Rottenchester

How many times can those fuckers out West re-package the same ideas? Do we really need yet another Batman story? How many more remakes of old TV shows are there left to make? What's next: "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" and "Rhoda"? The mind boggles.

So, I won't be seeing too many movies this summer. To pass the time, I'm going to rent a few that I've enjoyed in the past. The first will be "Magnolia", perhaps my favorite movie of all time, and certainly my favorite of the past few years.

Magnolia is the best kind of movie: one that tried to do too much and accomplished most of it. In places, it is stunning; at its worst, it is an ambitious failure. The movie is three hours long, has about six different story lines, a dozen major characters, and a soundtrack featuring songs by Aimee Mann.

Paul Thomas Anderson, the director, was just coming off of the success of "Boogie Nights" when he began Magnolia, so the studios gave him a huge budget. And, boy, did he use it. Tom Cruise is in this movie. Believe it or not, he gives a great performance as a misogynistic self-help guru. Jason Robards' deathbed soliloquy about "regret" is heartfelt and moving, probably because he was dying in real life when the movie was made (this is his last movie role). Local boy Philip Seymour Hoffman has a couple of great scenes, and the rest of the cast is in top form.

Aimee Mann's songs, which are all about addiction, bad judgment and loss, come to life during the movie. If you haven't heard Aimee Mann before, check our her website, and listen to her new album, "The Hidden Arm".

Magnolia has a number of big themes, including the notion that strange coincidences are the stuff of life, the crazy things we do for love (real or imagined), and the pain parents cause their children. There is more imagination and energy in this single movie than in every sequel and sitcom remake that will be released this summer.

So, Batman 5 and Star Wars 6 can go begging for my hard-earned dollars - I'll catch them both when they hit the Tee Vee.

For my money, Forster's best movies are "Jackie Brown" & "Diamond Men".

"Jackie Brown: is the role that re-started his career, and deservedly so. He has the perfect touch playing Max Cherry, a middle-aged bail bondsman.

What's great about Forster is how much he can convey in a single look. His last scene in "Jackie Brown" is one example of his ability to say a lot while saying nothing at all.

"Diamond Men" is a little indy production that starts Forster and Donnie Wahlberg. Forster delivers a subtle, understated performance that is the linchpin of this movie. Too bad it was a box office failure, but I suppose not everything can be "Spiderman II".

For Hoffman, the two movies that I'd see again are "Love Liza" and "Owning Mahoney". He plays a shambolic failure in both of them, a role that he has perfected over the years.

"Love Liza", written by Hoffman's brother Gordy, is a about a man whose wife has committed suicide. It is also about huffing gasoline and hitting bottom. Hoffman is great, as is his brother's script: "Liza" is a Rochester two-fer.

"Owing Mahoney" is about the biggest bank fraud in Canada, perpetrated by a young bank manager in Toronto. Hoffman captures the strange mix of dullness and obsession of this guy. Minnie Driver is excellent as his wife.

So, there are four movies that showcase the talents of two great Rochester actors. If you have problems finding them behind the 1,000 copies of "Spiderman II" at Blockbuster, you could try Video Barn in Henrietta.

Lola Rennt/Run, Lola, Run is a great flick. It came out in the late 90s, and was written and directed by the German director Tom Tykwer.

Here are some things that you'll see in Lola Rennt that you won't see in any of the big summer blockbusters:

Ambiguity - when this movie is over, you don't really know what happened.

Franka Potente - who's a great actress with unconventional looks. She was in the first Bourne movie and got killed off in the second one, but if you want to she her act in a complex role, look at Der Krieger und die Kaiserin/The Princess and the Warror, another Tom Tykwer movie.

Exiting Action with Minimal Special Effects - Yep, just a woman running through the street. No CGI, no huge set, no outlandish costumes.

Lola Rennt is on the cable channel IFC this month, so you have a chance to see it for free if you're interested.

Now, back to the war....