Here comes the end of summer movies before the seriousness that is FALL......
A modern madcap comedy that fires off witty, clever dialogue that you haven't heard the likes of since Katherine Hepburn or Bette Davis at their peak, MISTRESS AMERICA is Noah Baumbach's newest (others include THE SQUID AND THE WHALE 2005, FRANCIS HA 2012 and the recent WHILE WE'RE YOUNG 2015)featuring his wife Greta Gerwig as a spunky woman/child still full of giddy energy, who takes her new step sister to be under her wing in the big New York City, charming everyone she meets. We don't always like her--she can make us wince at times, but she resounds with positive vibes and general good will. This talky comedy may not be every one's cup of tea, but if you like your films with style, humor and sophistication, then this will be for you. GRADE------A-
THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL has a lot going for it, especially the leads including Bel Powley who gives an all out performance as the title character dealing with loneliness, sex, drugs, and alienation during the wild mid 1970's era of San Francisco, and Kristen Wiig as her super-liberal mom and Alex Skarsgard as mom's boyfriend. Powley is very effective when she discovers her own sexual appeal and the control she has over Skarsgard. The relationship is not exploitative, but it IS very sexual, which surprised me, and I laughed uncomfortably at times as she continues her sexual conquests over her shyness and men (and women). The film features intriguing snippets of animation at times to highlight the feelings and situations, and there is rarely a false emotional move in the film. My main objection, which keeps me from giving DIARY an even higher score is the obnoxious hand held camera work that kept pulling me out of the narrative. GRADE--------B+
Violent, sexy, smart, and intriguing, with a lot of zingy humor, AMERICAN ULTRA surprised me by being a totally unique experience. Jesse Eisenberg plays a stoner grocery clerk who lives with his stoner enabling girlfriend (Kristen Stewart) in a small town. An encounter with a strange woman at his store triggers something in his mind, and suddenly things are not what they seemed on the surface. There are a number of twists in the plot, and the body count is high--to say much more may ruin the clever narrative for some. Give it a try, it is a KICK. GRADE-------B
An enchanting animated animal adventure with out a word of dialogue, the British film SHAUN THE SHEEP comes to us from the people who made the WALLACE AND GROMIT series. The simple plot has Shaun wanting a day off from the dull routine of daily farming, so he accidentally sends the farmer careening off down the road to the big city. When the sheep realize that their lives are better with the farmer than without him, they go after him. For what is basically a children's film, the clever jokes, story and characters are surprisingly smart, and at the matinee I attended, the children (and adults) were incredibly attentive to the movie screen the whole time. GRADE------B
This laid back slacker comedy called, for no apparent reason, 7 CHINESE BROTHERS, features a very lazy slacker performance by Jason Schwartzman who doesn't seem to have much energy for working and making money. He does, however, visit his perky grandmother in a senior home on a regular basis (Olympia Dukakis) and makes some fun of those who do work. The film is leisurely directed, and not much happens. The film doesn't end so much as just STOP, but I enjoyed the film's humor once I got into the milieu. Some people at SIFF really hated it, however. You've been warned. GRADE-------B-
The Canadian film GUIDANCE is a low budget comedy about a seriously dysfunctional man who used to be a child actor, who is now desperate for a job. He unbelievably gets a job as a high school guidance councilor, encouraging kids to smoke pot and take pills and drink alcohol---all of which he does daily, to solve their personal issues at school. The writer /director/ star is Pat Mills, and he is goofy, silly, moving, and hilariously awesome and if you are in the right mood, this could become one of your favorite GUILTY PLEASURES, like it is mine. GRADE--------------B-
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The following were viewed on DVD's......
I first saw BROTHER SUN SISTER MOON (1972) several times when it came out whilst in college, and it struck me as a beautifully filmed portrait of St. Francis of Assisi, from before his conversion to his visit with Pope Innocent III in Rome. It moved me deeply as a rare film that deals with love of humanity, love of nature, love of innocence, without the cynicism that such themes often incur. The simple song score by Donovan was apparently added just for the US release, but the music fits well with the tone. I was glad to see that the film, directed by the master Franco Zeffirelli (ROMEO AND JULIET 1967, ENDLESS LOVE 1981, TEA WITH MUSSOLINI 1999 and many opera to film versions) holds up so well. Especially emotional is the scene when St. Francis meets Pope Innocent III. It's a masterpiece of understatement. This is one of my all time favorites. GRADE----A-
I don't recall that this version of NICHOLAS NICKLEBY (2002) ever had a local theatrical release, but there are many things to recommend it. The excellent cast includes Charlie Hunnam, Jamie Bell, Anne Hathaway, Nathan Lane, Christopher Plummer, Timothy Spall, Barry Humphries and Juliet Stevenson. The script is an excellent adaption of the Charles Dickens novel, the music by Rachel Portman is beguiling, and the production values are even better than many Masterpiece Theatre productions. GRADE-------B+
An unusual international production of a kidnapping thriller, THE NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY (1968) is saved by a quirky, menacing Marlon Brando as a kidnapper who with his drug addicted girlfriend (Rita Moreno) and his sadistic partner (Richard Boone) hold a young heiress for ransom in an isolated beach cabin. A lot of tension is created since the criminals don't trust each other, and the sadist projects sexual violence. The finale is violent, if predictable. GRADE---------B-
Special effects inter cut with vintage film of the real catastrophe is the main reason for watching THE HINDENBERG (1975) which features George C. Scott, Anne Bancroft, William Atherton and others in this semi-fictionalized story of the explosion of the zeppelin that has just arrived in the US from Germany during the Nazi era. The film is handsome in costume, set design, photography and some of the actors are accomplished. Mainly the script is awkward and unconvincing at times, and the direction (by Robert Wise) seems to lumber along. Watchable but dull, until the end. GRADE-----C+
THE CROWDED SKY (1960) is an early disaster movie starring Dana Andrews as a pilot who discovers too late that his radar system is not working while he is mid-air. Other stand out actors included Rhonda Fleming, Troy Donahue and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. There is some suspense including another subplot that has a passenger jet in trouble and possible on a collision course with the broken fighter jet, and there are lots of flashbacks--who will live, who will die, who cares.
Watchable, but who cares? GRADE-------C+
Charlie Chaplin directed this dull film (his last) A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG (1967), which is helped along by his famous music score. Marlon Brando seems heavy handed trying to do comedy. Sophia Loren has a lighter touch, but the film is light weight and tiresome much of the time. GRADE-------C
THE PROUD ONES (1956) is a western that I simply cannot remember seeing a month ago, even though I've looked it up. Must not have made much of an impression, although it wasn't that bad. Robert Ryan is a sheriff and he is helped by Jeffrey Hunter, whose vivid blue eyes I do remember.
GRADE---------------C
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