Sunday, April 30, 2006

Shopgirl (DVD)

Shopgirl (2005) Steve Martin, Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman. Based on the novel by Steve Martin, adapted for the screen by Steve Martin. Danes plays a young woman who sells gloves in a ritzy department store, and Martin plays the millionaire who shows up in her life and begins buying her gifts. It's not funny, if that's what you're looking for from Steve Martin. It's a straight-up drama about a May-December "romance." Martin, playing Ray Porter, "makes it clear" that he just wants a roll in the hay. He treats Danes' character very well, but is unable to love her. She -- and this part is a little hard to believe -- wants more from him emotionally. The movie has kind of a happy ending, but is not deeply moving. Grade: B-

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Pride and Prejudice (DVD)

Pride and Prejudice (2005) starring Keira Knightley, Matthew MacFadyen, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn, Rosamund Pike. Beautifully photographed, though at two hours it has no luck including the whole of Jane Austen's novel. Knightley is luminous in the role of Elizabeth Bennet, a young lady blossoming into a woman. MacFadyen is adequate, but uninspired, in the role of Mr. Darcy, her antagonist-turned-love. As so often happens, I found the dialog difficult to understand, especially as it's all spoken with an English accent. I was saved by the subtitle feature of the DVD, however, and was able to enjoy the movie. Other viewers should be cautioned, however, that it is ultimately a romantic fairy tale, and certain men will consider it a "chick flick." Grade: A-

Match Point (DVD)

Match Point (2005) starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Scarlett Johansson. Directed by Woody Allen. Allen's latest effort has human drama and suspense, but it fails in the last act. Without giving away too much I can only say that the police give up way too easily when investigating a crime. Haven't they ever watched "Law and Order"? Maybe that's why the movie is set in England. Grade: B-

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Breakfast at Tiffany's (DVD)

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) starring Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard. It's a little dated, but anyone who considers themselves to be a movie fan should see this one. Hepburn is perfectly cast as Holly Golightly, winsome, winning young lady from the sticks who goes mod in New York. Mickey Rooney is laughably miscast as her Japanese landlord. Theme song, "Moon River," won an Oscar. Grade: B+

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Magnolia (DVD)

Magnolia (1999). Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring Jason Robards, Philip Baker Hall, Tom Cruise, John C. Reilly, Melora Walters, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman. Indescribable. A movie that has to be seen to be believed. It seems Altman-esque to me, in that Anderson has assembled a large cast who play disparate characters, all inhabiting the same geographical space on a given day. We see the characters go through the day separately as Anderson switches back and forth among their story lines, which sometimes intersect. The characters are all vividly drawn, and even at a playing length of three hours the film has enough forward momentum to carry the viewer on inexorably to the end. Some who see this movie will feel cheated by the ending, which includes an event of Biblical proportions which affects the outcome of the story. But Anderson has laid the groundwork for his ending, and it worked for me. Grade: A-

Monday, April 17, 2006

Memories of Murder (DVD)

Memories of Murder (2003). This Korean film has no stars that American audiences will recognize. Based on a true story, detectives pursue South Korea's first known serial killer. Over a period of six years, the killer murders 10 young women, and is never caught. I think this film wants to be taken seriously, but it has a Keystone Kops quality that I couldn't ignore. The Korean detectives in this movie are so inept it's laughable. Also, I watched it dubbed in English with English subtitles, and the two frequently didn't agree. You'd hear the character say one thing in English and the subtitles would say something else. This effect, also, was humorous. This might be a good movie to watch while stoned. Otherwise, I can't recommend it. Grade: C+

The Godfather (VHS video)

The Godfather (1972) starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan and a fine supporting cast too large to enumerate. Over thirty years later, this film -- winner of the Oscar for Best Picture -- still holds up well. Brando won an Oscar for his portrayal of the godfather of the Corleone crime family, and Pacino was nominated as Best Supporting Actor as the son who finds himself dragged into the family business. The video copy which I found on my bookshelf lacks the sound and picture quality of a good DVD, but the film still had a sweeping momentum and strong emotional impact. Among the few drawbacks are the three-hour running time and the profusion of violence, which may bother some viewers. Grade: A

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Big (video)

Big (1988) starring Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins. Hanks stars as a boy who has graduated to an adult body and is not quite sure what to do with it. Perkins plays the unwitting young woman who falls for him. The scenes after Hanks joins a toy company are priceless, as he impresses the CEO with his knowledge of what kids really want. Hanks' impression of a kid in an adult body is frequently spot-on, with charming, sometimes hilarious results. Grade: A-

Good Night, and Good Luck (DVD)

Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) starring David Strathairn, Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Ray Wise, Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels, George Clooney. Strathairn is masterful in the lead roll as Edward R. Murrow, the CBS newsman who brought down the demagogue Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. But I suspect most viewers will find this movie rather dry and boring, as it consists mostly of talk about political issues. It is a well made movie, directed by George Clooney, but has limited appeal. Grade: B

Friday, April 14, 2006

Young Frankenstein (DVD)

Young Frankenstein (1974) starring Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Marty Feldman. I loved this movie when I first saw it, in 1974, and I still harbor an abiding affection for it. But the jokes were fresh then, and have lost their impact now. I'm only speaking for myself, though. I suspect that viewers who are lucky enough to come across this movie for the first time will still reap belly laughs from the outrageous antics of Frederick Frankenstein (Wilder), grandson of Victor Frankenstein. The younger Frankenstein returns to his grandfather's castle for the reading of a will, and ends up replicating his ancestor's work of reanimating dead flesh into a living creature. Everything is played for laughs and there are some unforgettable scenes. Grade: B+

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Derailed (DVD)

Derailed (2005) starring Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Vincent Cassel. Let me start by saying I'm glad I didn't pay box-office fare to see this movie. But let me add that, trashy though it is, I still kind of enjoyed it. Owen and Aniston play a man and women who start an affair but end up getting mugged, beaten up and raped. The story has a twist that, no, I did not see coming, and then another twist near the end. They both worked on me, but as the cliche goes, the devil is in the details -- and this movie is soooo bad when it comes to details. Probably at the top of the list is believability -- which it totally lacks. The villain is so evil that he comes across as something out of a horror movie rather than a thriller. I can't recommend this movie, but some viewers will find that they like it in spite of its flaws. Grade: C+

Monday, April 10, 2006

Walk the Line (DVD)

Walk the Line (2005) starring Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon. Witherspoon deserved the Oscar she won for portraying June Carter, the love of singer Johnny Cash's life. But the rest of the movie is too long, with too much attention paid to soap opera and not enough to the music. Phoenix is not bad as Cash, but them's awful big shoes to fill. Grade: B

Friday, April 07, 2006

Proof (DVD)

Proof (2005) starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhaal, Hope Davis. Paltrow plays Catherine, the daughter of a famed mathematician (Hopkins). The story focuses on her as she struggles with memories of her recently deceased father, along with doubts about her own sanity and her own talent as a mathematician. Fortunately, you don't have to know much about math to follow the story, which folds romance into the plot about a mathematical proof and the authenticity of its authorship. I found the movie watchable, but not riveting. Grade: B

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Cinderella Man (DVD)

Cinderella Man (2005) starring Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti. Crowe plays Jim Braddock, a real-life boxer of the late 1920s and early 1930s. The story takes place during the Great Depression, and that is what sets it apart from other boxing movies. Braddock starts out as a good boxer whose career is cut short by injuries. Then comes the Depression, and he and his long-suffering wife Mae (Zellweger) must struggle to hold their little family together. After a few desperate years for the family, Braddock's manager (Giamatti) gets him a fight with a decent payday. Braddock is expected to lose, but the fight re-ignites his career. All this is pretty typical stuff for a boxing movie, except for the Depression-era setting. At almost two and a half hours, the film is too long -- even though the fight scenes are exciting, the story that takes place between fights is bit too drawn out. The climactic fight, in which Braddock takes on heavyweight champion Max Baer, is thrilling -- but it's a long journey to get there. Grade: B

Sunday, April 02, 2006

A History of Violence (DVD)

A History of Violence (2005) starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris. "A History of Violence" lacks one thing, and that's a protagonist we can root for. Mortensen, as a small-town cafe owner, seems to fill the bill at first, but what the film reveals about his past and about his true nature make him someone undeserving of sympathy. While the unfolding of the film is fascinating and is executed with great skill, there is, ultimately, no one to cheer for. ... On the other hand, the movie has the structure of a classic Western: A man with a violent past tries to go straight, but events transpire which force him to deal with bad guys who won't leave him alone. On that level, it is satisfying. Grade: B-

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Bleak House (DVD)

Bleak House (2005) starring Gillian Anderson ("The X Files"), the only cast member likely to be familiar to Americans. There are, however, a number of good performances in this BBC production of the book by Charles Dickens. Furthermore, the actors portray engaging characters, some admirable, some villainous, some comic. Viewing "Bleak House" is no small undertaking, as it takes up eight hours on three discs. I had to stretch it out and watch it over a period of two or three weeks, but I found it to be a rich and rewarding experience. Grade: B+