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.