January Screenings

The Pixar Story - ***
A very interesting documentary about what it must be like to be awesome every minute of every day.

The Magnificent Seven - ***
I wrote a long review but it seemed to have gotten lost so, to sum up... Awesome western. Great theme song. Michael Bay will eventually do a remake and ruin it.

A Love Song For Bobby Long - ***
Again, wrote a long review but was lost by google because apparently "save now" means "let's make it say "saved" but if you navigate away to preview, when you come back all your changes will be gone. F'n google. To sum up, Gabriel Macht is the surprise in a great indepenent film that received no recognition other than Johansson's Golden Globe nod for Best Actress. Give it a shot. It's much better than the trailer makes it look.

Cool Hand Luke - ***
George Kennedy deserved the Oscar for his supporting performance. To act side by side Paul Newman and be a scene stealer is award worthy indeed. Didn't quite work for Bruce Willis in "Nobody's Fool," although the Chlotrudis Awards agree with me and gave Bruce the nomination.

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story - **1/2
I found this film to be funny at times, but a bit unorganized. Maybe it would have worked better as a cable series a la "Extras." But I did think Steve Coogan was good. I'm looking forward to more of his work in the future.

Junebug - **1/2
I've had this DVD for-ever and just never got around to it. Amy Adams is great, which I had already known by the time I screened this, and worth viewing if you're a fan of hers. The rest of the cast is good too, but the last act is unsatisfying.

What's Up Doc? - ***
A favorite of mine when I saw it in college and it still holds up well with me. Streisand is hilarious (yes, that Streisand, for those brought up on Yentl and The Prince of Tides) and Ryan O'Neal is also very well-suited in the character perfected by Cary Grant in "Bringing Up Baby."

Black Rain - **
Visually interesting, but looks a lot like scenes/sets not used in Ridley Scott's earlier film "Blade Runner." It's the kind of film every action parody was built on.

Tropic Thunder - **1/2
I wanted to like this more but maybe my expectations were too high once I finally screened it. Downey Jr. is great, Jack Black is really miscast here and I think Stiller's best work is when he's the straight man. I should probably bump this up to three stars because of Tom Cruise's performance. As great as he is in this cameo-ish role (when is 10 minutes of screen time a "cameo" and when is it a "supporting acting Oscar nomination" role? I can't tell anymore.) I would have much rather seen him take the Ben Stiller role. That would have been an even greater career move. Or how about him doing both? Pompous and spoiled is the same whether it's an actor or studio executive.

The Dark Knight - ***1/2
I didn't like this as much on the 2nd viewing and several people are going to be pretty pissed at me for saying so. It's still great, it's just not the best movie ever. Heath Ledger deserves every bit of praise. A very nuanced and subtle performance even though it's a very loud and exaggerated character. Very, very few actors could have pulled this off and were I casting the film, he wouldn't have made my short list. Kudos definitely goes to Christopher Nolan, who was not only robbed of Oscar nomination for directing but I think was robbed of a win as well. I also think Aaron Eckhart was robbed of a lot of deserved praise because of the over-hype of Ledger's tragic death.

Rebecca - ***1/2
Why don't I rate this film as four stars? I'm not sure, but my immediate reaction upon seeing this after several years was three and a half. It's really, really close. I really like it and especially like Joan Fontaine. Just watch the extra's on the DVD which shows screen tests from other actresses and I think you'll find Joan did the best interpretation of the character. Olivier is quite irreplacable here. Extremely worthy of it's 11 Academy Award nominations. (Why does it seem like films *earned* their nominations in those days and it wasn't all about who's popular or what studio has the best marketing team? Oddly enough, it probably was the same way then and in 50 years I'll be sitting with my peers in the nursing home and we'll all reminisce about how great "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" was. Hopefully I'll be heavily sedated or the first person to say that will soon see the hook end of my cane.

Meet Me In St. Louis - ***1/2
This is the mashed potato's of film. The definition of comfort food you find yourself wanting over and over again. The art decoration is like butter. Judy is picture perfect and if you don't find yourself *completely* adoring Margaret O'Brien you are dead inside (she won the Outstanding Juvenille Actress Oscar for this role and it's very clear why).

Dumbo - **
I choke up during "Baby Mine" but really, this film didn't offer me much as far as entertainment. I'm sure had I seen it as a child my reaction would be different. It's a good movie, with some interesting points, one major one being the "Pink Elephants on Parade" sequence which seems like it belonged in "Fantasia" but was cut for whatever reasons and they just dumped in in "Dumbo." It's viewed as a classic "scary" scene for people who saw it as children, but I don't think it fit with the film at all.

Peter Pan (Disney's) - ***
I've come to learn that I adore any and every version of the Peter Pan story (except "Hook"; sorry Steven). Universal's 2003 live-action version is underrated while "Finding Neverland" is my personal favorite so far (I highly doubt this title will be challenged in my lifetime). Disney's version is also extremely entertaining and a delight to watch.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army - ***
I was surprised to see how director Guillermo del Toro started to get a great deal of attention for his film "Pan's Labyrinth" and praise for how visually stunning it was. I kept asking myself, "didn't any of these people see 'Hellboy'"? Apparently not, and they apparently didn't see this sequel either or the praise would have continued. It's films like these that make me glad I have a very big screen with which to enjoy films like this. The cast is great, the story is intriguing and it's never boring to behold it's visuals. I hope this franchise continues on.