Werewolf of London (1935)

Historically this is the first Hollywood werewolf film.  It follows an English botanist who gets bit by a werewolf while looking for a rare flower in Tibet.  It turns out the flower is the only way to thwart the werewolf curse and back in London, another wants this rare flower to keep himself from changing.  A pretty interesting plot for a bland and dated film.  Grade: B-

Weeds (Season 4)

After leaving Agrestic , it would seem impossible for the writers to make Nancy Botwin's story interesting anymore.  I mean, her entire pot growing empire has been swallowed up in flames.  How wrong I was.  This season jump starts a new story thread that's as funny and as wild as any season before.  There's one thing about this excellent and surprising show, it never gets predictable.  Grade: A

Extract (2009)

Jason Bateman is the perfect average joe for the comedy world.   He’s got that charming almost straight man aspect that just works.   And Mike Judd uses Bateman’s talents really well as the owner of an extract company who lusts after a con-artist co-worker in GIRL when his marriage with GIRL goes cold in the bedroom.   Like Office Space, there are a lot of odd ball dolts and unexpected turns that make this a decent one to watch on a Friday night.   It’s never laugh out loud good, but in some ways that doesn’t hurt this film.  Grade: B+

Penny Serenade (1941)

Cary Grant and Irene Dunne star in this captivating and emotional film directed by George Stevens about a couple's love story from falling in love, their finical ups and downs, and the adoption of a child.  There's a lot to love, from great character work and wonderful moments of comedy, but in the end it's an unsatisfying film.  The ending felt forced and left me wondering if the writers ever understood their own film's theme.  I can't say it's the kind of film to avoid, there are some
memorable scenes and you can see why it's regarded as a classic, I just wish it wasn't so manipulative.  Grade: B-

Spoiler:  The death of a child is a horrible event and I can appreciate Stevens desire to explore how such an tragedy can test a relationship but what upset me the most about this film is how the heroes only stay together when they realize they can get another kid.   It cheapens the first child's existence and that's why in many ways I hated this film.   It could have been way more inspiring, a film about love being able to withstand any hardship.  Instead it was about two lovers that probably shouldn't be with one another. 

20 Most Anticipated Films of 2013

Last year I picked 10 but I'm going to double it up.  I'm too lazy to attempt to cut it down when all of these look promising.  Let's hope they actually come out this year instead of make next year's list.

1. Star Trek In Darkness

The first three on the list could all be number one but I’m going to start off with the next Star Trek film because it’s J.J. Abrams (the future director of Star Wars VII) and I really want to see the cast from the first film return.   If the preview I saw is any indicator this one is going to be fun. 

2. Man of Steel

Is this going to be the Superman film we deserved to see instead of Bryan Singer’s horrible attempt or is Zack Snyder going to slow-mo us into a stylized funk?  I’m not sure but with Mr. Nolan involved and with the positive buzz the previews are getting I’m super excited. 

3. Iron Man 3

Marvel’s version of the Batman character has an opportunity to really move into a new direction.  I’m looking forward to see what Shane Black will do and something tells me Tony Stark isn’t going to be the same man after this adventure.  

4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Unlike the first of this new series, this one isn’t going to start off slow.  All the set up is done, now we have pure adventure and a battle with a dragon.  I can’t wait!

5. Gravity

Alfonso Carson has been working on this one for awhile.  In fact it was on last year's most anticipated list and yet I'm still excited.  It could be a disaster but something tells me it’s going to be a big Science Fiction film worth seeing.

6. Monster University

Pixar makes a sequel we actually want to see.   While maybe not as rich and dramatic as some of their other entries, this time these genius animators are going to for the laugh.   They’ve proven to be excellent at creating quality comedies before and I highly doubt they’ll fail this time around.

7. Elysium

District 9 was such a breath of fresh air.  Although it was overshadowed by another big science fiction that year, you know the one with giant blue people, it still stands as one of the best science fiction films made in the last ten years.   Now Neil Bompkiskt returns with another original script starting Matt Damon and I expect another quality film. 

8. Her

Guy falls in love with his smartphone.  This might be like Simone (the Al Pacino film) but this one is directed and written by Spike Jonze.   I’m pretty much guaranteed to be in line for this one.

9. Pacific Rim

Guillamino Del Torro hasn’t made a film in some time (thanks to MGM for delaying The Hobbit so he had to bail after spending so much time in New Zealand) and now that he has I am ready for something fun and spectactular.    Plus this one has Giant Robots.   You gotta love that. 

10. Hunger Games

The Sequel to the Hunger Games starting new Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence should be pretty intense if it’s anything like Suzanne Collins book.  I wish Gary Ross were returning to direct and DIRECTOR isn’t one of my favorites but I’ll give him a chance.  

11. Ender’s Game

One of the greatest science fiction novels of all time finally comes to the big screen.  I’m a little nervous about this one only because I love the book so much and it would be so easy for director Gavin Hood to screw it up, at the same time it’s an engaging story with so much promise I have to see it.  I’ll be crossing my fingers. 

12. Anchorman: The Legend Continues

Can the Will Ferrell and the News Team return and pull off a comedy lightening strike or will this be a overwhelming attempt to adlib us to death with one failed joke after another (like some of Director’s other Ferrell collabations).   I’m hoping for a laugh riot that lives up to the first, something I’d want to buy on DVD.  

13. Inside Llewyn Davis

Another one from last year's list. The Coen Brothers return with a music-themed film set during the sixties and deals with Folk music.   I love the writer/directors and love Folk music.   It’s either going to be great or good.  I don’t see a bad movie being made with this combination.

14. Before Midnight

I’m nervous about this one because I felt the last one ended perfectly and I’m worried these three creative collaborators are going to mess up what is a beautiful love story.   At the same time I’m really looking forward to see where these two characters are now and I’m going to have to see it. 

15. Much Ado About Nothing

Joss Wheadon’s school of actors come together to make a Shakespeare movie because they have a passion to do it.  That alone means this is going to be special.  It might be a private experiment amongst friends but I’ll see it.  I doubt it’ll be better than Kenneth Braughen’s version but who says you can’t have two great film adaptions of the great Bard.   It worked for Hamlet. 

16. Oblivion

As you can see by my list I’m nuts for science fiction and this one looks good.  I’m also a fan of Tom Cruise, even if he’s just playing the same heroic version of himself.   I doubt it will be amazing but I think it’s going to be fun and that’s fine with me.   

17. The Great Gatsby

I’m not really a fan of the book; it was forced upon me in High School and it bored me to death.   But with a visual stylist like DIRECTOR and an impressive cast this one is a must-see.   Doubt very much it will be boring.  It might be a tad bit melodramatic but I’ll go with it. 

18. Captain Phillips

Tom Hanks and Greengrass make a film about real-life modern pirates.   It’s probably not going to be as emotionally dramatic as United 93 but it will be as intense and grueling.   Finally a movie with Tom Hanks that doesn’t seem like an odd choice for the actor.  

19. The World’s End

The trio who gave us Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.  Do I need to say anymore?  I didn’t think so.

20. The Zero Theorem

I miss Terry Gilliam and I want so bad for him to have a great hit that I’ll see this one no matter what.   How is it a director as visually brilliant and bold isn’t hired more?  Oh, I know, because he’s too bold and too amazingly different it’s impossible to get him to conform to most producers imaginations.   Can you imagine if this guy was given free reins on a project like Pirates of the Caribbean or a fairy tale film like Alice in Wonderland or Cinderella?  

2013 Oscar Predictions

The Oscars are here!  Here are my thoughts on all the nominations this year as well as my predictions for who will leave with the golden statue in hand.   Tomorrow night I’ll post the results and my review of the ceremony, hosted this year by Seth MacFarlane (yeah, the Family Guy guy . . . I’ll be crossing my fingers.)

BEST PICTURE
Amour
Argo
Beast of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Lining Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

            9/9: Why 9?  That’s my first thought when I look upon the nominees this year for Best Picture.  I’m so annoyed that the Academy changed their number of nominees for this category from the traditional five.  It used to be fun to predict who would get nominated but now I don’t even know what the total count will be.  I wish the Academy would grow some balls and return to five nominee process because more is not better.  As for the nine this year, I am pretty happy.  I believe all of them are deserving of the award.  The weakest of the nine would be Django Unchained followed by Les Miserable. 

Who will win:  Argo.  It just has too much momentum; it’s winning everything right now.  I liked the film very much but I don’t think it’s the best film of the year.   I think there are four others on this list more deserving but I won’t be upset when it wins.

Who should win: Beasts of the Southern Wild.  This is such a magical and poetic film, for me it’s a miracle of storytelling.  It won’t win because it’s too different but I truly believe it will stand the test of time.  A possible upset though that I’d love to see is Amour winning, which in many ways is equally as good as Beasts of the Southern Wild.  It could happen.      

BEST DIRECTOR
"Amour" Michael Haneke
"Beasts of the Southern Wild" Benh Zeitlin
"Life of Pi" Ang Lee
"Lincoln" Steven Spielberg
"Silver Linings Playbook" David O. Russell
         5/5: Unfortunately everyone is making too big of a deal that Ben Affleck wasn’t nominated.  Whoever wins will have to endure a cloud of doubt and that’s not fair because all of the nominees deserve the respect.  I don’t have a problem that Affleck wasn’t nominated and in fact think Bigleow was more of a snub.  

Who will win: Steven Spielberg.   The Lincoln director is too popular not to win.  The Academy will want to reward him for making his dream project a reality. 
 
Who should win: Michael Haneke.  I had a hard time picking between Mr. Haneke and Mr. Lee.  Lee created a visual stunning film based on a book that many thought was un-filmable.   It’s a stunning accomplishment of cinema and he should be rewarded for it.  The problem is Haneke’s film, while not as technically challenging, is incredible.  Sometimes it’s more difficult to produce something small and subtle than something huge and loud.

BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper in "Silver Linings Playbook"
Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln"
Hugh Jackman in "Les Misérables"
Joaquin Phoenix in "The Master"
Denzel Washington in "Flight"
            4/5:  I haven’t seen The Master yet so I can only focus on the others.  Yet it doesn’t really matter because everyone knows who will win.  Did anyone get snubbed this year?  Maybe John Hawkes for The Sessions but I don’t know who you’d knock off to get him nominated.
 
Who will and should win: Daniel Day-Lewis.   The man became Lincoln.  He has it in the bag.  The only performance that’s in the same league is Hugh Jackman’s.   But it’s no contest. 
     
BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain in "Zero Dark Thirty"
Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook"
Emmanuelle Riva in "Amour"
Quvenzhané Wallis in "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Naomi Watts in "The Impossible"
            4/5:  I haven’t seen Naomi Watts in The Impossible yet but I found all the other performances worthy.  There are those who felt Miss Wallis was too young to be nominated but I disagree.  You can’t deny her performance is one of the best of the year; she was electric.  The only potential snub that I can think of is Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone.  Yet I haven’t seen it so I can only speculate.    

Who will and should win: Jennifer Lawrence.  Emmanuelle Riva could win too and if Jennifer doesn’t Emmanuelle should.  I decided the Academy would choose to reward the performance based on the creation of a character over the mimicking of an ailment.  Both are brilliant but Miss Lawrence has the edge.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin in "Argo"
Robert De Niro in "Silver Linings Playbook"
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Master"
Tommy Lee Jones in "Lincoln"
Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained
            4/5:  This is the first category where I think someone was overlooked.  Samuel L. Jackson was razor-sharp good in Django Unchained.  I’d take out Alan Arkin off this list.  He’s becoming the most overrated nominee of late; he is basically playing the same character over and over again. 

Who will and should win:  Christoph Waltz.  I’m not a hundred percent on this one.  Philip Seymour Hoffman could win too but I haven’t seen The Master so I’m not sure.  Tommy Lee Jones was also excellent but I don’t see him winning.
 
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams in "The Master"
Sally Field in "Lincoln"
Anne Hathaway in "Les Misérables"
Helen Hunt in "The Sessions"
Jacki Weaver in "Silver Linings Playbook"
            3/5: There weren’t that many great supporting performances this year for women.   Sally Field worked her ass off playing Mrs. Lincoln to get her nomination having been absent from the Oscar stage since the ‘80s while Jacki Weaver gets nominated a second time a year later.

Who will and should win:  Anne Hathaway.  Not only did she play Catwoman this year but she sang her heart out in the most memorable scene of a movie musical ever.   She’s the clear favorite and only Mrs. Field could steal the Oscar from her.

 BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Amour" Written by Michael Haneke
"Django Unchained" Written by Quentin Tarantino
"Flight" Written by John Gatins
"Moonrise Kingdom" Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
"Zero Dark Thirty" Written by Mark Boal
            5/5: I’m so glad Moonrise Kingdom made the cut.  This is a good collection of creative work.  The weakest of the group would be Flight. 

Who will win: Mark Boal will win for Zero Dark Thirty.  The man tackled a controversial topic and showed the complexities of CIA research without being boring.

Who should win: the guys of Moonrise Kingdom.  I just loved that quirky film and would love to see it win.     

 BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"Argo" Screenplay by Chris Terrio
"Beasts of the Southern Wild" Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
"Life of Pi" Screenplay by David Magee
"Lincoln" Screenplay by Tony Kushner
"Silver Linings Playbook" Screenplay by David O. Russell
            5/5:  Another collection of great nominees where I don’t think anyone was snubbed. 

Who will and should win: Tony Kushner for Lincoln.  The screenplay is flawless.  Argo could upset but I don’t think so, Mr. Kushner is too important of a writer to be bypassed. 

BEST ANIMATED FILM
"Brave" Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
"Frankenweenie" Tim Burton
"ParaNorman" Sam Fell and Chris Butler
"The Pirates! Band of Misfits" Peter Lord
"Wreck-It Ralph" Rich Moore

            3/5: Can Pixar win again?  Was Dreamworks snubbed?  Will Tim Burton win his first Oscar?   The only snub I can think of was Hotel Transylvania from Sony.    

Who will and should win: Brave.  The only one that can knock Pixar’s visually superior fantasy off the stage is Wreck-It Ralph.  I didn’t see it but I know it’s won a few awards recently.  It will be a close one.   
                 
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"Anna Karenina" Dario Marianelli
“Argo" Alexandre Desplat
“Life of Pi" Mychael Danna
"Lincoln" John Williams
"Skyfall" Thomas Newman    
4/5:  The music for Beast of the Southern Wild was more deserving than Skyfall but I guess the Bond Franchise needed it more.  I do like all the new names though. 
 
Who will win: John Williams for Lincoln.  It’s been a long time since John Williams won one of these (I think it was Schindler’s List) and I think he’ll take it this year.

Who should win: Mychael Danna for Life of Pi.  It’s a great score and the one I remember the most.   

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White
"Life of Pi" Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
"Marvel's The Avengers" Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick
"Prometheus" Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill
"Snow White and the Huntsman" Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson
            5/5:  Superheros, Hobbits, a Tiger, an Evil Queen and Aliens: with five nominations it seems every kind of special effect is represented.  I’m glad there were five nominees for this catergory this year, instead of three.  I can’t think of a snub. 

Who will win: The Avengers.  I’m guessing the popular Superhero film showing the destruction of New York will win out.  But I wouldn’t be shocked to see Prometheus win either.

Who should win:  Life of Pi.   I hope this one wins; it was visually amazing.  They created a real looking Tiger for Christ sakes.

BEST ART DIRECTION
"Anna Karenina" Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" Production Design: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Ra Vincent and Simon Bright
"Les Misérables" Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson
"Life of Pi" Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
"Lincoln" Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson
            4/5:  I don’t know what to say about this one.  All of them are classic examples of fine art direction.  I haven’t seen Anna Karenina but I’m certain it deserves the nomination.   Of all the films I’ve seen this year there aren’t any that stick out as being snub except maybe The Dark Knight Rises.

Who will and should win: Lincoln.  It was pretty obvious that Spielberg found the best.    

BEST COSTUMES
"Anna Karenina" Jacqueline Durran
"Les Misérables" Paco Delgado
"Lincoln" Joanna Johnston
"Mirror Mirror" Eiko Ishioka
"Snow White and the Huntsman" Colleen Atwood  2/5:  Not bad at all.  I’m happy with this one.
           3/5:  I haven’t seen Anna Karenina yet but from the pictures it looks amazing.   Mirror Mirror, which I also haven’t seen, seems to have been nominated for being playful.

Who will win: Lincoln.  I’m guessing Lincoln is going to sweep these kind of awards.  It was visually impressive and seemed accurate.

BEST EDITING
"Argo" William Goldenberg
"Life of Pi" Tim Squyres
"Lincoln" Michael Kahn
"Silver Linings Playbook" Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
"Zero Dark Thirty" Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg
            5/5:  A good list of nominees.  No snubs that I can think of.

Who will win: Argo.  Since it will win Best Picture I’m pretty certain it will take home this one too.

Who should win: Zero Dark Thirty.  It’s a complicated film that never lets off the gas, increasing emotional intensity throughout.  I’d pick this one if I were voting.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"Anna Karenina" Seamus McGarvey
"Django Unchained" Robert Richardson
"Life of Pi" Claudio Miranda
"Lincoln" Janusz Kaminski
"Skyfall" Roger Deakins       
4/5:  Nothing much to say, I even think Skyfall deserves a spot.

Who will win: Lincoln. 

Who should win: Life of Pi

BEST DOCUMENTARY
"5 Broken Cameras" Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
"The Gatekeepers" Nominees to be determined
"How to Survive a Plague" Nominees to be determined
 "The Invisible War" Nominees to be determined
"Searching for Sugar Man" Nominees to be determined
            3/5:  I tried to watch at least 4 of these but Searching for Sugar Man was a long wait on Netflix.  The Gatekeepers is out in theaters but I wasn’t able to check it out.  So I’m left with three others.

Who will and should win: How to Survive a Plague.  While The Invisible War addresses an issue that’s more important it’s this one about the fight for AIDS that seems better made. 

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

"Amour" Austria
"Kon-Tiki" Norway
"No" Chile
"A Royal Affair" Denmark
"War Witch" Canada
            1/5:  I’ll have to watch these throughout the year because most of them haven’t been released yet.  This is another pet peeve I have:  if a foreign film is nominated for an Oscar, whoever has the International distribution rights needs to get it into U.S. theaters as soon as possible so we can see them.   It seems like a smart business decision too.  Get it into the theater while everyone is talking about it. 

Who will win: Amour.   It’s nominated for Best Picture so it seems pretty straight forward.     

 
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
 "Hitchcock" Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel
 "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane
 "Les Misérables" Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell
            2/3:  I haven’t seen Hitchcock but I’m not impressed by the poster so I don’t know if I like it was nominated.   So it’s between a fantasy or a musical. 

Who will and should win:  The Hobbit.  A year that a Tolkien film doesn’t get at least one Oscar would be strange. 

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice" Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
"Everybody Needs A Best Friend" from "Ted" Music by Walter Murphy; Lyric by Seth MacFarlane
"Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi" Music by Mychael Danna; Lyric by Bombay Jayashri
"Skyfall" from "Skyfall" Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
"Suddenly" from "Les Misérables" Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil
            3/5:  Ted arrived from Netflix this afternoon but I’m sure I won’t be able to watch it before the Oscars.  It seems like a good list of candidates and I can’t think of any songs snubbed. 

Who will and should win:  Skyfall.  Everyone loves Adele and it is the best Bond song in a long time.

BEST SOUND EDITING

"Argo" Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
"Django Unchained" Wylie Stateman
"Life of Pi" Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
"Skyfall" Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
"Zero Dark Thirty" Paul N.J. Ottosson
           5/5:  The usual suspects for Sound except for Batman being snubbed, those bastards.   I guess Django Unchained was nominated because of the soundtrack.  Oh well.
 
Who will and should win: Zero Dark Thirty.  I could see Skyfall winning this too but I’m going for the more respected “controversial” film.    

BEST SOUND MIXING

"Argo" John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia
"Les Misérables" Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
"Life of Pi" Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin
"Lincoln" Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
"Skyfall" Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson
            5/5: All deserving but I think The Dark Knight Rises was snubbed. 

Who will win:  Les Miserables.  I’m picking this one because it has singing in it and mixing that with the music would be a challenge.

For all the shorts, I haven’t seen any so I’m only going to guess.   And I don’t have much time to do the kind of research I’ve done in the past so I wouldn’t use my picks for any office pools.   I am excited to see though that some theaters in the area are showing the nominated shorts.  I’m going to have to check them out next year.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

"Inocente" Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine
"Kings Point" Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider
"Mondays at Racine" Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan
"Open Heart" Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern
"Redemption" Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill
My guess: Mondays at Racine.  I’ve actually heard about Redemption but this one is about cancer so it’s going to win.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

 "Adam and Dog" Minkyu Lee
 "Fresh Guacamole" PES
 "Head over Heels" Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly
 "Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"" David Silverman
 "Paperman" John Kahrs
My guess: Paperman.   From images on line it looks great and fun.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

 "Asad" Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura
 "Buzkashi Boys" Sam French and Ariel Nasr
 "Curfew" Shawn Christensen
 "Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)" Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele
 "Henry" Yan England
 My guess: Curfew.  No reason, it’s just a guess.

Amour (2012)

The last of the Best Picture Nominees that I needed to see this year is this beautiful story of a husband taking care of his ailing wife.  Writer and director Michael Haneke seems to capture a holy truth about love and life that most film makers lack the courage to follow.  Not so much a love story as a tender presentation on the importance of loving someone no matter the pain or loneliness such love might bring.  Actors Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva are sensational, both giving performances that will stand for all time.  As I left the theater I had this surge of emotion that I first misinterpreted as sadness, but this is not a sad movie and the longer I pondered this simple yet brilliantly constructed tale I realized I was joyful and appreciative to be able to give the gift of love to those special few in my life.  Grade: A.  

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

Even if you don't like Sushi, you'll probably wish you could try the kind handcrafted by master sushi chef Jiro Ono.  This documentary is a wonderful celebration of one man's quest for greatness as well as an insightful look at the art of "real" sushi, not the fast-food variety sold in supermarkets around the world.  It's also examines the future of sushi through the eyes of Jiro Ono's two older sons as they venture into a world of tough competition and over fishing.  A must-see for food lovers and anyone interested in Japanese customs and a high recommendation for those casual viewers who like entertaining, well-made documentaries.  Grade: A-

Miss Bala (2011)

Not exactly a great travel advertisement for Baja California or Mexico, this thriller written and directed by Gerardo Naranjo tells the story of a young beauty pageant contestant who ends up being at the wrong place at the wrong time.  Soon she's held captive by the leader of a drug trafficking ring, performing various tasks to stay a live.  Stephanie Sigman delivers a haunting performance of a victim on the edge of finding her strength.  Grade: B+ 

They Were Expendible (1945)

John Ford and John Wayne join forces and tell this WWII story about the Pacific Theater.  What's surprising is how John Wayne isn't actually the man in charge here, that role went to Robert Montgomery whose Lieutenant John Brickley is everything one would expect from a great American leader.  The warriors in this story make up a rag-tag team of torpedo boats as they go on missions to sink Japanese destroyers.  What's welcome about this one is it demonstrates how ugly and exhausting war is and the devastation it wrecks.  Sure the soldiers are made up of that typical stereotype cast but it doesn't annoy here but feels genuine.   In the end I must say this is one of Ford's best movies and one of the better Pacific theater point of view films I've seen.  Grade: A

FYI - In reading about this film I was stunned to learn that the real people these characters are based on, John Wayne and Donna Reed's characters, were not happy with the final product.  I guess they didn't realize it was just a movie. 

Salesman (1964)

A cinéma vérité documentary that follows four Bible salesmen in the '60s.  Think a door-to-door version of Glengarry Glen Ross without the swear words.  Film makers Albert and David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin make sure to keep it simple and let their subjects tell their tale without bias or preconceived themes.  These guys are real honest hard working salesmen pressured to make a living peddling a religious product that no one really needs.  I found it an engrossing character driven film with many memorable scenes.  Grade: A-

Loves of a Blonde (1965)

While not director Milos Foreman's first film it's the one to propel him into the limelight.  It starts off as a comedy about soldiers, mostly married, being sent to a factory town of mostly women as a way to raise spirits.  One of these factory workers named Andula (the blonde) falls under the seduction spell of a musician come to play for the evening festivities.  The second half follows Andula as she leaves to visit her seducer, the musician at his home, where she runs into two very confused and hilariously worried parents.  Funny, charming and as entertaining today as any current film, I can only hope more people discover this wonderful small but unforgettable gem.  Grade: A

Fringe (Season 3)

This J.J. Abrams show started out as a decent X-files rip-off that spawned a terrific and rewarding second season only to now deliver its best season so far.   This third go-around is a tense, hold onto your seat ride that's impossible to stop watching.   Olivia and Peter's story continues to tumble and bounce about like most great love stories and the overall mythology expands without feeling forced.   And I just like to add Anna Torv is the most underrated actress in TV.  How she is able to convincinly play her characters is remarkable.  Hollywood needs to walk up and bang on her door to get her more acting gigs, she's fantastic.  Grade: A

Stormy Monday (1988)

Mike Figgis' film debut is much different than his more known film Leaving Las Vegas.   Stylized to be a kind of film noir it tells the story of a young man wanting a job at a Jazz Club in Newcastle, England and how he gets mixed up with a corrupt American businessman's moll and other mobster types.  It does feel like a Jazz song in many ways, emitting mood and sex.  I'll be upfront and admit that I've never been a big Melanie Griffith fan but she's not terrible and her chemstry with Sean Bean works on many levels.   Tommy Lee Jones delivers a decent although forgettable performance as does Sting as the Jazz club owner.  Overall it's a mildly successful film that I felt missed the mark in trying to be as cool as your typical film noir.  Grade: B

Birdy (1984)

Matthew Modine is the eccentric bird man and Nicolas Cage his best friend returning from the Vietnam war to try and help his friend escape a mental lapse.  Director Alan Parker creates a beautiful multi layered film that's poetic in style and nostalgic in memory.  The two leads give solid performances that keep their characters' motivations clear while remaining complex human beings.  It's fascinating to me that the novel by William Wharton it's based on was set during WWII without changing the themes of the story.  I guess this says something about the universal truths of friendship, war and the human journey to find meaning in ones life.  In many ways this underrated film is a true lesser known classic of the '80s. Grade: A-   

The Last American Hero (1979)

The young Jeff Bridges stars in the bio film on Junior Jackson.   I’m not a huge fan of car racing and it’s a writer’s nightmare to make cars driving around in circles exciting, yet this drama is actually quite good.    Sure the story’s been done a billion times: underdog from humble beginnings dreams big and against all odds take on the world.  But the film is so well-crafted and genuine that it’s really hard not to root for the hero in this one.   Grade: B+

Bad Girl (1931)

This might be the worst title of an Oscar nominated film ever.  It's an extremely misleading title and that's a shame because this is a wonderful albeit aged film about a boy and a girl falling in love and by assumptions and miscommunications head down a possible train wreck of a marriage.  It's funny and uplifting story with lots of charm.  James Dunn and Sally Eilers star and their chemistry works wonders.  Directed by Frank Borzage.  Grade: B+ 

Heartland (1979)

Rip Thorn wasn’t just Garry Shandling’s sidekick on HBO’s sitcom The Larry Sanders Show.   Here he proves to be a gifted actor with a soulful ability to take us back in time with just his voice alone.  Conchata Ferrell stars as a woman pioneer that goes west with her daughter to be a farmer’s housekeeper.   Yet their relationship soon grows into a partnership that is beautiful and purely enduring to behold.   Cold and stark as the plains these characters endure, director Richard Pearce crafts a timeless classic that unfortunately no one knows about.   Watch this pioneer drama if only to brag to people of the great work of art you just discovered.  

The Campaign (2012)

What a great disappointment this film turned out to be.  Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis in the same movie, that phrase alone generates laughs.  Maybe it's too much to ask for, a comedy that actually makes you laugh all the way through.   Sure I laughed, director Jay Roach and writers Shawn Harwell, and by Chris Henchy gave us some inspired moments, material for Will and Zach to munch on.  Yet what helps a comedy keep its momentum is solid storytelling.  This film has zero story.  It's more like a long SNL skit mocking today's politics.  The satire is dead-on, yes, I give them that.  I love the rhetoric and the giant middle finger to the Koch brothers, but guess what?   That's not going to support a film for the long haul.  Worse, characters become the mechanics of the punch line instead of the modifiers of plot.  Basically I would avoid this ill-paced heap of drivel and find something else.  I just hope this film doesn't prevent Will and Zach from starring in another film together, maybe one written by someone who understands that we need to root for our heroes, not root for the minute hand to hurry it around the clock face.  Grade: C

Once Upon A Time (Season 1)

This fantasy television show quickly became a new favorite of mine.  It didn't start off that way; the first couple episodes, while entertaining, looked pretty cheesy.  Then as the season rolled along the production values got somewhat better or I stopped caring since I was enjoying the show so much.  The concept is basically the Evil Queen from Snow White casts a curse on the people of the magical world of fairy tales sending them to our world to be imprisoned without memory of their origins to live mundane lives without their happily-ever-afters.   Yet Snow White and Prince Charming were able to send their only child, Emma, to our world and now grown up with a son of her own named Henry (who happens to be the Evil Queen's adoptive son, she is the only one who can break the curse.  Of course convincing her this truth is going to take twenty some episodes.  The only real annoying aspect of the show is that Henry is horrible at proving to Emma that the curse exists.  Why not challenge his mom to take someone out of the town's limits, something that is impossible.   I love how the writer's blend all the stories together, especially the Rumpelstiltskin and Beauty and the Beast mash-up.  I can't wait to see what will happen in the next season; from what I hear this show only gets better.  Grade: B+

The Cat In Paris (2011)

This Oscar nominated Animated  French feature is a fun and visual treat.  It reminded me a little of That Darn Cat but with a likable Cat Burglar.  It is certainly more geared to the younger crowd even those there are gangsters in it.  It is nowhere near the level of animation as Pixar but I appreciate the unique style and wouldn't mind seeing more from this creative group.  Grade: B+

Red Lights (2012)

In a world that seems the opposite of ours in that psychics are believed and scientists are rebuffed, a University Professor and her assistant are on a mission to debunk those who claim to have paranormal powers. Yet they’re about to face their biggest challenge, a famous psychic named Simon Silver who might be the real deal. Rodrigo Cortes writes and directs. The first half of this thriller is quite good and I was curious why it went direct to video. Until the second half where things unravel a bit with a love story that goes nowhere and an ending which just doesn’t seem good enough. Sigourey Weaver is to me the shining star of this production and while Cillian Murphy does a decent job he just can’t take over the momentum. Still I wouldn’t say you should skip it. Even if flawed it’s an entertaining story. Grade: B

Three Days of the Condor (1975)

I’ve been wanting to see this film for some time. Robert Redford plays a CIA bookworm on the run from a team of hitmen. As he uncovers the government conspiracy he’s caught in, he takes a young woman on her way home hostage played by Faye Dunway. With a director like Sydney Pollack I was expecting a much more exciting film. But instead of watching a ‘70s version of The Firm I saw a cloak and dagger version of The Way We Were. I liked the espionage elements a lot but the love story was way too cheesy for my liking. Grade: C

Story of Women (1988)

If you liked Vera Drake by Mike Leigh then you might enjoy this one from Claude Chabrol which was based on a true story of Marie-Louise Giraud, a woman albeit less likable who performs illegal abortions.  Isabelle Huppert lends her incredible talents in the main role in a film that is less about abortion and more about a selfish woman making money off the less fortunate so she can live the life she wants no matter the consequences.   This is great drama first and social commentary second.  Grade: A-

Solaris (1972)

This boring endurance test could be titled the Russian 2001: A Mind-numbing Odyssey. I should have known what I was about to get myself into when I realized that Andrey Tarkovskiy was the same director who tortured my attention span with Stalker. While Kurbrick’s science fiction film is slow, it’s also visually mind-blowing and seems to be going somewhere. Tarkovskiy seems intent on making a film without any narrative push and to present a hero as uninteresting and underdeveloped as a walking painting. I know there are many fans of this film and I’ve read some positive reviews but there is no way I could have sat through this in one sitting. And what kills me is that the story is actually really cool. I love the idea of a guy going up into space and seeing a copy of his dead wife. I love the various ideas this film explores. I even think the last image is beautifully haunting and impressive. Yet in the end what I saw was a film without tempo, a drama without heart. Grade: C

Quadrophenia (1979)

Rebel With A Cause and The Wild One: the UK version based on the sound track of The Who.  That pretty much sums up this captivating film about a teenage Brit dealing with the angst of growing up and the desire to fight the norms of society.    Jimmy does drugs, deals with a crush he has for a girl named Steph, parties hard, gets into fights and takes a trip down to Brighton with his Mod bikers and gets in a riot.  It's great entertainment if you like watching immature anti-heroes.  Oh, and there's Sting as the ultra cool biker that Jimmy idolizes from afar.  Grade: B+ 

Handle with Care aka Citizen's Band (1977)

Before going on to direct such classics as Melvin and Howard and Silence of the Lambs, director Jonathan Demme made this low-budge comedy dealing with the CB radio culture.  It's a charming mix of stories from the central character named Spider trying to rid the world of those who abuse the Citizen's Band to trucker Chrome Angel being confronted by his two wives who just found out they were married to the same man,   This film really goes all over the place.  It's silly one moment and then dramatic the next.  Yet somehow it all works and turns out to be an enjoyable glimpse of a world before cell phones and the Internet.  Grade: B+ 

Dark Shadows (2012)

Director Tim Burton and Johnny Depp collaborate again on an adaptation of the cult television show of the same name.   The result is a mediocre comedy with moments of gold but mostly it’s a bunch of underdeveloped characters difficult to care about.  The film starts off making you believe that the story is going to be from the point of view of the new governess Victoria Winters but then it shifts and Depp’s Barnabas Collins takes over as the hero.   Depp’s Van-Winkle-vampire creation is a fun character and you can tell the actor enjoys playing him.  The problem is he’s a lousy hero to root for: he cheats on his supposed “true” love and kills people without apology.  (I get it.  He’s a vampire, he needs to drink blood and this is a comedy, true, but it doesn’t help make him a likable character to root for).   This is another bloated example of a story with too many characters and a plot without a strong hero.   It’s not all bad, there are some funny moments and Eva Green is fantastic as the revengeful love-sick witch Angelique Bouchard.   When the film ends all I could think was why in the hell would Barnabas want to be with Victoria when he could be with the much stronger and appealing Angelique instead?  Grade: C+