Twister [1996]
Twister was a mega-million-dollar blockbuster–helmed by a director (Dutchman Jan de Bont) hot off another scorcher hit (Speed)–that flaunted state-of-the-art digital effects and featured a popular leading actress (Helen Hunt) who would win an Academy Award for her next film (As Good As It Gets). But ask anybody who’s seen it and they’ll tell you who the real star of Twister is: the cow. Not to give anything away, but the cow is one of those inspired little touches (like, say, Bronson Pinchot’s career-making cameo in Beverly Hills Cop) that adds a touch of personality to a gigantic Hollywood production. The story is blown out the window after an impressive prologue in which Hunt’s character, as a little girl, witnesses her daddy being sucked into a tornado. Basically, Hunt and Bill Paxton are thrill-seeking meteorologists chasing twisters in order to study them (and help warn people of them, of course) with a new technology they’ve developed. If you thought the Kansas tornado in The Wizard of Oz was every bit as scary as the Wicked Witch of the West, then this may be the movie for you. –Jim Emerson

Customer Review: RUBBISH
A real disaster of a disaster movie! Despite the solid special effects the film is a dire mixture of lousy direction and even worse acting. Only Helen Hunt adds any credibility.

Avoid at all costs.

Customer Review: Wind lashing action
I watched this movie to see Helen Hunt. And she plays her part well. But the star of this movie is the Twister and the effects it has on it surroundings. The special effects are great. I have heard some people say that the plot is not great….There is a love story, a healing of a pscological trauma and the story of what it is like to be a storm chaser…..So I think there is a plot with sub-plots involved. But when all is said and done, the twister steals the show.

-

4:00 PM by NP Editor Nathalie Atkinson checks in via the train to Montreal, en route to take in Montreal Fashion Week:Denis Gagnon’s comeback show (punnily titled Denise Collection) opens not with his trademark leathers but with soft, luxurious knits Continue …

Extract not available. Continue …

Gia [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Gia is a made-for-TV HBO film that stars Angelina Jolie as supermodel model Gia Carangi, who went from high school to the cover of British Vogue in less than two years. Carangi appeared on many more covers of Vogue (French, British, Italian, and American) and Cosmopolitan before dying of complications from AIDs (she was an IV heroin user) in 1986. Jolie comes by her talent honestly: she’s the daughter of veteran actor Jon Voight, and her own training as a model serves her well here–she has the moves. Throughout, she’s heartbreaking–as no doubt the real Carangi was–effective, and stunning. With good source material (Stephen Fried’s A Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia), Jolie’s stunning performance, and strong directing by Michael Cristofer, the movie goes beyond the merely sensational. The script was co-written by Cristofer and novelist Jay McInerney, whose Bright Lights, Big City covers similar territory. As a cautionary tale, Gia works. But to watch Jolie in her character’s tragic self-destruction is utterly compelling. –NF Mendoza, Amazon.com

Customer Review: Not earth shattering but watchable
I bought this as all the girls talk about it, and as far as lesbian films go its alright, but some scenes are laughable. Gia and the make-up girl who so easily agreed to fling herself naked at a wire fence was a real howler, and surely for the sake of titilation. I thought a lot of the acting/dialogue was quite weak, but it is watchable, and the film improves through the second half. Dont expect wonders but with a glass of wine on a wednesday night quite enjoyable.

Customer Review: Well worth watching…
An excellent film, Angelina Jolie gives an breathtaking performance as the late Gia Carangi, a supermodel who meets her end as an early AIDS victim. The film documents the life of Gia (though with some artistic license) from childhood through her journey from obscurity to one of the most sought after models of the late 70s/early 80s, her battle with emotional instability, drugs, a fall from grace, rehab and her death. Jolie brings amazing depth to the character, revealing her as fragile and vulnerable and bringing out a softness that defies Gia’s tough exterior. The story is heart-wrenching and Jolie portrays Gia as someone you can’t help but like despite everything, a character who you laugh with and cry for. The depiction of the drug-fuelled and care-free era in which it is set is compelling to watch, as is Gia’s (fictional) relationship with Linda. All in all a highly recommended film with a heartfelt and unforgettable performance from Jolie (who unfortunately has yet to repeat such amazing acting since Gia and Girl, Interrupted).

-

Trend Watch: Vests
You don’t need Kim Kardashian’s curves (pictured, left) to pull off spring’s sporty chic vest looks.What you do need is a little imagination. Because although the vest over white tee…

Fashion Find: Nautical Stripe Top
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of spring (well, other than how I should’ve been working out instead of watching Gossip Girl and Project Runway), is…

Full flow
Phong Luu shows us what?s hot and what?s not with this season’s latest trend: Volume Beige and gold taffeta high-waisted skirt, ?248, Diane von Furstenberg; Net-a-porter.com