Reviews

"Stupid" was the first word out of everyone's mouth as soon as we cleared the theater. Three out of four of us thought it was a waste of time. One fell asleep. I thought it was interesting and entertaining. Despite the notable cast, with good performances, of George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey, this is another silly Clooney parody, this time of New Age and creaking Sixties philosophy. It mocks Buddhist legends, paranormal experiences and physic healing.

Unlike the Coen brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou?, this flick has neither the superb music soundtrack, which made that 2000 movie such a hit, or a plot as compelling as Homer's epic "Odyssey."

Director Grant Heslov is probably best known as The Rock's goofy sidekick in The Scorpion King. He and the two unknown writers should keep their day jobs.

I saw Stars Wars V (the second episode) and so did not expect much from this movie. The computer animation is very good these days (I really like Jurassic Park III), but this movie left me cold, mad and feeling ripped off. I thought George Lucas was aiming for a much younger audience, setting them up for the next one and the next one after that. It was a kid's movie, much like Lord of the Rings. This one is also just too much. Too many characters, with too little depth. Too many scenes with so little meaning. Too many words with so little dialogue.

This is a long movie. I got bored with all the action sequences, and I love sci-fi action movies (Commando, Terminator, Blade Runner, 2001, The Rock, Total Recall, Star Gate, The Abyss, Men in Black, U-571, Matrix, Speed, Independence Day, Time Cop). These characters are wooden, except for the engaging Natalie Portman. Nobody gets a scuff on their face. Nobody shows any sign of emotion. It looks like the actors expected their emotions to be added in digitally after they read their lines. The scenes look gorgeously fake. Rich in detail, weak in content.

Oh, it was celebration of all things that are Star Wars, of course. The committee that planned this movie didn't miss a single bureaucratic reference to any of the future characters. Hints of upcoming events were subtle etched into the dialogue. Right. As subtly as a whore's lipstick. The new ideas and innovations, such as the rolling fighters in the fourth movie (Episode I) come at you by the dozens, the plot line spins you around good and evil themes like a Ferris Wheel. In fact, the whole thing was one big, noisy carnival ride. Nothing but special effects. It is not a dramatic movie. It is a big costume drama. Think Wild, Wild West or Batman. There you have a good, entertaining, money making movie that people will forget in a few years time.

This is not the original. It is not the significant blockbuster that they should teach about in film school. This was not a drama. It is not "prose telling a serious story" or a "serious narrative work." It does not portray "a dramatic progression or emotional effect." This is not The Sixth Sense, American Beauty, Cider House Rules, As Good as It Gets, Notting Hill or even the charming Amelie. It isn't even the simple romp of Gone in Sixty Seconds.

The sound is as good as you can expect these days. I enjoyed the airplane crash sequence in Jurassic Park III a lot more. Much better use of the medium. Or the ship's horn in Titanic. There was a reason that The Matrix trounced Star Wars IV at the Academy Awards. It is a much better movie.

In times like these, when President Bush is willfully violating one of the founding principles of this country, and reporters are going to jail for not disclosing their government sources (or worse, the newspapers are turning over their notes!), it is appropriate to be thinking of how far wrong is the political right.

This movie was considered for an Academy Award, as perhaps it should have been. It tells a story of unbelievable courage, fueled by righteous indignation and some typical misguided liberalism. Edward R Morrow was a voice of compassion and liberalism in a country scarred by war and afraid of the future.

Then, as now, they faced a world growing ever smaller with the threat of formidable foes. Then, as now, the knee jerk reaction was to raise fences, throw up barriers, run for shelter and hide under rules, regulations and desks. Yet, this is not the American way. The great American progressive social experiment is one of meeting new challenges, adopting new solutions and succeeding.

The plot of this movie stays within the recording studio. It doesn't show what is happening in the world outside of the newsroom. It only hints at the horrors of that day and age. It doesn't depict the attitude of people on the street. Many people supported McCarthy, Nixon Hoover and Cohen. Then, as now, the country was polarized between red and blue states (although I think the colors have changed). In fact, Morrow was incensed because a friend of his was accused of being a spy and then committed suicide. This and many of the other allegations turn out later to be true. Soviet President Gorbachev revealed many Russian secrets in the spirit of Glasnost. There were sleeper moles planted in the US. The Rosenbergs were indeed guilty. Hiss was a spy. So was Morrow's friend.

What the movie fails to communicate sufficiently enough was how the basic American principles, upon which this country is founded, were treacherously ignored (not by Nixon!) in the interest of sensationalism and political power. Principles of equality were trampled. The rule of law was set aside. The right of a fair trail ignored. To like communism, attend a meeting or read about it was a crime. Many Jews and liberals were accused of being Reds.

Watch this movie after seeing the incredible Schindler's List. There was an awesome enemy out there after the end of the Second World War. Russia shared more similarities with the Axis school of thinking than with the progressive Americans and the allied powers. But as Hussein knows, Stalin was a master politician, even among world-class champions, and he choose to go his own route – an uneasy alliance with the one world power that could help him fend off his aggressive neighbors (gee, sounds like Saudi Arabia, doesn't it?). The world was divided then, much as it is now, between two very different schools of thought.

What the movie fails to explore, and another one certainly should, is the hysteria that gripped the nation. We need a movie about the Hollywood 10 (20 really) whose lives and careers were changed because of government prosecution and persecution due to their political beliefs. Even today, we think there is something wrong with people who like communism, instead of respecting their political opinion (and then rushing to outvote them at the polls).

In a year of some solid contenders (finally), Good Night and Good Luck falls behind in the pack. Though it is one of the best motion pictures of last year, it does not have the modern intrigue of Syrianna. Nor is Good Night the heart-warming tale, with wonderful portrayals, of Walk the Line. It is not the disturbing performance and tale of Capote. Nor does Good Night have the powerful, emotional-moving majesty of Brokeback Mountain. Rent it yes, but be sure to get the others too.

Then, just for kicks, sit down and reread one of the all-time-great classics of courage, compassion, sensitivity, awareness, truth and honesty in the face of public adversity and scorn. Read To Kill A Mocking Bird again.

Zelweger and Connick are Old and Cold in MN

If you appreciate Renee Zelweger, or Harry Connick Jr, or living in the frigid north, you might like New in Town. J.K. Simmons gives a wonderful performance as a crotchety foreman. There is a quiet examination of the cold winter lifestyle, but it is without the sly humor of the Coen brothers' Fargo. Otherwise, there is little else to recommend this 2009 chick flick.

There is enormous potential here: Big city girl from the hot, sunny south adapting to white-on-white winters; Over educated woman learns ways of real world; Executive finds out about the down and dirty of honest labor. But none of that is truly explored here.

Connick gets his first big role since the 1995 thriller, Copycat, with Sigourney Weaver. But he has no dialogue or action, beyond shaving his beard, with which to distinguish a decade of performances as anything other than a handsome boy.

Zelweger of course is wonderful, reprising a thinner Bridget Jones. Yet she doesn't have the dialogue for anything other than charm. If you love her real acting, be sure to check out:

• Miss Potter (2006, as Beatrix) • Cold Mountain (2003) • Bob Fosse's Chicago (2002, as singing, dancing murderess Roxie Hart) • The intense One True Thing (1998) • Jerry Maguire (1996), of course • Even The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1994) with Matthew McConaughey (in one of his few acting performances)

Worse, the movie does little to endear you to its setting, or the reason for this setting, except for a quaint Christmas gathering. If you love the cold north, do check out Fargo, Eight Below, even Into the Wild. This is not a horrible movie. Just not as funny, poignant, charming, romantic, or cold, as it could be.

I don't love all of Tony Scott's direction, except for the wonderful Domino (2005),Crimson Tide (1995), True Romance (1993), and of course, Top Gun (1986).

I do love all of Denzel Washington's work, including The Great Debaters (2007), American Gangster (2007), Training Day (2001), Crimson Tide (1995) and Malcolm X (1992). I think he is better in this than Inside Man (2006), although the parts are very similar. I also like him better in this than Deja Vu (2006) and the predictable Man on Fire (2004).

But it is the wonderful performance of John Travolta that puts Pelham 123 over the top. He is wonderful in Be Cool (2005, Chili Palmer again!), Swordfish (2001), The General's Daughter (1999), Primary Colors (1998, as Bill Clinton), Phenomenon (1996), Broken Arrow (1996), Get Shorty (1995, Chili Palmer), Pulp Fiction (1994), Look Who's Talking series (1989, 1990, 1993), Blow Out (1981), Urban Cowboy (1980), Grease (1978), and of course, Saturday Night Fever (1977).

I saw Star Trek and X-Men: Wolverine. I did not see the 1974 version. This action thriller is better: the script is tighter, the dialogue more realistic and integral to the plot, the pace, although not fast, never lets up, there is a lot less fake CGI imagery, and of course, terrorism is never far from the news these days. This is the best heist film I have seen in decades.

I rate it 10 dollars – worth seeing in the movie theaters, certainly worth renting. I am not a movie buyer - only a few movies that I want to watch often enough to own (U-571, Master & Commander, Total Recall) -but it maybe worth owning.

For men who love music and half naked women and the sexy Christina Ricci, I am surprised that there isn't a post already about Black Snake Moan. The promotion of this 2006 makes it seem like a far dirtier and raunchier movie than it really is. I don't know if even today a black man could keep a white women in his house without a getting a legal lynching, but Craig Brewer's story is a an indelible portrait of the south, poor people and the rhythm of blues that runs both of them.

Samuel Jackson is wonderful as the blues playing farmer. Like Brewer's Hustle and Flow, this movie carries an under tone of the importance of music, but in this case, it is not a means to business, but one of expression.

It is the music that saves this film. It is the love of the blues that lifts the typical Jackson character, from the strong but good man of the hood out of a simple, but hard life story into something bigger and better, for all concerned. It is the music that makes this more than a simply titillating tale. If you like Ricci's awesome performance in Monster, if you like Jackson's moral men, if you like Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, if you like movies about music, you will like this one too. It sure makes stereos sound good.

Black and blues and the music that buys Cadillacs.

This movies doesn't move you like Ray. Nor does it charm you like High Fidelity. But if you like the blues, music or entertainment industry, Cadillac Records is a fascinating portrait of the evolution of blacks, blues and rock n' roll.

Adrain Brody puts in another solid performance. Chess Records produced and released many important singles and albums. These are now regarded as central to the rock music canon. They signed Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Etta James.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1042877/ BTW, Eamonn Walker of Oz and ER fame does a great job as Howlin' Wolf.

Add this movie to your list of music movies.

Guillermo del Toro's foreign film won 3 Oscars for 2006, for Best Achievement in Art Direction, Best Achievement in Cinematography and Best Achievement in Makeup. That is only half the story.

Look at the nominations and you can see why this is an outstanding film and one of the best movies of last year. Pan's Labyrinth was nominated for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures/Original Score, Best Foreign Language Film of the Year and Best Writing/Original Screenplay (great story by Guillermo del Toro).

Del Toro has indeed created something very special - part war movie, part fantasy, that everyone should see. This is a very 'visual' film that does not rely overly on dialogue. I wish I had seen it in the movie theater. I had none of the why questions. It is much better than the closet tale of Narnia, more compelling and easier easy to watch than Lord of the Rings 2, and yet as political as Schindler's List.

Although the young girl's fantasy world juxtaposes her harsh real world, it is not mere escapism. The movie is too shocking for most kids, and some adults. It is not gory, but it is realistically violent. If you liked V for Vendetta and History of Violence, you will like this movie.

Like V, the real world dilemma of the plot is simple: good versus shocking evil. Face-to-face fascism in a glance. Submission of good and kind souls. The evil that men do. The young girl and her mother are trapped by circumstances. While the promise of the fantasy world is appropriately extraordinary, the fantasy challenges (tests) Pan's heroine faces are more realistic that the outlandish ones in Lord of the Rings. In Rings, each challenge is supposedly impossible to overcome, yet its group of heroes easily wins and not with special gifts that aid them in overcoming their adversary. Besides, the computer generated graphic images (CGI) fills the screen endlessly with fake backgrounds. In Pan's, the heroine succeeds because of her innate goodness, and yet makes tragic mistakes.

Pan's graphics intrude into the stark reality of WWII. In the beginning, CGI offer a glimmer of magic, hope and possibility, which we and the young heroine spy. The tension of the real world drama adds to the movie as the girl moves back and forth between the real world and fantasy land. The tragedy of the real world, and the failings in the fantasy, add suspense, moving the story along and keeping it interesting. In Narnia, there is no interaction between real and fantasy world, the heroes somehow easily conquer and win their fantastic destinies, all in gorgeous and endless CGI packed landscapes.

I normally can't watch the audio commentary; it is so full of meaningless crap. Yet the one for this film was as interesting as the one for Young Frankenstein. If you are an avid movie lover, as am I, I found de Toro's references to other movies and techniques fascinating.

I've seen a few good movies recently. I also like the wonderful Judi Dench and Cate Blanchette (always good) in Notes on A Scandal, Sharon Stone's incredible and Justin Timberlake's surprisingly good performance in the disturbing Alpha Dog and the fantastic Helen Mirren in The Queen (see the bizarre The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097108/).

I wish this movie was about Bobby Kennedy. It certainly ends up with some excellent speeches by him. In fact, the majesty of Bobby's vision at the end of the movie overpowers the all of the previous parts of the movie.

Instead the movie is about the people at the hotel on the day he died. And then it drops their stories cold once Kennedy is shot. It is not a good story, political commentary or documentary. Despite an excellent cast, it is weak as water. Emilio won't find himself producing another movie soon.

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After four decades of making creepy movies like Scanners, the Dead Zone and Dead Ringers, director David Cronenberg hits one out of the park in a movie which captures the swift, unfair, coldly-calculating raw emotions of violence and the sheer impact its micro-second life has on the rest of ours lives forever.

Last year, A History of Violence was toted as one of the Academy's best candidates for movie of the year. After finally getting a chance to see it from Blockbuster, I can see why. This movie slowly gathers force and rips through our sleepily lives like a tornado. There are no plot surprises here.

A mere whiff of a hint of what we already know. A peek at the deep abiding love only a few of us are luckily enough to know. A truth about the quiet little joys in life, the power of love and the frightening, big bad world that surrounds us. With a tenderness that almost makes it a love story, a warmth that encompasses a family flick and a sudden horror that never looks away from blood, gore and an awesome talent for killing, Croneberg builds upon Viggo Mortenson's heroic Lord of the Ring performance with few words, intimate close-ups and a thoughtfulness reminiscent of Clint Eastwoods' wonderful Unforgiven, Mystic River and Million-Dollar Baby, in which company, this excellent film certainly deserves to be mentioned.

On my dollar scale, where rentals score $5 and ownership is $20, I give History an easy $15, maybe $20. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I could rent this again, if only to comprehend the swift brutality of the action scenes juxtaposition with the raw sexual attraction the husband and wife feel for each other and the vastitude of familial bond. Powerful stuff, their lovemaking. Incredible stuff, this horror of butchery. Hard to see this movie as a mere R rating.

Own it? Perhaps, if only to prevent this vision of yin and yang in our lives from disappearing into the gray horizon. "Balance," the late Pat Morita extolled in The Karate Kid. Life is about balance. What makes this movie so good is the horror film master balances the fast scenes of unbelievable and unremittingly carnage with the ingrained sedateness and yet passion of a successful everyday life. We have within us, each of everyday us, the capacity to unleash a road rage of anger at the frustrations of modern life. Cronenberg unleashes the fire here with the deft skill of a pyro who loves the flame.

USA Today blasted Year One, saying it was childish, sophomoric PG-13 humor, but I was prepared for teenage humor in a movie released during summer-time. This one made me laugh from Jack Black's spear in the back of a fellow hunter to Michael Cera's droll quips to the beautiful women to the religious insanity.

I couldn't believe the stupid body part jokes, even when they hinted they were about to show us, showed us (gross!) and then made sly comments about it afterwards.

The script was tight. It kept the comedy rolling as the pair walk through the first thousand years of Biblical history. And it is witty.

Being something of a caveman myself, I totally identified with sensitive intellectuals trying to impress the prettiest girls in school, oops, I meant tribe.

I love movies. Mostly action/adventure and dramas though. I am not so much a comedy movie nut, though I like live stand-up shows. I did not enjoy Sasha Boren Cohen, a Jew, making crude fun of Arabs in Borat (two naked men grappling on a bed is not amusing to me). Yet I did smile at his sly put-down of American ignorance.

I am with Oscar Wilde and ex-Minnesota governor Jess Ventura on this: religion is the opiate of the masses. Those who can not laugh at themselves…well, they must lead very long lives.

So I love Mel Brooks' History of the World Part One, for example, when Abraham drops God's 15, oops, 10 Commandants. And when Madeline Kahn picks lovers from a line of slaves: "no, no, no, yes, no, no, yes, no, no, yes!" I loved Will Smith with the King of Queens star Kevin James in Hitch. The paring of Black and Cera however, may be one of the best comedy duos that I can think of. I will gladly watch another flick by this writing/acting group. Year One is another feather in Harold Ramis' cap. One can only hope that yet another Ghostbusters, coming soon, has as much to offer.

Year One might be worth 8-9 dollars to see it in the theater, it is that good. It is certainly worth 3-5 dollars for a rental.

6/19/2009

Mickey Rourke hunts Diane Lane in Elmore Leonard's Killshot It is not like Mickey Rourke ever really disappeared. He has had a steady string of appearances before he burst back on the scene. He was memorable in: Domino, Sin City, Man on Fire, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and Get Carter. But in his powerful dramatic performance in The Wrestler (2008), we see a full blown presentation of the character only hinted at in Get Carter. Whenever we get to know him, Rourke remains a cool, but sleazy, muscle bound slim ball.

This is an Elmore Leonard story, and production. Leonard wrote such notable movies as taunt western thriller 3:10 to Yuma, Be Cool, Jackie Brown, Get Shorty, 52 Pick-Up, and Joe Kidd. This means that we get tough guys, some good, some not so good.

It also means we get tight, realistic plots with characters doing what is best for them in each situation, weaving complications into violent conclusions. Killshot is no different. Tough, slim ball killer Rourke stalks unhappily married witness Lane. Think History of Violence meets No Country for Old Men. It is not as intense, bloody or gory as those two, but it is almost as good. If you like those two, including David Croneberg's equally wonderful Eastern Promises, you will like Killshot also.

Director John Madden has not done a lot of movies. His last few were enjoyable, if not successful: Proof, Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Shakespeare in Love.

Diana Lane hasn't had a powerful movie role since she and Richard Gere gave incredible performances in Unfaithful. Lately she is charming and appealing in romantic stories such as Nights in Rodanthe, Must Love Dogs, and Under the Tuscan Sun. Here she is right on mark, balancing her sexy appeal with reserved tension.

This is a small part for Rosario Dawson. Yet Dawson does a good job with it. You see a lot more of Lane, including an underwear scene to rival Sigourney Weaver in Aliens and Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut.

While you are in the crime drama section, also pick up Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, and Gone Baby Gone, and Before the Devil Knows Your Dead. The last has wonderful performances by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney.

Killshot flopped at the box office. More is our luck. It is certainly worth a 3-4 dollar rental, if you like this genre. 6/20/2009

The Ugly Truth about Julie & Julia The Ugly Truth, as Gerald Butler tells us in the movie of the same name is that nobody wants to f**k a woman who dresses for comfort and efficiency. This caveman wisdom, and other harsh realities of the dating scene, are the core of this enjoyable chick flick.

The obvious plot revolves around a gorgeous Katherine Heigl, who for some strange reason, is not gunning for the most handsome successful man she can land, except for her face in the lap (literally) of the sexy and hunky surgeon next door. Instead, she is intrigued and tormented by Butler's sophomoric Man Show TV personality. They inevitably get together in the end, but along the way, he manages to educate a smart, sexy and successful TV producer (Heigl) of his wisdom and foresight in all things related to man and women and dating. As if.

As if girls at age three don't already know that their looks are important. As if girls at thirteen don't already know that boys are excited more about having sex with them than they are about them. As if a smart, sexy and successful blonde would have any trouble getting the hunky surgeon next door interested in her.

With over 30 movies already to her credit, most notably Judd Apatow's Knocked Up with Seth Rogan, actress Heigl seems poised to capture the American "sweetheart next-door" void so aptly filled by Meg Ryan and Sally Fields.

Scruffy Scot Butler (P.S. I Love You) also seems poised for larger roles, though the pair never generate the heat of classic on-screen pairings such as Tom Hanks and Ryan, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn.

Nowhere in this movie is the implicit sexual tension that roiled the black and white classics. We don't have passionate couples held apart by thin bed sheets. We don't have headstrong women swimming, perhaps naked, in the middle of the night with men. Instead, we are left with the pithy lines that count as humor these days: Heigl: My cat stepped on the remote. Butler: Well, be sure to thank your pussy for me.

This movie is a mindless, but entertaining, dumbing down of what women need to do to catch and hold man's basic desires.

In stark contrast to The Ugly Truth are the roles portrayed by both sexes in Nora Ephron's Julie & Julia. Ephron writes romantic comedies, such as You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, and When Harry Met Sally.

In yet another awesome performance by the incredible Meryl Streep (and Amy Adams, both in the wonderful Doubt), we see not just how intelligent, charming and beguiling real, full grown, adult women can be, but also how strong, sensitive, and supportive their real life husbands are. The movie builds from the real life insights of Julie Powell (http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/2002/08/25.html).

The Ugly Truth shows that to catch a guy's fancy, women need to be sharp, sexy and a bit coy. Julie & Julia shows that to have an honest-to-god real relationship with an honest-to-god real man, women need to be kind, intelligent, thoughtful, honest and open.

Don't have a relationship yet? Then by all means, go see The Ugly Truth. It is a funny, entertaining date flick. Already got a relationship? One where somebody does the cooking, or has ambitions? Then go see Julie & Julia. The first is a fantasy where gorgeous blonds can't get the attention of hunky doctors. The second is two true stories welded together with honesty, compassion, influences of the outside world and true honest-to-god commitments.

One last thing must be mentioned. There are not one, not two, not three, not four, but dozens, yes dozens, of instances where the square black chunk of the boom mike can be seen floating down into scene! It seems to happen most often in mid range one-one dialog scenes, such when Tucci and Streep are conversing on a couch. It is simply amazing that such glaring faux pas could make it out of the can into public view. I really hope the "preview" version I saw two weeks before the opening is corrected before its mass distribution.

Doubt is all Dialogue, Acting and Weather

There is no doubt. Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role and for Best Writing, Doubt is an acting tour de force.

Remember this name. John Patrick Shanley. He is the writer of only a dozen movies, but a few of them are quite good. He wrote Alive with Ethan Hawke, Joe Versus the Volcano with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and the sweetheart maker, Moonstruck with Nicholas Cage and Cher (Oscar for screen writing).

The 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this Broadway play is all dialog, acting, and weather. Cold weather. Cold northeastern winter weather. The kind that blows across your path, knocks down limbs in your way, obscures your vision and maybe makes you see things that aren't there. The kind of hard wind that blows away the fine line dividing right and righteous, wrong and wronged. The kind of cold Meryl Streep exposes as Viola Davies offers up her son to the bare bones of stark truths.

Just as Shanley did with the play, none of the other actors know if Father Flynn is guilty. Yet, the Spartan dialog gives these accomplished angels their wings. Doubt floats with the power of their performances. Nary is a word wasted. Neither a look nor a glance spent unwisely.

"Doubt," Philip Seymour Hoffman's character says in the opening siloque, "can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty."

With performances like Julia & Julie, Meryl Streep will soon be sweeping aside all other acting award records. Those who love her need look no further than Doubt for proof of her incredible talents.

Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis and John Patrick Shanley follow in her footsteps. They track her out of the warmth of what you think you know is right and good and into a shivering Bronx, dusted with unfeeling snow. 8/16/2009

Love these lines!

Father Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman)in Doubt:

Well, I'm not going to let her keep this parish in the dark ages! And I'm not going to let her destroy my spirit of compassion!

That I can look at your face and know your philosophy. It's kindness.

There are people who go after your humanity, Sister, that tell you the light in your heart is a weakness. Don't believe it. It's an old tactic of cruel people to kill kindness in the name of virtue. There's nothing wrong with love.

http://www.miramaxawards.com/uploads/Doubt_Script%5B1%5D.pdf

From a title, that comes from a poem by Rudyard Kipling, to the opening voice-over to the all-star cast, the poetic and philosophical nature of The Thin Red Line clearly sets it apart from other war moves.

The closing lines carry the essence of this gritty conflict: "This great evil. Where does it come from? How'd it steal into the world? What seed, what root did it grow from? Who's doin' this? Who's killin' us? Robbing us of life and light. Mockin' us with the sight of what we might've known. Does our ruin benefit the earth? Does it help the grass to grow, the sun to shine? Is this darkness in you, too? Have you passed to this night?" Brief appearances by an all-star cast mark this movie as something special. Adrien Brody, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Tim Blake Nelson, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, John C. Reilly and John Travolta all make brief appearances.

Though Woody Harrelson and Nick Nolte give powerful performances, to see James Caviezel's incredible angelic demeanor is know why he was cast as Jesus in Mel Gobson's The Passion of the Christ.

Yet this story is not a WWII Pulp Fiction. It is more Apocalypse Now meets Flags of Our Fathers. As such, its dreary poetic nature is likely to remain with the viewer long after its green on green jungle fighting scenes. 7/23/2009

Depp and Bale as Public Enemies "But the best rejoinder to Public Enemies is Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal video, which I watched again after the singer-dancer's inevitable, untimely death. It's a tommy-gun gangster fantasia with a touch of Guys and Dolls, and it's everything Public Enemies isn't: madly inventive, genre-bending, a passionate tribute to the artist as outlaw-loner."

See nymag.com, daily, movies, 2009, 06, The_incidental_pleasures_of_pu.html

I can not remember so many restless fans at any big budget motion picture as this one. People got up for bathroom breaks, cell phone calls and greasy smelling popcorn.

But that is not the story. The story of Public Enemies is not the smooth and stoic good looks of Johnny Depp and Christian Bale either. The story is writer/director Michael Mann.

Mann has after all, created some enduring pieces of colloid art. He pitted Tom Cruise against Jamie Foxx in Collateral. He gave us Will Smith in Ali. He exposed Big Tobacco in The Insider with Russell Crowe.

But most importantly, Mann brought the heroic epic of great American literary writer, James Fenimore Cooper, to the screen with an incredible performance by Daniel Day Lewis in The Last of the Mohicans.

It is that masterful blend of music, courage, Madeline Stowe's good looks and the sheer beauty of a raw, untouched wilderness - all of which are ripe with the potential for a rich, prosperous future - that Mann attempts to recapture with Public Enemies.

Billie Crudup, who we saw in Almost Famous, gives a performance as a young, tough J. Edgar Hoover, with ever present Clyde Tolson by his side, which should give a serious notch up in his career.

So like Mohicans, this is three grim, determined men striving for their objectives, against all odds, regardless of cost. Unlike Mohicans however, this epic suffers.

Here there is no Stowe or wilderness beauty. Marion Cotillard gave a Oscar winning performance as singer Edith Piaf (2007), but her talent is wasted here as Dillinger's girlfriend. With a few exceptions, she just does not have the lines or the beauty to vault this over the top as another extra-ordinary Mann epic.

Depp? Of course, he is wonderful. Both he and Bale enjoy long close-ups that should make their agents happy. Yet there are little to endear either the Dillinger or FBI man Purvis characters to us. As Dillinger, Depp is no charming Warren Beatty, for example, in Bonnie and Clyde. We don't see his youth or scenes with his mentor.

Same with Bale. Mann uses Bale's narrow jaw to indicate Purvis' resolute determination to catch the bad guys, even if it means using techniques that a modern, enlighten citizenry finds squeamish, possibly immoral. But we never learn anything personal about Purvis. Otherwise, Bale does NOT have a lot of emotion or catchy lines either.

Here the musical score does not uplift the tale. It fills quiet scenes with heroic feeling, only to be punctuated with the incessant pop-pop chatter of Tommy-guns. Not even an appearance and song by smooth jazz great Diana Krall can lift the music of this film.

Lest you think "the lady doth protest too much," this is still a good film. I simply don't think it is worthy of a $10 go-see-it-now on the big screen ticket. Better make it a rental. One where you can go for bathroom breaks, cell phone calls and greasy popcorn without missing much.

I saw Transformers 2 after I saw Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince. Despite Potter 6's $1/2 billion dollar international take on opening weekend, Transformers 2 is the better movie! Shia LaBeouf is a much better actor. He receives and delivers better lines than an insipid Daniel Radcliffe. I suspect the next Harry Potter is the end of his serious acting career. Yet Megan is a Fox! Her overt beauty and "never get dirty" tight white jeans dominates the movie. As an adult, I prefer the outright sexuality of Megan Fox to the silly childish crushes of teenagers that never kiss.

Potter 6 squanders a cast rich with talent, while Transformers 2 milks a few nobodies. Although they never have any lines worth repeating, Transformers uses the compassion of Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro and Kevin Dunn to advance the tale of humans caught between a battle of advanced alien robots. Potter 6 however, kills off Michael Gambon (Dumbledore) and practically ignores the talents of Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, Helena Bonham Carter and the slithery Alan Rickman.

Plus, the direction and action of Transformers 2 is better. And its stupid plot twists are just as believable as the magic that infuses Potter. Alien robots that never die is just as believable as evil wizards that never die. In both movies the special computer effects make the entire movie. In Potter, computer generated images create the Hogwarts castle with its rich architecture. In Transformers, CGI creates a mess of metal clashes as robot battles robot. In both, the repetitious computer generated pattern wears the eye down, making the CGI seem like it goes on forever. To its credit, Transformers seems to have a lot more on site scenery with locations in New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Arizona, California, Egypt, Paris and Jordan.

Potter was like a magic potion; I wanted to sleep through its poetically slow tale. Transformers 2 was a classic "bang bang shoot em up," with high tech weapons. Much easier for me to enjoy. I can't say Transformers 2 is good enough to spend your lunch money on to see it in the theater, but I think only Harry Potter fans should rent this franchise's sixth release.

Suspend belief. Ignore the faults. This is no Spiderman. This is Terminator meets Gremlins. Sit back, enjoy.

Master & Commander, with Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany.

I love this 2003 movie because it is a sailing movie, with a great actor, wonderful dialogue and plot twists. It has incredible hand to hand, canon to canon battle scenes, set in 1805. The raw violence is juxtapositioned with the English Captain (Crowe) maneuvering his ship like a chess piece to outfox his rarely seen French opponent, while he and doctor spend their evenings playing the violin and cello music of Mozart and J.S. Bach.

Master was filmed with full scale replicas. It was nominated for Best: Art Direction-Set Decoration, Costume Design, Director, Editing, Makeup, Picture, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects. It won Oscars for Best Cinematography and Sound Editing. Crowe did most of the violin playing on camera, but the cello playing is Yo Yo Ma's work. The soundtrack is available from Decca (ASIN: B0000DG07D).

Bettany is best known as the sick Silas in The Da Vinci Code and the charming Chaucer, with Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale.

Master was directed by Petter Weir, who has remarkable writing and directing credits: The Truman Show, Dead Poets Society, Witness, The Year of Living Dangerously and Gallipoli (another great war movie).

Director Ang Lee has had some incredible hits (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Ice Storm) and misses (Hulk). His latest is somewhere in between.

The 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair, held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most pivotal epochs in popular music history.

Lee takes the risky gamble of making a movie however, which is NOT about the music and the concerts. Instead, Taking Woodstock is inspired by the true story of Elliot Tiber and his family, who inadvertently play a pivotal role in making the famed festival into the pivotal event it was. What you get instead is an up-close and personal look at the seminal happening that changed lives, not just of popular music and culture, but of the people involved with it, especially Tibor and his family.

Anchored between the Chicago riots at the Democratic convention, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the disastrous Rolling Stone concert at Altamont and the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Woodstock was the vibrant blossoming of 60's liberalism. It marks a decade that transformed a generation of young American adults, popular music, liberal culture and politics. Unbeknownst to them, it was the beginning of the end.

Taking Woodstock tells the back story of the beginnings and the end of life as Tibor and his family know it. If you are interested in some of the details of Woodstock and not the concert, you will enjoy this movie. No need to spend $10 to see it in the movie theater though, HT is enough.

Other than the interesting back story to Woodstock, a few things stand out in this movie:

1 – Concert producer Michael Lang is unbelievably cool. Think James Bond with an Afro. Think Jesus on a white horse surveying a muddy field after a battle. 2 – Six foot, four inch Liev Schreiber (Scream trilogy, The Manchurian Candidate, Defiance, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) as a compassionate 240 pound transvestite. 3 – Yet another incredible performance from Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Vera Drake) as Tibor's cantankerous and greedy mother.

The new girlfriend and I saw two serious flawed movies in the past few days: the JFK memorial, Bobby, and the Cameron Diaz promo vehicle, The Holiday.

Director Nancy Meyers wrote the wonderful Something's Gotta Give (2003) with its incredible performance by Diane Keaton, I Love Trouble (1994), Father of the Bride (1991), chick-flick extraordinaire Baby Boom (1987) and the charming Private Benjamin (1980). Yet none of those incredible scripts, insights or performances shine through here.

This obvious chick flick movie abounds with feel good emotions, but little ties the viewer to the characters. The Holiday feels like a Diaz showpiece, with slow mo scenes of her running through the woods, while Kate Winslet does the heavy lifting in the film. A glamorous movie about two gorgeous women exchanging beautiful homes and handsome, sensitive men, the movie is worth a "cuddly on the couch" rental.

If you and your sensitive partner do rent The Holiday, be sure watch Winslet. She does all of the acting in the film. Handsome Jude Law walks his blue eyes through the scenes. Rambunctious Jack Black plays his usual, albeit more sedate, self. The camera follows Diaz around as if she is a super-star. Winslet is the only one to portray any level of true emotion.

Like a Disney movie, nobody gets their make-up smudged. Nobody has warts – although challenged by the lack of true love in their lives, the female characters are all perfect. Old timer Eli Wallach gives an enjoyable appearance.

Oddly, the love stories are not what make this film good. There are some good lines. And a sub-plot that needs further exploration.

The leading characters are entangled with bad boy/girl relationships, which threatened to sink their current meaningful and real relationships. This is the sub-plot needing thoughtful exploration, but it is barely mentioned, merely glossed over between scenes of sushi lunches, black Mercedes limo and Diaz close-ups.