Still at the top of my list the second time around, Joss Whedon's exciting and entertaining THE AVENGERS manages to thrill and amuse, and for fantasy/sci-fi fans, it is very satisfying. I loved how each character got several good scenes and there's a lot of witty, clever lines to go along with the the mayhem. This could be one of the year's best films. GRADE-------A-
It opened last May while I was preoccupied with SIFF, but I finally caught up with THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (FOR THE ELDERLY AND THE BEAUTIFUL) during a run at a discount theatre, and there were nearly 50 people in attendance during a Friday afternoon showing. This film has legs, and it's easy to see why. A group of elderly Brits are duped into using their life savings to invest in a retirement stay at what turns out to be a motley, faded hotel in India, but despite their disappointment, find their lives transformed by the country, and, as they learn the back stories of their companions, each other. It's a lovely and surprisingly caustic film--the sarcasm and set backs take the edge off what could have been a sickeningly sentimental affair. Of course, with the indomitable Judi Dench leading the cast, which includes Tom Wilkenson, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton, Bill Nighy and others, the quality and empathy remains high, and there are enough twists and surprises (in plot and characterization) to keep you on your emotional toes. It's definitely a feel good film, and with older adults so infrequently dominating the screen, film will have a life of it's own long into DVD, cable TV, Networks and private screenings. Plus, it is beautifully photographed, acted, scored, and written. GRADE-----------B+
A 35 year old college recruiter heads back to his ivy league alma mater, and finds himself longing to get back into his fantasy academia life style from 15 years ago, especially when he finds a nubile, wise undergrad who takes a fancy to him, in LIBERAL ARTS. This is a small movie, but it is done to near perfection, as he meets old professors, new young student friends, and has an early mid-life crisis. TV's Josh Radnor (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER) beautifully wrote, directed and stars, and the strong up and coming Elizabeth Olsen (so outstanding in MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE 2011) is pitch perfect again. GRADE----------A-
After his miss-fire at the RNC, I was not enthused to see Clint Eastwood in TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE, but his bantering with his estranged daughter (Amy Adams) and his long time friend (John Goodman) shows that, even in his sometimes predictable "cranky man" mode, Clint still has it--at least when it is scripted. The film, about an older baseball scout near the end of his contract, who is losing his eye sight, and is obviously scared of the future, shows how hard it is to come to terms with change and teaching old dogs new tricks. The actors (including a charming Justin Timberlake) are very likable most of the time, and the film won me over about half way through. GRADE--------B
Frank Langella pulls another fine performance out of the bag as a lonely old burglar who suffers from dementia, but seems to respond to a human style robot installed by his absent but well-meaning son to help him cope with his loneliness. ROBOT AND FRANK is a low energy film, sweet and at times sentimental, quirky and quietly charming. Liv Tyler is his (also absent) daughter, and Susan Sarandon is a possible love interest. The film is a bit sad, and the ending is haunting. GRADE-------B-
There's nothing wrong with the new, rebooted version of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN--in fact there are a number of exciting scenes and wonderful special effects, and Andrew Garfield is a winning super hero. It's just that I've seen this movie before, in SPIDER MAN (2002)--in fact the first 40 minutes is rather ho-hum in this new version, since the story set up is nearly the same. I also loved Tobey McGuire as SPIDEY. So, the new AMAZING SPIDER MAN is OK entertainment, but
totally unnecessary. GRADE-------B-
Based on a stage play, the new romantic comedy HELLO I MUST BE GOING is a slight movie saved by one big ace in the hole--the leading actress Melanie Lynsky. She plays a 30-something, recently divorced, depressed woman who has been living with her parents for over 3 months. She has an affair with a 19 year old man that helps shake her out of her ennui. Would be utterly forgettable were it not for the actors, especially Lynsky. GRADE-------B-
Several characters in the new intense cop thriller END OF SHIFT seem to be in possession of a video camera or other recording device, and so we the audience are subjected to the most aggressively hand held shaky camera photography (from beginning to end) ever seen in a major motion picture since---THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999). About 30 minutes into the film, I had to gather my jacket and cup of coffee and move to the back row of the theatre---the nauseating hand held picture was making me literally ill. WHAT THE HELL ARE DIRECTORS THINKING WHEN THEY GROSSLY OVERUSE THIS "feature"---HOW CAN AUDIENCE MEMBERS ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE WHEN IT MAKES YOU WANT TO SHUT YOUR EYES, OR THROW UP, OR RUN OUT OF THE THEATRE??????? The film itself has many strong, provocative features going for it. The actors are quite authentic (Michael Pena and Jake Gyllenhaal are the cops.) Narrative is intense and compelling, as the two protagonists stumble into Mexican drug cartells on their beat. This is one time when the excessive use of HAND HELD SHAKY CAM really RUINED the film for me. I'm being generous with this grade--it would have been a lot higher if the film looked better. GRADE------C
DVD Choices------------------------------
TCM held special screenings (through Fathom Events) of the theatrical showings of THE BIRDS (1963) last week, and I went, because I don't believe I've ever seen this Hitchcock classic on a big screen with an audience. The Thornton Place theatre was nearly half full--a big crowd for a Wednesday night, for an old film, at $12.50 per ticket. Unfortunately, the digital projection seemed to dim the brightness and color of the film---afterwards, outside in the lobby a Plasma screen was showing clips of THE BIRDS and the color on the lobby screen was much brighter and more colorful than anything I saw in the theatre. Coming soon is a screening of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, and the preview had that same muted, dark, almost colorless imagery. THAT IS NOT THE WAY TO SHOW THOSE CLASSICS. I WILL PROBABLY NOT SEE ANY MORE OF THOSE TCM CLASSICS AT A THEATRE (unless it is projected in 70MM or at least 35MM film) because in most cases, DIGITAL screenings SUCK on a large screen.
Nonetheless, THE BIRDS remains for me the finest film in Hitchcock's long and luminous career--endlessly fascinating in structure and social themes, with many witty visuals and clever dialogue. There are at least 4 iconic, extended sequences with NO dialogue--which create insidious suspense and tension. It is also the ultimate APOCALYPTIC film experience---moody, mysterious, despairing, chilling. It is my FAVORITE FILM OF ALL TIME.........GRADE--------A+
Peter Bagdonovich's incisive documentary of the prolific and profound director, DIRECTED BY JOHN FORD (1971) features many many clips that starred either John Wayne, Henry Fonda, or Jimmy Stewart. At times if felt like a documentary on those fine actors. John Ford, by all accounts here, was a cantankerous, difficult man to work with at times. Especially telling is the "interview" that Bogdanovich tried to film---Ford answered "Yes" or usually "NO" to every question, and would not elaborate on any answer. But the film clips themselves are tremendously captivating. It makes you want to rent any John Ford film immediately. GRADE--------A
Moody and realistic, the British classic film LONELINESS OF A LONG DISTANCE RUNNER(1962) stars Michael Redgrave and a very young Tom Courtenay as a teen who is sentenced to boys prison for stealing. He can run hard and fast and it is hoped by the warden that he will win the crown from a regular boy's school for long distance running. The black and white film is grim and part of the "angry young man" milieu, but worth watching. GRADE--------B
QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE (1958) (or at least in this case, Venus) is a low low budget film that moves slowly and features the lovely Zsa Zsa Gabor, but the jokes/laughs are few. GRADE----C-
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