Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

Ingmar Bergman is always amazing me.  The first aspect of this film that impressed me was that it never feels like you're watching two people talking, but that's exactly what this film is.  Somehow he frames every shot just right.  Whether its a close up or a medium shot, he gives the viewer enough variety without boring you.  All while two supreme actors, Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson, deliver the second aspect of this film that blew me away, they're raw, naturalistic demonstration of brilliant reacting and listening that only great actors understand.  I only wished I had done my homework before renting it because I should have seen the television version which is 80 minutes longer and would have been the more complete version.  Alas, I saw the shorter theatrical version.  It's always hard to recommend Bergman movies to people because they're so heavy with psychological exploration.  This isn't a really fun escapist film.  It's a work of art that explores the nature of relationships whether married or not.  But it's worth the invested time because it brings about ideas that everyone in a relationship or who wants to be in relationship should be reminded of.  Not that these character's marriage represents all unions, for I must add this is a dramatic work, it's a fantastic battle of wits and another example of Bergman's genius.  Grade: A.    

Capitalism: A Love Story

Either love him or hate him, Michael Moore is an important voice of our times, sure a biased voice with a wicked wit, but one everyone needs to hear as this crazy world keeps on spinning.  The only thing I objected to in this documentary was its broad attack on Capitalism when its really personal greed that's to blame for everything that's demonstrated in his film.  Sure Capitalism is the system in which such greed flourishes but if regulated by independent agencies (which Goldman Saks isn't) its a great way to promote healthy competition and real progress.   If we didn't have capitalism would we have some of the major advances in technology we have now?   I don't know; but I suspect not.  (Of course, perhaps I'm as brainwashed as the rest of America.) Still this documentary outlines how rich banks and corporations have like great puppet masters taken over our government.   The sad thing is that I don't believe America will do anything about it.   Just listen to Rush Limbaugh or any Tea Party politician and you'll see that the brainwash is continuing.  Socialism is still considered a bad word when even the great FDR spoke of it, in a scene that really shows how backwards America is.  I also didn't think the parts of the documentary where Michael Moore shows people losing their homes works.  It's a cheap sympathy story line that distracts from the best parts of the documentary, like when he gives us facts demonstrating how wrong things went during Reagan's era.  I don't think Mr. Moore is really a film documentarian or a journalist.   He's an entertainer with a very liberal agenda.  But why is this a bad thing.  We need more thinkers like him who show us our society from outside the box.   Get the debate started.   Is Capitalism-run-wild immoral?   I think so.  Grade: B+.   

L'illusionniste [The Illusionist] (2010)

Sylvain Chomet's follow up to The Triplettes of Bellview is a magical film based on an unproduced script by Jacques Tati.  If you've ever seen Mr. Hulot's Holiday's you'll recognize the animated version of Jacques Tati, who is the Illusionist, a magician simply trying to suvive a competitve world of expanding entertainment while granting a young woman all that she dreams of.  Like Triplettes, Chomet's film has very minimal dialogue and acts almost like a silent film.  What I especially loved about this movie was how it communicated so many ideas, from consumerism to the fraility of artists, without preaching at the audience.  Bravo.  Tati would have been impressed and if you are a fan of such French sensibilities you will be too.  The American Academy did well nominating this one for an Oscar.  Grade: A. 

Choke (2008)

Admission: I have read the book this film is based on by Chuck Palahnuik so my view of it is tainted.  As a fan of the book I was very curious how Clark Clegg would adapted what is in essence a very NC-17 rated dark comedy.  I have bad news folks.  This one is a dud.  It has its moments.  There was even times when I thought the film might transcend below-average-ville into the neighborhood of decent land.   But it never does.  Sam Rockwell delivers a pretty good performance but you can tell its the script that is keeping his talents tied down.  Mostly it makes the same mistakes all bad book adaptions make and that is it stays too true to the book without finding its own identity as a film.  Cinematically it's very flat without the visual artistry most audiences crave for and expect .  Clark is an actor with the best intentions yet his directing chops need some work if he is ever to prove to me he knows what he's doing.  I read he rushed its completion to get into Sundance and it shows.  My suggestion with this one is to just read the book.  It's a much better experience.  Grade: C+.

Spoiler:  I must add that the sex in this film is as bland as the underdeveloped characters that populate this film.  There's got to be a way to make this film rated-R without sacrificing the raunchiness.  If only the book had been optioned by a more daring individual.   For example the "fake rape" scene was pitiful.  The comic blundering is lost when you don't show even some nudity.   I especially was insulted by the sex scenes with the doctor.  It's painfully obvious they're acting like their having sex.

Burn Notice (Season 3)

To continue our run of espionage -themed entertainment lets switch to tv.  I just finished this adventure show's third season.  The A-Team meets MacGyver premise is losing its luster.  The repetitive nature of episodic storytelling is showing for the first time for Michal Weston.   While still enjoyable I was hoping for some more changes and danger.  At the end of Season two I was expecting a dramatic shake up but after the first episode of this new season everything went back to the way it was.  Just when the action and the danger start to get pumped back into the story it's over.  Of course it's still a good show to watch and I recommend it for anyone who likes to see a ex-spy help people.  I was just hoping Weston faced some better opposition.  Grade: B+.

Salt (2010)

Watch Angela Jolie kick some ass in another example of silliness from the Hollywood Fun Factory.   Experience a premise that has much promise, that being sleeper USSR spies embedded in America, get squashed by predictability and flaws in logic.  But that's okay because this is all for fun.  Safe, nothing risky or thought provoking fun.  Think Bourne Identity with a woman, a Bonnie Identity without guts.   Phillip Noyce sure knows how to create a sequence of dazzling spectacle and violence.  I just wish there had been something more. Grade: B.

OSCAR 2011 - NOMINATION REACTION

It’s time to revisit my predictions and review the nominations.  I have to admit I did pretty well. 

BEST PICTURE
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit
Toy Story 3
Black Swan
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
127 hours
Winter’s Bone
The Social Network
            9/10: I wavered on this one.  I wanted to give 127 hours a spot but I just thought Blue Valentine would make the grade.  It’s too bad Winter’s Bone is in there; it’s my least favorite of the ten.  Snubbed-- Blue Valentine.       

BEST DIRECTOR
Tom Hooper – The King's Speech
Ethan and Joel Coen - True Grit
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
David Fincher - The Social Network
David O.Russell- The Fighter
            4/5: Mr. Russell did a fine job but it’s inexcusable that Christopher Nolan didn’t make the cut.  Nolan was better than half of the nominees.  Snubbed--Christopher Nolan.

BEST ACTOR
Colin Firth – The King's Speech
Jeff Bridges – True Grit
Javier Bardem - Biutiful
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
James Franco – 127 Hours 
            3/5: I should have gone with my gut.  Javier Bardem was an easy choice but I was suckered by Paul Giamatti simply because I love him as an actor.   The criminal omission is Ryan Gosling.  Snubbed—Ryan Gosling. 

BEST ACTRESS
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawernce – Winter’s Bone
Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine
            3/5: Hailee Steinfeld should have been nominated here; she’s the main character.   But alas, at least she was recognized.  In my opinion Julianne Moore was the better of the two performances in the lesbian duo of The Kids Are All Right.  At least Michelle Williams got in here, yeah.  Snubbed—Julianne Moore. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christain Bale - The Fighter
Geoffrey Rush – The King's Speech
Jonathan Hawks – Winter’s Bone
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right
Jeremy Renner – The Town
            4/5:  I completely forgot about Mr. Hawks.  This was a delightful misstep on my part.  I’m elated that he got in there.  No snubbed performance here.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom
Amy Adams – The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld -True Grit
            4/5:  At least Hailee Steinfeld is somewhere in the running.  But while I think Amy Adams is a sensational actress she is the weakest link.  Snubbed--Lesley Manville.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Inception
The King's Speech
The Kids Are All Right
Another Year
The Fighter
            4/5: Darn it, I knew Another Year would get in there.   But when I couldn’t fit Black Swan in there I took it out.  I just thought the voters would like Black Swan more.  But they love Mike Leigh; he’s always nominated for this category even when he doesn’t really write in the traditional sense.  Snubbed—Black Swan.

 BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Social Network
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
127 Hours
Toy Story 3
            4/5:  This is great.  I didn’t realize that sequels counted as Adapted screenplays (seems odd to me, but oh well).  If I had known this, this is exactly the nominations I’d have guessed.   I’m so glad the Town was excluded.   No snubs here.

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Toy Story 3
How to Train a Dragon
The Illusionist
            2/3: I again second guessed myself.  I put down the Illusionist, which does look great, but changed my mind because I wanted badly for Tangled to win a spot.  Too bad they just couldn’t open this one up to 4 nominations like they did for song.   
                       
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Inception
The Social Network
How to Train Your Dragon
King’s Speech
127 hours
            4/5:  Elfman is out.  That’s okay.  I don’t have a problem with this one.   

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Inception
Harry Potter 7 Pt.1
Alice in Wonderland
Hereafter
Iron Man 2
            2/5:  I’m confused.  Usually this is a three spot category but I guess this year they went with five.  Still I’m shocked that Tron Legacy wasn’t nominated.  It had easily the best special effects of any movie this year except for Inception.  Snubbed--Tron Legacy

BEST ART DIRECTION
King's Speech
Inception
Alice in Wonderland
True Grit
Harry Potter 7 Pt.1
            3/5:  Almost satisfied with this one except I think Tron Legacy should have been included instead of Harry Potter.  Snubbed: Tron Legacy

BEST COSTUMES
True Grit
Alice in Wonderland
The King’s Speech
The Tempest
I Am Love
            2/5:  Not bad at all.  I’m happy with this one.

BEST EDITING
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
Black Swan
127 Hours
The Fighter
            3/5:  I can’t believe I forgot the Fighter; it deserves a nomination.  I’m disappointed though that Inception didn’t make it with all of its complex sequences.  Snubbed—Inception.
 
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The King’s Speech
True Grit
Inception
Black Swan
            5/5:  Perfect.

I was annoyed that Best Song only had four nominations when Tangled had a wealthy of songs to make it five.  Oh well, there we go.  Now I’ll need to think about these nominations and make my predictions before the ceremony a month away.   I can’t wait!

OSCAR 2011 - NOMINATION PREDICTIONS

For the only award show that matters, or at least the one that I've kept track of the longest, here are the nominations as I foresee them.  I'll be interesting to see how close I come.  I've seen a lot of fine films this year and don't expect too many surprises.   For those movies that are in the running but I excluded from my predictions I’ve put them in bracket’s at the bottom.

BEST PICTURE
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit
Toy Story 3
Black Swan
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
Blue Valentine
Winter’s Bone
The Social Network
            [127 hours, Another Year or The Town are the other candidates in the running, I think.]

BEST DIRECTOR
Tom Hooper – The King's Speech
Ethan and Joel Coen - True Grit
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
David Fincher - The Social Network
Christopher Nolan - Inception
            [David O.Russel- The Fighter, Danny Boyle -127 hours or Lisa Cholodenko - The Kids are All Right]

BEST ACTOR
Colin Firth – The King's Speech
Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine
Paul Giamatti - Barney's Version
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
James Franco – 127 Hours
            [Jeff Bridges – True Grit or Javier Bardem – Biutiful]

BEST ACTRESS
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
Julianne Moore – The Kids Are All Right
Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine
            [Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone or Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christain Bale - The Fighter
Geoffrey Rush – The King's Speech
Andrew Garfield - The Social Network
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right
Jeremy Renner – The Town
            [Matt Damon – True Grit or Justin Timberlake - The Social Network]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Lesley Manville - Another Year
Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom
Amy Adams – The Fighter

                [Miranda Richardson - Made In Dagenham]

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Inception
The King's Speech
The Kids Are All Right
Black Swan
The Fighter
            [Another Year, Please Give or Blue Valentine]

 BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Social Network
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
127 Hours
The Town
            [I Love You Philip Morris or Rabbit Hole]

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Toy Story 3
How to Train a Dragon
Tangled
            [Illusionist or Despicable Me]

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Inception
The Social Network
How to Train Your Dragon
King’s Speech
Alice in Wonderland
            [127 hours is the only other one I can think of.]

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Inception
Tron Legacy
Alice in Wonderland
            [Harry Potter 7 Pt. 1 or Iron Man 2]

BEST ART DIRECTION
King's Speech
Tron Legacy
Inception
Alice in Wonderland
Made In Dagenham

BEST COSTUMES
True Grit
Alice in Wonderland
Made In Dagenham
The King’s Speech

BEST EDITING
True Grit
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
Black Swan

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The King’s Speech
True Grit
Inception
Black Swan

The sound awards will be dominated by Inception and Tron Legacy.   I know Country Strong will be nominated for Best Song and I’m hoping Tangled gets nominated twice but that’s all I know about that category.  I’m going to skip Best Documentary and Best Foreign Language film because I would be completely guessing, like throwing darts at a dart board.   This is especially true with the three shorts categories.   Well, until 5:30 AM tomorrow the countdown begins.

The Town (2010)

First let's start by saying the obvious.  What a horrible title.  I mean, come on Ben, The Town?  That's the best you could come up with?  The Town.  What's especially awful about it is that it's based on a Chuck Hogan book called Prince of Thieves.  True, that's not much of a better title.  They probably assumed people would get it confused with a Robin Hood movie made like a millions years ago.   Still, why not The Prince of Charlestown.   Even just, Charlestown, would have been better than The Town. 

Ben Affleck directs and stars in a movie about a bank robber mastermind who falls for the woman his crew needed to use as a hostage.  With slick direction and inspiration derived from other robbery movies like Heat, Affleck does an excellent job taking an good script and disguising it as a Oscar caliber film.  Not that I believe it's really Oscar caliber, but it looks like it doesn't it?  Rebecca Hall plays his love interest and she's wonderful as are the performances of Jeremy Renner and Pete Posltethwaite (in his final film).  It will be interesting  to see how well this movie does in the award show carousel.   Will this thief with a heart of gold storyline con everyone into getting their vote or will it fade from voters memories.   Basically this is a solid entertainment that's produced at a high quality.   If you like movies like Heat or Point Break than you'll probably love this movie.  If you want more depth and believability in your crime dramas you might want to set your standards down before watching.  This is not The Departed.  Grade: B+

Spoilers:  I didn't hate the end but I didn't feel it was the right ending.  It was just too awkward knowing that he got away (even without the money).   I didn't really buy it.  I felt like he needed to be caught or at least lose something at the end beside the woman he loved.   He needed to make an even greater sacrifice than to spend his last days living in a paradise Floridian wilderness.  I also thought it was ridiculous that he left her the money and she donated it.  The feds would never have let that happen.

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

What a compelling drama.  I hope more movies are made with gay couples.  Annette Bening and Julianne Moore play lesiban parents of two teenagers who must confront their relationship when their children contact the sperm donor that helped give them their family.  The acting and directing of this film are excellent.  Everyone deserves an Oscar nomination for taking a flawed script and making it so engaging.  Not exactly a masterpiece, it's still a thoughtful film with complex characters you can't stop watching.  Grade: B+

Spoilers:  If only the end of the film matched the quality of the rest of it.  I'm not sure what Lisa Cholodenko was trying to say at the end, if she even knew herself, but talk about being completely unsatisfied.  Mark Ruffalo's character didn't deserve being kicked the curb at the end.  While not a member of this family, I don't think it was respectful for his last scene to be him throwing a helmet at his motorcycle.  I don't always need closure but come on, what was the point of making me like Paul so much.  In the end I think this film is really flawed, which is probably okay, because so is life.  Maybe that's the point: just like marriage, life is hard and not always equal.  Still, what started out as a wonderful film ended poorly.  I'm glad that Paul didn't break up their marriage but I would have liked it if Nick would have taken some of the responsibility for being a bitch.  Maybe that's harsh but come on, that wasn't a healthy relationship.  If Nick keeps on that path that marriage will be over within a year.

King's Speech (2010)

Do not undervalue this film, it is simply wonderful.  Colin Firth is excellent as a man suffering from a speech impediment who must rise up and conquer it because of this duty as a Royal of the British Empire.  The depth of his performance is beyond just stuttering, he really transforms himself into King George VI.  Equally brilliant are his co-stars Geoffrey Rush, as his speech therapist and friend, and Helena Bonham Carter who plays his wife.  Tom Hooper does a wonderful job recreating the world of 1930 London but without having it overshadow the drama of the story.  What in essence is a footnote in history is brought to the screen in a way that's inspiring and thought provoking.  While I might not be a King nor a stammerer, the film forced me to look at my own fears and to realize that I could conquer them as well.   Easily one of the best films of the year.  Grade: A.

Exit Out the Gift Shop (2010)

Street Artist and now film maker Banksy tells the story of Terry, video-camera addict and street-art fan turned manaic.   It's a very entertaining film that introduces novices like me to the whole street art scene as well as examines the passion of a very bizarre character.   Terry is a one-man theme park with the balls to tackle anything full-steam ahead.  If only his artistic talents matched up with his desire.  Still the point of the document is clear: the art world and the hype that can build around an artist name is all pocky cock.  Grade: A-.

Spoilers:  There's speculation that some, if not all, of this film is a fiction.  That the documentary is a hoax.  I can easily see that this might be true.  Banksy is a very mischief guy.  The fact that he keeps his identity a secret and he once almost dispersed Princess Diana printed currency makes the idea of this all being fakery very possible.  Either way it's still a very engrossing film that will have you laughing and thinking about art and those who worship it.  I suspect, although it's just a guess, that Terry is a real guy, a guy obsessed with video taping street art and that after Banksy friended him Banksy asked Terry to become an artist for the purpose of this film.   In the movie Banksy and Terry pull a stun in Disneyland that gets Terry caught by the Disney security.   The fact that Terry didn't cave in and tell on Banksy is proof enough that he is capable of acting the proxy to Banksy's illusions.

Knight and Day (2010)

Tom Cruise doesn't age.  I mean, maybe a little but he's as fit as most twenty-year-olds.  And he still has it; the talent and charm to make even a movie like this better than it deserves.  What a silly little movie that surprises with how much fun it can be if you don't take it too serious.  Just go with the flow and let Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz take you for a wild ride.  Sure the plot has its holes and the villains are as two dimensional as most villains in a typical Hollywood action movie but the tone is enjoyable enough not to offend.  Grade: B+.

Love's Labour's Lost (2000)

Certainly not the best adaptation of Shakespeare of Kenneth Branagh's directing career that's for sure.  It's a brave decision to take a Shakespeare play and turn it into a '30s musical using Gershwin songs.  Sometimes it works but mostly it just feels out of place.  Yet there is a joyful quality to this film that makes it impossible to hate it.  Even if some of the actors need to take a few more lessons on how to perform Shakespeare, their gun ho spirit is visible.  The biggest problem for me was that it felt truncated.  I understand that a modern audience won't sit through a four hour play but too much of it was cut.  I wanted more Shakespeare and less news reel footage that tells us information instead of showing us.  I would recommend if you watch this film you check out the DVD extras.  The deleted scenes are wonderful and proof that they had the material.   I'm hoping Kenneth Branagh continues directing the Barb, even if the result its like this.  Shakespeare deserves it all.  Grade: B 

Blue Valentine (2010)

Derek Cianfrance directs a film he co-wrote about the marriage between a dropout artist and a nurse, a couple played heroically by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.  A work of art that examines love and relationships in an honest and beautiful way.  Oscar caliber film making and acting and well-worth seeing in the theater.  Grade: A.  

Spoiler alert: This is a difficult film to write about without giving away the ending.  It's a real sad film, especially painful because I left knowing that these two people were meant for each other but when someone in a relationship stops trying to improve themselves no love story can survive.  I loved how these two met and hated to see them break apart.  One part of the film that's pretty shocking and that's wonderfully controversial is how she never tells the real father that she's pregnant.  This choice really is immoral but does a lot to show how screwed up she is too.  I've discussed this with some friends and people jump on his case for being such a loser when they forget that she's just as much a flawed person as well.  Which makes this all the more devastating because they could have helped each other but they didn't and that's why they were doomed.   Heart breaking.

Micmacs à tire-larigot [Micmacs] (2009)

The makers of Amelie (aka Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain) return with this whimsical comedy of a shooting victim who sets out to destroy the weapons manufactures responsible for making the bullet that's still in his head and land mine that killed his father.  Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a genius at visual mischief.  Visual gags fill every frame of this movie.  It's so fun to watch that I found myself having to rewind at some parts because I had stopped reading the subtitles.  The film's only flaw is that Jean-Pierre under develops some of the relationships on screen, especially the love story which kind of pops up out of nowhere.  In Amelie he proved to be brilliant with ensembles but here he introduces his characters and then moves on, not allowing us anymore interactions that might allow us to fall in love with them.   Which is unfortunate because there are some really great characters in this film that remain two-dimensional clowns.   Still if you like quirky characters and inventive film making, this sort of satire on Mission Impossible like adventure films is a blast.  Grade: A-

Little Fockers (2010)

Trilogies are hard to pull off.  This is why there are so many weak, incomplete examples.  For every Toy Story or Back to the Future trio there's The Matrix and American Pie films.   Little Fockers isn't as well-crafted as the first film, Meet the Parents, but is a huge improvement over its sequel, Meet the Fockers.  Enjoyable mostly because of the comic sparring between DeNiro and Stiller, the film loses steam toward the end when the writers and multiple egos (yes, I'm thinking of you Barbara) mess up what could have been a great ending to a comedy classic.  (Why so many story lines?)  Jessica Alba impressed me again in the second time this year with a really funny performance.  I think Alba found her calling, comedy.  Really when it was over I just wanted more of a definitive moment, a lasting impressing.  Instead the film ends the same way it starts, as a rambling moment.  Perfect for leaving it open for another sequel.  Grade: B.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

The craziest wackjob of an animated film is also one of the most funny fun-fests.   I can't believe how much I laughed.  Excellent writing and a unique look make this a must-see for any animation fan.  Unless you lack a funny bone that is.   I was especially impressed by the voice talent which performed their characters flawlessly.  Sony Pictures Animation is here and if this is any indication they're here to stay.  Grade: A

Calamity Jane (1953)

Doris Day was beyond talented.  In this 1953 musical she sings, dances and acts her way into a star.  I've seen her in a few other films but this one showcases her chrisma.  A fairy tale take of the Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickcock legend, it's a complete fiction but a wonderfully entertaining one that had me smiling the whole time.  The music is fun and the lyrics are catchy.   A couple times Howard Keel's singing didn't match up with his lips but that could be from post-production.   This is a fine musical with a simple story that anyone who loves carefree musicals will enjoy.  Grade: B+

Please Give (2010)

This is the first film of Nicole Helenfcener's I've seen although I have watched episodes of television she directed.  I have to say I was impressed by her unique style and subtle way to move a story along but I was underwhelmed by this film's overall effect.   I'm not saying it's a bad film.  It's pretty good.  In fact I keep going back and forth on how good or great it is.  I liked the unusalness and bitchiness in each of the characters and I thought the dialogue was smart and memorable.  The problem really is the story which kind of goes nowhere.  I mean it meanders around and things happen but there are no real results to cap it all off.   Maybe this is good modern film making.  Maybe it's too lowbrow to want a bold climax at the end.   Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt play husband and wife who buy dead people's furniture and sell it for a profit in their store.  They own two apartments and are waiting for the old lady living in on of them to die so they can remodel and expand their house.   They encounter the old lady's grand daughters and comedy and awkward tension ensue.   Except I don't want to oversell the comedy, it is funny, it's just not laugh out loud funny.  Wit without the guffaw.  I'm going have to check out Helenfcener's earlier works to see how she has developed but I like what I saw.  Grade: B+.  

You Have Killed Me (Comic book) by Jamie S. Rich & Joelle Jones

Meant to read like watching a film noir from the nineteen forties, this stand alone story is entertaining but pretty typical of the genre.  Some good dialogue helps keep a pretty average story moving along.  The artwork is pretty fun, but none of the imagery sticks out or impresses.  I wanted to like it more than I did.  Grade: B.

Another Year (2010)

Mike Leigh makes movies for actors and those who love to watch actors live on screen.   Plot is a minor concern, not that there isn't a plot here it's just that the character work is the real selling point of this film.  Tell people it's about a happy married couple (no, really, they're perfectly happy) and their neurotic friend that wanders in and out of their life in the span of a year, divided by four seasons, and most people will give you a disinterested look.  Tell them that nothing much really happens but much happens between the lines of the characters actions and again they will stare at you like you are some artsy-fartsy elitist.   If you want to see cars blow up or a clear, simple plot about boy meets girl, or a gang of thieves planning a heist job, stay away from this one.   But if you wish to examine the lives of some complex and fascinating British citizens, like a voyeuristic fly on the wall, check this one out.   I must admit that while watching it, I found it takes a while to get going; I'll admit I was bored.  Then when all the characters are set up the film gels into a satisfying experience.   This only tells me that Leigh needed to cut some of the beginning.   There's even an opening scene that has nothing to do with the rest of the film, but as a thematic starting point.   Besides this flaw, this movie is a breath of fresh air acted out by a group of fine actors.   If you like character-based stories and enjoy watching good acting this is a keeper.  It'll be interesting to see if this is nominated for the Oscars.   Soon we'll see.  Grade: A-

Me & Orson Wells (2010)

Having studied Orson Wells' famous production of Julius Ceasar in school I was excited to see how Richard Linklater would direct this story. The result is an entertaining little film that's sort of a love note to the '30s and to the theater.  The best way to describe this movie is Shakespeare In Love without a love story.  I'm not convinced Zach Efron has the makings of a star yet but his performance here is serviceable.  The real impressive performance is McKay who plays Orson Wells.  He had the smile and the voice to match, wow, can he play anyone else again?   Also Tupper who plays Joseph Cotten looks just like the man.  Great casting  Solid director and more than adaqute screenplay.   Grade: B+.

True Grit (2010)

I have yet to see a better remake (if we should even call it a remake that is).  Here's another example why the Coen Brothers are my favorite film makers.  Everything from the writing to the production to the acting to how it's all put together is brilliant here.  When I first heard that they were remaking this, I rolled my eyes, not because I thought it would be terrible because I didn't (in the Coen Brothers I trust) but because I'm sick of all the remakes being made today, except-- so I'd learn-- this technically isn't a remake, it's a re-adaptation of the same novel that was the basis of the John Wayne incarnation.   Not that this matters, when you make a great film like this it could be based on cave paintings, I don't care.  I loved this movie.  Jeff Bridges is great, Matt Damon is equally impressive and Barry Piper is better than he has ever been.  Yet it is the girl of the story, played by Hailee Steinfeld, that steals the show.  I haven't cared about a character like this in a movie in a long time.  The fact that the Golden Globes snubbed this movie is proof to me that they're brainless, celebrity courting dweebs.  Easily one of the best films of the year.  Grade: A

Tangled (2010)

A small part of me, an over-critical intellectual that's always craving for new and bold ways to tell a story, wishes to rant on this latest Disney Princess fairy tale and complain of their surrender to a formula that's all-too-familiar.  But I won't because the rest of me loves this movie.  It's a great time at the movies for everyone, even those without children.  Disney knows how to tell a fairy tale and while the Princess concept is old fashion, the hopeless romantic in me shrugs it off and doesn't care.  With a style all its own, humor that's genuine and hip without getting into too many cultural references that most bad animated movies depend on, Tangled is the story of Rapunzel, music by Alan Menken (as usual) and animation that's as fun to watch as anything Pixar has done (maybe that's because John Lasseter was the executive producer; you think?).  What I especially loved was how they blended the classic hand-drawn look of older Disney movies (think Beauty and the Beast) with the more modern computer generated films of today (think The Incredibles).  Each song was memorable and helped expand on the story.  Each character, while from the same cookie-cutter school of Disney character types, was believable and enduring.  I really cared about these characters and hoped that they succeeded.  I even have to admit that its end surprised me.  I don't know if this is Disney's last Princess flick or a beginning to a new Renaissance but if they can recreate the magic this film inspires I'm more than welcome for more of the same.  Grade A-

Tonari no Totoro [My Neighbor Totoro] (1988)

Is the word "masterpiece" good enough to describe this movie?   Hayao Miyazaki's beautifully crafted story of two sisters and the forest spirit they live next to is as magical as anything I've ever seen.  This is of course not very surprising since it's from the master of such great works as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoko.  With a story that continues to captivate and characters as cute and as complex and real as living actors, here is animation perfection.  I hate to gush on and on about it too much but I really think it's a great animated film.  I can't think of anything wrong with it.  Where can I get my own Totoro?  Grade: A+   

Musíme si pomáhat [Divided We Fall] (2000)

In three introductary scenes we are intoduced to three men.  The main character, Josef, is a simple man with a layed back attitude.  Horst is the ass-kissing weasel.  David is the Jew getting caught up in the nightmare that is the Holcaust.   This is a movie about how these men survive and how they need each other in order to succeed.   In a movie that's just as funny as it is deeply moving I was swept up in its tale.  Grade: A.

Spoiler:  I want to discuss the DVD case picture.   I'm sure there are those who would say that it doesn't spoil anything but I feel it does.  I foretells that Josef will have a kid someday.  I know it's a great picture, but find something else besides that which gives away the ending. 

Robots (2005)

Blue Sky Animation is the poor man's Pixar.  I like what they do more than Dreamworks Animation but they can't quite make the leap into the soulful work of such animation houses like Pixar or Studio Ghibli.  They come close in Robots in terms of animation complexity and inventiveness but in the storytelling department they fall short.  Chris Wedge's tale of a robot leaving for the big city to follow his dream of becoming an inventor is entertaining and alive with funny energetic characters and set pieces.  Robot City's transportation scene is a classic example of what's great about this movie.  What's especially fun is the voice work.  Robin Williams does his typical hilarious rant (but always in character) as Fender and Greg Kinnear is surprisingly funny as one of the villains as Ratchet.  Mel Brooks' voice seems destined for animation voice-over and I hope he is cast again in another endeavor.  Except for the female bot Cappy voiced by Halle Berry (at no fault of hers), everyone is great.  Unfortunately because the story is so ho-hum it's like the producers are relying on the voice talent to carry the film, and while it almost can, it's pretty clear in the second act that this screenplay could have had a few more rewrites before going into production.   Still it's a fun movie that's great for the family and it has an important albeit overstated lesson: Never Give Up.  Grade: B+.

Spoiler: Two parts that annoyed me in the story was how Rodney discovers Bigweld playing with dominoes, disillusioned about Ratchet, and having had givien up.   Then minutes later Bigweld shows up out of the blue and tells Rodney that he changed his mind.  I wasn't convinced that Rodney said anything or did anything that would have convinced Bigweld to join his rebellion.   The worst part of the film was Cappy: the love interest for Rodney.  She's such a boring character.  She doesn't really serve the plot in anyway and never says anything memorable.  Yet the audience is supposed to believe that they'll fall in love.   Meanwhile another female bot, Piper, proves to love Rodney too but this potential story point is shoved aside, never to be mentioned.   Yet it hardened my heart that he would chose the attractive rich girl robot over the the quirky poor girl robot. 

The Fighter (2010)

More than just a typical boxing movie, here David O. Russell delivers a triumph of a true story about the boxing Ward brothers bumpy climb to maturity.  The Academy might as well send Christian Bale and Melisse Leo their awards for best supporting acting because I don't know anyone else deserving.  They both completely transform into different people.  Everything about this film is special, even Mark Walhberg out does himself with a wonderful performance.   I was especially impressed by the look of the film.  Grade: A-.

Black Swan (2010)

Dark films like these are so exquisite.  The ballerina-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown storyline could have turned into a weak direct-to-video kind of movie but under the excellent direction of Darren Aronofsky what we have instead is a gritty and absorbing thriller that takes its viewer on a strange, beautifully neuotic ride.  Atop this perfect storm of surreal angst is Natalie Portman's sensational performance.   She's my pick for best actress of 2010 so far; she takes this complex and melodramatic character and delivers us a living, breathing woman that's impossible to ignore.  Grade: A

Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions (Novella) by Edwin A. Abbott

Written in 1884, this short book is more a funny thought puzzle than a story.  The narrator is a Square that exists in a world with only two dimensions (like drawings on a piece of paper).  As he describes how such a society operates it's easy to see the satirical parallels to our society (especially back when this book was first published).   Much of the book has the Square explaining things, which is funny at times, but lacks much drama.  Nothing really happens until about the halfway point to the book.   Then there's a really great chapter where the Square converses with the King of Lineland and the enjoyment of the book doubles again a few chapters later when a Sphere from Spaceland visits the Square and tries to convince him that there exists a third dimension.  There are lots of thought provoking stuff jammed into this little book, I only wish there really was a romance to it as the subtitle of the book promises.   If you like science and math, geometry or physics especially, you'll get a kick reading this.  If you want a novel with more to it than ideas like a plot and memorable characters to root for than this is not the book for you.  Grade: B+.

The Killer Inside Me (2010)

Some films teeter on the edge of greatness only for the winds of fate to shift and for it to fall back into mediocrity.  Director Michael Winterbottom gives us the look and feel of a great film noir but somehow misses the boat on its narrative drive, losing me just as the plot should start reeving up.  The best part of the film is Casey Affleck, as the psychopath Lou Ford, he really finds the cold depth the character needs.  His performance is contagious to watch and there are moments where I felt his character could succeed at anything.  While an unlikeable character, I couldn't help but want to know what was going to happen to this well-developed anti-hero.   Jessica Alba is completely miscast as the prostitute even as she pulls off her best work as an actress to date.  Kate Hudson is blah (I know that's cruel, but it's true, she's just average.) I wish that they had cast two stronger actresses to counter Casey's talent.   Based on Jim Thompson's violent 1950s novel, I get a sense that many feminist will hate this movie; the violence done to women is cold-hearted.   If you're looking for a good film noir, there are worse out there, but I'd only check this one out if you're a fan of the novel and you want to compare the two.   Grade: B