The Player (1992) *****

Following the failure of "Popeye" in 1980, Robert Altman found himself directing some highly theatrical, low budget and largely ignored little films for the rest of the 1980's. But in 1992, he made a spectacular and triumphant comeback with "The Player", a devilishly clever, complex and superbly entertaining satire on Hollywood. The film stars Tim Robbins as a studio executive trying to beat a murder charge, while brushing his girlfriend (Cynthia Stevenson) aside and barely surviving an assassination attempt involving a dangerous snake. Virtually every major movie star makes a cameo appearance in this magnificent, extremely cynical comedy that ridicules the formulas and conventions of contemporary Hollywood movies, while using those same elements (humour, murder, nudity, love, mystery, suspense, last-minute rescues, happy endings) in new and surprising ways. It also makes references to past films, major celebrities and key current events (including the Rodney King affair - a prophetic reference considering that the film was made before the tragic L.A. riots). Possibly Altman's greatest film and certainly his most entertaining one.

The Chekist (1992) *****

Reservoir Dogs (1992) *****

Violent, superbly well written gangster picture. Quentin Tarantino's film debut.

Howards End (1992) *****

An exquisite, masterfully crafted adaptation of E.M.Forster's novel about hypocrisy and snobbery of the upper class Victorian society. Amusing and deliciously ironic at first, the film becomes increasingly serious, even tragic, as it explores the delicate situations and arrangements that lead some otherwise generous people to compromise their values. A superb comedy of manners, as well as a profound human drama, it's a triumph of intelligent storytelling. James Ivory's masterpiece.