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573,734 | 4,532,636 | 67,309 | 7 | Fonda and Sutherland Better Than the Movie They're In | Jane Fonda plays Bree Daniels , lonely New York City call girl , who becomes one of the key informants in the investigation surrounding the murder of one of her tricks . Detective John Klute , played by Donald Sutherland , who leads the investigation and gradually wins Bree's trust , ends up as her lover and protector when her life becomes endangered . " Klute " has a deeply unsettling quality in that hard to define way that characterizes so much of the best film-making from the 1970s . It's a portrait of urban isolation , a popular theme for the time , and it plays like a kind of female version of " Midnight Cowboy . " It's worth seeing for the performances of Fonda and Sutherland , who do terrific work as this unlikely romantic pair . But the screenplay leaves something to be desired . Fonda's performance is subtle , but the script too often is more obvious than it needs to be ( like a scene with Bree and her therapist where Bree tells her doctor that she continues to trick because she's hooked on the feeling of being in charge . . . . well , duh ! ) And the ending is especially disappointing , collapsing into a conventional pot-boiler climax that doesn't deliver on the fine character study that preceded it . Still , a worthwhile viewing experience and yet one more example of why the 70s are considered to be a golden age for challenging cinema . |
573,948 | 4,532,636 | 49,470 | 7 | Unambitious Hitchcock , But a Good Time | The Man Who Knew Too Much falls into that Hitchcock middle ground that characterized many of his films during the 1950s : not a masterpiece of suspense by any means , but an awful lot of fun nonetheless . James Stewart and Doris Day play a vacationing couple who get caught up in a plot heavy on foreign intrigue . The famous climactic scene takes place at a classical music concert , where someone is going to be assassinated during a particular cymbal clash in the score . The impish Hitchcock of course lets us know what that point is , so that the race to stop the assassin becomes a nail biting race against the cymbalist . So much of this movie reminded me of the 1978 Chevy Chase / Goldie Hawn comedy " Foul Play " that I have to believe that film was inspired by this . Neither film is a big deal , but both are easy to enjoy . |
573,869 | 4,532,636 | 324,133 | 7 | A Mostly Effective Erotic Thriller | Makers of erotic thrillers need to be careful , as that is a genre that , if not handled carefully , can quickly fall prey to silliness and excess ( think " Fatal Attraction " ) . " Swimming Pool " is a thriller in the style of " The Deep End , " and more than once I was struck by similarities between the two in their respective tones and reliance on water as a recurring visual motif . Also , both films have a middle-aged female as the protagonist who becomes involved in covering up for the actions of a child ( in " The Deep End " a literal child , in " Swimming Pool " a figurative one ) . Also , both films are completely unpredictable . Neither goes the direction in which the viewer thinks it's going to . However , " Swimming Pool " is much more abstract , and its ending leaves you wanting to watch the whole thing over immediately with an entirely different perspective on the action . This gimmick always makes for a memorable ending in movies that employ it , but too often it makes the rest of the movie seem somewhat pale in comparison , and this is the case here . " Swimming Pool " plays tricks with your perceptions , but the finale to which the film builds seems somewhat anti-climactic when it finally comes . It's a leisurely paced film , and you'll need to have patience with it . You'll also need to have patience with the main character , played by Charlotte Rampling . Rampling gives a fine performance , but her character is really unlikable ( intentionally so ) , and it's always a liability for any story that focuses almost solely on one person to make that person unlikable , or at least sympathetic . " Swimming Pool , " though billed as an erotic thriller , is really about the creative process ( I think ) , and I won't say anymore about that because to do so will give away the ending . It's an interesting idea , imperfectly executed . |
573,517 | 4,532,636 | 25,164 | 7 | Perfectly Watchable , But Astaire and Rogers Would Make Better | I don't know that I've ever seen a film that has less plot than " The Gay Divorcée . " It's like one of those " Three's Company " episodes where everything revolves around a misunderstanding , except with even less substance . I don't know why I'm surprised though , given the other Astaire / Rogers films I've seen . This one set the mold for a formula that needed no revision , since audiences ate it up again and again . If anything , this one feels more like a trial run - - the dancing duo would make better films later in the decade . But they have their usual kinetic chemistry ; Rogers especially looks adorable in this . Character actress Alice Brady plays the dotty matron role that Helen Broderick would assume in " Top Hat " and " Swing Time . " Astaire / Rogers regulars Edward Everett Horton and ( my favorite ) Eric Blore are also on-hand and do what they're asked to do . Every one of these films has a big production number that serves as the film's centerpiece . Here it's " The Continental , " and it seems to go on forever . Also with Erik Rhodes , who plays a silly and outrageous Latin lover . |
574,470 | 4,532,636 | 38,109 | 7 | Overwrought Story Told with Typical Hitchcockian Flair | The style is pure Hitchcock , but the story is utterly ridiculous in this psychological drama . Gregory Peck plays a psychiatric patient tormented by something in his past that he's buried in his subconscious ; Ingrid Bergman plays the noble suffering love interest who stands by him . It's all very over-heated and over-done , filled with psychobabble so obvious and simplified that a third grader could understand it . Ah well . . . . this came out in a year when Hollywood seemed to discover the science of psychiatry , and it unleashed a slew of movies that dealt with the neuroses plaguing their protagonists . " Spellbound " is silly to be sure , but it has some of those priceless Hitchcockian moments that make his films memorable when the same movie by any other director would have long since been forgotten . The highlight in this one is a long and surreal dream sequence that had production design by Salvador Dali . It's a stunner . |
574,439 | 4,532,636 | 48,728 | 7 | The French Riviera Is the Star Here | This movie is certainly gorgeous to look at , as are the stars in it , but Hitchcock fans looking for that bit of macabre tomfoolery the master nearly always includes in his films may just be disappointed . In fact , if you don't think Grace Kelly was God's gift to mankind , you'll probably be disappointed , as this movie exists almost entirely as a tribute to her allure , as imagined by Hitchcock . His obsessive nature roams free as he frames her in scene after scene in high-key Technicolor wearing one glamorous gown after another . But I always thought Kelly lacked sex appeal , though to give him credit , Hitchcock was the only director able to coax a sexy performance from her , in " Rear Window , " released a year before this film . You know that Hitchcock wants us to find her as bewitching here as she was in that , but it doesn't happen , at least not for me . And at a time when directors were putting as much emphasis on making exotic locations look gorgeous on film as they were on plot or actors , the French Riviera as filmed here looks ravishing . |
574,297 | 4,532,636 | 445,922 | 7 | Imagine There's No Heaven , Just People Loving One Another Here on Earth | A fresh breeze sweeping away the cloud of gloom that has descended on Hollywood this fall , " Across the Universe " is a nice antidote to all of those grimy , dour films currently filling movie theatres . The point of all of those seems to be that we live in a crappy world . The point of " Across the Universe " is that sure , things may be crappy now , but they've been crappy before , and as long as the important things - - like love - - remain , the world we live in can always get better . A simplistic message ? Perhaps . But no less welcome for that . Stage veteran Julie Taymor , most known for her revolutionary staging of the Broadway musical " The Lion King , " sets her movie in the turbulent 60s , when anti-Vietnam sentiments and racial discord were reaching a boiling point , but there's no doubt that the criticism of American foreign policy is aimed squarely at the leadership of today who currently have us embroiled in another potential Vietnam , Iraq . The movie unfolds in bursts of song and color ( the score is comprised completely of Beatles tunes ) , and even though the movie is far too long given its wisp of a plot , it mostly manages to sustain an infectious energy . The Beatles songs mostly sound great , and they're used creatively . I already knew I liked the Beatles , but hearing their songs performed here in a different context reawakened an appreciation for them . " I Want to Hold Your Hand , " for example , originally a perky pop anthem , becomes here a heartbreaking ballad performed by a young girl in love whose object of affection doesn't return the favor . " Come Together " plays over a dazzling montage juxtaposing New York's Wall Street elite ( represented by a troupe of suited business men dancing in unison ) to its disenfranchised . And " Let It Be " becomes a gospel anthem underscoring the Detroit riots . Other songs fare less well , like " Strawberry Fields Forever , " which feels awkwardly shoe-horned into the film . The young cast of mostly unknowns is attractive and engaging , even if the film doesn't demand much from them . The standout for me was Dana Fuchs , playing a singer obviously modeled after Janis Joplin . |
573,564 | 4,532,636 | 71,562 | 7 | Oh , Those Corleones . . . . | No American filmmaker has had a more disappointing trajectory to his film career than Francis Ford Coppola . To have directed four of the most influential films of the 70's ( the first two " Godfather " films , " The Conversation , " and " Apocalypse Now " ) and then to spend the last two decades churning out one stinky product after another ( " Peggy Sue Got Married , " " Bram Stoker's Dracula " , the third " Godfather " ) earns Coppola my award for Most Promising Director Who Most Miserably Failed at Establishing Himself as an Important Figure of American Cinema . But before " Jack " there was " The Godfather . " While I feel the whole " Godfather " trilogy has been lauded into oblivion and is somewhat overrated , who am I to argue with the majority ? People think these are great movies , and they've certainly implanted themselves permanently in our cultural consciousness . And don't get me wrong : these films have moments of greatness ( at least the first two installments do ) . But I think " The Conversation " and " Apocalypse Now " are ultimately more interesting films , and I think Coppola stretched himself more artistically in those two films than he did in the entire " Godfather " trilogy combined . Of the trilogy , the first film is by far the best . It shows Coppola's flair for being able to craft a story with extreme mainstream appeal while staying faithful to his artistic vision . " The Godfather " doesn't look or sound quite like any gangster film before it , with it's muddy lighting and sound . It's also much more ambiguous morally than the usual Hollywood gangster film , at least any produced up to that point . The line between crime and justice is blurred sometimes beyond distinction , and the Corleone family at times acts with more honor ( in its own way ) than the institutions charged with upholding freedom , justice and morality . In this way , " The Godfather " offered a scathing critique of the foundations on which America as a country was built . Coppola , however , drives this point into the ground over the course of three films . There's really not much more to say after the first film ( it's already apparent that Michael Corleone's style of rule is different from his father's , his coldness and ruthlessness necessitated by a changing time ) , but we have to sit through a nearly 3 hour second installment that does nothing but reiterate this point again and again . Part II at least is saved by the back story of Vito Corleone ( played by Marlon Brando in Part I and Robert De Niro in Part II ) , and that story alone keeps Part II afloat . But Part III is wholly unnecessary and mars the whole enterprise , turning the franchise into the stuff of parody and camp . Al Pacino is the glue that holds the trilogy together , though his character really isn't as complex as a first viewing would have you believe . The major conflict facing him is resolved in the first film , and the second and third films give him nothing to do but replay what are essentially the same scenes over and over again . Other standouts in the cast include Robert Duvall , Diane Keaton and Talia Shire ( who alone makes the third chapter worth watching ) . Obviously a must see for cinema buffs , or even casual fans , but don't feel you have to label this trilogy as great just because of the reputation that precedes it . Grade : Part I : A Part II : B Part III : |
574,367 | 4,532,636 | 58,155 | 7 | Beware the Gorgon | Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing star in this surprisingly atmospheric horror film . Cushing is the villain , a doctor who holds the key to a series of unsolved murders plaguing a European village . Lee is the hero , a professor who comes to investigate at the behest of the son and brother of two of the murder victims . At the center of the mystery is the legend of the mysterious Gorgon , who can turn men and women to stone with one look from her evil eyes . This is all standard B horror movie stuff , but there are a couple of scenes that manage a fair level of creepiness , and the British cast are able to make the material sound better than it actually is . It's a pretty good-looking film too - - the copy I saw had vibrant color and a picture quality I wasn't expecting from such a low-budget offering . |
573,805 | 4,532,636 | 82,533 | 7 | Will Do as the Werewolf Movie Against Which to Judge Other Werewolf Movies | Probably the definitive werewolf movie . When looked at as a whole , " The Howling " isn't one of the scariest films ever made , but there are individual moments in the film that certainly rank among some of the scariest from other films . Most notably is a scene in which a reporter is just on the verge of uncovering the mystery surrounding a werewolf colony and is attacked by one of the wolves in a deserted office . The creature design is spooky , even if many of the makeup effects owe their look to " An American Werewolf in London , " released the same year ( big year for werewolves , apparently ) . Dee Wallace , who was the go-to actress for playing ordinary heroines in 1980s horror and fantasy films , makes an especially cute werewolf . She looks more like an Ewok . |
573,392 | 4,532,636 | 486,576 | 7 | Flame On , Guys ! ( Wasn't That a Song by the Village People ? ) | I'm used to being in the minority when it comes to movies . But usually , I hate movies that everyone else seems to love . It's much rarer that there will be a movie almost universally disliked , but which I actually enjoyed . " Fantastic Four " is one of those . Maybe by the time I saw this I was just sick of all the brooding , psychologically complex superheroes out there and found a good old-fashioned cheesy comic book movie refreshing . What I like about this story is that the Fantastic Four have their superpowers foisted on them , and then have to figure out how to use them . They have a regular Joe quality to them that makes them easier to relate to . They don't have sinister back stories full of murdered parents , ugly childhoods , seething feelings of revenge . They're just geeky scientists who can do pretty cool things . People seem to be responding to the second installment , " Rise of the Silver Surfer , " marginally better than they did the first , but I like both of them . After the overblown mess that was the " Pirates of the Caribbean " trilogy and all of the dithery angst that filled Sam Raimi's " Spiderman " series , it's nice to sit back and let 90 minutes of fun , worry free action adventure cleanse the palate . |
573,498 | 4,532,636 | 46,816 | 7 | Dutiful Film Adaptation Never Really Takes Off | This all-star screen adaptation of the Herman Wouk novel is forcefully acted , but it has a by-the-numbers feeling to it , and the drama never really takes hold . I can aim much the same criticism at the book , which I thought plodded along rather dully and went on for far too long . The movie is actually a pretty decent adaptation , considering the screenwriters had to reduce an 800-page novel to a two-hour film . They picked the right parts to jettison , deciding wisely to stick closely with the events involving Queeg and the Caine , and eliminating much of the narrative surrounding Willie Keith , our guide through the story . There's still too much of him , though , and not enough of Humphrey Bogart , who stepped out of character to play a possibly crazy and possibly dangerous naval captain . Van Johnson and Jose Ferrer should be singled out for their performances , Johnson playing the Caine's executive officer who instigates the mutiny and Ferrer playing the naval lawyer hired to defend the mutineers . The film trips along speedily enough , and it hits all of the high points , but it never really comes alive as a movie and instead feels like what it is - - a fairly faithful but rather uninspired adaptation . And the less said about Max Steiner's blaring and woefully inappropriate score , the better . |
573,693 | 4,532,636 | 75,005 | 7 | Gregory Peck , What Hath Thou Wrought ? | I usually prefer my horror to be of the psychological , creepy variety , but even though the approach taken in " The Omen " is to bludgeon you with shock effects , it's still one damn scary movie . Gregory Peck classes up this movie mightily just by being in it , and he does tremendous work as Roger Thornhill , a U . S . senator who becomes the unwitting father to Damien , aka the AntiChrist . Most of the movie is focused on Thornhill's reluctance to accept the overwhelming case laid out against his son , and then the hair-raising finale finds him dragging Damien to a church to do away with him before the authorities , who of course don't know the true nature of the circumstances , can stop him . " The Omen " is staged as a series of outrageous scare scenes , many of them revolving around the death of someone it's more convenient to Damien not to have around . Thus his nanny hangs herself at his birthday party , leaving the door open for a mysterious and much more sinister nanny to appear and take care of him . A priest who's on to some of what's going on gets skewered by a church steeple . Damien's own mother ( Lee Remick ) takes a tumble , first off a second story balcony and then out of a hospital window . And in the film's most famous scene , a photographer who has been unraveling the mystery of who Damien is is beheaded by a sheet of glass . But the film's not all schlock effects . It's well written and paced , and the screenwriters take a wise approach to the material - - it's as much mystery as it is horror film . And there's something hugely creepy about the fact that Damien isn't directly responsible for any of the film's black magic . He's too young yet to know what he is or what power he has , and there are demonic forces around him that are making sure he stays protected , but which we the audience never see . In this way , " The Omen " is far scarier to me than " The Exorcist , " which treats the subject of demonic possession so literally . I'd put this in my list of top ten scariest films . |
574,159 | 4,532,636 | 42,953 | 7 | Repellant Protagonist in a Cynical Crime Film | In " Shakedown , " Howard Duff plays a photographer who will stop at nothing to climb his way to the very top of the success ladder . On the strength of his sheer tenacity , he gets a job with a major newspaper , and it's not long before he's made a name for himself by charming a notorious crime boss ( Brian Donlevy ) into allowing himself to be photographed . Donlevy takes him under his wing , but Duff decides to bite the hand that feeds him and sets Donlevy and another crime boss , Lawrence Tierney , against one another . He uses photos to blackmail Tierney into providing him with a steady income while he sidles up to Donlevy's wife on the sly , all the while romancing the photo editor of the paper at which he works . But Duff's cockiness and confidence in his own cleverness get the best of him , and he meets his end in a wildly melodramatic finale in which he snaps one last photo , that of his own murderer , before dying . " Shakedown " is notable for its highly suggestive dialogue and sexual content , and for the sheer repulsiveness of its protagonist . Duff's character is unapologetically repellant - - he has no moral qualms whatsoever about anything he does , even if people get killed as a direct result of his actions . The film is probably about ten minutes too long , and over all is a minor work , but it should be seen as an example of post-war cinema at its harshest and most cynical . |
574,458 | 4,532,636 | 473,444 | 7 | Will Exercise Your Eyes But Not Your Brain | Zhang Yimou's latest is a glorious freak-out of a movie . You can cut the melodrama with a knife ; the whole thing is hopelessly over-emphatic , like a parody of Shakespeare . But it works a kind of spell , and it won me over , lingering in my head for a few days after I'd seen it . Those who have become used to Yimou's brand of gloriously choreographed fight scenes may be disappointed by this film , as it's short on the action and long on the plot . Unfortunately , Yimou's strengths lie neither in creating challenging plots nor compelling characters , so much of this film is given over to long and ever-so-slightly-boring character scenes . Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li play the Emperor and Empress of China , engaged in a family squabble from hell , along with the Emperor's son from a previous marriage and the two sons they have had together . Family members declare their loyalty to one or the other of the parents and everything ends tragically and bloodily . Most of this is ridiculous stuff , like " Macbeth " crossed with Douglas Sirk . But there's enough dazzling color , histrionic feuding and swooping action segments to carry the film through its dull moments . I especially liked the swarm of ninjas that fly around on cables like a batch of giant black spiders and act as the Emperor's personal bodyguards ; and the film's climactic battle , that reminded me very much of Kurosawa's " Throne of Blood . " A gorgeous looking piece of eye and brain candy . |
573,640 | 4,532,636 | 55,499 | 7 | Typical Bergman , Meaning Nihilistically Depressing | This Biblically named Bergman film falls into the category of those that make you want to jump off of a bridge after watching them , but of those , it's one of the best . In typical cheery Bergman fashion , all of the action takes place on a desolate sea coast , all craggy rocks and biting winds . The whole thing is about the search for God and coming to terms with the realization that he doesn't exist . . . but wait . . . this is a Bergman film , so what else would it be about ? Like many of his films , interesting enough once but almost nothing would compel me to watch it again . |
573,905 | 4,532,636 | 11,841 | 7 | Gish Suffers Nobly | Way Down East will probably be a hard pill for many filmgoers to swallow , as it's a silent and very long , but I would recommend you give it a try , as it's also pretty entertaining . Lillian Gish gets put through her melodramatic paces by the granddaddy of modern cinema , D . W . Griffith . Griffith was a master at building his movies up to intolerably exciting finales , and this film is no exception . A classic set piece puts Gish trying to escape across a frozen river , jumping from one drifting block of ice to the next . And consider that this was in the day before special effects , and it's even quite possible that Gish did all of the stunts herself . A slice of early cinema that goes down easily if you give it the chance . |
573,697 | 4,532,636 | 104,257 | 7 | Stand Up , Mr . Cruise . . . . Jack Nicholson's Passin ' | Square military courtroom drama from that squarest of square directors , Rob Reiner . Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson challenge each other to a yelling match , with Nicholson squeaking by for the win . Demi Moore practices her ability to look pensive and concerned . Kevin Bacon pops up and proves that there's life after " Footloose , " while Keifer Sutherland ( ick ) is also on hand , proving that there's life after . . . what ? . . . . " The Lost Boys ? " Still , for the kind of movie this is , it's pretty entertaining . Was clearly the space filler at the 1992 Academy Awards , as it managed to get nominated for Best Picture without nominations for either directing or writing . |
574,017 | 4,532,636 | 42,530 | 7 | Fine Precursor to " Bonnie and Clyde " | The original title of " Gun Crazy " was " Deadly Is the Female , " and they ain't kidding . If you thought Faye Dunaway's Bonnie Parker was the more ruthless member of the crime duo that gave Arthur Penn's 1967 film its name , wait till you get a load of Peggy Cummins's Annie in this little known cheapie from 1949 . I wouldn't want to get on this woman's bad side ; she can shoot cigarettes out of people's mouths , for God's sake . " Gun Crazy " is such an obvious influence on Penn's " Bonnie and Clyde " that I can't believe the later film doesn't credit it directly . Though the 1949 film is based on a short story that appeared in the " Saturday Evening Post " and the 1967 film worked with an original screenplay , both films could have been adapted from the same source . They portray the Annie / Bonnie character as bored and restless , turned on by the thought of crime and by a manly man who can really use his " gun . " The Bart / Clyde character is tickled by the idea of being a virile stud in the eyes of his lover , but is ultimately too sensitive for the life they choose . And both films do a good job of portraying the desperation that plagues both couples , the isolation and loneliness they create for themselves and can never break out of , and the ultimate futility of their actions , since the " law " is going to catch up with them sooner or later . Peggy Cummins is really good in this . I don't know what else she's been in , but her baby-doll voice creates an effective contrast to her colder-than-ice attitude . She's crooning into her lover's ear one minute and itching to kill someone the next . And you have to dig those French-inspired fashions that would cause a sensation nearly 20 years later when Dunaway donned them again for Penn's film . I thought John Dall was at first odd casting for the role of Bart . Annie is supposed to think of him as a man's man , and Dall , with his willowy physique and gentle mannerisms is far from that . But then when we realize that he's at heart really too gentle for the life he and Annie have chosen for themselves , his casting makes sense . There are some small touches to this film that really add to its immediacy and realism . I loved the scenes of Annie and Bart driving to and from their heist jobs , shot from the back seat of the car as if we are a member of their gang . They have really funny and natural banter back and forth about where to park , etc . which I have to believe was improvised to some extent . The ending of the film , a face off in a creepy swamp , is eerie , and there's a small twist in the last seconds of the film that might be easy to miss but may give you some things to think about if you catch it . It's interesting , and rather depressing , that one of the main themes of this film is the obsession with guns and violence that pervaded the country nearly 60 years ago , and here we are a handful of wars later , still dragging around the same old obsessions . Michael Moore's recent documentary " Bowling for Columbine " could have just as easily been called " Gun Crazy , " if that title weren't already taken by this forgotten little blast of a movie . |
573,963 | 4,532,636 | 33,870 | 7 | Birth of a Genre | It probably didn't know it at the time , but when " The Maltese Falcon " debuted in 1941 , it was inventing a new film genre , one of my personal favorites : the film noir . Films noir got better later in the decade and throughout the 1950's ; they got seedier , starker and more psychologically twisted . And if you can follow the plot of " Falcon , " you're either smarter or paying more attention than I . But I don't know that anyone watches movies like this for the plot , and while I didn't see the " Great Film " in this that others seem to see , I still appreciate its place in screen history for kick-starting two things : film noir and the career of Humphrey Bogart . As long as Bogie's on screen , no one else really even matters , not even Mary Astor in a sizzling role . Though one can't overlook the presence of Peter Lorre , who makes any movie a bit creepier on the strength of his weird looks alone . |
573,357 | 4,532,636 | 25,586 | 7 | Notable for the Early Bette Davis Performance | When I saw that this film was only 80 minutes long , I thought we were in trouble . Condensing the gigantic W . Somerset Maugham novel down to a movie that clocks in at under an hour and a half seemed like a disaster waiting to happen . But you know , the movie's not half bad , and it even manages to retain much of what makes the book resonate so much with its readers . I've heard many film buffs complain that Leslie Howard was a wet noodle of an actor , and he was , but I can't think of anyone more suited to play the role of Philip Carey than a wet noodle , for that's certainly what Carey is . Howard plays him well , which means you want to shake him and slap him upside the head repeatedly , then finally take him out and buy him a spine . Ah , and then there's Bette , as the girl with whom Carey is obsessed and who brings his world crashing down around him . I didn't know what on earth the appeal of Mildred was in the book , and the movie stays true to that detail . But as played by Davis , she does become the most fascinating character in the story , and if she's nasty and unlikable , she's at least the most dynamic person on screen at any given time . Davis's performance here is credited with changing the course of screen acting , much as Brando's would do nearly 20 years later when he screamed out " Stella ! ! " in that little-known Tennesee Williams play , and it's not hard to see why . Davis is intense to the point of scary . She makes no effort to wring any sympathy from the audience , and she allows herself to look ugly and most unglamorous . Her appearance when Carey walks in on her late in the film to find her dead or nearly dead of an unnamed disease ( though not much care is taken to hide the fact that it's an STD ) is shocking . Of course , it helps that this movie squeaked out just before the Production Code went into effect ; if it had been made a year later , you can bet things would have been a bit different . Yes , much of the novel , and many of its most interesting parts , are left on the cutting room floor , and the story really does become about Carey and Mildred and not much else . I found that to be the least interesting and most tedious part of Maugham's novel , but it is the part that gives the novel its title and seems to be the part that readers are still drawn to now , so it strikes me as a wise decision on the part of the film makers that they chose to adapt the novel the way they did . |
573,559 | 4,532,636 | 461,770 | 7 | It's Nice to See That Disney Can Make Fun of Itself | A cute and diverting Disney film that pokes fun at other Disney films . Amy Adams does fine work as a cartoon princess named Giselle who is banished to that frightening , sinister world otherwise known as New York City by an evil queen ( Susan Sarandon ) who doesn't want her marrying her dashing stepson , Prince Edward ( James Marsden ) , and stealing her crown away from her . Giselle winds up in the care of Patrick Dempsey ( who's come a long way since his days as a gigolo pizza delivery guy in " Loverboy " ) , an uptight divorce attorney who doesn't believe in true love . Giselle of course , in true Disney princess fashion , believes in nothing else , and the two fall predictably in love , much to the dismay of Edward , who has followed Giselle to New York . Much of the humor in " Enchanted " revolves around contrasting fairytale mannerisms and beliefs to the , shall we say slightly more jaded , attitudes of modern-day New York . Giselle and Edward are both completely lacking in irony or sarcasm , and don't understand feelings like anger or scorn . They both also have a habit of breaking out into big production numbers at the most inopportune times , which provides the film with its highlights . When Giselle wants to clean up a messy apartment , she enlists the help of God's creatures , just like Snow White did so many years ago , but the ones that show up here are pigeons , rats , roaches and an army of flies . It would be easy to dismiss Adams ' performance as unchallenging , but I think it would take a lot of skill to carry a movie like this , and she does it well . Marsden is also quite funny as the pompous prince with gleaming white teeth . Demspey is kind of droopy , while Susan Sarandon hams things up as the wicked stepmother . The film grows rather tiresome by its conclusion ; the filmmakers can't resist a CGI showdown between the queen ( in the guise of a giant purple dragon ) and our lovers . But overall it left me entertained . |
573,886 | 4,532,636 | 51,201 | 7 | Laughton and Lanchester Make This One Worth Watching | It's no surprise that Billy Wilder , the man who gave us the ghoulishly funny " Sunset Boulevard , " would be drawn to this macabre but witty Agatha Christie play . " Witness for the Prosecution " is very minor Wilder , and would probably go unremembered today if not for the wonderful performances of husband and wife team Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester . Both seem to understand better than the stiff-backed and Brill-creme-haired Tyrone Power that the material is not to be taken too seriously , and it's a ball to watch them trade barbs back and forth ( she plays nurse to his ailing prosecutor ) with twinkles in their eyes . The story itself is shamelessly manipulative - - Laughton's character suffers from a heart condition that threatens to kill him in the middle of the trial , for God's sake ! - - yet it worked at keeping me in suspense despite myself . And may I just say that Marlene Dietrich appears in one of the most bizarre performances I've ever seen on film . Won't tax your intellect , but will probably tickle your funny bone . |
574,410 | 4,532,636 | 824,747 | 7 | If You Want to Ensure Your Film Won't Be a Masterpiece , Cast Either Half of Brangelina | Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are perfectly matched , as both boast beautiful faces and a painful lack of serious acting ability . However , in an acting face off , I'd put my money on Jolie . She did much better with her 2008 Oscar-bait outing , " Changeling , " than Pitt did with his , " The Curiously Boring and Pointless Case of the Blank-Faced Benjamin Button . " Jolie plays Christine Collins , a single mother in 1928 Los Angeles whose son goes missing . When the corrupt police department return the wrong boy to her and she tries to raise a stink about it , they have her committed to a mental institution rather than admit their embarrassing mistake . But eventually , a grisly discovery becomes too large a story to ignore , and the LAPD is brought to task for its dirty dealings . " Changeling " is a solid accomplishment from director Clint Eastwood . It's not anywhere nearly as good as his other 2008 film , " Gran Torino , " but it's not nearly as bad as its critical reception had led me to expect . But the film succeeds largely in spite of Jolie's performance rather than because of it . Jolie is simply not able to make sense of this character . Maybe the fault is with the casting in the first place . We have to believe that Christine Collins is timid and mousy enough to allow herself , even for a moment , to believe that the boy returned to her is in fact her son , even though she's convinced he's not . But there's not a timid bone in Jolie's body , and that part of the film never makes an ounce of sense . The Christine Collins we see humbly bowing to the whims of the police doesn't match up with the Christine Collins we see in the workplace , barking orders in her role as a manager , or the flirty , glamour puss Collins that emerges toward the film's end . Pick a character , any character . There are some quite disturbing scenes involving violence toward children ( violence seems almost too mild a term for what's actually done to them ) , scenes that are only slightly less disturbing than the ones in which John Malkovich appears , playing a pastor who aids Collins in her fight against corruption . Malkovich , by simply appearing in a film , brings it a healthy dose of " ick " factor , but I liked him here probably more than I ever have , just because he's one of the only characters in the movie who's not a slimeball . Jeffrey Donovan , of " Burn Notice " fame , plays the chief of police and decides for some reason to use an Irish accent that never quite materializes completely . Amy Ryan also appears as a fellow inmate in the institution , and looks and sounds like she should be starring in a women's prison film set in 1987 . However , the film itself looks good , and though it meanders a bit , it's always engaging . Because Eastwood chooses to give it an old-time Hollywood movie feeling , some of the more histrionic and heavy-handed elements go down smoother than they might otherwise . Let's face it , the man knows his way around a movie set , and he's probably incapable of making an outright bad movie . But next time , I might suggest that he check to see if Julianne Moore is available . |
573,685 | 4,532,636 | 44,706 | 7 | Film Editing 101 | High Noon is a text book on how to edit a film brilliantly , but it's awfully cold and impersonal as a movie . It creates a tremendous amount of suspense , but the whole movie is gimmick , and the suspense is empty . As most people know , it takes place in " real time , " so there are lots of cut aways to clocks underscored with thumping music , and montages of reaction shots of all the principal characters looking pensive . But stripped of its novelty after a first viewing and the fact that its gimmicks have been ransacked countless times by other movies over the years , there isn't much to revisit . I suspect Gary Cooper's acclaim in this role came from people who were tickled to see an iconic movie actor playing an iconic movie type , rather than because he created a flesh-and-blood human being that anybody really cared about . He's not required to do much but look resigned and stoic , which to his credit he does well . But I don't know how much of a PERFORMANCE it is . It's cool to like " High Noon " because it's been interpreted as an attack on McCarthyism , but that's not enough to make the film relevant today . It's certainly not a bad movie , and I get why it's viewed as an important one . Movies like " High Noon " are necessary , because they introduce new ways of doing things and add new phrases to film language . It's just that , with some historical perspective , it's obvious that it wears its schematics on its sleeve . |
574,341 | 4,532,636 | 387,131 | 7 | A Not Completely Successful Thriller | Thinking back on " The Constant Gardener " the day or two after having seen it , I found much about the film to admire ; however , my primary feeling while actually watching it was one of exasperation . This film is all rush , rush , rush from one scene to the next , barely giving the viewer time to catch his breath , let alone catch up to the plot . This is another one of those thrillers that thinks if it just moves fast enough , it will keep the audience members on the edges of their seats . It fails to realize that no amount of momentum can make a movie interesting if it doesn't make clear what everyone is rushing around for . Fernando Meirelles is certainly an intelligent director , and his earlier " City of God " is sensational and by far one of the best films of the decade so far . He employed a similar frenetic style to that film , but it felt more in tune with the subject matter . In " The Constant Gardener , " that style too often merely distracts . But like I said at the beginning of my review , and despite all of the negatives I just summarized , there's much to admire here . The acting , for one , is top notch . Ralph Fiennes is always reliable and doesn't disappoint , but I was most impressed with Rachel Weisz ; she in particular is so good that I wish she had been given more screen time . The relationship between their two characters is what sets this film apart from any other standard , run-of-the-mill political thriller , but at the same time it feels awkward . It's almost as if Meirelles has two different films going at the same time and isn't completely successful in merging them . The script , again , is intelligent , but more confusing than it needs to be . And the confusion factor isn't helped by Meirelles's jittery , busy camera , that at times induces headaches with its refusal to slow down . I can acknowledge that this film is good in many ways , but I still came away slightly disappointed with it , especially given all the hype it's received . I already feel like I need to see it again before I completely form my opinion , but only because I thought it was confusing and distracting the first time through , not because I feel like a second viewing will reveal it to be a richer film . I doubt a second viewing is going to improve my opinion of the film's clunky , preachy ending . |
574,238 | 4,532,636 | 443,543 | 7 | A Thinking Man's Pot-Boiler | The Illusionist is a nifty but rather strange film . It's a mystery whose central mystery , once revealed , isn't all that mysterious , yet the film manages to build an exciting amount of suspense anyway . It's success , I think , lies in the fact that it builds a great deal of character development and character-driven subplots into the film , so that not everything hinges on how tricky you find the ending to be . As Paul Giamatti's police inspector character begins to connect the pieces of the puzzle in the film's climactic moments , it's more fun to watch his face responding to the trick than it is to see how the trick was pulled off in the first place . Edward Norton , as usual , does a fine job as master magician Eisenheim , who meets his long-lost childhood love ( Jessica Biel ) ten years after they were parted and told they could never be together , due to class differences . From there , it's up to Eisenheim to pull off his most elaborate illusion yet , and make them " disappear , " as his young love asks him to do early in the film . But where does reality end and illusion begin ? The film plays with that question in what is mostly pot-boiler fashion while giving it just enough intellectual trimmings ( talk about the soul , etc . ) to satisfy those who want a little meat with their thrillers . And Philip Glass provides a musical score that sounds for all the world like the one he composed for " The Hours , " though what worked so well for that movie feels less suited for the material here . |
574,436 | 4,532,636 | 71,269 | 7 | Altman's Warm Up to " Nashville " | Robert Altman returns to one of his favorite subjects - - men behaving badly - - in this rather slight 1974 effort . George Segal and Elliott Gould play chronic gamblers who meet by chance in a gaming room and embark upon a friendship founded entirely on each man's desire to seek out the next sure thing . They head to Reno , where Segal falls into an amazing streak of luck and wins hundreds of thousands of dollars . . . . . and then the movie just sort of ends , not because the story itself reaches any sort of natural conclusion , but more because Altman runs out of things to say about it . Like many of Altman's films , " California Split " isn't as interested in telling a story as it is in establishing a tone , and that it does wonderfully . The ending does feel anti-climactic and abrupt , but then again , this is the tale of a gambling addict , whose whole existence consists of looking for and finding opportunities to feed his addiction . That Segal falls into a tired stupor after winning big , and experiences a glum letdown instead of the euphoria any normal person would feel from winning that much money , feels right for someone with an addiction . The obsession isn't with the catch , but with the chase . I think Segal is the weaker of the two lead actors , though he's got the larger role . He plays up the comic elements in the film too broadly , whereas Gould feels more at home with Altman's sarcastic , off-the-cuff sense of humour . The first time I saw this , I thought there were distinct homoerotic undertones , and I felt that again after a second viewing . Segal obviously has feelings of inadequacy that his gambling helps him overcome , or at least forget . From where does that sense of inadequacy spring ? Several moments in the film - - mention of a failed marriage , his reaction to someone calling him a " faggot , " an aborted attempt at lovemaking with a ditzy hooker - - suggest that Segal's character has homosexual tendencies that he's trying to suppress , or at the very least that his shaky sense of his own manhood suggests to HIM that he has homosexual tendencies . This isn't really fleshed out in the movie , but then nothing else is either . " California Split " feels like a warm up to Altman's masterpiece , " Nashville , " released a year later , but it doesn't have that movie's sense of scope or amazing cast of characters , so it feels underdeveloped and lightweight . Still , it kept me interested for 105 minutes , and it is a fascinating look into the chronic gambler's mind , if nothing else . |
573,857 | 4,532,636 | 49,096 | 7 | Danny Kaye Jests and Jousts | A supremely wacky and delightful Danny Kaye comedy . Kaye plays a court jester impostor who infiltrates a king's court in order to put in motion a plan hatched by a scrappy band of Robin Hoodesque rebels who want to depose the tyrant and put the rightful heir on the throne . Unfortunately for Kaye , but fortunately for us , the plot is not as simple as it sounds , not when a traitor in the king's court ( Basil Rathbone ) has formulated his own plan to have the jester assassinate the king , and especially not when the king's saucy daughter ( Angela Lansbury ) has set her sights on marrying the jester as a way to avoid having to marry a rival king with whom her father wants to forge an alliance . Kaye is absolutely hysterical , whether he's singing and dancing a big production number with a band of midgets or jousting with a rival knight while wearing a magnetized suit of armor . Glynis Johns plays a member of Kaye's merry band with whom Kaye has fallen in love , and Mildred Natwick plays the witch Griselda , who at one point tries to help Kaye poison a rival by explaining that the pellet with the poison is in the vessel with the pestle while the chalice with the palace has the brew that is true . |
574,164 | 4,532,636 | 40,366 | 7 | Good But Not Great Crime Picture | I saw a coming attraction for this movie one day on TCM . I'd never heard of it , but the clips they used for the preview made it look like a terrific noir , and I couldn't wait to see it . It didn't live up to the expectations . It's a good movie , but it's not even one of the more memorable noirs from the 40s . In fact , it's not really much of a noir once you get past the moody black and white photography ( which is one of the film's greatest assets by the way ) and its cynical tone . It's much more of a standard crime picture with a gritty documentary-like sheen , the kind the studios were churning out left and right in the late 40s and early 50s , but it didn't leave as much of an impression on me as , say , " The Naked City , " " Night and the City , " or " Panic in the Streets . " John Garfield , however , is extremely good in the lead role . I haven't seen him in that many things , but he's a kindred spirit of Marlon Brando's : the brooding tough guy whose sneering mug hides a warm and very human streak . He never seemed to get his full due as an actor - - if I'm not mistaken , he made his last film not long after this one , sometime in the early to mid 1950s . " Force of Evil " is definitely worth a look . |
573,819 | 4,532,636 | 78,966 | 7 | Jane as a Red Head , Douglas with a Beard , and Lemmon as a Man Who's Off His Rocker | The China Syndrome launched a whole string of films about the potentially devastating effects of misused nuclear power , a black cloud of paranoia that would hang over America for much of the Reagan years . It's a well-made and effective drama , given an extra punch by its high-power stars , notably Jack Lemmon who plays a senior official of the nuclear power plant who suffers a crisis of conscience . But one can't help but think that it was the serendipitous timing of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident that occurred just a couple of weeks after this film's release that has given it its lasting appeal as a classic from the 70s . As watchable as it is , it's certainly no classic . With a red-headed Jane Fonda as a news reporter and a bearded Michael Douglas as her camera man ( and the film's producer , by the way ) . |
573,579 | 4,532,636 | 473,308 | 7 | Strengths Mostly Outweigh Weaknesses | This hit and miss comedy has an inherent poignancy because of the fact that its writer and director , Adrienne Shelley , was murdered before the film was released . Not knowing all of the details about her life or death , I can't help but wonder if this story about an insecure waitress who dreams of a life away from her loutish husband and dull existence was in some ways the fantasy of Shelley herself . This makes me want to be lenient on the movie's faults , of which there are many . The biggest is the casting of Keri Russell in the lead role . She's a fine actress , but she doesn't fit the part . She's far too pretty and self-assured , and too much of a firecracker for so much of the movie , to understand why she's let herself settle for a husband and life that's way beneath her . And the film's resolution is too glib , and bordering on irresponsible . Obviously , Shelley , in her screenplay , was responding to the empowering act of becoming a mother that she no doubt felt in her own life ( the daughter of Keri Russell's character in the movie is Shelley's real-life daughter ) , but to suggest that Russell's character could simply tell her husband to get out of her life without any ramifications rings completely false . But I am a fan of Nathan Fillion , who plays a doctor with whom Russell strikes up a heated affair , and he brings a lot of charm and charisma to the film . Cheryl Hines , who I can't stand on HBO's " Curb Your Enthusiasm , " is a breath of fresh air as one of Russell's fellow waitress friends ( she's reminiscent of Flo from the film " Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore " ) , and Shelley herself plays another , mousier , colleague . Andy Griffith also makes an appearance as a cranky but lovable old man . An honest effort whose strengths mostly outweigh its weaknesses . |
574,408 | 4,532,636 | 758,774 | 7 | Solid Action Thriller Set Against the War on Terror | The war on terror has provided seemingly endless fodder for all manner of movies . Most of them have been earnest and thoughtful and have felt the need to say something important about the issue ; unfortunately , most of them have also been dull and plodding and have quickly faded from memory . Ridley Scott's " Body of Lies " will not linger in my mind as one of the most memorable movies I've ever seen , but it was refreshing in that it doesn't pretend to be anything more than a good old fashioned action thriller that happens to use the war on terror as a backdrop . Scott keeps his film free of preachiness and editorializing - - this is action film served straight up . Russell Crowe and especially Leonardo DiCaprio acquit themselves well as two members of American intelligence working together , and sometimes opposed to one another , to infiltrate a terror ring , but this is not a film that relies on strong performances . Rather , it relies on a director who knows how to assemble an exciting movie , and Ridley Scott is that guy . He can be somewhat hit-and-miss for me , but this film following closely on the heels of " American Gangster " have put me in the pro camp for the time being . |
573,584 | 4,532,636 | 82,894 | 7 | A Criminally Neglected Film Musical | This not very well known and dismissed musical surprised me with how good it was . Under the glossy production design and snappy musical numbers , there's a very dark center to the film , as its characters struggle through the Great Depression and their own desperation . It put me in mind of the depression-era musicals like " 42nd Street , " in which landing a part in a chorus line could mean the difference between eating and starving , and people put on a show more out of grim determination than through the true desire to burst into song . Maybe it's this quality that resulted in the film being a box office bomb upon its release . Steve Martin , Bernadette Peters and especially Christopher Walken do smashing work in this movie . Walken shows that pizazz and attitude can go a long way toward overcoming limitations as a singer and dancer . |
573,864 | 4,532,636 | 419,749 | 7 | Found Me Liking Vin Diesel | Sidney Lumet aside , I never thought in a million years I would like a movie created almost exclusively as a star project for Vin Diesel . So the fact that I not only liked the movie , but thought its greatest asset was Diesel himself , left me floored . In " Find Me Guilty , " Diesel plays real-life gangster hood Jackie DiNorscio , who , along with about twenty other members of an organized crime family , is put on trial by the city of Los Angeles . Jackie's already in prison for an unrelated charge , and blames his inadequate lawyer for landing him there , so he decides to represent himself , even though he has no legal training . Nearly the entire film is taken up with the court proceedings , terrain Lumet has visited before . Nothing about the film is especially remarkable or fancy , but it's extremely solid and provides evidence that Vin Diesel may have a career playing something other than growling action heroes . The movie's somewhat dubious conclusion is that we should admire Jackie for his loyalty to his friends , even if ratting his friends out would mean that murderers , thieves and drug dealers would be removed from the streets . |
573,696 | 4,532,636 | 75,148 | 7 | The Ultimate American Success Story . . . . Just in Time for America's 100th Birthday | Rocky is one of those quintessential " right place / right time " movies . Movie-going America , beleaguered by bleak and cynical tales of everything their country was doing wrong , were ready for this underdog success story , which illustrates that living in America ain't so bad after all . But come on . If people were being honest , they would admit that " Rocky " just doesn't hold up very well now . Director John G . Avildsen's only notable film since this one was " The Karate Kid " in 1984 , so that tells you something right there . There's nothing wrong with loving " Rocky " for the inspirational fairy tale that it is , but the fact that it looks gritty and real like all of the other serious socially-themed films from the same time period has allowed it to join them on the list of important cinematic achievements so abundant in the 1970s , and it's just not an important film . With , of course , Sylvester Stallone in a star-making performance , one that he's been trying to recapture ever since , and Talia Shire , fresh off the " Godfather " movies and ready to have a leading part of her own . But the scene stealer in this film is Burgess Meredith , who plays Rocky's coach and agent like a cranky pirate . |
574,002 | 4,532,636 | 94,332 | 7 | Who Knew Witches Could Be This Hot ? | I might watch this film now and think that it's terrible , but my memory of it is that is was pretty decent . Cher , Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer play three smokin ' witches , and they gang up in tormenting Jack Nicholson . I saw this when I was fairly young , so there's no doubt a lot of adult humor that went right over my head . I do remember a scene in which the three witches make Nicholson start coughing up chicken feathers - - that kind of freaked out my young brain . Obviously , I'm not the person to go to for a thorough summary of this film , so you're forgiven if you ignore my comments entirely . |
574,131 | 4,532,636 | 25,464 | 7 | Melodrama with a Bite | Melodramatic , yes , but this movie has some meat to it that I wasn't expecting . Clark Gable and William Powell play childhood friends who grow up to be a hood and a respected judge , respectively . Both have a thing for Myrna Loy , but the expected rivalry for which this plot would seem to be tailor made never comes . Instead , there's a refreshingly serious story about the boundaries of loyalty and friendship . When Gable is accused of murder and sentenced to the death penalty , it is Powell's duty to decide whether or not to let his personal feelings for Gable interfere with his practice of legal justice . Loy pops up throughout , but , unfortunately , she's window dressing . ( Side note : My wife and I decided to have a Myrna Loy theme to our New Year's movie night , and rented this and " The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer . " We couldn't have picked two Myrna Loy movies that do a worse job of showing off Myrna Loy ) . No , this movie belongs to the men , and the whole affair is better than I expected it to be . |
574,211 | 4,532,636 | 10,146 | 7 | Down But Never Out | In this enjoyable Harold Lloyd comedy , our boy Harold ( playing a down-and-outer whose acquaintances include a scrappy little beggar girl and her lame dog ) finds himself coming to the aid of a pretty heiress whose inheritance is in danger of being weasled away by a shyster lawyer in cahoots with a gang of thugs . Every Lloyd film has a rollicking climax full of visual stunts , and the one to this movie shows Harold verbally or physically assaulting every police officer in the city in an attempt to lead them to the gang's lair . Everything comes right in the end , as Harold , heiress , beggar girl and dog get to sit down to a mighty dinner and we get to turn off the T . V . with a smile on our faces . |
573,302 | 4,532,636 | 107,653 | 7 | Mike Leigh Misfire Is Still Worth Watching for David Thewlis | Mike Leigh movies are never exactly laugh riots , but even with that " Naked " is one of the most dismal and surly films I've ever seen from him . Actually , the whole movie was a bit too one note for me , that one note being nihilistic . Leigh only diffuses his relentless tone of gloom in the film's last few moments , when it lurches unexpectedly and not entirely successfully into a kind of screwball comedy . It's a film that basically says men are brutes and pigs , and women are spineless victims - - it's not a flattering picture of either gender , and it doesn't have anything profound or even productive to say . However , and this is a big " However , " the film does have one huge asset to recommend it , and that is David Thewlis . He gives a fascinating and completely unique performance as Johnny , a sort of vagabond philosopher who wanders from stranger to stranger over the course of a long London night , pontificating about the meaning of existence and brutalizing just about every woman he comes across . Leigh presents London as a city full of lost souls , vulnerable to the opportunists who may come along to take advantage . One of those opportunists is the enigmatic Jeremy , a well-dressed affluent monster who glories in raping women and treating them like dogs . If Thewlis and his character is the film's strongest selling point , the character of Jeremy is its weakest . The two men exist separately for most of the movie , only to come together at the end . I'm not sure what purpose Jeremy's existence in the film serves , unless he's simply there to make Johnny look better . Certainly by the film's end , we've seen Johnny behave miserably , but we've also seen him treat his on-again-off-again girlfriend with something approaching affection , and Thewlis is so good that he's able to let us glimpse enough of Johnny's charm to make us understand why any woman would be remotely interested in him in the first place . This film reminded me of a Martin Amis novel . It has a slightly surrealistic , nightmare quality to it , and it's so caustic as to be off putting . But I would recommend it if for no other reason than to see Thewlis's remarkable performance . |
573,488 | 4,532,636 | 406,158 | 7 | A Genial Film Carried by Moore's Marvelous Performance | Julianne Moore is a wonderful actress . In " The Prize Winner of Defiance , Ohio , " she gets no big showy scenes , no moments where she acknowledges her own talent by ACTING . There are no breakdowns , crack ups , manias or histrionics . The movie goes down easy and , once the DVD player has been turned off , is just as easy to forget . But I woke up the morning after having watched this movie thinking about Julianne Moore ( and no , not in THAT way ) . I realized that this disarmingly unshowy performance had a powerful impact on me ; through an accumulation of small , quiet moments and carefully crafted acting choices , Moore creates a full-bodied , rich and entirely satisfying character out of material that threatens at every step to descend into irretrievable schmaltz . It's a small miracle of acting . Unfortunately , Woody Harrelson does not fare as well . His blustery , childish and pathetic father is believable only about 50 % of the time . The movie is almost ridiculously one sided , and it's only Moore's expert and disciplined handling of her role that prevents the mother from coming across as too good to be true . The material is gooey and sentimental , but it's surprisingly less sentimental than I feared it would be . And anyway , sentiment like this I can forgive , since I'm bound to be a slobbery sentimental mess about my own parents some day too . |
573,620 | 4,532,636 | 315,733 | 7 | 2003 : The Year of Revenge | With the 2003 movie year behind us , it's clear to me that a major theme film makers explored in that year's releases ( most certainly - induced ) is that of revenge and , more importantly , the inability of revenge to right committed wrongs . " 21 Grams " is a bleak , sober story about a grief-crazed woman seeking revenge out of desperation , the man who volunteers to help her carry out her desires and the ex-con who serves as the object of her revenge . The story has all the simplistic sadness of a tragedy , but that's not to say the movie itself is simplistic . Thematically , it's actually quite complex . In addition to the idea of revenge , the movie explores the ideas of fate and how one's own fate can be tied up in the fates of others ; the value of life and the existence of the soul ; and the fragility of physical and mental states . The acting is uniformly solid . People have seemed to single out Naomi Watts for praise , but that seems unfair to Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro . Indeed , the movie is so evenly divided into thirds , each third belonging to one of the principal characters , that it takes on an ensemble feel , with no one actor shining above the others . The film was criticized somewhat for its unnecessarily complicated structure , but that didn't bother me . Once you get through the first disorienting ten minutes or so , the pieces begin to fall into place , and loose ends are tied up deftly . It may be a bit pretentious - - the fragmented narrative reflecting the fragmented souls of the characters - - but it could have been handled much worse . Finally , kudos to the editor , who had the daunting task of assembling this film into coherency , and especially because of the fragmented approach . |
573,965 | 4,532,636 | 121,791 | 7 | Gasp ! A Documentary with a Point of View | This is one of those fascinating documentaries that came out during WWII that made no attempt to be anything other than war propaganda . It's so funny now to see people get all hot and bothered by films like " Fahrenheit " and crucify Michael Moore for pushing such a blatant agenda . They act like before Moore came on to the scene , no documentarian ever had a point of view or tried to manipulate audiences to think a certain way about an issue . Obviously , these people have never seen any of the propaganda films that came out around this time in world history , or for that matter any films by Frederick Wiseman , Leni Riefenstahl , Robert Flaherty or a hundred other documentary film makers who have been making movies for the last 80 years . " Target for Tonight " is actually kind of laughable now , because it's SO heavy handed . But don't lost sight of its historical context and forget that this movie and others like it were deadly serious in their intentions . |
573,739 | 4,532,636 | 88,763 | 7 | I'm Not a Big Fan of the Series , But This One Is Harmless Enough | The kind of comedy / adventure / sci-fi hybrid that the 1980s did very well , and which you just don't see anymore . " Back to the Future " solidified Michael J . Fox as a bona fide movie star , and featured a deliriously wacky Christopher Lloyd playing a scientist who invents a time travel machine . Robert Zemeckis keeps things light and playful - - he's one of many directors ( like Ron Howard , Steven Spielberg , etc . ) who started out making enjoyable romps until he felt the need to become " serious " and started making movie crap like " Forrest Gump . " I didn't fall in love with the " Back to the Future " series , but I see its appeal . |
574,424 | 4,532,636 | 121,765 | 7 | Blows " Phantom Menace " Out of the Water - - Though That's Pretty Faint Praise | This second installment in the " Star Wars " prequel trilogy is leaps and bounds better than " The Phantom Menace , " and there are moments in the film , unlike " Phantom , " when it begins to FEEL like a " Star Wars " movie . The little kid Disneyland quality that figured heavily in the first film for the most part gives way to a darker and more adult sensibility as Anakin grows into a young man . It doesn't help matters that Hayden Christiansen delivers a God-awful performance as Anakin , and that he plays a gradual descent into the dark side of the force like a petulant teenager who's been denied use of the family car . But more pieces of the puzzle that factor into the original trilogy click into place here , which makes it much more fun for " Star Wars " fans than " The Phantom Menace . " I have to admit that the end of this film , when we first see what will become the Imperial army amassed as the Darth Vader theme blasts away on the soundtrack , sends chills down this " Star Wars " nerd's spine . |
573,449 | 4,532,636 | 84,865 | 7 | Gay Paree | 1982 was a gender-bending year for Hollywood . Dustin Hoffman dressed up as a woman ; Julie Andrews dressed up as a man . How fitting that the very next year Linda Hunt would win the first Oscar ever given for playing a member of the opposite sex . " Victor Victoria " is a solidly-crafted , old-fashioned musical that finds Andrews pretending to be a male female impersonator ( got that ? ) so that she can hold a job in a nightclub in Depression-era Paris . James Garner is the man's man who begins to doubt his manliness when he finds himself having some strange feelings for this " guy . " It's a very gay-friendly movie that's really squeaky clean , though it might have been racy at the time when homosexuality wasn't as accepted as it is now ( if you want to call it " accepted " even now ) . There are lots of production numbers , but this doesn't feel like a musical , as all of the numbers are presented in context of a show and they don't propel the plot or develop characters . Lesley Ann Warren is fairly obnoxious as a bawdy American , but Robert Preston steals the show as a fellow drag performer . As far as Blake Edwards projects go , this is one of the strongest . |
574,204 | 4,532,636 | 60,086 | 7 | Takes the Swing Out of Swinging London | Michael Caine plays Alfie , a hipster swinger in 1960s London whose attitudes and actions we abhor even as we warm to the twinkle in his eye . Caine plays the role just right . The movie would go nowhere if he wasn't able to make us understand what about Alfie attracts women despite his treatment of them . The film has noble ambitions , and explores some pretty dark ( and for the time , edgy ) terrain , when Alfie's antics catch up with him and he leaves one of his conquests ( played quietly by Vivien Merchant ) in the hands of a sleazy abortionist . The look on Caine's face when he returns to his apartment and sees the aborted fetus , visual confirmation of his callous disregard , was enough on its own to earn him the Oscar nomination he received for this film . Much of the marketing for " Alfie " positions it as a gay romp through the swinging 60s , but it's actually quite a bitter little pill to swallow , and it leaves a bad taste in the mouth . With Shelley Winters as a blowsy American who's as good at playing Alfie as he is her . |
574,173 | 4,532,636 | 53,619 | 7 | Cinematic Ennui | I have to change my opinion about " L'Avventura , " and post a revised comment here . I had posted before based on a single viewing of this film on video years ago . I just saw a screening of it again at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago as part of its summer retrospective of Antonioni , and had a different enough experience from the first time that I felt a second posting was needed . I almost feel guilty at my reaction to films like " L'Avventura , " and I'm hoping that others who have studied film will understand . On my first viewing , I wanted so much to see the masterpiece that film scholars told me existed , and felt obligated to worship Antonioni's brilliance . But what impressed me most about this film on a second viewing was how little I enjoyed watching it . What interest it has for me is purely academic . I appreciate its place in film history , but I have no desire now to ever revisit it , like I do other classics that were important but also entertaining . Watching other people try to decide whether or not life has any meaning is tiresome when you've reached an age where you've decided the answer to that question yourself . But I will say that what Antonioni has to say here he says very well . The male and female protagonists of the movie , who go searching for their lover and friend when she goes missing on a yachting party , battle an overwhelming sense of indifference that the movie conveys brilliantly , almost too well . They have to struggle to continue caring whether or not they find the missing woman , and to some extent realize that their lives would be better off if she weren't found at all . The pervading mood of their scenes together and of the movie in general is ennui , but the feeling of ennui extends to the viewer as well . Just as the characters slowly begin to lose their interest in the missing person , we lose our interest too , in her , them and the movie in general . So how do you rate a movie that you know is well made , is culturally significant and changed the landscape of international cinema , but which you would rather do almost anything to avoid having to ever watch again ? |
573,631 | 4,532,636 | 371,746 | 7 | Downey , Jr . Creates an Inspired Superhero | In much the same way that Ron Perlman's inspired performance made " Hellboy " better than it would otherwise have been , Robert Downey , Jr . helps " Iron Man " be something beyond the standard superhero junk fests that become popular every year around this time . Downey is perfectly cast , though I never would have thought of him for the character he plays here , tycoon of a weapons manufacturing company who suffers pangs of conscience after seeing what his terrible weapons can do , and turns himself into the ultimate weapon so that he can stop others from using them . Gwyneth Paltrow is Downey's assistant and love interest , and it's a bit of a shame to see such a smart actress stuck with such a dud role as this . She stands around in heels and looks worried while Downey tries to save her . Jeff Bridges , shaved bald and sporting a bushy beard , is the movie's villain , and if the movie has a major failing , it's him . Bridges is fine in the role , but the villain himself isn't particularly menacing , and the final showdown is anticlimactic . Be sure to sit through the end credits for a brief scene that promises a sequel . |
573,782 | 4,532,636 | 35,896 | 7 | Solid Romantic Drama | I've not read the Hemingway novel on which this film is based , nor will I spend any time summarizing the plot , as others here have already done a fine job of that . Let me just add my voice to those who have praised this film as a very good romantic adventure of its time . It of course has one foot obviously placed squarely in WWII propaganda ( Gary Cooper as the iconic romantic American hero ) , but it's also highly entertaining . It's longer than it needs to be , and it's a bit talky , but it nevertheless doesn't drag . The highest praise must go to the art directors , who fashion an impressive set perched among some rocky mountains that feels extremely authentic . The color photography isn't as vibrant as other Technicolor products of the time , but that may be due to age . And there's a terrific lush score to go along with the action . I've never been a huge fan of Ingrid Bergman , but she's not bad here . Gary Cooper is perfectly cast and is required to do little more than just be Gary Cooper , but it works . The most colorful performances come from Akim Tamiroff and , especially , Katina Paxinou as two members of the Spanish revolutionary group . Paxinou is a firecracker , giving an intense performance that dominates the screen whenever she's present . A highly enjoyable Hollywood product from the war years . |
573,873 | 4,532,636 | 296,166 | 7 | A Well-Done Coming of Age Film | I saw this movie in the same weekend I watched " Bend It Like Beckham , " and the two movies are very similar in theme . " Real Women " is somewhat darker ( but not much ) and takes itself a little more seriously , but it's still a very good movie about a girl coming to terms with her family and herself in working-class L . A . It's a leisurely paced film and makes many good points about the stifling effects parents can have when they refuse to see the potential in their own children , and about the need for children to sometimes ignore the guilt they feel when they defy their parents in order to meet that potential . The young lady who stars does a mostly fine job with the role , but I never felt she was completely invested in what her family thought in the first place , so didn't fully appreciate the conflicts she was supposed to be having with herself over deserting them . The scene in which the group of female dress-shop workers strip down to compare cellulite and then proceed to work in the semi-nude is hilarious , and one of the film's highlights . Thoroughly enjoyable . |
574,371 | 4,532,636 | 800,308 | 7 | Ed Harris Sticks to Tradition with This Modest Western | Pretty much the definition of a solid " B " effort . " Appaloosa " was clearly Ed Harris's baby , as he directed , co-produced , co-wrote , and starred in it , as well as sang the song that plays over the end credits ! Given that , I'd love to report that I thought the film was a masterpiece , but it's far from that . It's a competent , standard western , feet planted squarely within the conventions of the genre . Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen play Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch , the sheriff and deputy , respectively , of a wild west town , hired to protect its citizens from the deadly bullying of a band of outlaws , led by Randall Bragg ( a miscast Jeremy Irons , who can't quite successfully lose his British accent ) . Like many westerns , the principal theme of the film revolves around male solidarity ; Virgil and Everett are so good at what they do because each is closer to the other than either is to anyone else . That " anyone else " includes Allison French , played by Renee Zellweger , looking even more pinched than usual , a lone woman who arrives in the town and hooks up with Virgil . For a while after her arrival , the screenplay flirts around with a love triangle , but it wisely drops that idea and avoids the predictable . It instead stays focused on Virgil and Everett and their quest to bring Bragg to justice , even after he's become a wealthy businessman and won the town's admiration . My biggest problem with " Appaloosa " was its lack of a point of view . Everett begins the film with a voice over narration explaining how he came to know Virgil and hitch his saddle to him , and the film's climax circles back to focus on him again , but throughout the middle part of the film he's treated like a secondary character and I forgot that the film started with his point of view . Mortensen does give the film's best performance , however , followed closely by Harris . Harris's performance might have resonated more if the character of Virgil had been better written . I thought the screenplay was going in an interesting direction with him at one point , in a scene where he abuses his authority , and suggested that the film might examine the fine line that separates Virgil from being as bad as the villains from whom he's protecting the town , but nothing comes of it . And Zellweger's character exists for plot purposes only . I couldn't really make sense of Ally French at all . An admirable effort that continues the mini western revival Hollywood has been enjoying lately that began last year with " The Assassination of Jesse James " and " 3 : 10 to Yuma , " but " Appaloosa " isn't anywhere nearly as fascinating as the first film or as wildly entertaining as the second . |
574,400 | 4,532,636 | 86,637 | 7 | Woody Allen's Mockumentary | After scoring big with " Annie Hall " and " Manhattan , " Woody Allen had a bit of a dry run in the early 1980s with the forgettable " Stardust Memories " and " A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy . " " Zelig " found him back on track , and feels like a return to the screwball hijinks of his early 1970s films . Allen films " Zelig " as a documentary , and takes as his subject the life of a man who is able to blend in with his surroundings . Allen himself plays Zelig , and keeps everything - - both his performance and the film's tone - - utterly deadpan . There are a ton of funny one-liners and sight gags , but they're played completely straight . " Zelig " isn't one of Allen's most ambitious films , but it's very funny and is many times better than most of the movies he's making today . |
573,423 | 4,532,636 | 83,987 | 7 | Serviceable Rather Than Inspired | Actor turned director Richard Attenborough helmed this biopic about the famed pacifist and , as frequently happens with biopics , especially when they're about noble and revered figures , turned it into something perfectly respectable and ever so slightly dull . The film won just about every Academy Award it was nominated for , so that should tell you something right there . Ben Kingsley does deserve praise for carrying this three-hour epic on his slim shoulders , and the film looks meticulous . But it's serviceable rather than inspired , and if anyone's story deserves an inspired telling , Gandhi's is it . |
573,821 | 4,532,636 | 79,638 | 7 | Sally Field Wants You | One of those rousing films in which a blue-collar normal Joe ( or in this case perhaps we should say normal Joan ) stands up against the big boys in the corporate office for what is right and just . Movies like " Erin Brockovich " wouldn't exist today if movies like " Norma Rae " hadn't existed first . And " Norma Rae " is a lot easier to swallow , because it's done without all the Hollywood ritz and glamour . Director Martin Ritt specialized in making movies about blue-collar folks that looked like blue collar movies , and Sally Field , playing the factory worker who's sympathetic to an invading union organizer from the north and becomes his ace card in rallying the other workers , is a much better actress than Julia Roberts , and we're actually able to believe her in the role . The image of Field standing up on a table silently holding up a placard that says " Union " has become indelible . |
574,392 | 4,532,636 | 36,855 | 7 | Enjoyable If Not Memorable | A fairly effective little thriller that one can't help but feel would be far more effective if it wasn't quite so glossy . I don't particularly like the leads ; I've remained immune to the charms of Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer hits me like a toothache . But Angela Lansbury is a riot as the cheeky maid and Joseph Cotten gives yet one more terrific performance in a career of terrific and underrated performances . The spooky atmosphere of Victorian London is brought to life nicely through the lighting and production design . Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours , but I wouldn't go out of your way to see it . |
573,629 | 4,532,636 | 1,060,277 | 7 | Godzilla for the YouTube Generation | This monster movie tries hard to be " Godzilla " for Generation Y , but it doesn't quite make it . It's a terrific looking film and it's capably acted - - when you watch the special features on the DVD and realize that most of the time actors were interacting with nothing but green screens , it makes both the acting and the effects that much more impressive . But it's one of those gimmick movies that's pinned down by the very element that makes it unique ( I use the word " unique " loosely , since " The Blair Witch Project " has already covered this ground , to an extent ) . The hook in this film is that the destruction of New York and the attempts of a small band of twenty-somethings to stay alive is captured on a camcorder by one of the kids . But the technical necessities required to pull off this stunt result in too many logical flaws , not the least of which is how long would it take someone running for his life from a giant monster ravaging downtown Manhattan to ditch the camera ? But of all the holes the screenplay creates , the one most perplexing was this : how the hell do all of these young kids afford spacious apartments in Manhattan ? |
573,487 | 4,532,636 | 425,321 | 7 | They Make Melodramas in Egypt Too | The Yaboubian Building reminded me of those over-heated Spanish soap operas that air nightly on Telemundo . The sweep and size of the film ( not to mention its length ) may fool people into thinking it's a more important picture than it actually is , when really it's not much more than one big soapy melodrama that manages to stay mostly entertaining over the course of its three hours . There's a lot going on in this film , and you may find you have your work cut for you just following the basics of the plot . I suspect much more of the film would have made sense to me had I known more about Egyptian culture . As it is , there are a lot of terms and situations in the film that probably didn't have their full desired effect . Of course , it's tough as an American , and therefore one used to experiencing art that throws critical darts at my country's beliefs and institutions , to fully understand how controversial this film ( and the book on which it is based ) has been in Egypt . By all accounts , the frank candour about corrupt government , homosexuality and the prostitution of Egyptian citizens ( of all types and at all levels of society ) have been greeted with quite an uproar in this film's country of origin . It's a noble effort on the part of the film-makers , and I can understand them wanting to pack in as much punch as they can , but the film tries to do too much , and the plot feels like several different agendas unsuccessfully unified into a coherent whole . Much of " The Yacoubian Building " is no less ham-fisted than your typical Hollywood film , not the least of which are the scenes that explain outright the film's central metaphor ( the Yacoubian building itself as a representation of Egyptian society ) . But much of it works quite well too , especially the acting , which is pretty good across the board , the crisp pacing and the driving musical score . A big bold movie that bites off more than it can chew but provides a solid few hours of entertainment nonetheless . |
573,699 | 4,532,636 | 817,544 | 7 | Farmiga Shines in a Solid Drama | Vera Farmiga plays an affluent woman whose life and marriage is unraveling . She and her Korean husband have been trying without success to get pregnant . Her suicidal husband has given up on the idea , but it's become an obsession with her , the one thing that will fix everything that's broken . She makes a proposition to a young Korean immigrant - - she will pay him $300 in cash every time they have sex , with an additional $30 , 000 in cash if she conceives . I had my doubts before watching this film that the screenplay would be able to make this premise plausible , but it does . It sets things up in such a way that they play out honestly , without feeling overly manipulated by the hands of a screenwriter or director . It helps tremendously that Farmiga gives such a good performance - - you have to really understand her character if the movie is going to make any sense , and we do , thanks to Farmiga's commitment to the role . Though ambiguous , the ending suggests a happy ending that DID feel implausible to me . But the rest of the movie is such a downer that I actually didn't mind it , because I just wanted something positive to happen to this poor woman . |
573,929 | 4,532,636 | 110,478 | 7 | Fun and Charming | A fun movie that doesn't try to be anything more than what it is - - an amiable comedy . Mel Gibson can actually manage to be tolerable when he's playing charming , which he does here . James Garner is perfectly cast for quite obvious reasons . And it's nice to see Jodie Foster lighten up and play a feminine character for once - - up to that point , her resume had been quite serious . For some strange reason , I distinctly remember Siskel and Ebert being infuriated that this film won an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design . Ah , to live such a charmed life that something like that constitutes a major gripe . . . . . |
573,576 | 4,532,636 | 359,203 | 7 | A Glance at the Second Golden Age of Cinema | Easy Riders , Raging Bulls is an orgy for movie lovers . How can anyone who loves film not be in heaven at the constant parade of landmark films and key industry figures that charges across the screen in this fast-paced documentary ? If you've read the book , the movie will feel cursory , and one will find himself wishing for more detail , more insider stories . There are curious omissions here , and wonders if Bowser structured his content based on who he could get to agree to interviews . Altman is hardly mentioned , Scorsese ( who shows up everywhere talking about movies ) is not interviewed , and Kubrick isn't mentioned at all ( save for one shot of the " 2001 " poster ) . Still , what's there is great , and if you're like me , you'll be left with a twinge of sadness that such a rich time in film artistry seems to be gone forever . |
573,339 | 4,532,636 | 110,475 | 7 | One of Jim Carrey's Better Comedies | Combining Jim Carrey with a bunch of giddy special effects seems like a redundancy , since Carrey himself IS a special effect . But that's just what this film does , with mostly entertaining results . Carrey plays a nerd who finds a mask that transforms him into a superhero when he wears it . Cue lots of intentionally cartoonish effects reminiscent of " Who Framed Roger Rabbit ? " The film features an early role for Cameron Diaz as a love interest for Carrey . The film was Academy Award nominated for its visual effects , but it lost the award to the much subtler and more impressive effects of " Forrest Gump . " |
573,394 | 4,532,636 | 478,311 | 7 | A Comedy Classic ? Not Quite . . . . | As with " The 40-Year-Old Virgin , " I thought " Knocked Up " was funny and a I had a good time with it , but it didn't warrant the rapturous response it has received from critics , or the inexplicably high rating it has received here at IMDb . Frankly , the joke about adult men refusing to grow up has worn thin , and not much more comic mileage can be squeezed from it . Also , it's a shame that a movie people are congratulating for its frankness and candidness doesn't have the balls to treat pregnancy the way it really is . It would have been nice in a movie about the beautiful act of bringing a child into the world for the filmmakers to extend that idea of beauty to the woman's body in pregnancy , but instead we have a gorgeous actress who never once convincingly looks , moves or acts like a pregnant woman , and who even looks gorgeous while she's in the middle of delivery no less . But , when you consider the typical Hollywood comedy being churned out these days , many of which I saw previews for when I went to see this film , you can understand why a movie like this , that has sharp acting and writing , and whose laughs come from well-delivered lines and good timing rather than juvenile pratfalls and fart jokes , is blowing like a fresh breeze through our summer movie theatres . |
573,713 | 4,532,636 | 386,032 | 7 | Moore Documentary Is Entertaining as Always , But Leaves a Lot Unanswered | Michael Moore's documentaries are always compulsively entertaining , but they also always leave me feeling miserable about being an American . " Sicko " is about the sorry state of our health insurance industry , and it forces us to face some very uncomfortable truths . However , what I frequently DON'T like about Moore's films , and " Sicko " is guilty of this as well , is that Moore does a lot of complaining without offering solutions . He spends two hours telling us that countries like England , France and even Cuba take better care of their citizens than the U . S . , but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with that information . His film creates frustration and anger but then doesn't give us any outlets for those feelings . Moore claims that he loves American and is a fervent patriot , but the message that comes across loudest from " Sicko " is a resounding " America Sucks ! " Moore's greatest failing in this documentary is to ignore the responsibility Americans have to take control of their own health . Everyone in his movie is a victim of the insurance industry ; the greatest defense Americans can take against becoming ensnared in the quagmire is preventive health care , but Moore doesn't address that . Americans need to stop eating fast food , they need to stop smoking . They need to stop the fad diets and lose weight the right away , through exercise and sensible food choices . They need to get out and walk places instead of driving everywhere . American corporations aren't ever going to change their practices because of whining filmmakers . Actions are always going to speak louder than words . |
573,595 | 4,532,636 | 455,824 | 7 | So I'll Admit It - - The Latest from Baz Luhrmann Is Pretty Good | After inflicting the tortuous " Romeo+Juliet " and " Moulin Rouge ! " on an unsuspecting America ( a crime for which I've never and never will be able to forgive him ) , Baz Luhrmann takes us down under in this shameless yet pretty damn entertaining epic . Chalk it up to expectations that couldn't have been lower , but I found myself enjoying this action adventurer quite a bit . It's film-making of the good old-fashioned Hollywood variety that carries within it a love of movies , as evidenced by the fact that it references everything from " Gone with the Wind " to " Lawrence of Arabia , " and magically ties in a " Wizard of Oz " theme that I very much liked . Nicole Kidman is the spunky Englishwoman who travels to Australia to save her recently-murdered husband's ranch . Hugh Jackman is the drover who assists her in leading the ranch's cattle to the port town of Darwin and selling them to the war effort , thereby eliminating the cattle monopoly enjoyed by the area's business tycoon . That's part one . Part two follows these same characters ' stories as WWII comes to Australia . The film is narrated by Nullah , a half-white / half-aboriginal boy adopted by Kidman , and used by the film's screenplay as a symbol of the cultural clash between the affluent , aristocratic and European-influenced Australia and its more primitive , mystical roots . " Australia " isn't the kind of movie that can stand up to much critical questioning , but I'm also not sure that it ever makes any claims that it can . It's a little too long , and there's a ridiculously one-dimensional villain who overstays his welcome . The special effects are also pretty poor , and for a film that's so much about the beauty of Australia , much of it looks like it was filmed against green screens rather than authentic Aussie backdrops . But in other ways it's a visually beautiful film , and many parts of it succeed in capturing the thrill of really well-done storytelling . It hearkens back to a time when films could be hugely popular and entertaining without sacrificing quality , a combination today's Hollywood has somehow lost the ability to produce . |
574,509 | 4,532,636 | 114,388 | 7 | Did I Accidentally Change the Channel to PBS ? | Solid if uninspired adaptation of the Jane Austen novel . There's absolutely nothing wrong with this film , but it's all a bit dull , a Masterpiece Theatre version of the story that would be as at home on PBS as on a big movie screen . Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet play the two sisters , one with sense and the other with sensibility , while Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman play the love interests . There's some nice footage of the English countryside , and it all goes down ever so pleasantly , but you're forgiven if you find yourself nodding off now and then . Directed by ( of all people ) Ang Lee . |
573,983 | 4,532,636 | 354,899 | 7 | A Charming , Sad Examination of the Inadequacy of Dreams | Michel Gondry wrote and directed this melancholy little film about a young man , Stephane , who , unwilling to cope with the realities of grief and loneliness , would rather escape into a vivid dream world over which he maintains much more control than he does in real life . He has never completely dealt with the death of his father , to whom he was very close , and is on friendly if awkward terms with his mother , who he comes to live with in Paris . He falls for his next door neighbor , Stephanie ( played by Charlotte Gainsbourg ) , but has trouble communicating his feelings to her . He likes her because , as he tells her at one point , she's the only person he knows who is " different , " but he approaches personal relationships like a child , throwing tantrums and lashing out in cruelty when he becomes frustrated by his inability to communicate what he feels . Gondry fills his movie with dream images and sequences , keeping us slightly off balance so that we feel somewhat like Stephane himself , never sure whether a conversation or episode is the product of a real-life encounter or of Stephane's vivid but troubled mind . I like Gael Garcia Bernal very much as an actor . He has the charm and looks to fall back on easy heartthrob roles , but he instead has chosen challenging , and many times unglamorous , parts for himself . There's much to like about Stephane , but there's also much about him that is unpleasant . Charlotte Gainsbourg gives a lovely performance as Stephanie , especially in the film's final moments , when Stephane says some hurtful things to her before crumbling into her embrace like a baby . There's a great deal of whimsical humour sprinkled throughout the film , provided mostly by Stephane's co-workers at a graphic design office , but the overall tone of the film is quite sad and poignant , and the open-ended conclusion leaves us wondering just how o . k . Stephane is going to be . We admire his imagination , but understand how inadequate his dreams and fantasies have been in preparing him for the harsh realities of life . In English , French and Spanish . |
574,481 | 4,532,636 | 30,993 | 7 | Capra Lite | So it's not like Frank Capra was known for making especially gritty films , but even at that this film is light stuff for him . It's entertaining enough but not very memorable . And the chunk of plot that was added for the movie version - - the lengthy courtroom scene - - attempts to open the movie up and give us some of that traditional Capra aw-shucksness , but it feels like exactly what it is - - tacked on material that was never meant to exist in the first place and only succeeds in making the film feel longer than it should be . It's got a good cast though . Jean Arthur is always adorable , and I'll watch a movie just because she's in it . Spring Byington plays the dotty family matriarch , a stock role in 30's movies , very well . The best performance probably comes from Lionel Barrymore : he seems beleaguered by a world that just won't let him and his family be , and your heart goes out to him . Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours , but you'd do better to watch " It Happened One Night " if you have a taste for screwball Capra . |
573,705 | 4,532,636 | 842,929 | 8 | The Paranoia of Adolescence | In Gus Van Sant's quietly disturbing " Paranoid Park , " teenagers look , sound and act like teenagers , with all of the awkward inarticulateness that comes with the age . I mention this because it places this film in bold relief against other current movies about teenagers , where teens are self-assured , beautiful and far more mature than any of their real-life counterparts ever actually are . For this I applaud Van Sant , and it's largely what makes " Paranoid Park " such a compelling viewing experience . The awkward teen at the center of Van Sant's film is Alex , a lonely kid trying to articulate feelings and emotions he doesn't yet have the adult vocabulary for . The general misery of being a teenager , the pressure of having sex with a girlfriend who drives him nuts and parents in the middle of a divorce would be bad enough to deal with , but Alex inadvertently causes the grisly death of a rail yard security guard , and the guilt that haunts him sends him fleeing to an interior world he already knows too well . Van Sant does a good job of constructing his film to resemble the inner workings of a distracted teenage mind . Alex , at the advice of a friend , decides to write down the secret haunting him , and his attempts to get it down in words are what we see play out on screen . Therefore , there are tangents , interruptions and moments told out of chronology that only make sense after moments that come later . People accuse Van Sant of trying too hard , sacrificing narrative for artistic tricks , etc . But however true that may be of his other efforts , I don't see that here . Van Sant shows a tremendous amount of compassion for this poor kid who doesn't know how to deal with something much bigger than him , and there's a strong emotional core to the film that Van Sant's distinct style serves rather than competes with . |
574,032 | 4,532,636 | 105,151 | 8 | So This Is What Altman Thinks of Hollywood | Leave it to Robert Altman to announce his return to Hollywood with a scathing indictment of it . After a decade of working in virtual anonymity , Altman made a comeback with this dark comedy , scoring his third Academy Award nomination as director and his first since " Nashville " nearly 20 years earlier . It's instantly recognizable as an Altman film - - the opening of the movie is an 8-minute tracking shot following various conversations about either story ideas or movies in general , including one about famous tracking shots from famous movies . Tim Robbins plays a self-absorbed producer who begins to receive death threats from an unknown writer whose idea Robbins ignored . As he becomes increasingly paranoid , the movie becomes increasingly like a nightmare , and the world of Hollywood begins to become more and more removed from the world of everyone else . Altman vents his frustration and disdain for the asinine business of making movies , even while he suggests that the business is worth putting up with in order to do what he loves . Pretty much everyone who had ever been in an Altman film to that point in time ( and many who hadn't ) have roles in this movie , some - - Peter Gallagher , Sydney Pollack , Vincent D'Onofrio , Whoopi Goldberg ( hilarious ) - - playing fictional characters while others - - too many to name - - play themselves . Robbins anchors the film though , with a great performance completely lacking in vanity . Only Altman would choose to do a full frontal male nude scene with the actor caked in mud . " The Player " is not actually one of my favorite Altman films , but it did signal his return to his typical large-scale ensemble format , and it allowed him to make " Short Cuts , " which IS one of my favorites , the very next year . |
573,743 | 4,532,636 | 89,881 | 8 | Grand Kurosawa Film Still Falls Short of " Seven Samurai " and " Throne of Blood " | Director Akira Kurosawa takes Shakespeare's " King Lear " and sets it in feudal Japan . What I love about Kurosawa films is true about " Ran " as well : he was capable of making popcorn entertainments that were infused with an art-house intellectualism . He made thinking man's action movies . " Ran " is right up there with some of his best work , but to me it falls short of what remains my favorite Kurosawa film , " Seven Samurai , " and even as his Shakespeare adaptations go , I was more wowed by " Throne of Blood , " his visceral re-telling of " Macbeth . " Incidentally , " Ran " brought Kurosawa his only Academy Award nomination for Best Director , and as it has done with so many tremendous film artists , the Academy had to admit that they'd botched things and handed him an honorary award as a consolation prize a few years later . |
573,376 | 4,532,636 | 63,227 | 8 | A Glorious Royal Feud | After " A Man for All Seasons , " " The Lion in Winter " is perhaps the best costume drama that came out of the 1960s , a decade rife with them . Peter O'Toole dons the garb of King Henry II for the second time in four years ( see " Becket " ) and commands the screen as ably as he always did . It's not a command he's allowed to take for granted though , because he has the life force of Katharine Hepburn playing his strong-willed wife , Eleanor of Aquitaine . Henry summons her from prison , and calls together also his sons , to decide the fate of his throne . The battle of wills and words that follows is juicy stuff , and you can tell O'Toole and Hepburn are having a divine time trading barbs and playing this eccentric couple , who hate each other even as they adore one another . It's a very unique treatment of material that would otherwise just be one more story about royal intrigue and dirty dealings . With a very young Anthony Hopkins as Richard III , providing us with a preview of the very fine actor he would become in his own right . |
574,248 | 4,532,636 | 268,690 | 8 | Terrific Ensemble in a Provocative Conversation Starter | My wife and I launched immediately into a conversation about this film before the end credits had even finished rolling . It's the kind of film that makes you want to apply some of its ideas and themes to your own life and experiences . At first I was worried . When the film began , I thought it was going to be an episodic experimental piece , with 13 different scenes each dealing with an aspect of happiness . This bothered me , because the first segment of the film left me wanting more of the same story and I would have been disappointed if the screenplay had never come back to it . However , the first few segments that seem at first to be unrelated begin to mesh in a fluid way ( but never in a way that feels forced ) , and what happens in one begins to illuminate the actions and feelings in another . Because of it's episodic nature , the actors don't get a lot of room to flesh out their characters , but the performances are still strong . Alan Arkin is especially good ( he always is ) . This one comes highly recommended . |
574,105 | 4,532,636 | 91,167 | 8 | One of Woody Allen's Five Best | A splendid ensemble dramedy from Woody Allen's mid-1980s period , at the time easily the best film he had made since Manhattan in 1979 . This is Allen when he's at his best - - he assembles a sharp team of actors , puts them in situations he knows like the back of his hand ( i . e . intellectual New York society ) , and , most importantly , directs the film like it's a Woody Allen movie , not a Fellini or Bergman ripoff . " Hannah and Her Sisters " blends comedy and drama in a way that is unique to Allen , and which he doesn't pull off very often ( " Annie Hall " and " Crimes and Misdemeanors " are two other examples that immediately spring to mind ) . Though Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest were singled out with Academy Awards , Barbara Hershey , Mia Farrow and Max von Sydow also do strong work . And fortunately Allen finds a role for himself as . . . . what else ? . . . . a neurotic hypochondriac . |
574,206 | 4,532,636 | 41,958 | 8 | So Much for the American Dream | Richard Conte plays a hot head recently returned from the Navy , who jumps in on a business deal out of personal vengeance when he finds out that a crooked produce dealer ( played in a characteristically tiresome performance by Lee J . Cobb ) not only cheated his father , but also caused him to lose use of his legs in an auto accident . He teams up with Millard Mitchell ( giving a wonderfully gruff performance ) to deliver a load of apples to Cobb in San Francisco . But Conte finds out that the dirty dealings surrounding the produce market in the big city are plentiful , and he and Cobb begin a cat and mouse game to see who can swindle who . And just to complicate matters , an enigmatic gamine ( played by Valentina Cortese ) shows up and takes a hankering to Conte . Is she playing him straight , or is she part of the whole corrupt mess ? Director Jules Dassin uses the rather mundane premise - - delivering a load of apples to a fruit market - - to frame a haunting and striking chronicle of one man's nightmare journey from the cosy confines of small-town America to the jangling , sinister and shadowy worlds of its urban jungles . POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD Though Dassin gives us a happy ending , it's a qualified one . After all , Conte turns his back on his devoted girl and his family to join the denizens of the city , and chooses the allure of the " worldy " vamp over that of the pristine virgin . In an America shaken up by WWII and desperately wanting to believe in the white picket American dream , this bitter pill of a film suggests that that dream isn't for everyone . With Jack Oakie and Joseph Pevney as a pair of rival apple sellers , who bring some nice shading to their supporting plot line . |
573,767 | 4,532,636 | 66,206 | 8 | Solidly Crafted and Smart WWII Drama | A fairly rousing WWII film that boasts a tremendous performance from George C . Scott in the title role . The movie begins famously with Scott addressing a troop of soldiers while standing in front of a massive American flag . It's a daring way to open a movie , and Scott makes it riveting . He's so good in the first few minutes that you might think the rest of the film loses some steam afterwards . It doesn't . Scott carries this film for its entire 170 minutes , and there's hardly a scene that he's not in . " Patton " isn't so much a biopic about one man as it is a document of one leader's decisions during wartime . It's smart and sensitive enough that it doesn't pander to easy sentiment or mindless patriotism , yet it's not exactly an indictment of war either . It seems to take the point of view that WWII was horrible but necessary , and that leaders like Patton were necessary if we were going to win - - people who seem custom made to exist during wartime and whom you can't imagine existing in any other context . |
573,898 | 4,532,636 | 361,411 | 8 | There's Nothing Not to Like | Unless you're just determined not to have a good time , I can't imagine how you could watch " Bride & Prejudice " and not come out of it with a smile on your face . Colorful , splashy , cheesy , and starring a bunch of gorgeous actors , both male and female , it updates Jane Austen's classic tale and tells it in the style of a Bollywood musical . Like most Bollywood musicals , the music in this is catchy while it's playing , but you won't remember any of it afterwards , since there are no strong discernible melodies . And the dance numbers aren't necessarily dance numbers so much as they are choreographed movement . But everything is sold so energetically that the festive mood is infectious . Aishwarya Rai just may be the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth , but women viewers will have plenty of eye candy to keep them happy as well . And fans of Marsha Mason will be pleased , as she makes an unexpected cameo late in the film . A treat . |
573,418 | 4,532,636 | 37,008 | 8 | Moody Mystery with Stunning Cinematography | Laura works in just about every way : acting , writing , production values . It's not an especially ambitious movie , and I was hoping it would explore the idea of obsession more thoroughly . One could have a field day reading subtext into " Laura " : the fetishizing of Laura herself as mere object ( emphasized by the portrait of her that hangs constantly in the background , and the valuable trinkets that fill Waldo Lydecker's apartment ) , the implied latent homosexuality of Lydecker as a motivation for his actions , etc . But ultimately I think " Laura " is a fairly superficial mystery / romance with not a whole lot to say , and Otto Preminger , the film's director , seems to be content with giving us an 88-minute movie that clips nicely if insignificantly along rather than a two-hour movie weighted down with psychological complexity . In this particular case , I don't mind , because what he's given us is one damn fine movie . The film of course revolves around Gene Tierney and its credibility relies on our belief that man after man would be infatuated with her . Overall I can buy this . She's certainly stunning and never too hard on the eyes . But she's also not a great actress , so anything compelling about her comes strictly from her looks and not from her performance . This seems to be true with many Hollywood beauties of the 40's ( and really even today when you think about it ) . Clifton Webb gets the lion's share of praise for this film , and rightly so . You can see him having a field day with the prissy , fastidious Lydecker , and whether or not the homosexual subtext is implied , one can't get away from the odd sexual tension that permeates his first scene with Dana Andrews ( whom he greets while sitting naked in a bathtub ) . Andrews himself uses his good looks and macho demeanor to good effect , but he's not required to do much beyond this . Vincent Price and Judith Anderson likewise don't have much to do , and Price especially seems like strange casting , given his high-pitched , fruity voice is at odds with the imposing physical presence his character is supposed to display ( and which Price has , voice aside ) . This is a slick , great-looking film shot in crisp black and white . Preminger directs fairly straight-forwardly , with only an occasional directorial flourish to distinguish this from the average studio fair . However , on the plus side , his unfussy direction lets the strong story and good cast speak for themselves . |
573,903 | 4,532,636 | 26,138 | 8 | Someone Get That Woman a Comb ! | One senses that James Whale's 1931 " Frankenstein " became a classic almost by accident . Its poignancy and artistry have lasted despite its attempts at being a throw-away monster movie . " Bride of Frankenstein , " however , feels like a movie setting out to become a high-camp classic , and it's to Whale's credit that it succeeds . If you don't live under a rock , the image of Elsa Lanchester , with her tower of black hair sticking straight up off of her head with a white lightning bolt zig-zagging down the sides , has to be familiar to you , even if you've never seen the movie . Her appearance in this was destined to be cloned by millions of Halloween costume-party goers for years afterwards . The hilarious romance between her and the monster takes center stage in this film , and Lanchester is a hoot as a hot-tempered woman impatient with her " primitive " male . It's the most unusual role Lanchester ever had . She normally played in supporting roles , usually as a demure maid or housekeeper . Here she vamps it up and manages to be surprisingly sexy for a woman newly created from dead people's body parts . If you're in the mood for a double feature , let " Frankenstein " make you sad and then let " Bride of Frankenstein " put a smile back on your face . |
574,220 | 4,532,636 | 37,094 | 8 | Davis and Rains Work Wonders Together | Bette Davis is given a role she can really sink her teeth into in this " women's picture " from 1944 . Davis plays Fanny Trellis , a spoiled young woman who marries the boring but very wealthy Job Skeffington ( Claude Rains ) as a way to save her wayward brother from bankruptcy . When the brother dies , she finds herself trapped in ( to her mind ) a loveless marriage and divorces . But when diphtheria leaves her physically ravaged , she sees how superficial her platoon of socialite friends and suitors really are , and it's old Job , who comes hobbling back from a Nazi concentration camp , who loves her for who she is and not what she looks like . My goodness , these 1940s melodramas could really cover a lot of territory . Some of them were duds and some of them were marvelous , and Davis starred in her fair share of both . " Mr . Skeffington " is definitely one of the latter . Davis was always so much better when she was playing a brat than when she was forced to do noble suffering , and she plays Fanny expertly and without an ounce of vanity . Rains is terrific too , and the real-life friendship that he and Davis shared off screen shows in the chemistry they have together on . Director Vincent Sherman keeps things moving briskly along , and it's not until the very end of the film that I began to feel its 145 minute running time . |
573,538 | 4,532,636 | 35,140 | 8 | The Melodrama to End All Melodramas | Now , Voyager is THE ultimate Bette Davis melodrama . She plays a frumpy , dowdy spinster ( they basically put some glasses on her and mess up her hair a little ) who blossoms into a strong beauty and ends the film swooning into Paul Henreid's arms as she delivers the famous line , " Let's not ask for the moon , we already have the stars . " It's actually a ridiculous movie , but who the hell cares ! The plot makes no sense , but the film seems to know its plot makes no sense and charges forward anyway . Of her noble sufferer roles , this was Davis's best , and she never disappoints . She has tremendous chemistry with Claude Rains , and the funniest moment in the film comes when he , as her doctor , talking to her about her time in a mental institution , says , " I thought you came here to have a breakdown , " ( or something to that effect ) , and she replies , " I did , but I changed my mind . " Gladys Cooper plays Davis's stifling , overbearing battle-axe of a mother , a role Cooper cornered the market on . And director Irving Pichel throws in some nice directorial flourishes to distinguish his film , such as the shot of Cooper , very disapproving of Davis's emergence from her shell , looming in the foreground with her back to the camera , forbiddingly drumming her fingernails against the wall while Davis busies herself in the background . No composition could more clearly communicate the relationship these two women have to each other , and it's all the more satisfying , therefore , SPOILER ALERT when Davis inadvertently sends the old biddy flying down the stairs to her death . But all that messy business is forgotten by the film's end , Davis triumphs ( as if anyone doubted she would ) , and all's right with the world . Ahhhhhh . . . . . . |
573,979 | 4,532,636 | 65,234 | 8 | A Dynamite Political Thriller | This feisty political thriller from director Costa-Gavras should feel eerily prescient to American audiences of today , whose government is trying to convince them that anyone critical of our country's military actions is an unpatriotic subversive . " Z " was filmed in Algeria with a largely French cast , but it's clearly about Greece and the enforced police state its people lived under from the end of WWII into the 1960s . This film made me feel incredibly ignorant about Greek history , and somewhat naive as well for not realizing that a country that I've always thought to be a cradle for democracy could have so recently harbored a totalitarian regime . The action of the film centers around the assassination of a Greek official who is leading a ground swell of support for a democratic , peaceful government , and the subsequent investigation of his death that leads to the indictment of the military leaders behind it . Costa-Gavras sets a breathless pace , and the screenplay doesn't so much follow one central storyline as it does many strands of different stories that converge at one single point . The style of the movie mimics the restless sense of injustice and anger that pervades its narrative ; the camera never seems content to sit in one place for too long , and it chases after one character only to become distracted and take off after another one . But the film is never confusing or convoluted . It's a firecracker of a movie that manages to both enrage and entertain . |
574,330 | 4,532,636 | 93,389 | 8 | Good But Rather Mainstream | Practically custom made to win Academy Awards , " The Last Emperor " did just that in 1987 , winning every single award for which it was nominated . Bernardo Bertolucci's sprawling historical epic is beautiful to look at , but it also has a brain in its head , something rare for the usual Best Picture winner . Still , it's one of the most accessible films Bertolucci has ever made , and one has to wonder if it would have received the acceptance it did had it not been so mainstream . After all , Bertolucci's masterpiece , " The Conformist " , a far better film than " The Last Emperor " in almost every way , was almost completely ignored by the stuffy Academy back in 1971 . |
574,427 | 4,532,636 | 70,608 | 8 | One of My Favorite Disney Cartoons | I LOVED this cartoon as a kid . I was and am an animal lover anyway , so the idea of Sherwood Forest being populated by a bunch of talking animals delighted me . My favorite characters were Prince John , the hapless lion with his crooked crown , and his right-hand man ( or snake ) , Sir Hiss . I especially enjoyed Prince John's unique way of robbing ladies of their rings , which was to suck them off their fingers while he was pretending to kiss their hands . The highlight of the film is the famous archery contest that turns into a wild and crazy football game . All these years later , I wonder if that section of the film was tipping its hat to the equally delirious football game in " MASH . " |
574,144 | 4,532,636 | 35,169 | 8 | Husband and Wife Can't Hate Each Other , No Matter How Hard They Try | The Palm Beach Story is a lopsided comedy ( part of it's funny and part of it's not ) , but the movie is back-ended with all of the funniest bits , so it allows you to forget the slower parts and it sends you out on a high . After a sensationally bizarre opening credits sequence , the movie settles down into a slightly less zingy version of " The Awful Truth . " Claudette Colbert thinks her marriage to Joel McCrea isn't working , even though he doesn't think likewise . She thinks she's not a capable enough wife ; he thinks he's a failure as a man and husband . She takes off for Palm Beach to get a divorce despite all of his attempts to stop her . On the train to Florida , she meets a wealthy tycoon who wants to marry her and give her everything she could possibly want , but she realizes that what she really wants is her husband . This is all told with a lot of wit and flair . The early scenes with Colbert and McCrea drag , and an extended bit of nonsense on the train involving the Ale and Quail Hunting Club is superfluous and not very funny . But once everyone shows up in Palm Beach , the film becomes a delight , and a bonus is added in the person of Mary Astor , who plows on to the screen about half way through the film and decimates everyone in her path with her quick-tongued and hilarious performance as a rich society lady with a lot of time on her hands and her sights set on Colbert's husband . What I liked about this film was that Colbert and McCrea don't seem to have a lot of chemistry in their early scenes together ; he seems so stiff and bland , and you don't really blame her for wanting to get away . But after you've seen both of them with other people , they seem so much more right for each other when they get back together , and there's all this chemistry you didn't initially realize was there . I don't know if that's due to their performances , the writing , the directing , or whether it was just a happy accident , but it works beautifully . |
573,630 | 4,532,636 | 43,792 | 8 | Thelma Ritter Film Is Sitcom Light , But a Treat | An absolutely charming film from 1951 that finds working class John Lund marrying well-to-do Gene Tierney and then spending the first weeks of their marriage trying to hide his blue collar past . Things get complicated when Lund's mom ( played beautifully by Thelma Ritter ) is hired to be their live-in cook without Tierney knowing she's her mother-in-law ( long story ) , and even more complicated when Tierney's snobbish horror of a mother ( Miriam Hopkins ) stays for a long visit . Though lightweight and sitcom tidy , the film does make some sharp jabs at the corporate drive mentality that mistakes material possessions and social standing for success . It's no surprise that the most convincing argument for watching the film is Ritter herself , who I simply adore . Every time I see her in a movie I wish I knew her for real , so that she could come to my house and take care of me in that supremely capable way in which she was always taking care of the other characters in her films . |
573,375 | 4,532,636 | 63,385 | 8 | An Extremely Likable Screen Version of an Extremely Likable Stage Musical | The last good old-fashioned musical of the 1960s , " Oliver ! " is of course a musicalized version of Charles Dickens ' classic novel " Oliver Twist . " If the bouncy-jouncy treatment eliminates much of what is dark about the book ( and which the 1948 David Lean version nicely captures ) , it makes up for it in colorful and splashy production numbers . At this time in Hollywood , studios were trying to make big musicals but in an arty way , copping trendy cinematic conventions to tell hopelessly stage-bound stories - - thus it gave us " Camelot " and " Funny Girl " and other gangly products . So it's refreshing that no effort was made to make " Oliver ! " the least bit cinematic . It looks and moves like a stage production ; the sets look like stage sets . Therefore , the movie retains everything that made the musical good in the first place . Luckily , and smartly , the film also decided to retain Ron Moody in the central role of Fagin , recreating his Broadway performance , rather than wedge some big-shot movie star into the film who would look ridiculous mouthing the words to someone else's singing voice . The score , one of my favorites , sounds terrific , and most of the songs are kept intact , with the addition of one written specifically for the film , " As Long As He Needs Me , " which has subsequently been integrated into stage productions . Some of the show-stopping highlights include the " Consider Yourself " number , Fagin's " You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two , " in which he teaches Oliver how to be a crack petty thief , the " Who Will Buy ? " dance sequence , and Nancy's boozy song , " Oom-Pah-Pah , " which serves a different and more effective purpose in the film than it did in the stage version . Carol Reed , known for his stylish Graham Greene screen adaptations " The Fallen Idol " and " The Third Man , " does directing honors here , and he won the Best Director Oscar for his efforts , most likely because the Academy felt guilty for not awarding him for much worthier efforts ( the exact same reasoning landed George Cukor an Oscar for " My Fair Lady " four years earlier ) . |
574,053 | 4,532,636 | 332,375 | 8 | A Nifty Bit of Satire | Saved ! includes some pretty witty satire , but none of its points will be heard , because audiences will be too busy jumping on to one bandwagon or another instead of thinking about what the movie has to say . Liberals will love " Saved ! " for its attack on religious hypocrisy and the annoying tendency of the conservative Right to want to shove their way of thinking down everyone's throats . Conservatives will hate this movie because they will see in it an attack on religion in general , and will probably call for public bans of it in their communities . When really " Saved ! " , like so many misunderstood movies with a left-leaning agenda , is about tolerance , about not passing quick judgements , and about allowing everyone a voice in the cultural debate rather than trying to railroad everyone into his / her individual opinion . But alas , most movie audiences aren't interested in debate ; they're just interested in railroading . |
574,150 | 4,532,636 | 59,043 | 8 | Terrence Stamp Delivers Creepy Performance in Deeply Unsettling Film | This intensely creepy film showcases director William Wyler in his intimate , character-study mode , and features a superb performance from Terrence Stamp in the title role , as the " collector " of beauty . Stamp creates a portrait of sexual obsession that is every bit as unsettling in its way as the long legacy of serial killer movies in existence . Samantha Eggar , as one of Stamp's " specimens , " is used more as a catalyst for driving the plot and less as a character for whom we have any great deal of interest . Is that a flaw of the material or the intention of Wyler and novelist John Fowles , on whose book this is based ? If their intention was to make us sympathize with , and even relate to , the character with the obsession , they succeed brilliantly . The ending genuinely surprised me , which happens all too infrequently in movies like this . The film feels like a product of independent cinema before independent cinema really existed . |
573,619 | 4,532,636 | 332,379 | 8 | Jack Black Scores | Jack Black is like Jim Carrey - - he works so hard at his comedy that the strain at first overshadows the humour . But like Jim Carrey , he keeps so insistently at his viewers that they can't help but be won over totally by his zaniness . I didn't think Black was very funny when this movie started , but he plays the role so earnestly and with so much personality that I was a Jack Black fan by the time it was over . There seems to be a generation of film makers now ( Richard Linklater , Cameron Crowe ) that are redefining the qualities that can make someone " cool , " and their movies are full of welcome messages . Cool isn't about how you look or dress or act . Cool's a state of mind , man . Peace out . |
574,010 | 4,532,636 | 83,946 | 8 | Into the Jungle Again with Werner Herzog | Director Werner Herzog returns once more to the wilds of the jungle and yet one more protagonist who finds there the atmosphere to feed his frenzied obsessions . In this one , Klaus Kinski plays an opera lover who is determined to build an opera house in the middle of the Amazon rain forest . In order to achieve his dream , though , he must first make a fortune in the area's biggest industry : rubber . The scheme he conjures up involves sailing a boat down one branch of the Amazon , carrying it over a mountain , and sailing up the other side . This feat comprises a large bulk of the film , and was shot without the aid of any special effects . One wonders why Herzog ever bothers to make fiction films at all , since even the ones he does make feel like documentaries . This isn't the first film of his in which the actual narrative storytelling feels obligatory , and is almost lost amid Herzog's detached observation . This marred my enjoyment of " Fitzcarraldo " somewhat , as Kinski's objective and the developments of the plot are somewhat difficult to follow . It's as if Herzog has to wrench himself away from simply filming unscripted action when someone on his crew reminds him that he's actually trying to tell a story . However , the viewer is compensated by beautiful , authentic location shooting in the Amazon and fascinating exposure to the native Peruvian tribes . If these were actors and not actual natives , Herzog does a hell of a good job of convincing us otherwise . |
574,273 | 4,532,636 | 412,019 | 8 | Good Movie from an On Again / Off Again Director | I can't think of an actor better suited to play the expressionless chronic bachelor Don at the heart of Jim Jarmusch's newest movie than Bill Murray . His mournful hound-dog face , which hides any trace of what's going on inside the head on which it sits , stares blankly at the T . V . , at other people , sometimes at nothing , betrays itself with the slightest movement of the mouth or twitch of the eyes . It's a characterization Murray has so down pat that I'm tempted to think he's not really acting all that much , but he's so perfectly cast that it doesn't much matter whether he's acting or not . If you're not familiar with the movies of Jim Jarmusch , " Broken Flowers " is a nice introduction , as it's the most accessible Jarmusch film I've seen . I'm not a huge fan , but I liked this movie quite a lot . Don receives an anonymous letter one day from a past girlfriend , telling him he has a 19-year-old son who may come looking for him . Murray's friend , Winston ( played amusingly by the chameleon Jeffrey Wright ) , convinces him to track down a handful of women who could have possibly been the mother and resolve the mystery . Don agrees to it , seemingly not so much because he has a need to know but because he has nothing better to do . What follows is a series of scenes with each past girlfriend , during which their interactions with Don tell us heaps about their relationship back when they were dating . Some are affectionate , some are distant , one is downright scarily angry , but all are played beautifully by a quartet of actresses : Sharon Stone , Frances Conroy , Jessica Lange and Tilda Swinton . This is Jarmusch , so there aren't necessarily any tidy answers , and I don't think I give anything away by saying that the mystery is never solved . Life is messy , and it doesn't always happily resolve itself just because we want it to . I liked how subtle the film was ; Don doesn't make any huge ground-breaking discoveries about himself , but nevertheless you sense that he's a slightly different person after his journey than he was before it . You'll have to be patient , as Jarmusch tells his story very slowly , and nearly all of Don's interaction with others is ponderously awkward . But the movie slowly begins to fascinate , and you find yourself watching the faces of the women he visits ( and examining the visible details of their lives ) much in the same way that Don is himself , looking for the slightest hint that she might be the one who sent that fateful letter . A very fine film , poignant and sad in a rather obscure way , and one that stays in your mind for a while after seeing it . |
573,804 | 4,532,636 | 912,592 | 8 | Human Interest Story or Hoax ? We May Never Know . . . . | Meet Marla Olmstead , a cute , seemingly normal 4-year-old girl . Then see the paintings Marla creates , hailed by the art world as the works of a prodigy abstract artist . Now meet Amir Bar-Lev , documentary filmmaker so fascinated by Marla's story that he decides to make a movie about it . Then along comes a " 60 Minutes " investigative report that throws into question the claim that Marla alone is responsible for her paintings , and Bar-Lev's film switches gears mid-stream . Suddenly , he's begging the parents of this little girl to prove to him that their story is legitimate , so that his film won't end up being one more expose declaiming the family as frauds . This ambiguous and disquieting film never answers the central question : are Marla's works her's alone , or did she receive " help " from her father or possibly , as some suggest , the bitter art gallery owner who takes credit for discovering her ? Bar-Lev tries his best to gather evidence to support the Olmsteads ' claims , but that evidence never materializes . The kind of painting Marla does when she's being filmed is the type that any four year old would do ; all of her paintings are " finished " off camera . And Marla herself just doesn't act like a prodigy in the way of other child prodigies . Bar-Lev can't even get her to talk about her paintings , and she seems detached not only from the artworks but from everything else around her . Only once do the Olmsteads themselves film Marla creating a painting from start to finish , and they use this painting to prove to the world that they're not making their story up . But virtually everyone but the Olmsteads themselves seem to think that this painting looks very different from the finished ones hanging in art galleries and selling for thousands of dollars . Whatever the true story is , the film leaves the distinct impression that something is amiss with this seemingly all-American family . The dad seems cagey ; the mom seems to be working overtime to convince herself that everything is normal . A telling interview with the two parents that closes the film suggests that the couple may not be completely happy with one another - - their body language and lack of eye contact with one another conveys that . One senses that the dad is seeing some of his own dreams for fame realized through his daughter ; the mom seems to be going against the maternal instincts that are telling her enough is enough . As objective as Bar-Lev tries to be , the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the Olmsteads ( or at least Mark Olmstead , the father ) is bamboozling ( or at least trying to bamboozle ) everyone , possibly even his wife . " My Kid Could Paint That " is not the kind of documentary that pursues answers to the questions it raises . Bar-Lev seems almost too cautious not to offend anyone for his film to have any real bite . But the questions it does raise are interesting ones : what is the validity of abstract art ? Does the age of the artist have an impact on the art's quality ? Would Marla's paintings have received as much attention and acclaim if they were produced by an adult , or in buying Marla's paintings , are people really buying a piece of Marla ? I felt a little guilty watching this film , because I wanted the set up to be a fraud from the start . I don't know why that is , and I wonder if as I watched the film this attitude made me see the story I wanted to see rather than the story as it actually was . But if I can be accused of that , then so can Bar-Lev , and so can the Olmsteads themselves , who , whether their story is true or not , put it before the world and packaged it for maximum effect . |
573,556 | 4,532,636 | 912,593 | 8 | The Best Iraq-Themed Movie of 2007 | In retrospect , I suppose 2007 will go down as the year in which filmmakers began addressing the problems in Iraq . The number of Iraq-themed films has piled up and disappeared at a breathtaking pace . Maybe it's not a surprise that the best of them so far is the one that doesn't try to turn the conflict into something fictional . All of the other Iraq movies have been well intentioned but limp ; you can tell they want to address what's wrong without truly enraging anyone . Well , Charles Ferguson , the writer and director of " No End in Sight , " has no such qualms , and his film enrages indeed . Meticulously crafted , " No End in Sight " proves what everyone has already known for a long time : the Iraq conflict is a complete disaster . The film is certainly biased ; anyone who wants to discount it based on that fact is welcome to . But anyone who wants to deny that America's handling of post-invasion Iraq has been anything but a complete " quagmire " ( to borrow a word from the film ) is hopelessly deluded . " No End in Sight " is not about whether or not the war in Iraq was justified ; in fact , the film goes out of its way to affirm that at first many Iraqis were happy that the U . S . had deposed Saddam Hussein . Rather , the film is about what went wrong after the invasion , about how groups that actually had a reconstruction plan were met with indifference at every step by an administration that really cared nothing for the Iraqi people even as they fed the American public a lot of hooey about bringing freedom and democracy to them . This film makes clear that for all of its recent talk about dangerous nations destabilizing the world's peace , the United States is one of the most dangerous countries currently in existence . It's terrifying that governments are run like this ; if this film is accurate , my office at work is better managed than the project for occupying post-war Iraq . Ferguson can't be blamed if his film seems one sided . None of the key decision makers managing Iraq policy - - Cheney , Rumsfeld , Rice , Bremer - - agreed to be interviewed for the film . The only consolation the film offers is that Cheney , Bush and Rumsfeld now look like complete fools . Either they thought they had a good plan for rebuilding Iraq and proved themselves to be ridiculously incompetent ; or ( and more likely ) they never really cared about what happened to Iraq in the first place and have proved themselves to be downright scary . |
573,570 | 4,532,636 | 342,172 | 8 | A Fine and Sad Documentary of Family Dysfunction | This compelling documentary about the Friedman family and a child sexual abuse court case that turned their lives upside down is a heartbreaking peek into the lives of one very dysfunctional family . Like most families who have painful secrets they want to suppress , the Friedmans ( except for the mother ) , act as if absolutely nothing is wrong , that the charges are silly and that everything will be cleared up as quickly as a parking ticket . On the evening before the family patriarch , Arnold Friedman , is to begin serving his prison sentence , the family is partying like it's New Year's Eve . And the same holds true for the day on which the son charged as an accomplice , Jesse Friedman , plans to plead guilty in court . The brothers are goofing off on the courthouse lawn ! ! Of course we , as objective viewers , realize that all of this behavior is a desperate attempt to avoid dealing with some serious tears in the family fabric . Arnold pleads innocent to molesting boys to whom he had been providing computer classes in his basement , but is it a coincidence that he seems to go to prison with a substantial sense of relief ? The boys paint their mother as a demon intent on destroying the family , but it's the mother who comes across as being the most grounded in reality and the only one ( besides Arnold himself ) who understands the gravity of the family's circumstances . No , these certainly are not the Waltons . The documentary does a very compelling job of casting doubt on the fact that Arnold and his son were guilty of molesting boys in that computer class . Our sympathies definitely lie with them , until we find out late in the film that they were probably lying to the authorities and , because we as viewers have become so vested in their story , to us . We probably will never know exactly what happened during those classes . Arnold asserts to his dying day that he never molested any of those students , but he does admit to molesting other boys . So how are we supposed to feel ? Glad that he receives punishment for past crimes , or angry at the judicial system for fabricating a crime where one didn't exist ? It's a complicated set of emotions the film maker leads his audience through , and it makes for a superb documentary . |
573,590 | 4,532,636 | 918,927 | 8 | To Doubt Is Human | Doubt can be a bond as strong as fear . If ever there was a time in our country's recent history where that line carried the force of relevance , it's now . And though it's set in the early 1960s ( roughly a year after the Kennedy assassination ) , there's no doubt that John Patrick Shanley's adaptation of his own Pulitzer-Prize winning stage play is a response to these dark times , when the only thing that seems to be uniting Americans is their collective insecurity and ever-weakening belief that things are going to get better . At the center of " Doubt " is the mystery of whether or not a priest ( played by Philip Seymour Hoffman ) is guilty of taking advantage of an altar boy . The priest's primary ( and really sole ) prosecutor is Sister Aloysius , the uber-stern and terrifying principal of the Catholic school that provides " Doubt " its setting . Watching Hoffman and Streep spar is like watching two professional tennis players at their best , and fans of expert movie acting should waste no time in seeing the sparks fly between these two . The movie purposely never clarifies the ambiguity of the charges - - is Hoffman's priest truly guilty of something , or is Sister Aloysius simply on a mad witch hunt ? Streep's character is the most fascinating . From one perspective , she's a nearly maniacal harpie , intent on ruining a man's life and career for no clear reason . However , if her accusations are legitimate , she's a sort of hero , demanding justice from a male-dominated world that's willing to look the other way . Streep's performance is something fascinating to behold - - she can convey more with an arched eyebrow than another actor can with his entire face . Amy Adams gets the pivotal role of a young , innocent nun who first brings her suspicions about the priest to her superior , and then sees them become Frankenstein's monster . In many ways , Adams ' character is us , the audience , placed in the position of having to come to a conclusion on our own when empirical evidence is lacking . Adams ' role is the least showy , but she does much with it . And then there's Viola Davis , who , in five minutes of screen time , decimates the audience with some shocking conclusions of her own as the altar boy's mother . The insulated , hushed world of the Catholic Church is blown wide open by this struggling mother , who's seen more of the world than any of the priests and nuns sheltered behind the church's walls , and who puts the film's running themes of racial and gender inequality into harsh perspective . The central conflict in " Doubt " in many ways comes down to each individual's view of the world and his or her ability to accept the ambiguity of day to day living . There's a lot about the world we will never know and much about our futures we'll never be able to control . So what's better - - anticipating the worst and therefore being prepared when it comes ; or believing in the best and running the risk of being disappointed when it fails to arise ? The movie just poses this question - - it doesn't try to answer it . " Doubt " is not a fancy movie and will win no awards for its cinematic audacity . But in looking back at the movies of 2008 , I imagine it will stand as one of the best-acted films of the year . |
573,416 | 4,532,636 | 83,922 | 8 | Almost a Masterpiece | After having seen many Bergman films , I finally got my hands on this , considered by many to be the master's masterpiece . Not really about the children Fanny and Alexander ( as the title would suggest ) so much as about the entire Ekdahl family , this film is meticulously detailed and highly autobiographical . It looks absolutely fabulous ; cinematographer and Bergman regular Sven Nykvist outdoes himself with his crystal clear compositions . Bergman's directorial style is at times a bit too static ; he lets his camera sit motionless far too frequently , fine when focused on a face or tableau , but uninteresting when simply filming a group or room from long shot . But overall , he is in complete mastery of the material . I saw the full-length , five-hour television version , and the first half of this is flawless . Documenting the Ekdahl family Christmas , the death of Oscar ( Fanny and Alexander's father ) and their subsequent move to the home of their stepfather and religious tyrant , this part of the film is compulsively watchable . The characters ( with the exception of little Fanny herself ) are painted with detailed strokes by the acting and writing , and Bergman uses his production design to great effect , juxtaposing the sumptuous interiors of the Ekdahl's home with the ascetic house of the stepfather . The movie floundered a bit for me , though , in the second half . Here Bergman indulges his preoccupation with many of the themes that he's visited so often before ; because of their familiarity , they came across this time as pretentious and tired . The existential longing , the fear of death , the blurring of personas : how many times can you explore these same themes and keep them interesting ? Perhaps if I had not already seen so many Bergman films I would have fared better here . As it was , I found myself checking my watch frequently in the film's final hour or so . But the overall impression I took away from this film was that I had seen an important work by an important film maker . I still think " Persona " and " Cries and Whispers " are better movies , but " Fanny and Alexander " is a must see for any Bergman fan , and really for any fan of cinema , period . |
574,089 | 4,532,636 | 110,932 | 8 | Redford's Fiendishly Entertaining Movie About Entertainment | Robert Redford reminded everyone what a good director he could be with this slick and supremely entertaining film about the quiz show scandals in the early days of television . The subject seems at first glance like rather feeble material for good drama - - after all , it all happened so long ago and it was just a silly T . V . game show we're talking about here . But Redford digs into something deeper , namely the power television ( or any medium , for that matter ) has over its audience and the responsibility of that audience to play an active role in processing the information that medium is feeding to it . With stellar performances from Ralph Fiennes , Rob Morrow , Paul Scofield and , yes , even John Turturro , an actor I generally resist . |
573,871 | 4,532,636 | 328,538 | 8 | A Gut Punch | Thirteen begins with literal punches being thrown - - best friends Tracy and Evie are slugging each other to prove how numb they are from the huffing they've been doing in Tracy's bedroom - - and continues with an unrelenting aggressiveness until its penultimate , quiet moment . I don't have any children myself , and my teenage years were nothing like what's depicted on screen here , but I have a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach that " Thirteen " is not as over the top as some would like to believe . I only hope parents are watching this film , though as is typical , movies like this preach to the choir , and those who should be seeing them aren't . This film is visceral in the same way " Requiem for a Dream " is , though Catherine Hardwicke keeps a tighter rein on her project than Darren Aronofsky did his . She indulges in some of the same stylistic excesses - - the frenzied camera work , the digitized color , the pounding soundtrack - - but they don't overwhelm her actors . And indeed , it's the actors who deserve the lion's share of praise for this film . Evan Rachel Wood absolutely astounds as Tracy . I know vaguely of the T . V . show she starred in , but I wouldn't have been able to pick her out of a crowd before seeing her here . Her performance is raw and scary - - I don't know what real-life resources this young actress is drawing from , but she convinced me that she was a teenager teetering on the brink of disaster . Nikki Reed , who co-wrote the screenplay , is very good as well , but has a decidedly more supporting , less involved role . And Holly Hunter , a reliable veteran , delivers the goods as well as Tracy's mom . Her final emotional show-down with Tracy is one of the most affecting coups de theatre I saw this year . Hardwicke's use of enhanced color is unnecessary and distracting - - - it's too obvious and stylized and blunts the effects of the film's realistic approach . Ditto the MTV editing style - - - at times this movie looks like a Noxzeema commercial from Hell . This is obviously intentional - - - we are meant to understand that these girls are only trying to live up to expectations places upon them by an all-pervading consumer culture that demands perfection . But I wouldn't have minded a more subtle approach to those conclusions - - I don't need them crammed down my throat . However , as I said , this quality might ruin a lesser film , but doesn't this one because of its phenomenal performances and genuine commitment to the tragic story it wants to tell . |
573,372 | 4,532,636 | 63,442 | 8 | Monkey Business | Charlton Heston dons a loincloth and impersonates a human in this cheezy cult classic about a future world where apes walk upright and speak in clipped British accents . What a fun movie this is , thanks mostly to Heston's inability to deliver a line in a manner that even remotely resembles the way an actual human being would deliver it ( " You bloody baboon ! ! " ) The film makes a nice companion piece with another 1968 release in which apes figure heavily , " 2001 : A Space Odyssey , " though neither film will leave you feeling especially rosy about the eventual fate of man ( we're apparently going to be either personal valets to gorillas or abstract fetuses floating through space ) . A host of classy actors appears in this , but you won't recognize any of them , thanks to the truly impressive makeup effects of John Chambers . And take note , M . Night Shyamalan - - THIS is the way to use a surprise ending . |
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