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+