The Madness of King George (1994)

While Nicholas Hytner's film of Alan Bennett's stage play is amazingly costumed and acted and filmed, there's something missing keeping it from really shining.   It's the story of King George III and what happens to him when he starts acting off his rocker.  Nigel Hawthorne and the rest of the cast are brilliant.  Grade: B. 

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Novel)

The winner of last year's Pulitzer for fiction, this collection of criss-crossing stories that make up a "novel" is the kind of book that blows you way by its precise and deeply developed prose and by its various unforgettable characters.  To entangle so many lives together in a meaningful and clear way is an achievement in itself, nonetheless have so many lives turn out as entertaining as they are.  This is the first book I've read by Mrs. Egan and I'm certainly going to read more.  The fact that there's a power-point presentation story that's as engaging as any of the other stories is amazing on its own.  Grade: A.   

The Wild Parrot of Telegraph Hill (2003)

This simple, low-budget documentary follows Mark Bittner, a soul-searching ex-musician, who connects to a flock of wild Parrots while living on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco.   What starts off as a way to interact with nature turns into a full-time job.  He feeds, cares for them and chronicles their little winged society.  Judy Irving directed and produced the film and the result is an emotionally engaging experience that only life can manufacture. Grade: A

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Sean Connery's second to last outing as 007 is pretty good.  It's typical James Bond fun with a diamond encrusted satellite at the center of the story.  A familiar villain is back and the Bond girl in this one is Stephanie Case played by Jill St. John (who is sexy and fun to watch).  It's hard to get too critical about these films because they're never meant to be works of art.  Also Connery is back playing the role that made him famous which is a huge plus.  Grade: B.

Get Carter (1971)

Michael Caine knows how to play a bad-ass in a way that's so British and yet brutish that you can't take your eyes off the screen.  Here he's a gangster that returns home for his brother's funeral only to go on a revengeful war path to find those responsible.  This is a great movie with a couple wonderful surprises and a nice film noir plot that keeps the audience guessing.  The pacing is a bit out-dated but that doesn't mean much because this in many ways enhances the film.  Director Mike Hodge would return to the feel of this movie with The Croupier in 1996.  It's clear he knows how to tell real good and believable gangster story.  Grade: A- 

She's Gotta Have It (1986)

This is Spike Lee's first feature-length film and it feels very much like a first feature-length film from an artist who already knows what kind of style he wants but hasn't quite crafted his skills as a writer.  It doesn't help that the actors are the type of actors a first time feature-length director would be able to acquire.  Not that they're horrible but they certainly have a tough time making Lee's dialogue feel natural.  This is obvious when Spike Lee is the best actor of the group.  That said there's this raw, funny and engaging quality to the film that makes it all work out in a charming and unique way.  It's entertaining and worth a watch.  Grade: B+

The Shooting Party (1985)

A forgotten classic that dramatizes the last days of an old English aristocratic era and the looming threat of World War I.  James Mason stars in his last role as Sir Randolph Nettleby, the head of a regal family who invites various guests of the upper class for a weekend of pheasant shooting.   I wonder if Robert Altman thought of this film while making Gosford Park.  Various characters and their stories of social class and manners, I really enjoyed this fine film.  Director Alan Bridges does an superb job adapting the novel by Isabel Colegate.  Grade: A

Carnage (2011)

Sometimes a great cast and a master directer just miss the mark.  This mildly entertaining film based on the French play, God of Carnage, never had a chance considering how un-cinematic the story is.  Two sets of parents square off when their sons get in an fight.  At first they attempt to be civil but soon their manners unwind revealing their true personalities underneath.   Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet and John C. Riley work their butts off and Christoph Waltz tries to keep up, but together they're chemistry is just off.   How is this possible?  A movie with my two favorite actresses ending up flat and uninspired: disappointing.  It doesn't help that the story doesn't really go anywhere.  By the halfway mark the comedy is dried up and nothing new promises to surprise.  Grade: C+

Take Shelter (2011)

This is a flawed but thrilling study of a man (Michael Shannon) who believes he's going crazy as he sees delusions about a coming storm that will cause great devastation.  Shannon is excellent and the overall story is great.  The problem is that director and writer Jeff Nichols can't quite get the pacing right.  It drags a bit and when it ends you feels it came fifteen minutes late.  I'm confident with some extra editing this would have been an amazing film.  Jessica Chastain is as wonderful as ever and I really appreciated the complexities of the story, especially the last moments in his shelter.  Grade: B+

Enemies: A Love Story (1989)

The tale of a Jewish Holocaust survivor Herman Broder who marries the Polish servant who rescues him only to learn that his first wife didn't die in the Holocaust and is alive and well.  To make things even more crazy and humorous he's in love with another woman, his mistress Masha.  Based on the book by Isaac Bashevis Singer and written and directed by Paul Mazursky, I found this film excellent but mostly because of the acting from Ron Sliver, Anjelica Huston and Lena Olin.  Mazursky's script is a good one, as I'm sure the book is a challenge to make cinematic, but it never really finds any rhythm.  I do recommend it but only if you get that it's never laugh out loud funny and that it's more character driven than plot driven.  Grade: B+

Boardwalk Empire (Season 1)

The maker of the Sopranos (Terence Winter) and Martin Scorsese create a TV show for HBO that tackles the gangsters of the Prohibition period, focusing on Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi), the mastermind of Atlantic City's underworld.  The show is jammed packed with wonderful characters from Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt), WWI vet ready to rise up, Margaret Schroeder (Kelly McDonald) a woman trying to live a honest life while falling in love with Nucky, and Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon) a religious Federal Prohibition agent trying to clean up Atlantic City of corruption.  The first episode of directed by Mr. Scorsese is a nice set up but the show doesn't really get rolling until the four episode.  Until then it's all set up, but when the overall story takes off it's great entertainment as only cable television can deliver.  Grade: A

Marwencol (2010)

Art is a powerful reaction to the complexities of life no matter what form it might take.  Here a broken man rediscovers his soul while reinventing himself into a true artist.  After getting beaten up to the inch of his life, Mark Hamcamp turned to his imagination and with the work of GI Joe and Barbie dolls creates another world, a world based on WWII and the world around him.  An inspiring, weird and beauitful movie that celebrates a man, flaws and all, who betters our world by dreaming up a new one.  Grade: A

Star Trek: The Nex Generation (Season 2)

The adventures of Captian Picard and crew continue with a season that's better than the first.  The only disappointment was the disappearnce of Beverly Crusher (medical doctor and mother of Wesley Crusher).  Katherine Pulski replaced her and while she's a good character she just can't fill Miss Crusher's shoes.  Whoopi Goldberg comes on board as the bartending listener, Guinan, of Ten Forward.  There are a lot of great episodes but the best is probably "Q Who" where Q introduces the Enterprise to the Borg.  Another great episode is Peak Performance where Riker and Picard participate in a War Game situation.  Then there's The Measure of a Man, one of the best Data episodes ever where Picard must convince a JAG officer that Data is alive and not property.  There are a few weak episodes like "The Child, "Pen Pals" and "Shades of Grey" but still a very sucessful season. Grade: A-

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Novel)

This sequel to the Hunger Games is an exciting continuation of the struggle of Katniss to live an independent life in a harsh world where the Capitol selects citizens of eleven districts to fight it out in an annual fight-to-the-death competition.  Here she's the winner and she becomes a sensation and symbol of a growing rebellion to crush the Capitol.   But the Capitol has some surprises and Katniss is going to be challenged like never before and she must choose her life or the life of the young man that loves her.  What a terrific book that improves upon the original but maintaining the suspenseful spirit.  Grade: A-

Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard take us on a ride, deconstructing the horror movie in probably the most original way ever done on film.  Satire meets thriller adventure film with lots of gore and evil mixed in.  Without giving anything away, not that there's really any "thing" to give away (it's not like The Sixth Sense or anything mind-bending like that), this is a horror film about four young people who go camping in a cabin in the woods (see, it's like the title).  But like many horror films later, something bad happens and they're doing what they can to survive.  Except there's a lot more going on than what horror they're dealing with.  The cast is wonderful with Kristen Connolly and Fran Kranz standing out.  I loved this film and can't wait to tell all my "horror movie" friends to check it out.  Grade: A- 

Dance with a Stranger (1985)

This noir-like drama directed by Mike Newell tells the true story of a love affair between a cocktail bar manager named Ruth (Miranda Richardson) and a younger race car yuppy named David (Ruppert Everett).  Both are dangerously obsessed with each other to the point it it becomes unhealthy  Her intense desire for this younger man even distracts her from taking care of her son or accepting any affections from a quiet man (Ian Holm) who really loves her and does everything for her.  Miranda and Ruppert deliver probably their best performances of their careers.  Newell's effortless direction never overwhelms the story.   This is a tightly crafted and enthralling film that gets into the minds of two lovers who should never have met.  Grade: A-

Spoiler:  I'm a little annoyed that this film is described as the true story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hung for her crime in the UK.  One, this gives away the ending and two it makes it hard to care for her knowing she's going to die.   Thankfully I didn't know this while watching and I'm glad.  

Our Town (1940)

If you have a chance to see the play that this film is based on by Thornton Wilder, see it, it's a masterpiece and a true timeless work of art.  But skip this film, it's a bad adaptation that completely sugar-coats the world and sucks away any dramatic element the play has.  Only until you've seen the play should you check this one and that's if you need to see a young William Holden or need evidence that Hollywood executives have always sucked.  Grade: C.

My Week with Marilyn (2011)

The true behind the scene story of when Marilyn Monroe went to England to make The Showgirl and the Prince with Laurence Olivier.  Michelle Williams as Marilyn and Kenneth Branagh as Mr. Olivier both earn well-deserved Oscar nominations for their work in this film.  They do excellent jobs portraying real people instead of impersonating their famous personas.  At this rate Michelle Williams should have an Oscar in a few years considering her impressive body of work is already.  As for the film, it's not a masterpiece but the story is entertaining enough to elevate an otherwise average film.  At times I found myself wanting more, needing a clear reason why this film needed being made besides being another tale of a troubled starlet.  A good film but not a great one.  Grade: B.

The Thing (2011)

When I heard they were making this film, I thought it was a remake and I screamed.  Then I learned that it was being treated as a prequel and I calmed down and found myself very interested.  All I have to say is that director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. and fellow storytellers succeeded at doing both expanding on the original and honoring it as well.   One can see elements of "remake" but there's a host of new ideas.  Just like the first one, the cast is phenomenal, especially Mary Elizabeth Winstead who is fast becoming the young actress to keep an eye on.  The most impressive aspect of the film is that the special effects seem to fit with the original with the same consistent grotesque weirdness.   John Carpenter can hold his head high for helping inspire this genuinely frightening horror thriller.   Grade: A-

Gentleman Prefer Blondes (1953)

Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe star in this Howard Hawks adaption of the stage show about two showgirls on a cruise to Paris.  Both full of sass and a whole lot of sex appeal, this '50s show is dated but still very charming.   I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone, you have to like corny plots and nonsense musical numbers but for those who enjoy going back in time, this one is a hoot.  Grade: B.

Spoiler: The court room scene where Jane Russell acts like Marilyn is a crack up and my favorite part.  It does two things: it demonstrates Russell's comedic talent and that Marilyn's act is just that, an act that she mastered like no one else.  What two superstars.   

Dive (2011)

If you've ever gone into any grocery store and scanned all the packages of meat and fresh food they sell and wondered what happened to the stuff they don't sell, watch this documentary and get ready to get mad.  What makes Jeremy Seifert's film so enlightening is that he visually explains the facts he's gathered on food waste in a humorous tone.  But don't mistake this as a "dumpster diving film" because it's about so much more and the diving aspect is just the set-up.  It's certainly a thought-provoking film and made me see what I already kind of knew and that is our supposed "modern" society is horribly inefficient and disrespectful toward our resources.  I'm glad a documentary like this exists to start a dialogue going.  So see this film, it's too important to skip.  Grade: A.

Top Ten Best Dystopia Films (Commentary)

After watching The Hunger Games I decided it would be fun to think of the best Dystopia films I've seen.  In my research I came across a ton of seemingly excellent films that I haven't seen yet so I considered not doing this list.  But oh well, it's just a list representing my opinion now; it's not set in stone.  (I actually would put The Hunger Games on here but have decided to wait until the rest of the movies of the series come out.)   To narrow down my choices I purposely did not select Utopia/Dystopa films, these are societies that seem successful and efficient but are not, this is why films like Gattaca are not listed.

10. Brazil (1985)
9. Metropolis (1927)
8. Code 46 (2003)
7. Clockwork Orange (1971)
6. The Matrix (1999)
5. Akria (1988)
4. THX 1138 (1971
3. Soylent Green (1973)
2. Children of Men (2006)
1. Mad Max: The Road Warrior (1981)

Honorable Mentions: Waterworld (1995), Robocop (1987), Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome (1985), and Alphaville (1965)

The Hunger Games (2012)

There's not much that this book adaption gets wrong.  As I watched this tense and engaging movie, I kept thinking how close the movie producers matched what I saw in my head as I read Suzanne Collin's fantastic book.  I had a strong feeling that Gary Ross would succeed, being that he's such an accomplished film director, but he surpassed even my expectations.  Jennifer Lawrence leads a perfectly-casted group of actors, all of whom give real and draining performances.   I don't have much to complain about, except I almost wish I hadn't read the book so many years before, than I could have enjoyed this movie even more than I already had.  Excellent adventure movie that really anyone would enjoy unless you dislike dystopia visions of the future.  Grade: A

Rubber (2010)

An absurdist experiment directed by Quentin Dupieux (aka Mr. Oizo) tells the story of a tire that becomes a live and starts killing people with its psychic powers.  Such a wacky idea would usually find favor with me, in fact I loved the first thirty minutes of this film so much I wish I would have stopped watching from that point so I could celebrate this odd film as an entertaining masterpiece.  Unfortunately the film fizzles out and what I was left seeing was a underdeveloped story based on a witty and grand idea.  Talk about a lost opportunity.  I will say though, at least the last few minutes ended up on a positive note.   I think if Dupieux needed to developed the characters more instead of expecting the kookiness carry the film.  Grade: C+

Wendy and Lucy (2008)

Directed by Kelly Reichardt and staring Michelle Williams (both of whom would work together again on Meek's Cutoff) this film about a young woman searching for her dog after her car breaks down in a small town is a nice change of pace.  It's not bold or daring or even sentimental.  It's just a well-crafted story that explores desperation and those moments when even the smallest thing seems too hard.  Williams is unrecognizable and pulls out a raw and tender performance that echoes after the film has ended.  It's not the kind of film for everyone for it's not flashy or fast paced.  But for those who enjoy small intimate fables this one rewards.  Grade: A-

Hereafter (2009)

Clint Eastwood's mystical and haunting film that tells three stories: one about a psychic played by Matt Damon who can communicate with loved ones after they die and how he deals with a gift that's pretty much a curse as well, a French reporter who experiences a near-death and how it changes her life and twin brothers living with their drug-addict mother in London.   If a different director was at the helm I don't know if this film would have turned out as beautiful and poignant.   It's just a solid effort with a great beginning and a nice steady climb to a satisfying conclusion.  Grade: A-

Being Elmo (2011)

This inspiring documentary follows the story of Kevin Clash, the puppeteer who dreamed of Sesame Street as a kid and adult and ended up becoming the creator of a superstar.  For those skeptics out there that don't believe that hard work and persistence doesn't count and that dreams never come true, watch this and be proven wrong.  It's not just a rags to riches story it's also an celebration of Jim Hensen and his beacon of promise and talent.   A wonderful movie that brought tears to my eyes and filled me with hope.  Grade: A