by Stephanie Masucci
staff writer
“The Trouble With Angels”
This 1966 Disney Classic starring Hayley Mills is the perfect movie for anyone who ever attended a Catholic school and understands the strict but loving ways of nuns. Two girls in a St. Frances high school boarding school that looks “positively medieval,” and is run by nuns brings havoc and mayhem to this usually quiet academy. Mills stars as the blonde haired blue eyed Mary Clancy who has the “most scathingly brilliant ideas.” June Harding plays Rachel Devery, the follower, who joins along with Mary’s stunts that get the two girls in a lot of trouble. Mother Superior, played by Rosalind Russell, is a strict straight edge sister, who does not find the two girls antics to be funny. The girls go through four years of high school and the onlooker can observe the transcendance into womanhood and maturity. This movie is suitable for all audiences.
“The Legend of Billie Jean”
This 1985 comedy drama is one of Christian Slater’s earlier works. His older sister Helen Slater stars as Billie Jean Davy a young girl living in Texas. Problems arise when her younger brother Binx, played by Christian, has his motorcycle destroyed by a group of trouble-makers. When Billie Jean tries to get the money for the bike from one of the fathers she is harassed. In a method to save his sister, Binx takes a gun and accidentally shoots the man in the shoulder. These two young fugitives are on the run from the police when the story gets out and they gather a following. The movie travels along their journey to get what they deserve. Billie Jean cuts her hair and yells “fair is fair” on television and becomes an idol to the surrounding area. They have three friends who accompany them on the journey including a young Yeardley Smith who is better known for playing the voice of Lisa Simpson on the hit television show “The Simpsons.” This movie is an exciting tail of standing up for what is right and having some fun and romance along the way.
“Sliding Doors”
This 1998 drama is a tribute to all those people who have ever wondered “what if.” Helen Quilley, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, is a young woman in England who has just been fired from her job at a public relations firm. The story’s main plot thickens when the viewer sees what would happen if she made the train or if she missed the train. When she makes the train she comes home earlier than expected and finds her live-in boyfriend in bed with another woman. When she misses the train, she goes to get a cab and is mugged by a man that takes her pocket book and knocks her into a tree. She cuts open her head and has to be taken to the hospital. While in the hospital she meets James, played by the adorable Scottish actor John Hannah. The story continues, as the viewer sees how different her life would be, and which one seems to have worked out for the best.
