Nice Guy's Finish
As an actor, Jimmy Stewart represented a fundamental part of the human experience. [2]
John Bridges

Nuthin' Special
'Nothing To Lose' is nothing worth spending money to watch, either. [3]
Stacey Richter

Movie Guru
Coury Turczyn finds aliens aplenty with his review of Men In Black. [4]
Coury Turczyn

Alien Refugees
Forget Batman and Robin. The summer's real dynamic duo is Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. Their pairing in this hilarious spoof of alien films is inspired. [5]
Mary Dickson

A Space of One's Own
Blasting into space with Contact and Men in Black. [6]
Jim Ridley

Inspectors, Gadgets
Comfortable actors, fun script, good jokes. Just throw in a plot next time. [7]
Devin D. O'Leary

Bungle in the Jungle
Wild America. [8]
Noah Masterson

Film Reviews
The Austin Chronicle's comprehensive film reviews. [9]

Film Clips
Check out Tucson Weekly's capsule reviews packed with links to the hottest movie home pages on the Web. [10]

Videos a Go-Go
Jesse's weekly dissection of a movie genre for your enhanced rent-and-view pleasure. [11]
Jesse Fox Mayshark

Outside Chances
Recommendations for the frequent renter: new releases, old titles, and laserdisc. [12]
Noel Murray, Rob Nelson, and Jim Ridley

Scanlines
Reviews of Shine, The Narrow Margin, At the Circus (all video), and Pyst (CD-ROM). [13]

Cinema Splash
Films and swimming aren't as strange a combination as one might think. [14]
Harry Jay Knowles

Now What?
A Web link page chock full of resources, recommendations, and staff picks pertaining to the subject of this section. [15]

• Batman and Robin
• Batman and Robin
• Con Air
• Designated Mourner, The
• Face Off
• Face Off
• Female Perversion
• Hercules
• Men in Black
• Ulee's Gold
• Wild America

Talk Back
If you're one of the few who didn't think Volcano blew, The Lost World bit, or The Fifth Element was one element too many, here's the forum to defend your opinion--crazy though it may be.

he death of Jimmy Stewart has inspired countless eulogies, and though you've probably read enough fond goodbyes to give you a bad case of vertigo, this summary of Stewart's charms is particularly succinct, so I recommend it.

Though on-line mourning isn't my forte, I feel that Stewart's Hitchcock roles -- some of his best work -- merit commemoration. The Man Who Knew Too Much saw Stewart running around Morocco and London trying to rescue his kidnapped daughter while Doris Day chirped out Que Sera Sera. Rope was better, providing Stewart with some of his most acerbic dialogue as a wry teacher who constantly spouts double-entendres. ("Did he do me justice?," a young woman asks during party conversation. "Do you deserve justice?" Stewart replies, touching on the movie's philosophical theme.) Rear Window had great dialogue, too, but my favorite moment is silent: a slow-motion screen kiss that begins with Grace Kelly sneaking up on a napping, bed-ridden Stewart. The kiss romantically coincides with the nearby sound of a practicing opera singer hitting a high note. And in Vertigo, Stewart gives one of his best-ever performances as a haunted detective who unwittingly falls in love with a non-existent woman. If you've missed any of these films, you owe it to Mr. Stewart to give them a look.

If four of this issue's reviews are any indication, you also owe it to yourself to see Men in Black. Described by reviewers as "inventive," "hilarious," "fun," and having a "scuzzy charm," the film appears to be working, even if everyone agrees the plot is thinner than an alien's toenail. One of the reviews compares the movie to Contact, marvelling at the recent confluence of alien flicks, Mars landings, and kooky UFO celebrations (see the related story in our News section). Personally, when it comes to looking at green men, I'd rather be swimming. Luckily for some Austin kids, a local pool allows them to do just that, projecting old Creature from the Black Lagoon-type movies while they sit on innertubes and watch with 3-D glasses. Now that's scuzzy charm.

Other reviews this week include:

• Nothing to Lose

• Wild America

• Hollow Reed, Contact, The Darien Gap, Keys to Tulsa, Rudyard Kipling's the Second Jungle Book: Mowgli and Baloo, and more...

• Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, Brother's Keeper, and The Thin Blue Line

• Shine, The Narrow Margin (1952), and At the Circus

• Outside Chances, Fire on the Mountain, Mother Night, Palookaville, Seconds, Dead Alive, Laws of Gravity, and The Long Good Friday

Curious about a particular director's work? Not sure what to rent at the video store? Enjoy reading several contrasting opinions of the same film? This is the place for you. Hundreds of reviews lie at your fingertips, sortable by genre, date or director.

Reel World
Toys...Hollywood style. [06-20-97]
Devin D. O'Leary

Con Job
It's a breakthrough in gay moviemaking! [06-13-97]
James DiGiovanna

Videos a Go-Go
Jesse Fox Mayshark ponders this week's movie genre for your enhanced rent 'n' view pleasure. [07-02-97]
Jesse Fox Mayshark