo (Face Off, Mission: Impossible II) and he did a fine job.  The picture and sound quality were good, special effects were pretty seamless (some scenes included CG assistance by necessity, but it was head and shoulders better than pretty much any non-Hollywood film I've seen), and in accordance with what I presume must be a national law, there was a obligatory wirework for some of the martial arts.