There are few things that are more bothersome than cheap marketing gimmicks. Private Number is no exception. While sites like IMDb have Tom Sizemore and Judd Nelson as the highest-billed actors in the film, the cover of this DVD is very misleading. Perhaps part of the deal for Nelson and Sizemore was to be featured primarily on the cover, but I really doubt that is the case. The relationship of the DVD’s cover to the film itself feels like producers that have little faith in their project. So instead of promoting the interesting concepts of the film on its cover, they plaster the familiar faces of Nelson and Sizemore onto it, in hopes of making a few extra bucks. So if you are going to watch this movie for those actors, save yourself the trouble: they have a total screen time of 8 minutes. 

Private Number is a peek into the life of Michael Lane (Hal Ozsan), a writer struggling with sobriety and writer’s block after the success of his first book. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Soon he and his wife (Nicholle Tom) begin receiving strange phone calls at early hours in the morning from a private number, all with the same message: “Remember me?” When bringing the issue up to Sheriff Stance (Judd Nelson) doesn’t resolve it, Michael takes matters into his own hands. As the phone calls persist, Michael begins to hallucinate, making his investigation spiral out of control.

by Dustin P. Anderson

The death of the youngest brother in the Burwood family brings together all members in an attempt to see that their brother is laid to rest... OK, here’s the thing. I could tell you all the synopsis as a lead up to this movie review, but I am pretty sure that everyone reading this has seen a movie with a similar synopsis. This movie is basically Sweet Home Alabama, This is Where I Leave You, The Royal Tenenbaums, or many others. It’s been done dozens of times over, and I think what we all really want to know is if this movie differed from the other movies at all.

"I have doubts about my sanity, the Kennedy assassination, the moon landing, but this..."

No doubt about it. Major Crimes has managed to do what few shows before it have been able to pull off. Shows have survived the loss of their lead, but the remaining years were usually something lesser than it once was. That's not the case when The Closer lost its lead actress/character. The title was changed, and with just a few cast tweaks the series returned as Major Crimes, and I dare say it’s a much better show than its predecessor. 

How do you create world peace? Well, according to Bordering on Bad Behavior, you take representatives from three countries and lock them in a room together for six hours with unlimited booze and marijuana. I recognize half of you who see this as a ridiculous idea; however, I know that there are plenty of you who have likely considered this as an option (maybe not the booze and weed part, but the isolation for sure). Well, if you want to know if the idea has any real traction as an option, this movie is your opportunity to see, because despite being crude and possibly offensive in some areas, it speaks some real truth.

So here’s how it starts: Bob (Tom Sizemore) is a member of a United States Army unit posted at a top secret communication outpost in Israel. After years of service, he is disillusioned by the experience, although he does maintain his strong patriotism and love for country. Now a mere 24 hours away from completing his assignment and returning to his unit, he simply plans to kick back and get drunk. Enter Ari, a newly assigned member of the Israeli Special Forces now working at the communication outpost. From the very second they meet, the two are instantly antagonistic to one another. For Ari, Bob represents all the traits he despises about the opposing country; laziness, involving himself in the matters that don’t concern them, and arrogance. For Bob, Ari has a chip on his shoulder and something to prove.

La cena delle beffe, or The Jester’s Supper (1942), is an Italian period drama that was produced in Cinecittà (Cinema City). Before WWII and its aftermath, Italy’s film industry was more like what you would see in Hollywood during the same time. Spanning from the 1930’s to the early 1940’s, this movement was characterized by light comedies and historical films. The Jester’s Supper is no exception, telling a tale of a love triangle, vengeance, and madness. Directed by Alessandro Blasetti, The Jester’s Supper follows the drama between Neri (Amedeo Nazzari), Giannetto (Osvaldo Valenti), Ginevra (Clara Calamai), and their love affair. Gianetto and Neri are rivals who compete for the love of the beautiful Ginevra, but when Neri succeeds in taking Ginevra for his own, Gianetto finds a new love in vengeance. Swearing to win Ginevra back, Gianetto develops a plot to frame Neri as a madman so he will be incarcerated, leaving Ginevra to himself. Ridden with guilt, Gianetto releases Neri, prompting Neri to seek his own revenge.

If you watch this movie for nothing else, it has to be for Amedeo Nazzari’s acting. Known to Italy primarily as a hero, Nazzari is cast in a role of a villainous, arrogant playboy with many friends and thugs. While this casting may be against his typical roles, he stops at nothing to deliver his best performance. Though falsely accused of being mad at first, slowly throughout the film you watch him sink into an actual madness. The range of emotion that Nazzari is able to portray is incredible: Arrogance, anger, sadness, defeat, and madness. Nazzari’s presence took me by surprise, much like Toshiro Mifune’s did when I first watched Rashomon years ago. I’d go as far as to say that Mifune watched The Jester’s Supper in addition to the behavior of lions to prepare for his iconic role in 1950’s Rashomon.