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-

TOP FILMS OF 2012 plus OSCARS tomorrow

Finally, my TOP FILMS of 2012, just in time for the OSCARS presentations tomorrow, Sunday 24 February.  Red carpet stuff starts at 4pm (or earlier on E!) and the ceremony starts at 5pm. 

The following films I rated an "A" because I can't imagine them being made any better than they are, and because they gave me a lot of pleasure.

----A-----

ARGO--Dramatic, exciting, politically entertaining, witty  and  funny as hell-- OSCAR nominee
            Alan Arkin and cohort John Goodman provide the comic relief.

SKYFALL--Great action, great actors (Daniel Craig, Judy Dench, Javier Bardem), great villains
                    super special effects, music, editing, photography.  The best BOND ever!

MOONRISE KINGDOM--Wes Anderson's newest creates a world all it's own, where two runaway
                  kids seem more mature and sensible than the adults in their lives.  Clever and witty.

CHASING ICE--Beautifully shot documentary about disappearing ice floes and icebergs.  Covers
                    similar ground as Al Gore's AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, but much less political. 
                    Amazing time lapse photography that is gorgeous and shocking, too.


----A- -------

LIFE OF PI--Ang Lee's newest based on the philosophical novel is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
                    FILM of the year to watch---I had to blink twice sometimes to acknowledge the
                     tranquil detail and extreme exotic purity of many scenes.  Wonderful score and
                     special effects.  Since Ben Afleck didn't get nominated for best Director for ARGO,
                     then I would give Ang Lee the nod for supremely handling a film that dealt so
                     eloquently with spirituality, children, water and underwater photography and the
                     humanizing of animal behavior.  The final "twist" gives a new dimension to the story.

LAS ACACIAS--Lovely, intimate South American film about a lonely, long haul trucker who is
                      forced to take a young woman and her baby along.  Of course, the baby manages
                      to steal many scenes, but the shyness of the main characters wins you over.

THE INTOUCHABLES--French comedy drama based on true story of the relationship between
                       an African caretaker and his rich white paraplegic charge--a classic "fish out of
                       water" story with humor and humanistic touches.

OSLO, AUGUST 31ST--Gripping "last day in the life" of an intelligent Norwegian suicidal drug
                        addict, and the people who touch his sad life.

THE AVENGERS--Big, noisy but very well constructed and entertaining super hero adventure.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY--Peter Jackson's magic is back on track.  Can't
                         wait for segments 2 and 3.

LIBERAL ARTS--35 year old man visits his Alma mater and falls for a young student in his
                           attempt to reconnect with his "glory days" in this mature, charming tale.

EYE OF THE STORM-- Australian Fred Schepisi (CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH,
                           ROXANNE) is back on track in a funny, almost campy family melodrama.
                           With Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis, and the incomparable Charlotte Rampling.

DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL--Superior documentary about fashion icon.

-----B+-------

LINCOLN--Fascinating historical epic with crowning performance by Daniel Day Lewis.

DJANGO UNCHAINED--Quentin Tarantino's latest is bloody mixture of lurid melodrama, high
                            action, terrific acting and comic overkill, but it's still very entertaining.

AMOUR--Serious French film about couple's struggles when the wife has a stroke.  Actors are great.

THE SESSIONS--Excellent drama about a sex therapist trying to help iron lung patient discover
                              his sexuality.  Helen Hunt and John Hawkes are terrific.

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK--Quirky comedy drama that you either GET or don't GET.
                              I got it, and the cast is amazingly connected, especially deNiro and Jennifer
                              Lawrence, both OSCAR nominees.  It creates a unique mise en scene.

SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN--Amazing mystery documentary about a very talented singer/
                              songwriter, thought dead for many years, found living in anonymity.

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD--I give a lot of credit to the director for taking us on this
                               journey to the uncharted world of poor people living and surviving on a Louisiana
                               bayou, but the true heroine of the film lies with the amazing force of nature,
                               --not the devastating hurricane that centers the film, but the true star who anchors
                               yet carries us along, 6year old Quvenzhane Wallis, a best actress nominee.

Other B+ films that could just as easily be in the top 20 above.......

PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, HUNGER GAMES, LOOPER, BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, CLOUD ATLAS, SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETY, ANNA KARENINA, FRIENDS WITH KIDS, KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, ELENA, FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT, DO DECA PENTHATHON, GAYBY....




FAVORITE GUILTY PLEASURES--------GAYBY, EYE OF THE STORM, JOHN CARTER, PITCH PERFECT, WANDERLUST, HITCHCOCK, PREMIUM RUSH, THE QUARTET, ROCK OF AGES, ICE AGE CONTINENTAL DRIFT, DR SEUSS LORAX,

SMALL BUDGET WONDERS-------BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, GAYBY, DO DECA PENTHATHON, KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, ACACIAS, PEOPLE LIKE US, ANY DAY NOW, ROBOT AND FRANK, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED,

TERRIBLE MOVIES--------TED< THE VOW< PARANORMAN< THIS MEANS WAR< GONE< and the worst for many reasons including shaking camera, bad lighting, bad sound, general ugliness etc--the newest version of WUTHERING HEIGHTS.

Some films NEARLY ruined by that damn SHAKY CAMERA-----RAMPART,END OF WATCH, TAKEN 2,BOURNE LEGACY, ZERO DARK THIRTY, ANY DAY NOW, LES MISERABLES, DO DECA PENTHATHON, BEAST OF SOUTHERN WILD


Some more modest films that are perfectly fine entertainment (Grade B or B-) include,
AMAZING SPIDER MAN, BRAVE, PROMETHEUS, THINK LIKE A MAN, HOPE SPRINGS,THE MASTER, SALMON FISHING IN YEMEN, ARBITRAGE, KID WITH A BIKE, 2 DAYS IN NY, SIMON AND OAKS, HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE, BEL AMI, ANY DAY NOW, HELLO I MUST BE GOING, THE IMPOSSIBLE, THE QUARTET, WANDERLUST, LAWLESS, ZERO DARK THIRTY, LES MISERABLES, HELLO I MUST BE GOING, NORTH SEA TEXAS, TEDDY BEAR,




OSCAR STUFF

I'm hoping ARGO will win best picture, but I wouldn't mind LIFE OF PI or LINCOLN taking home the stature.  DJANGO UNCHAINED was entertaining, but too violent, AMOUR too serious--it has a better chance in the Foreign Language Film category, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is too quirky, BEAST/SOUTHERN WILD and LES MISERABLES had too much shaky camera work to watch comfortably, and even though it is solid, ZERO DARK THIRTY suffers in comparison to the recently watched first TV season of HOMELAND as it shares many similar elements.

Daniel Day Lewis seems to have a lock for Best Actor, but I also admired Hugh Jackman and Bradley Cooper in LES MIS and SILVER LININGS respectively.  I really loved all the best actress nominees--I'd vote for Naomi Watts as the mother trying to survive a tsunami with her one son in THE IMPOSSIBLE, but I think Jennifer Lawrence gave a brave performance in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (and THE HUNGER GAMES) and will probably win.

I really love Helen Hunt in THE SESSIONS---she's bravely nude in much of it, and the determined character of Sally Field in LINCOLN is very strong, but Anne Hathaway really nails her big dramatic song in LES MIS and certainly makes that film more memorable.  The supporting actor category is really up for grabs this year---all actors are great, AND they've all won an OSCAR before!!!!!  I'd vote for Christoph Waltz in DJANGO, but he just won 2 years ago for INGLORIOUS BASTARDS.  It's been a while since Robert De Niro (SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK) so he might have the edge, but Tommy Lee Jones has had a great year (see HOPE SPRINGS) so LINCOLN might be his ticket.  Alan Arkin is also well liked, and since ARGO was slighted in the direction category, this might be another bone thrown that way.  I liked them all.......

Since Ben Afleck didn't get a nomination for best director (he's won at other awards ceremonies.....) I'd vote for previous winners Ang Lee or Steven Spielberg, but David O. Russel does some amazing things with SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK.   Michael Haneke (AMOUR) and Benh Zeitlin (BEAST SOUTHERN WILD) are newcomers to the OSCARS and seem like long shots.

The writing awards are tougher for me to predict.  I think MOONRISE KINGDOM should win, but this is its only nomination.  My next choice would be Tarantino for DJANGO, but AMOUR, FLIGHT and ZERO DARK THIRTY all have their supporters in the original category.  For adapted screenplay, I loved LINCOLN'S literacy and ARGO's suspense and drama.  BEASTS, LIFE OF PI and SILVER LININGS are also strong.

I'd love LIFE OF PI to win for music score, cinematography and visual effects, and SKYFALL to win all the other technical awards.

I'm surprised that THE HOBBIT only got a couple minor nominations, because it is really a quality film, nearly as good as the LORD OF THE RINGS series.  I think John Hawkes should have been nominated for THE SESSIONS.  I'm also disappointed that SKYFALL got just a few nominations--since it is known as the BEST BOND EVER!!!!!!!



I have some miscellaneous dvd films and new openings to write about---perhaps next week.  The new films include the fabulous Maggie Smith in THE QUARTET (Grade B) and the sad, moving AMOUR (Grade B+) and the annoyingly dull and mostly unfunny IDENTITY THIEF (a generous grade of C-)........I'll be as busy as I can be at SIFF Cinema's FILM NOIR series starting this weekend........

DJANGO UNCHAINED, ZERO DARK 30, FRANCINE, LES MIZ again, and OSCAR NOMINATIONS!!!!

I always approach Quentin Tarentino films with much trepidation, knowing that from experience they will be alternately profane, violent, amusing, creative, energetic, outrageous, musical and perhaps tedious at times.  His newest film DJANGO UNCHAINED is right up there with his most (see adjective above and insert here) films.  I must say that I loved the first 90 minutes very very much, for its audacious plot/script, that has a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) teaming up with a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) in search of the well paying bounty hunting of white criminals that seem to end up exploiting slaves on Southern plantations.  The film is an extreme black revenge fantasy, and in spite of it's lurid moments and bizarre humor, the film is intelligently entertaining.  But the final third, set on the plantation of an over the top sadistic slave master played with gleeful abandon by Leonardo DiCaprio and his faithful overseer of the slaves Samuel L. Jackson at his ornery, witty mode changes the mood to a more brutal tone.   The violent climax features buckets of abstract red blood splattered copiously far and wide and the greatest explosive pyrotechnics that Hollywood can provide.  (Quentin Tarentino, in a small cameo role, gets a spectacular exit.)  If you're in the mood, it's a hoot.  If not, it can dampen your pleasure in the film.  Still, I WAS NOT BORED, and give the film snaps for creativity and entertainment value given the melodramatic subject matter.  You've never seen anything like this.      GRADE--------B+

ZERO DARK 30 played for me much like director Katheryn Bigelow's previous Oscar winner THE HURT LOCK from a couple years ago---technically proficient, some intense scenes, competent actors, but rather clinical in it's approach to the story--this time the hunt for and killing of Osama Bin Laden.  There is also some use of a hand held camera which I detest--at least it is not used as intensely as some films that have been ruined by excessive motion--(LES MISERABLES, END OF SHIFT come quickly to mind.....)
I've been enjoying Jessica Chastain for the last two years---she's appeared in over 6 roles, most effectively in THE HELP last year.  Here she is portraying someone who is work obsessed, clinical, determined, driven---but with no back story, she's not very intriguing.  The final 45 minutes is the most interesting, as the mission goes into effect and is played out probably as accurately as the bits of news we witnessed on TV gave us.  Over all the film is intelligent in a clinical manner--there's nothing to engage our sympathies, however.       GRADE--------B 

I finally saw LES MISERABLES again, this time at a much better theatre, and while the earlier assessment is accurate for me, at least the foreheads and chins of the actors were not cut off and the hand held camera work and the "way to many closeups" were not quite so annoying.  I've been humming the score for several weeks now, and not a bad score to hum.     GRADE-------B

Screened at the recent Vancouver Intl Film Festival in October, the modest film FRANCINE features a fine performance by Melissa Leo as a recently released convict who has trouble relating to people but, we think at first, seems able to relate to animals.  She works at an animal shelter, feeding and washing and adopting animals, until towards the end of the short 70 minute feature, we realize her home has become a hoarders nightmare of dozens of animals, with food and liter covering nearly every inch of her home.  As usual, Miss Leo is fascinating, and the film wouldn't exist without her layered and compelling nuances.       GRADE--------B


Watched on DVD----------------------------

The final installment of the DRAGON TATTOO TRILOGY is called THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST and it is a compelling and satisfying mystery thriller that ties up most of the loose ends and brings some closure to the characters that make up the nearly 9 hour Swedish TV series that was made into 3 film for the US viewers.  I watched the Extended Version, and while there is not a lot of crucial scenes that were missing from the theatrical version, it was interesting to see some of the scenes that weren't there--usually adding some clarification to the drama, and there are a couple modest subplots that help make the film feel stronger.           GRADE------------A-

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010) is a superior animated film with lots of adult humor stirred in, having to do with domesticating dragons, honoring family, becoming your own person, etc---all presented with lovely special effects and scenery.   GRADE-----B+

Roman Polanski's version of OLIVER TWIST (2005) was a flop in the USA, barely opening in most of the country, but in Europe, the film was a modest hit, bringing it's box office gross to over $40 million.  It was made just after his award winning THE PIANIST (2002) and just prior to THE GHOST WRITER (2010).  It's a pity, because this version has a lot to recommend it.  The sets are quite spectacular, the actors very effective (Ben Kingsly plays Fagin), and the music score (by Rachel Portman) is most lovely.  I enjoyed this film quite a bit---certainly even better than anything you'd see on Masterpiece Theatre.  Well worth a watch on DVD.          GRADE--------B+

Billed as "a dark feel good comedy" and quite funny in it's deadpan humor, the Norwegian film  A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN (2010) starring Stellan Skarsgaard is a strange hybrid of gangster film crossed with love story crossed with character study.  Just out of prison, his boss wants to set him up with a job and a revenge plan, but Skarsgard's characters just wants to eat and make love to any number of women who cross his path--and in that order, too.          GRADE-------B+

I watched Jodie Foster's  film NIM'S ISLAND (2008) prior to seeing her bizarre, confusing, rambling speech on the recent Golden Globe's show, and thought that for a desert island child's fantasy film, it was pretty good, and she seemed calmer and less intense than usual, for a change, and I like her that way.  Gerard Butler and Abagail Breslin also star, and the film should have been a bigger hit on the family circuit than it was.  Now, back to the Golden Globes show, it seemed like she was trying to say a lot of things, but felt she didn't have to, so the "is she out or not" question seemed obscured by the pleas for privacy (and this from one of the most reclusive stars working in Hollywood these days) and the heartfelt anguish over her mother's dementia (?).  And is she retiring or not from film making?  Weird.           GRADE-------B-

Produced by 20th Century Fox just after the disastrous years long filming of CLEOPATRA that nearly sank the studio, this  trifle of a comedy TAKE HER SHE'S MINE (1963) stars James Stewart and Sandra Dee as an overly possessive father who tries to protect his college bound daughter from losing her virtue, but he ends up in a succession of scandalous situations--mostly from his own eager stupidity.  Surprisingly, there are a number of funny sight gags and clever lines strewn among the predictable situations, and Jimmy Stewart is nothing if not a stalwart good sport as an actor.    GRADE-----C+

************************
OSCAR NOMINATIONS came out last week, and as usual there were surprises and missed opportunities.  I don't have too many problems with the best picture category, but I think that SKYFALL, being touted as the best BOND ever should have eked out a nomination.  I would have loved to have seen Samantha Barks and Eddie Redmayne get supporting nominations for LES MISERABLES--they both stand out in my mind as more subtle choices than some others.  I think it was brave for the Academy to honor the small indie BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD with nominations for Picture, Director and Actress--I admired this film a lot, except for the distracting hand held camera business, and the child star Emmanuelle Riva certainly makes this film stand out in memory.  The foreign film category always disappoints me, as the country nominates their own film--not necessarily the best film---for consideration.  Hence, THE UNTOUCHABLES missed out on a nomination--one of the best from SIFF.  More comments later, and watch out for my FAVORITE FILMS from 2012 coming in the next few weeks.

LES MISERABLES, PROMISED LAND, THIS IS 40, GUILT TRIP, and finally A NEW LEAF now on Blu Ray DVD

Certainly one of the most anticipated films for myself this year end movie season has been the long time coming film version of the popular musical stage production LES MISERABLES. There have been over half a dozen filmed versions of the Victor Hugo novel in the past 50 years, including 3 that I recently viewed on DVD--1935, 1952 and the latest non musical with Liam Neeson in 1998.  Obviously the length of the novel has to be truncated to keep the plot with in a 2-3 hour time slot, and the versions I saw seemed to all keep the basic essentials in tact.    I will say right now that the new musical film was a frustrating disappointment for me, mostly because of what I found to be some major directorial/technical missteps.

  The first problem is immediately apparent.  The director has decided that the hand held shaky camera work that is becoming so prevalent in low budget films is the answer, but I detest hand held camera work---it is nausea inducing and distracting and I think cheapens the look of the film.  The second big problem is his insistence in using extreme CLOSE-UPS in nearly every scene--I guess to emphasise the emotional impact of the songs.  Unfortunately, the entire film is sung with nearly 80% of scenes in extreme close up giving the film a claustrophobic, non-epic feel, and if ever a film should look like an epic, LES MISERABLES is one.  There are many scenes where the camera is so close in and giggly that I wanted to move to the rear of the theatre.   The third problem I had was not necessarily the fault of the film maker, but the theatre in which I saw it.  I saw this film the day after Christmas with my parents in the local Stanwood WA theatre.  When I walked in early, I noticed the screen was very wide--nearly wall to wall, but very short---maybe 50 feet by 15 feet high.  This resulted in many many heads being lopped off in numerous scenes, especially in the occasional medium shot---sort of a headless singing torso effect, and very annoying.  Even my parents who are in no way cinematic connoisseurs, made comment to that after the showing. However, they both found the film to be impressive and engrossing.   I intend to see the film again in a better equipped theatre in Seattle  to see if these issues are easier to watch in better conditions.

However, the good news is that the music continues to soar.  The much hyped process of having the actors actually sing live during the scene and adding the scoring later, seems to bring out the emotional best in each song.  The film is well cast, with some impressive emotional singing and acting work by each cast member--Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe (effectively subtle), Anne Hathaway (who is not so subtle in her big torch song, but nails it dramatically nonetheless), Amanda Seyfried (with her lilting soprano ballads), and nearly stealing the show are two lesser characters played by relative newcomers Samantha Barks and Eddie Redmayne.  Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter provide some needed broadly comic relief, since basically this film has most of it's cast dying  by consumption, murder, suicide or disease by the end.

So, do I recommend this film?   Absolutely, since for many it will be the only way to see it--when the still very popular stage versions come to town, it is hard to get seats, and very very expensive.  This film is clearly sung, with only some of the choruses difficult to understand at times, but you will still get the gist.   The story remains compelling and dramatic, and the message that LES MISERABLES delivers is that hope and love can endure even in the worst of times.       GRADE-----------B

PROMISED LAND is a modest drama about big business (in this case a natural gas company) VS  an environmental movement in a small town that wants to stop the exploitation of their farmland.  The film is watchable, and the cast is engaging (Matt Damon, Frances McDormand, John Krasinski) but it is such a gentle film that aside from the liberal sentiment, there is not much to remember when it is finished.            GRADE--------B-


Judd Aptow has had enormous success with his comedies that he has produced, including SUPERBAD, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHAL, BRIDESMAIDS, THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT, and he has directed some smash hits like 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN, KNOCKED UP, and FUNNY PEOPLE (one of my least favorite), but all these film share one disappointing flaw.  THEY ARE TOO DAMN LONG, and need to be edited and/or shaped with more coherent plots.   His latest film THIS IS 40 has the same problem.  This film goes on and on, and just when you think it should be wrapping up, he introduces at least 2 new characters that haven't had much screen time in the first 2 hours.  This is not to say that there are no interesting characters.  Indeed, he gives all his characters lots of screen time, and the film has many sparkling examples of witty banter that float by providing a smile or smirk by the viewer.  I just wish sometimes he'd get to the point a little faster.
GRADE--------B-

A situation comedy if there ever was one, THE GUILT TRIP is set up as a vehicle for Seth Rogan (a young, brash, struggling would be salesman), and Barbara Striesand (his older, brash, controlling mother.)  It is certainly an easy movie to watch, and there are a few chuckles, but mostly it evaporates by the time each scene in finished.  The plot has Rogan taking his mother Striesand on a road trip across country to try to sell his newly developed all natural cleaner to various large companies.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine what will happen by the end.  However, the film is so tame that I can't even recommend it as a guilty pleasure.          GRADE-------C


_______________

The 1971 comedy THE NEW LEAF has recently appeared on Blu Ray DVD, and it is one of my wife's favorite comedies.  Elaine May wrote, directed and stars in the film along with Walter Matthau, as a rich goofy matron who is seduced by the scheming Matthau who is now broke and needs to marry a rich woman in order to continue living in he manner to which he is accustomed.  The film is very quirky and awkwardly paced at the beginning, and it always takes me a while to get into the (pleasurable) leisurely comedic style, but the characters become endearing and the charming film has a way of getting under your skin.        GRADE----------B

THE HOBBITT, ANNA KARININA, ANY DAY NOW, HITCHCOCK, KILLING THEM SOFTLY, NORTH SEA TEXAS plus Dragon Tattoo

A couple more great films for the Holidays (see previous blogs), and it starts with another edition of  Peter Jackson's version of a Tolkien story THE HOBBIT.  Once more we are back in Middle Earth with engaging characters, fabulous settings (thank you New Zealand), a ripping story of good vs evil, and the finest technical and special effects work available now on film.  I saw this in good old 2D (I'm no fan of 3D--it doesn't work over my glasses, and I end up with a headache and/or eye  strain.)  It looks great and the seamless special effects are better than ever.  The score by the ever reliable Howard Shore (Oscar winner for the LOTR series) is part redo and part creative original.  I was thoroughly engaged and can't wait to see what happens in the future episodes.  The HOBBIT has been made into three films, using the actual (modest length) book and also notes and essays from Tolkien himself to flesh out the running time.  This film clocks in at over 2 1/2 hours, but it feels incredibly dense, detailed and fascinating--I can't imagine them cutting a single scene.   For those who loved LORD OF THE RINGS films 1,2 and 3, then THE HOBBIT is a MUST SEE.      GRADE-------A-

A new version of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel ANNA KARENINA has been given an invigorating, thrilling dusting-off  treatment by director Joe Wright (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE 2005 and ATONEMENT 2007).  He has set the film in and on a grand theatre and stage (perhaps all the world's a stage!) and given the film a stylized, rapid cut action that seems both clever and at times theatrical, yet it works very well.  The first 20 minutes I kept imagining that the characters were going to break out into song and dance--it works to bring us into the story of a tragic love affair and the way it is juxtaposed against a love affair that works in a more wholesome and successful way.  It is a witty, ironic manner to expose the high society mores of the wealthy, and exposing the way the lower classes can cope in a different, more difficult world.  The sets, costumes, music, editing and cinematography are all first rate, and the numerous actors seem to be having a marvelous time.           GRADE--------A-

The entertaining bio-pic HITCHCOCK features fine performances by Anthony Hopkins (even if his make up doesn't really look like Alfred's features) and Helen Mirren as Alma his wife.  This is a must see for any Hitchcock fan, cinephile, film buff, and old movie fan.  Younger film goers unfamiliar with Hitchcock's films (especially NORTH BY NORTHWEST, PSYCHO, THE BIRDS) may wonder what all the fuss is about.        GRADE-----------B

Alan Cummings is the main reason to see the based on a true story ANY DAY NOW, about a gay couple in the mid-70's who attempt to raise a handicapped teenager who has been abandoned by his drug addicted mother.  Cummings plays a drag queen singer who (fortunately) gets involved with a conservative gay lawyer but their "life style" is considered inappropriate by the legal system which does little to hide their homophobia.  Some annoying hand held camera action aside,  it is a solid melodrama, and the ending packs a real punch.   GRADE---------B

The Belgium film NORTH SEA TEXAS set in a small village in the late 1960's follows a young gay teen who falls in love with the neighboring family's older teen, but finds himself left behind when the older teen discovers girls.  The film is very realistic and honest about the feelings that young gay boys harbor--most of the story is from the younger boy's POV.  The characters are well portrayed and in spite of some unpleasant characteristics, mostly sympathetic.     GRADE-------B

I admired the actors in KILLING THEM SOFTLY---Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Richard Jenkins, Ray Liota, and others---they've been given uncrowded direction and telling dialogue and they make the best of this sad, depressing story of a couple of young lowlife thugs who  rob a gangster poker game, making off with thousands of dollars, only to become methodically murdered  by a professional hit man (Pitt).  The film is stylish and well made, but predictable and very grim, and by the end, the cynicism, violence and pessimism that pervades the film (set at the end of the Bush economic debacle and the start of the hopeful Obama term) feels regrettably ugly.        GRADE------C+


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DVD FILMS

The extended versions of GIRL W/THE DRAGON TATTOO (2009) and  THE GIRL WHO PLAYED W/FIRE (2010) feature some subplots that intriguingly add to the texture of the plot, and actually make some of the proceedings more interesting.  Both are strong mysteries, well acted and directed and they retain their power on a second viewing.    GRADE---------A- and B+ respectively

3 Films rated "A"---LIFE OF PI, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK,CHASING ICE, plus a cinematic-like version of TV's GLEE's called PITCH PERFECT, and Maggie Smith

Possibly the most beautiful looking piece of cinema you will see this year is Ang Lee's new film LIFE OF PI, based on a novel about a young boy named PI who grows up searching for his spirituality, losing his family during an amazingly intense tragedy at sea, and finding some peace through his intense experience alone with a Bengal tiger while lost in the ocean.  Whether or not he wins a second Oscar for this film (his first win was for the heartbreaking BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN 2007), this film is a visual feast of color, images, sights, thoughtful special effects and amazing action.  He conquers the BIG THREE issues that most directors always want to avoid----handling child actors, dealing with animals, and filming on water.  It's a most impressive job.  The long center of the film, mostly on the water, is stunningly lucid and exciting. (I don't really like the 3-D experience--it hurts my eyes, so I saw this in regular 2-D, but I can't wait to try the 3-D version.) Where the film dims a bit is the bookended  set up and conclusion which shows the adult Pi telling his life story to a reporter--it isn't bad, just seems rather ordinary when compared to the other 90% of the film.  Still, it isn't every film that attempts to capture spiritual growth in a young boy, AND features the most amazing scenes of being lost at sea ever filmed.  For the mature film-goer it's intelligent and moving.  For the novice, it's still a great thrill.       GRADE------A

Speaking of incredibly beautiful cinematography and images, the documentary CHASING ICE has the thrills to match.  Taking it's theme from Al Gore's ground breaking film AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (2006) which warns of the dangers of global warming, CHASING ICE  focuses mostly on ice bergs and ice covered continents, following a group of researchers as they specifically and photographically chart the quickly disappearing ice and speculate on the dangers to the environment.  How any one can watch this amazing film and still doubt that global warming is a SERIOUS threat to mankind is truly living in their own demented world.          GRADE-------A

Unique, quirky, edgy, and funny, the oddly entertaining SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is a well acted family drama which features Bradley Cooper as a recently released mental patient who was jailed for seriously assaulting his wife's lover.  He hooks up with a family friend's widowed daughter who has her own issues, and the film slowly shows us how adjustments to relationships are necessary to achieve true friendship and love and respect.  His father, strongly portrayed by Robert deNiro, has also had problems with violence (he's permanently banned from the Philadelphia Eagle's stadium for beating up fellow fans), and the family is living on the brink of bankruptcy.  The real surprise here is Jennifer Lawrence as his odd new girlfriend---she's had a big year since WINTER BONES (2010) made her a name and THE HUNGER GAMES (2012) made her a star.  I never knew just where this film was heading, and it cannot be pigeon holed,  but I enjoyed the ride.        GRADE------A-

Attention all Gleeks!  You know who you are.  (I'm one of you, too.)  The new film comedy PITCH PERFECT which opened in early October and has been playing ever since with lovely legs (cinematic slang for longevity) is a lot of fun, and plays alot like TV's GLEE---except it takes place in college.  It has a lot of characters, music, gags, and laughs, and on the sleeve dramatics, and while it suffers a bit by being compared to GLEE--it is still a funny, fun popcorn movie. I especially enjoyed the double entrende banter between the hilarious Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins as the moderators of the glee competitions.    GRADE--------B

A modest but engrossing French thriller, THE BIG PICTURE starts out with a familiar set-up, as a family man discovers that his bored wife is having an affair with a handsome neighbor.  A tragic accident changes his life soon after, and he sets out to "start over" with mixed results.  The film is a "slow burner" but well acted.  It features Romain Duris, Niels Arestrup and Cathrine Deneuve.   GRADE-------B


DVD MOVIE OPTIONS-------

I remember seeing THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE when it played in 1969 at the Guild 45 theatre in Seattle on a double bill with the excellent IF..........  I knew nothing of the film or it's star Maggie Smith, and it was playing 2nd.  It was a question as to whether or not the 4 of us high school buddies would stick around for it.  It turned out to be one of those jaw dropping experiences watching Miss Smith--she transfixed me like she did to her students.  The film is smartly directed by Ronald Neame, who died in 2010 at age 99 after an illustrious career as cinematographer (including BLITHE SPIRIT 1945, THIS HAPPY BREED 1944, and IN WHICH WE SERVE 1942) and writer and director (including HOPSCOTCH 1980, POSEIDON ADVENTURE 1972, GAMBIT 1966, I COULD GO ON SINGING 1963 etc).    But above all, it is Maggie Smith's pinnacle, and she's had quite a few.  The script has some of the greatest zingers ever written, and Maggie Smith delivers them with her infamous pithy delivery.  I know most of the dialogue by heart.   Here are some of my favorite lines:

Jean Brodie:   Sandy, please try to do as I say and not as I do.  Remember, you are a child, Sandy, and far from your prime.

J B:  For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like.

J B:  Safety does not come first.  Goodness, truth and beauty come first.

J B:  P-E-T-R-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N.  Petrification!  I do not intend to devote my prime to petrification.

Teddy Lloyd:  A man with a wife and six children plus a schoolgirl for a mistress can be called any number of rude names, but "coward" is not one of them.

J B:  Six inches is perfectly adequate.  More is vulgar!

Mary McGregor:  I saw them kissing!----together!

J B:  Little girls.  I am in the business of putting old heads on young shoulders, and all my pupils are the creme de la creme.  Give me a girl at an impressionable age and she is mine for life.

GRADE----------A

The French thriller classic DIABOLIQUE 1954 is in the Hitchcock vein, more suspense and less grotesque violence.  It's a clever conceit, but if you've never seen it you will recognize the plot that has been rehashed in dozens of more recent suspense thrillers.  A wife and her husband's mistress try to kill the brutal husband, but he may or may not be dead.     GRADE------B+

It's not great Hitchcock, and I felt that Gregory Peck is misscast as a dynamo lawyer in London who falls in love with his client, a mysterious woman accused of murdering her husband.  The PARADINE CASE (1947) is very talky, and the last half is all set in court.  There are a number of interesting scenes, and Ethel Barrymore has a small but effective role as the mousy wife of the magistrate (Charles Laughton, at his hammy best).   Even Hitchcock in the interview he did with Peter Bagdonovitch admits that the film  has a lot of flaws and he didn't like the editing and story.      GRADE--------B-

SKYFALL--Best Bond Ever!, THE SESSIONS, LINCOLN, plus Best Thanksgiving Movies APRIL&ALICE's

There are a lot of great James Bond films, but  SKYFALL has to counted as possibly the best of that list.  Of course, Daniel Craig is on most people's short list of great Bonds. but add an engrossing and (somewhat) logical plot, sharp and mature direction by Sam Mendes (AMERICAN BEAUTY 1999), expanded involvement of "M" portrayed by the esteemable Judy Dench, a great respect for the past history of Bond on films (including cars and gadgets) and the intelligent and entertaining introduction of some great Bond co-horts, and then mix in a great villain and a super knock out introductory scene, and what more can I say................GRADE----A

A forthright film about a mostly paralyzed polio-poetry spouting man (who spends much of his time in an iron lung,) yet he tries to loose his virginity with the help of a sensitive sex therapist.  It works very well as comedy/drama with some fascinating information about the challenges of the physically challenged.  The actors--especially John Hawkes and Helen Hunt-- are quite good and THE SESSIONS (of sex) moved me in ways that surprised me.           GRADE-----A-

History gets personal and intimate and clearly literate in Steven Spielberg's new film LINCOLN, a fascinating film about the last year of LINCOLN's life when he worked so hard to past the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery AND try to end the Civil War AND attempt to unite a very divided United States.  Politics hasn't changed so very much since then.  I had some very minor quibbles with a few technical glitches and that very sentimental style that serves Spielberg well most of the time, but overall, this is a very ambitious, entertaining and clearheaded film, and the actors including Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln, Sally Fields as the Mrs, and Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens are masterful.     GRADE-------B+

The French documentary BESTIAIRE which profiles animals in long, intimate takes with out moving the camera remined me of Chantal Akerman's classic profile of a bored housewife who cleans the house, cooks food, and turns the occasional trick, and not much else in long, long takes, in JEANNE DIELMAN, 23QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUSSELLES (1975)  but BESTIARE is only 72 minutes and seemed longer, while JEANNE was 201 minutes, and seems just long.  Both films have their fascination.      GRADE-------B-



DVD CHOICES------------------

It's a clever, tricky film--not his most classic, but Alfred Hitchcock's nifty STAGE FRIGHT (1949) features star performances by Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding, Richard Todd, Alistair Sim and Dame Sybil Thorndike, plus some splendid character actors, and it becomes very engrossing in spite of a rocky 30 minute start that has many viewers wondering how a man could become so stupidly blinded by  such an evil woman so as to  be willing to take a murder rap for her, but Hitchcock has some turns and surprises up his sleeve, and the film is successfully engrossing up to the twisted end.        GRADE------B+

Never saw the classic film BEDAZZLED (1967) when it opened, but I can certainly appreciate the cult status of this film with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and Raquel Welch and Eleanor Bron and other great British actors and comedians, and at times I marveled more at the clever lines than laughed at them.  Cook plays the devil who buys the soul of Moore and then introduces him to the 7 deadly sins. (Guess which one is portrayed by Welch!?!)  I might  laugh more at the film on a second or third viewing.  Still, it is clever.    GRADE------B

It won the Best Supporting Male Actor award at last year's Oscar show, but  BEGINNERS (2010) may have been more effective had Christopher Plummer been the focal point of the plot of an elderly man who comes out as gay after his wife of many years has died, much to the confusion of his adult son Ewan McGregor.  Instead the film starts after the death of Plummer's character and has McGregor trying to start an awkward romance with a French speaking Melanie Laurent, with whom he seems to have ZERO chemistry.  The subplot of telling Plummer's story is pushed into the background as an annoying flashback, when really, that story was  much more interesting.          GRADE------C 


FAVORITE THANKSGIVING THEMED MOVIES---------

I haven't seen ALICE'S RESTAURANT (1969) for over 30 years, but this Arthur (BONNIE AND CLYDE) Penn film retains it's charm and surprising melancholic power in telling the based on fact story of a young Arlo Guthrie's struggle to make it as a singer (following his dying father Woody's illustrious career) in the mid-1960's amid the lure of the counter culture (hippie) life style.  The film features the hit song Alice's Restaurant ("You can get any thing you want at Alice's restaurant....") and features the long subplot about the misadventures of trying to dump a van load of garbage on Thanksgiving day, when the city dump is closed, and the funny, serious consequences of that adventure when he is drafted into service during the height of the Vietnam War.  Especially fine are the married duo portrayed by James Broderick and Pat Quinn--they provide a strong paternal center as they try to keep their "broad" of counter culture misfits alive and happy during trying times.    GRADE--------A

Before she married Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes had a successful little career playing counter culture types in GO (1999) and ICE STORM (1997) and in this lovely little film PIECES OF APRIL (2004).  April is an independent young adult with a troubled childhood--the rest of her family is quite traditional, but she cut them off and moved to Manhattan.  Now her mother is quite ill with cancer, and she wants to plan a Thanksgiving meal to make peace with her estranged family.  That morning, however she realizes her oven doesn't work, so the film inter cuts the trepidation that her family has with her history, and her struggles with trying to cook the tradition meal (while not really knowing what she is doing.)  She gets some unexpected help from some untraditional neighbors, and this charming but edgy film packs a big emotional wallop by the end.  It's a real gem.       GRADE----A-