STOKER, WARM BODIES, OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, ADMISSION plus A.Penn Classic NIGHT MOVES

A strong contender for stylish thriller of the year, STOKER has a lot of creepy moments, and the good cast leaves an unsettled feeling that permeates the film.  It works as a mystery about the arrival of a strange man (Mathew Goode) who is the unknown brother to the recently deceased father of Mia Wasikowska and the disturbed wife, Nicole Kidman.  Both needy lonely women become attracted to  "Uncle Charlie" for different reasons, and I think there is more than a passing resemblance to Hitchcock's SHADOW OF A DOUBT here, right down to the name Charlie, as it slowly dawns on the girl that her uncle may not be who she thinks he is.  The pacing may be leisurely at first, but it builds nicely as we know more about her life, her mother and begin to realize that certain people in her life are disappearing at an alarming rate.  The Korean director Park Chan-wook has made a number of creepy, fascinating films including SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE (2002) and  OLD BOY (2003) (which is being remade this year by Spike Lee, with Elizabeth Olsen and Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Brolin) and gives the film an impressive style.     GRADE------B+

I've been reading some not so polite reviews of the new film by Paul Weitz who did the marvelous dramedy ABOUT A BOY (2002) so I went in with low expectations, but I chuckled  and laughed a lot throughout his new film ADMISSION, another dramedy with some charm, subtly and wit.  Tina Fey gets a lot of the best lines, but Paul Rudd grounds the film and makes a great "straight man" and Lily Tomlin makes the most of her small role as  Tina's militant feminist mother.  The plot has Fey, who has worked for 16 years as a snooty admissions officer for Princeton, trying to get a special young student into the university, partly because he may be the child she gave up for adoption many years ago.  The film tries to say alot about the changing direction of "families" in today's society.     GRADE------B

There are great special effects, and the art and set direction are splendid, and the cinematography very sharp.  The cast is certainly game.  The only awkward aspect of the new film OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is that it is trying awfully hard to be faithful to the continuing story of  THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) (as well as the current Broadway smash musical WICKED) that you spend a lot of time following the mechanics of its plot, squinting your eyes in disapproval if any of the action might contradict the popular Judy Garland version.  Fortunately the plotting is pretty faithful and leaves the future story accessible to the history presented.  Still, it requires a lot of explanation and talk talk talk, and at the screening I saw, the 20 or so youngsters in attendance became restless and bored several times.  But never fear---soon would arrive a tornado, flying monkeys, wicked witches or Munchkins to recapture their attention.  By the end, I was satisfied with this prequel.      GRADE---------B

A sleeper in the best way, the new zombie comedy WARM BODIES is a new take on the crowded theme of the walking dead.  These new zombies apparently can be warmed up and healed by love, unless that is, of course, they are so far gone that their skin has already been burned to a crisp.  It's a clever comedy with some big laughs.      GRADE------B

The new Romanian film BEYOND THE HILLS deals with religious (and as a side-bar, sexual) hysteria in a rural convent.  When a young woman comes to visit her best friend at the nunnery, sexual tensions make the priest resent the new comer, and drive the friend into rebel mode as she tries to convince her nun friend to leave for the big city.  The leisurely paced film slowly builds tension, and the ending is disturbing, as we know what we've seen, but the "outside" world has a different take on the troubled convent.       GRADE-------B-

The new documentary SUSHI: GLOBAL CATCH gives strong evidence that the current sushi popularity is largely responsible for the diminishing supply of fish, especially tuna, in the world's oceans.  I've seen this argument before, most effectively in the disturbing film THE COVE (2009), but it is well worth seeing again.     GRADE------B-


The following were viewed on DVD  during the past 2 weeks.

 The classic film-noir  NIGHT MOVES (1975), released  after his masterworks of MIRACLE WORKER (1962),  BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967), ALICE'S RESTAURANT (1969) and LITTLE BIG MAN (1970), proved that the talented director Arthur Penn was no fluke.  Gene Hackman is a private eye hired to track down a runaway girl. After he finds her he realizes that a can of worms has been opened that infects just about everyone he's been in contact with.  Fascinating characters and and plot twists, and a great symbolic ending that reminds me of CHINATOWN (1974).   GRADE----------A

The best foreign language film Oscar went to the Japanese film DEPARTURES (2008), a gentle, lovely film about a young man who, with his wife, returns to his hometown after the loss of his beloved job as cello player for a symphony, and the death of his mother.  The only job he can find--an undertaker's assistant.  The film is very funny and warm, and becomes strangely beautiful as it delves into the ceremonial aspects of comforting the grieving while attending to the dead.  This film packs a big emotional punch by the final scene.     GRADE--------A

I saw the Ghibli Studio's film PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997) upon is original US release, and I remember really liking it, but watching it again recently, I can honestly say that I didn't recall a single scene from this film.  It felt like I was watching it for the first time.  The unusual, creative visual animation is all there, and the theme, very symbolic for the need to go "GREEN" and save the forests before they are extinct is still timely.  Maybe the film is so odd and bizarre with the different creatures (like little white forest ghosts, white horrific wolves, spirit creatures that look like bucks with antlers gone wild, etc) that my mind couldn't conceive to remember it.  Weird, but engrossing to watch.       GRADE------B+

Last but by no means least, is the sentimental, atmospheric, emotional adventure film DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS (1949) directed by Henry Hathaway.  Lionel Barrymore mugs it up as the old grandfather captain on a whaling ship who has been fathering his grandson --a young Dean Stockwell in the finer points of shipboard life.  He has some conflicts when a new younger captain (Richard Widmark) tries to teach him new ways.  Talky and a bit tedious at first, but once they get to whaling at sea, it becomes rather engrossing       GRADE------B

THE HOBBIT (again), LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE, THE QUARTET, DEAD MAN DOWN, THE MONK, PHANTOM, plus DVD choices

Top of the list for films seen in theatres this past 2 weeks start off with a repeat viewing of THE HOBBIT, first seen last December, but still as entertaining and enthralling as ever.  My only complaint is the segment near the end inside the mountain where the hideous goblins live--there is so much running around (in fact, this is the third time that Gandolf the wizard has yelled to the dwarfs---"RUN!), swinging from rickety bridge to rickety bridge, and surviving the most deadly of falls of what seems like thousands of feet down rocky cliffs, that it feels more like a video game than a serious battle.  I do enjoy that first meeting with Gollum where he plays cat and mouse games with Bilbo on the lake, which is inter cut with all that running around, but still, enough running around please.  But a cinematic pleasure is not to be taken lightly, and the fantasy world created by Peter Jackson and company is still one of the great pleasures from last year.     GRADE-------A-

Viewed last September at Vancouver International Film Festival, comes a small film with some hypnotic powers called LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE,  a new film by Iranian director Abbas Kiarostaini, filmed in Tokyo.  A student who prostitutes herself at night is sent to an academic elderly client out in the suburbs who seems more interested in feeding her and playing house, and she finds herself  strangely drawn to him, rather than her immature boy friend who seems to have violent reactions to her seeming disinterest in him.  Not a lot happens, but the tension is sustained and you feel the coming together of two diverse souls as a very positive thing.      GRADE-------B+

You might think the main reason for seeing THE QUARTET is that the great Maggie Smith (PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE) is featured as "the DIVA" and gets her share of witty lines, as in her superb role in TV's DOWNTON ABBEY, so it is a lovely surprise to find that, yes, indeed she gets some great lines, but the three other actors who are part of THE QUARTET are equally delightful.  Pauline Collins (best known for her stage and film performance as SHIRLEY VALENTINE), Billy Connolly (best known for MRS BROWN) and Tom Courtney (with a career stretching back to DR ZHIVAGO and beyond) are all working on all cylinders.  Even though the plot is rather slim and leisurely  predictable, it is an extreme pleasure watching these great actors go through their paces. Another wonderful reason for seeing this film---it's set in a retirement home for aging musicians, and most of the bit parts are played by actual music greats from the past.    GRADE---B

Seen at last years SIFF, the Gothic film THE MONK is set in Madrid during the 17th century.  A highly religious and popular monk has his spirituality tested by the arrival of a strange younger monk wearing a mask.  Soon he finds that the devil is his real challenge.  This is a superior melodrama based on a novel, and featuring good production values.  I found it luridly fascinating.    GRADE------B

Directed by Niels Arden Oplev of the Swedish THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, and starring Noomi Rapace (from that same film) the new want-to-be noir crime thriller DEAD MAN DOWN has some interesting, watchable scenes and the actors are compelling in sort of an over wrought manner, but the plot is convoluted and contains some big contrivances that don't make much sense.  Dominic Cooper, Isabelle Hubert, Terrance Howard and Colin Farrell all make a good impression, and it's not a dull film--it just doesn't all come together like it should, plus it opens and closes with a couple of outrageously violent and bloody scenes that stretch credibility.    GRADE-----C+

In the mid 1960's, a rogue atomic submarine is missing from the Russian arsenal and a power struggle ensues on board that might set off a nuclear war with the United States.  The new film PHANTOM has all the right set up, and the cast (headed by Ed Harris, David Duchovney and William Fitchner) are up for the task.  Unfortunately, the script feels leaden and familiar (think K-19, HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, BEDFORD INCIDENT, RUN SILENT RUN DEEP and dozens of other better films), the direction is just adequate and the entire film reeks of mediocrity.  It is incredibly AVERAGE.     GRADE------C



The following films were viewed on DVD during the last two weeks.


Set in a small, picturesque Peruvian fishing village, this dramatic,  forbidden love/ghost story called UNDERTOW (2010) is handled with realism and an unbiased approach.  The actors are beautiful and subtle, the setting and photography are stunning, and the film builds  into a powerful and emotional ending.  It works as an excellent cross between GHOST and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.  GRADE---------A-

We usually watch this film THE REF (1994) during the Christmas season as an antidote to the saccharine films that usually appear, but it is a riot at any time of the year.   Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis play a long suffering married couple who can't stop bickering, even when they are "kidnapped" by a vulgar local thief (Denis Leary) on Christmas Eve just before the acerbic mother-in-law (Glyns Johns)is showing up for dinner with her disfuncional family.  The script is witty and nasty, and I enjoy this hilarious film every time I watch it.       GRADE-------A-

An enjoyable if fantastic Studio Ghibli animated film SPIRITED AWAY (2001)  has a young girl loosing her parents (they are turned into pigs after eating too much pork!) and being sent to a fantasy world where she is forced to work in a bathhouse which services some very bizarre ghosts and spirits.  The film is a trip without the drugs, yet has such creative creatures and a persuasive sense of innocence that it casts a strong and satisfying spell.  It is reminiscent of a very dark and perverse ALICE IN WONDERLAND, but totally unique in and of itself.      GRADE-------A-

Based on the popular stage play of the 1940's, David Lean's film by writer Noel Coward called BLITHE SPIRIT (1945) is witty and amusing even by today's standards.  Dashing Rex Harrison plays the newly remarried husband who inadvertently conjures up his dead ex-wife's ghost during a seance held by a would be mystic played with her usual aplomb and wit by Margaret Rutherford.  He is the only one who can see the ghost, so there are a lot of misunderstandings between his new wife and his ghost ex-wife.  The dialogue is quite bemusing at times, and always quite clever.  The ending surprised me, in spite of the fact I'd seen this film several years ago.      GRADE------B+

AMOUR, THE QUARTET, JACK THE GIANT SLAYER, IDENTITY THIEF, plus FILM NOIR at SIFF!!!

Don't miss my TOP FILMS OF 2012 from my previous blog.

New films this week run the gamut, and this week saw four entries from the yearly Film Noir series
at SIFF Cinema.

The last film on my Oscar list that I saw just before the Oscar show was AMOUR, a French film that movingly, sadly, depressingly depicts the the downward spiral of a long married elderly couple as their life begins to change with the stroke of the wife.  I was particularly impressed with the subtle, brave playing of the wife, portrayed by Oscar nominee Emmanuelle Riva.  She conveyed the physical deterioration and the emotional frustration exquisitely, and keeps the film from becoming too maudlin and sentimental.  It is still, unfortunately, very somber and grim, and will probably keep the film from achieving the height of popularity that it probably deserves, since so many middle aged people already have their hands full with the care of elderly and sick parents.     GRADE----B+

Maggie Smith, whose popularity seems to be expanding daily due to the popular PBS Masterpiece production DOWNTON ABBEY, of which I am already a big fan, is certainly the main reason to see the new film THE QUARTET.  Set in a retirement home for elderly musicians, and many of the actors were actual working musicians in their prime, the film tells of a recently retired diva (Miss Smith) whose arrival stirs a lot of passion--she's loved and loathed alike, and her ex-fiance (Tom Courtney) is particularly perturbed by her presence.  Not a lot happens plot wise, but the cast (including Michael Garbon, Billy Connolly and Pauline Collins) is quite entertaining and the director, actor Dustin Hoffman, knows how to generously handle each scene, so the actors shine.      GRADE---B

There's a lot to like in the special effects and look of JACK THE GIANT SLAYER, and the cast is first rate.  Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Eddie Marsan and Ian McShane really make their pithy lines very funny.  The story moves along and the direction by Bryan Singer (X-MEN, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, SUPERMAN RETURNS) is compelling.  Unfortunately, the down side is that the giants, while visually impressive have little to do to separate them from each other, and come across as so much noise and chaos.  (I also kept wondering where are all the female giants?, and how do they come across all the food that they need to fill their huge stomachs?  Still, older children may be fascinated and there's enough to keep the adults entertained, even if it amounts to little by the end.
GRADE--------B-

A popular, high grossing, high concept comedy from the last couple weeks is IDENTITY THIEF, and the previews make it seem like a great idea.  But good ideas don't always translate to good movies, and this is one of the most lame brained movie in a long time.  Melissa McCarthy certainly creates an intriguing character, and she gets most of the laughs and audience sympathy, but the plot is quite insipid, and an uninspired sub plot involving bounty hunters and drug dealers is particularly weak.  Jason Bateman is his usual milquetoast self, and  the jokes just don't make much sense, plus they just aren't very funny.  Eric Stonestreet from TV's MODERN FAMILY has a couple of amusing scenes with McCarthy, and for that, the grade I give this is very very generous...     GRADE--------C-



Following are revival films from either DVD or the Noir film series that I saw in the past two weeks.

A new Blu Ray version of THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951) really looks great and makes the excellent chemistry between Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart even more effective.  The scene where they "come together" on the river and decide this is the most beautiful place each has ever seen, now, actually looks like a very lovely place indeed, with flowering vines and large rhododendrons.  A classic, beautifully made adventure romance.     GRADE-------A

I don't think I've ever seen Billy Wilder's noir classic SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) from start to finish, and the newly restored vision at the Film Noir series was a terrific way to view it.  I was particularly impressed with Gloria Swanson's not quite over the top role of the faded silent screen siren, trying to restore herself to her past glories.  When you see bits and clips, her performance seems way over the top, but all together, it is a fascinating, funny tour de force.       GRADE--------A-

I'd never seen THE THIRD MAN (1949), director Carol Reed's masterpiece with Orson Wells, Joseph Cotten and Valli, and set in a post war Vienna, that is decayed and mysterious and divided into four parts.  The mystery plot (about trying to find out who murdered the complicated Harry Lime) is not the most convincing, but the mood, characters, camera shots and shadows, and general unpleasantness of Harry Lime's life keep the film fascinating.       GRADE------A-

A film that spent 5 years on the shelf due to legal battles with the director and his backers, has finally come out on DVD (after a brief theatrical run last year).  MARGARET (2011) tells the sad tale of a teenager who witnesses a tragic accident to which she feels partly responsible, and her guilt throws her life into crisis, testing her relationships with her parents, teachers and friends.  When she tries to right some wrongs, she find things get complicated.  There are some wonderfully thoughtful performances (by Anna Paquin, J. Smith-Cameron, Jeannie Berlin, Allison Janney, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo and others) and a very compelling story to get you past the long (2 1/2 hour) running time.  A special film that is moving and fascinating.      GRADE------B+

A very little, nifty film noir called THE WINDOW (1949) and based on a Cornell Woolrich story, features a 10 year old boy which a penchant for stories and exaggeration becoming witness to a murder by the neighbors up stairs, and of course, his parents don't believe him, but the killer neighbors sure do.  A good suspense yarn.       GRADE------B+

An unusual suspense thriller from the usually comedic director Blake Edwards, this smart noir called EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (1962) has a mysterious man attempting to make Lee Remick rob the bank she works for, or else her sister will be molested and murdered.  There are some pervy moments and the tension is steadily maintained.  San Francisco is well featured, and the actors including Ross Martin, Stephanie Powers, and  Glenn Ford are quite reliable.       GRADE-------B

Another noir, REPEAT PERFORMANCE (1947) has a woman murdering her husband in the opening scene, then she gets a chance to turn back the clock to a year earlier to change the course of events, in this very interesting story with some similar themes to IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, but darker and more cynical.      GRADE------B

TALES FROM EARTHSEA (2006) is a Studio Ghibli animated film from director Goro Miyazaki and based on an Ursula K. LeGuin series of books.  The anime is good though not great, and the story is interesting, if a bit familiar.  Obviously much of the story is truncated and made simpler to fit the two hour running time.  Ambitious.     GRADE------B-