April 2011

Despite doing a lot of traveling—and also because of it—I saw a fair amount of movies in April. This month, I spent time in Las Vegas, Lake Havasu City (Arizona) and the Cayman Islands, but still managed to treat myself to several films, both on DVD and in the theaters. Let's start with the first-runs and move on the oldies.


TRUST (2011)—My kickoff April flick was an uneasy drama about how an adult man seduces a high-school freshman girl via the Internet. Although not really a great movie by any standards, it conveys with cold-blooded effectiveness how predators operate so successfully; the leads' instant messages are displayed onscreen, subtitle style, and we feel both the young girl's heart fluttering and our own revulsion simultaneously. When the parents discover the unholy affair, the father explodes with rage, causing even more damage to the family than the pedophile caused. Even if Trust is a trifle flawed, it bravely takes us to places few other movies dare to go. (8)


WIN WIN (2011)—Some of my favorite comedy-dramas are indie films like this one—recent examples include Please Give and City Island. Paul Giamatti stars as a struggling attorney who moonlights as a wrestling coach; his losing streak in both professions gets a shot in the arm with the arrival of a young man who changes both his personal and professional careers. Top-notch acting and a thoughtful script make this one the perfect "Brett movie." (9)


INSIDIOUS (2011)—The poster for this horror movie claims it's from "the makers of Paranormal Activity." I have no idea which makers they're talking about—neither the writer nor director had anything to do with that series; they're actually the team that created the Saw franchise. And Paranormal Activity was released by Paramount, while this one isn't. Weird. Anyway, this film definitely has more to do with actual paranormal activity, except the surveillance cameras of PA are forsaken for a more traditional haunted-house picture that's actually a close cousin to Poltergeist. Although there's very little about this movie that hasn't been done many times before, it delivers the requisite chills and thrills. (When I called the theater's showtime recording, the female voice announced this film as "Insidulous," which gave me a belly laugh.) Definitely recommended for horror-movie buffs. (8)


THE LINCOLN LAWYER (2011) I have exceptionally little interest in Matthew McConaughey, whom I still blame for being the only weak link in the otherwise solid Contact (1997); he has always struck me as a far more handsome, but much less talented version of Woody Harrelson. But Connie's thumbs-up review—combined with the fact that I was in a Las Vegas multiplex that featured this film at the most convenience showtime—gave my no-McConaughey rule a temporary reprieve. It helps that he's not supposed to be entirely likable in the Lincoln Lawyer, which, while being perfectly entertaining, is indistinguishable from hoards of crime/attorney films and TV shows I have seen in my life—the frame-ups, the double-crosses, the uncooperative witnesses, the courtroom speeches, etc. But I'm happy to watch anything that isn't boring, especially if William H. Macy is in the cast—and country singer Trace Adkins, in a three-minute part, is terrific as a motorcycle-riding bad boy. (8)


SUCKER PUNCH (2011)—I am not including this in the canon of Movies I Have Officially Seen; I am not rating it, but I do want to mention it, as I paid full price to get in and walked out of this silly mess halfway through. At the beginning of the year, I mentioned Sucker Punch as one of the movies I was most excited about in the forthcoming year, being a fan of director Zack Snyder's earlier films 300 and Watchmen. But he should have stayed in the director's chair and far, far away from his word processor, because his screenplay is an incoherent disaster. All of the usual dazzling visuals are on display, but the movie is incomprehensible on a scale that might puzzle even David Lynch. Bafflingly bad.


SOURCE CODE (2011)—It's hardly surprising that last year's Inception would inspire a spate of clones, including this preposterous sci-fi outing. Illogical though it may be, it's thoroughly enjoyable, with soldier Jake Gyllenhaal tapped by government scientists to try to thwart a terrorist bombing in Chicago—through the power of his subconscious mind. It's all completely ridiculous, but a diverting and fun ride. (8)


ADJUSTMENT BUREAU (2011)—Yet another imaginative (though preposterous) film made possible by the enduring popularity of Inception. In this one, Senatorial hopeful Matt Damon finds himself "unstuck in time" as he attempts to romance dancer Emily Blunt. Some of the story elements reminded me of the Stephen King novella The Langoliers, although it is actually based on a 1954 story by Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner, Total Recall). Like Source Code, it's an energetic and fun thrill ride that never gets boring. And incidentally, I enjoyed both movies much more than Inception. (8)


WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (2011)—Based on an acclaimed novel I never read, here's a Titanic-type story that, at least cinematically, borrows liberally from that sunken-ship flick. Like the famous James Cameron movie, it starts with a present-day old person telling the story of his life in flashback, which centers around a forbidden romance divided by class lines and climaxes with a famous disaster. There is also a heavy transportation theme—although Titanic's was a ship, while the entire cast of WFE travels around in a train. Although there are many parallels, WFE is a stylish, original work aided magnificently by the presence of Christoph Waltz (the nasty Nazi of Inglorious Basterds). (9)


TALL STORY (1960)—This popped up on my TiVo wish list recently because I'm a fan of actor Ray Walston—I've enjoyed everything I've ever seen him in, from My Favorite Martian to Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In this movie, directed by Joshua Logan, Jane Fonda takes her first starring role as a college student who sets her eyes on basketball player Anthony Perkins, while Walston dons a goatee as a professor. It's unbelievably lightweight fluff, but if you're in the mood for a slice of 1960s academia, Jane is incredibly lovely. It's interesting to watch this knowing that soon Perkins would be typecast as a Psycho and that Fonda would go on to play a hooker in Klute, as well as sex kitten Barbarella! (8)


A SUMMER PLACE (1959)—My viewing of this film—which spawned the famous theme song—was directly influenced by my having recently viewed Susan Slade, which it resembles in theme, style and stars (Dorothy McGuire and Troy Donohue were in both films). It's a slice of life from a more innocent time, when young people apparently did not realize that having sex led to getting pregnant. I enjoy soap operas, romance and easy-listening music, so this was a nice way to kill a couple of hours. (8)


THE WELL (1951)—A black child in a small town vanishes, which leads to false accusations and finally a race riot. In reality, the poor girl has fallen down an abandoned well in a field. Will she be discovered and rescued before everybody needlessly slaughters each other? Way ahead of its time in subject matter, The Well has a painfully low budget but lofty aspirations, and it creates terrific suspense with a largely unknown cast (although it was neat to see Harry "Colonel Potter" Morgan at the relatively young age of 36. Damn, he's still alive as I write this...96 years old!). This is an anti-racism movie every high-school kid should be forced to watch. (8)


THE HOLIDAY (2006)—A delightful surprise. I don't even remember this movie coming out in theaters. But last year, I very much enjoyed the Nancy Meyers comedy It's Complicated, and felt I should catch up on some of the earlier romcoms she has multi-hyphenated. The Holiday is even better, with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as two heartbroken women from the U.S. and England, respectively, who decide to swap homes (and lives) for a two-week holiday. Predictably, their lives are made richer and fuller in the trade. Jude Law and Jack Black round out the cast, and Eli Wallach is superb as an aging screenwriter who is befriended by Winslet's character. Interestingly, the phrase "It's complicated" are uttered a few times in this movie, whereas I don't think they are ever spoken in the movie of that name. (9)


PHFFFT! (1954)—No amount of mediocre comedies are going to make me dislike the great Jack Lemmon, but as I devote the rest of my life to watching the movies of his that I missed, it becomes clearer that I have already seen all his great ones. Phffft! serves as both the title of the movie and a decent review of same; this is a largely forgettable and toothless marital comedy that does, in all fairness, feature a lovely Kim Novak in a small role that prevents the movie from being completely unwatchable. Lemmon (in only his third film) and co-star Judy Holliday try their hardest, but the script just isn't very funny. Oh, well, I still have a few movies starring Jack left to see (including Mister Roberts, Days of Wine and Roses and Under the Yum Yum Tree). Let's hope they aren't all lemons. (6)


BLOW OUT (1981)—Cross one more famous movie off the list that everybody except for me has seen. Having officially dispensed with Chinatown, Clockwork Orange, Philadelphia Story, Dr. Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia, among others, I now turn my attention to this noirish thriller from 1981. I have very much enjoyed some of Brian De Palma's movies (Carrie, Scarface and Body Double among them), but I have to rank Blow Out as one that blows. The film suffers from embarrassingly heavy-handed direction, too many characters smoking cigarettes, a lead (John Travolta) I could not begin to care about and a true bummer of an ending—it's very easy to see why this was a box-office disappointment. The only halfway likable character in the film is the hooker played by Nancy Allen. The story, a variation of Michelangelo Antonioni 1966 film Blow-Up, is about John Travolta's movie sound-technician character inadvertently recording an assassination, and the web of murder and intrigue he gets into as a result. At one point, Travolta actually manages to assemble several seconds of film footage culled from maybe a dozen photos (at most) he has discovered published in a magazine, which any person who is knowledgable about the mechanics of movies will tell you is a fraction of a fraction of the amount needed for even a couple of seconds' worth of film. Meanwhile, I found the film's story to be far short of mesmerizing. Despite this setback, I am still curious about other De Palma movies, including Obsession, Mission to Mars and Femme Fatale. And with Blow Out out of the way, I look forward to forcing myself to watch Raging Bull, Blade Runner, Meet Me in St. Louis, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Saturday Night Fever (another Travolta vehicle, groannnn). (5)

March 2011

Continuing last month's downward spiral of movie-watching: having burned through five seasons of Showtime's Dexter TV series in barely more than a month left me precious little time in my schedule for any films. I was able to watch exactly four—three first-run and an old TV-movie I've wanted to watch for a very long time.


THURSDAY'S GAME (1973) was the TV movie. It stars Gene Wilder, Ellen Burstyn and a veritable menagerie of familiar sitcom actors (Bob Newhart! Nancy Walker! Cloris Leachman! Valerie Harper! Rob Reiner! Richard Gautier! Norman Fell!), and was written by The Mary Tyler Moore Show creator James L. Brooks, so I had every reasonable expectation for this to be much funnier than it actually was. Wilder and Newhart are a couple of poker-playing buddies who continue to hang out after their regular card game is derailed; they experience various employment and marital challenges, but none of them are particularly compelling. Still, gotta love that cast. (7)


RANGO (2011) was the first of the new movies. It's an animated vehicle starring the voice of Johnny Depp; he plays a terribly unattractive lizard in a spoof of a Wild West flick. The movie ambles along slowly and uninvolvingly until about three-quarters of the way through, when it suddenly comes to life with the introduction of a scary snake villain and a memorable homage to Clint Eastwood's "Man With No Name" character (that scene is remarkably well done—and amazingly, the voice is not Clint's). I only wish the lion's share of Rango had been as clever and interesting as the ending. (6)


UNKNOWN (2011) is the latest attempt to fashion Liam Neeson as an action hero, taking a very obvious and deliberate cue from 2008's Taken. Divorced of his Schindler's List cred, Neeson once again allows himself to be and take on a role that might have gone to Harrison Ford about 20 years ago. Here he finds himself trapped in the old Hitchcock-meets-Twilight-Zone predicament of suddenly being treated like a stranger by his friends and loved ones. Why do people keep denying his true identity? We've seen this plot before in movies like Total Recall, but although the scenario is a hand-me-down, Unknown does keep your interest throughout—preposterous though it might be. (7)


LIMITLESS (2011) is a case of having inadvertently saved the best for last. As with Unknown, we've seen the basic plot setup of Limitless before—it's a twist on the old Charly (1968) story of a guy (Bradley Cooper) who suddenly becomes a genius—and must deal with the grim reality of reverting back to his original dumb-dumbedness. Thankfully, though, screenwriter Leslie Dixon, director Neil Burger and especially the visual effects team keep the viewer invested in the action from the opening scene onward. Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish round out the superb cast. (9)

February 2011

February was a tough movie month for a couple of reasons: first, I traveled to MIami for the big boat show, followed by a week of vacation; then I decided to start working my way through the Showtime TV series Dexter (thanks to Joan for the recommendation). I devoured the first season last month—its dozen hour-long episodes was the equivalent of six feature-length movies. I'm really enjoying the series (already two episodes in on Season 2), so older movies are probably going to get short shrift in the foreseeable future.


THE L-SHAPED ROOM (1962)—I can't remember what I read that helped catapult this movie to the top of my list, but it's one I am very grateful to scratch off it. While I am a big fan of British films, the subgenre of the so-called "kitchen sink" drama (i.e., ordinary people living in low-income homes) has never really resonated with me. The L-Shaped Room includes many of the elements of the kitchen-sink movie (i.e., star Leslie Caron is unmarried and pregnant). The twist is that she's a French girl living in a seedy boarding house. There is a love interest, there are other boarders who serve as the secondary characters, and there is lovely Leslie herself, which is the first and best reason to see this. Cicely Courtneidge has a touching turn as an aging lesbian. (8)


BRINGING UP BABY (1938)—Still riding high on my discovery of Katharine Hepburn's great 1930s beauty, I just had to check out this wild comedy, which has earned quite a reputation among film fans. "Overrated" does not begin to describe this. It's infinitely more silly than funny—there is no utterance that does not get misinterpreted by someone; no article of clothing that doesn't get ripped off someone's body by accident; no fallen article that Cary Grant doesn't trip over. It's a gigantic load of nonsense about Hepburn's pet baby leopard and her pursuit of paleontologist Grant. Despite the silliness, the final gag, involving a Brontosaurus skeleton, almost makes the whole movie worth sitting through. (6)


THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1970)—Perhaps hungry for something lighthearted but not silly, I turned to Billy Wilder, who is one of my very favorite directors. I expected an unorthodox and offbeat revisiting of the Baker Street detective, this being a mystery not concocted by original author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But it turns out to be a standard type of Holmes story without a lot of surprises, or any surprises, to be honest. (There are some amusing homosexual references, but even those seem quaint by today's standards). The story has something to do with the Queen and the secret behind the Loch Ness Monster. Not bad, but hardly revolutionary. (7)


THE COMPANY MEN (2010)—Three men working for a large corporation, each at different levels of seniority, must face the spectre of unemployment when the recession catches up with them. Ben Affleck plays a wealthy, up-and-coming financier who loses his job and must support his family by becoming (eek!) a laborer. The story passes the time well enough, but it's a bit off-putting to be made to feel sorry for the incredibly privileged. (8)


THE PRESTIGE (2006)—I can't remember how I could have missed this movie about magicians. It came out the same year as The Illusionist, which Joan and I quite enjoyed, but somehow this one slipped past me. I have been meaning to correct that oversight and now I have. Unfortunately, despite a great cast (including Christian Bale) and some interesting twists, this movie disappoints because of its preposterous science-fiction elements (i.e., David Bowie, as the electricity pioneer Tesla, is supposed to have invented a matter-transporter back in the 19th Century. And what does he do with this revolutionary invention? He sells it to a magician—what else?) Always nice to see Michael Caine, and even nicer to see Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall. (7)


A VERY SPECIAL FAVOR (1965)—After The L-Shaped Room, I was curious to see more of Leslie Caron. She's captivating in this picture, as always. This was one of many sex comedies from the 1960s that had a lot of talk but zero action. It's basically a Big Lie movie, and a piece of nonsensical fluff, but it's cute. (8)


BIUTIFUL (2010)—Tragic, well-acted drama, in Spanish, about Uxbal (Javier Bardem), a father of two in Barcelona who tries to find a balance between both sides of the law—and then discovers he's dying of cancer. We watch in grim sadness as his life spirals farther and farther out of control, trying to maintain civility with his bipolar ex-wife while his body falls apart. It's a mesmerizing downer. Thanks to Irene for inviting me to the Academy screening. (8)


I AM NUMBER FOUR (2011)—Caught this one with Connie while visiting Hollywood, FL. It's a totally forgettable teenage superhero-type flick that's like a hybrid of the TV series Roswell and Heroes. Just a dumb, fun popcorn movie about some badass aliens who just want to find the title protagonist and kill him. (8)


THE SEARCHERS (1956)—I closed February by screening two John Wayne movies directed by the legendary John Ford. The first has always been spoken about as one of the very best films the Duke ever made; it's supposed to be "complex" and ahead of its time. Although certainly watchable, I didn't find it particularly complex—it seems like an ordinary Civil War-era Western about a little girl kidnapped by Indians and the quest to get her back. (Actually, it's an absurdly simple plot.) Interesting to see Natalie Wood playing a 15-year-old. Great color cinematography. (8)


THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962)—Ingeniously plotted B&W Western pairing John Wayne with Jimmy Stewart, who in 1962 was a little long in the tooth to be playing the character he does here, but he's so good that we work extra hard to forgive him for not being the ideal age. This is a great flashback movie where the pieces of the puzzle slowly come together until the final one snaps into place perfectly. Lee Marvin has never been more sinister. My favorite film of the month! (9)

January 2011

A new year, a new opportunity to fritter my life away watching movies! Although I wasn't able to watch a film a day this month, I wasn't far off—25 is a pretty respectable number, depending on your definition of "respectable." This month ran the gamut from movies I've been curious about since childhood (Bedlam, The Pawnbroker) to movies I never even heard about mere days before I saw them (Mao's Last Dancer). There were recommendations by friends (Susan Slade, The Women), marvelous surprises (Barney's Version, The Silent Partner) and predictable disappointments (Little Fockers). Thanks to those who watched with me—Joan, Anna, Irene and Jay. Here's the gallery.


COUNTRY STRONG (2010)—Given the considerable talents of Gwyneth Paltrow, including her remarkable singing voice, I had big hopes for this tale of a C&W superstar battling addiction and other demons, but despite a bunch of excellent songs, the movie is marred by too many puzzlingly dumb plot points and a preposterous, unbelievable resolution. Update: after a second viewing (thanks to Irene for the invite!), I have upgraded my rating by one point. It's still not a great picture, or even a good one...but I did find it enjoyably trashy, and the cast is excellent, especially Paltrow and Garrett Hedlund. (7)

LITTLE FOCKERS (2010)—The original Meet the Parents was a hoot, that rare Ben Stiller comedy that actually delivered the laughs, many of them courtesy of co-star Robert DeNiro. The first sequel (Meet the Fockers) was weak, and the trend continues with the most anemic of the trilogy...although the cast (aided by the always breathtaking Jessica Alba) does its best to make the lackluster script come to life. (6)

YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU (1938)—Eight years before Jimmy Stewart clashed with Lionel "Mr. Potter" Barrymore in It's a Wonderful Life, here they were together, making nice instead of waging war. There's a romance at the heart of this story of an eccentric family that knows how to life life to the fullest; director Frank Capra has opened up and improved George S. Kaufman's hit Broadway play considerably. (8)


MADE IN DAGENHAM (2010)—It's always a pleasure to watch Sally Hawkins, a gifted actress who invariably proves she's better than the material she's starring in (Happy-Go-Lucky). Dagenham is based on an actual women's strike at Ford plant in Great Britain in the late 1960s; Hawkins puts her family on the back burner to lead the gals toward a pay raise and equal rights in the workplace. Hawkins' resemblance to real-life 1960s movie star Rita Tushingham continues to amaze me; this film is certainly interesting and entertaining, but I never completely lost myself in it. Still, I will happily see anything that features Hawkins or her captivating co-star, Rosamund Pike. (7)

THE FIGHTER (2010)—I swore I was done with Mark Wahlberg following the disatrous one-two punch of The Happening and The Other Guys. But I found myself in the audience of this picture mostly by accident (I'd gone to the theater to see a free screening that turned out to be overcrowded, and The Fighter was the only thing playing that I hadn't already seen). Reviews were positive, so I gave it a chance, and I wasn't disappointed. Wahlberg overcomes a series of obstacles—mostly drug-addicted brother Christian Bale—to make a name for himself as a prizefighter. This real-life tale is brought to the screen with deftness and humor, and with the outstanding performance of Melissa Leo as the conniving and insipid mother. (9)

LITTLE WOMEN (1933)—Here's one of about a dozen film versions of the classic Louisa May Alcott novel; I've long been interested to know what it's all about without actually having to read it, so I started with the classic George Cukor adaptation. (I own two other versions.) My mind was blown three ways to Tuesday by the enormous beauty of young Katharine Hepburn, whom I had never viewed as anything but an aging thespian. (Her loveliness in Little Women caused me to acquire and watch several other Hepburn films from this time period.) The story, and the movie, is simple but absorbing. (8)


HOW DO YOU KNOW? (2010)—A trifle of a comedy featuring Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson. A waste of time for all concerned, and all of the good bits were in the trailer. (5)

HOLIDAY (1938)—Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, those two "dahling chahmuhs" with Mid-Atlantic accents, star in a movie about virtually nothing. Cute but totally forgettable. (7)

MAO'S LAST DANCER (2009)—My third movie this month to be based on a real story. This one is about a young male ballet dancer from China who makes a splash in the U.S. Although hindered by a few narrative shortcuts, it's a mostly interesting story about a fellow caught between two nations. (8)


THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)—Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn reunite after Holiday for another romantic comedy; this one also stars James Stewart in what is essentially a love pentagon. Lots of funny lines, and Hepburn is sassy and adorable. (8)

DR. ZHIVAGO (1965)—This was my friend Anna's pick. I've never been a fan of the "sweeping epic" films typified by Lawrence of Arabia, and this one didn't do much to bring me around. Not completely uninteresting, but not really my cup of tea. (6)


SUSAN SLADE (1961)—How fitting that this obscure soaper (recommended by my friend Kathy Hansen) should prove so much more entertaining than the Oscar-winning Dr. Zhivago! Troy Donahue and Grant Williams have eyes for Connie Stevens, who spends a lot of the movie knocked up and heartbroken...but at least there's a happy ending. I liked the pretty scenery and the engaging performance of Lloyd Nolan as Connie's hard-working dad. I predict that this film will inspire me to watch A Summer Place very soon. (8)

THE SUSPECT (1944)—Charles Laughton as a truly decent guy who finds he's not above bumping off his bloodsucking wife and a smarmy blackmailer. A fun turn-of-the-century murder picture starring the always watchable Laughton and Stanley Ridges as the inspector he plays cat-and-mouse with. (8)

BARNEY'S VERSION (2010)—I remember first seeing the trailer for this movie quite a while before it was eventually released. My expectations were rather low, which may have contributed to my liking it as much as I did. The idea of a guy falling in love with another woman right after getting married has been done in movies before (The Heartbreak Kid), and Barney (Paul Giamatti) isn't a fraction as likable as Charles Grodin's character was—he drinks and smokes too much, and he's a bit of a curmudgeon. And yet we still root for him. At least I did, because heavenly Rosamund Pike (Made in Dagenham) is worth fighting for—I don't care who you just married! As Barney's papa, Dustin Hoffman is around to give his son some sage advice. One of the funniest and saddest pictures I'll see all year. (9)


SOMEWHERE (2010)—Sofia Coppola's film opens with a fast car zooming around a racetrack. Around and around and around it goes, while we watch helplessly, hoping something else will happen. Unfortunately, precious little does. The driver of the car is action-movie star Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff), a cipher of a human who fritters away his free time in between pictures by lounging, eating, watching TV, sunbathing, bathing and having sex with random women. He is sloth personified—there doesn't seem to be a person inside. At length, he is persuaded to spend some time with his young daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning), and for a moment, he has a brief fling with being a responsible parent. Dorff's scenes with Fanning are the heart of the movie, but too much of the film seems padded with interminable scenes of people doing nothing. (5)

BEDLAM (1946)—Boris Karloff plays the evil head of Bedlam, an insane asylum, and when a young woman tries to do something about the miserable conditions there, he has her committed. I have been curious about this horror-drama since my tween years; I had hoped it would be a bit more horrifying—or horrifying at all. (6)

FRIENDS WITH MONEY (2006)—Nicole Holofcener is a gifted writer/director who manages to coax excellent performances from her cast. Jennifer Aniston is an actress who manages to suck the life out of every movie she appears in. What happens when this performer who specializes in bad comedies appears in a movie by a director who specializes in sharp, well-written comedies? Who will win? The answer, in this case, is Holofcener. Aniston shows she can inhabit an actual character instead of being the equivalent of a two-dimensional cartoon, and it sure doesn't hurt that her co-stars are great actresses like Catherine Keener, Joan Cusack and Frances McDormand. The film is about four friends, their significant others and their various limitations, issues and jealousies. It's occasionally very witty. (8)


NO STRINGS ATTACHED (2011)—Here's the first new film of the new calendar year I'm seeing, an extremely corny and predictable romcom that's made watchable by a very capable cast that includes Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Mindy Kaling, Lake Bell and Greta Gerwig. The movie draws many of its laughs by giving its female main character (Portman) the kind of commitment-phobic personality that a guy would normally have, while the guy just wants to snuggle. In another notable switch-up, a lot of the bits they used in the trailer are not in the actual film! (7)

THE SILENT PARTNER (1978)—This was the most exciting cinematic surprise of the month—at least, from the archives. Elliott Gould, one of my favorite actors from the 1970s, stars in this Canadian-made crime-suspense thriller as a bank employee who realizes he's about to be robbed...and turns the caper around to his advantage. Unfortunately, things don't go exactly as smoothly as he hoped, as an exciting game of cat and mouse (with heavy Christopher Plummer) unfolds. The movie had me enthralled from beginning to end—an IMDB user called it "one of the best films you've probably never heard of." I agree! Sadly, co-star Susannah York died of cancer only days before my viewing of the DVD. (10)

NOTHING SACRED (1937)—I kept reading great reviews of this comedy oldie, but I guess I'm just not a big fan of the so-called "screwball comedy" genre. Some of the laughs have to do with watching a guy punch a woman, which has definitely lost a lot of its "hilarious" impact over the years. Carole Lombard stars as a woman incorrectly diagnosed with a fatal disease; when she learns she's perfectly healthy, she starts to enjoy the sympathetic media blitz that envelops her. Not bad, but not exactly my style. (7)


BROKEN FLOWERS (2005)—Bill Murray plays as an aging "Don Juan" who receives an anonymous letter from a jilted lover informing him that he has a grown son by a long-discarded lover. He then reluctantly sets out to learn the truth in a protracted road trip to visit a variety of his exes. It starts out well enough but slowly falls apart (for both Murray and for the viewer) as each successive reunion is a bigger disaster than the one before. The film has a couple of funny lines, a great deal of awkwardness and a wholly unsatisfying resolution. (6)

CASH ON DEMAND (1961)—This was the second great movie I saw this month that was a crime thriller involving a bank robbery, made outside the U.S., and largely unheard of. Peter Cushing is a super-mean bank manager who finds himself an unwilling pawn in an elaborate robbery scheme. It's actually a variation of the old "Scrooge" story, but it's flawlessly acted and directed. (9)

THE WOMEN (1939)—Recommended by Jay Steele and viewed on my weekend trip to Palo Alto at the end of January. It's a comedy-drama jam-packed with dialogue and featuring an all-woman cast—not a male to be seen in a single frame. Infidelity and divorce are the themes; Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Paulette Goddard and Rosalind Russell head the perfect cast. Consistently funny and rewarding; repeat viewings would undoubtedly help to catch some of the missed dialogue. (9)


PRIVATE LIVES (1931)—A somewhat younger Norma Shearer stars in this adaptation of the famous Noel Coward play, yet another variation on the story of people who lose their hearts to others immediately following the wedding. In this case, two exes rekindle their love on their respective honeymoons. Shearer and Robert Montgomery leave their spouses, flirt, kiss, hurl insults and ultimately tear the joint apart. I selected this film on the strength of having seen the truly awesome This Happy Breed, another Coward production, last year. (8)

THE PAWNBROKER (1964)—Here's another film I'm very happy to cross of the list; I've been wanting to see it since high school. Universally lauded by critics, it's been called the first American movie to address the Holocaust (as well as the first American movie featuring bare breasts to receive Production Code approval). Rod Steiger stars as a Holocaust survivor whose loved ones didn't make it; now working in Harlem, he has become an empty shell of a man, divorced of emotions and rejecting those who try to bring him around. It's quite well done, but watching it is a profoundly sad experience. (8)

December 2010

At last—another year of devoted film fanaticism is behind me! And so is another year of blogging about the wonderful and wretched movies I treated/subjected myself to. "Only" nine features seen this month, a rather light month, to be sure, mostly because of the winter break. But it seems to be better-than-average, gradewise—I picked 'em good in December.

So let's delve into last month's treasure chest and then do a modest appraisal of the best (and worst) of what 2010 brought our way. Special thanks to Joan, my constant moviegoing companion, for treating to so many of the first-run offerings—I wouldn't have nearly as much fun seeing them without you!


RED (2010)—I gave this comic-book adaptation little more than a passing consideration for viewing, but it seemed to appeal to Joan. So after talking about it for some weeks, we finally did catch a screening of it rather a long time after its debut. I find Bruce Willis to be a solid and dependable performer; of the flicks I've seen him in (Pulp Fiction, Die Hard, The Sixth Sense), I have always enjoyed him, and I have cherished memories of his TV series, Moonlighting. So while Willis is generally the draw, it is co-star Helen Mirren whom I am far more likely to remember in this actioner, playing a longtime agent/assassin who totes a bulky machine gun and kicks more ass than Willis does. I don't usually go for these CIA/double-crossing type yarns, but this was generally entertaining and made memorable by Mirren, so delicious and sexy (even at age 65!). This was also the second movie of 2010 to feature the inimitable Richard Dreyfuss in a small but pivotal cameo role (the other being Piranha 3D).

THE NEXT THREE DAYS (2010)—Poor Russell Crowe. His wife has been arrested for murdering her own boss, and it's up to Russ to bust her out of jail and prove her innocence against all costs. Don't you just hate it when that happens? The wife, played by the sultry Elizabeth Banks, is far more interesting and likable than Crowe's character, for the simple reason that Crowe turns in a one-note performance: he's sour and cranky through the whole picture. Even though you're always on his side and wanting to root for him, you're also wishing he could have been played by somebody with at least an ounce of charisma. He doesn't ruin the movie, but he's a definite detriment to it.

UNSTOPPABLE (2010)—As with Red, I had not given this action-adventure any more serious viewing consideration than I had given the last Tony Scott-directed movie featuring Denzel Washington and a runaway train (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three). But I kept hearing positive comments from friends and reviewers alike, so one day when there was absolutely nothing else to see, I bought a ticket. I was glad I did! I was completely absorbed and entertained—that old cliché about an "edge-of-your-seat" movie experience is an adequate description of this often thrilling ride. Denzel and Chris Pine (the latest James T. Kirk) are out to stop a runaway freight train that's carrying some dangerous chemicals—and might just blow everybody up wherever and whenever it derails. Oddly cast but more than capable Rosario Dawson plays the concerned yardmaster who tries to help the pair while clashing with her boss. It's a real corker, and probably the 2010 movie I most regret not having dragged Joan to see.


WINTER'S BONE (2010)—Here's the first of a trio of very bleak offerings I saw in a row toward the end of the month. Though released months earlier, I caught this indie film on DVD. It's a harrowing tale of 17-year-old Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence), who is living in virtual poverty with two young siblings and a mentally vacant mother. Her dad, arrested for cooking up meth, has used their home to get sprung on bail; now he's missing. So it's up to Ree to find her dad, dead or alive, in order to retain possession of their ramshackle house—a dangerous task that must be accomplished when she's not teaching her brother and sister how to hunt for and skin squirrels for their supper. The film is about the pluck and determination of this young woman to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, and there's a menacing chill in the air as Ree stares down a rogue's gallery of creepy, violent townspeople who have no desire to help her and every reason to shut her up—permanently. Often difficult to watch, the film is impossible not to admire and even cherish.

BLUE VALENTINE (2010)—The bleakness continues with a low-budget drama that traces a couple (Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams) morphing from innocent lovers to warring spouses over the course of six years. They marry, have a kid, and then start to annoy each other with their personality deficiencies. But the real star of the movie is the editing: this is one of those pictures that has no interest in telling a story in the traditional linear format. Instead, we ping-pong back and forth through time, from the early months of the relationship to its death throes, without much of a glimpse of what happens in between—it's up to the viewer to connect the dots. It's an emotional rollercoaster ride as we shunt back and forth between the warm-and-fuzzy beginnings and the often brutal and disgusting denouement, including one scary and unforgettable scene in which Gosling appears at his wife's job drunk and acts like a bellowing SOB. Like the previous film, it's loaded with great acting, but it's a downer, without even the hint of hopefulness that Winter's Bone offers.

ANOTHER YEAR (2010)—The ostensible stars of this Mike Leigh film are Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen as married couple who are actually happy (!), but the real protagonist is Sheen's single workmate, the increasingly miserable Mary. And it is Lesley Manville, as the beleaguered Mary, who carries the picture, solidly and rivetingly, on her shoulders. There are other characters who pass through their lives over the course of one year, but everybody in the movie serves as someone for Mary to react to, either longingly or despicably. Like Leigh's previous movie, Happy-Go-Lucky, one actress becomes the entire reason to see the movie, and Manville (ex-wife of Gary Oldman) turns in one of the year's most shattering performances. Maybe even the best.


TRUE GRIT (2010)—John Wayne won an Oscar for his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn in the 1969 adaptation of Charles Portis's beloved novel, so Jeff Bridges has his work cut out for him trying to outdo the Duke, and directors Ethan and Joel Coen attempt to give the familiar story their own sensibilities. It all works surprisingly well. Bridges gives us a unique take on Cogburn—hoarser, hairier, dirtier and rougher around the edges. As with the first movie, the characters all speak Portis's quaint dialogue that eschews virtually all contractions and thus sounding like Barbara Eden's Jeannie ("I do not," "I will not," "I cannot," etc.—have these hicks been reading Shakespeare?); Matt Damon takes over for Glen Campbell and relative newcomer Hailee Steinfeld plays Mattie Ross with even more grace and defiance that Kim Darby did. There are a few more "gritty" elements that the earlier film ignored about the novel that the Coens do not, including the unexpectedly downer ending. For me, the best things about the remake are Bridges and Steinfeld. See it for them.

THE KING'S SPEECH (2010)—When you're next in line for the British throne, it helps to be able to sound kingly. Albert "Bertie" George (Colin Firth) certainly doesn't. He suffers from a stammer that makes it impossible to read a five-minute speech in less than half an hour, so his wife enlists the help of a therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), who uses unconventional methods to help him overcome his difficulties. It's a difficult journey, given some of Bertie's hangups and personal history (to say nothing of his teasing brother). But Firth and Rush gradually earn each other's trust and forge a friendship that goes a long way to minimizing that speech defect. Their uneasy but ever-strengthening relationship, much of it viewed in their therapy sessions, makes The King's Speech a great piece of fact-based British storytelling.

KISS ME, STUPID (1964)—My list of favorite films is littered by titles directed by Billy Wilder, including The Fortune Cookie, Stalag 17, The Apartment and One, Two, Three, and I'm always eager to expand that list. Several weeks' worth of filming had to be scrapped when costar Peter Sellers suffered a heart attack; he was replaced by Ray Walston, whom I happen to like a lot, and who does a very admirable job opposite Dean Martin in this hilarious tale of songwriting, prostitution and mistaken identity. Blasted by critics as smutty and immoral upon its first release, it has slowly found an audience over the years, and I'm happy to report that it was one of the single most enjoyable "oldies" I saw all year. It's great fun and features a couple of great female performances (by Kim Novak and Felicia Farr) as the romantic counterparts to Walston and Martin (who mocks his boozy persona to great comic effect in this).

THE FINAL TALLY

• Red (8)
• The Next Three Days (7)
• Unstoppable (9)
• Winter's Bone (9)
• Blue Valentine (8)
• Another Year (8)
• True Grit (9)
• The King's Speech (9)
• Kiss Me, Stupid (10)

2010 RECAP

Total number of movies I saw in 2010:

156

Best movies of 2010:

• How to Train Your Dragon
• The Greatest
• Please Give
• City Island
• Kick-Ass
• Toy Story 3
• The Kids are All Right
• Flipped
• The Disappearance of Alice Creed
• Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
• Tangled
• Easy A
• The King's Speech
• Winter's Bone
• True Grit
• Unstoppable

Best older movies I saw this year:

• Forbidden Games
• This Happy Breed
• The Sound of Music
• The Card
• Kiss Me, Stupid
• SherryBaby
• King Rat
• The Green Man
• The Third Secret
• Judgment in Nuremburg

Worst movies of 2010:

• The Other Guys
• When in Rome
• Greenberg
• The Runaways
• Life During Wartime

Movies I can scratch off my "Most Want to See" list

• Chinatown
• How Green Was My Valley
• I’m All Right, Jack
• The Third Man
• How to Steal a Million*

*Interestingly, this was the only one of these I genuinely loved.

Of the 14 movies I blogged a year ago that I was most excited about seeing in 2010, the only ones I actually saw were:

• Shutter Island
• She's Out of My League
• Kick-Ass
• Toy Story 3
• Inception
• Piranha 3D
• Tangled

Th-th-th-that's all, folks!

October/November 2010

Toward the end of October, I suffered a terrible computer mishap: I lost the file where I kept track of the movies I had been seeing. This led to a period of inactivity updating my blog while I procrastinated about reconstructing the list. Now, as we hurtle toward the end of the calendar year, it is finally time to try piecing together the list of the films I have seen during the last couple of months. I have zero memory which of these I saw in which month, but at least I am reasonably sure that all of the feature films are accounted for. No doubt I've lost track of some of the older films I viewed on DVD or AVI, but I do remember most of them.

I'll start with the newer stuff and list everything in order of enjoyment, since I no longer have a record of what I saw chronologically.


FIRST-RUN

TANGLED—At the start of this year, it was still known as Rapunzel, Disney's latest attempt to breathe life into the old princess fairy-tale formula. But after The Princess and the Frog did less-than-spectacular business (especially among boys), the Mouse's marketers tinkered with the title and the ad campaign, helping to create a huge hit. The movie has flair, humor, suspense and great music (by Alan Menken). (10)

EASY A—This takeoff on The Scarlet Letter presents Emma Stone as a clean-cut high-school girl who pretends to be a slut to beef up her popularity—a plan that works a little too well. It's a surprisingly fun comedy with uniformly good performances, including Amanda Bynes as an annoying Bible-thumper. (9)

MEGAMIND—The latest Dreamworks animated feature stars Will Ferrell as the title supervillain, who has a few more likable bones in his body than he ought to have. The top-notch cast includes Tina Fey, David Cross and Brad Pitt. As with all Dreamworks cartoons, the only thing that really bugged me about this one is the perpetual, predictable and highly annoying reliance of hit songs on the soundtrack. Still, this is a very fun and lively outing, if a bit formulaic. (9)


IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY—My jokey alternate title for this was Love Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. A depressed teen with thoughts of suicide (Keir Gilchrist) checks himself into a psych ward and meets an adorable pseudo-crazy girl there. Is it true love, or will he pursue the classmate he has a crush on? Zach Galifianakis provides some laughs as another fellow inmate. (8)

THE SOCIAL NETWORK—Perhaps the year's most talked-about movie, a largely fictionalized account of how computer genius Mark Zuckerberg either invented or stole the idea for Facebook, depending on whose story you believe. Jesse Eisenberg seems to be channeling Michael Cera as the laconic Zuckerberg; despite some fun, snarky dialogue by Aaron Sorkin, the whole plot comes down to "he said / he said." (8)

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT—This may be the only movie I have seen accidentally. After sitting through one movie at a local multiplex one afternoon, I sneaked into this one under the impression that it was Never Let Me Go, which has a similarly generic title. I had been actively avoiding this unbelievably contrived Katherine Heigl romantic "comedy," but since I wasn't paying for it, I decided to give it a chance...and found it to be not nearly as terrible as I had anticipated. It's enjoyable in a very cute, mindless way, and Heigl is, after all, extremely beautiful. (7)


LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS—Unlike the previous entry, this was a movie that I'd had very high expectations for that was a bit disappointing. I happen to be a big fan of director Ed Zwick, who has provided me with untold hours of pleasure with his many TV dramas, as well as movies like Courage Under Fire. This film is part romantic comedy, part historical satire and part disease-of-the-week drama, and while each of these parts succeeds on its own, it doesn't really quite jell as a whole. Anne Hathaway, as a sexy sufferer of Parkinsons, is worth the price of admission—both for her acting and the considerable nudity she has on display. (7)

FAIR GAME—Naomi Watts plays real-life CIA agent Valerie Plame, whose cover was blown by certain White House officials out to discredit her husband (Sean Penn). I remember that I enjoyed it, but most of my specific memories about the film have already evaporated from my mind. (7)

MORNING GLORY—Ironically, even though the Valerie Plame movie has social relevance and high-caliber acting, it is this wispy, silly, ineffectual comedy that I recall all the details about. Harrison Ford is a grumpy, award-winning broadcast journalist (think Dan Rather) who reluctantly takes a position as the host of a TV morning show produced by novice Rachel McAdams. The movie is frightfully contrived, extremely silly and nearly impossible not to enjoy. McAdams is arguably the most beautiful of actresses working in movies today. (7)


HEREAFTER—It starts with a devastating and spectacular tsuami, one of the single best special-effects sequences I have ever seen. Director Clint Eastwood's movie, about a guy (Matt Damon) who communicates with the dead but doesn't really enjoy his gift, is a slow-moving affair, featuring three characters in different countries who have each been touched by death and who, after an extremely long wait, finally converge. Interesting, but overlong; and Damon's reluctance to use his amazing powers was never explained to my complete satisfaction. (7)

LET ME IN—Remake of a Swedish vampire movie; moderately entertaining, thanks to actress Chloe Moretz of Kick-Ass. (7)

SKYLINE—Cloverfield meets War of the Worlds as a small group of L.A. dwellers cope with a terrifying alien invasion. Despite a truly horrible screenplay with laughable dialogue, it's worth seeing just for the monsters. (7)


STONE—No-nonsense prison parole official Robert DeNiro must decide the fate of loopy inmate Edward Norton, which proves tricky when Norton's sexy wife, Milla Jovovich, attempts to intervene. Intriguing premise, which ultimately suffers from a total lack of any sympathetic characters. (7)

THE AMERICAN—George Clooney is a hit man hiding out in an Italian village and playing the mattress mambo with hooker Violante Placido. Decent, but as with the previous entry, it's hard to truly care about any of the characters. (7)

BURLESQUE—This is the kind of terrible movie you check out just to see how bad it is. It did not disappoint in that respect (everything about it is either asinine or ludicrous), but Cher continues to shine as an actress. (5)


REVIVALS / DVD / iPAD

SUSPICION (1941)—Fun Hitchcock film about how Joan Fontaine marries a charming gambler (Cary Grant) who might just be plotting to bump her off for her money. (8)

SAW (2004)—This was one of a series of horror movies I viewed while sailing on my Royal Caribbean cruise of early November. A relentlessly gory and disgusting entry that launched the extremely successful series. This first chapter, at least, contains a good idea and a few decent twists. Not sure if I'll bother with any of the sequels. (8)

HOSTEL (2005)—People keep disappearing in Eli Roth's creepy and sadistic horror movie, set in a Slovakian city where you can torture kidnap victims at a price. Like Saw, it is disgusting and horrific, but it sure keeps you interested. (8)


SPLICE (2009)—A suspenseful sci-fi film that zips along at a breakneck pace. A pair of romantically involved scientists secretly cross-breed a human and animal named Dren, whom they perversely keep as part lab experiment, part pet, and part daughter. Alternately compelling, silly and wildly implausible, but always entertaining. Good SFX. Suggested sequel: Diet Splice. (8)

A PERSONAL AFFAIR (1953)—Having recently very much enjoyed the young Glynis Johns in The Card, I decided to check out this film from around the same time period. It's a low-key melodrama/mystery about how Johns falls in love with her clueless married schoolteacher (Leo Genn), then vanishes after being confronted about her feelings by Genn's wife (Gene Tierney). With the lovesick teenager missing, things start to look very bad for the teacher. This being the 1950s, all is happily resolved by the end. (8)

MR. DENNING DRIVES NORTH (1952)—I continue to plow through the John Mills filmography with this Hitchcockian thriller about a guy suspected for a murder he didn't commit. He must put the pieces of the puzzle while running from the cops. It's a very familiar plot, but Mills is never less than fascinating to watch onscreen. (8)

THE GAME (1997)—The phrase "laughably preposterous" gets thrown around a lot, but it definitely applies here. Michael Douglas is given a gift of a live-action "game," which he must play out in order to gain some sort of relevant epiphany, but the rules seem to entail putting his life in almost constant peril. The result is a movie about a game that becomes kind of a game itself, as the viewer tries to piece together exactly what is going on. Michael Douglas is very watchable, but the movie is so ludicrous that it's difficult to take seriously. (7)

THE THIRD MAN (1949)—Noirish adaptation of Graham Greene's novel about a man (Joseph Cotten) who investigates the mysterious death of his friend (Orson Welles) in Vienna. I wanted to like it more than I did; I never like these film noirs, and Cotten is one of my least-favorite actors. (6)

PEEPING TOM (1960)—British thriller about a twisted psychopath who likes to film women as he murders them; it was way ahead of its time when it was released, but it's lost a great deal of its impact after 50 years. (6)


MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY (1993)—There's nary a twist in Woody Allen's comedy-mystery, his first post-Mia movie. It's neither hilarious nor suspenseful—it's just about as mediocre as the poster for it would seem to suggest. Allen himself whines way too much in it. (6)

A CHILD IS WAITING (1963)—Teacher Judy Garland clashes with the principal of the school for retarded children. (Real retarded kids were used, and it's funny to hear them referred to as "retarded kids" way before the political consciousness deemed that a bad word.) Innovative, at least in 1963; a bit dull and overwrought today. (6)

CHINATOWN (1974) Landmark film-noir tribute starring Jack Nicholson as a private eye who investigates some excruciatingly boring goings-on related to the local water utility. "Vastly overrated" is putting it mildly—I guess I will never understand why people love this movie. (4)

September 2010

Last year, I attempted to watch an average of one movie a day. It was a challenge, and doomed to fail, but I was surprised when I was able to keep it up for nearly half of 2009 until other distractions demanded my attention. Now, thanks to my new iPad, I am able to watch more films on the go, and I was actually able to view a movie every day this September.

I've also adopted a new philosophy about movie watching—it suddenly dawned on me that I need not commit to watching a movie in its entirety if I find it boring, nonsensical, inferior or unbelievable. So I've actually begun to abandon some movies after 15-30 minutes when they fail to carbonate my imagination.

Here's September's cinematic lineup, more or less in chronological order:


1. FRIGHT (1971) I picked this because I enjoy scary movies—and because British actress Susan George was so sexy during this period of her career. This fright-fest starts off extremely well: Susan plays a pretty girl who comes over to babysit while the lady and gentleman of the house spend the evening out. The setup is done very skillfully, and I was rapt with interest as the groundwork was laid for the terror to come. As Susan spends the first quarter-hour alone in the house, there's a growing sense of foreboding...and then, much to my disappointment, the film proceeds to slowly jump the shark. The source of the film's evil menace—which should deliver the paralyzing fright that the film's title promises—is far more annoying than horrific, and modern-day viewers are apt to be bewildered by the police response (if you can call it that), which involves standing around outside the house talking somewhat loudly. What a terrible pity this movie couldn't follow through on what starts out so well...although as I say, Susan is quite easy on the eyes. (5)

2. THE BROTHERS BLOOM (2008) This is one of half a dozen films I saw this month that were recommended by various friends. Valerie Collins implored me to give this "flim-flam" film a chance—and since I love con-artist stories, I accepted the challenge. Two brothers (sexy Mark Ruffalo and eagle-nosed Adrien Brody) who have had a lot of success swindling people decide to do one final con, this time on an eccentric rich girl named Penelope (Rachel Weisz). Their very elaborate and well-plotted scam is fraught with peril, thanks to the unpredictability of their "mark." It's an interesting though quite offbeat story, and one of the better con movies. (8)

3. MACHETE (2010) This is a new film by Robert Rodriguez, based on the fake trailer that appeared in Grindhouse, his double feature with Quentin Tarantino. It's another tribute to the farfetched but relentlessly action-packed drive-in films from the '60s and '70s, and he does it so well that the parody aspect begins to blur as the movie becomes nearly indistinguishable from the ones it intends to satirize. Danny Trejo is perfectly cast as the macho man's macho man, and his beautiful co-stars (Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba) make this a must-see movie for men. Bloody, preposterous, fitfully enjoyable fun. (8)


4. THE CARD (1952) Recently I purchased an obscure show-tune LP of a musical called The Card, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I learned that the musical was based on a 1911 novel by Arnold Bennett, which was later made into this 1952 comedy film. Having enjoyed the musical so much, I was eager to check out the (non-musical) movie version, and I was not disappointed. Alec Guinness (37 years old at the time of filming, but seeming much younger) stars as a self-made entrepreneur who gets involved with a woman played by the lovely but spoiled Glynis Johns. Her performance is so delightful that I subsequently picked up several of her other movies and forcing my friend Jay to watch it (and he liked it well enough to share it with one of his friends). Now if I can only get him to listen to the musical! (9)

5. A CHRISTMAS WISH (1998) Here's a made-for-TV movie recommended to me by my friend Joan, who'd seen it several years ago. It's a serviceable, low-budget drama, reminding me of one of the Danielle Steel novels I've read. Neil Patrick Harris stars as a man who has taken over his grandfather's real-estate business, grappling with trying to fill grandpa's estimable shoes, striking up a new romance—and solving a compelling mystery in time for Christmas. The movie tries hard to be heartwarming while winding up mostly corny and syrupy (just like the vast majority of TV movies) but it's watchable enough. I did have a problem with the mystery's inevitable solution, but seeing a pre-Ring Naomi Watts was a revelation! (8)

6. THIS HAPPY BREED (1944) My favorite movie of the month and possibly the year, this intensely moving drama is about a working-class family in England spanning the time between the two World Wars, exploring the themes of love, death, war, loyalty, friendship, motherhood, fatherhood and maturity. It left me sobbing and shattered; I have now sat through it three times so far and can't wait to see it again. Featuring the always-fantastic John Mills, as well as Robert Newton, Celia Johnson and Kay Walsh—every one of them riveting. Directed by David Lean and written by the great Noel Coward. (10)

7. IN WHICH WE SERVE (1942) My selection of this film was directly influenced by the preceding one; not only does it also feature John Mills and Kay Walsh, but it was also written by Noel Coward (and actually stars Coward as well)! This one takes place during WWII, and interestingly, was made and released well before the end of that war. The stories of the movie are told mostly in flashback. (8)

8. THE MILLION-POUND NOTE (1954) Penniless American Gregory Peck wanders around London looking for a job and a meal, and is given an extraordinary gift of £1,000,000 by two rich men who have made a private bet about their gift. The movie makes its point—people treat you differently if they think you're rich—over and over again. This contrived comedy is not bad, but not quite as funny as I'd hoped. (7)


9. THE NOTORIOUS LANDLADY (1962) Jack Lemmon, one of my very favorite actors, stars in this comedy-mystery as an American embassy man in London who falls for a woman with a possibly murderous past. The film has the promise of a Hitchockian-type thriller, but eventually becomes too silly and slapsticky. Still, the first half is quite enjoyable. (7)

10. STARTER FOR 10 (2006) Back in 1985, a freshman at Bristol University competes for a chance to appear on a famous TV quiz show (with a beautiful girl he falls for). Moderately interesting study of a guy who learns some big Life Lessons, with the always enchanting Rebecca Hall as the girl he's clearly more suited for. I like to think I am very well suited for her myself. (8)

11. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (2010) It seems only yesterday that Joan and I were staring at an oversized poster of this movie and remarking on how terrible it would probably be. But free screenings at Paramount have a way of luring us in, and I'm glad it did. This turns out to be a mad, loud, unexpectedly surreal video-game of a movie that I loved—and that she despised. The picture positively percolates with goofy humor and frenzied action. A pure bliss-out. (10)


12. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) This is one of a handful of movies (along with Saturday Night Fever, Chinatown and Raging Bull) that most film buffs have seen but that I have inexplicably missed. When a local revival cinema was showing a new 35mm print of the classic musical, I knew the time had finally come for me to see it. Not only was I amazed by how truly excellent it was, I was totally unprepared for the mad crush I would develop on Julie Andrews, who is more than just sweet in this film—she's incredibly sexy as well. I've heard "Do, Re, Mi" all my life, so how wild is it that this sequence in the film reduced me to tears? (10)

13. INDISCREET (1958) Halfway into this movie about how a married man (Cary Grant) has an affair with a famous actress (Ingrid Bergman), I realized I was watching yet another variation of the "Big Lie" romance flick, and I never quite recovered from that revelation. Odd revelation: I always enjoy Cary Grant, but I rarely love any of the movies I see him in! (7)

14. WHO IS HARRY NILSSON? (2010) A fun and informative documentary about the famous singer-songwriter who shot to stardom with his version of "Everybody's Talkin'" from Midnight Cowboy. It's full of great interviews with people who knew and worked with him, including my musical hero, Randy Newman. (8)


15. THE MORTAL STORM (1940) I love Jimmy Stewart...but is he really the best person to cast as a German citizen who finds himself up against the Nazis? It wasn't easy to buy him in that role, but fortunately Stewart is watchable in virtually everything he does, so I stuck with this story of 1930s anti-Semitism in a German alps setting. Frank Morgan (aka the Wizard of Oz) appears as a college professor whose career is cut short when he teaches that Aryans and non-Aryans are biologically identical. (8)

16. EAT PRAY LOVE (2010) Reasonably entertaining travelogue starring Julia Roberts on a spiritual journey to Italy, India and Indonesia (WHAT? No Iceland?), where she indulges in the title verbs. Not nearly as bad as I feared it'd be; still hard to look at Javier Bardem and not recall his sinister character from No Country for Old Men. (8)


17. I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978) Extremely low-budget, poorly made revenge flick about a woman who's brutally raped by a quartet of rednecks...and the comeuppance each receives after they unwisely leave her alive. It's hard to defend my viewing of this outright trash, horribly written and directed as it is, but I just have a passion for revenge movies—even shamelessly exploitative ones like this. (8)

18. GENEVIEVE (1953) I'd read exceedingly good things about this British comedy about a pair of couples who own antique cars and drive them from London to Brighton in a kind of race. Hilarity ensues when the cars continually break down and the rival men mock and trick each other. Clean, good-spirited fun. (9)

19. A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (1946) Yet another acclaimed British film, this one features young David Niven as a WWII aviator who by all rights should have died when his bomber crashes, but Heaven apparently makes some sort of mistake (à la Here Comes Mr. Jordan) and he has to argue his case in the Court of the Great Beyond. Despite universal enthusiasm for this otherworldly comedy, I found it just ho-hum, although I liked the romance between Niven and Kim Hunter (who would go on to play Zira the chimp in the Planet of the Apes series). Interestingly, in a reverse of the old Wizard of Oz gimmick, the film reverts from color to black-and-white when the action shifts to the dreamy world of Heaven. (6)


20. THE TOWN (2010) Armed robber Ben Affleck gets involved with one of his bank-employee victims, the always enjoyable Rebecca Hall. I generally dislike films where I'm asked to sympathize with, and root for, an obvious bad guy, and although there are some obvious plot holes in the film, I was never bored in what is ultimately an entertaining and suspenseful crime thriller. It features excellent performances from the entire cast, including Jon Hamm as a cop, Jeremy Renner as Affleck's hot-headed partner in crime, and Blake Lively as Affleck's lowlife ex. (8)

21. DEVIL (2010) Five people are trapped in an elevator...is one of them Satan? Essentially a slasher movie with a twist, Devil serves up pure adrenaline to distract you from thinking too much about the plot. (7)

22. THE FIVE PENNIES (1959) The first of two Danny Kaye movies that were recommended to me by different people; this one is courtesy of Eileen. A somewhat fictionalized biography of Red Nichols, the famous cornet player, The Five Pennies offers us a look at his romance with young Barbara Bel Geddes, his career achievements, the birth of his daughter (and her battle with polio), lots of jazz playing, and cameos by Louis Armstrong and other performers. Kaye is his usual funny self. (8)



23. YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER (2010) Woody Allen's latest is set in England, involving two couples wrestling with various affairs of the heart (i.e., divorce and infidelity). Although far from Woody's best, it's a bit more enjoyable than some of his other output over the last 20 years or so, successfully mixing drama, romance and some very light comedy (thanks to a perfectly cast Lucy Punch as a Chav hooker who hooks up with aging Anthony Hopkins). Freida Pinto of Slumdog Millionaire also scores points as a delectable neighbor who catches Josh Brolin's eye. (8)

24. STAGE FRIGHT (1950) Hitchcock directed this thriller about a young woman (Jane Wyman) hell-bent on proving the innocence of a friend accused of murder, and the usual hot water all Hitchcock protagonists get themselves into. I had recently seen Wyman in my umpteenth viewing of Pollyanna (1960) and was wondering how cute she must have looked as a slightly younger woman. Now I know! Two of my favorite performers, Alastair Sim and Kay Walsh, keep things lively in what is ultimately lesser Hitchcock. (8)

25. MADAME X (1966) Unbeknownst to me at the time I saw this on DVD, this was at least the third filming of the identical story of a woman (Lana Turner) whose life crashes down around her after she cheats on her absentee husband (John Forsythe). And the film was remade yet again after this version! Clearly, this tragic melodrama has a lot of life in it. (8)


26. LIFE WITH FATHER (1947) William Powell is the whole show in this story of a man who rules his wife and four sons with an iron fist—and there is no way he's getting baptized! Powell's views on religion and baptism provided no end of hilarity, and I liked the curious relationship he has with his wife (Irene Dunne), who employs a variety of tricks to get what she wants out of him. There's very little story here, per se; it's all just a grand opportunity for Powell to play his blustery role with as much horsepower as possible. Special thanks to Merf for the recommendation! (9)

27. HOW TO STEAL A MILLION (1966) Both Merf and Jay had recommended this comedy to me; since it stars two of my favorite actors (Peter O'Toole and Audrey Hepburn), there was little point in resisting. Both actors are at the top of their game in this amusing caper about their attempt to steal a priceless statue belonging to Hepburn's art-forgery dad from a museum before it can be discovered as a fake. The movie is grand fun with a lot of sparkling dialogue. Gotta love that boomerang! (9)

28. CATFISH (2010) Supposedly real documentary about a good-looking young man (Nev Schulman) who forges a relationship with some people on Facebook, and his slow realization that everything is not what it appears to be. Real or not, I found myself absorbed throughout by this shoestring-budgeted feature, which has some suspenseful and disturbing elements, as well as some excruciatingly uncomfortable laughs. (8)


29. THE COURT JESTER (1955) The second Danny Kaye movie I viewed this month that was a friend's recommendation (this one by Joan's sister, Nancy). It's a delightfully funny spoof of historical costume dramas, with Kaye doing his best to overthrow the evil usurpers of the royal family. There are lots of great lines, jousting, romance, et al. I only regret that I did not get to enjoy it on the big screen, where it clearly is meant to be seen. And don't forget: The pellet with the poison's in the pestle with the vessel! (9)

30. CASE 39 (2010) This Paramount horror movie has been sitting on the shelf for a few years. Given my penchant for evil-kid movies, I found it enjoyable enough; what it lacks in logic, it makes up for in thrills. It's one of the many horror flicks that begs the question: Why do people continue to go back to a house they know is deathly dangerous? Between this and garbage like New in Town, Renée Zellweger's career has really taken a beating since Jerry Maguire. (8)