The Dreamers (movie review)

Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, rated NC-17 for some explicit sexual scenes. This is a hard movie to grade, because I really wanted to like it, but it wasn't that enjoyable to watch. Released in 2003, it takes place in 1968 in Paris. The story follows the relationship of an American student abroad and the two French siblings -- one male, one female -- whom he hooks up with. The relationship between the brother and sister is strange, bordering on incestuous, and the three-way relationship that develops among the trio of strangers is equally strange. Viewers may want to see it just for the free sexuality, which is unusually explicit without being pornographic; the rest of the movie, however, has little appeal. Grade: B-

Double Whammy (book review)

Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen.  Copyright 1987.  Hiaasen is not in the same class as Elmore Leonard, at least in this early book, but he comes close.  In this mystery/social commentary he conjures up a slew of odd Southern characters and a string of murders set against the backdrop of professional bass fishing and evangelical television.  From many seemingly tangled plot lines all ends well and clearly, and characters we have come to care about emerge triumphant. Grade: B

Poplorica (book review)

The book jacket describes it as "a popular history of the fads, mavericks, inventions and lore that shaped modern America."  The story begins with the simple question, "How'd things get so weird?" and does a creditable and entertaining job of trying to explain with examples from everyday American culture.  Fascinating.  Grade: A

Becca with Halo

The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse, by Robert Rankin (book review)

The title of this book is great fun. The rest of the book, not so much. It's a fantasy/mystery that takes place in Toy City, a place where toys are actually alive and co-exist with humans. The concept is more interesting than the resulting story, though some readers may be amused. Grade: C-

A Mighty Wind (2003) (DVD movie review)

Entertaining and amusing story about three faux folk music groups and the events surrounding a reunion concert.  Directed by Christopher Guest ("This is Spinal Tap").  The cast is excellent and the satiric songs will make you smile -- if you remember the '60s folk music scene. Grade: B

Drumline (2003) (DVD movie review)

Drumline is a formulaic movie about a smart-aleck kid who happens to be a great drummer. The story follows his adventures in starting college and trying to make the college drum team. Some of the musical performances are entertaining, but that's about it. Grade: C+ 

Spider-Man 2 (2004) (movie review)

Spider-man 2 is a superhero movie that will not be denied.  For fans of the genre, it is a winner, as near-perfect as a movie based on a comic book can be.  It has humor, it has a fallible hero in Peter Parker (Toby McGuire), and it has a truly monstrous and scary villain.  My main kvetch is that I don't find Kirsten Dunst all that appealing, but I seem to be in the minority on that point! Grade: B+

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (movie review)

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) (in Spanish, with English subtitles)
Directed by Pedro Almodovar.  Except for a young Antonio Banderas, the stars of this movie will be unfamiliar to American viewers -- but that hardly matters. The sets are retro in the extreme, the acting is alternately histrionic and hysterical, the plot is absurd, and the movie is a hoot.  It's all about women and their difficulties with men -- especially one man, Ivan, who has a wife, a mistress, and at least one girlfriend.  The subplot is surprisingly current, involving a plot by Shiite terrorists to hijack a plane going to Stockholm. There are a few too many coincidences to satisfy the ultra-critical, but others who don't mind reading subtitles will be amused. Grade: B+

Secret Window (movie review)

About three-fourths of the way through Secret Window I was just about ready to give up on this movie, with it's increasingly preposterous plot.  It just seemed too ridiculous ... but I also knew that there was probably a major story twist in the offing.  And Johnny Depp was so good in the lead role that I really wanted to find out what happened to him.  Surprise, surprise, there was   a final twist that resolved all the strangeness and made sense of it -- sort of.  For fans of the thriller/horror genre, this is a movie well worth seeing.  For others, there's not much really new here.  It's a blend of several different plots we've seen before, but it's well done. Grade: B

50 First Dates (movie review)

Fans of Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler will no doubt love 50 First Dates. Me, on the other hand -- not so much.  The plot gimmick is a "Groundhog Day"-like one wherein Barrymore wakes up each day with no memory of the previous day, having lost her "short-term memory" in a car crash the year before.  Naturally, Sandler's character is smitten with her, and finds it difficult to romance a woman who can't remember him from one day to the next.  Within this framework is built a  broad romantic comedy, with Sandler playing a more sympathetic character than his usual role.  To me, the setup seems contrived, the humor seems forced, and the happy ending seems to have no basis in the story that went before. Grade: B-

Along Came Polly (movie review)

This film might as well have been titled Along Came Rachel. I would swear that's the character inhabited by Jennifer Aniston. Although she's supposed to come off as the free-spirited Polly to Ben Stiller's uptight Reuben, Rachel seems to be lurking in there, peaking out at every possible opportunity. This may be less a criticism of Aniston's acting skills and more a criticism of the movie's script, which just falls down so many times it's painful to watch. This movie has its moments, to be sure, and the stars are likeable, but in the end it's a trifle with some very distasteful moments. Grade: C

Terminator 3 (movie review)

Strictly for hardcore fans of the Terminator movies. This entry is a bit of a departure, yet tries to continue the elements that made the other movies hits. Seeing it on DVD adds the benefits of available subtitles in English so that no dialog is missed, and available commentary tracks by the principal actors that explain how they approached their roles, and why, in some cases, their performances are sub-par. But the actors' performances are really just a sideshow in a Terminator movie. This one follows the tried and true formula of the first two: Cyborgs from the future materialize in balls of fire, walk around naked until they find clothes, then begin an action-packed chase scene that continues pretty much uninterrupted until the end of the movie. Fans of the franchise will get their money's worth. Others should steer clear. Grade: B

Shakespeare in Love (movie review)

I saw Shakespeare in Love when it made its theatrical run, and a lot of the dialog just blew past me. Maybe it's my hearing, but the combination of British accents and Shakespearean dialog meant that much of the movie was lost on me.
On DVD, it's a different story. The movie has subtitles in English, which you can turn on or off as you wish. For me the subtitles were a blessing because I was able to understand and knit together snippets of dialog that had been lost on me before. For this reason I was able to appreciate the movie, even though my knowledge of "Romeo and Juliet" is woefully lacking. The male lead, Joseph Fiennes, was pretty weak, but Gwyneth Paltrow was excellent as a woman playing a man and eventually playing a woman. The script is also a polished jewel with many fine lines, including long sections directly from Shakespeare's plays. For those who love Shakespeare, and those who love romance, it's a winner. Grade: B

Groundhog Day (movie review)

Groundhog Day, released in 1993, is the near-perfect comedy, starring Bill Murray as the smug weatherman who starts out by living the same day over and over and ends up finding himself. Andie MacDowell could hardly be more appealing as his love interest, and the town of Punxsutawney is an idyllic backdrop for Murray's journey of self-discovery. Grade: A-

Cold Mountain (movie review)

Cold Mountain is an overlong, disappointing movie with a grand story that never quite achieves its potential. At the same time, some of the supporting performances almost salvage the movie; of particular note is Renee Zelwegger's Oscar-winning performance as Ruby, the farm worker who arrives about halfway through the film and breathes life into it just as the viewer is about to give up hope. Nicole Kidman and Jude Law do excellent Southern accents in their parts as lovers separated by the war, but they're only on screen together for about 10 or 15 minutes, not enough to generate any heat. Grade: B-