Intermission: New and old films both must-see shows

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|bold_on|"Nurse Betty"|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Directed by: Neil LaBute|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Starring: Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock and Greg Kinnear|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Rated: R|ret||ret||tab|

Writer and director Neil LaBute gave us some brutally scathing social and sexual commentary with his first two films, "The Company of Men" and "Your Friends and Neighbors."|ret||ret||tab|

This time out he serves only as director, and "Nurse Betty" is not as intense as his earlier work, but is not an out-and-out comedy as some of the previews would have us believe.|ret||ret||tab|

In a charismatic, career making performance, Renee Zellweger plays the title role. |ret||ret||tab|

Betty Siezemore is a waitress in a small Kansas town, married to a lout of a car salesman. Hubby gets mixed up with the mob, and when Betty witnesses his brutal execution, she snaps. She heads for Los Angeles to find her former fianc, Dr. David Ravell. Trouble is, Dr. Ravell is a character on Betty's favorite soap opera, "A Reason to Love." |ret||ret||tab|

Hot on her trail are the two hit men (played by Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock) who whacked her husband and now need to find a stash of drugs that Betty has unintentionally taken along. |ret||ret||tab|

When she gets to Los Angeles, Betty, who now believes she's a nurse, gets a job at a hospital while searching for her Dr. Ravell.|ret||ret||tab|

She finally meets Ravell, or rather the actor who plays him, and doesn't understand why people keep calling him George.|ret||ret||tab|

In a plot device somewhat reminiscent of "Being There," the producers of the soap opera think Betty is a genius "method actor" and decide to give her a spot on the show. When she finally gets on set, the situation confuses her and finally snaps her back to reality. |ret||ret||tab|

The final act of "Nurse Betty" gets pretty philosophical, and while there are a great number of hilarious moments in the film, it's much more than a wacky Hollywood comedy.|ret||ret||tab|

Zellweger deserves an Oscar nomination at the very least.|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|"Sunset Boulevard"|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Directed by: Billy Wilder|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Starring: Gloria Swanson, William Holden and Erich von Stroheim|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Not rated|ret||ret||tab|

This classic film has been re-released to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Critic Roger Ebert has called "Sunset Boulevard" "the best drama ever made about the movies." He's absolutely right. |ret||ret||tab|

By now, every movie buff is familiar with Norma Desmond, the aging silent film star who locks herself away in her crumbling mansion as well as in the memories of the past. William Holden plays Joe Gillis, a young screenwriter who gets involved with, and becomes kept by, the delusional Desmond. Also on hand is Max, Desmond's ever-faithful butler. A butler totally devoted to his employer and with a secret of his own. |ret||ret||tab|

What many people don't realize is how close to real life director Billy Wilder comes with this film. Desmond is played by silent movie star Gloria Swanson, and Erich von Stroheim one of the most powerful Hollywood directors of the silent era, plays Max.|ret||ret||tab|

Cecil B. DeMille is here, playing himself. When Norma goes to see him at the studio he calls her "little fellow," which is what he always called Swanson. When Norma screens an old movie for Gillis, it's "Queen Kelly," a film starring Swanson and directed by von Stroheim. The line between fiction and reality blurs several times during "Sunset Boulevard." Without a doubt, this is one of the greatest films ever made and any serious student of cinema will want to see it on the big screen. |ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|(Jim Wunderle works at Associated Video Producers and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.)|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

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