First out of the gate this holiday season is Steven Speilberg's sentimental, beautifully made story of a World War I WAR HORSE, which is based on a children's novel and later (and currently)a Broadway stage play. The film is similar in some ways to BLACK BEAUTY, in that it follows a horse from owner to owner over the course of several years as it moves from farm horse to war horse to work horse and back again, although the narrative is not from the horses point of view, but rather the varied owners. There is not too much to surprise you plot wise, but it is a sumptuously lovely film with stirring music (by stalwart John Williams) and Thomas Kinkaidian-like settings highlighted with photography by Janusz Kaminski. Speilberg can often make sentiment awfully gooey, and your reaction to the film will depend on whether or not you can "go with it" ---otherwise you may not like it much at all. This time I'm going with it. GRADE---------B+
If not quite as shocking as the Swedish version, the excellent American version of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO featuring solid characterizations by Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, and it holds up nicely (with a few minor changes to the ending) when compared together. Fans of the Swedish verson will find this just as engrossing--those unfamiliar with the earlier version should be throughly entertained and thrilled. GRADE---------B+
Tom Cruise is incredibly restrained in the forth installment of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE--GHOST PROTOCOL and perhaps that is why this film works better than the past three, at least as a big budget popcorn film. The film, directed by Brad Bird (THE INCREDIBLES) moves along with a stylish energy that defies logic, until the lights come on, anyway. In spite of some improbable action sequences, the film is highly entertaining. GRADE------B
Call it a minor miracle, but the low budget PARIAH, with help from producer Spike Lee and the Sundance Film Festival carries a big punch in it's tale of a 17 year old girl who is growing up fast and discovering she is a Lesbian. She is more comfortable with her sexuality at school, but quickly changes clothes before coming home to her more traditional, religious middle class family. Some of the themes are familiar, but you've got to be impressed by the truthful sincerity that propells every scene. My biggest complaint----that damned hand held camera is overused again, and the low budget makes many scenes hard to see due to dark photography. A recent film with a similar theme is GUN HILL ROAD (2010) where the father figure comes out of a prison stint to discover that his teen aged son wants to change his sex. In both films, the protagonists must deal with predjudice, family anger, confused sexuality, and self confidence, and Harmony Santana in GUN HILL ROAD and Adepero Oduye in PARIAH are both incredibly charismatic. GRADE------B+
I'm not sure why THE ARTIST has become the critics darling of the year. It is definately a silent film, and there is a good reason why they faded out quickly in the 1930's---actors that mugged to broadly, pacing that slowed down to accomodate printed titles, often symplistic story lines, and a failure to engage the audience's attention. These are all featured in this new novelty film. Perhaps people like it because it recalls the early days of cinema, but I found it a stuggle to stay engaged, and several people around me were struggling to stay awake. It is still charming and clever at times, but so help me, if this gets nominated for any type of story or screenplay award, I'm going to scream. GRADE--------B
It is engrossing, well acted, and has great production values, but the new film by Pedro Almodovar called THE SKIN I LIVE IN is truly the most twisted, perverse story filmed this year. Almodovar is less shrill than normal, and it is to his great credit that this story of a doctor's revenge for his daughter's death is as entertaining as it is. It's sort of a medical thriller with a touch of science fiction as it deals with themes of revenge, sexual idenity, loyalty, rape, torture, and destiny. GRADE-------B-
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DVD choices include----
SCROOGE aka A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1951) is perhaps the best loved of all versions of the Charles Dickens novel. This one features Alister Sim as Scrooge as well as Jack Warner, Hermione Baddeley, Patrick Macnee and others. It feels a lot like the great adaptations that David Lean made of Dicken's GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1946)and GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1948) with lots of atmosphere and great character actors. It holds up well. GRADE-------A
Loretta Young won her Oscar for THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER (1947) and it is easy to see why. She's a naive but smart-thinking maid to a senator (Joseph Cotten) with whom she falls in love, even as she is recruited into running for a congressional seat against his own party. The delightful cast includes the sly Ethel Barrymore, and the prickly Charles Bickford, and the film bubbles along with a great deal of charm. GRADE-------B+
There have been several versions of Oscar Wilde's haunting story of a man whose portrait ages and reflects his decadant lifestyle while he himself stays youthful, but this version of PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (1945) has to be one of the best. It kept me up way past my bedtime with an intriguing production highlighted by strong preformances by Angela Lansbury and Donna Reed as his would be lovers, and George Sanders and Peter Lawford as his evil friend and cohort, respectively. Filmed in lovely black and white, but it does have some startling color inserts. GRADE-------B+
We started watching JULIE AND JULIA (2009) on TV about half way through, when I suggested we start at the beginning with a new Blu-ray disc I had recently bought. Wow, the Blu-ray was a far superior picture quality than what we watched for 10 minutes on regular TV--what a revelation. Meryl Streep really shines in an intelligent and amusing way as the great Julia Child--she has the mannerisms down as you can attest by renting some of Julia Child's TV preformances in the kitchen. Amy Adams is her adorable self, and the film is solidly entertaining, if not exactly artful. Shot on location in France and New York, it is fun to watch. GRADE------B
A strong cast featuring Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas (in his first major role), Lizabeth Scott, Van Heflin and Judith Anderson highlight this odd, dubious melodrama about three kids who grow up with the murder of an older woman on their conscious. Stanwyck really gets to chew the scenery on this one, but THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS is quite fun. GRADE------B
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