Extremely LOUD and Incredibly CLOSE, Iron Lady, Norwegian Wood, Man on a Ledge, King of Devil's Island

What two things do BILLY ELLIOT (2000), THE HOURS (2002), THE READER (2008), and the new film EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE have in common? Most fans would know that these are the four consecutive films that Stephen Daldry has directed. Film buffs also know that all 4 have been best picture Oscar nominees. EXTREMELY...has had a lot of divisive reviews, and I went into it with rather low expectations, since the subject matter sends queasy shivers down many people's spine. Maybe it's still too early to digest the horrors of 9/11. But I found this story of a precocious nine year old boy's quest to stay closer to his dead father (Tom Hanks) by traipsing all over NYC a year after the WTC attaches in search of the meaning of a lost key he thinks was left by his father as a clue to the mind games they played together, to be just the right approach to some heavy emotional cathartics. His mother (played with restraint by Sandra Bullock) seems out of it emotionally, and he soon hooks up with an old tenant that rents a room from his grandmother from across the alley. The old man (Max von Sydow, a stalwart actor from Ingmar Bergman films)does not speak, but conveys more pain and understanding than anyone else he lives with. Together they search the city for a person named "BLACK" who may hold the answers to the mysterious key left from his father. The film definitely belongs to the genre of HUMANITARIAN, as many characters and events conspire to bring the child (engaging newcomer Thomas Horn) to some sort of closure about the death of his beloved father. One critical line complains that the child, some sort of intellectual savant, can't possible be so perceptive. Another rant has the story teller being accused of insensitivity towards the tragedy (as if there can be only one or two ways to respond...). Others complain that the story is too contrived, or too shallow, or complicated, or unbelievable. But the actors, especially von Sydow, won me over quickly, and I became involved in the mystery of the key, and the wonderful variety of the people he meets that become involved in his story, and he in theirs. I think that EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE has the emotional power to deeply affect a populace that is afraid to confront tragedy and afraid to reach out for help from others. There are many interesting scenes that deal with emotional pain and loss, and even though the film is raw at times, and a bit pat at other times, I think if enough people see this clear-eyed film, it could be the big surprise winner on Oscar night, even though it received only two nominations--BEST PICTURE and BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Max von Sydow. I, for one, LOVED IT. GRADE-----A-

Meryl Streep is the reason for seeing IRON LADY, the rather routine bio-pic of Britain's controversial Prime Minister in the 1980's, Margaret Thatcher. The film is set up as a memory/perception/fantasy/document-drama, which starts with a delusional, slightly demented present day Thatcher/Streep taking to her deceased husband (the amazing Jim Broadbent) about politics and past life. The film flashes back and forth in time, covering the bases of Thatcher's accomplishments. Unfortunately the politics seems rather tame and unengaging. HOWEVER, from the moment she appears on screen, Meryl Streep has you transfixed, whether she is middle-aged or elderly. I found myself absolutely riveted--I couldn't see Meryl Streep in this character at all. She totally engulfed the character in a compelling way, so that it didn't really matter what the plot mechanics were. As much as I enjoyed the other nominated actresses this year, especially Viola Davis from THE HELP, there is nothing close to Streep in the way she's got you completely in her grasp. Win or lose the Oscar, this is the FINEST performance in Meryl's incredible career. GRADE-------B

Based on a true story, THE KING OF DEVIL'S ISLAND is a Norwegian film about a dark time in the early 1900's when delinquent bad boys were sent to a remote island reformatory to work under dismal, cold and cruel conditions, often involving beatings and assorted abuses. The uprising that this film details is handled with restraint and heart breaking realism, and it is to the film's credit that there are no easy answers or "jump to your feet" cheering that I'm sure Hollywood would like to include when they try to remake this compelling tale. GRADE------B

The Japanese film NORWEGIAN WOOD, based on a popular novel, is beautifully photographed and skillfully made, but there is a dull, deadness at the center as if follows the story of a young love, the two lovers having been thrown together by the suicide of the young man's best friend. When their relationship sends the young woman into despair and depression (she feels guilty for the death of her first boyfriend) and to a mental health retreat, the young man becomes involved with another woman. Both times I wanted to yell at the screen---"Run for you life, buster--these woman are very damaged." In spite of my disappointment in the film initially, 6 months after I saw it at SIFF, many scenes have stuck with me in a haunting manner. GRADE--------B-

Seen last summer at SIFF, the gorgeous looking bio-pic YOUNG GOETHE IN LOVE had a brief run last week, which is about right, since the film is unremarkable but for the costumes and photography. GRADE-----B-


MAN ON A LEDGE tries hard to become more than a caper flick, with what seems like a suicide threat from a man perched high on a hotel ledge threatening to jump, but trying to incite the crowd and the cops that he is really innocent of the crime he was sent to jail for earlier. We quickly learn that his actions are a cover for a robbery of the rich man who set him up and sent him to prison. Unfortunately, the action rarely rises to elicit much interest, and we really don't care in the long run. GRADE-------C

__________________________________________________
Some good DVD choices I viewed this last week.....

I've never before seen this classic Bette Davis thriller called THE LETTER (1940)--she made it at the height of her Warner Brothers career with director William Wyler,
with whom she was having an affair. The first jarring scene has her following a man out of her plantation house in Malaya, firing her handgun point blank at him all the while. She claims it was self-defence, but before long an incriminating letter shows up which puts her in the hot spot. Davis always excelled at playing really bad women, or at least larger than life women, and this is definitely one of her best. She's wonderfully underplayed, complete with crochet hook and horn rimmed glasses, but she shows real power with many pithy lines, especially the classic closer "With all my heart, I still love the man I killed." I read after seeing this that the production code forced a change in the ending, so that no one can get away with murder. This seemed like the least convincing scene to me. Still, it doesn't get any better with Bette. GRADE-------A

An entertaining biopic that premiered on HBO in 2010, TEMPLE GRANDIN is spearheaded by a terrific Claire Danes in the title role, with fascinating support from Catherine O'Hara, Julia Ormond and David Strathairn. It tells the true story of a young woman and her mother who struggle to give Temple the education she deserves despite struggling with autism. It is an endlessly creative film, which informs as it entertains with humor and drama. It won top Emmys for Best Picture and Best Actress. GRADE------A

I'd call it a guilty pleasure, but really, there's nothing to be guilty about here. This might be a case where the film version is actually better than the London musical play upon which it is based. I'm talking about director Joel Schumacher's film of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (2004). I saw the play back in 1997 and couldn't really understand what all the fuss was about. Perhaps seeing the actors close up and personal really put a personal spin on it for me, and in the film the music and songs make so much more sense. The costumes and sets are spectacular, and the romantic conflicts really grab me. This is the third time I've seen the movie version, and I get sucked in to it every time. My small complaint: Emmy Rossum has a terrific voice, but not so much screen appeal, and Gerard Butler makes for a dashing and dramatic Phantom, but his voice is only fair, and Patrick Wilson's hair is distractingly fey. But hey, whenever I want a good musical score to go through my head, this is the go to film. (At least until December 2012 when LES MISERABLES comes to the screen with Hugh Jackman (Valjean) and Russell Crowe (Javert) and Amanda Seyfried (Cosette,) and Anne Hathway (Fantine)!!!!!--big question, can Crowe sing?????) GRADE-------A-

Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten star in LOVE LETTERS (1945), sort of a convoluted love story where the bottom line is "love conquers all." During wartime, Cotten writes poetic love letters for his buddy to send to his wife. After the war, he looks up the wife, since his buddy has died, only to find her in an amnesiac state, since she's been accused of killing her husband. She's in love with the letters, but realized that her husband is not the man who wrote them. Of course, Cotten falls for her but many hurdles must be jumped before the happy ending can occur. Pleasant enough, with a surprising twist at the end. GRADE------B-

A French film called THE GIRL FROM MONACO (2010) has plenty of eye candy with beautiful actors and scenery set in and around Monte Carlo, but the set up--an older lawyer falls for an obnoxious, young party girl while on a high profile court case--just doesn't ring true. GRADE--------C

Eerie MELANCHOLIA, spendid TIN TIN, engrossing TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

Possibly the most unusual film of the year is Lars Von Trier's MELANCHOLIA featuring a strong performance by Kristen Dunst as a spoiled, mentally unstable bride who clashes with her sister's husband and her sister at her wedding, where she appears ungrateful for the expensive party and indifferent towards the groom. It is intermixed with an apocalyptic theme that may mean the end of the world--fascinating stuff, especially during the first and last 15 minutes, and occasionally during some lyrical scenes of nature and horses and planets and rather grandiose music that lull you into feelings of significance. Unfortunately, the lengthy wedding party and scenes from the following week feature the most aggressive kind of hand held camera work, beyond the point of annoyance. Still I have to hand it to Von Trier, who has created the most curious and intriguing kind of psychodrama/science-fiction film of the year. I'd love to give this film an A- but for the nauseating hand held sections. GRADE---------B

I really enjoyed the new animated film directed by Steven Speilberg and based on the popular (in Europe) graphic comic. It's got the awkward title of THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, which is a live action film that has been animated, so that the characters look very realistic, and there is a lot of slapstick and physical humor that really made me laugh. One character, the "bad" character Sakharine, voiced by Daniel Craig is drawn to look exactly like Steven Speilberg, which I found very amusing. It is certainly a much better "pirate movie" than the PIRATES OF CARIBBEAN series, and if you are in the mood you should dig it. GRADE---------B

Last week I went to see the new thriller TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, based on the novel by John le Carre, and became quite engrossed in the spy drama, when suddenly, one hour into it, the bulb from the projector blew up, and we had to get our money back. I went back a week later (on our big snow storm day) and became caught up again in the story and characters. Unfortunately, the finale seemed a bit murkier than the preceding 100 minutes, and I was rather mystified by the end. Subtle and understated scenes keep this thriller on a slow burn --James Bond it is NOT-- but I can recommend it to those interested, and the cast is intriguing---Colin Firth, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, and Benedict Cumberbatch, who is currently so good in the new modern BBC series of/as SHERLOCK HOLMES. GRADE---------B


_____________
DVD CHOICES........

GET HIM TO THE GREEK (2010) remains vulgar, rude, disgusting, outrageous, drug and alcohol fueled, and very very funny if you are in the mood. I find it to be a rowdy, laugh out loud, coarse comedy, and I enjoyed it a 2nd time. GRADE-------B+

Based on the motion picture BLOOD SIMPLE (1984) which was the Coen brothers first big hit, this Chinese remake by Zhang Yimou called A WOMAN, A GUN AND A NOODLE SHOP (2009) works quite well, and adds some incredibly vivid visuals and cinematography to the mix. It makes me want to see BLOOD SIMPLE again. Zhang Yimou has made some of my favorite Chinese films, including RAISE THE RED LANTERN (1991), NOT ONE LESS (1999), HERO (2002),and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGARS (2004). His newest film opens next week in Seattle, called FLOWERS OF WAR starring Christian Bale as a priest trying to lead a group of women to safety during Japan's rape of Nanking in 1937. GRADE-----------B

Released earlier this year, MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS is a pale, timid film based on the popular children's novel from 1939. One would think that with all the fabulous special effects available today that this film could be a corker. Instead, it falls flat when it should be soaring. Using a mix of live action penguins and animation, the story tells of how Mr. Popper's father, a wandering adventurer, sends a half dozen penguins to his son (Jim Carrey) just before dying, and how Popper attempts to keep them alive in his highrise condo, trying to win over his children, now involved in a parental divorce. This is the type of "comedy" that has the adults acting more like children than children, making up preposterous lies just to get a laugh, but would kids really believe all these lies????? Some of the special effects are amusing, but we've seen them done before (like in HAPPY FEET) and common sense goes out the window early, to plummet the likability of this film to the ground. GRADE-------C-

Just about as sleazy as it's title implies, SPREAD (2009) is a familiar tale about a selfish, manipulative young man (Ashton Kuchar) who picks up older, wealthy women for sex, to live off of them. He finally meets a younger girl who attracts him but she turns out to be a female version of his gigolo life-style. The one thing the film has going is it's uninhibited performance by Anne Heche as the older woman, and lots of nudity and sex scenes, although I noticed that there was always an amusing vase or glass or flower placed strategically right in front of the genitalia of the sexual coupling. GRADE-------D+

WAR HORSE! plus a sharp TATTOO, a moving PARIAH, zippy MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4, THE ARTIST, a kinky SKIN I LIVE IN & a classic CHRISTMAS CAROL (1951)

First out of the gate this holiday season is Steven Speilberg's sentimental, beautifully made story of a World War I WAR HORSE, which is based on a children's novel and later (and currently)a Broadway stage play. The film is similar in some ways to BLACK BEAUTY, in that it follows a horse from owner to owner over the course of several years as it moves from farm horse to war horse to work horse and back again, although the narrative is not from the horses point of view, but rather the varied owners. There is not too much to surprise you plot wise, but it is a sumptuously lovely film with stirring music (by stalwart John Williams) and Thomas Kinkaidian-like settings highlighted with photography by Janusz Kaminski. Speilberg can often make sentiment awfully gooey, and your reaction to the film will depend on whether or not you can "go with it" ---otherwise you may not like it much at all. This time I'm going with it. GRADE---------B+

If not quite as shocking as the Swedish version, the excellent American version of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO featuring solid characterizations by Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, and it holds up nicely (with a few minor changes to the ending) when compared together. Fans of the Swedish verson will find this just as engrossing--those unfamiliar with the earlier version should be throughly entertained and thrilled. GRADE---------B+

Tom Cruise is incredibly restrained in the forth installment of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE--GHOST PROTOCOL and perhaps that is why this film works better than the past three, at least as a big budget popcorn film. The film, directed by Brad Bird (THE INCREDIBLES) moves along with a stylish energy that defies logic, until the lights come on, anyway. In spite of some improbable action sequences, the film is highly entertaining. GRADE------B

Call it a minor miracle, but the low budget PARIAH, with help from producer Spike Lee and the Sundance Film Festival carries a big punch in it's tale of a 17 year old girl who is growing up fast and discovering she is a Lesbian. She is more comfortable with her sexuality at school, but quickly changes clothes before coming home to her more traditional, religious middle class family. Some of the themes are familiar, but you've got to be impressed by the truthful sincerity that propells every scene. My biggest complaint----that damned hand held camera is overused again, and the low budget makes many scenes hard to see due to dark photography. A recent film with a similar theme is GUN HILL ROAD (2010) where the father figure comes out of a prison stint to discover that his teen aged son wants to change his sex. In both films, the protagonists must deal with predjudice, family anger, confused sexuality, and self confidence, and Harmony Santana in GUN HILL ROAD and Adepero Oduye in PARIAH are both incredibly charismatic. GRADE------B+

I'm not sure why THE ARTIST has become the critics darling of the year. It is definately a silent film, and there is a good reason why they faded out quickly in the 1930's---actors that mugged to broadly, pacing that slowed down to accomodate printed titles, often symplistic story lines, and a failure to engage the audience's attention. These are all featured in this new novelty film. Perhaps people like it because it recalls the early days of cinema, but I found it a stuggle to stay engaged, and several people around me were struggling to stay awake. It is still charming and clever at times, but so help me, if this gets nominated for any type of story or screenplay award, I'm going to scream. GRADE--------B

It is engrossing, well acted, and has great production values, but the new film by Pedro Almodovar called THE SKIN I LIVE IN is truly the most twisted, perverse story filmed this year. Almodovar is less shrill than normal, and it is to his great credit that this story of a doctor's revenge for his daughter's death is as entertaining as it is. It's sort of a medical thriller with a touch of science fiction as it deals with themes of revenge, sexual idenity, loyalty, rape, torture, and destiny. GRADE-------B-

______________________

DVD choices include----

SCROOGE aka A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1951) is perhaps the best loved of all versions of the Charles Dickens novel. This one features Alister Sim as Scrooge as well as Jack Warner, Hermione Baddeley, Patrick Macnee and others. It feels a lot like the great adaptations that David Lean made of Dicken's GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1946)and GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1948) with lots of atmosphere and great character actors. It holds up well. GRADE-------A

Loretta Young won her Oscar for THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER (1947) and it is easy to see why. She's a naive but smart-thinking maid to a senator (Joseph Cotten) with whom she falls in love, even as she is recruited into running for a congressional seat against his own party. The delightful cast includes the sly Ethel Barrymore, and the prickly Charles Bickford, and the film bubbles along with a great deal of charm. GRADE-------B+

There have been several versions of Oscar Wilde's haunting story of a man whose portrait ages and reflects his decadant lifestyle while he himself stays youthful, but this version of PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (1945) has to be one of the best. It kept me up way past my bedtime with an intriguing production highlighted by strong preformances by Angela Lansbury and Donna Reed as his would be lovers, and George Sanders and Peter Lawford as his evil friend and cohort, respectively. Filmed in lovely black and white, but it does have some startling color inserts. GRADE-------B+

We started watching JULIE AND JULIA (2009) on TV about half way through, when I suggested we start at the beginning with a new Blu-ray disc I had recently bought. Wow, the Blu-ray was a far superior picture quality than what we watched for 10 minutes on regular TV--what a revelation. Meryl Streep really shines in an intelligent and amusing way as the great Julia Child--she has the mannerisms down as you can attest by renting some of Julia Child's TV preformances in the kitchen. Amy Adams is her adorable self, and the film is solidly entertaining, if not exactly artful. Shot on location in France and New York, it is fun to watch. GRADE------B

A strong cast featuring Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas (in his first major role), Lizabeth Scott, Van Heflin and Judith Anderson highlight this odd, dubious melodrama about three kids who grow up with the murder of an older woman on their conscious. Stanwyck really gets to chew the scenery on this one, but THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS is quite fun. GRADE------B

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A Game of Shadows,WE BOUGHT A ZOO, plus Some Seasonal bon-bons

If you liked Robert Downey Jr. as SHERLOCK HOLMES (2009)--here's more of the same. If you did not like the earlier version, then stay away from SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS because, you guessed it, it is more of the same. This new one I liked slightly better if only because the explosions and noise levels were (a bit) less, and there was actually some clever plotting this time around. I still prefer a more traditional Holmes, and even the modern Holmes mini-series on PBS is quite interesting without going so ballistic. Still, this one is diverting and lively, and sometimes that, with a bag of salty, buttery popcorn, it enough. GRADE---------B-

I wanted to admire what director Cameron Crowe was trying to do in the new film WE BOUGHT A ZOO which features the dependable Matt Damon and the adorable (my opinion) Scarlett Johannson, but he does it with soooooo many cliches and obvious songs on the nearly continuous soundtrack that I got quite annoyed by the end. Based on a true story, but transplanted from France to southern California (!), widowed Matt Damon uproots his two kids and moves them from city life to the distant country side where the closest store is a (big BIG obvious plug) Walmart. Oh yes, and did you figure out the house sits on the property of a large nearly neglected zoo! So the plot asks, rather dully, will the kids adapt to their new surroundings, will Matt fall in love with the zoo keeper, will the motley crew of zoo workers be able to open the zoo by summer to ward off impending bankruptcy, and will people come to see the zoo if it opens. The answer to all these probing questions is------SPOILER ALERT--------yes. GRADE-------C+

_______________
DVD CHOICES

I hadn't seen DERSU UZALA (1975) since it first came out, and surprisingly I didn't remember a single scene from it. It is a subtle and engrossing tale of Uzala, a hunter of the Goldi tribe who meets and befriends a small group of Russian surveyors, and acts as their guide through the wilds of Siberia. The film creates an intimate portrayal of the friendship between two very diverse lifestyles, and in spite of a DVD which had large black borders on all sides reducing the image to half the size of my TV screen, I was enthralled.
DERSU UZALA (1975)------GRADE-------A-

While watching some extras on the DVD for MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947), I learned that the FOX executives had no faith in the success of MIRACLE, they had no idea how to promote it, and they opened it in June!!!! It became a big hit and played in theatres through Christmas that year. It is interesting that this "family" film deals with issues of drunkenness, cynicism, insanity, broken families, and other serious themes, which is similar to the grimness on displayed in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, also 1947, but LIFE didn't find any favor or popularity until it was revived several times in the 1970's. Oscar winner Edmund Gwenn plays a Macy's Santa who is put on trail to defend his sanity, because he claims to be the real Santa, and in spite of the serious themes, there a lot of memorable holiday scenes, including the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which was filmed live, the amusing scenario which has competing retail store sending their clients to other stores if they don't carry what the customer wants, and the wonderful young Natalie Wood as the cynical girl who doesn't believe in Christmas. WONDERFUL LIFE and MIRACLE on 34TH ST provide a potent one two punch for holiday themed films.
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947)-----GRADE-----B+(IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE-----A)

Another film released the following year called TENTH AVENUE ANGEL (1948), hoping to cash in on the cynical little girl theme, features Margaret O'Brien as an 8 year old girl living in the slums of NYC, who tries to keep her aunt (Angela Lansbury) and her ex-con boyfriend from drifting apart. The film lacks the gravitas of WONDERFUL LIFE and MIRACLE/34TH ST, but it has some charm and sweetness. There is a scene near the end featuring a cow.......that started my tear ducts to overflow. Sometimes all it takes is one special scene to really elevate a film.
10TH AVE ANGEL (1948)---------GRADE-------B-

It covers many seasons, but director Busby Berkeley's (rather restrained, for him) film FOR ME AND MY GAL (1942) is best known for the leading-man debut of Gene Kelly, and his lovely teaming with the terrific Judy Garland. This story of two young burlesque players trying to make the big time is an old chestnut, but it is watchable for the many duets between the two. There is a remarkable scene about two thirds through which features a young soldier leaving a nightclub and going off to war. It is the most moving moment in the film, in spite of the cliche---another scene that keeps this film from getting lost in a sea of modest musicals.
FOR ME AND MY GAL (1942)---------GRADE-----B-

There are at least five film versions of Victor Hugo's novel LES MISERABLES (1935) but this one struck me as being quite strong and faithful, if a bit rushed, in telling the story of petty thief Fredrick March who tries to put his life back together, but is hounded by the moralistic police inspector Charles Laughton for years. It made me want to see the musical LES MIZ again.
LES MISERABLES (1935)---------GRADE------B-

Wishing all my readers a happy CINEMATIC HOLIDAY. I hope to be writing again soon with reviews of WAR HORSE, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, GIRL/DRAGON TATTOO, TINTIN, SOLDIER TAILOR etc, THE ARTIST, and more.

THREE A- FILMS!!!!!!! MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, HIPSTERS, SLEEPING BEAUTY, plus THE REIVERS w/ Steve McQueen

Other distractions the past two weeks have limited my movie watching, but the three newest arrivals have all been tops.

At first I was a bit disappointed that the true life characters in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (Laurence Olivier, Marilyn Monroe, Sybil Thorndyke, and Arthur Miller) did not really look so much like the iconic images we see of them. In other words, these are not impersonations, per se. But as the film progressed, I cared less and less that they were not look-a-likes, but became more impressed that the characterzations were actually quite sharp and seemed very real. Especially impressive is Michelle Williams as Monroe, who seems vulnerable one moment and then switches gears impressively to almost "vamp" it up as the public Marilyn the next moment. The film is based on a true story by a young "gofer" who is assigned to keep an eye on Monroe during the British shooting of THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL (1958) and to report back if she had trouble with drugs or alcohol. The film becomes an interesting document on the pressures of film-making and noterioty, and inspite of the limited focus of the story, becomes another BBC triumph of quality productions that have the power to move an audience as well as entertain. GRADE--------A-

A new Australian film produced by director Jane Campion and directed by Julia Leigh
called SLEEPING BEAUTY is one of the strongest films dealing with sexuality that I've seen in quite a while. Emily Browning, who's short list of credits include LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (2004) and SUCKER PUNCH (2011), is featured as a young college student who becomes a high class call girl. Nothing she's done before can prepare you for this one. She is put to sleep while a learing older man does with her what he wants, and becomes quite popluar in this "niche." The tone is implicitly explicit (without going to the X-rated) but the atmosphere becomes very insidious. At the Vancouver Intl Film Fest where I saw this in October, some of the audience was extremely uncomfortable with the film to the point of much nervous and inappropriate laughter and comments, and a few people walked out. But the film is deadly serious and dreamily photographed and so compelling to behold, that it dares you to keep watching. This is a director to watch out for.
GRADE--------A-

Last screened at SIFF in 2010, and one of the most popular films then, comes a surprising film from Russia called HIPSTERS, and it is like nothing you've ever seen from Russia before. It still has that heavy seriousness to the actors and some of the dialogue, but the film has more in common with an MGM musical, by way of MTV. Set in the 1960's, the HIPSTERS are rebels, kids who would rather wear their hair in pompodours and loud colorful dresses and shirts, than be conformists. They are experimenting with music (jazz), sex, drugs and rock and roll, and they are very Russian, still. But as with any group of experimentors (think US hippies) once real life sets in like mortgage/rents, marriage, babies, etc, the story changes focus again. But the music is fun, the costumes are outrageous, the energy is electric and the cliches are minimal. GRADE-------A-


________________

On DVD, I saw a modestly entertaining Steve McQueen film based on a novel by William Faulkner called THE REIVERS (1969). It tries hard to be a lighthearted, homey comedy during the first half, with luke warm conflicts between black and white folks in a small Southern town, and I wasn't so impressed. But as it progresses, the conflicts become more pointed and the drama picks up, and by the end I enjoyed the story, set through the eyes of a 12 year old boy who has misadventures with his grandfather's hired hand (McQueen) and McQueen's distant black relative (Oscar nominee Rupert Crosse) including a stay at a whorehouse, dealings with a corrupt racist sheriff and illegall horseracing. The charm and easy going personality of McQueen is undeniable. GRADE-------B-

3 Strong Male Actors--THE DECENDENTS, Eastwood's J.EDGAR, MONEYBALL, plus Scorsese's HUGO,and NETWORK, MAD X4 WORLD

There's starting to be a deluge of movie openings, and already I'm behind, but I'll do my best to get caught up on the end of the year. Here's whats been seen this past week.

Alexander Payne's last film was the superb SIDEWAYS (2005), and his new film, although quite different, does not disappoint. George Clooney stars in THE DESCENDANTS, and he really has a full plate of emotional issues to deal with, including being the executor of the family estate--a huge chunk of prime undeveloped land in Kauai must be sold or developed or something with in the next 7 years, and he must steer the large family descendants through decisions and legal choices. Also on his plate are two surly, angry daughters that he doesn't quite know how to deal with, and a wife who now lies comatose in a hospital bed due to a boating injury. Plus he has just found out that she was cheating on him. Well, his life is a mess, and it is fair to say that Clooney plays it subtly straight. In fact, the only bits of humor come from well meaning people saying something ghoulish about his dying wife, and the presence of his older daughter's stoner boy friend. Thank God for that, because otherwise we'd be leaving the theatre in an overwhelming state of depression. But the film is very smart in combining the tragedy with the humor, and there are many excellent scenes that get to the truth of each situation. GRADE-------A-

A film about baseball doesn't normally make my heart skip a beat, and a film about the finances of baseball was not high on my list of things to see, so maybe it was with low expectations that I saw MONEYBALL and found myself quite fascinated by the politics and maneuverings that make up the Oakland A's (true story) team in the 1990's. Brad Pitt gives an excellent understated performance as the general manager who succeeds in turning around the team with perhaps the smallest about of money to work with in the whole American and National leagues combined. This David vs Goliath story may not have the emotional punch as some sports stories--indeed, players were traded so casually and inconsequentially in some cases that the viewer grows quite numb to the notion--but the film is skillfully directed by Bennett Miller and acted by Pitt, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jonah Hill (who provides a lot of deadpan humor) that it is a pleasure to watch. GRADE------------------B+

The always dependable Clint Eastwood has directed an engaging biographical picture that has a lot of engrossing details about that old rascal J. EDGAR Hoover, head of the FBI since it's inception (as the Bureau of Investigation) in the 1920's until his death in 1972. The film covers the controversies about his secret files on famous people he didn't like, his obsessions against communism and anti-patriotism, and his struggles to form a data base for fingerprints, and to reform the science of criminology. It also shows his efforts to find the kidnapper of the Lindbergh baby, and his crusade to stop infamous criminals during prohibition and later. It also dispels some events that Hoover built up about himself. Some well known actors have portrayed Hoover in the past, including Broderick Crawford, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Warden, Treat Williams, Bob Hoskins, and Kelsey Grammer, but I think perhaps the most effective is the excellent turn by Leonardo DiCaprio in J. EDGAR. Unfortunately the film jumps back and forth between 3-4 time periods with what I feel was unnecessary energy, sometimes destroying whatever emotional truths that were being developed. The film also insinuates strongly that Hoover had--if not an explicit physical relationship--a strong emotional relationship/dependency on his assistant Clyde Tolson. In fact, the emotional center of the film rests solely on this homosexual relationship that seemed to last for nearly 50 years. In some ways, it is the strongest cinematic portrayal of gay love since BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN(2005). GRADE--------------B+

With amazing art and set designs, beautiful musical score, strong fluid cinematography and direction, and charmingly memorable characters (and actors, especially Sacha Baron Cohen), the new film HUGO by Martin Scorsese is always a pleasure to watch. But what bothered me about this one was the script, which at times seemed cloying and inconsistently paced. At later times I also felt like I was being lectured to about the greatness and importance of Georges Melies, one of the early great directors of fantasy (and special effects) films who filmed over 500 movies--most are lost today. Centering the point of view and story on a child, 10 year old HUGO, brings the expectation of a family film full of lyrical fantasy. This is really a charming, leisurely adult film, and I doubt most children except for older and more mature kids, will find much to please them. GRADE----------B


DVD Choices below......

I haven't seen it since 1977, but the film NETWORK (1976) has stuck so strongly in my mind that I anticipated every scene (and much of the dialogue) on this fairly new Blu-Ray dvd. The script by Paddy Chayefsky still crackles with wit, shock, sarcasm and truth, and unfortunately, nothing has changed much in network television. The actors have never been better---Oscar wins for Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch, Beatrice Straight and Chayefsky were well deserved, and William Holden, Robert Duvall, Ned Beatty and director Sidney Lumet were all working at their prime. This is a contender for one of the best films of all time. (Oddly, it lost best picture that year to...........ROCKY!?!) GRADE--------A

Say what you will about the silly slapstick comedy IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD (1963) but it is nonetheless a funny film if you are in the mood, and I think I watch it once every 5 years or so. This time I was especially impressed with Jonathon Winters as the bear of a man who can only handle conflict by knocking down a building or person.....the brassiness of Ethel Merman, who managed to keep a straight face while being insulted by nearly every other actor on the set.....the toothy Britishness of Terry-Thomas, who I used to think was boring......the absent mindedness of Paul Ford (see the cut scenes for even more laughs) who managed to get tangled in the microphone wires while trying to talk down a civilian in a pilot less airplane.....Jim Backus as the sleepy, drunk rich man.....and Jimmy Durante who kicks the bucket like nobody's business. GRADE---------B

I had recently seen Howard Hawk's classic western RED RIVER (1948) in the last couple years, and my reaction this time was---why is it so honored? The plot seemed to be a hoary collection of cliches-----John Wayne and his group leave the wagon train just hours before the rest are attacked by Indians, leaving behind his true love to be slaughtered. Later they come across a wandering (?) wagon train of what--circus performance, women, misfits---just as they are being attached by Indians. Wayne's mother's bracelet gets passed around a lot. Wayne acts cranky and severe, and the film echos MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY as his "adopted son" Montgomery Clift seizes control to prevent total mutiny. Then Wayne declares that he will kill Clift when he catches up to him. Who is he kidding, since they have declared their love for one another several times, and this has been noted by most of the other characters in the wagon train. And crusty Walter Brennan is Wayne's right hand man and cook, who gets to toss off the best lines through-out the film. I guess it's great because it is so damned entertaining in spite of the cliches. GRADE-----B

Preston Sturges THE LADY EVE (1941) has one of the best first halves of any comedy. Straight laced Henry Fonda falls for card-shark Barbara Stanwyck on a cruise from South America back to New York, and after a witty couple of days they fall deeply in love, but holding back her secret shady past (as a gambler) causes a misunderstanding, and they fight and separate. This is handled so very well with clever lines and humor, that when they do separate, it hurts us just as deeply. The second half has Stanwyck pretending to be British royalty to seduce and abandon Fonda in an illogical revenge scheme. It is all very entertaining and the leads are effortlessly charming. GRADE----------B

The year 1939 was a great year for films (WIZARD OF OZ, GWTW, GOODBYE MR CHIPS etc) but MADE FOR EACH OTHER is a bit disappointing, mainly for the plotting. Jimmy Stewart is a struggling lawyer and Carole Lombard is his just married spouse. They live in a small New York apartment with mother-in-law and new baby and pay cuts, etc., and the first half is comic and sensible. Then, on New Year's Eve the baby comes down with pneumonia and the only serum available is in Salt Lake City--which is being hit by a severe blizzard. Can the plane make it? Things really fall apart here with forced drama and hokey suspense. GRADE-------B-

I was hoping that the film THE BETSY (1978) based on the trashy novel by Harold Robbins would be good smutty fun. Instead it is laborious soap opera with a lurid sub-plot involving patriarch Lawrence Olivier (hamming it up in a fun way) sleeping with several women including his daughter-in-law (Katharine Ross) over the course of several years, all the while trying to build a new eco-logical car named after his granddaughter, Betsy, who likes to get naked with the young racer (Tommy Lee Jones) who also gets it on with the company boss'(Robert Duvall) mistress Lesley-Anne Down. Yes, it is all rather sordid and not terribly interesting, except for the fact that back in the 1970's the idea of a good car using very little gas was just as threatening to the big car makers as it still is today. GRADE-------C

Surprisingly Sweet THE BIG YEAR, a Likeable but flawed LIKE CRAZY, REVENGE OF ELECTRIC CAR, plus THE MESSENGER, I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD, etc

Perhaps my expectations were low, but I was really impressed by a little comedy called THE BIG YEAR, which has trailers that make it out to be a silly, minor, slap-stick comedy. It is rather low key, but there is an appealing sweetness to the film that pits several very likable characters against each other as they each try to have a BIG YEAR--in terms of bird-watching that is a calender year where each participant tries to spot as many different species of birds as they can, and it is all on the honor system. Either they record what they've seen on paper or on film (camera) and then report it to the bird society at the end of the year. This is based on a true story, starting with a previous winner Owen Wilson, who sets out to break his own record, and slowly introduces a wealthy executive (Steve Martin) and a struggling working-stiff (Jack Black) and how their efforts keep them in contact with each other. It's an intriguing, charming, off-beat film, and especially for bird watchers, indispensable. GRADE---------B+

The small independent, intimate film LIKE CRAZY is one of those miracles, where everything really jells to a lovable, charming effort, with fine actors, especially the two (relatively unknown) leads. It tells a simple story of a long distance romance--he's from Los Angeles, she's studying there from London. There were 4 important lessons I took from this film. Number 1.) is NEVER EVER mess with your traveling VISA--if you do it will come back to bite you in the butt for many years. 2.) NEVER EVER get involved in a long distance romance--it nearly always turns into a miserable experience for both parties. 3.) Having and using a cell phone/text during a relationship is NEVER a good idea, especially if you are involved with someone else and have the carelessness to leave it lying around. 4.) And no matter how good your movie is, directors, if you insist on using aggressive, unnecessary hand-held camera work, many people, like myself, will be thrown right out of the drama by the distracting, swirling action of the camera. I want very much to give this film a much higher grade. Instead, it gets a minimal thumbs up. GRADE------B-

I loved the film from several years ago called WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? (2006), which documented how in the previous 10 years electric cars had intrigued and dazzled the environmentally concerned consumers, who gobbled them up as fast as they were (slowly) manufactured, but then big oil and big car companies literally picked them up and physically destroyed them--it was an outrageous situation. Now, 5 years later they are making a comeback, but of course with the approval of the big car companies, because of even greater demand and because of the damning environmental issues that are forcing that. The sequel film REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR is interesting in showing why this is happening, and it follows several companies in their efforts to produce these new energy saving vehicles--some independents as well as big companies. Unfortunately, the outrage is gone and the film is merely informative rather than incitive--rather like a giant commercial for electric cars. GRADE--------B-

________________

DVD Choices for this week include:

I missed THE MESSENGER (2009) when it first came out, mainly due to what I thought would be depressing subject matter. The film follows two Army men who work for the Casualty Notification service--they must quickly notify the next-of-kin that their son/daughter/husband/wife/etc soldier has been killed in service in Iraq or Afghanistan, and the reactions to such news are indeed heartbreaking. Woody Harrelson plays the older officer who is trying to train the younger newcomer (Ben Foster) the ropes, and the film does branch off as the younger one forms an ill advised relationship with one widow. It is a very powerful film, and the two flawed men who must preform this task slowly become humanized and unglued during their service. Very memorable. GRADE--------B+

I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD (2004) is a curious, moody gangster film starring Clive Owen, Charlotte Rampling, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Malcolm McDowell. The film follows Owen (an ex-gangster) as he searches for the reasons his younger brother seemingly committed suicide. It is engrossing and watchable, although I had some trouble with the (unusual) reasoning for the suicide, and also with the May/December ex-romance between Owens and Rampling (18 years age difference)--at first I thought she was his mother. I know, I know, that is an ageist thing to say, since older men date and wed much younger women all the time. Given the milieu, however, those two issues just didn't ring true for me. GRADE------B

Several months ago I read several biographies of Katherine Hepburn, and I remembered that late in her career she toured the country with a play by Ernest (ON GOLDEN POND) Thompson called THE WEST SIDE WALTZ (1995) which I believe was filmed for TV. This version stars Shirley Maclaine, Liza Minnelli, Kathy Bates, Jennifer Grey, Robert Pastorelli, and several other stalwarts of stage and screen. It is a sentimental story, for sure, but the actors give it their best shot, and I was fitfully amused at how fine these actors all were. GRADE-------B

I vaguely remember the film from 1984 with Bill Murray as the nearly catatonic hero which was a remake of THE RAZOR'S EDGE (1946)--this is tough material for anyone to make cinematically, since it concerns moral and philosophical growth and changes in the mind and heart of the main character, here played sternly by Tyrone Power. This earlier version is more effective, I think, because the characters and actors who portray them seemed more vivid, especially the stunning, eye-opening Oscar winning supporting turn by a young Anne Baxter, and the snootiness of Gene Tierney and the affected fey-ness of Clifton Webb. It is oddly engrossing, but you feel that it doesn't really capture what made the novel so "classic." GRADE---------B-