Kagemusha (1980)

It amazes me that Akira Kurosawa had to have Coppla and Lucas bail him out on this film in order to finish production.  When completed they had executive producer credits for an instant classic of Japanese cinema.  The story tells of a thief who is spared because he looks just like the King.   When the King is shot outside a castle, the King's loyal generals use the thief as an impersonator to keep the King's legacy for another year.  This is a tragic and beautiful story with many engaging characters.  It is a little long but well worth the time.  Grade: A-

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

This '80s romantic comedy from Susan Seidelman breaks all the rules in a fun and charming way.  Mostly known for co-staring Madonna as the free-spirited but tough title character, it's Rosanna Arquette as the curious house wife who forgets her identity that's the real soul of the film.  Amnesia is kind of a silly premise but here it's set up just right.  As a classic of the '80s this one still holds up and is worth checking out.  Grade: B+      

Violette Nozière (1978)

This film directed by Claude Chabrol and based on the true 1933 murder case where a young French woman poisons her parents proves that teenage rebellion and adolescent mischief have always been around.  Truth really is stranger than fiction and I doubt there is a writer that could concoct a more fascinating character.   And there are few actresses capable of turning in such a performance as Isabelle Huppert does.  She pulls you into her warped mind with dark subtitle expressions and child-like playfulness.  I'd say hers is one of the best performances I've seen of such a devoid human being.  This really is not a film to be missed and the fact that it's all true is even more incredible.  Grade: A

Sherman's March (1986)

Documentary film maker Ross McElwee planned to make a film about General Sherman's March against the South during the Civil War and its affects in the region but very quickly he turns the camera on himself after his girl friend breaks up with him.   Instead he hooks up with various women on his journey and explores his own demons on his inability to stay in a relationship.   Deeply personally and at times hilarious it's impossible to not like Ross and his honest spirit.  This is a wonderful time capsule of an experience with kooky, broad personalities.  At almost three hours you'd think such a random seemingly theme-less work might drag but it's far from boring.  Grade: A-

Look Back In Anger (1959)

A story meant to mirror the angry disillusion felt by Britain's youth after WWII quickly becomes a love triangle with a hero undeserving of love.  I guess this is the point of John Osbourne's script (based on his famous play) but in the end I could care less.  Richard Burton gives a solid performance but it's not very fun to watch an unlikeable jerk mistreat people for ninety minutes.  Sure great art doesn't always need to go down easy but a little bit of honey would have been nice.  Tony Richardson would later continue this theme with a better film, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.  Grade: B  

A Bug's Life (1998) [Revisited]

Pixar's second film is still one of their best.  While watching it again I was amazed at the comic timing and the perfect plotting.  You can really tell that for the animators of Pixar story is king.  This one is basically the Seven Samurai with circus bugs, memorable heroes that in my mind have become legends of character animation.  Yet as I watched this again I had an eerie thought, one that I found amusing and a bit depressing.  Reflecting on the state of our economy and the trend amongst corporations to outsource our manufacturing jobs oversees, I came to realize we're the grasshoppers.  Americans are consuming irresponsible grasshoppers and all those Asian countries making our clothes, our IPads, flat-screens, cars and pretty much everything else we buy are the ants.   I know I'm over simplifying a complex shift but the metaphor is somewhat true.  We're the grasshoppers and someday (if that day hasn't already transpired) the ants of the world are going to realize that there are more of them than us.   Oh but alas, this is supposed to be a review of one of my favorite animated tales.   Why so seriously bend it around into something more?  Maybe as a warning.  Grade: A

Chronicle (2012)

The first-person (found/collected footage) genre goes superhuman with this story of three high schoolers who stumble upon a strange crystal cave that gives them super powers.  They can fly and move objects with their minds.  Every fanboy's daydream becomes an emotional rewarding drama with layers of character development.   It's a lot like Akira with a video camera and no motercycles.  Josh Trank directs from an excellent script by Max Landis (son of John Landis).  Grade: A-

Burn Notice (Season 4)

Episodic television is very repetitive.  Unless you change things up and expand on the overall story it loses its entertainment value no matter the premise.  I was worried that this would happen with this spy show, about ex-spy Michael Weston on his quest to find those who had him burned, but thankfully the producers added a new character to spice things up and gives us a promise of a larger conspiracy.  The new character Jesse, also a burned spy, brings tension and a minor love triangle with Fiona which is almost believable.  It will be interesting to see how long they can sustain this premise.  Hopefully they don't run it into the ground.  Grade: B+ 

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)

By far one of the best titles to come out in years, it says it all.  Three friends and a nephew vacation at a ski resort to party like they did when they were younger only to go back in time via a time machine inside their hot tub to when they were younger.  John Cusack leads a great cast of character actors including Rob Corddry and  Craig Robinson.  This is a really funny film and surprisingly heart warming in a odd zany way.  Grade: A-

Le souffle au coeur [Murmur of the Heart] (1971)

This is a splendid French comedy about a young teenager named Laurent Chevalier coming to terms with his own sexual awakening while at the same time wrestling with his own love for his mother.  Sometimes awkwardness just makes you laugh and this is filled with such moments.   The film by Louis Malle can be divided into two parts: the first dealing with his life at home with his two older brothers and the second with his stay at a resort to recover from a heart murmur with his mother who is having an affair with another man.  This really is an unforgettable experience.   Grade: A

A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger didn't just make great movies they made masterpieces and this is one of them.  Also known as Stairway to Heaven, this film tells the story of a British WWII pilot who survives a plane crash only to have an Angle arrive to tell him that he was supposed to go to Heaven.  The pilot played by David Niven then must present his case that he should be allowed to remain on Earth because he fell in love before the Angel could come to collect him.  Roger Livesey plays the doctor in charge of the pilot's care and believes he has suffered brain damage.  Has he suffered brain damage and that's why he is seeing Angels or is the After life real?  Kim Hunter plays the American girl that David Niven falls in love with.   What makes this film stand out is the amazing visuals and driving plot that never lets up.  I'm shocked that more people don't know about this wonderful film.  Grade: A+

Tales of the Script (2011)

A random selection of interviews from various screenwriters bitching about how messed up their industry is while trying to not sound like they're complaining too much since they're making a living doing what about a million other screenwriter wanna-bes would kill for.  If you like documentaries where people talk about their craft or you are a writer yourself, this is a decent film.  For everyone else, stay away because it's not that rewarding.  Grade: B

Gas-s-s-s (1970)

What is there to say about this apolopysic comedy based on the hippy movement.  It's a low-budget Roger Corman film and it starts off about as awful as you can imagine.  Yet I stuck with it and it gets better.  Still there's no character development and the series of events our batch of hippies encounter are very student film worthy. Grade: C+

Prince of the City (1981)

This forgotten '80s classic directed by Sidney Lumet is about a police detective who goes undercover to arrest corrupt cops. It's a true story and it begs the question is Daniel Ciello a hero or a rat.  Treat Williams gives the performance of his career.  At 167 minutes, this is a long film but I was impressed by how smooth and fast paced it moved along.  That's a sign of masterful direction and great writing.  Grade: A-

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Inspired by films like Lord of the Rings and Princess Mononoke, Rupert Sanders reinvents of a fairy tale for a new generation.  Charlize Theron plays the Evil Queen, Kristen Stewart plays the title character and the Huntsman is played by Chrs Hemsworth.   Visually this film is impressive with some incredible transformations for the Evil Queen.  The Dark Forest alone is worthy of praise.  I really enjoyed this movie, even if it's so predictable.  I was talking with some friends and admitted it's hard to criticize a film for being predictable when everything that happens is what you want to see happen.  My one major complain with the film is that Snow White's character arch seemed underdeveloped.  Grade: B+

Spoilers: Note to film makers: sure it's cool that you can take an actor of average height and make them into a dwarf but with so many unemployed actors of smaller frame needing work the creation of the seven dwarfs in this film kind of irked me. 

Promethus (2012)

I can understand why so many people are disappointed by this film.  Ridley Scott returns to the science fiction genre and the world of Aliens and this is the film we get.  It's not a bad movie.  But it's not a really good one either.   The problem is that it's a great movie with a many really bad moments tossed in.   Those bad moments leave a bad taste in your mouth when the film ends and that's very unsatisfying.   I love mysteries and sometimes great mysteries aren't meant to have any answers, but just being ambiguous doesn't make something smart or provocative.  At the heart, this film tries to fool us into thinking it's about a "big idea" only it's really about nothing and that's very unexciting.  Still the film has some really great parts.  Noomi Rapace is a revelation as scientist Shaw and her "operation" scene is the highlight of the film.  Daivd is also a fantastic creation too played by Fassbender but I'm not sure if I understand his motivations.  Grade: B

Spoilers:  I have three big problems with this movie.  A) Why cast  a 45 year old to play a 80 year old?  Did Mr. Scott really want to work with Guy Pierce and he figured this would be a good role for him?   He looks like a robust 45 year old in layers of makeup.  Talk about taking someone out of an otherwise visually flawless film.  B) Charlize Thereon is so misused I don't know why she even wanted to be in this movie.  Her character doesn't do anything.  You could cut her character out of the movie and you'd not alter the story in anyway.  If you cast one of the best actresses in the business and you give her such a promising character: why would you not use her.  What a brain dead decision.  C) The Engineer is a great creation.  Why have him act like a blundering muscle bound idiot at the end?  He's supposed to be a superior being with great intelligence.  Yet when he wakes up he just rips an android's head off and punches an old guy across the room.  Talk about anticlimactic. 

The People vs George Lucas (2009)

What a bunch of whiners.  That's my view on all these supposed Star Wars fans in this movie.  Look, I consider myself a pretty big Star Wars Fan (or nerd to use a more accurate term).   I saw myself in some of these fanboys interviewed for this documentary that looks at George Lucas and his relationship with his audience (consumers).  Star Wars had a profound impact on me.  The Star Wars prequels weren't necessarily as good as the originals but so what; get over it.  I had some issues with some of his tinkering with the Special Editions; big deal.   Yet I don't hate any of it.  In fact I love the fact they're imperfect, flawed works of imagination.  It's easy to criticize something after the fact.  Hindsight is fifty-fifty, a truth that we all conveniently forget.   Ultimately this movie is a mix of ideas and complains and praises.  It's a blast to see how people have taken Star Wars and made it their own.   The various fan films alone are pretty crazy-cool.  I'm one of those believers that Star Wars belongs to George Lucas.  Certainly his vision has embedded itself into the pop culture of the world and people enjoy "playing in his sandbox" to use a metaphor from the film.  But Star Wars is his world and they're his creations and he can and will do whatever he wants with them.  If you don't like it, then don't buy it.  As for this film, if you like or hate Star Wars you might get as much of a kick watching this as I did. Grade: B+ 

Lola Montes (1955)

German film maker Max Ophüls's carnival biography of the famous social climber/ dancer become Royal mistress is inventive and epic as it dramatizes the life of Lola Montez in flash backs detailing her many loves.  Her story isn't really that interesting but its how Herr Ophüls structures this film that works.  What's even more impressive is that he shot the film in three languages.  Martine Carol is beautiful and does a brilliant job portraying a woman who could have come across as unsympathetic but she's able to demonstrate a strength that is empowering and tragic.  Certainly this isn't for everyone but if you like a good '50s historical drama this is a must see.  Grade: A-

Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)

I'm finding it very enlightening watching the original films of remakes that I loved, films that I watched many long years ago never guessing they were remade until later.  It just shows you how subjective the concept of remaking something is.  One film buff's "untouchable" classic is an other's "dated" opportunity.  Warren Beatty remade this 40s classic into a masterpiece of his own by simply following the same road map Alexander Hall took telling the afterlife comedy of a boxer (not quarterback) being pulled from his body before he was supposed to die and then needing to find a replacement body when his body is cremated before the angel that removed him can put him back.   I loved watching this film and found it as moving as Beatty's film.  I'm reminded of my shock when I saw that Chris Rock was involved in a remake of his own of this story.  I wonder how many watched that not knowing it was a remake of a remake.  Grade: A 

Albert Nobbs (2011)

I hate to be too harsh about this film but I didn't really like it. Maybe I had built up in my mind a different kind of film. The premise is great: a butler working at a Dublin hotel in the 1800s is in fact a woman in disguised, saving her money for the day she as a he can afford a tobacco shop. The first half of the film is wonderful with a mix of entertaining characters that are easy to care about. Then the story turns sour and I spent the rest of the film fighting with it, wanting it to be something the writer never intended it to be. Glenn Close and McTeer act their chops off as women dressed as men and deserve the Oscar nominations they received. It's a fine looking film with excellent production design and decent directing. I just wish the end result left me glowing instead of moody. Grade: C+

Spoilers: If it weren't such a well-made film technically I would have given it a C-. I felt the ending was just really depressing and unnecessary. I don't have problems with sad films. I just think a film needs to leave you satisfied. This one didn't.
 

The Iron Lady (2011)

The biggest flaw of this film is that it tries to combine two movies into one with only some success. It's primarily a film about a widow trying to let go and say good bye to the ghost of her husband. Then it's a biography about one of the most important political leaders in recent history. The two don't always mesh. I wanted to know more about her career and the relationships she had with other political figures. But all of that felt rushed or glossed over so the narrative could jump back to Maggie Thatcher as an old woman talking with her husband, Dennis. I'm conflicted because I think the love story should be the soul of the film, but when the movie ended I didn't feel like I knew Mrs. Thatcher any better than when I started. As for Meryl Streep: is there any more doubt she's the greatest actor/actress of all time? I don't know how she does it. She is amazing and completely deserving of the Oscar last year. Actually the strongest aspect of the film is the acting from everyone and I can tell that director, Phyllida Lloyd is excellent at communicating to actors. Maybe this is more of a case where I wanted an Oliver Stone film about Margret Thatcher and instead I ended up with something else, more personal. Overall there are some wonderful moments that stand out and make this a decent film. Grade: B

Love Affair (1939)

The original film about lovers who agree to meet at the top of the Empire State Building a year later if they still love each other as much as they do after a romantic cruise.  No need for the star power of Cary Grant, Warren Beatty or Tom Hawks to carry this film, the story alone is that good.   Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer deliver excellent performances too and Leo McCarey directs.  It makes you wonder why Mr. McCarey decided to remake his own film years later.  The only explanation is that he loved the story so much and without the existence of Home Video he assumed his first one was lost.   Grade: A

Valley of the Dolls (1967)

I'm not sure if this is the greatest movie of camp that was ever produced but it certainly defines the subgenre. Based on the scandalous novel from Jacqueline Susann, it's the story of three women trying to make it in the entertainment industry. Anne Wells is the just-off-the-bus legal secretary that stumbles into a modeling gig while getting caught up in a romance with a lawyer unwilling to commit. Jennifer North is the untalented bombshell who turns to "Nudies" to help play for her husband's hospital bills to a strange disease. And then there's Neeley O'Hara, the talented girl who becomes a pill-popping (they're called dolls) bitch of a celebrity who learns she's lost everyone she ever loved. Most of this movie is so bad you can't help but be entertained by it. Surprisingly Sharon Tate's Jennifer North character is the most impressive when it comes to acting, with Patty Duke chewing up the screen as Neeley O'Hara with melodrama and over the top dialogue you can't really blame her for the results. You could use this film as a teaching tool for future screenwriters on what not to do. Actors should watch this film so they know what parts not to accept. It's hard to really grade this film because as an entertaining laugh fest it's okay (not always hysterical but smile inducing). As a drama? It sucks a big one. Grade: B-.
   

Ray Bradbury (1920 – 2012)

A giant of literature has died today. He lived a long and full life so it's hard to be too depressed but I'm saddened to know that he has left us. The author of such classics as The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes, here was a master storyteller if there ever was one. He specialized in short stories and became one of this country’s best at the short form. It's impossible to describe the impact he has had in our lives. He inspired millions of readers by challenging us to dream and conspire against evil.  He will be missed but like all great artist his wisdom and passion lives on.

The Great McGinty (1940)

It makes me sad to think I only have a couple Preston Sturges films left to see. The man was a genius and it's evident in all his work. In this rag to riches story, a bum becomes governor and falls in love with the girl he married just so he'd look good for the voters. Yet a change of heart amongst corrupt politicians is a dangerous game and also quite funny too. A splendid satire as well as an original character study of a dishonest man becoming honest, there's no wonder this is a classic of the Golden Age of film. Grade: A

Horrible Bosses (2011)

A riff on the old "I hate my boss" theme that made 9 to 5 so great. Except this time there are three bosses and a little bit of Hitchcock thrown in the mix. Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day) and Jack (Jason Sudeikis) decide to help each other kill their hated bosses all played with hilarity by Kevin Spacey (in a sort of encore performance of his famous Swimming with Sharks character), Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell.  But because this is a comedy nothing goes as it should and if you're like me you'll spend a lot of time laughing your ass off.  Grade: A

The Trip (1967)

Roger Corman directs a screenplay written by Jack Nicholson about a commercial director experimenting with LSD.   All is supervised until he escapes out into the streets of LA.  Peter Fonda, Bruce Dern and Dennis Hopper star in a time when they weren't stars yet.  Mostly the only reason to watch this film is out of curiosity.  It's not very good and while the psychedelic lighting and editing techniques seemed "hip" back in the sixties it's very annoying today.   Grade: C.

Brave (2012)

Not surprisingly Pixar does it again.  The artistry on display in this film is so impressive at times I wanted to pause the screen to take in the breathtaking detail and beauty of these images.  The main character Merida's red hair alone is so complex and dazzling it would be distracting if the story wasn't as entertainting as it is.  Princess Merida's journey isn't your typical fairy tale; she's a free-spirited archer who doesn't want to get married.  Yet in trying to change her fate, with the help of a witch, I mean wood carver, she'll learn a great lesson about pride and her responsiblties as a soon-to-be queen.  There's no stereotypical villain on display here.  No predictable love story to follow with a marriage scene at the end, sorry.  This is a story about the relationship between a daughter and a mother.  And it's as funny as it is emotionally rewarding.  This is certainly a new classic not to be missed.  In a summer of superheroes this is a welcome and much needed change of pace.  Grade: A.  

Sanctum (2011)

If you can see this in 3D, it's worth it. Not always visually impressive, it's still fun to watch cave explorers in a claustrophobic 3D environment. That's probably the only element worth seeing, to be honest. This survival film "inspired by actual events" with "inspired" being the keyword starts off well with decent, watchable characters but things unravel quickly when they get trapped, especially with Ioan Gruffudd's almost villainous character taking a turn for the worst. The acting is average, the tension is average, and the direction is average, so yeah it's a pretty average film. Grade: B-

Spoiler: It's hard to recommend a film when everyone dies except for the hero and his survival is pretty much guaranteed by the opening shot. What's even more puzzling is that there were thirteen survivors of the event that inspired the film. I guess we're supposed to be moved by the father and son's relationship. All I could think about was how stupid it was that Mr. Gruffudd goes berserk.