Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

This Howard Hawks film starring Cary Grant and Jean Arthur is about a group of rough and tough air mail pilots who are commissioned to fly through the dangerous Andes.  Jean Arthur stumbles upon this group while vacationing South America.  A romance quickly begins between her and the leader of the outfit played by Grant in one of his better performances (which is saying a lot considering how consistent he is as an actor).  Thomas Mitchell though really gives the most memorable performance playing the aging pilot, Kid.  Hawks' direction and this tightly-scripted story work on so many levels.  It's about lost loves, about bravery in the face of death and about facing death with a smug almost heartless strength.  Grade: A-

Atanarjuat [The Fast Runner] (2002)

This Canadian film directed by Zacharias Kunuk is known as the most authnetic Inuit film ever made. Written and acted in the Inuktitut language it tells the ancient story of two brothers who cross paths with the evil spirit that corrupted their once tribe.  It's a long movie but filled with an anthropoligists wish list of Inuit customs.  But the story, once it gets going, really takes off and left me energized with anticipation.   A certain classic and one of the best films about Indigenous peoples I've ever seen.  Grade: A-

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

Some films just need to be seen.  There's nothing I can describe to prepare the viewer for this magical, beautiful and painful story of a daughter and her father living in the poorest area of Louisiana (a fictional place called the Bath Tub).   It might be too early to say this but if this film doesn't get nominated for Best Picture (especially if there are ten nominations) I will be extremely irritated.  There's a unique blending of documentary, fantasy and spiritualism at work here that's breathless to behold.  This adaptation of a stage play is ugly and sometimes it's hard to watch but in the end I was flabbergasted, tears in my eyes and hope stuck in my throat.   Again, some films just need to be seen and I hope that many see this film.  Grade: A

Wings (1927)

Finally the first film to win Best Picture is available for DVD and it was well worth the wait.  This is truly an amazing movie.  It's the story of two young men who become pilots during the First World war and a hometown girl who will do anything for the young man she loves.  This is a magical silent film which seems to have been spun out of miracles (and I say this after seeing the behind the scenes featurette on what they had to do to make this cinematic achievement . . .eg the lead actors actually learned to fly and had to fly and operate their cameras too).   This might have been made in the '20s but I've yet to see a film with better aerial stunt work and camerawork.  The battle scenes are epic and ahead of their time.  If I were alive back then I'm certain would have gone to the theater a few dozen times to experiences this WWI flying picture.  What's especially powerful is that when all the dog fights are done this is a film about brothers in arms, men who love each other and die for each other.  A beautiful film.  Grade: A+

The Cranes are Flying (1957)

This is one of the best films I've seen (so far) made in the Soviet Union.  Veronika is a strong female character played by the beautiful and talented actress Tatiana Samoilova.  The man she loves, Boris, leaves to fight the Germans in WWII and as she waits for his return Boris' brother Mark pursues her to marry him instead.   There are so many brilliant cinematic moments to praise, from Veronika searching a bombed out apartment for her parents to a suffocating crowd shot that must have taken some careful choreography.  It's a pretty incredible film with many unexpected twists and turns.  Solid story telling and performances: it's well worth a viewing even for contemporary audiences.  Grade: A

Taste of Cherry (1997)

In all honesty, I’m probably not knowledgeable enough about Iran and the various cultures that dominate that region to really give a proper review of this film.  Abbas Kiarostami’s story of a man trying to find someone to help him bury his body after committing suicide is so simple, with action so drawn out and meandering it’s almost boring.  It’s basically a man driving around in his Ranger Rover listening to strangers attempt to convince him to live. For me this film is like poetry.  I have to be in the right mindset to read poetry.  I enjoy it when I do but if I try to read an hour of great poetry when I’m geared for a short story or novel, I fall asleep or find my mind wandering.  Thankfully I was in the mood for such a film and I did enjoy it (I didn’t fall asleep) but I wasn’t as satisfied by this film as much as I had hoped.  Certainly it’s an artful exercise dealing with issues of life and death that we all face.  But at its core it’s an unconventional way to tell a story that could have easily been more inspiring to more people if Kiarostami had wanted it to be.  Grade: B

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The third-movie curse that has plagued so many other trilogies has been thwarted in this epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman Saga.  I am beyond satisfied.  It's so exhilarating to have one's favorite comic book hero brought to screen in such a bold and superior way.  Bob Kane is smiling from ear to ear with pride up there in heaven, I am sure.  I really don't know how to start.  I'm buzzed.  Bruce Wayne's journey is complete.  Bane turns out to be more threatening than the Joker (yes, I know that's shocking to some of you out there but that's what I thought) and Commissioner Gordon can still kick ass.  What's especially fun is watching Anne Hathway steal the show as Catwoman, I mean she surprised even me and I always thought she would be great.  I'd almost say it's a perfect film but of course it does have a few minor issues (and I mean minor as in tiny).  With all the pieces of the plot up in the air, juggled with skill by a brilliant director, it does feels like some corners are cut to keep an already long movie from being even longer.  What makes these movies so good isn't that they are dark.  The reason they surpasses all other superhero films is because they are about something more than bad guys and good guys.  There are themes at work here that are sweeping and important.  Batman isn't just a crime fighter, he's a symbol that we can fight back and that there is good in all of us that can break down the shadows that want to swallow us whole.  Fear can be defeated but only if one accepts that fear is important.  While Marvel's superheros succeed in making tons of money and entertain us with their colorful characters and broad strokes of adventure, they have less substance and ingenuity.   The Avengers is a fantastic festival of fun.  But it's like a happy meal in comparison to a steak dinner.  Bravo to Nolan and company, you just made a legendary cinema experience.  Grade: A

Spoilers: Obviously for those that have read the comics, there's not much to surprise you.  I wish I could have deleted what I knew about Batman lore before seeing this because I would have loved to experience all the twist and turns without knowing what I knew.  The story is a balance between the Knightfall series and No Man's Land.   It brings Ra's al Ghul back full circle and gives us a hint of a future Batman without Bruce.  Some are already calling for a sequel with the new Batman continuing in Nolan's Batman universe.  I say, let this be the end.   In five years or so Warner Brothers can reboot the character with a new look but let Nolan's world stand on its own, which it does so well.   Any continuation will only weaken what is the best Superhero trilogy of all time.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Wes Anderson's storybook cinema has never been so clever and enchanting.  A childhood romance of epic portions this comedy-love story-adventure tale is about a Khaki Scout named Sam and the daughter of two lawyers named Suzie who runaway together on a camping trip on a small Eastcoast island, causing a whirlwind of chaos for all involved.  At times this film is like a poem on everything from growing up to the struggles of parenting and marriage.  The ensemble cast featuring Bill Murray, Francis McDormand, Bruce Willis, Ed Norton, Tilda Swinton and Harvey Keitel is pitch perfect and completely void of ego.  I know there is an anti-Wes-Anderson crowd out there (which is weird since he's probably our most original American film maker right now) that should stay away but for the rest of us, you'll not want to miss this magical film.  Trust me see this in the theater.  Grade: A

We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)

After watching this film I turned the news on and learned of the shooting at the Aurora Colorado movie theater.  Talk about irony.  This film from the point of view of a mother whose first born son becomes the killer of a high school massacre is about as evil as a horror film.  Kevin is like a real life version of Damian from The Omen.  I wouldn't have been surprised if Tilda Swinton found 666 branded on his skull.   Lynn Ramsay, the director, brilliantly crafts a story that asks important questions about evil.  Are we born evil or are we raised that way?  Maybe both.  I can't help but think of the suspect in the Colorado shooting, and other shootings like in Columbine High school (the irony just keeps on coming) and I'm certain the parents of these monsters ask these same questions.  For our society, films like these are important and are needed to help jump start a dialogue.  Parents of troubled children need an outlet, without judgment, so we can prevent more tragedies.  It's naive to think we can weed out every bad seed or reprogram such entities but we should never stop trying to understand such senseless acts of terror.  Grade: A

The Damned (1969)

I felt damned watching this melodramatic waste of time.  Watching the Third Reich corrupt an unlikeable, wealthy steel-factory-owning family is about as fun as viewing Dynasty in German.   I don't really need to go any further, I pretty much hated this overrated snooze fest that uses shocking twists to entertain you instead of compelling characters.  Luchino Visconti impressed me with The Leopard but I question his supposed brilliance now that I've seen this.  Grade: C-

Porky's (1982)

Suckered into watching this movie by a friend of mine "What?  You haven't seen Porky's?  It's a classic!" I find myself in a sour mood.  I'm sure back in 1982 this film was hilarious and the bathroom scene alone must have shocked lustful teens into hysterics.  But none of this humor really holds up anymore.   The fact that Bob Clark (writer and director) set his film in the '50s is pretty great and that's the one aspects that I enjoyed-- the wiping away of the '50s as a pure moral, Leave-It-To-Beaver world.  The biggest problem with this film is that all the characters laugh for me.  When Honeywell demonstrates why she's known as Lassie in the men's locker room, I might have laughed but actor Doug McGrath's horrid uncontrollable laughter steals away any need for me to enjoy what's happening.  It's like a visual laugh track and it's very annoying.  And this choice to have the cast laughing at what's happening is a repeating force that become very annoying by the end of the film.  Sure there's so really amusing character work and Pee Wee's desperate desire to lose his virginity is chuckle inducing but the overall result is a sex comedy from the '80s stuck in a time capsule.  If Howard Stern wants to make a remake of this, I say go for it.  Just don't laugh for me, please.  Grade: C+

Underworld: Awakening (2011)

I don't know why I enjoy these Underworld movies so much, they're pretty bad, but I do.  Kate Beckingsale returns as Selena and it's lovely to see her back (and I'm not just saying that because of her appealing outfit).  This time around Vampires are at war with not just Lycans but humans too.   That's right, the world knows of their kind and it's a real game changer.  This added concept really does reinvigorate a franchise that was pretty much undead in its own right.  That said there is some really silly action sequences and annoying plot holes.  But as a guilty pleasure it's very successful.  So successful that I'm actually looking forward to a new one.  Grade: B+

Spoilers:  There's a scene (inspired from Terminator 2) where Selena and her vampire friend are driving away in a truck being pursued by Lycans.   On the street the Lycans leap from car to car trying to get to their prey.  My question:  why are all the cars still driving?  Think about it; if you were driving down the street and a were wolf jumped on your car, would you really keep driving or wouldn't stop.  This is an example of the silliness that is in this movie.  I won't even go into all the bullets Selena uses without seeming to reload.  Oh, those silly Hollywood fools.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

When is it too early to reboot a superhero franchise?  I guess it's never too early in the case with Spider-man.  With the Sam Raimi-Tobey McGuire adaptation still fresh on my mind I went to see the new version today and was pleasantly enteratined.  Sure Marc Webb and team seemed on a mission to copy Nolan's Batman reboot formula, making a much more dramatic and darker version of the famous web slinger but Mr. Webb was still able to capture a hint of that Spidey teen angst that helps make Spider-man such an enduring and unigue character of the genre.  Unlike the Batman reboot there's nothing really ground breaking about this one; but, hey, it doesn't really need to be with a character as popular as Spider-man.  There's a new back story dealing with Peter's parents and a different girl friend but all in all it's the same story, which might explain the feeling of dejvu I had watching the first hour (causing the tempo to drag some too).  What's interesting is how hard it is to think of this film without comparing it to the earlier version.  I refuse to pick one over the other.   I like them both equally.  That said I do think this one lacked some of the joy and trimphant heart that Raimi infused with his version so well.  But this one seemed to have more emotional range that I loved.  Andrew Garfield is fantastic and Emma Stone as usual rocked my world.   Really the entire cast did a splendid job.  Already things are in place for a sequel and I'm certainly intrigued.   Let us hope this is just the beginning of better storytelling to come.   Grade: B+

Spoilers: I have a few requests though for the second one. 1)  Please give us more info on Peter's web slingers.  I always worried about this part of the story (Raimi's organic version is better in my opinion). How does he get refills?   Did he steal the formula from Oscorp and now makes the stuff in his bedroom?   Can he ever run out of webbing?  Does he have to reload?  2) I know you're going to probably kill Gwen Stacy off but please keep her around as much as possible.  3)  We need better fight scenes.  These were pretty good but I think a better villian will help with that.  Plus Peter should be better doing his thing the more he does it.  4)  Get him out of high school quick.  5)  Don't give us more than two villains, please.  5) If James Horner's going to do the music again, can he come up with a better theme.  Sorry but he blew it.  6)  Stop the POV shots as Spider-man swings from skyscraper to skycraper.  It doesn't look that great in 3D .  7) Last but not least, make sure that Spider-man is a funny smart-ass not a dick.      

John Carter (2012)

Disney should be ashamed of themselves for so poorly marketing such a wonderful cinematic experience.  Not to say it's flawless, the beginning prologue is unnecessary and too immediate for my taste, but the rest of the film is a fun adventure that deserved a better campaign.

I want to first complain by asking the Disney suits, did you really expect this film to open big in March?  Your target audience, young people, are still in school and probably too busy finishing up the school year to even go to the movies.  This would have been perfect for the Summer time.  Oh, that's right, you'd rather put all your resources into that other film every one's already talking about, you know the one with superheroes, instead of selling a movie that only die hard sci-fi fans might recognize.  When you think of it, this would have been the perfect change of pace in August after three big Superhero movies finish their assault on audiences.   But I digress, let's go back to the marketing wizards at Disney.  Why in the world would you change the title of your film to just a name when the book is called John Carter of Mars.  Who would want to see a movie called John Carter?  Most people saw that poster you created (which is as boring a poster as can be) and squinted, asking themselves, "Who?"   At least having Mars in the title tells people that it's a science fiction story.  Look at history. The most popular films in the last few decades have all been science fiction stories.  Why avoid the most attractive element of the title?  Even John Carter and the Princess of Mars would have been better.   But Disney freaked out (probably because their last bomb, Mars Needs Moms).   Then there's the trailer they cut.  Who ever edited that trailer should never edit another trailer as long as they live, I don't care if they're a Led Zeppelin fan.   Horrible!  I'm all for keeping the plot under wraps a little but you should at least explain why a man is running around in a loin cloth capable of jumping higher than your typical person.  Oh, and maybe this is where you could tell the audience that he's on Mars!   Now sure the critics weren't too kind either but critics rarely cripple a film.   If so we'd only have one Twilight film and Michael Bay would have stopping making movies after Pearl Harbor.  If moved to a better time spot with a trailer that sold the idea that this is a romantic space opera directed by the guy who gave us WALL-E and co-written by the Pulitzer-prize winner Michael Chabon I can almost guarantee more people would have gone to see it.   I mean I'm a huge Chabon fan and if I had known he was involved I'd probably have been there opening day.   But the trailer didn't say any of this.   It just showed a bunch of four-armed creatures and a guy in a loin cloth jumping around yelling about fighting for a cause that's never explained.  Disney, you can only blame yourself for this disaster.   Worse you ruined it for the rest of us because I would have loved to see Andrew Stanton and team return for a follow up.  

Now that I got that off my chest, my take on the movie.   As I stated in the beginning, this is a flawed film but a fun one regardless.  But the Pixar brain trust blew it when it came to setting up the world of the story.  As soon as the film opened to narration I cringed.  Why not just start the film on Earth?   All the exposition that you lay out in the beginning of the film is explained to John Carter later on.   We don't need to hear this back story twice.  Open with his nephew Ned going to his Estate and reading his journal.  Then showing John being chased by Indians and going into that cave.  Then he is teleported to a strange place and only later learns that he's on Mars.  The audience will know he's on Mars because of the film's title (oh, that's right you changed that).  I've watched the alternate beginning and it seems you were always on the wrong track.  Oh well, this doesn't ruin the movie but it does clutter up the film's pacing.  From here the film really turns on the charm and is a blast.  Taylor Kitsch as Carter and Lynn Collins as Princess Thoris are great leads who are easy to root for.  Sure the villains played by Dominic West and Mark Strong are kind of one dimensional but acceptable for this kind of high fantasy.  I loved the air ships and the look of the production design.  The Tharks are brilliant and if I had any complain is that more could have been done to distinguish them apart.  But you know a movie's good when you've stopped noticing these things and focus on the events on screen.  This is an entertaining film that shouldn't be missed by those who love these kind of stories, you know, people who liked Avatar, Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, pretty much everybody.  It's disappointing that we're not going to get to see more of Mars.  It was memorable and a fun ride.  Grade: B+

Spoiler: Okay, I did have a problem at the end of the movie too.  So John Carter fakes his death to trick the Thern following him to wait for Ned to open Carter's tomb so John can take the Thern's medallion.   Can't the Thern's blue-gloved weapon blow up entire ships?  Why not just blow a hole through Carter's tomb and get inside that way?  Why wait for Ned to open the door?   Then there's Mark Strong appearing before John Carter and sending him back to Earth.  Why not just kill John Carter?  Then you never have to worry about him coming back at all.  Oh well, it's not a perfect film but it's certainly more entertaining than more successful films like Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Bye Bye Brazil (1979)

This landmark of Brazilian cinema is about a traveling sideshow with a Magician, a Strong Man, and an Exotic dancer.  An Accordionist and his pageant wife join the group on their way through the Amazon jungle heading toward a promise land of new audiences.  The Accordionist's reasons for traveling have less to do with joining show business and more to do his desire to be with the Dancer.  While somewhat dated, this is still a charming film with many unexpected turns.  Grade: B+ 

Haywire (2011)

Steven Soderbergh's attempt to make a spy film must have been inspired by watching his friend Matt Damon star in the Bourne films.  Gina Carano is Mr. Soderbergh's female Bourne and while she does a solid job acting in her first role, there's nothing in her character as betrayed spy that's interesting enough to want to follow.  The big problem: how exciting can an thriller be when the hero is so strong and the villains so weak?  Not once did I think she was in any real danger.  She's Gina Carano.  Unless he was dealing with a real badass villain, I might have worried for her but not these guys.  I love Ewan McGregor and I consider his work on this film to be fine, but I didn't believe for an instant that he was her match.  The fight scenes are somewhat disappointing.  They lack originality, which I guess is lame coming from someone like myself who knows very little about hand-to-hand combat, but I felt the fight scenes in Columbiana were more brutal and eye-opening than in this film.  Again, maybe if I felt Gina might lose I'd start edging my seat but a skinny Michael Fassbender is laughable.  The plot is okay and I love Soderbergh's refreshing Spy-Noir style, but it's still a mediocre attempt at something we've all seen before on a television show called Alias. Grade: C+

Beautiful People (1999)

When this multiple-storylined film started I cringed.  Not another one of these.  The last time I watched a film about various Londoners and their crisscrossing lives it was the amusing but greatly overrated Love Actually.  Soon it became clear that this is a superior and special comedy.   The irony is more biting and the characters more real.  There's greater depth in what director Jasmin Dizdar is trying to say and the themes cut like razer blades.  Dealing with the Bosnian War, upper classes versus lower classes, refugees' fresh starts, guilt living in peace and the true meaning of family: all emerge with wit and honest.  Grade: A-

Rampart (2011)

Woody Harrelson gives a remarkable performance as a corrupt LA police officer in a film undeserving of his talents.  By looking at the cast of this film (Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon, Robin Wright, Steve Buscemi, Ned Betty and Sigourney Weaver) you'd think this would be the greatest police drama ever made.  But not even famous LA noir novelist James Ellroy involved can saved this disaster.  Oren Moverman's last film with Woody and Ben Foster was the brilliant military drama The Messenger, so I know he's a skilled film maker, and this one does have some great scenes and many visual high points, but the story goes all over the place with too many characters.  If more focused this could have been a new and improved Bad Lieutenant but instead it's an example of great acting alone can't save a movie.  Grade: C+   

Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)

Monte Hellman's existential road movie is more about mood than plot.  Staring singer James Taylor as the Driver and Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson as the Mechanic, these most basic of characters, drive across the country determinged to race their supped up '55 Chevy however they can. Along the way they meet Warren Oats as a scene stealing compulsive liar who loves picking up strangers in his '70 GTO  and then Laurie Bird as a wandering young hitch hiker who bounces from men without concern.  I can understand why such an unconventional love letter and critique of the American automobile has become such a cult classic.  Unfortunately this film feels slow at times and because our main characters are so flat, without any charisma or personality at all, it feels lacking.  If it weren't for Oat's performance and Bird's beautiful complexity I think it would be an impossible film to enjoy.  Grade: B.  

In Darkness (2011)

Like all Holocaust films, this is an emotionally bleak story that's an important reminder of humanity's most evil potential as well as a celebration of our spirit to survive.  Visually impressive and directed with artistic clarity by Agnieszka Holland, we follow a Polish sewer inspector, Leopold Socha, as he hides away a group of Jews in the filthy sewage system he knows so well for personal gain.  Yet after a moral wrestling, he begins to realize that keeping "his Jews" alive is less about him and more about doing what is right.  Some of the action, while true, has been seen before in other films, but most of the harrowing events that unfold are unique and keep this film from being a formula Schindler's List copy cat.   This is the first of the five films nominated for last years Best Foreign Language Oscar I've seen and it is very deserving of the acclaim.  Grade: A-

Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)

This awkward and weird love story from John Cassavetes is a testament of his greatness.  Here he crafts a compelling narrative with two of the oddest characters I've seen in a film.  Brutally thrust into each other like a storm, Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel pop off the screen with their bold yet believable performances.  What a wonderful messy romance that everyone who believes in love should see and cherish, even if at times it reminds you how hard life can be.  Grade: A-

Tower Heist (2011)

A more farcical version of Ocean's Eleven with Ben Stiller attempting to right a wrong by stealing from a Madoff-type millionaire living at the penthouse of The Tower. An all-star cast, including Alan Alda, Eddie Murphy, Mathew Broderick, Casey Affleck and Tea Leoni, delivers the goods in a typical average construction from Brett Ratner. It's hard to know what kind of comedy they're attempting here. Sometimes it's straight comedy with subtly and then it's so ridiculous I had to suspend my disbelief with such force I thought I might explode. There are some clever moments but nothing that really surprised me. When it was over I felt disappointed, not that I wasn’t entertained, but with such a promising premise I had hoped for a better film.  Grade: B

Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toybnee Tiles (2011)

I knew nothing of this urban legend or marking of our streets until this eerie and fascinating documentary about the Toybnee Titles.   Someone out there has been putting linoleum crafted titles (or glued signs) on various streets across America from Philly to Boston with the same cryptic message and no one knows who that someone is.  Justin Duerr, the main subject of the film, has dedicated his life to trying to solve this mystery.  John Foy, the director, does a wonderful job pacing an unforgettable narrative while also hinting at thematic parallels to Duerr's own life.  Instead of going into anymore details I suggest watching the film; it's well-worth a viewing.  Grade: A-

Smile (1975)

This film completely surprised me. What a pleasurable experience that satires beauty pageants and small town simplicity. It's easy to forget at times that this is a fictional story because of how director Michael Ritchie (known for The Bad News Bears) shot this film with natural light and a cast of regular looking people. I love this un-stylized look especially when most films today seem so artificial and color-corrected to the point of invention.  What interests me is that this film came out the same year that Robert Altman’s Nashville did.  Yet Altman’s film is more revered, why is that?  Because politics is more sensational?  For me this multi-character story is better told with characters way more entertaining and hilarious.  Bruce Dern’s Big Bob, main judge of California's Young American Miss Pageant, alone is more amusing then all the characters in Nashville.  I can only hope that more people discover this little gem from the 1970s.  Grade: A

Sciuscià [Shoeshine] (1946)

 Vittorio De Sica directs his first major film and it's also one of his most sad tales.  Two boys who work shoe shining assist in a robbery to get enough money to buy a horse.  But when they're arrested and stuck in a Juvenile jail they're friendship is put to the test.  As much of an indictment on a system that would mistreat such children,  found this a profound cinematic work.  Grade: A- 

Brave (2012)

Pixar does it again.  There are times while watching this beautifully executed film that I wanted to yell up at the projectionist and have them pause the action so I could admire all the incredible details.  Merida’s radiant, red curls alone are a stunning peerless effect well-worth a celebration.  All of this brilliance could have been a distraction but the story is equally impressive. This isn’t your typical Princess: Merida’s a feisty archer with a love for galloping through the forest and exploring the world.  With the help of a witch, I mean wood carver, she tries to change her fate. But in time she’s confronted with lessons on pride and taking responsibly for her actions.  Unlike most fairy tales there’s no evil villain trying to take over the kingdom.  No handsome prince for our hero to fall in love with.  Instead Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews take their audience on a deeper more personal journey about the relationship between a daughter and her mother.  The result is an emotionally rewarding adventure that’s just as hilarious as it is magical.    Grade: A