The Holloway Monitor

June movie reviews

2010-06-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

TOY STORY 3. In this newest episode of Toy Story, Woody and Buzz and the rest of the toys are facing tough times, as Andy has grown up and is going to college. His mother is making him clean out his room, and the toys face the garbage bin, the attic, or being given away. They end up at a Day Care Center, which at first they think is the best thing, because children will play with them once again. But the Center's toys are led by a bitter stuffed bear who will ensure that the new toys are assigned to the worst room on the center (with all the toddlers). So the story involves the toys trying to escape the Day Care Center and get back to Andy's house. Sweet movie, but I didn't find it as entertaining as the earlier two Toy Stories. It's actually kind of a deep movie, about coping with life changes. Still good for not-too-young kids though (the end would be pretty scary for real little ones).
WINTER'S BONE. Ree is a 17-year-old living in the Ozark backwoods. Her dad has disappeared and her mom has had a nervous breakdown, so she is the sole caretaker of her 12-year-old brother and 7-year-old sister. The family is dirt poor, often depending on the kindness of neighbors. When the sheriff comes to their cabin to tell her that her dad put their house and land up for collateral to guarantee his appearance in court, and they will lose the house if he doesn't show up, Ree lets the sheriff know she will find her dad. Which she sets out to do. But her dad cooked meth, so she has to contact some pretty sketchy characters, none of whom want to help her, even though some are family. This is a mystery story combined with a real feel for these people and their way of life. It makes for a gripping drama. Well worth seeing.

GET HIM TO THE GREEK. Jonah Hill is a low-level flunky working for record producer Sean Combs, and the company needs to bring in some revenue. Jonah suggests bringing down-on-his-luck rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand in the same role he played in FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL) back to LA to do a reprise of his most successful concert ever, a 10-year comeback concert at the Greek Theater. So Sean sends Jonah off to London to get Aldous back to LA within 3 days. Aldous' last album was a critical and popular disaster, and the pop-star love of his life (Rose Byrne) dumped him. Since then, he has been off the wagon in a big way. Aldous is a serious substance abuser and major party hound, so Jonah, who is not exactly a wild man, has his hands full trying to manage him. Stops in New York and Vegas don't help Jonah's deteriorating relationship with his fiancee, but they certainly broaden his life experiences. Although the movie is not a 100% success (gross out humor that was more gross than humor for me), it's at least usually amusing and certainly has laugh out moments. Some cute and unexpected cameos too. But it wasn't THE HANGOVER, which I guess I was expecting. It has more heart than that, giving the Aldous character some back story and reasons for his issues.

BEST WORST MOVIE. Documentary on the cult status of the 1992 movie TROLL 2. It is apparently a truly dreadful straight-to-video movie that makes no sense whatsoever. But hipsters discover it on HBO and make it a midnight success. The documentary, directed by one of the child stars, interviews fans and the cast members, including a small town Alabama dentist, who truly loves his newfound fame. Very entertaining movie, and quite amusing, but it is brought down a little by the director of Troll 2, and one of the stars, who are completely oblivious to how awful the movie is. Those parts are kinda sad. Otherwise, I enjoyed the film.

JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK. This is a documentary on Joan Rivers, who was a ground breaking comedian when she came on the scene in the early 60's. The filmmakers followed her for a year, plus intersperse the movie with earlier clips of her career. It's a year filled with ups and downs (bad audiences, no work, then Celebrity Apprentice). She was 75 years old when the film was made, and still working her tail off. She can be funny , of course, as well as too crude (for me), but she also has an almost pathological obsession with working and being accepted (which I found disconcerting). Interesting movie.

SOLITARY MAN. Michael Douglas plays a successful car salesman who in the first scene, gets the news that something might be wrong with his heart. Six years later, and his life is falling apart. He is having trouble connecting with his family (because he is mostly obsessed with nailing young women), and his career is also in the dumps. He is really in a downward spiral. At first he seems charming (the salesman in him), and you root for him, but then I realized that his character is so reprehensible that I found it hard to care what happened to him. This movie is the kind that people can actually discuss after seeing, because it has an open-ended finale, but it wasn't entertaining, if that makes sense.

PLEASE GIVE. Katherine Keener and husband Oliver Platt make their living buying retro furniture from the children of the recently deceased. Their daughter is an unhappy adolescent, a typical teenage girl with zits and weight issues. The couple are waiting for the next door neighbor, a cantankerous old lady, to die so they can buy her apartment and double their living space. She is taken care of by one of her granddaughters, a bland young woman played by Rebecca Hall. Her sister, Amanda Peet, is a nasty piece of work, who will pretty much say and do whatever she wants. The movie doesn't really go anywhere, it just shows these people's interactions and highlights their lack of self awareness. The one granddaughter hates her grandmother, for instance, and is really nasty to her, but doesn't realize how much they are alike. Katherine gets annoyed when she finds another store owner buying her stuff and marking up the prices, yet feels guilty that she does the same thing. The movie mostly kept my attention, but the lack of what I would call a plot leaves me cold. I get that the director likes to show everyday life, but that doesn't mean it's that entertaining to watch.

May movie reviews

2010-05-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

IRON MAN 2. I really like Robert Downey Jr., but with the exception of a minute or two here and there, I was bored out of my mind. Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell are the bad guys, Gwyneth Paltrow is back as Stark's right hand, and Scarlett Johanson arrives as an attorney for Stark Industries. Lots of explosions and battles. Just didn't engage me.

SECRET IN THEIR EYES. Winner of this year's Oscar for Best Foreign Film. It is about a former detective who is retired and has written a book about a 1970s rape-murder case he worked on. He has never been able to let go of how politics interfered with justice on the case. He asks his boss from from that time (she is now a judge) to take a look at the book for him. He was in love with her, but believing she was out of his league, he never acted on his feelings. The movie tells the two parallel stories, the rape-murder case that he has written about, and the now-older couple reconnecting. This is a very watchable movie - I like the way the stories just unfolded...

CASINO JACK AND THE UNITED STATES OF MONEY. Documentary about Jack Abramoff, who is serving a prison term for his shenanigans as a high profile lobbyist in Washington. He took vast sums of money from both garment manufacturers in the Marianas Islands (so they could continue to exploit workers) and Indian tribes (to support their casinos). He wasn't content to make gobs of money; he got involved in kickbacks as well. The movie describes Abramoff's start as an ambitious young college Republican to his fall from grace, and also highlights the huge amounts of money that politicians need to get elected, and the inherent corruption in our system. The investigation into his actions eventually brought down several Congressmen. Depressing, and maybe too convoluted, but still interesting to me.

MOTHER AND CHILD. This is the story of three women: Annette Bening, who as a 14-year-old gave up a child for adoption; Naomi Watts, the child she gave up, and Kerry Washington, who desperately wants to adopt a child. Both Annette and Naomi was strongly affected by the adoption - Annette is a strange, socially clueless woman, and Naomi is an aggressively independent woman. They both avoid relationships. The acting in this movie is terrific (including the supporting cast of Samuel Jackson, Jimmy Smits, and S. Epatha Merkerson). Although I was never bored by the story, it took some turns that were all too predictable, and others that were just unbelievable. Too bad - there aren't all that many movies about women these days.

EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP. Documentary based on the home movies filmed by Thierry Guetta, a Frenchman living in LA. He compulsively films everything. When he visits his cousin in Paris, noted street artist ( a step above graffiti) named Invader, Thierry becomes involved in the world of street art. He becomes more and more involved in filming street artists, and implies to them that he is making a documentary. But he really isn't; he is too disorganized. When he finally puts something together, his most famous subject, Banksy, a British street artist who has become a darling of the art crowd, is appalled at how bad the film is and takes over the making of the movie. And then the documentary focuses on Thierry, as he starts doing his own art. Interesting and entertaining, just on the street art portion of the film. But then the movie takes a little turn that I really enjoyed. Leading to questions about what is art. Don't want to give it away. Fun flick.

April movie reviews

2010-05-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

DATE NIGHT. Tina Fey and Steve Carrell are suburban married parents stuck in a rut. So they decide to go into the city on a date night. Arriving at a trendy restaurant, they find they have no chance of getting in without a reservation. So they take the reservation of a couple of no-shows. But it turns out that the no-shows are in trouble with some bad guys, and so Tina and Steve's night in the city turns into a series of crazy adventures running from bad guys and trying to get out of the jam there are in. Very cute movie; I laughed out loud quite a bit.

THE SQUARE. Australian noir. A middle aged man and a younger woman are in love. Problem is, they are both married to someone else. When the young wife discovers that her husband is hiding some money away, she tries to convince her older lover that they should steal the money so they could run away together. So begins their downward spiral. In typical noir fashion, one bad act leads to a series of unexpected consequences. I usually like this genre, and I really liked this movie. (Note: this movie is preceded by a 10-minute short film by the directors that I also thought was terrific.)

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. Animation by Dreamworks. Hiccup lives in a Viking village terrorized by dragons. He is a skinny boy, considered a lost cause as a warrior by his chieftain father. But Hiccup wants very badly to be a dragon killer and gain respect. He does shoot down a dragon, but discovers he doesn't have the heart to kill it. Instead, he makes friends with it. And he will become the hero he dreamed of. This movie has beautiful 3D animation, but for me, I thought this one more aimed at kids than adults.

THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA. DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS. Documentary on the life and times of Daniel Ellsberg, beginning with his work for the Rand Corporation (a Pentagon think-tank) in supporting the Vietnam War in the early years through his evolution to an anti-war activist. I knew the outlines of the story, but this goes much deeper into Ellsberg's past and motivations. Fascinating stuff, both the American history and the personal history of Ellsberg. I really enjoyed it.

GREENBERG. Ben Stiller is Greenberg, a New Yorker recently out of a mental institution after a nervous breakdown. He moves into his Los Angeles' brother's house to recuperate. The brother and his family go on vacation, and they leave the phone number of their young assistant for Greenberg, in case he needs anything. He does call Florence, and they develop an up and down relationship. Greenberg also reconnects with his high school buddies. The problem is, Greenberg is a terrible person. He seems to have a personality disorder that make him lash out at people, he seems to have no sense of appropriate behavior, he's completely self-centered, he's just a jerk. Plus there is the age difference. Still she sees something in him and puts up with his shit. I was not happy the two connected; she seemed too normal and nice to end up with a loser like that. I really disliked this movie. I didn't get that there was humor in this movie as it seems some critics did...

February & March movie reviews

2010-02-23T17:12:00.000-08:00

THE LAST STATION. In his last years, Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer) had a utopian philosophy that gave him a cult-like following. The leader of his followers, Chertov (Paul Giamatti) was single minded in his attempts to get Tolstoy to leave his followers the copyrights to his masterpieces. Tolstoy's wife, Sofya (Helen Mirren) was totally opposed, fearing that her husband would leave her and their many children destitute. So she is rather hysterical at the thought of it, and hates Chertov with a passion. She also does not share her husband's rather idealistic views, and is a bit reactionary. But it is clear that Leo and Sofya love each other dearly. Caught between the warring camps is Tolstoy's private secretary (James McAvoy.) Mirren is terrific in the role; despite her being rather paranoid about everything, one can certainly see her point of view. (Chertov comes off rather badly.) I really liked this movie.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Tim Burton's take on the classic children's story. Here Alice has grown up, and is feeling pushed toward a marriage she doesn't want. She thinks her memories of being down the rabbit hole 13 years ago were just a dream. At a party, she follows a rabbit, and once again is down the rabbit hole. Johnny Depp is the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter is the Red Queen. The story, such as it is, revolves around a battle between the Red Queen and White Queen. I liked the evil Red Queen (she was a hoot); but the rest of the movie was kind of a snooze for me. I would definitely recommend the movie for kids, especially girls, because they would probably be entertained and there is a girl power message that is appealing.

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE. John Cusack and his friends have gone their separate ways as they have grown older. When one (Rob Cordry) is suspected of having tried to commit suicide, they get together to help him out. The three, along with John's nephew, go back to their old stomping grounds at a ski resort. It's fallen on hard times, but there is still the hot tub. Which shorts out and sends them back to their happier days in the 80s. So they try not to change anything and get back to present time. I think this is supposed to be the 2010 version of THE HANGOVER. There are some funny bits, but I would say it's overall just mildly amusing. Too bad. Great premise.

THE GHOST WRITER. Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) is the Tony Blair-like ex-British prime minister, and Ewan McGregor is the ghost writer of his memoirs. (The previous writer, an aid to the ex-PM, drowned under somewhat mysterious circumstances.) Ewan is doing the book for the money, and is supposed to get it done in a month as he holes up on an isolated island (reached by ferry mostly) with Lang, his wife, and remaining staff and supporters. But then the World Court tries to extradite Lang for war crimes, and this isn't just a trip to work on a book. Ewan starts discovering evidence of things unsaid, and the suspense begins. This is a fine political thriller, not excellent, but worth a look. (I may be giving it less the wholehearted review because I guessed a significant part of the story line.) Directed by Roman Polanski.

GREEN ZONE. Matt Damon stars as a soldier in 2003 Iraq. His job is finding weapons of mass destruction, and when he keeps coming up empty, he starts questioning the intelligence he is getting. When leads him into the politics of the war. There is the slimy politician (Greg Kinnear) who doesn't care that the excuse for the war was wrong, a CIA agent (Brendon Gleeson) who is frustrated because he is dealing with people who don't understand Iraq, and a reporter (Amy Ryan) who was duped by informants about the presence of WMD in Iraq. Obviously, the movie is based on a lot of the actual events of the war. It's a different experience watching a movie where the Americans are both the good guys and the bad guys. Not an edge of my seat watch (despite all the shaky camera work), but a good movie, entertaining.

THE RUNAWAYS. In the 1970's teenager Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) wanted to rock and roll. She was able to hook up with a sleazy promoter/manager, and between the two of them they put together an all-girl rocking band, the Runaways. Cherie (Dakota Fanning) the lead singer, was only 15 when they started. The movie becomes a Behind the Scenes type story. Drugs, disagreements among the band members, etc. The depiction of the 1970's was certainly well done, but I wasn't that captured by the story. Probably because it was pretty superficial. There is the music, though.

PRODIGAL SONS. Kimberly Reed decides to make a documentary about returning home to Montana for her 20th high school reunion. She hasn't been back in a long while, and she is worried about how she will be greeted by the town and her former classmates. Because when she was in HS, she was Todd, the star quarterback. That story might have been more interesting (although her former classmates seem pretty OK with her), but in fact, the movie revolves around Kim's relationship with her brother. Marc was adopted a year before Kim was born, but held back a year in school (because he was ADD, I think), and he always felt overshadowed by Todd. Then, when he was in his early 20s, he was in a bad car accident and suffered a brain injury, which caused seizures, and now, violent outbursts. Kim wants to get along with her brother, and leave the past behind, but finds that Marc can't just let it go. So the movie is really about him, and secondarily about Kim coming to grips with her past (she seems to have more issues with it than others in the movie). I actually felt like Kim stuck with dealing with her brother longer than she would have ordinarily, just to have a movie. So although interesting (especially when you find out who Marc's birth family is), I didn't find it compelling.

ART OF THE STEAL. In the early 1900s, a Philadelphia doctor made tons of money in pharmaceuticals. He bought early modernist art before it was popular and collected a premier collection, perhaps worth 25 billion (yep, billion) dollars. He was shunned by Philadelphia society, though, so in his will, he ensured that the art remain outside of the Philadelphia establishment and be used as a teaching tool, not to make money as a museum exhibit. This movie details the steps people and institutions took since the doctor's death that completely invalidated his wishes. It is a one-sided view, because those on the other side wouldn't speak to the moviemakers. It's an interesting story, and well documented. One the one hand, I feel bad the the doctor's wishes aren't being respected; one the other hand, I think it's great that this art collection can now be seen by many more people. So the movie didn't enrage me or anything.

YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF. Brett (William Hurt) is getting out of a southern jail as the movie opens, and ends up catching a ride with a couple of teenagers on the road down to New Orleans, shortly after Katrina. Gordy, the driver, is kind of an odd young man, and we can see that he is probably escaping a home life where he was not understood. Teenager Martine (Kristen Stewart) knows her truck-driving dad won't notice if she is away from home for a while. Their stories slowly come out, and they get to know each other better during the ride through the back roads of the south. The main story is what Brett did to land in jail, and the woman he left behind when he went to prison. Kind of a lackadaisical movie...Not a subtle ending, but I liked it anyway.

January movie reviews

2010-01-31T18:12:00.000-08:00

AVATAR. Human beings have come to another planet - Pandora - where they intend to mine a precious mineral. Unfortunately, the mineral is located under a tree sacred to the indigenous people, the Na'vi, who live in harmony with all living things on their world. The humans can create avatars that look like the 10-feet tall, blue Na'vi, and Sigourney Weaver runs a program doing anthropological studies on them. She hopes to learn enough to convince them to relocate without the need for violence. On her team is a Marine who is a paraplegic (so he especially appreciates being in the avatar's body). He is captured by the locals, and begins to learn their ways. Meanwhile, the Na'vi people won't leave their homes, so the human military is determined to forcibly move them. I would say there isn't much that is original about the plot - and it's pretty heavy-handed - but director James Cameron has created such a beautifully realized world on Pandora that the movie is still well worth seeing. He did an amazing job making the world and the people believable. Too bad the story wasn't better.

CRAZY HEART. Jeff Bridges play Bad Blake, a down on his luck country singer. His days of playing big venues is long gone, and he is reduced to playing bowling alleys and such. Into one of his shows comes Maggie Gyllenhaal to interview him for a local paper. She is attracted to him and they will over time become friends, and then more than friends. I have to say, even though it is Jeff Bridges, I can't see any sensible woman being attracted to a sweaty, smoking, old alcoholic like Bad Blake. But, anyway, she will bring something out in him that he hasn't felt in a while. And her young son really brings out the goodness in him. Maybe he'll be redeemed by the love of a good woman. Or maybe not. Jeff Bridge is being acclaimed for his acting, but the movie was just OK for me. It would have helped if I could understand what Maggie saw in him. This is being compared to WRESTLER, and I can see that.

IT'S COMPLICATED. Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin have been divorced for over a decade (Alex cheated on her, and eventually married a young hottie). During their son's graduation, they get drunk and end up sleeping with each other. And Alex admits that life with his new wife isn't all that he had hoped. So it isn't just a one-time fling. Complications (ha!) ensue, including Meryl's attraction to her architect, Steve Martin. The movie is pretty cute, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't seen so many of the cute scenes in previews. Nothing special, but if you haven't seen many previews, it's a lightweight flick worth a look.

A TOWN CALLED PANIC. This low-tech claymation feature from Belgium is not your ordinary animated movie. It involves roommates Horse, Cowboy, and Indian. Horse is the leader and brains in the house. Cowboy and Indian want to get Horse a birthday present, but a mistake in their order makes things go horribly awry. And things just get stranger and stranger, including visits under the ocean and to the poles. Their crazy adventures are very silly, but I was smiling pretty much the whole time, so I guess I have to say it was a fun movie.

YOUNG VICTORIA. The young princess Victoria was over-protected by her parents, and her step-father wants to be the power between the throne. He is actually rather abusive to her. Once she becomes Queen, various factions want her married off to a suitor of their choice. And since she is so inexperienced, she has to rely on someone to help her rule, in this case the prime minister. One of her suitors is Prince Albert of Germany. Even though they both know they are being manipulated by others, Albert and Victoria still feel an attraction for each other. Now, I know a superficial love story between 19th century royalty isn't going to be many people's cup of tea, but I enjoyed the movie.

BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS. Nicholas Cage is a sergeant in the New Orleans police dept. during the Katrina disaster. When trying to save someone, he hurts his back. Six months and a promotion later, he is addicted to pain killers and cocaine. He also has gambling debts. He is one big mess, but he is still on the job. Four days after seeing this movie, I can barely remember the plot. It was so bizarre. It was cleverly resolved, but...not memorable.

Favorite movies of 2009

2010-01-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

There were a lot of terrific movies this year, but my top two (I couldn't decide which was tops) were the very different INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (Aug) and THE HURT LOCKER (July). AN EDUCATION (Oct) was a close third. I also really enjoyed THE INFORMANT (Sept), FUNNY PEOPLE (Aug)and UP IN THE AIR (Dec).

The Best Animated - UP (May). PRINCESS AND THE FROG was very good, but UP is a classic.

The Funniest - THE HANGOVER (June).

Best Science Fiction - STAR TREK (if you want to call it sci-f :-) (May)). DISTRICT 9 (Aug), and MOON (June).

Best Foreign films - from Japan DEPARTURES (June), from Sweden EVERLASTING MOMENTS (Apr), and the Denmark FLAME AND CITRON (Aug).

Best Documentary - HARVARD BEATS YALE 29-29 (Mar).

Best Relationship Movies - (5OO) DAYS OF SUMMER (Jul) and ADAM (Sept).

Best Sports Movies - SUGAR (May)and DAMNED UNITED. (Oct)

December movie reviews

2010-01-02T10:02:00.000-08:00

UP IN THE AIR. George Clooney is Ryan Bingham, who is on the road 300+ days a year in his job as a hired gun firing employees for companies who don't can't bring themselves to fire their employees. He seems to take pride in his job, and he is good at it. He also really loves accumulating the frequent flier miles, with a goal of getting to some super elite status. He is OK leading a life with no human connections (he also teaches seminars telling people it is good to have no personal baggage). When his company threatens to ground him, he takes a new employee on the road to show her the ropes. The young woman is understandably appalled by his lifestyle and attitudes. A second story line involves Ryan meeting a woman (Vera Farmiga) that sparks something in him. (She is a commitment-phobe as well). He is surprised that she is someone he actually wants to spend time with. The movie doesn't go to expected places, and while very funny at times, is also quite touching. And Clooney is perfect for the role. A definite two-thumbs up.

INVICTUS. After Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) was released from prison in the early 1990’s and became president in South Africa, he was faced with the daunting task of trying to bring his country together. One of the methods he used to unite people was to encourage the South Africa rugby team (captained by Matt Damon) to be competitive in time for the 1994 World Cup, which was going to be held in South Africa. The team had been hated by the country's black population- rugby was overwhelmingly a white man's sport, and the team was a symbol of black oppression. But Mandela sees the power of sports on the national psyche. Although the movie ends with a climatic rugby match, this isn't a typical inspirational sports movie. It is more an intellectual look at politics, how leadership works, and about the political savvy of Mandela. He is a brilliant man. This is a good (not great) movie.

THE BLIND SIDE. LeeAnn Twohy (Sandra Bullock) is a well-to-do designer in Memphis Tennessee - a steel magnolia Southern woman. While driving home one evening, she discovers a teenage boy walking out in the freezing cold. Realizing he has nowhere to go, she lets him stay the night in her house. She discovers he has no home (no dad, taken from mom because she was addicted to crack, kicked out of a friend's house), and eventually the teenager becomes part of her family. Not just that, LeeAnn makes sure he does well in school so he can play football. This is based on the true story of Michael Oher, who is now a professional football player. I was surprised by how much I liked this movie. It is inspirational without being treacly or preachy.

A SINGLE MAN. George (Colin Firth) is an English professor in 1962 Los Angeles. Eight months earlier, he lost his long-time lover in a car accident. And he is not getting over his grief. And, because he is gay, he really can't share how devastated he is with anyone (except one old friend played by Julianne Moore). His pain is palpable, and he doesn't see a future. He is just going through the motions. He has a gun... Now, I will agree with all the critics that are raving about Colin Firth's performance, because he really does an amazing job, both in the grieving and in the flashbacks to his life with his lover. But as far as the movie goes, despite the outstanding acting, the recreation of the 1960s, and the style of the film, I thought it was too low-key. Watching a man being depressed (practically catatonic) for the first half of the movie nearly put me in a coma.

PRINCESS AND THE FROG. This is a delightful movie by Disney, with the look of their classic animated films. The pictures of jazz-era New Orleans are beautifully drawn. This is an updated Disney, though, because the lead character, Tiana, doesn't want to marry a prince. She is working hard make her dream of having a restaurant come true. When a ne'er do well prince arrives in town, the prince gets involved with a practitioner of voodoo, and before you know it, the prince is a frog. He will involve Tiana in his predicament and they will end up in the swamp befriended by a firefly and an alligator. And so it goes in the Disney way. Catchy tunes with a New Orleans feel by Randy Newman. I thought this was a very sweet movie. At one point I even had a tear in my eye. Awwww.

ME AND ORSON WELLES. Zac Efron is Richard, a wanna-be actor in 1937 New York. One day he is outside the Mercury Theater, and Orson Welles hires him for a bit part in his play "Caesar", opening in a week. The movie follows the young kid's introduction into how much it takes to put on a theatrical show. Plus he has his first romance. And he learns the pros and cons of dealing with a genius like Welles. The movie's real highlight is Orson Welles, who was such a fascinating man. Although I somewhat liked the movie, I think it would probably be more for viewers who know a little background about Welles and the Mercury Theater, because there are some historical references that might be lost otherwise. (Although I am not sure they are important.) I enjoyed the movie, but other than a great performance by the guy playing Welles (you can really believe it is Welles), I am only mildly enthusiastic about it.

EVERYBODY'S FINE. Robert DeNiro is a recently widowed, retired factory worker. When all of his kids (including Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, and Kate Beckinsale) bail on a family get-together, he goes on the road to visit each of the four in their various home cities. Of course, he finds during the visits that all of the kids have issues/problems he didn't know about. Part of the communication problem lay in the fact that dad expected a lot of his kids, so they are afraid to disappoint him. There are no big reveals, nothing over the top. Nothing unpredictable either. Although not exactly a ground-breaking family drama, it was a decent enough movie. It least it isn't overly sentimental or tear-jerking. But not really worth the price of a ticket.

November movie reviews

2009-11-30T19:37:00.000-08:00

Lots of great performances, but no films I'd see again.

THE ROAD. It's sometime in the future, and humanity is on the brink. Something apocalyptic has happened – no animals survive, most crops are gone, fires everywhere, earthquakes, and most plant life is dying. Only a few humans are left, and things are so dire that some are resorting to cannibalism. A father (Viggo Mortensen) and young son are on the move, trying to make it to the coast. The father is doing everything he can to protect his son (even teaching him how to commit suicide if capture by cannibals is imminent). The landscapes in the movie are great visuals of the devastation, and I really felt the father's desperate need to give his son a life with hope, but the movie is a tad slow moving, and really, so bleak, it's hard to recommend.

PRECIOUS. Clarisse Precious Jones is 16 years old, nearly illiterate, morbidly obese, and pregnant with her second child. She lives in 1989 Harlem, and her home life is filled with abuse of all kinds. But a teacher sees her potential, and recommends her for an alternative school where she gets one-on-one attention. And that helps her start to come out of her shell and begin asserting herself. The movie is very well-acted, and I think I was supposed to find it inspirational, but Precious' mother is such a monster, and the abuse so horrific, I just couldn't appreciate the movie. It just bummed me out.

THE MESSENGER. A sergeant is back from Iraq, recovering from his wounds. He isn't fit for combat duty anymore, so until his tour of duty is up, the Army puts him on the detail that notifies military families that their loved ones have died. Not easy duty. A captain (Woody Harrelson) shows him the ropes. Number one rule - don't get involved with the families. But the sergeant can't help developing feelings for one of the widows (Samantha Morton). Great performances and a good depiction of how war can wound men, but for some reason this movie didn't really engage me. I felt like I'd seen this emotionally wounded soldier before. It didn't seem as original as THE HURT LOCKER, which I liked quite a bit. That showed a completely different negative effect of war on soldiers, one you don't often see (adrenaline junkies).

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. Max is a wild little boy, lonely, imaginative, with the typical ups and downs of childhood. One day he behaves really badly, even biting his mother. At her reaction, he runs away, across the sea, to the land where the wild things (big monsters, looking just like Maurice Sendak drew them) live. He declares himself king, and with them, he does all the things little boys like to do, like build forts and have battles. The wild things mostly represent his emotions, with Max being closest to Carol, who also has fits of rage. (There's also the sweet monster, the one nobody listens to, the complainer, etc.) But Max must eventually go home, where all is well once again. Well done, but too mature for kids, and I just wasn't all that interested in the fantasies of a little boy. I can't identify.

THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX. Animated film based on a book by Roald Dahl. Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) has promised his wife he will settle down and not hunt chickens anymore. But he wants to live a full life, so he moves his family out of a burrow and onto a hillside with a view overlooking the poultry farmers. And decides he must have that one last score. But he gets in trouble, and he and all his (animal) neighbors bear the wrath of the farmers coming down on him. This is a weird little movie, which shouldn't be a surprise, since it was directed by Wes Anderson (Royal Tanenbaums, Darjaleeng Express). I couldn't get into it. I felt like I should be taking psychedelics to appreciate it.

PIRATE RADIO. In 1966 Britain, BBC Radio would only play one hour of rock and roll music a day. So ships offshore would set up radio stations and play the music 24/7. This movie is about one of those ships. The crew is a cast of characters; the owner (Bill Nighy), the American (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the young guy, the dumb guy, the sexy guy... Occasionally amusing, but there's just no story here. There's no character development. It's the music of my adolescence, so I enjoyed that, but I would recommend just buying the soundtrack rather than seeing the movie.

SKIN. Sandra Laing was born in 1950's South Africa. Her parents (Alice Krige and Sam Neill) were white, but she looked black. This was a problem for the system of apartheid. Because the law insisted everyone be classified one way or the other, she was classified white, then "colored", and back and forth. Her father loved her and fought very hard for her to be classified white (if she wasn't she could have been taken away from her parents, couldn't go to good schools, etc). He fought for her to be white because he knew her life would be better is she were white, but she didn't look white, and so wasn't accepted. Even her father was actually quite racist. He insisted she date white boys, but that wasn't working out so well for her. She ends up living in the black community, but that's not a panacea for her troubles. It's an unbelievable story, but true, so this movie really points out the ludicrous-ness and evil of apartheid, but for some reason the movie didn't move me. It might be because I knew the general facts of the story from the previews, so seeing the movie didn't add a whole lot. Sophie Okonedo plays Sandra, and does a good job, but as the real Sandra said, the end of apartheid came too late for her, leaving the viewer just feeling bad for her.

October movie reviews

2009-11-01T12:34:00.000-08:00

AN EDUCATION. In early 1960's Britain, schoolgirl Jennie is in a big hurry to grow up. She wants to speak French, go to nightclubs, be with people who appreciate art. She is on the path to going to Oxford, but one day she meets an older man (Peter Saarsgard) who introduces her to all the things she wants. He also enchants her parents, and they let her go out with him, despite the nearly 20 year difference in their ages. But something isn't quite right with him. Turns out Jennie will get quite an education from him. I really liked how well this movie depicts a teenager's desperate desire to be and do "adult" things, even if they aren't quite ready for them. Quite good (and based on a true story).

WHIP IT. Seventeen-year-old Bliss (Ellen Page) lives in small-town Bodeen, Texas, and doesn't quite fit in. She works at a local diner and her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) makes her participate in beauty pageants, which just aren't her thing. One day, on a lark, her and a friend go to Austin to watch a women's roller derby event. And Bliss is enthralled. She pulls out her Barbie roller skates and starts practicing, and she makes the team. So begins her growing up during the derby season of hard knocks on and off the track. This isn't a terribly original sports movie, but it was a fun grrl power flick. I liked it.

ZOMBIELAND. Jesse Eisenberg is surviving in a world taken over by zombies. And he does it by religiously adhering to certain rules (do cardio, avoid bathrooms, etc). He's always been a loner, but now that he has no choice, he misses people. Trying to get home from college, he and Woody Harrelson team up to survive. On the way, of course, they must kill and kill and kill zombies. Very tongue in cheek, with lots of gore, the movie is pretty darn funny.

THE INVENTION OF LYING. Marc (Ricky Gervais) lives in a world where no one can lie. About anything. He works writing scripts for "Lecture Movies" because only non-fiction works can exist. He goes on blind dates where the dates flat out tell him that he's a loser (so do the waiters!). The world of advertising is quite different ("Pepsi - it's what you drink when they don't have the other one.") One day, in an especially stressful moment, he finds that he can tell a lie. Which leads to all sorts of complications. This is a brilliant idea, and the movie has some real laugh-out-loud gags. The movie doesn't give the love of Marc's life (Jennifer Garner) enough of a personality, so I thought she came off rather shallow. And the movie has a religious theme that I thought was too heavy handed. But still, it was definitely funny enough to make up for the weaknesses.

THE DAMNED UNITED. Bryan Clough (Michael Sheen) is a coach for a small soccer team in the late 1960s. He is very ambitious, and works up quite a rivalry with the coach of the leading team (Leeds United) in England. (Not that the rival coach realizes it.) Along with his assistant (Timothy Spall), they make their small team one of the best in England. Then Bryan gets the chance to coach the Leeds team when that coach retires. And he fails miserably. The movie goes back and forth from his earlier successes to his later downfall. This isn't really a soccer movie, but a terrific story of the rise and fall of one man. (Based on a true story.)

CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY. I don't think Michael Moore is the most intellectual of filmmakers, but he knows how to put together an entertaining documentary. This one takes on the current economic conditions and how we got here. There is info on deregulation, the tax code, insurance scams, and the foreclosure crisis. There is a really interesting tidbit about how FDR wanted there to be an economic bill of rights for all Americans. Moore is even able to circle back to his first movie (Roger and Me) and take a look at GM and what has happened to his hometown employer. Not much analysis, and no solutions (socialism?), but it was an enjoyable movie experience.

GOOD HAIR. Chris Rock takes a look at black women and their hair in this documentary. He interviews activists, entertainers, politicians, hair dressers and ordinary women in the beauty shop. He explores straighteners, weaves, industry shows, company ownership of black products, and other topics. There isn't enough real analysis of the issue of women and their looks, and the movie is kind of all over the place, so it's not a great documentary, but it was interesting (I did not know how much weaves cost!) and Chris Rock is always good for a funny line for sure.

BRIGHT STAR. In the early 1800's, Fannie Braune was a young woman known for her sewing and fashion sense. Her neighbor makes fun of her, but she holds her own with him. One day, she meets his roommate, John Keats. They don't get along at first either, but she is curious about his poems and he agrees to explain his poetry to her. Eventually they become romantically attracted to each other and their relationship develops into a passionate but chaste love affair. They can't get married because he has no money. Then he gets TB, goes to Italy and dies. That's it. Directed by Jane Campion (she did The Piano), it is beautifully shot and well acted. But it didn't grab me. If you are a fan of costume dramas, unrequited love stories, or romantic poetry, this might be for you.

A SERIOUS MAN. From the Coen Brothers, this movie takes place in 1967 Minnesota. Larry is a physics professor, and he is just an ordinary guy leading an ordinary suburban life. But he is having a string of bad luck - wife wants to leave him, money troubles, loser brother, etc. With the exception of his son's upcoming bar mitzvah, it seems like there is no joy in his life. He goes to a series of rabbis in an attempt to understand why all this is happening to him. But he gets no answers, and although he is trying to do the right thing, he is pretty passive about life. I guess the movie's theme is that a person's character doesn't necessarily determine his fate - bad things happen to good people. But for me, what a snoozefest. Some reviewers are finding it funny, but I rarely did.

September movie reviews

2009-10-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

THE INFORMANT! Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) is a corporate vice-president at Archer Daniels Midland, a major agribusiness company. When he tells his supervisors that a Japanese competitor is sabotaging their factory, they call in the FBI (Scott Bakula and Joel McHale) to tap his phone. This leads to Mark telling the FBI about much bigger problems at ADM; that is, ADM is involved in a world-wide price fixing scheme. So Mark becomes an informant for the FBI. He is very naive about what this will mean for his future, even though the FBI keeps trying to get him to understand the ramifications of being an informant. So there is something a little bit off about Mark, which will become more and more obvious as the investigation wears on. Although based on a true story, director Steven Soderbergh has made this into a very funny movie. Matt Damon is really really good as a brilliant goofball with issues. I thought this was a wickedly entertaining movie.

NO IMPACT MAN. This documentary follows the Beavan family for a one year. Colin Beavan is a New York City writer of non-fiction. For his next work he decides he wants his book to be more meaningful. So he decides to embark on an experiment of living in such a way that he has no impact on the environment, and write about it. First he, his wife and daughter eat only locally grown food and only travel by bike or foot. Soon they won't buy anything new, and six months in, they turn off the electricity. Colin knows that on some level the experiment is a gimmick, but he is thoughtful about what they are doing. His wife is a Starbucks-loving, clothes shopping, TV watching fiend, so the experiment is much tougher on her, which actually makes the story more interesting. You get more of a pro and con of it, as opposed to a true-believer viewpoint only. I found the movie fun. It's not a lecture that we should do everything, but more examples of things people can try to reduce their carbon footprint.

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE. This documentary follows the putting-together of the September 2007 issue of Vogue, their biggest issue ever (five pounds!) The focus is Anna Wintour, the editor. She is always dressed perfectly, as if imperfections can not be tolerated. She is not given to explaining her decisions. She isn't a holy terror (despite her being the inspiration for THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA), but she doesn't appear to have much in the way of warmth or humor. (The only crack in her armor seems to be when she admits her siblings find what she does frivolous.) The movie would be dull dull dull if it were only about her. But Vogue's creative director, Grace Coddington, also has a large role in the movie, and she is the more interesting of the two. A former model, she appears to care less about fashion and more about art. At least, that is what her photo shoots (and her appearance) seem to imply. And she gives the movie insight into Wintour. The movie really doesn't explain how a magazine is put together, nor does it try to explain why or if fashion should be important. But the contrast between the two women made it moderately interesting to me.

ADAM. The movie opens as Adam (Hugh Dancy) attends his father's funeral. He seems to be a bit unemotional about it all. He goes back home and finds a pretty girl (Rose Byrne) named Beth is moving into his apartment building. They chat, but although he is extremely bright she realizes something is a little off about him. After a few meetings, he finally tells her - he has Asberger's Syndrome, and as a result has great difficult connecting with people. But nevertheless, he has a charming way about him, and they actually fall in love. In a side story, Beth's parents (Amy Irving and Peter Gallagher) are worried about her, and keep Dad's impending indictment a secret from her. I thought this was a lovely love story. Unlike most movie relationships, this one doesn't involve initial loathing and/or overpowering sexual attraction. The couple get to know each other, work through issues, have ups and downs, etc. I really liked it.

THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX. The German nominee for best foreign movie last year follows the history of the Red Army Faction terrorist group in Germany beginning in the late 1960s. Like much of the western world, youth are becoming very disenchanted with the way things are (Vietnam, imperialist aggression...) , and in Germany there is the extra impulse to make sure something like Nazism never happens again. So young people unite to fight the power through violence (something like the Weather Underground in the U.S.). Baader appears to be a charismatic psychopath while Meinhof was a leftist journalist who becomes a member of the gang. They use Marxist-Leninist ideology and even when things go horribly wrong, they justify their actions, which continued though the 1990s. The movie does not take a position on the group, but merely recounts their actions and words, leaving the viewer to try to understand them. Although politics were their reason for coming into being, they got more and more violent, bombing establishments, robbing banks, and killing not only politicians and businessmen, but innocent bystanders as well. And being self-righteous about it. I enjoyed the movie, and found it interesting, and apparently it is very factual. I wanted to know more about the group after seeing the movie (even at 144 minutes). It's a big story.

MY ONE AND ONLY. Ann (Renee Zellweger) is married to a NYC band leader (Kevin Bacon), and when she finds him cheating one more time, she takes her two teenage sons and hits the road. Her goal is to find another man to take care of her (it's the 1950s), but she is middle aged now, and it's not going to be as easy as it was when she was a young Southern belle. So there are a series of men, and some ups and downs on the road. I have seen several versions of this story (self-centered moms taking their kids on road trips of one kind or another). but this is apparently loosely based on George Hamilton's childhood, and the personalities were well-drawn. A fun two hours.

STILL WALKING. This Japanese movie begins with a couple and son on the train. They are heading to a family reunion at his parents. During the reunion, it becomes clear that an older son has died, and that has had negative affects on the both son and the parents. The father is bitter because the son that was following in his footsteps (as a doctor) died, and his younger son can't fill the older son's shoes. (A daughter doesn't seem to be as traumatized.) Mom does all the work, Dad stays in his office and his cranky. It's just a realistic day, with normal familial tensions, in the life of this family. Except they haven't seemed to have moved on at all after the son's death, which happens some years ago. There is still a lot of bitterness and recriminations, to the extent that it makes the family seem kind of hateful. As far as I can tell, all families have ups and downs, and this movie didn't do anything special for me. I think critics like this movie because there is no fake drama, but it was so understated, I didn't much care.

EXTRACT. This comedy is Mike Judge's follow-up (in a sense) to OFFICE SPACE. This time he is telling a story from the boss's point of view. Jason Bateman runs an extract factory, and everybody who works on the factory floor is an idiot. One worker has illusions of grandeur because he has moved up, another pays more attention to how other people are performing (or not) rather than doing her job, one can barely drive the forklift (that's his job), etc. At one point, one of the idiots is hurt on the job because of the actions of another idiot, and the boss is in danger of being sued and losing the business. Things aren't so great at home either, as Jason's marriage is sexless, and friend Ben Affleck gives him some bad advice on how to deal with that. JK Simmons plays the manager who reports to Jason (he never even bothers to learn the employees' names, just calls them all "dinkus"), and JK is always good. But I found the movie only occasionally amusing (I am mystified by a 62% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.) A real disappointment after OFFICE SPACE.

WORLD'S GREATEST DAD. Robin Williams is Lance, a high school poetry teacher who is a failed novelist, and not all that popular a teacher either. He is also a single father to a truly vile adolescent boy named Kyle. Kyle is just a hateful punk, but Dad does his best to connect, to support, to do what he can for the kid. (This is Robin Williams in his depressed mode, not his manic mode.) When tragedy strikes, Dad goes even further in helping his son, re-writing Kyle's story to make the kid seem deep and not such a loser. Kyle then becomes the hero of the high school. Lance, however, becomes a little uncomfortable with the lie he is is living. This is a really odd little movie, but I can't say that I am sorry I saw it.

August movie reviews

2009-08-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. Quentin Tarantino brings two WWII stories together. Chapter One opens in a farmhouse in rural France. Nazis, led by the unctuous Colonel Landa, drive up. Immediately you feel foreboding about the fate of the farmer and his daughters. In Chapter Two, a group of American soldiers (led by Brad Pitt) make it their mission to hunt down and terrorize Nazis. There are three more chapters (including Revenge of the Giant Head), and the Colonel, the Basterds, and a young woman from the farmhouse will eventually meet in Paris. That's all the plot I will give away, but this is the ultimate revenge fantasy. If you liked PULP FICTION, I would think you would like this. It's classic Tarantino - sudden violence, unpredictable turns of events, great dialog, humor, acting, cool music. I liked it a lot.

DISTRICT 9. This is a science fiction action movie with a brain. Here, a spaceship hovers over Johannesburg for months. Finally the humans break in to the ship, only to find all the aliens weak and dying. So, in a humanitarian gesture, they bring the aliens down and settle them in a relocation camp. But it quickly becomes a violent slum and the humans start stereotyping the aliens. (Humans refer to the aliens as prawns, although I think they are more lobster-like.) So the humans attempt to move the aliens to a camp further out of town. Apartheid, anyone? Anyway, stuff happens when the humans try to relocate all the aliens. There were lots of explosions, and an evil corporation, but still pretty smart for an action movie. Pretty entertaining stuff.

FUNNY PEOPLE. Ira Wright (Seth Rogan) works in a deli and does stand-up comedy during open mike nights. He really isn't very good yet. He has one roommate (Jonah Hill) who is becoming more successful at stand-up, and another (Jason Schwartzman) who has gotten a lowbrow cable TV show. On a whole other level is mega-successful George Simmons (Adam Sandler), a former stand-up comedian who has become very rich and famous making movies (like Merman and Re-do, where he reverts to being a baby). One day George gets bad news from the doctor - he has leukemia and only a slim chance to live. So as a way to cope, he goes back to doing stand-up, where he meets Ira, and asks Ira to write some jokes for him and be his assistant. George has alienated most of the people in his life, so in his time of need he and Ira become friends. Ira convinces George that Ira should bring his former friends and family back into his life. He does, and he contacts the "girl who got away". This Judd Apatow-directed movie (KNOCKED UP, 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN) has some really serious themes (death, friendship, infidelity) but because it revolves around the lives of comedians (lots of cameos, too), it is also very funny. Well worth seeing.

AFGHAN STAR. This documentary follows four finalists in Afghanistan's version of American Idol. Two are women, two men, and all four from different ethnic groups. One of the women isn't traditional enough for many Afghans, and singing on the show will get her on the conservatives hit lists. The two boys, it seemed to me, were like boy-band teen idols. The show's producer was a man on the make. Quite an entertaining movie. What really struck me was how, despite all the hardships they have been through (being at war for nearly 30 years, more or less), most of the Afghans were seeking to join the modern world. And the TV show was bringing Afghans together on some level, because people would vote for favorites who weren't in their ethnic group. Interesting.

FLAME AND CITRON. The movie, based on fact, follows two members of the Danish Resistance in WWII. Flame (a redhead) is younger and more impetuous. Citron is older and more aware of the chances for things going wrong. He is trying to maintain his relationship with his wife, but given that he is mostly in hiding, his marriage is falling apart. Their job is killing Nazi collaborators. It's not an easy job, and is having a psychological toll on them both. Then a woman, who claims to be a courier between the Danes and the Swedes appears, and Flame starts getting really paranoid. Are people they work with actually infiltrators? Flame even starts to suspect that their manager is misleading them, and having them kill people he wants eliminated. And the Nazis are closing in. Because these aren't famous people, I didn't know what happens to them, and found it a gripping movie, very good. In Danish.

PRESSURE COOKER. Documentary about high school kids in an inner city school in Philadelphia who are studying culinary arts in hopes of getting scholarships and getting out of the ghetto. One is a football star, one is a girl who immigrated from Mali and needs to get away from strict parents who won't let her do anything, and the third takes care of her blind sister (who she loves), and wants to go to college so she can live her own life) . Their teacher is a tough task master, because she is committed to helping the kids. She is also, as one of the students says, somewhat lacking in social skills. She can be a hoot. I like most documentaries, and although this one isn't a great movie, I liked the kids and teacher enough to enjoy the movie.

JULIA AND JULIE. The movie beings with Julie (Amy Adams), a failed writer with a job that is drudgery. All her college friends have passed her by, success-wise, and she isn't happy about it. She gets the idea of writing a blog while she cooks all 500-plus recipes from Julia Child's MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING. Then the movie switches to showing Julia Child (Meryl Streep) in 1949 Paris, where she is the at-loose-ends wife of a diplomat. The movie then moves back and forth between the two stories, and tries to show parallels between the two lives. The Julia Child story is more interesting, as Julia faced quite a few obstacles in her journey from housewife to cook to writer. Although Amy Adams is adorable as usual, Julie's story is less compelling, because she basically is just writing a blog and having periodic meltdowns, which doesn't make her all that attractive. Julie says that Julie saved her life, but I am not quite sure how, other than the blog got her a book deal and made her famous. But regardless, this is a good movie, nothing monumental, but an OK way to spend two hours.

TAKING WOODSTOCK. Demitri Martin stars in this Ang Lee movie about how the Woodstock festival came to be in Bethel, New York. Demitri has failed as an artist/designer in New York City, and has come home to help his parents run their rundown (really rundown) hotel. His dad is pretty beat down, and his mother is flat-out a horrible person. But he tries to help them out, and the town, and becomes head of the local Chamber of Commerce. When he hears that the first venue has backed out of hosting the concert, he works to bring it to his town. You probably know the rest. Honestly, this movie just fell flat for me. None of the characters (Vietnam vet with PTSD, drag queen, hippie chick) has much depth. The horrible mom is probably the most interesting character. I wouldn't even rent this movie, although I might watch it for free on TV.

YOO HOO MRS. GOLDBERG. This documentary is about Gertrude Berg, a pioneer on early television. She started writing and acting on radio doing a show about a Jewish immigrant family. When TV started, she created what was essentially the first family sitcom on TV. (She had the I Love Lucy time slot before Lucille Ball was on TV.) She also was tangentially involved in the McCarthy blacklisting of the 50's. A well done documentary, with lots of interviews of people who were there skillfully interwoven with clips from the times. I had never heard of the woman, and since I am interested in history/pop culture, I thought it was worthwhile to see.

YOUSSOU NDOUR. I BRING WHAT I LOVE. This documentary on African singer Youssou Ndour briefly touches on his background, and then revolves around his decision to make a record celebrating his religion. He is from Senegal, where 90% of the population are Sufi, a mystical version of Islam. He makes the album, but it is not a real success in his country, although it is more so in Europe (it appears). There is also some controversy from people who feel one shouldn't sing pop songs about Islam. Anyway, he gets nominated for a grammy, etc,, etc. He is a fascinating person, because he has done a lot of work for human rights in Africa, but I found the movie way too long, with clips of his singing the songs at the concerts repetitive. It didn't help that I didn't care for the music (to my untrained ears it sounded like a mix of some African rhythms, but more a Middle Eastern vibe). And the lyrics, for someone not into Sufisim, not very enlightening. So, no. But well-reviewed by the critics.

July movie reviews

2009-07-31T19:42:00.000-07:00

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER. Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is the kind of guy who believes in and is waiting for true love, while Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is more of a enjoy life today, no-commitment kind of girl. They meet at work, and the movie follows the 500 days of their relationship. And tells you right off the bat that this is "not a love story". It's a more realistic look at a relationship, with the highs and lows, ups and downs. Here are two people that are both good, likeable people, but just not meant for each other. And the movie does something else very interesting by not following the story in chronological order: there's their meeting, breakup, fun times, bad days, shown in non-chronological order. It's an interesting tactic. It's a funny movie, well-acted, with a plot line you don't often see. Very enjoyable.

THE HURT LOCKER. The movie begins with a quote about how addictive war can be. The story follows the work of a bomb demolition team in Iraq as they go from threat to threat. One of the sergeants is bold and remains calm even during the most stressful situations, the second sergeant is cautious and by the book, and the third soldier is a young recruit who is afraid, admits he is afraid, and just wants to get out alive. And just like the characters, we know at any moment that their world could explode. But the movie's not about stuff exploding, it's about the men who do the work and how it affects them. This is terrific movie making, maintaining a high level of tension throughout the entire movie. Really good.

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. This one has Harry continuing to fight the evil forces of Voldemort (with Dumbledore's assistance) while Draco Malfoy appears to be going over to the dark side. The Death Eaters are threatening Hogwarts; things are looking grim all over. And both Harry and Hermione have unrequited crushes on schoolmates. There is a new teacher, and more mysteries. I don't read the books, and I missed the last movie, so I have to admit I sometimes haven't a clear idea on all the nuances of what is going on. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this movie, the kids' growth into teenagers, and the especially the special effects. Although I could live without another Quidditch match.

HUMPDAY. This indie comedy begins with a young couple in bed. From their realistic conversation you immediately get the feeling that they are a really cool couple. In the middle of the night, a old friend of the husband's knocks on the door and crashes at their place. The friend is more the free-spirit, an artist who has been traveling the world. The next night, the husband and the friend end up at an bohemian party, where they hear about Humpfest, a movie festival of amateur porn. The two guys are getting quite drunk, and they start talking smack to each other, eventually each saying that they would have sex with each other (even though they are both straight), and make a very arty porn movie for the festival. When they sober up, neither wants to back down on their commitment to make the movie. The husband doesn't want to back down because he doesn't want to be seen as all traditional and ruled by his wife, and the friend doesn't want to back down because he doesn't want to be seen as someone who maybe isn't as free as he purports to be. So they keep talking about how they are actually going to make this movie. And talking about it, because neither wants to back out. Not a knee slapper, but a pretty amusing movie.

PUBLIC ENEMIES. The movie opens with John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) escaping from jail. The crime wave sweeping the county is making the FBI look bad, so J. Edgar Hoover appoints Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to track Dillinger (and others) down. The movie follows the two as their paths criss-cross until their final meeting. There are several loud gun battles. John apparently loves his coat-check girlfriend (Marion Cotillard). But other than that, I didn't learn much about the characters. And there is a large cast of characters that I found confusing (both all the FBI men and all the people in Dillinger's gang). To the movie's credit, it is well-researched and doesn't try to make Dillinger out to be a hero. But the movie was too long and for me, except for the girlfriend, lacked any emotional component. Not a bad movie, but with such a great cast, I guess I was expecting more.

IN THE LOOP. This British movie follows a group of British and American politicians and their toadie aides in the run up to an unnamed war in the Middle East. Things are moving very quickly before a U.N. vote. Some don't want war, some do, but most just want to make sure they keep their jobs and power. This political satire reminded me in some ways of a very fast paced Dr. Strangelove. Very smart movie, although at times the Brit slang lost me. But there are still plenty of funny lines, to be sure. Probably I would get even more out of it through a second viewing, but I am not sure I want to see it again anytime soon. The fast pace was pretty intense, actually. I need a breather.

June movie reviews

2009-06-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

THE HANGOVER. Four guys head to Vegas for a bachelor party. One is the future groom, one is a mild-mannered dentist, one is a morally challenged teacher, and the fourth is the future brother-in-law, who is a more than a little on the odd side. The morning after arrival, three of them wake up in their totally trashed hotel suite with no memory of what went on the night before. They also can't find the groom-to-be. So begins their quest to figure out what they did the night before and where their lost friend is. They follow clues to a hospital, Mike Tyson's house, a wedding chapel... Although politically incorrect at times, this movie has wildly funny parts if you aren't particularly sensitive with regards to how crass men have the potential to be. You definitely want to see an unedited version of this one.

MOON. A couple of decades from now, Sam Rockwell is working on a mining operation on the far side of the moon. He has signed a contract where he works at the job for three years, for the most part just doing routine maintenance. He is the only worker there. He gets the occasional video from his wife on Earth (no live feeds) and his only company is a robot (voiced by Kevin Spacey, who sounds very HAL-like). It's near the end of Sam's contract, and he is going a little stir crazy. He starts seeing things, and one day he sees himself. Is he hallucinating? Is he dead? Not a lot of science fiction movies get made these days. At least, not ones that don't revolve around battles and loud explosions in space. This was a good example of a sci-fi thriller. Although it had some slow pacing at the beginning, in the end I really enjoyed it.

AWAY WE GO. Burt and Rona are a 30-something couple living in a ramshackle place in the country. She is pregnant and they are happy, although she is a little concerned that they aren't living up to their potential. They go to visit his parents (hers have passed away) to share their joy, only to find out the parents plan to go live in Europe, and won't be around to help them with the baby. Without the parents' help, they realize they are free to live anywhere. So they take off to visit friends and family around the country to try and decide where they should settle down and raise their child. The movie is mostly short vignettes of each visit (Phoenix, Miami, Montreal, etc.). It doesn't appear that Burt and Rona will find a great place to settle based on their visits - all have some problems. This is an amusing movie (especially the visit with Burt's cousin in Madison), and a sweet story. Burt and Rona have real personalities, complete with flaws and quirks (Bert believes he can create an ideal family life; Rona is more realistic). And they clearly love each other. No fake fights or ridiculous conflicts. The movie isn't a must-see, but it is a pleasant diversion.

DEPARTURES. A young man plays the cello for a city orchestra. But the orchestra doesn't have a big enough audience, and he loses his job. So he and his adorable wife go back to his hometown to live in the house his mother left him. To find work, he answers a vague ad in the paper for work in "departures". It turns out the work isn't in the travel industry but instead concerns the rituals for preparing the dead for burial. At first he is appalled, but he begins to understand how much the ceremony respects the dead and helps the survivors. But the townspeople and even his wife are repelled. Of course, the movie isn't about death, but about respecting life. I would say this is like a Japanese Six Feet Under episode. It's a little long, but only because of some beautiful visuals and music. Wonderful movie; it was the winner of this year's Best Foreign Film Academy Award.

WHATEVER WORKS. Larry David stars in this Woody Allen movie. He plays the Woody Allen-like role, a grumpy misanthrope who was "almost nominated for the Nobel Prize in physics". A young woman (Rachel Evan Wood) is homeless on the streets, and against his better judgment, he takes her in for a few days. Though she is none too bright, they meet each others' needs, and they become more than friends. Then her parents arrive (Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley, Jr.), and of course they are appalled by their daughter's choice in a man. I haven't liked most Woody Allen movies in years, although critics often do. And I really hate his obsession with May-December romances. But I did really like VICKI CHRISTINA BARCELONA last year, so once again, I give him a try... But this is a real comedown from his last movie. Supposedly this is a movie in his old mold (funny), but I thought it barely amusing. Although I appreciate the theme of the movie, in the end, I think this was a poor knock-off of HANNAH AND HER SISTERS. Not worth it.

May movie reviews

2009-06-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

UP. This is the latest animated feature for Pixar, and it's wonderful. It begins with a young boy who wants to be an adventurer. He finds the adventurous girl of his dreams, and they marry, but then they settle into a life not filled with the adventures they dreamed of. Still, they are happy. When she passes away before they can fulfill their dreams, he becomes a grumpy old crank (voiced by Ed Asner, who is great at it). When a major development is being built all around his house, he decides that it is time for him to seek adventure and follow in the footsteps of the explorer he idolized as a child. So he ties a bunch of helium balloons to his house and (along with the young scout that inadvertently was on his porch), off he goes. Beautifully animated, with a heartwarming story and humor (hysterical talking dogs!), this movie has it all for the whole family. (P.S. I saw it in 3D, but I would have preferred 2D, I think.)

STAR TREK. The first "summer" movie of 2009 tells the story of how the USS Enterprise crew first came together. There is a battle with the Romulans, but I think that is secondary to the great job the movie does introducing and staying true to each of the major characters (although one makes a surprising choice that differs from his personality in the original TV show). Lots of fun for most anybody, I would think, and especially for fans of the original TV show, as there are a lot (a lot) of references to that earlier show that make it even more entertaining for those in the know.

AMERICAN VIOLET. Based on an actual event, this movie revolves a Texas single mother of four. One day while she is working at her waitress job at a diner, she is arrested and dragged off to jail. To her surprise, she is charged with selling drugs near a school. She knows she is innocent, but the best her attorney can do for her is to offer her a plea deal. She'll avoid prison time, but with a felony conviction she'll lose the government benefits she needs to take care of her kids. She bravely fights the establishment, even though the District Attorney (an evil Michael O'Keefe) does what he can to make her life miserable. (In their small town, everybody is too scared to hire her after she loses her job). She toughs it out, though, and agrees to allow the ACLU (led by Tim Blake Nelson) to bring a suit in her name, fighting the drug task forces that sweep up innocent individuals in order to get plea-bargain convictions (which win local enforcement agencies money). As a result of her case, informants can no longer be used in Texas as the sole evidence in criminal cases. This is an OK movie, but I saw a terrific PBS documentary on the small Texas town where this really happened to more than 40 people (almost all black) who were rounded up and had their rights trampled. I thought that documentary was more powerful than this movie, but my opinion of the movie might have been skewered a bit because of my previous knowledge of the story based on that documentary.

IS ANYBODY THERE? The movie begins with William, a preteen who is living with his parents in an assisted care facility with his parents. He is not happy about it and wants his room back. At the same time, he is obsessed with death and finding out what happens after we die. So much so that he sticks a tape recorder under dying people's beds to hear their last moments. That's pretty creepy. Into the house moves Clarence (Michael Caine), a retired magician who is a pretty hostile character. William and Clarence crab at each other a bit, but eventually become kind of buddies. William doesn't quite realize that Clarence has moved in to the home because he has dementia. So yeah, this is a cheery movie. Although the acting is fine, I just didn't buy the premise, especially the young boys' obsession with what comes after death. Not that interesting.

EVERY LITTLE STEP. This documentary follows a group of mostly young dancers / singers / actors as they audition for a part in a 2006 Broadway revival of A CHORUS LINE. Since that play is about the hopes and dreams of young performers as they audition, the real life story mirrors the fictional play. There are also clips from the creators of the play when it first opened in the 1970s. I am a fan of documentaries about the movie making or theater process, so I enjoyed this movie. It didn't have much dramatic tension, though, I think because there are so many auditioners that it is hard to be terribly involved in any one story. So I would guess this has somewhat of a limited audience.

RUDO Y CURSI. Rudo and Cursi are the nicknames of two bickering brothers, working on a banana plantation in southern Mexico. Their lives are pretty limited. One day a soccer scout drives through their town and discovers the brothers' talent for the game. Eventually they both end up playing in the big leagues in Mexico City. Only slightly about soccer, the movie is more about how two unsophisticated men adapt (or not) to sudden wealth and fame. One tries to use his fame to follow his true passion - being a musician. I have seen reviews that say the movie is a comedy, but I didn't find it particularly amusing. I just thought the two guys were dolts. Usually subtitles don't bother me, but in this movie there is a lot of dialog, and it's quite possible that a lot was lost in the subtitles. (Same writer and stars as in Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN.)

BROTHERS BLOOM. Adrian Brody and Mark Ruffalo are two brothers, going through life conning others out of their money. Adrian wants out, because he wants to live a real life, not one scripted by his brother. But Mark is not ready to quit. Of course, in all movies of this sort, there is going to be one last Great Con. This one involves Rachel Weisz, a very wealthy and eccentric orphan. The movie isn't awful, but for some reason the movie never grabbed me. I was too busy wondering who was conning who, and there were too many twists that seemed to me to be there just for the sake of having twists, not because they were particularly clever.

EASY VIRTUE. This is an updated version of a Noel Coward play. Jessica Biel plays Larita, an American Grand Prix driving divorcée, rather wild, who marries a British boy with a wealthy background. When he takes her home to meet his parents (Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth), Mom is not pleased. Mom is staid and old-fashioned, and wanted her son to marry the neighbor's daughter. Dad is emotionally wounded by his experiences in WWI, and pretty much checked out. There are also two sisters that have issues (one appears to be obsessed with death). Larita brings some vivaciousness into the house, but Mom hates her on sight and would love to break the young couple up. Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth are great, but I just found something not quite right about the movie. I think it was Biel - I didn't quite get the character. But still, this is a decent lightweight movie, OK for TV watching or renting.

April movie reviews

2009-05-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

ADVENTURELAND. This is movie is set in the 80's and is about a group of people in their early 20's, still trying to figure out life as adults. James has just been told that his parents can't afford to give him his college graduation gift (a trip to Europe), and in fact, he will have to find a summer job if he wants to go to grad school. Since he was a liberal arts major, he finds he is not qualified to do anything, and ends up working at the local carnival running arcade games. There he meets a cast of characters, including a girl who he falls for. Emily has more life experience than he has (James is a romantic, and still a virgin), but it's not like she has everything figured out either. They are both smart, well-developed, believable characters. Despite some of the ads, this is not a gross-out comedy. The early part of the movie is pretty amusing as James learns the ins and outs of his job and dealing with customers, and the second part is very sweet, as he and Emily get to know one another. It was an enjoyable two hours.

SIN NOMBRE. This movie from Mexico follows a teenage Honduran woman, Sayra, as she tries to immigrate to the United States with her father (who has lived in the US for years, but has been deported and is trying to get back). A parallel story follows Casper, a member of a vicious gang in Chiapas (southern Mexico) that preys on the Central American immigrants as they try to pass through their territory on freight trains. Sayra and Casper meet on one of those trains, and they help each other overcome some of the obstacles in their path. The director actually filmed in southern Mexico, and used some gang members as actors, so there is a real feeling of authenticity to the movie. It brings home the idea that illegal immigration is a risky and challenging task, certainly not something undertaken lightly. This movie is terrific use of film making, showing the realities of these journeys.

SUGAR. When the movie opens, Sugar is a young Dominican living in a baseball camp, kind of a training ground for the major and minor leagues in America. First the movie shows his life in the Dominican Republic, where his family is hoping that he will move up in baseball and support them. Then it follows him to the minor leagues, and his life both as an immigrant, and a up-and-coming baseball player. The movie is not really about baseball at all; it is about one man's experience coming to America. And I liked it quite a bit. One reason I like movies is because they can introduce you to people you will never meet and take you to places you will never go - and this movie does a wonderful job of both.

ANVIL. THE STORY OF ANVIL. In the early 1980's, Anvil was poised to take the heavy metal scene by storm. But for some reason, despite early successes, they never caught on to become stars. Although interviews with other rockers give them their props for being groundbreaking, present-day Anvil is reduced to playing small gigs in near obscurity. When they can get them. But the boys, now in their early 50's, just keep on plugging away hoping for their big break, and this documentary tells their story. Reviews are calling this a real-life Spinal Tap, and it really is, complete with cranking it up to 11 and Stonehenge. Now, I don't care for heavy metal, and I probably couldn't spend more than 5 minutes with these guys (they don't appear to be any too bright), but their incurable optimism actually makes you root for them to someday make it. It was worth the ticket price.

LYMELIFE. Alex Baldwin and his wife Jill Hennessey live unhappily on Long Island in the early 80's. Their neighbors Timothy Hutton and Cynthia Nixon aren't doing so well either, because Timothy is suffering the neurological effects of Lyme disease. Their teenage kids (one of the Caulkin boys, and Emma Roberts, Julia's niece) have their own growing pains to cope with. This is one of those all-too-common unhappy suburbanite stories, but well written and acted, so it never goes off the rails. So although it isn't anything original (man, it seems like there are a lot of Long Island kids that became filmmakers!), it was a well-done movie.

STATE OF PLAY. Russell Crowe is a grizzled newspaper reporter. Ben Affleck is an up-and-coming Congressman. When Ben's aide is killed, it is revealed that Ben was having an affair with her. While working on another murder story, Russell discovers that all is not what it seems with the aide's death, and that the deaths seem to have a link. The pieces of the puzzle aren't adding up. So he and the paper's political blogger (Rachel McAdams) start investigating a story that turns out to involve a Blackwater type company. Since Russell was college roommates with Ben (and slept with his wife, Robin Wright Penn), he is perhaps more personally involved in the story than he should be. This is a pretty good thriller with nice twists. Lots of good acting, including Helen Mirren as the newspaper editor determined to keep the newspaper alive and Jason Bateman as a sleazeball. Until the very last twist, which I thought unnecessary and ultimately made the story make less sense. But it was still a fun movie up until then.

EVERLASTING MOMENTS. This Swedish film takes place around WWI, and follows a couple's marriage over the years. He works hard on the docks, but drinks too much and becomes more and more abusive. She feels stuck in the marriage, although admittedly she loves him quite a bit when he is not drinking. She is the rock that holds the family together (and she is always getting pregnant), and works whatever job she can when her husband isn't providing for them. One day she finds a camera she forgot she had, and takes it to a shop to get some money for it. The owner of the camera shop takes pity on her, teaches her to use the camera, and fronts her the cost of supplies. And taking pictures becomes something she does. It seems to save her on some level, giving her something of her own, other than being a beat-down wife and mother. I really liked the story this movie told, which appears to have been inspired by a true story.

GOODBYE SOLO. Solo is an immigrant from Senegal driving a cab in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is studying to be a flight attendant. One day he picks up an older gentleman, who wants to make a deal with Solo. If Solo will drive William to Blowing Rock in two weeks time, and just leave him there, no questions asked, then William will pay Solo $1000. Solo thinks he is joking, and tries to return the down payment. Then we follow the two for the next two weeks, where Solo becomes convinced that William wants to commit suicide, and does what he can to get William to appreciate life. Solo is an interesting guy, with a huge heart and a nearly always cheerful personality, but the old guy is just a cranky pain in the ass. The movie never explains him; for no understandable reason, he is just determined to not allow anyone in his life. Although there are some interesting visuals in the movie, because I couldn't find anything about the old man to care about, I couldn't care about the movie. Critics are loving it, though...

HUNGER. Based on the true story of the Irish hunger strikers of the early 1980s, this movie takes place in a prison holding Irish Republican Army prisoners in Northern Ireland. They have lost their status as political prisoners, so they start a series of protests, led by Bobby Sands. They refuse to wear prison uniforms and instead go naked. They smear the walls of their cells with their shit. They pour their pee out into the hallways. Finally, they go on a hunger strike. The movie is mostly scenes of violence and incredible degradation. There is really only one scene with much dialog, between Sands and a priest, where they discuss the moral and ethical ramifications of a hunger strike for political reasons and whether it is suicide or murder. (I admit I missed some of the dialog because of the Irish accents). I had to look up a little of the background to better understand what the prisoners' point of view was. Because this move literally made me gag a couple of times, I could in no way recommend that anyone see it. The only way it could be worse if it had smell-o-vision, not because it is a bad movie, but because it is so disgustingly realistic. I am pretty strong stomached, but this was too much for me.

March movie reviews

2009-03-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

DUPLICITY. Julia Roberts is ex-CIA, and Clive Owen is ex-MI6, and they have a past together (she seduced him and stole some documents). Now ex-spies, they are currently employed by two competing personal-care (lotions, creams, shampoos) corporate giants (headed by Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti, who are always good). Julia and Clive are working together to try to pull off a scam stealing corporate secrets. Or are they working against each other? They don't really trust each other. This is a typical "sting" type movie, where you don't know who is playing whom, and who will be the recipient of the final double-cross. I was surprised a little at the end, but I didn't find the original sting to be all that interesting. I mean, really, who cares if one corporation steals a product from another corporation? I also didn't get any sparks between Clive and Julia, and to me their patter seemed very forced (not to mention it's repeated about four times!). So I thought the movie not terrible, but just OK.

I LOVE YOU, MAN. Sydney (Paul Rudd) is getting married, and when announcing the engagement to his family it comes out he has never really had any guy friends. Who will be his Best Man? So he goes on a quest to find male friends. He is a really nice guy, but kind of a dweeb, so it's gonna take time. He has some disastrous matches with guys he just doesn't connect with. But eventually he meets Jason Segel (from Forgetting Sarah Marshall), and they really do hit it off. Jason introduces Paul into the ways of male friendship (metal music, fart jokes, talking about sex...) Good supporting cast, too (JK Simmons, Jane Curtin, Jaime Pressley Jon Favreau). This is a pretty amusing movie, not a gut-buster, but funny enough to be worth seeing.

THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD. If you are not old enough to remember The Amazing Kreskin, he was a guy on 1960's talk shows (I remember him from Mike Douglas) who did memory, psychic, and magic tricks. The character Buck Howard (played by John Malkovich) is based on him. Here, Buck is down and out, touring cities like Bakersfield and Wausau. Colin Hanks quits law school, and ends up being Buck's road manager. (The movie was written by a guy who was the Amazing Kreskin's road manager, and the movie is dedicated to him.) Buck is a challenge to work with, because he doesn't seem to realize that his time in the sun has come and gone. He keeps wanting to get back on the Tonight Show. But he lacking the people skills that might get him back in the limelight. Plus, he has some bad luck. This is an inconsequential little 90-minute movie, but Buck is a great character, and there are quite a few laughs ("I don't drink distilled water. I am not an iron."). Produced by Tom Hanks, who is also in it, with cameos from Jon Stewart, Conan O-Brian, Martha Stewart, Regis, etc. Worth a rental.

SUNSHINE CLEANING. Amy Adams plays a single mother having hard times. She cleans houses for a living, relying on her slacker sister (Emily Blunt) and get-rich-scheming dad (Alan Arkin) to help out. She is also having an affair with the father of her son, who married someone else. He is a cop, and one day he suggests that she do crime scene cleanup to make more money. So she does, and finds a place for herself that builds her self-esteem. There will be ups and downs, though. This movie is being promoted as a comedy, which I don't think it is. It's more like life; sometimes it is funny, and more times it is not. But Amy Adams is really wonderful, and the supporting cast is great, including the man who runs a local cleaning supplies shop who helps her out. The movie has a lot of heart, and I would recommend it.

TWO LOVERS. Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) is suicidal, apparently after a bad break-up with a fiance. He has gotten out of the hospital, and is living with his parents and working at their dry cleaning business. One night, the family of his father's potential business partner comes to dinner, and they have an attractive daughter. Despite his depression, Leonard can come to life and be quite charming. And he and the daughter enjoy each other's company. She is a very nice girl, and part of his social milieu. She would be a good match. But Leonard meets another woman in his building (Gwyneth Paltrow) and although, or maybe because, she has obvious problems, he is instantly attracted to her. She is exciting and pretty and probably everything his ex-fiance wasn't. . Clearly the first girl is a better fit for him, but he yearns for the excitement of the second. But mostly what he desperately wants is to be loved. So he'll end up with one of them, but will he choose the right one? An original movie, with realistically flawed grown-ups (not caricatures) looking for romance; I liked it.

CORALINE. An animated film, directed by the same guy who did NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. This one is about a little girl who feels somewhat neglected by her busy parents. They move into a new house, and she discovers a door that leads her to a parallel dimension, where her parents dote on her and everything seems wondrous. But of course, there is a dark side to the "perfect" world, and the little girl will find herself having to save herself and her real parents from the alternate reality. This movie is too dark for little kids. I am not sure who the audience is.... I enjoyed the fantastical visuals, but was not that taken by the story. (I did not see the 3-D version.)

GOMORRAH. The Camorra is to southern Italy what the Mafia is to Sicily. This Italian movie follows the stories of several people living in town, mostly in the housing projects controlled by this organized criminal gang. There's a man who delivers payoffs to people in town, another running a garment factory, one (politician or businessman, I wasn't sure), signing contracts to manage toxic waste (which is dumped in quarries), a child who delivers groceries to townspeople, drug dealers and and two teenagers who are enthralled by the movie SCARFACE. The stories aren't connected at all, except that the characters mostly live grim lives pretty much controlled by the Camorra. There is certainly no glamour (rightfully so) in the lives depicted here, just intimidation and murder. Because there isn't any kind of connection between the stories, I wasn't that carried away by the movie. It won the grand prize in Cannes, however.

MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY. Micah and Jo wake up in bed the morning after a wild party. They've slept together, but they don't even remember each other's names. Jo lives with her boyfriend, and Micah is still trying to get over a past girlfriend. So after coffee and breakfast and some awkward conversation, they go their separate ways. But Jo leaves her wallet in a cab, and Micah tracks her down. And so he convinces her to spend the day together. They don't really talk much, just a little here and there, kind of feeling each other out. The most interesting aspect of the movie was their discussion of the challenges of being black (and a tiny minority) in San Francisco. That, and checking out the neighborhoods they walk around in (including Yerba Buena), sort of kept me interested. But realistically perhaps, you only get to know so much about someone in 24 hours, and it's hard to know them well or root for them. I certainly didn't dislike the movie, but I can't say I really enjoyed it either.

HARVARD BEATS YALE 29-29. One of the all-time great college games happened between Harvard and Yale in 1968. This documentary goes back and forth between the taped game and comments by the players (including Tommy Lee Jones!) As depicted by the movie, the Harvard team was full of middle-class and working-class kids on scholarship, most of whom were against the Vietnam war. The Yale team appears to have been composed of upper class establishment types. Yale was led by an unbelievable talented quarterback (the inspiration for B.D. in Garry Trudeau's DOONESBURY), and was expected to win handily. And they were ahead 22-0 at the half. As you can tell by the title (which was a headline in the HARVARD CRIMSON newspaper after the game), the momentum changed. What an exciting game! This is a great movie for football fans, very entertaining.

February 2009 movie reviews

2009-03-03T12:50:00.000-08:00

THE INTERNATIONAL. Clive Owen stars as a former Scotland Yard investigator who is now working for Interpol. He has teamed up with Naomi Watts, a district attorney with New York City. They are both somewhat obsessed with trying to get evidence against a Luxumbourg-based bank that is laundering money for organized crime, involved in arms deals, etc., etc. But it is a powerful bank whose tentacles are everywhere. And it appears the bank officers are willing to kill anyone who gets in their way. Back and forth - will the investigators get the evidence they need to make their case? This political thriller isn't a true action film, and some of the explanation of what's going on was lost on me, but it is fun in this day and age to have a bank be the villain. There is a climactic scene with terrific visuals in the Guggenheim Museum in New York that made the movie worth the price of the ticket for me.

WALTZ WITH BASHIR. The filmmaker in this animated movie is talking with a friend about the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon when he realizes that although he served in the army during that time, he has no memory of the war itself. So he travels around interviewing people who were with him, to see if he can recover his memories. Because it is animated, the movie can shows each person's perceptions of the war as he or she remembers it. In watching this movie, it may help to remember/know a little history of that time, which includes the assassination of a Lebanese leader, and a massacre of Palestinians in refugee camps. Animated, in that way of WAKING LIFE or POLAR EXPRESS. Sometimes it seems real, sometimes more dream-like. Very intense documentary - it would have been unwatchable (I think) if not animated. Nominated for Best Foreign Film (Japan won).

TAKEN. Action thriller starring Liam Neeson as a former CIA agent who has quit his job so he can be closer to his teeange daughter. He's divorced, and the daughter lives with her now-remarried mother and wealthy step-father. With all that money, she's a bit of a spoiled brat. Still, she doesn't deserve to be kidnapped, which is what happens when she goes to Paris for the summer. Dad goes into overdrive to bring his daughter home safely. Because of his background, he can do anything. This isn't a especially original movie for the action genre, but it's not horrible. If you don't want to commit to something deep, and don't care about whether it's believable or not, this is the movie for you, and it's only 90 minutes long.

January movie reviews

2009-02-05T12:53:00.000-08:00

Not a lot out there the first of the year...

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD. Leonardo DiCaprio is Frank, a WWII vet. Kate Winslet is April, a young woman looking for an exciting life as an actress. They meet post-war, and April is enchanted by Frank, because he had been in France and talks about how "alive" the people were. Flash forward to 1955, and they are married, have two children, and live in the suburbs. Frank has a job he hates, but it comes out that, in fact, he doesn't have the adventuresome spirit. April truly does, though, and she feels stuck in her boring life. She wants to believe they still have the chance to be the couple she envisioned when they got married. But it is becoming clear to her that Frank is not her man. So the movie goes back and forth between the two of them having screaming arguments, and her trying to be content with her lot in life. It is the 1950's, when women didn't have a lot of options. Very well-played and written, but not the kind of movie I particularly enjoy. Very "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", where a couple's disappointments in their partners come out in vicious ways.

LAST CHANCE HARVEY. Harvey (Dustin Hoffman) writes commercial jingles for a living. He lives in New York, and as the movie opens, he is going to London to be at his daughter's wedding. It is obvious he is somewhat estranged from the daughter and his ex-wife. Kate (Emma Thompson) works at the Heathrow airport collecting statistics for some reason or another. She gets set up by a friend, but it doesn't work out, and it's pretty obvious she has been hurt many times. She also has a mother who is very needy, always calling. Harvey and Kate's paths eventually cross, and they reach out to each other. And spend some time getting to know each other, sort of. They are both nice enough people, I guess. So the movie is not horrible, but I didn't really get what they saw in each other, especially Kate. It was more like she was so desperate for anyone to be nice to her, as opposed to the two really having a meaningful connection. Just OK.

THE 2008 BEST, RUNNERS-UP, ETC

2009-01-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

MY BEST TIMES AT THE MOVIES 2008

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. Because it moved me more than any other movie I saw.
IN BRUGES. Because I loved the black humor and the twists and turns the story took.
MAN ON WIRE. Because this documentary kept me on the edge of my seat, even though I knew how it ended.
THE READER. Because it explored the role of guilt in our lives, which I found interesting.
EDGE OF HEAVEN. Because the interlocking stories were fascinating.
TRANSSIBERIAN. Because it was a terrific thriller.
TELL NO ONE. Because it was a terrific thriller. In French.
TROPIC THUNDER. Because I laughed. A lot.
MILK. Because it is important.
DOUBT. Because the writing and acting were so good.

THE NEXT BEST

THE WRESTLER. Because although the story didn't grab me, the acting was heart-breakingly good.
GRAN TORINO. Because it was just fun to be entertained.
BANK JOB. Ditto
VICKI CHRISTINA BARCELONA. Because I loved how it showed our self-perceptions rule our actions.
Other worthies, for one reason or another (acting, special effects, etc): THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, CHANGELING, APPALOOSA, ELEGY, FROZEN RIVER, WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER

THE OVER-RATED

(I generally only see movies that get generally good reviews, and these were the ones where I didn’t get the adulation)

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED. Sure, Anne Hathaway was very good as a recovering addict, but Rachel's wedding was a pretentious bore.
BURN AFTER READING. Because the first half and second half were two different movies.
FROST/NIXON. Because I was kind of bored in spots, to be honest.
BOY THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. Because it is wrong to set up a completely false pretense to bring home the horror of the Holocaust; it is inherent in the event.
WALL-E. Yeah, the animation was great, but a best movie?

December 2008 movie reviews

2009-01-01T12:17:00.000-08:00

THE READER. As the movie opens in 1995, Michael (Ralph Fiennes) is a German lawyer, divorced from his wife and not close to his daughter. He seems pretty repressed. Flash back to 1958, where a 15-year-old Michael takes sick on the street, and is helped by an older woman (Kate Winslet). When he recovers, he goes back to thank Hanna for helping him. Although she appears to be angry and unhappy, she seduces him (no resistance from him!). They have a months-long passionate affair, composed mostly of her initiating him into the wonders of sex, and him reading the classics to her. Because he has Hanna, he doesn't develop relationships with girls his own age. But then Hanna disappears from his life, and he is heartbroken. Forward to the mid-1960's where Michael is now a law student. And as part of his ethics seminar, during a war crimes trial, he discovers something in Hanna's past that is so unforgivable that he is overcome. So much so that he can't provide any assistance to her (even though he has information that might help her). Which leads to the question, if you discover that your first love, maybe even your greatest love, has done something so terrible, and in fact that person may even lack a moral center, how would that affect your relationships in the future? And how do you deal with guilt and shame at having loved someone who has done something so unthinkable? This may not sound like a very interesting movie, but I really really liked this one. Guilt isn't a theme you see often in movies.

DOUBT. Meryl Streep is Sister Aloysius, a principal in a mid-1960's Catholic middle school. Which she runs like a tyrant (the stereotypical scary nun!) - all the students hate and fear her. She thinks using ballpoint pens are a sign of weakness... Sister James (Amy Adams) is a young teacher, much more idealistic and loving. Into this setting comes a new priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who is full of life and wants to modernize the church. Sister Aloysius immediately takes a dislike to him, and tells Sister James to report anything out of the ordinary. When she does, Sister Aloysius becomes convinced that Father Flynn has been improper with a student. And she is determined to ruin him, or at least run him out of "her" parish. She is mean-spirited and he is caring and giving, so the viewer likes him over her, but the evidence...she may or may not be right about him. This movie is incredibly well written and acted, and leaves it to the viewer to determine what they think happened. Well worth seeing.

MILK. Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk, first openly gay person elected to the SF Board of Supervisors. The movie covers Milk's life, pretty much from when he moved to SF from New York (at age 40), through his early failed attempts to get elected, to his triumphant election in the late 1970s. The movie includes other noteworthy events, including his role in defeating the Briggs initiative, which would have fired all gay schoolteachers in California. It also covers a bit of his somewhat messy personal life. It provides a lot more information than just his infamous assassination. Sean Penn is so good as Milk it is amazing. MILK is a very good movie, more than a biography. It's really important viewing for people who have no idea about the history of the gay rights movement, why it was needed, and its successes.

GRAN TORINO. Clint Eastwood may be 78, but he still can play the toughest guy in town. Here he is a retired autoworker and Korean War vet. His wife has just died, he is not close to his two sons, and he has no respect for his grandchildren. To call him a racist curmudgeon is to be kind. He refuses to leave the old neighborhood, even though it is declining, and becoming more diverse. So he doesn't get along with his immigrant neighbors. But when gangs try to intimidate him, they have met their match. This is a very fun movie, very entertaining. It is worth the price of admission just to watch Clint snarl "get off my lawn". You know he means it.

THE WRESTLER. Mickey Rourke plays Randy "The Ram", a star wrestler in the 1980s. But now he is a physically broken hulk of a guy, still doing wrestling in small venues. He lives in a trailer, but he can't even afford the rent on that. He has no friends other than other low-level wrestlers, and the neighborhood kids. But he perseveres. He likes a local stripper (Marisa Tomei). And he has a daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) he is estranged from. He may be a wreck, and the kind of guy that screws up his life, but you can tell he has a good heart. The story doesn't go anywhere I didn't see coming, and I really don't care to watch wrestling. But the acting is really superb, so it was worth viewing.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Brad Pitt is Benjamin Button. Ben is born in 1918, but he is born old. That is to say, even though he is an infant, he has all the infirmities of old age (arthritis, cataracts, heart disease). His mother dies in childbirth, and his father abandons him. Coincidentally, he is taken it at the local old folks him, where he actually fits in. But as he grows, he gets physically younger. So, for example, he graduates from a wheelchair to crutches to a cane to walking unaided. He meets Cate Blanchett when he is old and she is young, and they have a connection. Eventually, they will be the same age. My main problem with the film is I didn't feel the connection they supposedly had. So I didn't find this movie as fabulous as some of the reviewers, but I did think it was good. It's written by the same guy that wrote Forrest Gump, and has much the same feel. The makeup and special effects for Brad Pitt are terrific.

CADILLAC RECORDS. Adrian Brody is Leonard Chess, who started Chess Records in 1950's Chicago. He recorded some of the great blues musicians, the ones who helped birth rock and roll. There's a little bit of bio of the most influential, including Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howling Wolf, Chuck Berry, and Etta James. There's not a great deal of depth to the movie, since it covers so many people, but the music is great, and I appreciated the movie for the nice little musical history lesson that it was.

FROST / NIXON. In 1977, David Frost (Michael Sheen) was a British talk-show host, and Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) was three years into his exile after Watergate. Frost decided that interviewing Nixon would make Frost's reputation, and pays Nixon $600,000 for 30 hours of interviews. This movie shows a little of the background of both Watergate and Frost’s career, and then the back-and-forth between the two characters, with Frost's team desperate for Frost to nudge Nixon into confessing his role in the cover-up. This movie is getting great reviews, but I thought it a little boring. I didn't feel the drama of the confrontation. Maybe younger people would get into it more (since I vaguely remember the actual interviews, I wasn't exactly on the edge of my seat.)

PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL. Documentary. In 2003, Liberia had been entangled in a civil war for years. One woman, a social worker, decided she was tired of it, and she got up in church and asked the women to stand with her for peace. And some did. They did not take sides in the civil war, just protested for peace. And they eventually, at great risk to themselves, got the government and the various warlords to the negotiating table. It's not a great movie, because it's mostly talking heads and newsreel footage, but it is good, and an inspirational story.

HAPPY-GO-LUCKY. I don't generally like director Mike Leigh movies, but this one is rated tops both on Rottentomatoes and metacritic, so I thought I'd give it a chance. Here, 30-year-old Poppy is an elementary school teacher, unattached, living with a roommate in a small flat. She has very sunny personality, always trying to be positive. Unfortunately, the way the movie denotes her optimism and joy of life is to have her chatter on about the most inconsequential of things. The movie makes it clear she's not stupid, but the way she blithers on, you'd think she had an IQ of 20. I'd run screaming from her after about 5 minutes. The main "story" (such as it is in a Mike Leigh movie) involves her taking driving lessons with a miserable man. There are other episodes that have no relation to any other episode in the movie. The audience applauded at the end, but I was annoyed beyond reason with this. Mike Leigh directed movies are just not my cup of tea.

November movie reviews

2008-12-01T09:46:00.000-08:00

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. Jamal and his brother are poor Muslim boys living in the slums of Mumbai India. And when I say poor, I mean they live in unbelievable squalor and do whatever it takes to get by (rooting through trash, begging and stealing). Despite the circumstances Jamal grows up to be a good guy, and works bringing tea to call center workers. Through an odd circumstance, he gets on India’s version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”. And he knows the answers. Because he comes from nothing, they suspect him of cheating. But through flashbacks, we can see how he has come to know the answers to the questions. There’s a lot more, but I won’t provide any more details, because this is a terrific movie I recommend people go see. Potentially one of the ten best of 2008.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE. I am not a big James Bond fan, but I did like CASINO ROYALE quite a bit, and really like Daniel Craig. But this sequel to his first Bond movie just didn't cut it for me. It was mostly chase scenes and fight scenes, and not much of a story to care about. (Something about his wanting vengeance for the death of his girlfriend, and an evil businessman trying to control a resource. Yawn.) No really good face-to-face confrontations. And the chase scenes and fight scenes were badly edited so that you really only get the sense that action is going on, but not exactly what the action consists of. I had the impression that a couple of the sequences had stunts that were really cool, but you never really got a good look at what was going on. So...no.

CHANGELING. A true story. This movie is directed by Clint Eastwood, who isn't known for his happy movies, but always does a great job. In this one, Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) is a single mother raising her 9-year-old son in 1928 Los Angeles. One weekend she has to go to work unexpectedly, and when she comes back her son is gone. She calls the police, but they aren't very helpful. But a few months later, they tell her that her son has been found in Illinois. When she goes to the train station to pick him up, she realizes the boy isn't her son, but the police intimidate her into accepting him (because they don't want to be embarrassed; they are already well known as being corrupt). But she won't stay quiet for long; she knows he's not her son (he's 3 inches shorter!). But the police insist she is mistaken, even going to far as to insinuate that she just doesn't want to be a mother anymore. And then they go even further to silence her. This is a compelling story that has terrific acting, and a great recreation of the 20s. Definitely worth seeing.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. Eight-year-old Bruno is living a good life, playing with his friends. It’s wartime Berlin, but the war hasn’t affected him at all. But one day his dad comes home and tells him that the family has to leave their beautiful home and go live in the country. His father is in the army, and has gotten a promotion. Turns out, his father is now the commander of a “work camp”. But Bruno is too young to know what is going on, and thinks it is a farm. And although he is forbidden from going exploring out back, he does, and comes across the camp and a little Jewish boy sitting inside the fence. And they become friends. Meanwhile, at home, his 12-year-old sister is becoming more of a Nazi, and their mother is growing more and more distraught at the knowledge of what is going on outside her house. This movie is well done, but it has what I thought was a somewhat false premise in order to drive home the horror of the holocaust. Which it does. In fact, the end is so horrific I wouldn’t even recommend this movie.

A SECRET. This French movie moves back and forth in time, starting in 1955, then 1985, and 1942. At first, it is a little challenging to keep up, but it gets easier. The story (supposedly based on fact) centers on a Jewish (although not very devout) family, as seen through the eyes of the young son. He is kind of a weakly kid, and it doesn't appear as if his father cares for him much. (The father is a great athlete.) Slowly the details of his family's past and their experiences during the Holocaust come out. The movie basically shows how the very little things people do can - quite unintentionally – affect their own lives and the lives of subsequent generations.

STRANDED. Documentary. In October 1972, a Uruguayan rugby team decided to fly to Chile to play a match. The team and friends and family were on a small plane. Caught in a severe storm, the plane went down in the Andes. Of the 45 on the plane, 29 survived the initial crash. Of course, they thought they would be rescued shortly, but the white plane just couldn't be seen from the air in all the snow. With little food and little protection from the elements (it was late winter), they did what they had to in order to survive. It was 72 days before two survivors hiked out and brought help. The movie is based on interviews with the survivors. It's a remarkable story, and it doesn't focus too much on the lurid details.

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. Swedish movie. Oskar is a 12-year old boy who is bullied by his classmates. He doesn't seem to have many friends. One day a young girl moves in next door, and they meet in their building's courtyard after school. Right away, she tells him they can never be friends. And he notes that she smells funny. Still, they start meeting, and do become friends of a sort. At the same time, someone is killing people in town. And it turns out the young girl survives on blood. Yep, she's a vampire. But there's nothing romantic or glamorous about it. She's dirty, and has to always move about to avoid capture. This may be the weirdest movie I see all year. Interesting....

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED. Kim (Anne Hathaway) is getting out of rehab after a nine-month stay. This is just days before her sister Rachel is getting married. Kim is still a brittle mess, and in fact is incredibly self-centered and demanding. Rachel harbors hostility over all the attention Kim got growing up, and their dad is obviously worried that Kim is going to slip up. (Mom isn't in sight, yet.) Although the movie is well acted, and I could certainly believe people can act this way, I am not interested in spending time with these wealthy, privileged, spoiled people. And sitting through the family's wedding rehearsal (and all the toasts!) and then their pretentious wedding ceremony and reception (which is pretty much the movie) was beyond my patience. (Being multi-racial doesn’t automatically make you interesting.) I just felt empty afterwards, a real "who cares?".

ROLE MODELS. Two young guys get in trouble and instead of going to jail, get to instead do 150 hours of community service acting as "big brother" types. Paul Rudd mentors a total nerd adolescent (McLovin from Superbad), who is into medieval role-playing. Seann William Scott gets a foul-mouthed little kid. Neither have any parenting skills. It's a completely ridiculous premise, with not a single surprise element, but there are some laughs, so it wasn't a snooze.

ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO. Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma) is back to his low-brow ways. In this one, Zack (Seth Rogan) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) have been friends since kindergarten, and are roommates. But they don't make much money, and the utilities are being turned off (during a Pittsburgh winter!). They search for ways to come up with some money, and their bright idea is to make a porn movie. They gather their cast and crew, etc etc. Of course, Zack and Miri are going to have feelings for each other, and making the porn will get complicated... On one hand, this isn't a very good movie, as romantic comedies go, and some of it I found pretty distasteful, but on the other hand there are at least five really good laughs, so you have to decide whether it's worth it.

I'VE LOVED YOU FOR SO LONG. French movie, with Kristin Scott Thomas playing a woman meeting up with her sister after 15 years apart. The movie slowly reveals where she has been and why she has been gone so long over the course of the movie. Kind of slow paced, and definitely has a "not-American" movie sensibility. It was kind of interesting. I am not sorry I saw it, but don't feel that it deserves an enthusiastic "go-see-it" either.

October movie reviews

2008-11-02T15:29:00.000-08:00

APPALOOSA. In 1882 New Mexico territory, Virgil and Everett (Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen) arrive in a small town to become lawmen. They apparently make their living going town to town and using their guns to intimidate bad guys (one way or another). In this particular town, the bad guy scaring all the townsfolk (with many lackeys also behaving badly) is Jeremy Irons. Into this mix comes widow Allie (Renee Zellwegger), who catches Virgil's eye. He is quite smitten. Meanwhile, Virgil and Everett need to arrest Jeremy for killing the town's sheriff. This sounds like a traditional western, but it's not quite. Allie is a character you don't often see in westerns, and the movie is more about male friendship than good guys vs. bad guys. So although it is a bit slow, I liked it quite a bit.

RELIGULOUS. Bill Maher interviews a wide variety of people in an attempt to understand why they are religious. Of course, getting people to rationalize faith is a losing proposition, because by definition, faith can't be proved or disproved. On one hand, the movie is laugh out loud in parts, but on the other hand, I think Bill goes too far in blaming religion for all the ills of the world (I think Bill has a real mean streak in him). Still, if you can leave whatever beliefs you have at the door and not be offended, it is very funny stuff.

NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST. Nick (Michael Cera) is broken-hearted after his hottie girlfriend dumps him. He makes endless mix tapes (OK, CDs) for her, but she just callously throws them away. Another girl at school picks them up; it turns out they have identical tastes in music and love indie bands. But Nick and Norah don't go to the same school, so they don't know each other. But one night they both independently go out in search of a favorite band appearing in Manhattan, and they end up traveling together. They don't hit it off immediately, but they do share that taste in music... cute little movie, with some good laughs, and great supporting characters. Worth seeing.

FLASH OF GENIUS. Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear) had a PhD in engineering, and was a college professor. One day, he has an inspiration, and invents the intermittent windshield wiper. He patented it, and tried to get Ford to buy his product. Instead, they told him they weren't interested, and then stole his idea. He spent years fighting them in court so he could get credit for his invention (the money was not his primary goal). He was so obsessed, he lost his wife and had a nervous breakdown. Now you might think a movie about the guy who invents a windshield wiper would be a tad boring. And you'd be right. On the other hand, it is always fun to watch the little guy go up against a big corporation and win. And the acting so good. So the movie is OK.

THE DUCHESS. In 1774 England, 16-year-old Georgiana (Keira Knightly) becomes engaged to the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes). She is educated, vivacious, and pretty. But the Duke is really only interested in her ability to give him a male heir - he doesn't even bother to talk to her. And things get worse when she only gives birth to daughters. She becomes quite a social icon and the center of the "jet set" of the time, but it is said that her husband is the only man in England that isn't madly in love with her. He has affairs; she falls in love with another. Now, I am sympathetic to women trapped in loveless marriages, but it doesn't make for an inherently interesting story. I think this only got made because there are some parallels to Princess Diana (a descendant of the Duchess' family). Pretty costumes and settings, but just not riveting stuff.

FRONTRUNNERS. Documentary on kids from New York's prestigious Stuyvesant High School (only 3% of applicants get in). It's about four students running for President of their student union. There is the cheerleader/actress, the politics geek, a current popular SU member, and a basketball player. A review said this was an exciting look at how competitive a race can get in a cutthroat school (little man standing on chair!), but other than the kids having an on-air debate, the campaign wasn't that much different than I remember from my middle-class high school. A disappointment.

September movie reviews

2008-10-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

TRANSSIBERIAN. Terrific thriller. Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer play a young American couple returning from doing religious/charity work in China, and they decide to have a little adventure and take the train from Beijing to Moscow, an eight-day journey. On the train, they share their sleeping car with another young couple, who seem to be a little off, but you can't really put your finger on why they seem so threatening. They all get off the train at one stop, but then Woody fails to get on again. When the wife discovers her husband is missing, it sets off a chain of unforeseen events. Not only does the movie convey the claustrophobia of being on a train, it also really invokes the alienation you feel when you are in an unfamiliar environment where communication is difficult. The movie's twists and turns keep you guessing, until the ending where it all fits together. This is a great suspense movie.

VICKI CHRISTINA BARCELONA. Critics have liked a lot of Woody Allen's latest movies - I haven't. But on the recommendation of a dear friend (thanks RJ!), I did go see this, his latest. Vicki (Rebecca Hall) and Christina (Scarlett Johansson) are two young American women spending the summer in Barcelona. Vicki is working on her Masters in Catalan culture, and Christina is just along for the adventure. They are best friends, but very different in outlook. Vicki is conservative, and already engaged to a nice corporate type. Christina doesn't know what she wants in life, but is open to trying anything. Their summer gets a bit more complicated when artist Jose Antonio (Javier Bardem) invites them to visit his hometown, and maybe share his bed. Throw into the mix Jose's over-the-top ex-wife (Penelope Cruz), and you have an exciting summer. With people sometimes behaving in character and sometimes not. I actually loved this movie. It's more about how our beliefs about who we are and what we like (whether accurate or not) influence the decisions we make in life. Does acting in concert with what we believe to be our true natures make us happy?

TRAITOR. Samir grows up in Sudan, and is the son of a very devout Muslim. When his dad is killed in a car bomb, either by the Muslim Brotherhood or their opposition, Samir goes to America to live with his mother. When the movie shifts to Samir as an adult (Don Cheadle), it appears that Samir has become an extremist, selling weapons to terrorists. But he is in fact deep undercover, so much so that not even the FBI knows about him. He is so good at what he is doing, you might wonder if he has switched sides. As he gets closer and closer to unraveling a major plot, the FBI is hot on his trail, since they think he is a terrorist and a link to the bigger plot. In addition, as a devout Muslim, he is struggling with moral issues. This is another terrific suspense movie, one that kept me on the edge of my seat because I wasn't quite sure how it was all going to turn out. Definitely worth a look-see.

BURN AFTER READING. Latest movie from the Coen Brothers (FARGO, O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN). Here, John Malkovich is a CIA analyst fired for a drinking problem, so he decides to write his memoir. Meanwhile, his icy wife Tilda Swinton is having an affair with US Marshall George Clooney (who is also married, but cheats a lot.) Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand work in a gym where they find a CD with what they believe to be secret CIA information. They decide to blackmail Malkovich for it. (Frances is desperate for money because she wants plastic surgery.) The first half of the movie is pretty funny, with all the various story lines coming together, but then the story very suddenly changes tone. The movie is somewhat like FARGO, but without any characters that you feel sympathy or affection for (well, maybe one minor character). Brad Pitt is very funny as a vacuous blond and JK Simmons has some great lines as a CIA director, but other than that, I didn't care for the movie much at all.

IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS. Wilson is a lonely guy living in L.A., hoping to get his screen play picked up. His last break-up was painful, and he isn't seeing anyone. When his roommate catches him masturbating, the roommate insists that Wilson put an ad on Craigslist, looking for a New Year's Eve date. His ad reads "misanthrope seeking misanthrope". And he does attract a somewhat bitter, assertive wanna-be actress. Vivian allows him 5 minutes to impress her before they go out on a date. He manages (or at least is better than the other candidates), and they spend the night hanging out. Some of her bitter diatribes are very funny, but this isn't a comedy, per se. It's more watching two people get to know each other, people that you start to like and begin to care about them having a good life. Very indy-feeling.

GHOST TOWN. Ricky Gervais is a dentist who is rude and inconsiderate to everyone he meets. After a medical procedure where he briefly "died", he begins seeing dead people. Who generally want him to do something for their loved ones left behind. Greg Kinnear, for example, wants Ricky to make sure his widow doesn't marry the wrong person. Ricky, being the misanthrope that he is, resists helping anybody. But he starts to like the widow (Tea Leoni). Nothing groundbreaking here, but there are some laughs. It's a pretty mild comedy. Fine for a rental.

HAMLET 2. Steve Coogan plays a failed actor (his high points were a herpes commercial and being an extra in an Al Jazeera made-for-TV movie). He ends up teaching high school drama in Tucson, where even there, his plays fail. (He insists on putting on plays that are remakes of popular movies, i.e., Erin Brockovich). One day his class size grows because some of the classrooms are condemned, and he ends up with a bunch of kids who are uninterested in what he has been doing. So he writes an original play, Hamlet 2, where Hamlet (and Jesus) can come back to life via a time machine. It's still a dreadful play, but when the town tries to shut him down, the ACLU joins the fight, and the media comes to town to see the play (and save his drama program). The movie has some giggles, for sure, but there are also a lot of flat spots. As a whole I would say rent it, or watch it on TV. If that.

August movie reviews

2008-09-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

TROPIC THUNDER. Ben Stiller does an outstanding job of satirizing Hollywood and Rambo-like movies (among a lot of other targets). In this one, he plays an action star coming off a critical and financial, so he needs a comeback. Also in the cast of the war movie is Robert Downey Jr., who is playing a character originally written for a black man, so in the interest of his art, undergoes a procedure that turns his skin black. There's Jack Black as an actor trying to do something other than his Eddie-Murphy like fart movies. Finally there are the rapper-actor (named Alpa Chino!) and the young novice playing grunts. Director Steve Coogan takes them out into the jungle to make the movie be more realistic, and the guys end up getting in the middle of a drug smugglers' war zone. But they don't know it; they think it's all part of the movie. This movie has so many elements, and they are all very funny, and smart, actually. A top-10 movie of the year contender.

MAN ON WIRE. Amazing documentary. It tells the story of Philippe Pettit, who is a French high wire artist (and street performer). He is obsessed with walking the wire. In 1974, he and a group of his friends conspired to string a wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center (over 1000 feet high). There are some recreations of his exploits (they’re not distracting) as well a video of some of his earlier work, all the while detailing all the planning (months, if not years, of preparation to break in to the WTC and do the set up) that went into the stunt. Even though you know he survived, it's still absolutely engrossing, edge-of-your-seat to watch the events unfold. An astonishing (if insane!) feat. Loved it.

EDGE OF HEAVEN. Terrific movie following the lives of several people whose paths cross, although often they are not aware of how their stories are related. There is an older Turkish immigrant in Germany, and his son, the university professor. There is the middle-aged Turkish woman who is working as a prostitute in Germany so her daughter can continue her studies in Turkey. And there is the German young woman and mother. I just loved the way the three stories intermingled. I don't want to describe any more, because it was such a pleasure watching the movie unfold, so I will leave it at that.

FROZEN RIVER. Melissa Leo plays the mother of two living in upstate New York. Her gambler husband has abandoned them and she only has a part time job at the Yankee Dollar Store. She is so poor that her big dream is moving from a single-wide trailer to a double-wide. She lives near Mohawk land, and some on the reservation take advantage of the tribal authorities to smuggle goods and human beings across the border with Canada. Melissa gets involved when she meets a young Mohawk woman who is also living on the edge. Although the acting is superior, the movie is a Lifetime-movie look at a woman doing desperate things to support her family. But because the movie provides a look at the Mohawk area and people, and the smuggling is an original topic for a movie, which definitely kept my interest. So I would recommend it.

ELEGY. Ben Kingsley plays a college professor, who appears to select a young student every semester to seduce. He appears unable and/or unwilling to make emotional commitments to anyone. This year's student target is Penelope Cruz. Ordinarily I would hate another one of those older man/hot young woman romances, but this movie is about far more than that. It's about emotions and commitments. The couple does develop a relationship, and fall in love, but in this case the young woman is perhaps wiser than the older man and more than his latest conquest. It will be his loss if he can’t grow and accept her love. Supporting performances by Dennis Hopper as his friend, Patricia Clarkson as his long-time mistress, and Peter Sarsgaard as his bitter son give even more depth to the story. I wasn't overly fond of the last quarter of the movie, but up until that point, I did really like it, so overall it’s a thumbs up.

AMERICAN TEEN. Documentary that is getting rave reviews from critics. It follows four Midwestern high school kids during their senior year of high school. As can be expected, one is a jock that needs a scholarship to go to college, one a homecoming queen, one a band geek, and one an arty outsider. But that is as diverse as you are going to get in Warsaw, Indiana. As you follow them for the year, each develops a more depth personality than their label would indicate, and you care more for some than others. They have relationships (or not), heartbreaks, college hopes, etc. But the movie isn't all that surprising, and certainly doesn't tell us anything about high school that we don't know already. I usually have a fondness for portraits of high school (in a thank god I don't have to go through that again kind of way), but maybe I am finally growing out of it. :-)

HELLBOY 2: GOLDEN ARMY. I thought the original HELLBOY was over-praised. But it and this sequel were directed by the same director (Guillermo del Toro) that did PAN'S LABYRINTH, my favorite movie of 2006. So I decided to give the sequel a chance. And I did like it better than the first one, mostly for the fantastical creatures (tooth fairies you don't want anywhere near your pillow!) that populate it. Hellboy isn't quite in the superhero mode, given that he has quite a temper and doesn't like rules. But that gives the movie more of a sense of humor than many in the genre. Not a great story, not recommended based on plot (trolls vs humans), but I really appreciate the imagination behind all the terrific special effects, so I wasn't disappointed.

SWING VOTE. Kevin Costner plays a likable loser alcoholic single dad, living in a small New Mexico town. His daughter is the caretaker in the family, and she is also precociously bright. She needs her dad to vote in the presidential election so she can do a school paper, but it's clear he doesn't even know or care who is running. When his vote doesn't get counted because of a glitch, it turns out his one vote will determine who gets the state's electoral votes and elects the next president. So the two presidential candidates (Kelsey Grammer-R and Dennis Hopper-D) and their campaign managers (Stanley Tucci and Nathan Lane) come into town to try to get his vote. And the media circus begins. Cute movie, but not great. I did laugh out loud at some of the commercials the candidates run to pander to the dad. And the girl playing the daughter is as good as anyone I've seen since the young girl from WHALE RIDER. Still, it's a pretty lightweight couple of hours.

BOTTLE SHOCK. In the 1970s, Napa Valley was beginning to make some terrific wines. But the public still thought that all good wines came from France. Based on a true story, this movie tells the tale of the British businessman (Alan Rickman) who puts together a blind taste testing between the French and California wines. (He has a wine shop in Paris, and is doing it for publicity). That should be enough for a fun movie, I would think. But they throw in a father-son conflict, and a love triangle, and the woes of two struggling businesses, and I don't think the movie was as good as it should have been. It seems like a made-for-television movie, and I don't mean that as a compliment. I love Alan Rickman, but he just wasn't able to carry the movie through all the extraneous stories.

SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2. The four girls are in college now, and are drifting apart. To Carmen's disappointment, they won't even be together fro the summer. One goes on an archeology dig, one takes art classes at college, and one works at a community playhouse. There are relationships, heartbreaks, pregnancy scares, fights, etc. The four separate stories work well. And, of course, their friendship will survive when they all band together to help out one in need. These women aren't as superficial as the SEX AND THE CITY gals (not once are shoes mentioned), and I think this is a fun movie for young women.

July movie reviews

2008-07-31T16:46:00.000-07:00

TELL NO ONE. Thriller. This French film begins with a young couple vacationing on a lake. But she goes back to the house after a minor argument and disappears. Eight years later, the doctor husband is still grieving her loss. He was suspected of her murder, but the police could never prove it. One day he gets an e-mail, and it opens a video that appears to show his long-lost wife alive and well. He begins to pursue the clues in a series of videos, but at the same time the police start investigating him again for her murder and other crimes. He has to go on the run . The movie unfolds at a perfect pace, works well as both an action piece and a mystery, and all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place by the end. My only small quibble is that a lot of the pieces are put together in the end via one long monologue. But that's only a small complaint. This is one of the best movies I have seen this year. (This movie is based on an American novel, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't remade into an American film.)

THE DARK KNIGHT. As I have said, I am not a huge fan of comic-book/superhero movies, but I did really like BATMAN BEGINS. This sequel continues the development of Batman (Christian Bale), and this time he is pitted against The Joker. The Joker is a great villain, doing evil for the pure sake of proving humans are no good. Heath Ledger is amazingly creepy as the bad guy with no hint of comic book about him. Like the first film, this is also a good movie, full of amazingly good actors (Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, etc), and is more than just a series of action scenes. It actually asks philosophical questions about the nature of people. I thought the first half was a little padded, and it took to long for it all to gel and move forward. But once it picks up, it totally kept my interest. It's very dark, maybe even morally ambiguous. It's not a popcorn movie at all, unless you prefer to view it that way.

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD. Filmmaker Werner Herzog (GRIZZLY MAN) goes to Antarctica to explore the beauty of the place and what draws people to such an isolated place. This documentary is full of interviews with people who march to the beat of a different drummer, fascinating tidbits about the continent itself, and beautiful visuals (both the landscape and underwater). My only quibble was that I occasionally found the music (by Henry Kaiser) really annoying. Otherwise, a very fine film to watch for on PBS or Discovery, probably, if you don't catch it in the theater.

GONZO: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HUNTER S. THOMPSON. This documentary is a biography of Hunter Thompson, author of FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS and many Rolling Stone magazine articles. He was incredibly talented but at the same time probably a bit mental, self-medicating with massive quantities of pills and alcohol. There is a lot of video and interviews with tons of people who knew him, plus readings from his own writings. I found the information about his background and escapades interesting, if a bit superficial. But there is a little too much of the "times" of his life, which to me felt like revisiting the history of the 1960s and 70s that I already knew. But if you are not that familiar with the politics of the era, this will probably be more interesting to you. And Thompson certainly was a fascinating character, so it's worth seeing.

X-FILES. I WANT TO BELIEVE. Mulder and Scully back together again, although I would say that even people who never watched a single episode of the TV show would get this movie. Both characters have left the FBI. Scully is working as a pediatrician, and Mulder, who was apparently drummed out of the FBI, is holed up in a little room, clipping newspaper articles about mysterious occurrences. But when an FBI agent goes missing, the FBI asks Mulder for his help because a psychic is involved (and has found a clue - a severed arm buried in the middle of a snowy field). Because the psychic is also a pedophile priest, he is a reprehensible character that Scully can't bear to deal with. But Mulder, of course, wants to believe in him and in redemption. This movie is OK, but not great. Unlike the TV show, I didn’t find the relationship between Mulder and Scully interesting. And one psychic priest doesn't an X-file make, in my opinion. The movie reminded me more of a Robin Cook thriller than of an X-file story.

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. Brendan Fraser is a scientist trying to prove that his missing brother was right about the possibility of the existence of volcanic columns that would lead to the center of the earth. Which would be like Jules Verne’s vision of another world. With his nephew, Brendan goes to Iceland to explore some volcanic activity. While out hiking the volcano (with a beautiful blond guide, of course), they are all three stuck in a cave in a rock slide. So begins their adventures, including runaway trains, fantastic creatures, and treacherous geography. Great fun for kids, I would think, especially if you see the 3-D version, I suppose, which I did not. I didn't think it was a great movie for adults.

WALL-E. Wall-E is a little robot left on earth decades after the humans leave the planet because there is too much garbage. Wall-E spends his days collecting and compressing trash, with only a cockroach for company. One day a space ship sends out a robot to investigate if there is any life on earth. Wall-E and the robot EVA are attracted to one another (hey, it's a kids' movie) and Wall-E ends up catching a ride on the space ship back to the mother ship. The mother ship is something like a cruise ship where humans have lived for years. There stuff happens involving malfunctioning robots, an evil waste management company CEO (Fred Willard) and humans that have become fat because they haven't moved in years. Because the robots don’t speak, this felt almost like watching a silent movie, which is kind of different for a children's movie. That said, an adult viewer could see this as a fairly dark tale with political undertones. I suppose kids would like it for different reasons, but I just don't know. I didn't love it like the critics are.

HANCOCK. Superhero movie. As it opens, Hancock (Will Smith) is an alcoholic bum sleeping on the streets. He does have superpowers and can save people from evildoers, but he is a unhappy guy, not very nice. So instead of being grateful, the people he saves think he is an asshole and demand that he pay for all the mayhem he causes when rescuing people. When he saves the life of a public relations man (Jason Bateman), in gratitude he takes Hancock on as a project to make him more likable and more of a hero. Which is working, and Hancock becomes more popular and less bitter. Then, there is a plot twist that I didn't see coming. This is like two completely different movies. The first half is pretty funny, and quite entertaining. The second half is also entertaining, but more in the superhero mold, with battles and big action sequences. The combination was kind of odd, but fun to watch nevertheless. It's the first half that sold me.

WANTED. James McAvoy is living a dreary life as an accountant with a horrible boss and a girlfriend who is cheating on him. Things are pretty awful until one day he goes to the grocery store where Angelina Jolie saves him from being killed. So begins his introduction into a world of assassins. He founds out that his father was an assassin, and he is meant to be a member of the Fraternity as well. (Of course, they are good assassins, "killing one so that thousands may live".) So he begins training. The movie has great style, and you may consider it worth watching just for that alone (and a great rocking soundtrack). And I like James McAvoy quite a bit. But I thought there was too much with the jittery camera and graphic violence. And I found the movie's theme that it is better to be a killer than an ordinary person amoral and actually quite reprehensible, even if it is just a movie. Still, I think the director has great potential to do action movie if he can resist the urge to have someone's head explode every five minutes.

GET SMART. Based on the 1960s TV show. In this, Maxwell Smart (Steve Carrell) is an analyst who longs to be an agent. When the intelligence agency CONTROL's security is breached, and all the agents are compromised, Max is the lone staffer who can investigate what is going on. Along with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), they travel to Russia trying to catch the bad guy (Terence Stamp) and stop what he is doing. In this movie, Smart isn't quite the idiot he was in the TV show, but he still can be pretty clueless. Pretty straight-forward plot, nothing great, but I thought this is the perfect movie for someone who just wants to watch a cute little movie, be amused, see some action, and not worry about watching someone's head explode.

ROMAN DE GARE. French thriller. The movie begins with three stories: a bickering young couple driving to her parents' house for a visit, a middle-aged man speeding out of town while the radio tells of an escaped pedophile/serial killer, and a popular author being interviewed on TV. At first, you are not sure who the man driving out of town is, but it becomes clear pretty soon. And then he meets up with the young woman, and he tells her he is the ghost writer for the author. But then says he is kidding. And so the three stories come together. For the first 3/4 of the movie, I was definitely interested and wondering where it was all going to end up, but then I found the last quarter completely predictable and it fell flat. Compared to TELL NO ONE, a complete disappointment in the end.

June movie reviews

2008-07-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

BIGGER STRONGER FASTER. If you told me to see a documentary on steroids, I would have gone "eeew". But this one is getting great reviews, so I went, and the critics are right - this is worth seeing. The filmmaker grew up with two brothers and growing up they were all involved in strength sports. His brothers take steroids, but he doesn't, and he decides to explore the steroids issue in depth. He interviews doctors, athletes, congressmen, and family members. He isn't mocking people (mostly), but there is still a lot of humor here. He also relates steroids to the American quest to be the best at everything, damn the consequences. Both amusing and thought provoking; I really enjoyed this movie.

UP THE YANGTZE. This documentary follows two Chinese teens impacted by the construction of the Three Gorges dam, which will displace millions of people. Until the dam is finally closed, the Chinese are running cruise ships down the river so tourists can see the area before it is flooded. One teen is a young girl living in poverty at the edge of the river. Her parents make her go to work because they can't afford to send her to high school, so she goes to work in the kitchen on one of the ships. She is an understandably sullen teenager, and is depressed about her place in society. The other teenager is an older boy; seemingly from a middle class family (we don't see his family like we see the girl's). He is rather conceited, and his goal in going to work on the ship (tending bar, schlepping luggage) is to make a lot of money. The journey these two take isn't predictable. Always in the background is the threat of people's homes being flooded. This isn't a great movie, but it definitely kept my interest and was worth seeing.

SURFWISE. Another documentary. This one centers on "Doc" Paskowitz, a Stanford educated doctor who was living a traditional life in Hawaii, including being President of the local American Medical Association. It’s the 1950's, and he's not happy with his life (including his two failed marriages). So he dropped out, travels around, and decides surfing was what made him happy. He re-married, and he and his third wife had 9 kids (8 boys!). They lived the life of surf bums, living in a camper, and the kids never went to school. At first, it seems like the family led an idyllic life. But as the movie goes on, you start to realize that although Doc made decisions that worked for him, the choices he made completely limited the choices his children had when they grew up. Not to mention his hippie outlook didn't always translate to how he treated the kids. All the kids agreed to be interviewed, along with Mom and Dad. That plus a lot of video footage of the family (they competed in surfing contests, and actually were on TV quite a bit), makes for a fairly thorough look at this family. Despite having a rather narrow focus on this one family, it's a family like no other, which makes for an interesting movie.

MONGOL. I don't know much about Mongolia in the 12th century, but this epic movie gives what seems like a realistic look at the Mongolian environment and culture. The story just follows the son of a leader from his boyhood (where losing his father changes his life) to his marriage to his final eventual rise as Genghis Khan. He has quite an adventurous life, including being prisoner of enemies several times. I liked that part of the movie, but there are also three big bloody battles that I just didn't care to watch (blood spurting alert!). It's kinda like BRAVEHEART. But despite that, I'd still recommend.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK. Another in the comic book movie genre. In this one, scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is a guinea pig in an experiment gone wrong. Now, when his heart rate goes above 200, he goes ballistic and turns into the Hulk. Bruce goes on the run, because the military wants to use him so they can figure out how to use his powers in military applications. Bruce is pursuing a cure, and eventually returns home to connect with a professor (Tim Blake Nelson) working on his problem. Of course, the military (William Hurt and Tim Roth) catches up to them. Let the battles begin. I am not a big fan of the genre, but this one I was OK with. I appreciated its early focus on how Bruce dealt with what had happened to him. And if you are looking for lots of action and computer-generated mayhem, this is definitely a movie for you. {Note: see if you can catch the Iron Man tie-in very early in the movie.}

WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER? Family drama. Jim Broadbent and Colin Firth are father and son. The movie begins with Dad getting older and finally falling ill. The son has to come home for his last chance to talk to his Dad. But he realizes Dad is too far gone, and he never really will get the chance to have an honest conversation with him. The movie flashes back to when the son was a boy, and a teenager, and shows where the estrangement between the two began. Sure, the dad is a bit of a con man, and perhaps not a great husband, but children need to grow up and understand their parent's failings are usually because they are only human. The movie brings home the importance of letting go of childhood injuries and seeing parents through the eyes of an adult. This isn't a movie for everyone, but I thought the acting was terrific and the emotions were honest, and I liked it a lot.

INDIANA JONES AND THE CRYSTAL SKULL. Indy is 20 years older, but still at teaching part time and doing archeology. He gets caught up in the Red Scare and fired from his job. Just in time to keep him busy, he has to head to Peru to save an old friend (John Hurt) who has been kidnapped by the Russians in search of a crystal skull with mind bending powers (supposedly). Also in the story is Mutt (Shia LeBouef), a Marlon Brando wanna-be, Indy's old girlfriend Karen Allen, and Cate Blanchett as a Natasha-like Russian agent. If you can't rely on plot, which this movie can't (mind control and aliens? puh-leeze), then the action better put you on the edge of your seat. But this didn't. Not a horrible movie, but just so-so, I thought.

KUNG FU PANDA. Animated feature with a overweight panda (Jack Black) who dreams of being a kung fu master. Not only is he out of shape, but he also is a bit of a klutz. It may be his fate to end up like his father as a noodle vendor. But circumstances dictate differently, and the Master (Dustin Hoffman) must train him in kung fu, although the Master is pretty sure he can get Panda to quit. Throw into the mix a former pupil (Ian McShane) turned bad guy, and five other pupils who are experts in kung fu. This movie is fine for children, I think, but I was not all that entertained. There wasn't a lot of humor or content for adults. I guess I am keeping my string of not liking kung fu movies alive!

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN. Follow-up to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The four children are back in London, wondering if they will ever return as the kings and queens of Narnia. Along comes a subway, and lo and behold, they are swept away. But to a desolated Narnia a few hundred years later then their previous encounter, to a time where humans have tried to wipe out the creatures of Narnia. An evil ruler has taken control, even attempting to kill his nephew Prince Caspian, so he can become king instead. Caspian escapes to the forest, where he learns the truth about Narnia. This movie isn't quite the religious allegory the first one was, but is more about having faith in the absence of evidence. Overall, I liked the movie (there is only one scene that I didn't care for because of its medieval vision of God), and think children would enjoy it as much as the first.

May movie reviews

2008-06-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

IRON MAN. Robert Downey Jr plays a brilliant scientist who has used his genius to become a wealthy weapons inventor and dealer. One day he gets kidnapped by the Taliban. His experience in captivity helps him see what his livelihood actually does to innocent people. So once he escapes and gets back home, he experiments making himself a superhero so he can fight evil. The story is typical of the comic-book-to-movie genre, and only Robert Downey Jr. saves it from being ordinary. His quips save the day. The movie is reasonably amusing and fun to watch, but no BATMAN BEGINS, in my opinion. It is a good example of the genre, I guess, but most movies based on comic books aren’t my thing.

SEX AND THE CITY. Follow up to the hit HBO show. Now the women are in their 40s, and the movie is more about their relationships than sex or the quest for love. Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte are still with the same guys (Big, Steve, Harry and whatever that hunky guy’s name is). It’s not nearly as funny as the show could be (Samantha just doesn’t have those zingers to say), and I thought the early part was slow going. Still, it won me over by the end. If you need to see the ups and downs of how Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha are doing 5 years later, this is the movie for you. I can’t imagine any one else being all that interested. It's rather melodramatic.

SMART PEOPLE. Dennis Quaid is a pretentious English lit professor, widowed and living with his equally pretentious (and driven) teenage daughter (Ellen Page, in a somewhat JUNO-like role). He is very prickly and emotionally unavailable. His loser stepbrother (Thomas Haden Church) shows up and ends up moving into the home in spite of the professor's wishes. One day the Professor ends up in the hospital and meets a former student (Sarah Jessica Parker), who is now a doctor. They very tentatively move toward a relationship, although he is really bad at it, apparently having lost all his charm and social skills since his wife died. This is a reasonably predictable movie, ordinary people just trying to make it through life, with some romance and some comedy, but I found it very enjoyable.

REDBELT. This film stars Chiwetel Ejiofer as the owner and instructor at a jiujutsu academy in Los Angeles. His brother-in-law is involved in promoting championship fights. He and his wife are struggling, but he doesn’t believe in competition, and so won't fight for money. Also moving the plot along are a cop who is down on his luck, an attorney that is struggling with past trauma, and an aging action movie star. Written and directed by David Mamet, who is not one of my favorite filmmakers. And I am certainly not interested in mixed martial arts. Still, the movie kept me interested, so if you like one or the other, this might be a movie for you.

PRICELESS. French movie starring Audrey Tautou (AMELIE). Generally, she is all about sleeping with rich old men for their money. Living an extravagant lifestyle seems to be her goal in life. Her current geezer falls asleep on her, and she goes down to the hotel bar to get a drink. Through a misunderstanding she thinks the bartender is another rich guest, and they have a little fling. A year later, they meet again, and when she realizes he is not wealthy, she doesn't want to have anything to do with him. But eventually, out of friendship, she gives him advice on how to scam rich old women like she is scamming rich old men. But of course they will eventually fall for each other. I think this movie is supposed to be all frothy and light-hearted and amusing, but really, what they are doing is rather distasteful and hurtful, and I didn't really get into it.

April movie reviews

2008-05-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. Peter writes music for a CSI-type TV show, and his girlfriend Sarah stars in the show. He knows he's lucky to be with her, but isn't exactly working on igniting sparks in the relationship. When Sarah dumps him, though, he is broken-hearted and completely falls to pieces. A friend tells him he should get away, so he goes to Hawaii to a resort that his ex always talked about. Lo and behold, she is there with her new boyfriend. Hilarity ensues. Produced by the same people (and with many of the same actors) who made 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN, KNOCKED UP, and SUPERBAD, this is a very amusing move. And not just because of the lead characters - there are several minor characters that also add quite a bit to the movie. It may not be "the funniest damn movie ever" that it is advertised as, but it's definitely worth seeing. Quite a few laughs.

HOLLYWOOD CHINESE. This is a documentary on Chinese Americans in the movies, from the earliest days of silent film to the current era. The movie goes from the difficulty in getting jobs for actors (white people in "yellowface"), to the offensive stereotypes, to depicting accurate representations of Chinese life, to present day with many successful Chinese and Chinese-American directors and writers. While I didn't think the movie was exceptionally well put together, or really powerful, or even all that enlightening (if you think about it), it was still interesting, and it was a pleasure to watch.

FORBIDDEN KINGDOM. A young teenager loves Kung Fu movies, but is pretty much a nerd. One day he is forced by a gang of toughs to help rob the local video store, the old Chinese owner gets shot, and the kid ends up with a magic staff and transported 500 years in the past. There, in order to fulfill the ancient prophecy, he must return the staff to the original owner (the Monkey King) and end the cruel reign of the Jade Warrior. On his journey he is helped by Jackie Chan (as the drunken master) and Jet Li (the silent monk). This is getting good reviews, and while I can see teenage boys and kung fu lovers enjoying this movie, I was bored. Lovely scenery, though. I must accept that this genre isn't my cup of tea. I didn't like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon much either.

THE VISITOR. This indie flick involves a college professor (Richard Jenkins) who is clearly depressed. The only interest he has is trying to learn to play to piano, but he isn’t very good. He is going through the motions of living. But one day, the Dean of his college insists that he go to New York and give a speech at a conference. He very reluctantly packs his bag and goes to an apartment he has in the city. He hasn’t been there in years, and when he gets there, he finds a scam artist has rented his apartment to two immigrants: a drummer and a jewelry maker. Although at first he kicks them out, he does take pity on them (they are blameless after all) and lets them stay until they can find a place. And he starts becomes involved in their lives and finally starts living his own. This is a nice little character study, with no bells or whistles.

DUCHESS OF LANGEAIS. Based on a Balzac story, the plot of this French movie involves a 19th century Duchess, who spends her time going to balls and other social events. She is married, but her husband is nowhere in sight. She meets the General at an event, and is fascinated by his interesting past. She flirts, and he decides he will make her his mistress. But she will not give in to him, because she is married, and her religion won't let her. He persists, but then finally gives up. Then she desperately misses him, and pursues him. Given that she is shallow and not particularly good looking, and he is sullen and not particularly good looking, I was at a complete loss to understand their obsession with each other. It ends badly, and I didn't care. Maybe the book helped explain it better. Or maybe the subtitles weren't adequate.

PARANOID PARK. This is the latest Gus van Sant movie about disaffected teenagers. In this one, a skateboarder goes to a local skate park, something bad happens, and we aren't quite sure what his role in the event is. The movie moves back and forth in time, and occasionally has dream-like sequences. It does a great job of depicting inarticulate, aimless teenagers, but to be honest, inarticulate teenagers aren't remotely interesting to me, even when something major happens to them. And at only 78 minutes, it still felt padded.

FLAWLESS. Demi Moore is an executive at a diamond company in 1960 London. Michael Caine is the janitor. She is bitter because the sexism of the times prevents her from getting promoted, and so she lets the janitor talk her into helping him rob the bank of a few diamonds that won't even be missed. But things don't go as she planned, and like many heist movies, you follow the twists and turns. Although I knew exactly where the diamonds were all along. It's not a great movie, but it kept me mildly interested. I’d say it’s an OK choice to catch on TV some rainy day.

March movie reviews

2008-03-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

In reverse chronological order....

UNDER THE SAME MOON. Present-day Mexico and Los Angeles. A single mother has immigrated to East L.A., leaving her young son behind. Of course, she has done this so she can send money back home for him and he can have a better life. But it has been 4 years, and her son is starting to wonder if she loves him, because she hasn't sent for him. (She is trying, but she is having trouble getting legalized.) When his grandmother/caretaker dies, the boy decides to go to L.A. and reunite with his mother. Of course, a 9-year old on his own if bound to run into trouble, and he does when crossing the border into Texas. But he is resourceful and determined to make it to L.A., and people along the way help him avoid the bad characters. Meanwhile, his mother, who doesn’t realize he is missing, is considering marrying not for love, but so she can be legal. This is a charming movie that puts faces on the stories of illegal immigrants. The actors playing the mother and son are just wonderful. In the theater where I saw the movie, there was sobbing at the end. It’s a lovely movie.

BANK JOB. 1971 London. A group of less-than-upstanding working-class guys (including Jason Statham) get recruited by a former girlfriend to rob a bank. It's supposed to be an easy set up, and they get to keep the loot as long as they get the contents of a particular safety deposit box and turn them over to the guys making the robbery possible (by disabling alarms). Of course, in the course of the robbery, the guys also steal the contents of the many other safety deposit boxes, which can be a problem because people often put items in those boxes that they don't want anyone to see or know about. The robbers really get in over their heads, with corrupt cops, the criminal element, the radical chic, black power activists, and the highest levels of government getting involved. I like a good heist story with twists and turns, and this one is quite good. It's fun seeing if they can get themselves out of the mess they are in, and away from all various elements that are after them. Based on a true story.

HONEYDRIPPER. 1950 Alabama. Danny Glover runs a roadhouse in the rural South. His performers sing the blues, and he is losing customers to competitors who play early rock and roll. He is on the verge of being bought out, so he and his partner Charles Durning try to bring in "Guitar Sam", a big draw from New Orleans. He hopes that will bring in the crowds, and get him the money he needs to settle his debts. Of course there are complications, so story revolves around whether they can succeed in saving the bar. This was written and directed by John Sayles (Lone Star), who is a favorite of mine, but the first hour of this one moved like molasses, and the story isn't terribly original. I will say the acting was terrific.

MARRIED LIFE. 1949 New York. Harry (Chris Cooper) and Richard (Pierce Brosnan) are businessmen (the martini lunch kind). Harry is married and Richard is happily single. One day Harry confesses to Richard that he has fallen in love with a blond bombshell named Kay (Rachel McAdams). But Harry does love his wife Pat (Patricia Clarkson), and can't bear to hurt her, so he hasn't told Pat that he is leaving her. He comes to think it will be kinder to kill his wife rather than tell her he doesn't love her anymore. Meanwhile, Harry has asked Richard to visit Kay and keep her company, since Harry can't be with her that often. And Richard starts becoming infatuated with Kay. The movie takes the concept that all marriages have their ups and downs and throws in some unexpected twists. This is a little like a 1950's melodrama, but with really dark humor, and I liked it.

THE COUNTERFEITERS. WWII Germany. A master counterfeiter is arrested and ends up in a concentration camp. At first he survives by painting portraits of the Nazis. But then a SS officer recognizes him, and he ends up being put to work counterfeiting foreign money (first the British pound, then the dollar). The goal for the Nazis is to destabilize the economies of their enemies. So the prisoners face a moral dilemma - do what the Nazis want, and survive while prolonging the war, or refuse to help, and die. This is the kind of movie where you put yourself in the place of the protagonists, and wonder what you would do in their place. Winner of Best Foreign Film at this year's Oscars.

MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY. Late 1930's London. Frances McDormand is a nanny who keeps get fired (it's implied because she is a bit of a prude). Finally, her agency won't send her out to any more jobs. So she swipes a business card from the employer's desk, and shows up at Delysia's (Amy Adams) place. It turns out Delysia doesn't want a nanny, but a social secretary. And Delysia really does need one, because she is juggling three men. One man supports her in style, one can make her a star, and one is her best friend. Surprisingly, Miss Pettigrew excels at managing Delysia's life. And so they spend a madcap day, and become friends. Miss Pettigrew even meets an attractive man. Miss Pettigrew knows the war is coming, but the young people are oblivious to the meaning of it. Somewhat in the style of 1930's screwball comedies, this is mildly amusing but not spectacular. Fine for renting.

February movie reviews

2008-03-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

IN BRUGES. I loved this movie. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are hit men working for Ralph Fiennes. When a job goes terribly wrong, Ralph sends the two men to Bruges (in Belgium) to lay low for a while. Brendan loves the medieval city, while Colin thinks it's the pits because there isn't any nightlife. They have a sort of father-son relationship. I don't want to say any more about the plot, because that would ruin it, but this movie is full of very black humor amidst some nasty violence. The three characters are well-drawn with some real depth, not just caricatures. It's not a comedy, really, but I was laughing like crazy. It's a little like PULP FICTION, with the mix of comedy and drama.

DEFINITELY, MAYBE. Ryan Reynolds is getting a divorce as the movie opens. His young daughter wants to know the story of how he and her mother met. So he spends the movie telling his young daughter about the three great loves of his life (changing the names), and tells the daughter she will have to figure out who her mother is. Each of the women (played by Amy Adams, Elizabeth Banks, and Rachel Weisz) has real appeal, but also flaws. So the movie has a realistic take on relationships (other than every body being beautiful , of course). The movie is really well put together, so that the viewer also is guessing how the story will end up. I enjoyed it quite a bit. A excellent date movie, I would say.

THE BAND'S VISIT. Israeli movie. It involves a police ceremonial band from Egypt, who comes to Israeli to play at the opening of an Arab Cultural Center. But there is confusion about what town they are going to, and the band ends up in a small town in the middle of nowhere, with, as one local woman puts it, no Arab culture, no Israeli culture, no culture at all. They can't catch a bus until the next day, so the band ends up staying with local townsfolk. And getting to know each other a little. This is a very small film, not much going on, but OK enough.

FOUR MONTHS, THREE WEEKS, TWO DAYS. This Romanian movie involves two college roommates living in Communist Romania. One gets pregnant, and the other supports her in pursuing an illegal abortion. The friend has to borrow the money, get a hotel, contact the abortionist, etc. The pregnant girl seems to be paralyzed. And discovery could mean 10 years in jail. Although the movie does a fine job of showing what life must have been like during that era (getting goods from illegal black markets, living in cramped quarters, being required to carry ID documents at all times), I don't really need a movie to show me that getting an illegal abortion is a bleak experience that tests friendship. You think? Grim stuff.

CLOVERFIELD. This movie has been referred to as Godzilla meets The Blair Witch Project. And that is really a perfect description. It involves a group of friends who having a going-away party for a friend, and videotaping the party. When New York starts exploding with a gigantic monster destroying the city, the friends run around trying to get out of harm's way, all the while taping themselves (and occasionally the monster). Where the monster came from or what it's motivations are aren't explained; it is just pissed off for no apparent reason. Some reports have said people have complained that the shaky camera work made them sick. I am very susceptible to motion sickness, but although the shaky camera work here annoyed the hell out of me, it didn't make me ill. The movie... it's not bad, but I was never much into Godzilla or monster movies, so [shrug].

January movie reviews

2008-01-28T09:49:00.000-08:00

THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Daniel Plainview, an early 20th century oil prospector in California's Central Valley. He is an incredibly driven man, very competitive. He can be very smooth, but you get the feeling there's not much humanity there. The first half of the movie is more a visual look at how drilling for oil was done back then. Somewhat interesting, but not a lot of story going on. Then a plot kicks in, which involves Plainview along with his young son trying to get leases on a potentially lucrative area to drill. His nemesis will turn out to be a young man who is a religious holy roller. He wants to build a church in the area and lead a cult-like group of followers. So there's a conflict between a really nasty capitalist against a really hateful preacher. But as far as I could tell, neither character was given much depth or nuance, or even much motivation other than being after power. Although very visual, great music, terrific acting...I didn’t really like it. And I hated the ending. Talk about ham-fisted!

THE SAVAGES. John (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Wendy Savage (Laura Linney) are siblings living in New York. One day Wendy gets a call that their father is in the hospital. The kids are estranged from their father, and aren't even sure where in Arizona he lives. Apparently, he was a terror of a father, and they are still living with the results of his abuse in their personal lives. Still, they behave like good children, and go to see how their father is. Turns out, dementia is taking a toll, and he needs to go into a home. So they find him a nursing home, and in he goes. Wendy is still trying to win her father's love, while John is more pragmatic about just giving him his basic needs. Now, there is quite a bit of humor in the movie, including some laugh out loud moments, and there is an unexpected ending, but I have visited a father in a nursing home, and really didn’t care for the feeling that I was re-living the experience. So for personal reasons I didn’t like the movie.

PERSEPOLIS. Based on a graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi (she wrote and directed the movie as well), who was a young girl in Iran in the time of the Shah. She lives with her modern family, who are quite appalled when she quotes her teachers and says the Shah is a good man. Until she learns that the Shah imprisoned her grandfather. Then she becomes pro-revolution, and along with her family, hope that Iran will now become a modern, progressive county. But of course that doesn't go so well, and she had an uncle that is imprisoned by the clerics. She remains an outspoken girl, though, and eventually her family sends her to Vienna because they are afraid she might end up getting her or her family in trouble. There she struggles to fit in. And more. I really liked this one, because her life is fascinating, it's a look at Iranians who don't make the news, and also because I liked the graphic look of the movie.

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY. Based on a true story. Jean-Dominque Bauby was living large as the editor of French Elle magazine. He had money, prestige and beautiful women. Then, when he was 42 years old, he had a brain-stem stroke that left him in a locked-in state. That is, he couldn't move, talk, swallow, etc. He could blink one eyelid, and with the help of a therapist, developed a method to communicate. After being initially depressed, of course, he realized he still had his memories and his imagination. So he wrote a book about his experiences. You wouldn't think a movie about a guy who can't move or speak would be very interesting, but this one is. It's amazingly well done.

December movie reviews

2008-01-02T16:40:00.000-08:00

ENCHANTED. This movie takes off on Disney princesses, their true loves, and wicked stepmothers. Giselle (Amy Adams) lives in an animated wonderland, about to marry her Prince Charming. But his wicked stepmother doesn't want the match, and sends Giselle down a well, whereupon she ends up in New York City. And of course, her wide eyed take on the world doesn't quite fit in Manhattan. She does meet someone who takes pity on her (Patrick Dempsey), although he is a dedicated non-romantic. His daughter, however, is delighted to meet a princess. As you might expect from a movie of this kind, Patrick gets changed. But Giselle does too. There is a very funny satirical take on the romantic worldview found in those old Disney movies. It actually builds a bridge between the romantic and practical, and sees the positive sides of both. I can't describe the movie well enough, except to say I thought it was absolutely adorable.

JUNO. Juno (Ellen Page) is a 16 year old girl, very precocious, who thinks she is wiser than she actually is. She likes a boy (Michael Cera from Superbad), and I think out of curiosity, has sex with him. When she finds herself pregnant, she first seeks an abortion, but decides against it. With the support of her father and stepmom, she goes about finding adoptive parents for her baby. With the help of the local PennySaver, she finds the perfectionist Jennifer Garner, and her not-ready-to-grow-up husband, Jason Bateman. This is a very witty movie, and sweet too. All of the characters are really well written and acted. Roger Ebert named it best move of the year. I wouldn't go that far, but it is hugely entertaining. One complaint I have is that the previews are showing far too much of the movie.

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR. Tom Hanks stars as a Texas congressman in 1980. He is a womanizing, hard drinking, don't-do-much kind of politician. But, somehow, he becomes interested in the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. Spurred on by a wealthy right-wing socialite (Julia Roberts) who wants the US government to do way more against the commies, he visits the area and sees with his own eyes how brutal the Russians are. Along with a CIA agent (Philip Seymour Hoffman), he really rises to the challenge to get funding for a covert action against the Russians. Written by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing), this is a very smart, witty, and entertaining history lesson. Hoffman especially is terrific. Well worth seeing.

ATONEMENT. Based on an Ian McEwan novel, this movie takes place in 1930s England, among the upper classes. Keira Knightly is the rich girl, and James McEvoy is the housekeeper's son (although he has done well for himself and is headed to medical school). Keira's little sister, Briony, is an imaginative 11 year old, with a slight crush on James. James and Keira are in love, though, and Briony keeps coming across signs of their secret affair, but she is young and misinterprets what she sees. Finally, something bad happens and again, Briony is seriously mistaken, and her mistake separates the lovers and sends James to jail. James goes into the military in exchange for prison, ending up at Dunkirk, and Keira becomes a nurse when WWII breaks out. Briony, meanwhile, grows to realize her mistake, and wants to bring the lovers back together. It becomes her mission to atone for her sin. I thought this was a beautiful, tragic, love story, but because the movie is made by the ending, I don't know that anyone who has read the book will like it as much as I did.

THE KITE RUNNER. Again, I haven't read the novel this is based on, so the movie was all new to me. It begins before the USSR invasion of Afghanistan, and revolves around two boys who are close friends. One is upper class, the other is the son of the servant of the house. They are inseparable, but one day something awful happens to the lower-class boy, and the upper class boy is so wracked with guilt that he did nothing to stop the horrible event that he poisons their friendship. They eventually lose touch when the upper class family escapes to Fremont after the Russian invasion. But there is a reconnection years later. Although I thought the movie slowed down a bit in the end, it was a wonderful look at a country and culture that most of us don't know much about. And it's a heartbreaking story, with issues of class, guilt, oppression, emigration, etc. Not a great movie, but good.

THIS CHRISTMAS. A typical holiday movie, with a family getting together for Christmas. There are all the usual complications, including a bad marriage, a prodigal son, crime, infidelity, arguments over the family business, etc. And of course everyone in the family is remarkably attractive. But as the genre goes, I liked this one; it's heartwarming and funny and I felt happy coming out of the theater. Plus some good music. Nothing wrong with a feel-good movie around the holidays!

SWEENEY TODD. Johnnie Depp takes on the role of Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street in 19th century London. This is based on a musical by Stephen Sondheim. Todd has been unjustly imprisoned and lost his family, and when he returns after 20 years, he takes vengeance on the middle class by slitting their throats (lots of gushers in this movie) in the barber's chair. Helena Bonham Carter is Mrs. Leavitt, in love with Sweeney, who takes the bodies and make meat pies of them. To say this is a dark topic for a musical is an understatement. I have mixed feelings about this: Depp is good, Carter not so much, there are beautiful songs, too much blood letting, I go back and forth on whether to recommend. I guess it would just depend on your taste for the macabre mixed with music.

THE GREAT DEBATERS. Denzel Washington directed this based-on-a-true-story movie about a debating team from a historically black college in 1930's Texas. Denzel is the college debate coach (and labor organizer on the side), and he has a team composed of a smart but undisciplined young man, a young woman (when women didn't debate), and a brilliant 14-year- old (whose preacher father is played by Forrest Whitaker). They face racism, a corrupt sheriff, etc. In the tradition of sports movies, the underdog debating team takes on all comers at other black colleges, defeating them until the final big debate against Harvard. Will they win against the prestigious white university or not? This is an OK example of the genre. For me, not even as entertaining as REMEMBER THE TITANS, though. Debating is hard to make as watchable as a sports contest. I did like the end credits showing what the debaters went on to do with their lives.

I AM LEGEND. Classic story, where a virus meant to cure cancer instead kills most of humankind, leaving a few mutant vampire-like creatures, and even fewer who are totally immune to the virus. The mutants only come out at night, and they are very fast and very scary. Will Smith is immune and tools around a deserted Manhattan during the day looking for food and DVD rentals. He is also a doctor, and spends some time trying to find a cure for the virus. I thought the movie was a tad slow, and wasn't really impressed by the CGI effects. I liked 28 WEEKS LATER, with a plot along similar lines, a lot more.

THE MIST. Based on a Stephen King short story. In this one, a bunch of people in small-town Maine (of course) are stuck in a grocery store when a dense mist falls over the town. And there is something in the mist that is snatching people up. So the people in the store try to figure out what to do, before everyone goes crazy from listening to the bible-thumper (Marcia Gay Harden) who is convinced that the mist is God's vengeance for their misdeeds. So there is danger outside the store, but also inside, because she might be able to convince people that someone has to be sacrificed to appease God. I was OK with this one for a while, but I really hated the end. I got the feeling the movie was trying to be deep, but I didn't go along with it.

WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY? Documentary on Reverend Billy and his Stop Shopping Gospel Choir. He's got a good gimmick (preaching against shopping just like a evangelical preacher), and some of the choir's songs are quite funny. Still, as a movie, I thought this was weak. Quite disjointed. I don't think the movie would convince anybody.

November movie reviews

2007-12-03T17:29:00.000-08:00

What's with all the holiday crime dramas?

EASTERN PROMISES. Naomi Watts plays a midwife in a London hospital. A young woman comes into the hospital, gives birth to a little girl, and dies. She has no identification, and carries only a diary on her, written in Russian. Naomi becomes obsessed with finding the girl's family, so the baby can be with family and not end up in foster care. But it will turn out that the girl was involved with the Russian mafia, and the investigation will put Naomi at risk. Also starring Viggo Mortensen as one of the Russian henchmen. Although I guessed how this would end up, I really liked it, despite the violence. Seeing men fight for the lives in a steam room is a new one.

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Josh Brolin is out hunting in the Texas backcountry, when he comes upon a group of dead men. There is also a pickup truck full of of heroin, and a suitcase of money. Josh takes off with the money, but ends up pursued by both the sellers and the buyers of the drug deal gone bad. Javier Bardem is a sociopathic serial killer out to get him as well, along with anyone who stands in his way. Tommie Lee Jones is the sheriff who is trying to stop the bloodshed. He thinks he's seen it all, but it will turn out he hasn't. This movie is by the Coen brothers, and reminded me quite a lot of their movie FARGO. Same sick humor and level of violence. I think this is a terrific movie, but I know some people will be very put off by the ending.

AMERICAN GANGSTER. Denzel Washington stars as the drug dealing gangster, Frank Lewis, and Russell Crowe is the cop who is trying to bring him down. The movie follows their two lives in the late 60's and early 70's. Frank is a terrific businessman, who manages to cut the middle-men Mafia out of the drug deals by going to Southeast Asia, straight to the source. Because of this, he can sell better quality at a lesser price. But he is also smart about keeping a low profile, and so it takes the cops quite a while before they even figure out who the top dog is. This is a good cops and robbers movie, but critics are liking it more than I did. It's been compared to HEAT, but I liked HEAT better. It's a fine movie, but not great.

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke star as brothers. The older brother is a slick character who can pretty much get his brother to do anything. Ethan is more of a screw-up, with a shrew ex-wife always bitching to him about his child support. When they both end up in need of cash, Philip comes up with the idea of robbing a family-owned jewelry store. No one is supposed to get hurt, but of course that doesn't happen. And things start spiraling out of control. The movie has an interesting structure, bouncing around in time. but I really couldn't care less about these people and their problems. Well done and great acting, but this is another one critics are loving, but me, not so much.

October movie reviews

2007-10-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL. Lars (Ryan Gosling) lives in a small town. He is so pathologically shy he can barely even talk to his own family. His brother is understandably upset when Lars introduces them to Bianca, an anatomically correct blow-up doll Lars "met on the internet". But the town psychologist tells everyone that it would be best if they just went along with Lars' delusion that Bianca is real. And before you know it, the whole town is acting as if she is. And because they do, not only does Lars have this chaste "relationship" with Bianca, but he starts interacting with other people as well. I know this plot sounds weird beyond belief, and maybe a little sick, but this is actually a very funny and heartwarming movie that I wholeheartedly recommend.

THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE. Audrey (Halle Berry) and Brian (David Duchovny) are an upper middle class couple with two kids. They lead an idyllic life, and the only thing they argue about is Brian's continued friendship with his childhood friend Jerry (Benicio del Toro). See, Jerry has become a heroin addict, and Audrey doesn't want him anywhere near her, and can't understand why Brian just doesn't give up on him. But Brian never does; he has faith in the good in people. Anyway, when Brian gets tragically killed, Audrey has to invite Jerry to the funeral, and eventually invites him to stay at her place. She needs to have him around. It's not sexual, she just needs him - he helps her with both the grief and anger she feels. Great acting all around, this may be one of the most heartbreaking movies I have ever seen. It's really, really good.

GONE BABY GONE. In a working class neighborhood in Boston, a 4-year-old girl has been abducted from her bedroom. The police are working on the case, but the girl's aunt wants more, so she hires Casey Affleck, a private detective, to work for the family. Because he is a local boy, he quickly finds out that the mother isn't who or what the police believe. Casey can delve into the underside of the neighborhood in a way the police (including Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman) never can, and is instrumental in moving the case forward. The story is written by the same guy who wrote MYSTIC RIVER, and it has the same gritty feel, shady characters, and moral ambiguities. It's a movie that wants you to think about the choices the characters make, which I liked.

MICHAEL CLAYTON. Legal thriller. This one stars George Clooney, a once promising district attorney, who now works for a large corporate law firm as a "fixer". The situation he needs to fix in this case is with one of the company's lead attorneys (Tom Wilkinson), who has gone off the deep end during a deposition. Sure, Tom's a manic depressive, but maybe he isn't being crazy in this instance. The case has the law firm defending a large pesticide company that may or may not have poisoned farmers. This is a kind of John Grisham-like movie, not filled with any deep meaning, but it does have some nuances, and the characters aren't all stereotypes. I liked it a lot. And it has performances by Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton (as the pesticide company's CEO) that I thought were worth the price of admission.

INTO THE WILD. This is the based-on-a-true-story telling of Chris McCandless, who after graduating from college, gives his trust fund away and sets out to live on his own, separate from family and privilege. He works crappy jobs and hitchhikes around the country, trying to find himself. His dream is to go live into the wilds of Alaska, and he eventually makes it, but it isn't the dream he expected. I had some qualms about seeing the movie, because I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who throw away opportunities that are handed to them, but the movie won me over. I still don't idolize the guy, or think he was heroic, but the movie definitely fleshes out his story and gives him some depth. He wasn't an idiot, just a young innocent who could have gone on to really do something meaningful.

DAN IN REAL LIFE. If you want a break from meaningful movies, this is a good choice. Dan (Steve Carrell) is an advice columnist, but as a widower with three girls, he isn't doing so well at home. He takes the girls up to the old homestead for a family reunion, and when he is out buying papers, meets a woman (Juliette Binoche) he immediately clicks with (which hasn't happened since his wife died). But when he gets home, he finds that she is his brother's girlfriend. Which makes for a miserable weekend for him. Complications, etc., etc. But this isn't a cliche romantic comedy where you think that-would-never-happen over and over again. In fact I thought almost everything that happened was actually believable. So, while it's not a serious film, I'd say it's a cute date movie.

September movie reviews

2007-09-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

THE HUNTING PARTY. Inspired by a true story (according to the movie,
"only the most ridiculous parts are true"). As it opens, Richard Gere
is a hotshot TV journalist, and Terrence Howard ("Duckie") is his
cameraman. They are known for taking risks in war zones and getting the
story. But while they are in Bosnia during the ethnic cleansing, Gere
has an on-camera meltdown and loses his job. He spirals into obscurity,
while Duckie ends up with a cushy network job. Five years later, Duckie
and the network anchorman are in Bosnia doing a 5-years-after story, and
Duckie runs into Gere. Gere convinces Duckie that he has a lead on the hidden
location of one of the major war criminals, and they go off in search
of the big story. Tense moments interspersed with humor, I found it
entertaining and would really recommend the movie.

DELIRIOUS. Steve Buscemi stars in this very indie movie about a
down-and-out photographer who is basically a paparazzi, but believes
himself to be above that. An odd set of circumstances bring him
together with a homeless kid who wants to be an actor, and the kid
becomes his assistant, while Steve proudly shows him the ropes of
getting pix of celebrities. Steve doesn't have much self-awareness, but
the kid is smarter than one would guess. Will the kid get a chance to
be an actor? What would happen to the friendship if he did? Very
amusing movie; I liked it a lot.

IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH. Based on a true story, Tommy Lee Jones stars as
the father of a soldier in Iraq. One morning he gets a call from his
son's home base, saying his son has gone AWOL. Tommy didn't even know
his son was home, and thinking this is odd, he drives to the base to try
to find his son. He is a former military policeman himself, so he has
the skills to investigate what is going on. He tries to enlist the help
of the local police (Charlize Theron), but since it is a military
matter, he gets nowhere. But he persists, and ends up learning far more
about his son than he could have imagined. This movie is by the
director of CRASH, which I really liked, but although I liked this
movie, I can't really rave about it. There was a bit of
heavy-handedness to it, in my opinion. Tommy Lee Jones is worth seeing
though - he was amazing.

NO END IN SIGHT. This is a documentary about the Iraq war. I went to
see it almost because I felt obligated to be more informed. And I am
glad I did. It's a very straightforward look at the mistakes that have
been made and who made them, based on interviews with people that were
part of the Pentagon and State Dept. during the decision making
processes. Really, quite good, although of course depressing. It
definitely implies that things didn't have to go so badly, that there
may have been a chance for things to go right, but idiots in charge
bungled it entirely. Extremely well done.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON. This documentary consists of interviews with the astronauts that went to the moon on the Apollo missions. It
explains the space program and the times it took place in, as well as
the individual astronauts' feelings about what they were doing and what
going to the moon meant to them. I kept scrapbooks on the space program
when I was a kid, and still find it fascinating. So I really enjoyed
this movie and would recommend it for anyone with similar interests.

3:10 TO YUMA. Christian Bale is a rancher in frontier Arizona. He has
a teenage son who is going through some adolescent drama, and doesn't respect his dad. The railroadmen are trying to run the rancher off his land.
And he needs to pay off a loan. So things are not going well for him.
When he gets a chance to earn money to escort an outlaw (Russell Crowe)
to the train that will take the outlaw to jail, he takes it. But it's a
dangerous gig; the outlaw's gang is determined to rescue him. The movie
is more a character study than about the action although there are
shootouts. I don't know why, but I didn't get emotionally invested in
what would happen to either character. Critics are loving the movie and
I love both actors, but I just thought it was OK.

August movie reviews

2007-09-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE. Homer pollutes the town's lake, and havoc ensues. Springfield is quarantined, but the Simpsons manage to escape to Alaska. Eventually, they determine they must "return to America" to save the town. Basically, the movie is just an extended version of the TV show, but it's laugh out loud, especially the first 30 minutes or so. The main plot involving an evil EPA "the least effective agency in the government", led by an big business Adminstrator who can make President Schwarzengger ("I was paid to lead, not read") do whatever he wants - that's a bonus. The movie throws away gags at such a rapid rate if you don't pay attention you'll miss some laughs. Definitely worth seeing.

SUPERBAD. I hate to think that this movie really reflects the way teenage boys think and talk, but I can't say I'd really be surprised. In this case, it's two HS seniors, pretty dorky, who really really want to get laid before they go off to college. With the help of their even dorkier friend, who has a fake ID (in the name of McLovin), they have the chance to buy liquor for a party and impress the girls they are interested in. Of course there are complications. This is a pretty standard teenage movie, plotwise, and I found the first 20 minutes or so pretty crude, but that didn't last forever. And it really has quite a few belly laughs as the movie progresses, so I have to say it's worth seeing.

THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is still searching for his identity and why he is such a killing machine. This time his first clue appears via a journalist in London. From there he heads to Spain, and finally ends up in New York, where he duels with an evil "secret" branch of the CIA. They are willing to kill Bourne and anybody he contacts in order to keep their secret. With a great cast (David Straithern, Albert Finney, Joan Allen), this movie is essentially three chase scenes in the three locales. But they are really well done chase scenes (although sometimes the camera work was too jerky for my liking), so I thought this was a terrific action movie. Excellent summer fare.

KING OF KONG. A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS. Documentary on the people who still play the 1980's arcade game Donkey Kong. They take it seriously (it's apparently a really challenging game) and even have a official organization that validates scores. The movie follows Steve Wiebe, a likeable guy who out of nowhere decides he is going for a record-breaking score. His nemesis is the devious Billy Mitchell, who made a name for himself when he was 17 years old, back in 1982. Billy currently has the high score, but it seems like no one has actually watched him play in years. (He submits his scores via videotape.) I watched the movie with a smile on my face, not because I was laughing at the people, but because it was so entertaining. And, of course, it's always fun to root for a good guy over a bad guy. Totally enjoyable movie.

STARDUST. There is a town in 19th century England, called Wall. Not surprisingly, there is a wall outside of town, and the townspeople don't cross it much. Turns out, on the other side is a land called Stormhold. In Wall, a young man is trying to woo a young lady who isn't particularly impressed by him. Together they see a falling star, and he tells the young lady he will go get the star and bring it back to her if she will marry him. So he crosses the wall to get the star, who turns out to be Claire Danes. Claire is also being pursued by a group of princes each competing for the jewel around her neck so that one of them can become king, and by ugly old witches (including Michelle Pfeiffer) who want to eat her heart to ensure eternal youth. That's the bare bones of it; there's much much more (Robert de Niro as a gay pirate, Ricky Gervais, Peter O'Toole). It's a very visual movie, with several amusements, but I didn't love it like I thought I would. I think it would probably be wonderful for people who love fantasy and older children.

DEATH AT A FUNERAL. OK, so a son is trying to arrange for a dignified send off for his father. But the funeral doesn't get off to a good start when the undertakers deliver the wrong body. Things go from bad to worse. There is a mysterious man at the funeral, a future in-law unknowingly takes a psychadelic, a preacher who needs to be elsewhere, etc. This is a British comedy, and I was hoping for a lot of laughs, but mostly I just thought it mildly amusing. I only laughed out loud a couple of times. I am not sure I would even rent this one, but some members of the audience I saw it with laughed quite a bit.

July movie reviews

2007-07-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

HAIRSPRAY. Tracy Turnblad is in high school in 1962 Baltimore. She has the sunniest personality, and wants nothing more than to dance on Baltimore's version of American Bandstand. But she can't get selected, because she is a big girl, and the snotty station manager (Michele Pfeiffer) won't hear of it. The black kids can't dance, either, except on the once-a-month "Negro day". So Tracy starts agitating to integrate the show. This movie is based on the Broadway musical that was based on the original 1988 John Waters movie. Most of the movie is upbeat musical numbers, and I smiled through the entire thing. It's also very, very funny. Relentlessly upbeat, you'd have to be a complete cynic to not enjoy this. Also starring Christopher Walken, John Travolta, and Queen Latifah, with cameos by Jerry Stiller (who was in the original movie) and John Waters himself.

TALK TO ME. This bio-pic stars Don Cheadle as Petey Green, who was a Washington DC disc jockey during the 1960's and 70's. The program director of a failing radio station met Petey when Petey was in jail, and Petey finagled his way into a job at the station when he got released from prison. And he was good at it, not so much smooth talk as straight talk, which was perfect for the era. Unfortunately, the program director had bigger dreams for Petey, even though Petey would have been perfectly happy remaining a DJ 'til he died. Their conflict over settling for doing what one does best vs striving to achieve more is an unusual one for an American film. I doubt anyone who wasn't in DC at the time would know of this guy, but he certainly was a big personality, and his story is unusual, so it's a reasonably interesting movie.

SICKO. Michael Moore takes on the American health care insurance industry. The first half of the movie isn't so much about how often Americans don't have insurance, but about how the insurance companies for people who do have coverage do everything they can to not pay beneficiaries. Then he delves into how other countries (Canada, France and Cuba) are so much better off than us. There isn't a lot of analysis, Moore makes no attempt to provide any balance, and you couldn't come up with a new policy based on the movie, but it sure is entertaining. And the kicker at the end with a bit about a Michael Moore-hating blogger is priceless!

1408. John Cusack stars as a hack writer, putting together guidebooks on haunted hotels. One day he gets a postcard from the Dolphin Hotel in Manhattan, with just a note "don't stay in room 1408". So he insists on doing just that, even though hotel manager Samuel Jackson tries to convince him not to, even showing John proof of all the people who tried to stay the night in the room and died. So then Cusack spends a night in hell, and he can't escape. This is a good psychological horror story with some excellent visuals. Based on a Stephen King short story, this doesn't have quite the great ending that CARRIE did, for example, but it's fun enough.

RESCUE DAWN. Christian Bale is Dieter Dengler, who joins the Navy so he can fulfill his childhood dream of flying. It's 1966, and he is send on the secret bombing runs in Laos. He gets shot down of his first flight, and must escape the brutal camp where he and a few other prisoners are being held. Dieter is an interesting person, almost naive, but I thought this movie was standard prisoner of war escape stuff. I may have been disappointed in this because I saw the original Werner Herzog documentary based on this guy's life (LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY), and it was so astonishing that I found this version of his story more Hollywood and less compelling, even though it too was done by Herzog. Rent the documentary.

YOU KILL ME. Ben Kingsley works for his Polish mob family in upstate New York, as a killer. They need him to kill a Irish mob competitor (Dennis Farina), but Ben gets drunk and passes out. Since his alcoholism is affecting his work, the family sends him to San Francisco to go to AA and get straightened out so he can go back to work as a hitman. In SF he meets Tea Leoni, who finds him fascinating, and they start going out. This is a very black comedy, not a lot of belly laughs, but enough for a positive recommendation.

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. John McClane (Bruce Willis) is back. This time he is told to go pick up a computer geek (Justin Long). The FBI wants to interview the geek about a computer glitch. The geek is only a small part of a huge plot (of course) to disrupt U.S. financial markets, traffic, and utility services. The bad guy (Timothy Olyphant) told the government to take precautions, but they didn't listen, so what does he do? Not only does he decide to prove the system's weaknesses, he also turns into a cold blooded killer. And of course, it's really all about the money in the end. Anyway, lots of chase and action scenes while Bruce tries to protect the geek (who can help the government thwart the bad guy.) Some scenes were fun, but unfortunately, I found the last big action sequence to be so preposterous (not that action scenes are all that realistic in general), that for me, the movie ended with a thud. The basic plot was OK, though. I guess I have just seen too much of this type of movie. Critics generally are liking it.

RATATOUILLE. Remy the rat has a developed sense of smell and taste, and unlike his rat family, discriminating tastes. He even watches cooking shows. When he ends up in Paris, he becomes a surrogate cook for a bumbling dishwasher. Together they can make the restaurant a success, but of course a nasty critic and an evil chef competitor threaten them. This is another movie that critics generally like. I thought it amusing at times, but too long. Not to mention the idea of rats in the kitchen just grosses me out, no matter how cutely they are drawn.

June movie reviews

2007-07-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

KNOCKED UP. Very funny movie by the guy who did 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN. This one involves a young, attractive television producer who really has it together. She gets a promotion, and goes to a bar to celebrate. She meets a goofball guy, and ends up having a one night stand with him. The next morning, she realizes he is not her type (the look on her face when she sees his chubby butt is priceless), and they part ways. Eight weeks later, she finds out she's pregnant. She calls him up, and together they try to figure out what kind of relationship they are going to have. They are sooo not compatible, which makes for some really humorous moments. Also in the movie are his stoner, not-ready-to-grow-up friends, and her sister and brother-in-law. Despite it being a comedy, the situation and characters feel real, not sitcom-y at all. I highly recommend this one.

A MIGHTY HEART. Angelina Jolie stars as Marianne Pearl, wife of Daniel Pearl. They are both journalists, working in Pakistan after 9/11, covering the Afghan war. They are ready to go home when Daniel decides to follow a lead on the shoe bomber. Despite taking precautions, he is kidnapped. This true story follows Marianne in the aftermath of the kidnapping, as well as her, the FBI, and the Pakistani security agencies attempting to find Daniel before it is too late. The movie is amazing. I believe it was filmed in Pakistan, and you truly get a feeling for the chaos that exists there. And despite knowing the facts of the story, I still felt that sense of dread in worrying what would happen. And it was heartbreaking at the end. Really, really well done. Not entertaining, because it is so sad, but I am glad I saw it.

SHREK THE THIRD. This time, Shrek is searching for Arthur. Fiona's dad passed away, and Arthur is the only one besides Shrek who can become king, and Shrek doesn't wanna be king. Prince Charming (who wants to be king himself) and all the other bad characters from fairy tales are their opponents in the quest. Still funny, still worth seeing.

SHOWBUSINESS: THE ROAD TO BROADWAY. This documentary follows 4 plays (Avenue Q, Taboo, Wicked, and Caroline, or Change) from the development through their runs on Broadway. The filmmakers interview producers, directors, actors, and even critics. It is an interesting look at the elusive elements that make a hit (or not). There's no guarantee of success. Neither the quality, the stars, nor the reviews necessarily make or break or show. It's a mystery. This isn't a really analytical film, but I did like it, as I enjoy behind-the-scenes looks at entertainment.

OCEAN'S 13. This time Al Pacino is building a fabulous hotel in Vegas in partnership with Elliot Gould. But Al betrays Elliot, giving Elliot a heart attack. So the boys decide to get revenge on Al. Sure, there is eye candy in the movie, but the plot was convoluted and far-fetched, the movie dragged, and the actors seem really overly pleased with themselves. It wasn't that clever, or that funny, and I just didn't care that much.

ONCE. This is almost an extended music video. A young Irish man works days in his father's vacuum shop, but spends the rest of his time playing guitar and singing his songs on the streets. One day a young Czech woman tells him how good his songs are. They develop a friendship and bond over music. She encourages him. They get together with friends to put together a demo tape. I liked the songs, and the characters are endearing, but the movie is kind of thin. Short, at only 88 minutes.

May movie reviews

2007-06-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

Tragedy. Humor. Relationships. And zombies.

28 WEEKS LATER. I am not big on zombie movies, in general, but the prequel to this one, 28 DAYS LATER, was an interesting movie with great visuals. This one doesn't have the visuals, but it was getting good reviews, so I thought what the heck? Twenty-eight weeks after the rage virus has decimated Britain, the American army has come in and is cleaning up the country. (Lots of biohazards!). They decide to start letting Brits who were out of the country at the time of the epidemic to come back in and live in a secure zone in London with the few survivors. But guess what? The virus is still out there. And people are making what may or may not be justifiable decisions. There's lots of splattering blood, but for some reason I found this a very entertaining movie. Although a few touches seemed off, I actually found it to be somewhat believable, as far as how people would act if there were some kind of massively contagious epidemic. Which, after all, isn't an impossibility in this day and age.

WAITRESS. Keri Russell stars as Jenna, a waitress in a diner. There are also good supporting characters: two other waitresses, plus the diner's owner (Andy Griffith). Jenna is adorable, she makes great pies, but she's pregnant and not happy about it at all, because she is married to a pathologically needy man, and doesn't see how she can get out of the marriage. She wants to win a pie-making contest, because the money will get her out of town, but her husband won't even let her do that. Stuck in her life, she develops a relationship with her gynecologist. This is a really charming movie, where all of the characters have real personalities. I can't say I didn't see the end coming, but I only saw part of it. I really enjoyed this.

VALET, THE. A rich man is cheating on his wife with a supermodel. One day the paparazzi catch him with her and the photo is published in the tabloids. Also in the picture was a bystander, who is a valet for a restaurant. The rich man tries to convince his wife that he was just a bystander, and the supermodel was with the valet. Complications and hijinks ensue. A cute little movie, not hilarious, but sweet. In French.

AWAY FROM HER. A Canadian professor and his wife (Julie Christie) are living the good life in retirement. But she is showing signs of early Alzheimer's. Wait! This is not a disease of the week movie. He wants to be in denial, but she insists that they deal with it. So she checks herself into an assisted living facility, where family members can't visit for the first 30 days. During that 30 days, the wife develops a relationship with another man in the facility. When the husband returns for his first visit, he has to deal with that new relationship, and also come to grips with his relationship to his wife and his past treatment of her. And wonder whether is wife is getting back at him for being a bad husband. His devotion is rewarding to see, and despite her affection for another man, he remains willing to do whatever she needs. I thought it was obvious that the movie was based on a story written by a woman, because it takes a very clear look at long term relationships from a female perspective.

AFTER THE WEDDING. Jacob works in India in an orphanage. He is devoted to the children, but one day the administrator of the orphanage tells him he has to appear in person to get money from a philanthropist that wants to endow the orphanage with 3 million dollars. So he reluctantly goes back home to get the money, while promising the children he will return in a week. The philanthropist invites him to his daughter's wedding, where Jacob meets a woman from his past. Turns out the wealthy man has plans for Jacob. But who will get what he wants? Will Jacob abandon the orphanage and the children he loves? This would have been a soap opera in an American movie, but it's not here. It's deeper than that. Although I didn't find it deeply moving, it was worthy. In Danish.

April movie reviews

2007-05-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

HOAX. In 1970, Clifford Irving (Richard Gere) is on top of the world. He has one non-fiction book published, and his novel is on the verge of being published by McGraw-Hill and serialized in Life Magazine. But then everything falls apart when the publisher backs out of the deal. Because he is desperate to make something of his life, Irving tells the publisher that he has something better, that he can bring them an autobiography of the reclusive Howard Hughes. His con gets more and more ridiculous, but Irving did his research (along with an assistant, played by Alfred Molina) and he fooled people for quite a long time. Based on the true story, it's an amazing tale (especially the Nixon-Watergate connection), and a lot of fun to watch.

BLACK BOOK. Despite its setting during WWII, this is a terrific action & espionage movie. Rachel Stein is a young Jewish woman in hiding in Holland in 1944. Her hiding place is destroyed and she, along with her family and several others, tries to escape Holland by boat. But they are betrayed and shot down. Only Rachel escapes, and she starts working with the Resistance to fight the Nazis. It turns out she is good at it, calm as a cucumber when need be. Which includes infiltrating the Gestapo, even literally sleeping with the enemy. This is a long movie, but I never felt that it was too long. There are crosses and double crosses. Although it's not all believable, it's still entertaining. In Dutch, German, and English.

DIGGERS. This is one of those slice-of-life movies that I enjoy because it brings you into the lives of people you don't know anything about. In this case, it's 1970's clam diggers off the coast of Long Island. The movie follows four young friends, one a photographer (Paul Rudd) who probably does the work because that's all he's ever known, an angry family man just trying to keep afloat, a ladies man, and a philosopher drug dealer. The work they do is on the verge of dying out, and life is a struggle. They are all believable characters, and there are supporting characters that are also good. Although the movie doesn't have a huge arc, I liked it. It invokes the 70's really well.

FRACTURE. Anthony Hopkins is a wealthy man whose wife is cheating on him. So he shoots her in the face, calls the cops, and confesses. Ryan Gosling is the prosecutor, and he thinks this case will be a slam dunk on his way to corporate America. Problem is, even though Anthony never left the house, no one can find the murder weapon. So ensues a cat-and-mouse game between the two. Trouble is, neither one is all that likable, so although I want the murderer to get convicted, I didn't care that much. And the trickiness of the plot falls apart the more I think about it. The movie is OK, but not as clever as I would like a movie of this genre to be.

WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY. 1920 Ireland. Two brothers are fighting the British, who are a bunch of thugs occupying their country. One brother joined early, has been a leader in the guerrilla warfare, while the other has tried to live a normal life, becoming a doctor, and only becomes a militant when circumstances push him that way. The latter brother is much more sensitive to the horrors of war. So they fight, and then, a compromise with the British is signed, and the two brothers are on different sides. The older more militant one actually takes the side of those who want the truce, even though they don't like parts of the settlement, and the younger brother takes the side of those who refuse any accommodation with the British. This movie was a good history lesson into the Irish troubles, but I really hated how the movie deals with the Civil War that erupts after the truce is signed. Talk about heavy-handed!

HOT FUZZ. This English comedy is a parody of American action movies. It begins with a young policeman in London, who is a real hot shot. In fact, he is so good at his job that he is making everybody else look bad. So his superiors decide to send him to the country, to a small English village. The policeman is pretty appalled when he gets there, both with the seeming incompetence of the police force, and with the idyllic village where nothing big seems to happen. But of course, there is more to the village than meets the eye. There are some laughs in this movie, and lots of critics think it's very funny, but I thought it was only mildly amusing overall, so I wouldn't recommend it.

BLADES OF GLORY. Although his movies are usually pretty silly, I also think Will Farrell can be quite funny. In this one, he plays a figure skater who is kicked out of competing in male figure skating, along with Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite). After being reduced to skating in kiddie shows, Will and Jon find a loophole in the rules, and realize they can skate together in pairs competition. Trouble is, they don't really like each other, but have to figure out a way to skate together. Figure skating is ripe for parody (the costumes alone!), and there are a couple of laughs, but this one is basically a stinker. I should of known I was in trouble when the opening credits indicated Will Farrell didn't write this one.

March Movie Reviews

2007-04-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

Not a loser in the bunch!

THE NAMESAKE. This is a multi-generational family drama. It begins in the mid 1970's with a young Indian man on a train, reading the philosopher Gogol. Then there is a major accident. A few years later he is living in New York City, and comes home to have his parents find him a wife. They do, and the couple moves to NYC. Their relationship evolves, and they have two children, one a son they name Gogol. Then, the son is grown, and there is the usual conflict between fathers and sons. But this movie is a little more interesting than just that basic plot, because this father and son pair have the added conflict between immigrants and their children. So I enjoyed it because of that, and because of the look at Indian culture. Plus, the cinematography is beautiful and the movie is just a pleasure to look at. By the director of MONSOON WEDDING (a 2002 movie I liked a lot); some might find the movie sappy, but I didn't.

THE LOOKOUT. As the movie opens, Chris (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is on top of the world. He’s a top-notch athlete, popular, and dates the prettiest girls. But then he makes a mistake and causes a car accident, and his life will change forever. Four years later, he is still coping with the aftermath of the accident. He suffered a brain injury, which makes him forgetful, prone to outbursts, and sometimes inappropriate. The best he can do is work the janitorial night shift at a bank, and live with a older blind man (Jeff Daniels) in a crappy part of town. When he meets someone in a bar who claims to have known him in the past, he is happy to have made a friend. But it turns out the “friend” wants Chris to help him rob the bank. Will Chris figure out that he is being used? Even if he does, given his brain injury, will he be able to figure his way out of the jam he is in? This heist film is quite clever, and I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot.

BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA. This movie is based on a children's book, and is aimed at families, and I really liked it. It involves a pre-adolescent rural boy who is poor and picked on by his classmates. He has four sisters, isn't understood by his parents, and his life is pretty miserable. Then a new girl appears in school, and she is kind of an odd kid who gets picked on as well. So eventually they bond. He's an artist and she's a writer, and together they start playing in a beat up treehouse in the nearby forest and imagine they are in the kingdom of Terabithia, complete with great scenery and monsters. Of course, bad things happen (and brought me to tears), but the movie shows how the power of imagination can help make reality bearable. It's a PAN'S LABYRINTH for the younger set.

MISS POTTER. Who would have guessed that a movie about Beatrix Potter, who wrote the Peter Rabbit children's stories, could have themes including class issues, women's rights, and environmentalism? This one does. Miss Potter (Renee Zellwegger) is in her 30's in early 1900's London and is still living at home. The movie follows her struggle as an upper class single woman trying to get published and make her own way. There are times when the movie is entirely too precious (such as when she talks to her drawings and they come alive in her eyes), but it has an old-fashioned feel to it (no violence!) that I enjoyed. And she was a much more interesting woman than I ever would have guessed.

ZODIAC. This movie documents the story of the Zodiac, who operated in the Bay Area in the late 60's/early 70's, killing young people and taunting the police by writing letters to local newspapers. The first act shows some of his crimes. The second act follows the police (including Mark Ruffalo) and SF Chronicle reporters (including Robert Downey Jr.) in their investigations. The final act follows a SF Chronicle editorial cartoonist (Jake Gyllenhaal) who became obsessed with solving the case, so much so he lost his job and family. I thought the movie was interesting, but maybe some of my interest was because I very clearly remember the events and know the locales (my sister actually worked with the mother of the first female victim, and I remember all the hubbub about the Zodiac's threat to kill kids riding school buses). So I think that might explain my interest and willingness to sit for a movie that is almost 3 hours long. I am not sure whether it would keep the interest of people who don't remember anything about it. I suppose it would depend on how interesting you find crime stories/mysteries.

BLACK SNAKE MOAN. Christina Ricci stars as Rae, the local tramp in a small southern town. Her boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake) keeps her somewhat on the straight and narrow, but he is leaving to do his National Guard duty in Iraq. They are a pair, her being so desperately needy for love (sex), and him suffering from severe anxiety attacks. When he leaves town, she completely falls apart and immediately starts behaving badly. She ends up beaten and dumped on the side of the road. Outside of town, Lazarus (Samuel Jackson) is suffering because his younger wife has left him for his brother. When Laz finds Rae by the side of the road, he decides he is going to get her on the straight and narrow. And to do that, he chains her up so she can't escape. Man, this is a weird movie. Very Southern Gothic, but the acting is really good, and the supporting characters keep the movie a little bit grounded so that there is some level of realism. But watching wounded people bonding together doesn't necessarily win me over. I want to find something interesting or redeeming about the characters, and I although I watched the movie with interest, at the end I wasn't all that satisfied with the story.

February Movie Reviews

2007-02-04T14:30:00.000-08:00

I didn't have any brilliant ideas on a symbol to rate the movies (ideas anyone?), but I did at least put them in order of my preference for them, best to least.

LIVES OF OTHERS. This German film takes place in 1984 East Berlin, when the Secret Police (the Stasi) and their informants are spying on nearly all of their citizens. Georg, a successful playwright, isn't being spied on when the movie opens, but the Cultural Commissar has a crush on Georg's actress girlfriend Christa, and would like to see Georg out of the way. So, a Stasi Captain gets the job of eavesdropping on Georg and Christa, and it is expected that he will be able to find something that will put Georg on a sort of enemies-of-the-people list. Georg really tries to be apolitical and inoffensive, so it won't be easy to get "the goods" on him, but events change him, and he does become more political. At first the Stasi Captain is a true believer in what he is doing, a real drone for the government, with no life of his own, but the longer he eavesdrops on the couple, the more it has an affect on him. In an odd way, it makes him lonely when he realizes what deep relationships other people can have. And he begins to have qualms about what he will do to Georg and Christa if he informs on them. The movie is not just a political thriller, where you wonder whether Georg and Christa can evade the State's hooks, but also a look at how absolutely intimidating and soul-deadening it is to live in that kind of society. Quite good. Just won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language movie (although I would have voted for Pan's Labyrinth).

BREACH. Chris Cooper plays Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent who spies for the Soviets for years and years. When the movie opens, the FBI is on to him, and trying to catch him in the act of making a drop. One of the many tactics they employ is to assign young FBI staffer Eric O'Neill (Ryan Philippe) to be his clerk, and report on his every move. At first Eric doesn't see the point, and in fact begins to admire Hanssen, because Hanssen is brilliant man, and seems very devout in his love for God and country. But eventually Eric will see Hanssen for the egomaniac that he is, which makes it more and more difficult for Eric to maintain his cover. This isn't an edge-of-your-seat thriller, because the movie opens with John Ashcroft announcing in 2001 that they have arrested Hanssen, but it is still interesting to see the lengths the FBI had to go to to catch the guy.

VENUS. Peter O'Toole stars as Maurice, an aging actor, not going gently into that good night. His days are filled with playing minor roles (i.e., dying guys) and hanging out with his old friends. One of those friends has his great-niece come to be his caretaker, but the guy doesn't like her and complains mightily to his friends about her. Maurice, the the other hand, becomes besotted by her, calling her Venus. I found his lust for her rather icky, being that she's maybe twenty and he's 80 or so. It was unpleasant watching him try to cop a feel (this isn't a comedy) when she's drunk. I get that he's trying to cling to youth, but still.... And she's actually quite unpleasant herself, ignorant, mean, and manipulative. So the first hour of the movie I didn't care for at all. But the movie takes at turn in a different direction in the last third, and I did quite like that part. So it was a weird experience.

MUSIC AND LYRICS. I like well-done romantic comedies (not that there are that many). And both Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant have made good ones. In this one, Hugh is the former member of a 80's pop band (think Wham) who is reduced to playing places like Knott's Berry Farm. Drew is a wannabe writer. Hugh gets a chance to write a song for a Brittany-like (pre-bald) pop princess, but he doesn't write lyrics. And Drew comes along, and she has a gift for lyrics. Etc etc etc. It didn't really work for me. It's not truly awful, but has too few laughs, and they don't really have any chemistry together, so I wouldn't actually even watch it again for free on TV.

2006 Movie Review archives

2007-02-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

Upon request, here are reviews from all the movies I saw in 2006, in alphabetical order. There are a lot of good movies, but I have put the titles in blue for the movies I would consider the TOP DOZEN (keeping in mind that Pan’s Labyrinth was my favorite 2006 movie, but I saw it in 2007.)

A NEW WORLD. This movie about the English coming to Jamestown, with Colin Farrell as John Smith. But really, the focus of the story is Pocahantas. And it's pretty much what we learned in high school history: she saves his life, marries another guy, goes to England and dies. And life for the colonists was really hard. So there isn't much story, but this movie is so beautifully filmed it's just gorgeous to look at. It gives a great feel for what a paradise North America used to be. Since the movie focuses mostly on Pocahantas' story, I would say the new world in the title is less the new world of the colonists, but the new world that would be imposed on the Indians. I liked it, mostly for the visuals. (Jan 2006)

AKEELAH AND THE BEE. Akeelah lives in South L.A., and has a bit of an attitude problem, because she is smart and knows that the education she is getting is not top-rate. But she does have teachers that care, and she is forced to participate in the school's spelling bee. Which she wins because she has a real gift. So she gets a mentor (Laurence Fishbourne), goes the regionals, nationals... you can guess the general arc of the story. But it's a good story, because she does have hurdles to overcome, both internal and external, so there's some depth to it. And the final bee isn't quite as predictable as one would guess. This is a terrific movie for families, I would think. (May 2006)

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. Movie showing Al Gore giving his slideshow about global warming mixed with interviews of him talking about his personal evolution regarding the issue. I really wasn't enthusiastic about seeing the movie, and although Al does come off as a bit pompous at times, generally he comes off as more appealing than I would have predicted. He explains global warming science at a pretty simple level, and gets off a joke or two. I saw the movie because I felt I should, and it turns out I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. And I feel I understand the topic better, which is a good thing. (June 2006)

BLOOD DIAMOND. Djimon Hounsou is a fisherman in Sierra Leone. He is poor, and is placing all his dreams on his son going to school and becoming a doctor. But one day the rebels come and his wife and daughters end up in a refugee camp, his son is forced to become a child soldier, and Djimon is enslaved in the diamond mines. In a parallel story, Leonardo DiCaprio is a heartless mercenary from Zimbabwe, who has gotten into the diamond smuggling business. The point of the movie, I think, is supposed to be that the diamond trade is supporting civil war and is inherently evil. But that's just mentioned in narrative a few times, and really doesn't give the movie any emotional kick. Instead, the movie focuses on Leo and Djimon coming together to work to find an incredibly valuable diamond that Djimon found and hid before he escaped the mines. Djimon wants to use the money to save his family, and Leo just wants to get out of Africa. So the movie is more about the personal than the political. And, oh yeah, Jennifer Connelly is totally unbelievable as a reporter who wants to make a splash with the blood diamond story. (And of course, she and Leo have "a moment". Bleh.) I saw the end of the movie coming a mile away, and other than one brief moment at the end, the movie didn't grab me emotionally. (Other than the scenes of the rebel indoctrination that turns children into cold blooded killers - those were really disturbing.) The movie isn't bad; I just didn't think it was all it could have been.

BOBBY. This movie takes place the day Robert Kennedy was shot in Los Angeles, the day he won the California primary to run for President in 1968. It follows a dozen or so mostly fictionalized characters throughout the day. A lot about the movie annoyed me: most of the characters are played by celebrities, which was disconcerting. (That's Ashton Kutcher...and there's Helen Hunt. And wait, isn't that a Hobbit? etc., etc., etc.). Also, the director (Emilio Estevez) tries too hard to compare 1968 to today (hanging chads in 1968?). Still, I remember 1968, and I kind of liked remembering the era. I am not sure whether people who don't remember 1968 would enjoy the movie or not. (November 2006)

BORAT. Sacha Baron Cohen stars as Borat, a journalist from Kazakhstan who comes to America to learn about our country. He plays the journalist as being from an extremely backward country, but while interacting with Americans reveals something about America as well. Which is that while many people are polite and helpful, some are idiots (drunken frats boys and the crowd at a rodeo, for example). I put off going to see this movie, because I don't generally like this kind of "candid camera/punk'd" kind of humor, but the movie is being nominated for awards left and right, so I went. And I admit, after a slow start, I was smiling throughout the movie, and laughing out loud for quite bit of it, so I have to say it's worth seeing. Cohen does an incredible job staying in character.

THE BRIDGE. The film maker of this movie got permission to film the Golden Gate Bridge, telling the authorities he was filming the bridge in different lights and seasons. But what he was really doing was filming people jumping off the bridge. So interspersed with beautiful scenery are scenes of a few people's last moments. Then there are interviews with family members and friends (and in one case, a guy that survived his attempt). Interesting movie and I guess the film maker is trying to make the point that the Bridge holds a romantic fascination for the suicidal, but I don't think he made the point strongly enough that these suicides could be prevented from jumping. Instead, the movie is mostly just sad and disturbing. (November 2006)

BUBBLE. Steve Soderburgh went to a small town in West Virginia, found some nonprofessional actors, and came up with this. It involves a middle aged woman and younger guy who work at a doll factory. She considers the young guy one of her best friends (because her life is pretty unexciting: work and taking care of her elderly dad). Things change when a young woman comes to work at the factory, and also befriends the young guy. Then there is a murder. Only 73 minutes long, the movie feels very much like a filmed short story. It's not all that special, but it did keep me interested. (Jan 2006)

CASINO ROYALE. The latest Bond movie, this one goes back to when Bond first becomes a 007. The new Bond, Daniel Craig, isn't as smooth as the previous actors, but I thought he made a good Bond. Not as much high-tech stuff as the previous movies, but also less cartoony (in my opinion). I liked it. (November 2006)

CLERKS II. The movie revisits the lives of Dante and Randall, ten years after the first movie. They worked at the quickie mart/video store for years, until it burned down. Now they work at the fast food joint Mooby's. Dante is trying to grow up, but Randall is still an idiot. The first half of this movie is painfully unfunny. The second half improves a bit, with occasional smiles. But I didn't laugh out loud once, so this was a real disappointment. If you want a CLERKS fix, rent the original. (August 2006)

THE DA VINCI CODE. I haven't read the book, although like everyone else, I do know the so-called "secret" in the book. But I thought the movie might be fun, with all the codes and anagrams and puzzles that needed solving. Could be an interesting thriller. Turns out, not so much. I thought this was a real snooze. (May 2006)

DELIVER US FROM EVIL. This is a compelling documentary on the Catholic Church's pedophile priest scandal. The movie focuses on one priest, who the Church knew was engaging in questionable activity (at the very least!). From 1976 to 1996, the hierarchy moved him from Lodi to Stockton to Turlock to San Andreas, until he was finally busted and sent to jail. The movie includes interviews with him, and he is clearly a very sick man, who understands intellectually that raping children was wrong, but gives off no real emotional feeling about it. Since he is free in Ireland (he was deported after he got out of jail in 2000), that is scary enough, but what is really scary is the denial the Church is in over their culpability in these scandals. The movie includes some analysis of why the Church does what it does, why it is in such denial, as well as interviews with the victims and families of the victims, who are still suffering the effects of the priest's betrayal. A really, really powerful movie. (November 2006)

THE DEPARTED. Martin Scorsese’s film about gangsters and cops in Boston. Jack Nicholson is a crime boss, and Martin Sheen is the cop that wants to take him down. Martin recruits Leonardo DiCaprio to be a mole in Nicholson's organization. What Martin and Leo don't know at first is that Jack has recruited a cop (Matt Damon) to be a spy within the police force. But they figure it out. It's a cat-and-mouse game on who will discover their "rat" first. I really enjoyed the movie; it really kept me on the edge of my seat. And at the same time, it's often very funny! I didn't love the ending, but it's not a terrible surprise, given that it's a Scorsese move. (October 2006)

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. Story of Andie (Anne Hathaway), a young woman who was the editor of her college paper, and goes to New York to make it as a journalist. She ends up working for the dragon-lady editor of a Vogue-like magazine, played by Meryl Streep. I am certainly not interested in fashion (no, really!), and the story here is a pretty simple one (will Andie be seduced by the celebrity world of fashion?), but after all the world-is-dying and America-is-going-to-hell documentaries I'd been seeing, this was a nice change. Meryl Streep is fabulous as the editor, and there is a fair amount of humor. Entertaining bit of fluff. (July 2006)

DREAMGIRLS. This movie is based on the Broadway play, loosely based on the story of the Supremes and the rise of Motown. Jamie Fox is the promoter who puts business above everything. The girl group starts as back-up for Jimmy Thunder Early (Eddie Murphy, who is really good), a soul singer. Eventually Jamie gives the girls their solo shot. But he is heartless, and has the best singer in the group (Effie, played by Jennifer Hudson) step back for the prettier girl (Beyonce), who he believes is more marketable. The story is good, and I am OK with Broadway musicals, so I don't mind when people in movies burst into song, like they do here. My problem was that I didn't really care for about half the songs (some really Broadway schmaltzy stuff), even though the story is very uplifting and the acting is good (Jennifer Hudson has a knock-em-dead number that is over the top). So, just so-so.

DUMA. This was made by Carol Ballard, who did the beautiful movies THE BLACK STALLION and FLY AWAY HOME. This one isn't quite so excellent, but still a wonderful family movie. It involves a 9-year-old South African boy, who adopts a cheetah kitten whose mother has died. His father makes it quite clear that when the cheetah is grown up, he will have to be released. Family tragedy ensues, and the boy ends up taking off alone across the desert with the grown cheetah to release him in the area where he was found. He meets up with a hiker, whose motives are suspect. Etc., etc. Like I said, good family movie, good values, heartwarming... (Jan 2006)

FIND ME GUILTY. Vin Diesel plays Jackie, a New Jersey mobster who in the 1980's is brought up on conspiracy charges along with 20 members of his crime family. He decides to represent himself, and the movie, supposedly factual, shows Jackie's somewhat buffoonish attempts to defend himself (his line is "he's a gagster, not a gangster") during the nearly two-year long trial. He's all about loyalty to his family. The movie, for me, was a typical courtroom drama, nothing special. And, since Jackie really is a bad guy, and truly guilty, it was hard to me to care about him or the verdict. (Mar 2006)

FRIENDS WITH MONEY. Jennifer Aniston is one of four women friends. She is working as a maid, because she was teaching but got burned out. So she is poor and single, but her friends all are married and have money. As one character says, they probably wouldn't be friends if they met today. Catherine Keener writes with her husband (screenplays?), Joan Cusack must have inherited wealth, and Frances McDormand is a successful clothing designer. Anyway, there's not much of a plot, it's just about their lives. Turns out, Jennifer is pretty depressed, Frances is clinically depressed, and Catherine is very unhappy in her marriage. So money doesn't have much to do with it. Kind of a slice of life movie, interesting, but not really about much. Although there were some scenes at the end that I really liked, so I didn't feel like it was a waste of time. (April 2006)

THE GOOD SHEPHERD. Matt Damon is a young Yalie in the 1930's, doing all that is right and proper. He joins the elite club Skull and Crossbones, and marries a woman he barely knows because he gets her pregnant. When WWII is on the horizon, he is recruited to join the OSS (the precursor to the CIA). And that's his life. The movie jumps between the 1961 Bay of Pigs debacle, where it looks like he is going to take the blame for the failed invasion of Cuba, and his various exploits in counter-espionage leading up to that, starting in 1940's London. But there isn't enough about the espionage to be interesting, and other than a couple of glimpses of him caring about his son, there isn't much about the man either. It's a tough life, not being able to trust anyone, or share emotions. So I think the point of the movie is that the CIA sucked out his soul, but the movie didn't show that he had much of one to begin with, so other than a mildly intriguing last 20 minutes (and the movie is nearly 2 1/2 hours long), it didn't interest me much.

HALF NELSON. Ryan Gosling teaches middle school history in the inner city. He is trying to get the kids to care by teaching a radical view of history. Of course, it's a tough job. He copes by smoking crack after work. One day one of his students finds him in the locker room stoned out of his mind. She knows what's going on because she has a drug dealer brother in jail. Oddly enough, the two develop a kind of bond. That's it. Nothing really happens; they just become friends who understand each other, despite the age and other differences. A critic favorite, and really well acted, but I could have left halfway through and not missed a lot. (October 2006)

THE HEART OF THE GAME. Documentary about a university law professor who decides to coach Seattle high school girls' basketball team, and how they did over 5 years. There is a focus on one of the young women, who is has some trouble, but is incredibly talented. Well-done in the tradition of HOOP DREAMS - type documentaries. (August 2006)

HOLLYWOODLAND. In 1959, George Reeves, TV's Superman, was found dead, presumably a suicide. This movie explores whether it was a suicide or something else. Adrien Brody stars as a down on his luck private eye, who tries to determine whether something suspicious happened. His investigation and 3-4 theories of how Reeves died are interspersed with scenes from George Reeves' (played by Ben Affleck) life and downward spiral from someone who had promise (he was in GONE WITH THE WIND), to someone who was reduced to a laughingstock. The movie does a great job and showing the era and the place, and the acting is fine, but there isn't any resolution, and so in the end I found the movie somewhat pointless. (September 2006)

THE ILLUSIONIST. Edward Norton stars as an extraordinarily skilled magician in 19th century Vienna. He meets up with his first love, who is unfortunately betrothed to the evil Crown Prince Leopold. Paul Giamatti plays a police inspector in the pocket of the prince, determined to do the Prince's bidding so he can become Chief of Police. Will the couple be able to overcome the obstacles facing them and get together? Given that that the main character is a magician, it is no surprise that the movie entails a con. No shockers here. Not a bad movie: it has lovely settings, the magic is fun, and Edward Norton is always good, but it's not special. (September 2006)

INFAMOUS. The movie is nearly identical to last year's CAPOTE. It tells the story of Truman Capote going to Kansas to write his "non-fiction novel", IN COLD BLOOD, about a family of four who were murdered in a small town. It think this one does a better job of showing Capote's environment, and his background, but the first movie did a better job of showing how disturbed Capote was at what he did to get the story. I thought Sandra Bullock was really good as Harper Lee. Both good movies, but if you've seen the first, I wouldn't bother paying to see the second unless you find the story inherently fascinating. (October 2006)

INSIDE MAN. Clive Owen and his gang rob a bank in Manhattan and take several people hostage. Denzel Washington is brought in as the police detective-negotiator. The movie switches between the two of them, and follows the cat-and-mouse game they are playing with each other. They are both extremely bright, and you wonder who will win the game they are playing.) I was definitely interested for the majority of the movie, although after the robbery is over, the movie could have been edited a little (the last 20 minutes or so). Still, a very good movie for the genre. And it's by Spike Lee, so it's all very stylish. (Mar 2006)

JONESTOWN. This is a documentary on the People's Temple, the cult that ended in 900 suicide/murders in Jonestown, Guyana in 1978. The movie includes a lot of footage of the early days of the Temple in Northern California, when it was a very progressive church, involved in social justice and civil rights. It shows why Jim Jones was attractive to people, before it became obvious he was going off the deep end. As someone says, people don't knowingly join a cult, it evolves. Interviews with ex-cult members, family members of those that died, and the few who survived Jonestown make it a fascinating look at how the tragedy could happen. (November 2006)

JOYEAUX NOEL. Based on fact, this French movie is the story of Christmas Eve 1914, when Scottish, French, and German military units on the Western Front in WWI put down their arms and celebrated Christmas together. The movie starts before the war, so you get to know a little of some of the main characters. Then they go to war, all gung ho, mostly. After slaughtering each other for months in the trenches, the fact that the soldiers could put down their arms, even for one day, is amazing. Watching these "enemies" get to know one another, play games, share food and liquor, and realize they are not that different from one another is moving. And knowing they mostly ended up dead afterward even more so. Nominated for Best Foreign Language movie this year, it's in English, French and German (not that many subtitles). (Mar 2006)

KEEPING UP WITH THE STEINS. Jeremy Piven is a Hollywood agent, who is very competitive with his former mentor, Larry Miller (the Stein in the title). When Larry gives his kid a bar mitzvah to beat all bar mitzvahs (it takes place on a cruise ship), Jeremy decides he has to do the same. So the movie follows some of the over-the-top planning for the party (which will take place in Dodger Stadium). But the heart of the story is the kid inviting his free-spirit grandfather to the party, even though his father and grandfather are estranged. So of course there is conflict and anger and elders spouting wisdom. It's a cute story, but not all that special. (May 2006)

KING KONG. Excellent remake of the classic. Lots of great visuals. Naomi Watts does a great job. Worth seeing. But really, someone needs to tell director Peter Jackson that not every movie needs to be 3 hours long. (Jan 2006)

THE LAKE HOUSE. A movie for romantics. Sandra Bullock lives in a house on the lake, and when she moves out, she leaves a letter with her forwarding address for the next occupant. The occupant (Keanu Reeves) gets the letter, but turns out he actually lived in the lake house two years before she did. They continue to write letters to each other and of course, find themselves falling in love. But can they ever meet, given that they exist in parallel worlds two years apart? Of course, you don't expect a plot like this to make perfect sense, because it can't, but if you are in the market to see a love story, this isn't badly done. Although I think there are episodes of STAR TREK that did it better. ; -) (June 2006)

LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. Nicholas has just graduated from medical school, and is facing a routine life practicing medicine with his father. He wants to escape the humdrum life, spins a globe, and ends up working in a clinic in Uganda. It all is a great adventure, and then Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) comes into power. Through a series of circumstances, Nicholas ends up as Amin's personal physician. And at first, he is really caught up in Amin's charisma and seduced by the power. But when he finally comes to realize that Amin is dangerously crazy, he is in serious trouble and can't escape. It gets pretty intense. A fascinating movie, and Forest Whitaker is amazing as Amin. (The movie is pretty factual as far as the Amin part of the story, and he did have Westerners in his inner circle.) (October 2006)

THE LAST KISS. This is a terrific movie about relationships and coming to terms with not being a kid anymore. Zach Braff plays a 29 year old architect. He has a great job, great friends, and a beautiful girlfriend that he knows he is lucky to have. But she's pregnant and he starts to feel like his life might be over. How he copes, and how his friends cope with the changes in their lives (getting dumped, being in an unhappy marriage, etc.) make for a very believable and enjoyable movie. (September 2006)

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA. At the same time that he made FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, Clint Eastwood made this movie. It's about the battle for Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective, starting from preparations for the American invasion, to the Japanese defeat. The battle is run by a general who knows what strategy could work best (he'd been in a exchange program and knew the American military), but he is thwarted by junior officers who are true believers in dying for the Empire, and think his strategy of fighting from caves and tunnels is cowardly. The movie also follows a young draftee, who is considered disloyal because all he wants is to go home to his wife and baby. The concept of living to fight another day was not Japanese; their culture at that time was more about death before surrender, or even death before retreat. No matter what side they are on, men can act either honorably or dishonorably in battle, and this movie shows both. Although often gruesome, this movie is really good, and an excellent entry in the "war is hell" genre. (Dec 2006)

LITTLE CHILDREN. Kate Winslet is a wife and mother of a 4-year-old. She lives in the suburbs, surrounded by housewives that she looks down on, and she isn't happy. One day the local house-husband/stay-at-home dad comes to the playground and piques her interest. In another sub-plot, the neighborhood is up in arms because a sexual deviant has gotten out of jail and moved back home. This is not my kind of movie. But it does start out comically, with one of the guys that narrate PBS nature shows doing a sociological voiceover that is pretty funny. But it devolves into a story about people I had no sympathy for behaving badly, and the last quarter of the movie I had the uncomfortable feeling of just waiting for something really awful to happen. A movie where the deviant is the most sympathetic character (great acting!) has problems, in my opinion. Critics like this kind of the thing, but without a single character to like or root for, I just don't care. (Dec 2006)

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. Very funny movie about a family who goes on a road trip from New Mexico to California, so their little girl can compete in the regional Little Miss Sunshine contest. They are an interesting family: Greg Kinnear is the insufferable dad, and wants to publish and go on the road with his 9 steps to self-improvement. Mom Toni Collete is trying to hold it all together. Her brother Steve Carrell is an academic who just tried to commit suicide. The teenage son is going through a weird adolescent phase. And profane Grandpa Alan Arkin snorts heroin and has gotten kicked out of assisted living. Terrific movie, very entertaining. Loved the commentary on child beauty contests. Highest recommendation :-) (August 2006)

MONSTER HOUSE. Animated children's movie of the scary house in the neighborhood, with the scary neighbor who terrorizes all the children. Say goodbye if your ball lands on his lawn! Anyway, the neighbor dies, and the house turns evil, swallowing dogs and people who dare go near. So the kids scheme to "kill" the house. A good movie for kids, but I wasn't that impressed. I saw it in 3D, which had cool moments, but basically was annoying. (August 2006)

MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS. Inspired by a true story. Judi Dench plays an upper class British woman in 1930's London. She is widowed, and becomes quite bored. So she buys a music hall, and hires Bob Hoskins to run it. They are successful at first, but eventual people stop coming. So she comes up with the idea of having naked women in the shows. This gets approval from the powers-that-be, as long as the women don’t move. She has very little understanding of people without money, and is a bit of a pill. Bob is pretty cranky himself. So the movie shows their relationship, as well as the morale booster the music hall was during WWII. This is a very old-fashioned movie, just a small story, and the relationship of two people. No great themes or meaning. But it is entertaining. (Feb 2006)

MUNICH. Based on the fallout from the 1972 Munich Olympics, where Palestinians took Israeli athletes hostage and they all ended up dead. In response, Israel was determined to hunt down the masterminds behind the hostage-taking and kill them. The movie follows the Israeli team that did the killings. The leader is a young man with a pregnant wife, who takes the job knowing he will be away from home for quite a while. The other members of the team range from a man who has no qualms whatsoever about what they are doing, to others that have more serious moral issues. The point of the movie, I guess, is to take a look at the philosophy of "an eye for an eye", but it really didn't do much for me. I don't find the concept that two sides of a conflict can be both right and wrong to be all that deep or compelling. (Jan 2006)

NOTES ON A SCANDAL. Judi Dench is an unhappy, bitter, and hateful high school teacher. I am not sure if she is hateful because she has never been loved, or never been loved because she is so hateful. Regardless, she longs for companionship. One day, Cate Blanchett appears to teach art at the school. Judi manages to hides her true self, and the two become friends. Cate even invites Judi to her house to meet her older husband and her disabled son. Then, one day, Judi finds Cate having sex with one of the 15-year-old students. And rather than inform the police, Judi decides that this is her opportunity to manipulate Cate, and get what she wants. In lesser hands, this movie would be really tawdry, but Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett are so good I was completely into finding out how it would all be resolved. Top notch. (Dec 2006)

NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE. Gretchen Mol plays Bettie Page, who was a premier soft-core porn queen in the 50's. Lots of bondage and S&M photos. Bettie is very innocent about it all, considering the modeling just costumes and play acting. I am not sure if Bettie was that naive or that dumb. (She wasn't innocent, as the movie implies she was sexually abused as a girl, in an abusive marriage, and suffered a gang rape.) Regardless, the movie is entertaining, and boy, does the stuff she was doing seem tame by today's standards. (April 2006)

OVER THE HEDGE. Animation. It concerns animals that, while hibernating, have been surrounded by the suburbs. A wily raccoon (Bruce Willis) needs to scavenge a bunch of food to replace what he took from a menacing bear (Nick Nolte), and so he scams the hibernating animals to go "over the hedge", into suburbia to scavenge in garbage cans and homes. This isn't as good a SHREK, for instance, and I would say it is more of a kids' movie. But I laughed out loud a lot (there are lots of digs at humans and suburbia), so it's fine for parents to go to as well. (May 2006)

THE PRESTIGE. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play magicians in turn-of-the-last-century America and England. When a magic trick goes wrong and Hugh's wife dies, he blames Christian and they become lifelong enemies and competitors to have the "best" magic tricks. They each try to top the other, and actually become cruel at times when they ruin the other's illusions. So eventually one of them "wins", and is no doubt the winner of their competition to be the best trickster, but I didn't like either one of the characters, so I didn't care. (And I really like both of the actors.) The earlier film about magicians, THE ILLUSIONIST, had better atmosphere, while this one was had a better surprise ending. Still, I don't highly recommend either movie. (October 2006)

THE PUFFY CHAIR. The movie starts with two young people having dinner, talking cutsie nonsense talk to each other. So, immediately, I hate them both. The story goes that the young man bought a chair for his dad's birthday off of E-Bay, and he and the girlfriend take off on a road trip to pick up the chair and deliver it to dad. The young man turns out to be not so bad, in my opinion, but the young woman (who is the type to wake up her boyfriend to ask him why he loves her), was the kind of character I despise. On the way to get the chair, they pick up the young man's younger brother. And the brother is a flaky idiot as well. So, between the shaky camera work, the in-and-out focus, and the two-out-of-three characters I didn't like, I really hated this movie. I might have been more tolerant of the characters if I was younger, but I am too old now to find their cluelessness charming. One of those "critics like it" but it’s-a-mystery-to-me-why movies. (June 2006)

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS. Will Smith stars as Chris Gardner, who in 1981 is really down on his luck. He has a sales job selling a product no one wants and a wife who is bitter and angry about their lot in life. But Chris is really smart, and has ambition to make a better life for him and his family. Still, one day the wife leaves, and Chris struggles to get by and take care of his young son (played by Will Smith's real son, who does a great job). Chris's goal is to become a stockbroker, and he does get an internship at Dean Witter. But it is unpaid, and Will has really bad luck, so much so that he and his son end up on the street, eating and sleeping at Glide Memorial. You know the movie isn't going to end up being a total downer, but despite a lack of suspense, it was still enjoyable. Will Smith makes you feel his pain, and I got a little teary in the end. It's nice to see someone work hard and make it, despite all the odds. Based on a true story. (Dec 2006)

THE QUEEN. Helen Mirren stars as Queen Elizabeth II. The movie is about the relationship she has with Tony Blair at the beginning of his term, when he is very popular, and somewhat anti-royal. The movie focuses on the week after Princess Diana was killed, and how the Royal Family's initial reaction is to keep it very private, make no statements, and not reach out to the people. Tony Blair's intuition, correct as it turns out, is that the Royals have to change their ways and become more connected to the population. The relationship between the Queen and Tony evolves, and we see the Queen coming to grips with how the world has changed since she became Queen 50 years earlier. A very interesting movie. (October 2006)

QUINCEANERA. This story takes place in Echo Park, a Mexican-American neighborhood in Los Angeles that is being gentrified. The story revolves around two teenagers: Magdalena, who is on the verge of celebrating her 15th birthday, and her cousin Carlos. Both are kicked out of their homes for alleged sins, and end up with their great uncle. I don't want to say much more about the movie, because I am afraid that would ruin it, and it is just a small slice of life story, beautifully done. You get a real feel for the community and the main characters are wonderful. I really liked it, even though not a lot happens. (September 2006)

ROAD TO GUANTANAMO. In late September 2001, a young British Pakistani, at the urging of his mother, goes home to Pakistan to meet a potential wife. He does decide to get married, and invites 3 British friends to come to Pakistan and visit. After a few weeks in Pakistan, they decide to go to Afghanistan to see what it is like. A really stupid move, I think they would now agree. But they certainly didn't deserve what happens to them. They get caught up in the war, and end up being arrested by the Northern Alliance. After a bit of time with the Afghanis, they are transferred to the Americans, and spend 2 years as prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, where the conditions were, to put it mildly, not good. Not a fun movie to watch, but important to see. (July 2006)

SENTINEL. Michael Douglas, looking way past mandatory retirement, plays a secret service agent who protects the president and his wife. He is also having an affair with the First Lady. Someone is planning to kill the president, and Michael is being set up. Keifer Sutherland, in full on Jack Bauer mode, plays the investigator brought in to investigate the threat on the Prez's life. Of course, Keifer and Michael have a history: best friends but now enemies. Will Michael be able to clear himself? Not a horrible political thriller, but barely OK. I wouldn't recommend paying to see it. (April 2006)

SHUT UP AND SING. Right before the war started in Iraq, the Dixie Chicks were on a concert tour in London. There were demonstrations outside, and between songs, Natalie Maynes, the lead singer, tossed off a line about how they were ashamed the President was from Texas. The right wing media went into high gear, and the Dixie Chicks found themselves blacklisted from country radio. This documentary follows them, from the fateful comments, until 2006. They are interesting women, and even can be quite funny, so the movie was a good watch. The amount of hate (including death threats) that they received was so out of proportion with what they said, it's unbelievable. This movie made me so angry I went right out and bought the Dixie Chicks' latest CD, and I don't even like country music. (November 2006)

SOMETHING NEW. Sanaa Lathan is a professional woman, who along with her friends, complains about the lack of professional black men to date. So she is a surprised as anyone when she starts relationship with her white landscape developer. But he doesn't understand her life, and she is a bit embarrassed by being with him. And then she meets Blair Underwood, who is everything she thought she wanted. So, will she end up with the man that challenges her, and forces her outside of her comfort zone (which would be good for her), or the one who understands her and what her life is like? Good, entertaining, romantic movie. Sanaa Lathan (BROWN SUGAR, LOVE AND BASKETBALL) is the queen of good date movies, in my opinion. She makes them work. (Feb 2006)

STRANGER THAN FICTION. Will Farrell is an IRS agent who lives a very orderly life. One day, he starts to hear a woman's voice narrating his life. Obviously, he is a little put off by it, but not really frightened until he hears the voice say he is going to die. He engages a professor of literature (Dustin Hoffman) to try to help him figure out who the narrator is. While trying to figure that out, Dustin advises Will to live his life more fully, because maybe he will die. So Will tries to develop a relationship with Maggie Gyllenhall. Very interesting movie; I liked it a lot. Although it is being advertised as a comedy, and it does have amusing parts, it is also a romance, and even more seriously, a movie that makes a statement about the value of art vs. the value of a life... I liked the movie more and more as I thought about it. (November 2006)

TALLEDEGA NIGHTS: THE LEGEND OF RICKY BOBBY. This parody of the world of NASCAR stars Will Farrell as Ricky Bobby, who believes "if you're not first, you're last". There are big stretches of really stupid in this movie, but they are interrupted by lots of smiles and some outright belly laughs. I would say if that is what you are in the mood for, check this out. (August 2006)
(And if you rent the DVD, check out the outtakes – hysterical!)

THANK YOU FOR SMOKING. Another movie I really liked. It follows Aaron Eckhardt, who is a lobbyist for the tobacco companies. There isn't much of a plot, just a lot of very black humor as he goes about defending his work on TV and in front of Congress. He also tries to get more smoking in movies, and the part showing tobacco lobbyists meeting Hollywood players is quite the thing. I was the only one in the theater laughing at times, but I thought this was hysterical. (Mar 2006)

TRANSAMERICA. Felicity Huffman stars as Bree, a male-to-female transsexual who is one surgery away from her transformation. She is living as a woman, and ready for that last surgery, when she gets a call from a teenage son she never knew she had. She wants to deny her past, but her psychologist won't let her get the surgery unless Bree deals with the son. So she ends up flying to New York to get him out of juvie, and driving the kid (who doesn't know Bree is biologically still a man, let alone his father) back to California. So it's kind of a classic road trip movie, with two people who don't know each other getting to know one another as they have adventures along the way. And both have issues to deal with (their stop in Phoenix with Bree's parents is priceless). This movie isn't at all sugary sweet, but it is often amusing, and it was much more fun than I expected. (Feb 2006)

TRISTRAM SHANDY. This is a weird one to explain. For those of you who don't know (I didn't) Tristram Shandy is an 18th century novel, supposedly an autobiography, but Tristam gets easily side-tracked during his story, and the novel ends before Tristram is born. The movie is about an underfunded group of filmmakers trying to make a movie of this novel. It is interspersed with scenes from the movie, and then scenes of the guys making the movie. Including the lead, who is extremely self-centered and always trying to ensure that his role is the best. It's full of very dry humor, and I feel like I missed half the jokes. But I got half of them, and that was enough. (March 2006)

TSOTSI. Tsotsi is destitute young man living in a South African shanty town. He gets by robbing people with his gang, and is a pretty cold blooded. Until one day, when a carjacking goes wrong and he ends up with a baby in the back seat. Something in the baby touches him, and he spends the rest of the movie trying to do right by the baby. (It also explores how he got to be the way he is.) But the question is - can he really be redeemed? Nice little movie, winner of the Best Foreign Language movie Oscar this year. (Mar 2006)

UNITED 93. September 11, 2001. Watch what was happening on that day, ending with the plane that crashed into the Pennsylvania field, pretty much in real time as it happened. The early movie is mostly about the air traffic controllers and the military, who were just trying to figure out what was going on, when it was all so unbelievable, and the information they had was sometimes contradictory. This part was really interesting to me, because I hadn't read that much about their experiences. There's not much about the events on United 93 until that last third of the movie, because of course a bunch of people sitting on a plane isn't that compelling. I thought this was really well-done in an almost matter of fact way, because it makes the heroism of those involved all the more real. It's not a fake inspirational rah-rah kind of thing. (May 2006)

V FOR VENDETTA. Some years in the future, America's population has been decimated by a virus, and having a Civil War. In England, a Fascist government had taken power. Evey (Natalie Portman) works for the British news service and one day goes out after curfew, and the SS-like "Finger Men" accost her. She is only saved by a man in a Guy Fawkes mask, "V" (Hugo Weaving). He takes her to the top of a building and they watch Old Bailey (London's criminal courthouse) blow up. (All this in the first few minutes!). "V" is out to destroy the fascist government, and two policemen try to find him through Evey (they were taped watching the explosion, I think). The movie covers the next year in their lives, as he tries to rally the population, and she tries to do what's right. I really, really liked this one. It's one of those movies you can discuss the politics of and also it's really visual (produced by the guys that did THE MATRIX). Fun to watch. (March 2006)

THE WAR TAPES. The director of this movie gave mini-cameras (that fit on their helmets) to 3 National Guardsmen who were off to spend a year in Iraq. She edited the 1,000 hours of film down into this documentary about their experiences (they mostly did convoy duty). Two of the guys filming are gung ho Iraq occupation, and the third is a Lebanese-American Democrat, who has a different take than the usual military guy. It's interesting to see how their attitudes evolve over their year, and the effect their time had on them when they return to the U.S. Good movie. (July 2006)

WATER. It's 1938 India, and Chuyia, a 7-year old girl, has just been widowed. She is so young she doesn't even really remember getting married, nor does she understand what being a widow means. In 1938 India, Hindu law means she can throw herself on her husband's funeral pyre, marry his brother, or become a chaste woman, the equivalent of a nun. So, her father abandons her to the ashram, with all the other widows. Where they survive pretty much by begging on the streets. At first Chuyia doesn't realize what is happening, but eventually adapts, as a little girl can. She gets to know the women, including the battle ax who runs the place with an iron hand, the woman who is very sad about her situation but has religious faith and believes she is doing the spiritual thing, and a young woman who was also widowed young, and yearns to have a another chance at life. This is a fascinating movie, providing a window into a time and place I had no knowledge of. How Chuyia’s situation is resolved is wonderful. Beautiful movie; this is why I go to movies. (May 2006)

WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? This interesting documentary provides a history of electric cars, especially GM's EV1, and evaluates why the car failed. Potential culprits include consumers, the technology, General Motors, Big Oil, fuel cell technology and the California Air Resources Board. If you're not already depressed / outraged / cynical about the way things work in America, go see this movie. (August 2006)

WORDPLAY. This is a documentary on those who do crossword puzzles, including background and interviews with the editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, which is considered the top puzzle in the country. The movie also shows how the puzzles are constructed, gives a little history, has interviews with famous folk who like crosswords (Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, some baseball player), and profiles a variety of people who compete in crossword puzzle contests. The movie culminates in the 2005 national Crossword Puzzle contest. This may not sound like much fun, and while I wouldn't say it was top-10 on my documentary list, the movie was interesting and entertaining. (June 2006)

WORLD TRADE CENTER. Oliver Stone's movie centers on two Transit Authority policemen (Nicholas Cage and Michael Pena) on Sept. 11. It's a beautiful day, everybody gets up and goes to work, and then all hell breaks loose. A small crew, including these two, goes to the site to help evacuate people, and before they can even go upstairs, the tower collapses around them. Up until this point, I thought the movie was quite moving and very well done. But that's only about 30 minutes. The remainder of the movie is the two cops buried in rubble, not really able to move, trying to keep each other's spirits up, interspersed with scenes of their wives and families worrying, and the Marine who would eventually find them so they could be rescued. Of course what they did was heroic, but it's not that scintillating to watch. So, a good movie, but not great. UNITED 93 had a lot more tension, because really, that story is more compelling to show than two guys lying in rubble. (August 2006)

X-MEN III - THE LAST STAND. First X-men movie I've seen. I am not all that impressed. Sure, there are cool effects, but it wasn't that compelling. I did like the idea, which in this case has the mutants fighting the humans, because the humans have come up with a vaccine to "cure" the mutants, who for the most part, don't think they need to be cured. So I suppose you could argue that the movie could lead to discussions about conformity, the right to be different, etc., but I don't think the movie was worth it. (May 2006)

January reviews

2007-01-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

PAN'S LABYRINTH. It's 1944 Spain, and 13-year-old Ofelia, along with her pregnant mother, is traveling to the countryside. They are going to live with Ofelia's new stepfather, a Captain in the Spanish fascist army. They are stationed in the country at an outpost that exists to fight the anti-fascist rebels that still remain from the civil war. The Captain is not only a fascist, but a brutal, sadistic man. And Ofelia's mother is having a bad pregnancy, and is on bedrest. So Ofelia escapes into fantasy, into a world where she is a formerly immortal princess, who can return to her underground kingdom if she just completes three tasks. The movie parallels the two stories, real life with the Captain terrorizing the local populace, and the people fighting him, and Ofelia's fantasies. The visuals in the fantasy are fabulous, and the both stories are gripping. I found the ending very moving. I loved this movie, my favorite 2006 movie.

THE PAINTED VEIL. Edward Norton is a late 19th century doctor, in love with Naomi Watts, who is a spoiled bored-with-life upper class socialite. He proposes, and she actually accepts, just to get away from her mother (who annoys Naomi by going on about what a lost cause Naomi is). Naomi doesn't love Edward, and he knows it, but hopes things will get better. He takes her to Shanghai, where once again she is bored with her life. She starts behaving badly, and Edward finds about about it, and he starts behaving badly too. In revenge, he takes her to a small village in China that is suffering a cholera epidemic. Of course, they will begin to see each other through new eyes. It sounds a bit corny, but I believed that people could act the way they act, the actors are really quite good, and it's all very emotional at the end. And the scenery is gorgeous. My only quibble is that although Naomi is a really good actress, I really think the part should have been played by someone a bit younger. But overall I liked this old-fashioned movie.

CHILDREN OF MEN. The movie opens with a newcast announcing the death of the world's youngest person. It's the year 2027, and no woman has given birth for 18 years (not sure why). The rest of the world has completely fallen apart (I guess because there is no hope if there are no children), and England survives in a kind of Blade Runner atmosphere, nasty and polluted. Immigrants are hunted and locked up; the borders are closed. Clive Owen plays Theo, a former political activist who, after a family tragedy, has taken to drink and not giving a shit about much of anything. One day he is kidnapped by the resistance, and asked to help obtain forged traveling papers for an illegal. He does, for the money, but ends up having to accompany the illegal, while they are chased by both the government and the anti-government forces, who want to use the illegal for their own purposes. I had really high expectations for this movie, which is maybe a problem, because I didn't find it all that compelling or optimistic. It's only 90 minutes, but felt much longer to me, and I just didn't identify with the issues. For an interesting take on the movie versus the book it was based on, check out Neva Chonin's column at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/21/PKGMKLMK981.DTL&hw=children+Chonin&sn=001&sc=1000

SWEET LAND. This movie opens in present day, with an old woman passing away. Then it goes back to the 60's, when her husband passes away. Finally, the bulk of the movie takes place in WWI-era farm country, probably someplace like Minnesota. A young Norwegian man has asked his parents to send him a bride, and they send him a German girl. Who doesn't speak much English. The community is not supportive, I guess because Germans were considered threats during WWI. Because the couple can't get married (the pastor won't permit it), she goes to live with a neighbor friend of his. But she perserveres, and they do eventually develop a relationship. There's not more to it. This is a very small movie, a slice of life character study.

CATCH AND RELEASE. This romantic comedy stars Jennifer Garner as a young woman whose fiance has died on the eve of their wedding. While acting as the executor of his will, she finds out things about him that she didn't know, which upsets her view of their relationship. She hangs out with his best friends and slowly recovers. Yada yada yada. There are some small hints of bigger ideas in the movie - i.e., do we ever really know someone, and how often do we let our loved ones see our true selves, but they aren't really well developed. There's not that much comedy, nor that much romance, so I'd give this one a pass. Not horrible, but nothing special.

December Movie Reviews

2006-12-05T16:41:00.001-08:00

NOTES ON A SCANDAL. Judi Dench is an unhappy, bitter, and hateful high school teacher. I am not sure if she is hateful because she has never been loved, or never been loved because she is so hateful. Regardless, she longs for companionship. One day, Cate Blanchett appears to teach art at the school. Judi manages to hides her true self, and the two become friends. Cate even invites Judi to her house to meet her older husband and her disabled son. Then, one day, Judi finds Cate having sex with one of the 15-year-old students. And rather than inform the police, Judi decides that this is her opportunity to manipulate Cate, and get what she wants. In lesser hands, this movie would be really tawdry, but Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett are so good I was completely into finding out how it would all be resolved. Top notch.

DREAMGIRLS. This movie is based on the Broadway play, loosely based on the story of the Supremes and the rise of Motown. Jamie Fox is the promoter who puts business above everything. The girl group starts as back-up for Jimmy Thunder Early (Eddie Murphy, who is really good), a soul singer. Eventually Jamie gives the girls their solo shot. But he is heartless, and has the best singer in the group (Effie, played by Jennifer Hudson) step back for the prettier girl (Beyonce), who he believes is more marketable. The story is good, and I am OK with Broadway musicals, so I don't mind when people in movies burst into song, like they do here. My problem was that I didn't really care for about half the songs (some really Broadway schmaltzy stuff) , even though the story is very uplifting and the acting is good (Jennifer Hudson has a knock-em-dead number that is over the top). Just so-so.

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA. At the same time that he made FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, Clint Eastwood made this movie. It's about the battle for Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective, starting from preparations for the American invasion, to the Japanese defeat. The battle is run by a general who knows what strategy could work best (he'd been in a exchange program and knew the American military), but he is thwarted by junior officers who are true believers in dying for the Empire, and think his strategy of fighting from caves and tunnels is cowardly. The movie also follows a young draftee, who is considered disloyal because all he wants is to go home to his wife and baby. The concept of living to fight another day was not Japanese; their culture at that time was more about death before surrender, or even death before retreat. No matter what side they are on, men can act either honorably or dishonorably in battle, and this movie shows both. Although often gruesome, this movie is really good, and an excellent entry in the "war is hell" genre.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD. Matt Damon is a young Yalie in the 1930's, doing all that is right and proper. He joins the elite club Skull and Crossbones, and marries a woman he barely knows because he gets her pregnant. When WWII is on the horizon, he is recruited to join the OSS (the precursor to the CIA). And that's his life. The movie jumps between the 1961 Bay of Pigs debacle, where it looks like he is going to take the blame for the failed invasion of Cuba, and his various exploits in counter-espionage leading up to that, starting in 1940's London. But there isn't enough about the espionage to be interesting, and other than a couple of glimpses of him caring about his son, there isn't much about the man either. It's a tough life, not being able to trust anyone, or share emotions. So I think the point of the movie is that the CIA sucked out his soul, but the movie didn't show that he had much of one to begin with, so other than a mildly intriguing last 20 minutes (and the movie is nearly 2 1/2 hours long), it didn't interest me much.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS. Will Smith stars as Chris Gardner, who in 1981 is really down on his luck. He has a sales job selling a product no one wants and a wife who is bitter and angry about their lot in life. But Chris is really smart, and has ambition to make a better life for him and his family. Still, one day the wife leaves, and Chris struggles to get by and take care of his young son (played by Will Smith's real son, who does a great job). Chris's goal is to become a stockbroker, and he does get an internship at Dean Witter. But it is unpaid, and Will has really bad luck, so much so that he and his son end up on the street, eating and sleeping at Glide Memorial. You know the movie isn't going to end up being a total downer, but despite a lack of suspense, it was still enjoyable. Will Smith makes you feel his pain, and I got a little teary in the end. It's nice to see someone work hard and make it, despite all the odds. Based on a true story.

LITTLE CHILDREN. Kate Winslet is a wife and mother of a 4-year-old. She lives in the suburbs, surrounded by housewives that she looks down on, and she isn't happy. One day the local house-husband/stay-at-home dad comes to the playground and piques her interest. In another sub-plot, the neighborhood is up in arms because a sexual deviant has gotten out of jail and moved back home. This is not my kind of movie. But it does start out comically, with one of the guys that narrates PBS nature shows doing a sociological voiceover that is pretty funny. But it devolves into a story about people I had no sympathy for behaving badly, and the last quarter of the movie I had the uncomfortable feeling of just waiting for something really awful to happen. A movie where the deviant is the most sympathetic character has problems, in my opinion. Critics like this kind of the thing, but without a single character to like or root for, I just don't care.

BORAT. Sacha Baron Cohen stars as Borat, a journalist from Kazakhstan who comes to America to learn about our country. He plays the journalist as being from an extremely backward country, but while interacting with Americans reveals something about America as well. Which is that while many people are polite and helpful, some are idiots (drunken frats boys and the crowd at a rodeo, for example). I put off going to see this movie, because I don't generally like this kind of "candid camera/punk'd" kind of humor, but the movie is being nominated for awards left and right, so I went. And I admit, after a slow start, I was smiling throughout the movie, and laughing out loud for quite bit of it, so I have to say it's worth seeing. Cohen does an incredible job staying in character.

BLOOD DIAMOND. Djimon Hounsou is a fisherman in Sierra Leone. He is poor, and is placing all his dreams on his son going to school and becoming a doctor. But one day the rebels come and his wife and daughters end up in a refugee camp, his son is forced to become a child soldier, and Djimon is enslaved in the diamond mines. In a parallel story, Leonardo DiCaprio is a heartless mercenary from Zimbabwe, who has gotten into the diamond smuggling business. The point of the movie, I think, is supposed to be that the diamond trade is supporting civil war and is inherently evil. But that's just mentioned in narrative a few times, and really doesn't give the movie any emotional kick. Instead, the movie focuses on Leo and Djimon coming together to work to find a incredibly valuable diamond that Djimon found and hid before he escaped the mines. Djimon wants to use the money to save his family, and Leo just wants to get out of Africa. So the movie is more about the personal than the political. And, oh yeah, Jennifer Connelley is totally unbelievable as a reporter who wants to make a splash with the blood diamond story. (And of course, her and Leo have "a moment". Bleh.) I saw the end of the movie coming a mile away, and other than one brief moment at the end, the movie didn't grab me emotionally. (Other than the scenes of the rebel indoctrination that turns children into cold blooded killers - those were really disturbing.) The movie isn't bad, I just didn't think it was all it could have been.