Tom Schnabel Movies

The expression "common as dirt" wouldn't exist if there weren't an awful lot of dirt in this world. But is there as much as we think -- or even as much as we need? And what's been happening to it? Dirt is the outer layer of the Earth and the place where nearly all the world's vegetation comes to life, but the 20th Century was a bad time for dirt -- the rise of corporate farming practices have led to reliance of fertilizers with negative long-term effects on the soil, while clear-cutting of rainforests and global warming are making it harder to grow the food the world needs, making workable soil an increasingly scarce commodity. Filmmakers Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow offer a witty but incisive look at dirt, what's in it, how it's used and how we must protect it in the documentary Dirt! The Movie. Adapted in part from the book Dirt! The Ecstatic Skin of Earth by William Bryant Logan, Dirt! The Movie received its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

For his first directorial project in six years, Robert Towne selected a timeworn romantic-triangle yarn, injecting the material with subtlety and conviction. Tequila Sunrise stars Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell as two lifelong friends who, in true James Cagney-Pat O'Brien fashion, grow up on the opposite sides of the law. One is a retired drug dealer (at least he says he is), the other a "celebrity" cop. Both fall in love with gorgeous restaurateur Michelle Pfeiffer. Veteran movie buffs will enjoy spotting director Budd Boetticher as a judge, and will welcome the presence in the production credits of cinematographer Conrad Hall, who earned an Oscar nomination for his richly textured color camerawork. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide