Under the Dome by Stephen King (Novel)

Mr. King is so good at writing these kinds of small town thrillers such as Needful Things and Tommyknockers where a town suffers a mysterious event.   Here the town, Chester’s Mill, is suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by a transparent force field.  It’s like the Simpsons Movie but with an insane killing teenager whose father is the town’s dictator.   The hero, Dale Barbara, is the dinner’s cook who was on his way out of town before getting trapped.  Ex-military and all-round good guy, will Dale be able to unite a town and save it?   What is causing the force field and can it be penetrated?    What a good yarn with the kind of characters you just have to keep reading.  The villains in particular are so fun to read.   It’s just the kind of book to read on a lazy afternoon.  Grade: B+

Paint Your Wagon (1969)

When I ever heard about this film I snickered, thinking it was a joke.  Clint Eastwood in a musical?  But I kept seeing it recommended on a few lists and decided I should give it a chance.  Some bad movies are a hoot.  Surprise!  This movie is great.  It’s the musical western about two prospectors sharing the same woman.   The western town of No Name City is a massive spectacle full of great quirky characters and enjoyable music.  I’m a musical guy so if you don’t like people singing in your movies for no reason then skip this one but if you like musicals then check it out.  It’s a fun movie that turns out made a lot of money when it came out (who knew).   I’m still scratching my head trying to figure out how I came to think of this movie as a failed musical because it certainly is not.  Grade: B+

Medium (Season 6)

The adventures of Allison DuBois continue and I’m so glad.  I love this show.  It’s like a comfortable sweater that you like to wear on cold mornings.  It’s used and has a few holes in it but it’s just so nice.  I love the DuBois family, seeing the kids get older and a husband and wife duo that I just love seeing.   Yes, by now most of the episodes are predictable (the formula is well used) but I don’t care.  I love seeing Allison solve each mystery and when the writers come up with a clever story line (like the B&W Night of the Living Dead episode Bite Me) the result is magic.  Grade: B+

Woodstock (1970)

I must admit I was not looking forward to this 225 minute documentary celebrating the Great Hippie concert of the ‘60s.   I should have known better.  Anything edited by the great Thelma Schoonmaker had to be skillfully pieced together and the result is a brilliant documentary that shed some light on a festival that in many ways was a complete failure.   If it weren’t for the amazing performances captured on film and the fact no one died, history would have written a different story about this disaster.  And I mean disaster literally because it was designated a “Disaster Area” while it was going on.  It was truly an once-in-a-lifetime event that celebrated free-spirits willing to endure anything for music, drugs and escape from an encroaching fast-paced world of rules and expectations.   Then there’s the music that isn’t always fantastic but when it is, it really is a blessing to be able to watch.   To think the camera can only capture a hint of the true magic that was going on.   When I was done I was so happy to be able to watch this experience in the comfort of my couch.   Could I have endured such a muddy, cold and wild spectacle?  No, and I doubt most in my generation could.  To be honest I wouldn’t have wanted to be there if I could.  Once you arrived you’re pretty much trapped.  Which is like the film, once you start you can’t stop watching, it’s a captivating experience that doesn’t feel that long at all.   Grade: A-

Lola (1981)

The final film of the BRD trilogy (although it was released second) is centered around a singer/ prostitute and a building commissioner set on getting rid of corruption by running a by-the-numbers organization.   Of course in the era after WWII Germany was built on corruption, survived by it perhaps and the tables will turn when the two fall into a love affair.  Barbara Sukowa plays the title role and her performance is a knock-out.   Of the three films of this trilogy this is probably my least favorite but I still enjoyed it.   The ending has a great twist and will keep you wondering about the motivations of all involved.   It’s sad that Fassbinder ended up dying at such a young age, I really think he was finally onto something universal, finding his stride while at the same time producing work just as creative.   It’s amazing all the work he was able to create in such a short time but it’s fun to imagine what kind of work he would have produced twenty years further.   Imagine what kind of renaissance he would have had in the ‘90s when independent film productions were king.   Grade: B+

The Sorrow and The Pity (1971)

If you like super long documentaries then here’s another one by Marcel Ophuls (who directed the Hotel Terminus).   This one is about the various French and Nazi associations during the German occupation of France.   It’s certainly an important testament of history and many scholars will eat it up.  I can’t say I loved it or hated it.  It’s mostly a series of interviews so this kind of talking-heads style of documentary might not be as inviting as many documentaries made today.   My rule of thumb with this is if the subject interested you than you should probably see it, especially to see how accommodating the Vichy Government was right from the get go.  Grade: B

Oliver Twist (1948)

If you enjoyed David Lean’s Great Expectations then you’ll love his adaptation of Charles Dicken’s other known work equally as much.  The all-time great Alec Guinness plays Fagin and Robert Newton the villainous Bill Sikes.   I haven’t read the book (yet) to compare but I have to say this is an excellent film and much better than the ‘70s musical.   I’ve read online that there was some controversy surrounding Guinness’s make-up, calling his look anti-Semitic.    I can actually see what they’re talking about but I doubt it was on purpose.   This might bother a few out there but I don’t think it’s enough of a blemish to ruin the film.  If you’re a fan of Mr. Lean you need to watch this someday.  Grade: A

Viva Zapata! (1952)

If you love westerns, especially those with a modern sensibility, then you must checkout this Robert Aldrich directed film.  Burt Lancaster is the veteran tracker hired by government soldiers to hunt after a dangerous Apache outlaw violently killing settlers and stealing horses.   Leading the hunting party is a naïve and young Lieutenant who believes he can succeed because they have the moral center to win.   I didn’t think of it as I was watching it but you really can sense the influence the Vietnam War had on this film.  And like all conflicts of this nature, it always ends badly for both sides.   That’s what I loved about this film; it doesn’t romanticize the West but presents a great truth without preaching.   Ulzana is a bad guy but so are the solders hunting him, for they represent the original raiders of the Native American land.   This really is a brilliant movie and it’s annoying it’s not more celebrated by the masses.  Grade: A-

Ulzana's Raid (1972)

If you love westerns, especially those with a modern sensibility, then you must checkout this Robert Aldrich directed film.  Burt Lancaster is the veteran tracker hired by government soldiers to hunt after a dangerous Apache outlaw violently killing settlers and stealing horses.   Leading the hunting party is a naïve and young Lieutenant who believes he can succeed because they have the moral center to win.   I didn’t think of it as I was watching it but you really can sense the influence the Vietnam War had on this film.  And like all conflicts of this nature, it always ends badly for both sides.   That’s what I loved about this film; it doesn’t romanticize the West but presents a great truth without preaching.   Ulzana is a bad guy but so are the solders hunting him, for they represent the original raiders of the Native American land.   This really is a brilliant movie and it’s annoying it’s not more celebrated by the masses.  Grade: A-

Elysium (2013)

Neill Blomkamp joins forces with Matt Damon to make a science fiction film about a poor, hard-working man on a deteriorated slum Earth needing to get to a rich-man’s paradise orbiting Earth to save his life.   It’s pretty obvious that this film is commenting on immigration against the poor.   Instead of using coyotes to cross a border they need spaceships to reach their goal.  While not as successful a film as District 9 (Blomkamp’s last film) it’s still an exciting story with many great action sequences.  Damon gives an intense portrayal as our flawed Everyman hero and both Sharlto Copley and Jodie Foster are wonderful scene-stealing villains.   Those expecting a film as ground breaking as District 9 might be disappointed but I still found this as excellent proof Blomkamp is a filmmaker to watch.  Grade: A-

King Lear (1971)

When it comes to cinematic interpretations, this Shakespeare tragedy just keeps on giving us great works of art.   Grigoria Kozintsev takes us to Russia and with amazing cinematography and large set pieces he creates a sweeping epic that’s as memorable as Kurosawa’s Ran.   My only complaint is that it does drag a bit and because of that I can’t give it the kind of rating its imagery deserves.   Still anyone who likes to see Shakespeare converted to the screen should check this one out.  Grade: B+

The High and the Mighty (1954)

Do you feel like watching the comedy Airplane(1980) but starring John Wayne instead?   Well, this is it.   I know that the film Zero Hour! was the film that inspired the Zucker brothers but I can’t believe this film didn’t have some kind of influence.   (Of course Zero Hour! was made because of the success of this film so that’s the connection, I guess.) There are sequences of this supposed drama that reminded me of a spoof so much I would laugh out loud.  It was hard to take the story serious.  I’d only recommend this supposed classic if you wish to play a bit of Mystery Science Theater 3000 with your friends.   Grade: C+

Life is Sweet (1991)

Here’s another blending of wacky sad characters from the mind of Mike Leigh.  I’m tempted to call this a comedy since the people in it are so wild and out there (and there’s some really hilarious moments) but it’s more of a melancholic family drama.   Husband and wife, Andy and Wendy have two twin daughters, Natalie and Nicola.   Andy is a chief looking to start a food truck business and Wendy helps out a friend waitress a new restaurant (that’s pretty much doomed to fail).   Then there’s the raging Nicola dealing with bulimia and her sister the plumper trying to help her open up to her family.   The result is a phenomenal exercise of multiple narrative storytelling with brilliant over-the-top character work from all the actors involved.   Grade: B+ 

Alexander Nevsky (1939)

Funny enough, the youTube version of this online for free has better sound and video than the DVD I received from Netflix.   Thank god because I don’t know if I could have sat through this historical epic with scratchy music and dulled almost blurry images.  This is disappointing because this film deserves a great transfer.   I really hope someone out there has a mint-condition print of this Sergei Eisentein masterpiece because it deserves the attention of anyone who likes going back in time and watching early works of cinema.   This call-to-arms film was just the kind of film to motivate the Soviets during WWII against the Nazis.  There the invaders are not the Nazis but the Teutonic knights.   Their siege of the city of Pskov is one of the most violent sequences I’ve seen from a film made during that time (at least that I can remember as I write this).   It’s shocking and hard to watch.  Then there’s our hero the Russian king Nevsky leading his army into battle in a sequence so ahead of its time you almost feel like you’re watching something shot today in black and white.   Grade: A-

Vampire Diaries (Season 2)

Like potato chips, you can’t just have one and maybe that’s why I decided to fall back under the spell of this supernatural CW teen drama.   I guess I wanted to see another season was because I did enjoy the vampire mythology the writers were spinning and I must say I was pleasantly entertained this second time too.   It helps that the main characters are developed enough for me to want to see their continued struggles just like any good show.   (That’s right; I’m calling this show good, because it is.)  Here the love triangle between Elena, Stefan, and Damon is complicated with the addition of Katherine, the vampire that turned the two brothers.   We learn that Elena is Katherine’s doppelganger which explains why they look just like each other.   And we’re introduced to the Originals.  Sure the show still has its annoyances as stated from my review of the first season but as a high school vampire drama this one hits the spot when you’re looking for that kind of thing.   It’s okay to have a bag of potato chips from time to time.   Grade: B+

Veronika Voss (1982)

The BRD trilogy from Fassbinder started with The Marriage of Maria Braun and continues with this unrelated story of an actress named Sybille and her love affair with a journalist named Robert.   Sybille is the “crazy” actress character and you can see Billy Wilder’s Norma Desmond influence.   But Sybille’s problem isn’t that she’s starving for fame it’s that she’s hooked on drugs given to her by controlling doctor conning her into taking her fortune.  Shot in black and white (much like Sunset Boulevard) and very much like a film noir, I loved this film a bit more than the first.  It’s one of Fassbinder’s more enjoyable works with a less staggering feel to it.  If I were going to introduce someone to Fassbinder’s work this one along with Ali: Fear Eats the Soul would be my two recommendations.  Grade: B+

Religulous (2008)

Bill Maher attacks religion and the result is terrific.  The mocking of the faithful might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if seeing a Jesus mascot at a Christian amusement park get crucified on a daily basis like a Disneyland parade and listening to a Born-again talk about Jonah being swallowed by a fish not a whale is funny to you then this is the film to see.   My only problem with the film is that they didn’t go far enough.  I loved the personal touches like Maher talking with his mother about his growing up, but I feel like there was so much more out there for him to investigate.  Maybe he’ll make a sequel.  At the same time how many ways can you say the same thing?  Mainly religion is a joke.   Grade: B+

Only God Forgives (2013)

The directing and acting duo of Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling re-team to give us a film so violent that audiences at Cannes booed.   This slow burning drama (thriller?) builds and seems to go nowhere but the build is very fascinating if a bit odd to behold.   It’s a revenge film but which character in the story is going to find their justice?   Gosling plays a drug smuggler who co-runs a kickboxing gym to hide his drug trade.  His partner and brother brutally rapes and kills an underage hooker only to suffer a beating to the death himself from the girl’s father.   The brothers’ mother, played with cold fury by Kristen Scott Thomas, arrives wanting the police officer in charge of letting her son get murdered be killed too.  Let’s just say the Thai police officer, played by Vithaya Pansringarm, is the kind of badass you don’t mess with.   There’s a lot to praise about this movie and a lot to criticize.   Pansringarm and Thomas are brilliant.  The scenes where Pansringarm performs karaoke have such an eerie quality it’s intoxicating.   This fight scene is the best moment of the film.  As for Thomas, I’d add her on the list of the best evil mothers in cinema for certain; she is ruthless even if she is out of her element.   Gosling on the other hand is weak.  His character is boring to watch, a very distant performance that could have been so much more interesting.   This is disappointing because I respect him as an actor and I can see what he might have been trying to create but the result feels lazy, almost as if he didn’t care.   With the ending of the film, all I can say is that it left me wanting more.  It’s the same feeling I had with Refn’s last film, Drive.   Just when I expect the film to jump into overdrive, it ends.  This isn’t really a spoiler but a warning not to expect a typical climax.  I respect this film for taking chances and its dedication to director Jodorowsky but I think it could have been so much better.  Grade: B

The Good Earth (1937)

White people playing Chinese characters: what do you expect from a Hollywood production in 1937?  Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Pearl S. Buck, it’s one of those classic movies modern audiences will have trouble accepting simply because of the casting.  Yet Paul Muni and Luise Rainer are incredible.  They could have easily played caricatures but they find an emotional heart that transcends race.   The story is about a farmer and his wife and their struggle to farm and raise their three children.  I enjoyed the novel very much when I read it many years ago and was not looking forward to this film but it’s a wonderfully crafted adaptation and I recommend it to anyone who loves classic cinema.   Someday maybe an actor can play a character not of their race (or gender even) without causing a fuss again, but not until all actors have the same opportunity.  Motion capture technology might allow this to happen, where one is judged by their acting center alone and not what they look like.  Grade: A-

Ruling Class (1972)

I am shocked that this film isn’t talked about more.  Peter O’Toole plays both Jesus and Jack the Ripper in the same movie.  This satirical film is hilarious as well as nasty.  I loved every minute.  Whether it be the musical numbers or O’Toole’s perfectly played flip from good to evil, it’s a devilish good time and still holds up as a great black comedy.   The story is of a paranoid schizophrenic named Jack who thinks he’s the son of god who becomes an Earl.  Hoping to pass the title onto a proper heir Jack’s uncle marries Jack off to his mistress, to get her pregnant, and then return his nephew back to the asylum.   Yet it seems Jack is cured instead, or that’s what it first appears.   Actually he now believes he’s the evil Jack the Ripper.   Grade: A-