Movies with music written by Rachel Portman

Note to readers: this review contains spoilers. While I do not believe the revelation of certain plot points will in any way compromise the viewing experience, those who wish to see The Cider House Rules without having previous knowledge of certain...

Beloved, Jonathan Demme's much-anticipated adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel, is a powerful and disturbing motion picture that is likely to leave many movie-goers unsettled as they file out of the theater. Although the movie probably runs a litt...

It's the romantic buried inside each of us that responds to movies like Emma. Sure, the film, like the Jane Austen novel upon which it is based, is laced with wit and sophistication. And, although it contains enough social commentary and char...

Over the years, World War II has proven to be fertile territory for the motion picture industry – so much so that nearly every conceivable tale, event, and “angle” has been covered. However, although the “nothing new under the sun” p...

When we first meet Ethan Frome (Liam Neeson), he is a broken man hobbling around town. The new preacher takes an interest in him and soon learns the tragic tale of Frome's life. Years ago, as a younger and more hale man, Ethan married Zeena (Joan...

Another year, another movie about Truman Capote. However, despite covering much the same ground as last year's Capote, Douglas McGrath's Infamous doesn't feel like a remake. The events are the same, but the tone and perspective are different. Ca...

The strength of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, like its unnumbered predecessor, lies in the appeal and complexity of the characters. The four friends who form the backbone of the narrative are warm, believable individuals. We like them. ...

Remaking movies is always a risky endeavor, and remaking a classic can border on the foolhardy. Taken on its own terms, however, Jonathan Demme's The Truth About Charlie, a '00s re-interpretation of the 1963 thriller Charade, is a decent – and e...

Although this may amount to oversimplification, Alejandro Agresti's The Lake House is essentially a romance between two people connected by a time-traveling mailbox. As premises go, this has the virtue of uniqueness - Hollywood doesn't churn out t...

You know there's a problem when the most interesting character in a film called Oliver Twist is a supporting woman named Nancy. Technically sound and surprisingly faithful to its source material, Roman Polanski's version of Oliver Twist comes acro...