Summer Catch-up! STILL MINE, MAN OF STEEL, MONSTERS UNIVERSITY, THE CONJURING, THE HEAT, WORLD WAR Z, STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS, THE TO DO LIST, plus some duds.

I ended up taking off the month of July for travel, including trips to Denmark (Bornholm Island), Copenhagen, Chicago, Moline, and Portland.  I did still manage to see some films, so here is a capsule of what I saw in the past month.

Top of the heap is a SIFF film that opens today, called STILL MINE, a Canadian production with the incomparable James Cromwell (BABE) and the radiant Genevieve Bujold as a long married couple.  When he realizes that his wife is showing signs of dementia, he decides to build a simple, one level dream house, but runs into resistance from the local county inspectors and his adult children.  This film plays like the anti-AMOUR from last year, with scenes full of emotion and heart and drama, yet the actors refuse to be tempted to dip into sentimentality--making the film all the more effective.  Based on a true story, the film deals with many issues facing the aging and their families.  It is a beautiful, generous film.        GRADE---------A-

A wildly joyful documentary about a lost music punk rock album from the 1970's created by an African American group which suddenly becomes a music sensation in the current music scene.  The film, A BAND CALLED DEATH has much in common with last years SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN.  There's a lot of heart, humor and discovery in this story, so in spite of the nihilistic title, give this film a chance---you'll love it.          GRADE--------A-

STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS continues in the style of the terrific jump start film from 2009 STAR TREK, with all the beloved characters very effectively revamping their roles that emulate so wonderfully from the late STAR TREK TV series from the 1960's. Director of the last two films, J.J. Abrams knows how to entertain and thrill, and this is one sequel I can't wait to see again.    GRADE------B+

Surprisingly effective in storytelling, mood creation, and acting, the unexpected hit of the summer just may be THE CONJURING, which tells a familiar story of a true life haunted house (think THE AMITYVILLE HORROR).  The actors are quite good, including Lili Taylor, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston and Patrick Wilson, and the film  is smoothly directed and shot, with suspense and tension earned rather than flaunting in your face gore and blood.  The audience was very attentive and transfixed, and I had a chilling good time.     GRADE------B+

Four sommeliers (wine experts) attempt to pass the very difficult exams to become Masters in the exciting and intense documentary called SOMM, which came and went quickly last month.  I suggest requesting it on Netflix or On Demand.  It plays in an informative and entertaining manner.     GRADE-------B+

Mismatched cops are certainly nothing new, and in THE HEAT, Sandra Bullock is still playing the uptight, prissy one, like she did so well in the two MISS CONGENIALITY films, but the great shock and pleasure of THE HEAT is that Melissa McCarthy neatly steals the picture with her filthy , bizarre shocks of profanity and vulgarity,  She really jolts you into laughter and gives the film some much needed energy.  I had much fun watching this one.      GRADE-------B

The new version of the Superman saga called MAN OF STEEL has a dashing, brooding star in Henry Cavill, who gives Superman some sexy and soulful gravitas.  Michael Shannon is an effective villain, and even though much of the action is underplayed and somewhat subtle (!), I was very engrossed.       GRADE-----B

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY is a slick and clever animated "prequel" to Pixar's MONSTERS, INC (2001) but it is not necessary to have seen the earlier film first.  This film tells the story of two opposites who start off disliking each other, but in the end find a fast friendship.  There are a lot of clever, witty lines and situations, and the student monster characters are well voiced by John Goodman, Billy Crystal and Helen Mirren, among others.      GRADE------B

The documentary DIRTY WARS tells of the possibly illegal involvement in the CIA's participating in waging war in the Middle East.  It is informative, sad and frustrating.     GRADE-----B

It's got a BIG budget and a big star (Brad Pitt) and some big special effects, but WORLD WAR Z plays more like a new version of THE HOT SPOT or some other plague out of control drama, than the horrific zombie thriller it is supposed to be.  I was kind of bored.      GRADE-----C+

It never quite transcends the "basic gross out teen sex comedy" genre, but not for the lack of trying.  THE TO DO LIST starts out well, but gets rather tiresome by the "sex is better with the one you love" final theme.     GRADE-----C+

I loved director Danny Boyle's last two films SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008) and 127 HOURS (2010) but in spite of some interesting technical effects, I was dumb founded by his latest film TRANCE.  The story is so unbelievable and full of contrivances that I lost interest in all the mumbo jumbo psycho babble about hypnosis and memory loss and analysis.  These characters all seemed to love and hate each other at the same time, and there was no one that I cared about.  I did enjoy the soundtrack created by MOBY, however.      GRADE----C

Some folks found the hippie trippy tale of an obnoxious American tourist (an unpleasant Michael Cera) who hooks up with an equally obnoxious free spirit woman called CRYSTAL FAIRY, as they travel with some locals to a deserted beach in Chile to get high on a psychedelic drug amusing, but I was annoyed by these characters, and the herky jerky hand held camera work and awkward improvisations were wince inducing.     GRADE-----D


DVDs watched recently include:

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940) is Alfred Hitchcock's spy thriller set at the start of  WW2 with Joel McCrea as a reporter caught in a web of conspiracy and traitorism as he falls for the girl whose father seems increasingly suspicious.  Some famous set pieces include an assassination in the rain and the subsequent chase through a sea of black umbrellas, and a suspenseful sequence inside a creaking windmill.   GRADE-------B+

I loved the Broadway musical THE WIZ--the hip music and staging were sensational at the time, so I was quite disappointed when the 1978 film version was released.  Never has a film been so incredibly miscast, especially when you have the lead role of the adolescent girl Dorothy played by the then 34 year old Diana Ross.  She was so totally unbelievable as the teen that I wanted to scream.  It doesn't help that Michael Jackson plays the Scarecrow in such a lame, amateurish manner (he was only 20 at the time), and many of the other "one song stars" over sing or over emote to the point of embarrassment (like Richard Pryor and Lena Horne).  I tried to watch this again on the plane ride back from Amsterdam, and winced all the way home.  It is even worse than I remembered.  Considering how director Sidney Lumet (!!!) managed to mangle the joyfulness of most of the songs, it  may be one of the worst films of all time.       GRADE-------F