Murphy's War (DVD)

Murphy's War (1971) starring Peter O'Toole, Sian Phillips, Philippe Noiret. Near the end of World War II, a German submarine sinks a British boat, and the Germans savagely machine-gun all the survivors in the water. The only one to escape with his life is Murphy (O'Toole), who washes up on the remote jungle coast of the Orinoco River. He is tended to by a Quaker doctor, and no sooner are Murphy's wounds healed than he begins to make plans to take revenge on the Germans. His apparent success, however, only brings down the wrath of the Germans upon the village which has been sheltering him. It soon becomes clear that Murphy has taken leave of his senses, and nobody plays a madman better than O'Toole. Murphy's war ends with a bang. The subtitles are good. Grade: B+

Murphy's Romance (DVD)

Murphy's Romance (1985) starring Sally Field, James Garner, Brian Kerwin, Corey Haim. Low-key story in which divorcee Emma (Field) moves to small town, is attracted to older, laid back pharmacist Murphy (Garner) -- and the feeling is mutual. Some dramatic tension sets in when her ex-husband (Kerwin) drops in, hoping to stay. But he's a thief and he cheats at cards, so there's never much doubt that he's going to be vanquished. Interestingly, Field is 39, playing 33, while Garner is 57, playing 60. This movie really ends strongly. The subtitles are excellent. Grade: A-

Muriel's Wedding (DVD)

Muriel's Wedding (1994) starring Toni Collette, Bill Hunter, Rachel Griffiths. Australian loser Muriel (then-unknown Collette), from a highly dysfunctional family, decides she must escape her home town of Porpoise Spit if she is to get on with her life. She moves to Sydney where, with friend Rhonda (then-unknown Griffiths), she starts a new existence -- one where she has a job and gets asked out by blokes. The film soon takes a dark turn, however, and everything is not lollipops and rainbows for Muriel. The plot is baroque and festooned with interesting characterizations, and there is never a dull moment. Both actresses, Collette and Griffiths, are real finds. The subtitles are excellent, and are supplemented by closed captions for viewers who prefer them. The music of ABBA plays a prominent role in the movie, and all the lyrics are included in the subtitles. Grade: A

Extract (DVD)

Extract (2009) starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, Kristen Wiig. Bateman stars as Joel, the owner of a factory that makes food extracts, and Kunis plays Cindy, a young con artist who gets herself hired on at the factory with an eye to horning in on an accident settlement. Affleck plays Dean, Joel's friend and confidant, who somehow manages to talk Joel into hiring a gigolo to have sex with Joel's wife (drugs are involved). There is one genuine laugh-out-loud moment in this comedy, but otherwise it is not well written, loosely edited and carelessly directed. The separate elements that go to make up the film are entertaining, but they don't hang together very well. It's obviously a low-budget independent film, and it has the look and feel of a made-for-TV movie. Still, I rather enjoyed it, or at least parts of it. It was nice to see Kristen Wiig in something besides "Saturday Night Live." And the subtitles are very good -- yellow outlined in black, very legible. Grade: B

(500) Days of Summer (DVD)

(500) Days of Summer (2009) starring Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Directed by Marc Webb. Adorable Summer (Deschanel) is the girl who Tom (Gordon-Levitt) falls in love with -- and the girl who breaks Tom's heart. She tells him she doesn't want a serious relationship, then sleeps with him, which confuses him no end. The story is told in flashback, with their breakup coming in the first five minutes of the film. It is also told in non-linear fashion, with the numbered days of their romance being shown out of chronological order. It all makes sense, though, and the ending seems just about right. The subtitles are great -- even the songs on the soundtrack are captioned. Grade: B+

Horse Feathers (DVD)

Horse Feathers (1932) starring the Marx Brothers, Thelma Todd, David Landau. Professor Wagstaff (Groucho) somehow gets himself appointed president of Huxley College, and soon he is involved in scheming involving the upcoming football game against Darwin College. Groucho, Chico and Harpo are in fine form, and Zeppo serves his usual function as wet blanket. Expect the customary Marx Brothers wackiness, and all I can say is, it's good for what ails you. This movie also has the rare virtue of being very short; at 68 minutes, it leaves you wanting more. The subtitles are very good, and a great help in several spots where the soundtrack of this 1932 film is not in such great shape. Grade: A-

Muriel (DVD)

Muriel (1963) starring Delphine Seyrig, Jean-Pierre Kerien. Odd French film with a strange, avant-garde soundtrack which I found discordant and intrusive. A woman and an old lover are reunited, while her stepson struggles with his memories of the occupation of Algeria. The old lover arrives with his "niece." The stepson shoots movie film. I found this movie very confusing. Maybe something was lost in the translation from French to English. I couldn't make sense of it. It strikes me as surreal -- perhaps intentionally so. I really can't recommend it. Grade: C-

Murder Ahoy (DVD)

Murder Ahoy (1964) starring Margaret Rutherford, Lionel Jefferies. Miss Marple (Rutherford) investigates murder aboard a training ship. Based on the books by Agatha Christie. It's all rather silly, and I found myself marveling that anyone thought it was worth making a movie about. The subtitles are barely adequate. Grade: C+

Murder, Inc. (DVD)

Murder, Inc. (1960) starring Stuart Rosenberg, Stuart Whitman, May Britt, Henry Morgan, Peter Falk. Based-in-fact story of organized crime in the '30s in Brooklyn. Falk stands out as a sociopathic killer named Reles. Morgan plays the man who takes on the job of bringing down the Mob. The movie (in black and white) has a dated feel to it. The subtitles are good. Grade: B

Inglourious Basterds (DVD)

Inglourious Basterds (2009) starring Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger. Directed by Quentin Tarantino. Pitt plays Lt. Aldo Raine, leader of a band of Jews who parachute into occupied France in the early days of World War II on a mission to kill Nazis. As you would expect from a Tarantino movie, there is a lot of violence, blood and guts. There is also a lot of tension, as British and American characters go in undercover and the Nazis try to expose them. The centerpiece of the film is the premier of a German propaganda movie, which the "basterds" hope to infiltrate -- giving them the opportunity to assassinate a lot of high-ranking Nazis. Like Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction," there is also a lot of gruesome humor in this film. The final frenzy of violence, in which many Nazis are slaughtered, is very satisfying. ... "Inglourious Basterds" takes place mainly in three languages: German, French and English. For some reason the subtitles during the German portions are hard to read. Otherwise, the subtitles are fine. Grade: A-

Mrs. Dalloway (DVD)

Mrs. Dalloway (1997) starring Vanessa Redgrave, Natascha McElhone, John Standing, Michael Kitchen. Beautifully mounted production about middle-aged Clarissa Dalloway (Redgrave) planning a party, thinking back upon her earlier life and the two men she had to choose between. The disc is stingy with subtitles, however, offering only Spanish, and is not closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired. Grade: F

Julie & Julia (DVD)

Julie & Julia (2009) starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams. Directed by Nora Ephron. Streep portrays legendary chef Julia Child, and Adams plays Julie Powell, a Queens woman who spends a year cooking her way through Child's book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." It's all based on the true stories of the two women -- one the story of Child living in France in the late '40s and deciding to take lessons in French cooking, and the other of Powell in 2002, learning to cook from Child's book and blogging about it on the Internet. The stories are told in parallel, alternating from one to the other. Unfortunately, the structure of the movie pits Adams against Streep, Powell against Child, and the two younger characters don't come off so well. Still, it's an enjoyable movie to watch, especially if you love food. The subtitles are superb -- yellow bold type that stands out against the film's background. Grade: A-

Public Enemies (DVD)

Public Enemies (2009) starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Stephen Dorff, Billy Crudup, Stephen Lang. Notorious criminal John Dillinger (Depp) blazes a swath through Depression-era America, robbing banks while doggedly pursued by FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Bale). Other crooks who show up in this crime saga are "Pretty Boy" Floyd and "Baby Face" Nelson. But it's basically Dillinger's story. And he doesn't get a moment's rest as J. Edgar Hoover (Crudup) brings the full weight of the FBI into the hunt to find him and bring him to justice. A couple of jailbreaks and several gun battles are shown in the film, along with some car chases. There's quite a bit of action, but the movie is overlong at two hours, 20 minutes. Good subtitles, though. Grade: B

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (DVD)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur. Directed by Frank Capra. Stewart plays Jefferson Smith, a bumpkin who is appointed to the Senate because the corrupt politicians in his home state think he will be easy to control. Arthur plays his cynical secretary, who is eventually won over by his honesty and sincerity. It's corny, but ultimately moving. Nominated for multiple Oscars, this movie won only for the original story. Good subtitles -- yellow on a black-and-white background. Grade: A

Mrs. Miniver (DVD)

Mrs. Miniver (1942) starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, Richard Ney, Reginald Owen. Home-front story of a British family soldiering on during World War II. The son, Vin (Ney), is the first to join the war effort, becoming an RAF pilot. Soon, the patriarch of the family (Pidgeon) pitches in, helping with the rescue effort at Dunkirk. And not to be left out, Mrs. Miniver (Garson) singled-handedly captures a downed German pilot. Henry Travers, who played Clarence the angel in "It's a Wonderful Life," has a role as Mr. Ballard, a man of the village. The movie was a multiple Oscar winner, including Best Picture. Grade: B+

M. Hulot's Holiday (DVD)

M. Hulot's Holiday (1953) starring Jacques Tati. Directed by Jacques Tati. Monsieur Hulot (Tati) goes on vacation to a beach resort. While there, he gets into various kerfuffles, mostly of his own making, and we, the audience, are intended to laugh. This movie is simply absurd, and maybe that was the intent of the makers. It has its Gallic charms, and the atmosphere at the beach resort made me nostalgic for a France I have never seen, and which undoubtedly no longer exists (although I have visited Paris, I've never experienced the countryside). It didn't make me laugh, but it did make me smile. And that's nothing to sneer at. In French, with English subtitles. An alternate, English soundtrack is available on the disc. Grade: B

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (DVD)

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) starring Carole Lombard, Robert Montgomery. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Married couple in New York (Lombard, Montgomery) find out that, through a technicality, they're not legally married. She knows that he knows, but he doesn't know that she knows. She wants to get married again right away, but he hesitates a bit too long -- and from that point on she takes a delight in torturing him with the idea that she doesn't want him at all anymore. It's supposed to be a madcap comedy, but the pacing is too deliberate for that. Still, it makes for an agreeable evening's entertainment -- although the ending is rather abrupt and anticlimactic. The subtitles are (barely) adequate. Grade: B

Into the Storm (DVD)

Into the Storm (2009) starring Brendan Gleeson, Janet McTeer, Len Carious, Patrick Malahide, James D'Arcy. Winston Churchill (Gleeson) steers Britain through the momentous years of World War II, and finds himself often at odds with his wife Clemmie (McTeer). It's hard not to be stirred by a show (made for HBO) which depicts such historic events -- but unfortunately, Gleeson makes a less-than-convincing Churchill, and the whole production revolves around his performance. Grade: B

A Christmas Tale (DVD)

A Christmas Tale (2008) starring Jean-Paul Roussillon, Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric, Hippolyte Girardot, Emmanuelle Davos. Strange French movie about members of a dysfunctional family who come together for a strained and animosity-filled Christmas. The matriarch of the family (Deneuve) has a rare form of leukemia, and much time is spent discussing her chances of survival, and who should be the marrow donor if she chooses to try treatment. There are so many characters in this film that it is hard to sort them out. The movie has the questionable "virtue" of being very long at two and a half hours. You'd certainly get your money's worth if you enjoyed it. It's in French, with English subtitles. Grade: B

Only Angels Have Wings (DVD)

Only Angels Have Wings (1939) starring Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth. Directed by Howard Hawks. Fliers in South America brave dangerous conditions, including mountains and fog, to get the mail through. Grant is Carter, the leader of the pilots, and Arthur is the blond showgirl who arrives by boat and stays to pursue Carter. It's an entertaining movie, and some of the flying scenes are actually exciting. The subtitles are the best kind for a black-and-white movie: yellow with a black outline. Very legible. Grade: B+

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (DVD)

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) starring Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur. Directed by Frank Capra. Cooper plays Longfellow Deeds, a young small-town man who inherits $20 million and confounds the big-city folk by wanting to give it all away to needy people. Arthur plays Babe Bennett, the hard-boiled reporter who wants to get the scoop on Deeds -- and, of course, falls for him. It's an American classic. The subtitles -- yellow with a black outline -- are perfect for a black-and-white film. Grade: A-

Funny People (DVD)

Funny People (2009) starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill. Sandler plays comedian George Simmons, who has all the trappings of success but is basically miserable. When he gets a diagnosis of a potentially fatal disease, it makes him reevaluate his life. He hires Ira Wright (Rogen) to be his joke writer and assistant, and the two form an unlikely bond. Unfortunately, the "comedy" performed by the "funny people" in the movie isn't very funny. And Sandler is largely just grating. Plus, the movie is two and a half hours long. The subtitles are good. Grade: C

Gomorra (DVD)

Gomorra (2008) starring an all-Italian cast. A multifaceted look at the Neapolitan crime mob known as the Camorra, who are reputed to be more fearsome than the Mafia. The movie follows several separate characters along parallel plot-lines as they deal with different aspects of the organization. There's lots of violence and some nudity -- the film is unrated. It's no "Godfather," but it has its own gritty power. The spelling of the title is correct -- I'm guessing, an allusion to Sodom and Gomorrah. In Italian, with English subtitles. Grade: B+

Arsenic and Old Lace (DVD)

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) starring Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre, Jack Carson, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair. Directed by Frank Capra. Two seemingly harmless old ladies (Hull and Adair) poison lonely gentlemen callers, then bury them in their cellar. Their nephew, Mortimer Brewster (Grant), finds out what is going on just as he is preparing to leave for his honeymoon. To complicate matters, Mortimer's long-lost brother Jonathon (Massey) shows up -- now a criminal, made unrecognizable by plastic surgery -- and he too has a body to dispose of. Mortimer's frantic efforts to resolve all the tangled elements in the story generate the comedy, and it's funny, in a dark way. I can't say Grant is a great comic actor -- he seems more suited to the suave, debonair thing to me. But he does all right, even taking a few pratfalls. Grade: B

The Mouse on the Moon (DVD)

The Mouse on the Moon (1963) starring Margaret Rutherford, Bernard Cribbins, Ron Moody, Terry-Thomas. Lame sequel to 1959's "The Mouse That Roared"; conspicuous by absence is Peter Sellers, who played three parts in the first movie. This one is populated by no-name actors (at least to American audiences) and seems dated and not especially funny. Worst flaw is, unlike the earlier movie, this one lacks subtitles in English for the hearing-impaired. However, it does have closed captioning, so that counters the lack of subtitles. Grade: C

Humpday (DVD)

Humpday (2009) starring Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, Alycia Delmore. Low-budget indie film about a couple of old friends (Duplass and Leonard) who are reunited, go to a wild party, and goad each other into volunteering to make a sex film for an amateur porn festival -- in which they will have sex with each other. One of them, Ben (Duplass) has to explain what he is going to do to his wife, Anna (Delmore). Both of them, Ben and Andrew (Leonard), have to overcome their avowed heterosexuality. This was a hard film to watch, not least because if lacked subtitles for the hearing-impaired. Plus the last third of the film was very talkie, no actiony. Grade: D

Bruno (DVD)

Bruno (2009) starring Sacha Baron Cohen. As a flamboyantly gay Austrian TV star, Bruno (Cohen) tries to stir up trouble with the people he interviews. After failing in Europe, he comes to Los Angeles to "become a celebrity." In the process, he tries to make fools of real celebrities, with mixed results. I felt conflicted while watching this movie -- like, did I really think it was funny, or was it just offensive? There are a number of raunchy sex scenes, and the film required strategically placed black boxes to escape with an R rating. I thought the movie was just awful, yet it did provide a few laugh-out-loud moments for me. Not quite a worthy follow-up to Cohen's "Borat," but still worth seeing. Grade: B-

Star Trek (DVD)

Star Trek (2009) starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Eric Bana, Leonard Nimoy. In this reboot of the Star Trek franchise, Pine stars as a young James T. Kirk, and Quinto plays the young Spock. Urban is especially pleasing as the young "Bones" McCoy. The whole crew is united for the first time as Star Fleet cadets who are called into duty to defend against an attack on Vulcan, Spock's home planet. There's time travel involved, an alternate reality, and something called "red matter," which is never explained but is pivotal to the plot. Despite all the nonsense, as an avid fan of the original "Star Trek," I enjoyed the movie. It will be interesting to see the next installment in the series, if there is one. The DVD has excellent subtitles. Grade: B+

The Matrix (DVD)

The Matrix (1999) starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving. Reeves plays Neo, a hacker who learns that the world we live in is just a computer construct. Neo is destined to be the One, the human who can save us all from our fates as slaves to the artificial intelligence that has taken over the world. The special effects are outstanding and the action is practically non-stop in this sci-fi thriller. Even though it doesn't all stand up to close analysis (the business with the Oracle is particularly pointless), it's rollicking good kick-ass entertainment. The martial-arts scenes are killer. The helicopter flight over NYC is spectacular. The subtitles are very good. Grade: A-

Mon Oncle (DVD)

Mon Oncle (1958) starring Jacques Tati. Directed by Jacques Tati. Tati plays the title character, Monsieur Hulot, a rather simple man who finds it difficult dealing with all the gadgetry at his sister's ultramodern home. This movie, which has little dialogue, has been called a "masterpiece." It won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for 1958. It certainly has its Gallic charms, but much of the humor was lost on me. Yet another let-down from a film that was given four stars by the usually reliable Leonard Maltin. This movie is 50 years old -- that may account for some of its loss of appeal. The subtitles are only adequate. Grade: B

Mountains of the Moon (DVD)

Mountains of the Moon (1990) starring Patrick Bergin, Iain Glen. Two English explorers search for the source of the Nile River in the late 1800s. Their first attempt ends in disaster when their exploration party is attacked by hostile, fierce natives. The action then returns to Victorian England, where various maneuvering takes place as they aim to mount a second, larger and better-armed, expedition. I can't judge very well the quality of this movie, however, because the actors speak with English accents, and the disc lacks subtitles for the hearing-impaired. There was very little of it that I could understand. Plus, the disc proved to be unplayable. Grade: F

The Proposal (DVD)

The Proposal (2009) starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Betty White, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen. Dragon-lady book editor Margaret (Bullock) forces her assistant, Andrew (Reynolds) to agree to marry her to keep her from being deported to Canada, where she is from. Circumstances dictate that they travel from New York to Alaska to visit his family, where Margaret re-learns the experience of being part of a family and being loved. She and Andrew, of course, fall in love. It's an OK setup, and the stars make it entertaining enough, but you just never quite believe that enough has happened between them in Alaska to constitute "falling in love." And for a romantic comedy, there aren't many really funny moments. The subtitles, however, are excellent. Grade: B-

Up (DVD)

Up (2009) with the voices of Ed Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger. Do you long to be treated like a child? This Disney/Pixar DVD will fill the bill for you. Once you put it in your DVD player, you lose all control. It shows about 10 minutes of previews, which you have no option but to let play (pushing the Menu button on your remote control gets no response). Then the movie starts, and there is no menu. There is no option allowing you to turn on subtitles for the hearing-impaired. The only choice you have is to stop and start the DVD, once the movie starts. For this, I give the disc a Grade: F

Moulin Rouge (DVD)

Moulin Rouge (1952) starring Jose Ferrer, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Suzanne Flon. Directed by John Huston. The 19th-century French artist Toulouse-Lautrec (Ferrer) is portrayed; like so many artists, he lived a tortured life. We see his youth in a quick flashback, which reveals how his growth was stunted as a child by an accident, and how his childhood sweetheart cruelly rejected his proposal of marriage. The movie focuses on his miserable love life, his heavy drinking, his bitterness and -- eventually, a little -- on his art. Interestingly, one thing Lautrec did not lack was money. Throughout the film, he is portrayed as quite prosperous, having been born to the aristocracy. All in all, it makes for a passable evening's entertainment, although the film does seem a bit dated. The subtitles are quite adequate. Grade: B

Mosquito Coast (DVD)

Mosquito Coast (1986) starring Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, River Phoenix. Half-crazed inventor Allie Fox (Ford) uproots his family and moves them to Central America, obsessed with his dream of building an ice factory in the jungle. Once his dream is realized, however, he becomes restless; and his quest to bring ice to a primitive tribe brings trouble for his family. They are soon clamoring to go home to the United States, but Fox will have none of it. Calamity follows upon calamity until they all reach the breaking point. The film ends in the only way it can, but it's still rather depressing. The subtitles, at least, are quite good. Grade: B+

The Mouse That Roared (DVD)

The Mouse That Roared (1959) starring Peter Sellers, Jean Seberg. The Duchy of Grand Fenwick, smallest country in the world, finds itself in financial straits. So what is the solution? Why, declare war on the United States, that's what. Once the war is lost, aid from the U.S. will come pouring in. But trouble arises when the Fenwickian "invasion force" arrives in New York; there is no one to surrender to, because the U.S. is holding an air raid drill. Hilarity ensues. It's nothing spectacular, but it's good, clean, silly fun. Sellers plays three separate roles, as is his wont, and Seberg plays the daughter of the American scientist who is developing the "Q Bomb." The subtitles are very good. Grade: B

Mother Teresa (DVD)

Mother Teresa (1986). Poorly made documentary with good intentions that does not include subtitles for the hearing-impaired. Mother Teresa speaks in heavily accented English which is impossible to understand. Grade: D-

Mother Night (DVD)

Mother Night (1996) starring Nick Nolte, Sheryl Lee, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Kirsten Dunst. Nolte plays Howard W. Campbell Jr., an American spy in World War II who posed as a Nazi propagandist. The only catch: His government can't acknowledge his contribution to the war effort, because they might need to use the same trick in "the next war." Campbell goes to live in New York City, where eventually his past comes back to haunt him. Ultimately, it's a very sad movie, with an ending that some will regard as a downer. I liked it, though. I thought the message was powerful -- you shouldn't do evil, even in a good cause. Plus, it had pretty good subtitles. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., author of the book on which the movie is based, makes a cameo appearance. Grade: A-

Moscow on the Hudson (DVD)

Moscow on the Hudson (1984) starring Robin Williams, Maria Conchita Alonso, Cleavant Derricks. Williams plays a Russian saxophonist who comes to visit America with the Moscow Circus. While shopping in Bloomingdale's, just before time to catch the airplane back to the Soviet Union, he decides to defect. He is befriended and taken in by a security guard at the store (Derricks), and a sales clerk named Lucia (Alonso) provides the romantic interest. Note that the movie takes place in 1984, before the fall of the Soviet Union, so defection still had some meaning. I'm not a big Robin Williams fan, but in this film he is fine. Very good subtitles. Grade: B+

The More the Merrier (DVD)

The More the Merrier (1943) starring Jean Arthur, Charles Coburn, Joel McCrea. Set in Washington, D.C. during World War II -- there's a housing shortage, and a young civil servant (Arthur) ends up renting out half of her apartment to two men (Coburn and McCrea). I think it's supposed to play out as a screwball comedy, but then there's this wartime nonsense where the FBI gets involved, and it's rather tedious. Also, this disc lacks subtitles for the hearing-impaired. Grade: C

Moonstruck (DVD)

Moonstruck (1987) starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Vincent Gardenia, Olympia Dukakis. Simply a delightful movie, set in New York, in which a 37-year-old woman (Cher) agrees to marry an older man (Aiello), but is irresistibly drawn to his younger brother (Cage). Makes great use of music and New York settings to set a mood of mild madness, in which anything can happen, and does. It makes you wish you lived in New York, so that you could visit Little Italy. Cher and Dukakis won Oscars for their performances. Good subtitles. Grade: A

Moonlight and Valentino (DVD)

Moonlight and Valentino (1995) starring Elizabeth Perkins, Whoopi Goldberg, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kathleen Turner. College professor Rebecca Lott (Perkins) loses her husband in a car accident. Characters played by Goldberg, Paltrow and Turner form her support group in her grief. But that's all academic, because this disc lacks subtitles for the hearing-impaired. Grade: F

Monsieur Hire (DVD)

Monsieur Hire (1989) starring Michel Blanc, Sandrine Bonnaire. French thriller in which a reclusive, middle-aged bachelor (Blanc) spies on his attractive young neighbor, Alice (Bonnaire) through her undraped windows. Meanwhile, a murder has been committed in the area and Monsieur Hire is a suspect. There are two mysteries: Who committed the murder, and why is Alice so friendly to Monsieur Hire? This is a very watchable movie that doesn't really have any slow patches. Good subtitles. Grade: A-

Monkey Business (DVD)

Monkey Business (1952) starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Charles Coburn, Marilyn Monroe. Directed by Howard Hawks. Grant plays an absent-minded scientist named Barnaby who, while experimenting on chimpanzees, accidentally discovers a rejuvenating formula. Rogers plays Edwina, his adoring wife. After the formula gets dumped into the bottled water, both end up regressing at the same time, creating chaos in the boardroom at the company where Barnaby works. Typical '50s fare features clever writing, some funny lines and situations. The subtitles are the good kind -- yellow to stand out against the black-and-white film. Grade: B

Monkey Business (DVD)

Monkey Business (1931) starring Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Zeppo Marx. The four brothers stow away on an ocean liner. Constantly pursued by the crew, they interact in typically wacky fashion with the passengers they run into -- and with each other. Groucho flirts with a gangster's wife, Chico plays the piano, Harpo creates chaos wherever he goes, and Zeppo gets the girl -- in other words, it's a Marx Brothers movie. Grade: B+

Objectified (DVD)

Objectified (2009), documentary. This movie takes a look at how manufactured objects affect our lives, how they are designed and the thought processes that go into conceiving and making them. Unfortunately, what sounds like an interesting idea for a film ends up being largely a lot of talking heads telling us how they feel about design. It's not nearly as interesting as the concept sounds. Grade: B-

L'aventure C'est L'aventure (DVD)

L'aventure C'est L'aventure (1972) starring an all-French cast. A gang of five criminals decide that political crimes will be more profitable in the "current" climate, circa 1972. It's supposed to be a crime caper comedy, I think, but for me something has been lost in the translation. Strictly for Francophiles. Grade: C+

Mona Lisa (DVD)

Mona Lisa (1986) starring Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Michael Caine, Robbie Coltraine. Directed by Neil Jordan. Hoskins plays a small-time hood named George who is given the job of driver for a high-priced call girl (Tyson); but his time in prison has left him out of touch with the outside world, and he's naive about the depths of depravity that have been reached by his former chums (including Caine). It's definitely adult entertainment. The various English accents, especially Hoskins', are hard to understand -- which makes the subtitles for the hearing-impaired indispensable. Grade: B+

Traffik (DVD)

Traffik (1989) starring a cast of unknowns. Dramatic British miniseries which follows the heroin trade from the slums of Karachi, Pakistan to the halls of British Parliament. Served as the inspiration for Steven Soderbergh's Oscar-winning film, "Traffic." Not bad, but not really worth reviewing, either.

Modern Times (DVD)

Modern Times (1936) starring Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard. The Little Tramp takes on a factory job in this classic, semi-silent comedy. After a nervous breakdown, he is told to take it easy and get some rest, but that proves difficult for the scamp. He soon ends up in jail, which he rather enjoys. Meanwhile, there is unrest among the numerous unemployed. Goddard plays a "gamin," and she and the Little Tramp team up soon after meeting. The film becomes somewhat episodic after that, but it's still worth seeing, and the laughs are numerous. Grade: B+

Drag Me to Hell (DVD)

Drag Me to Hell (2009) starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Dileep Rao, David Paymer. Directed by Sam Raimi. After denying a loan extension to an old woman, loan officer Christine Brown (Lohman) comes to believe she is under a Gypsy's curse. The viewer of this movie will believe it too, as Christine is yanked into the air, thrown against the wall, and has various bodily fluids spurt out of her or be vomited onto her. She also loses the big promotion she was after, which was the reason she turned down the loan extension in the first place. After she turns to a psychic (Rao) for help, the film takes a supernatural turn, then a ghoulish turn. For horror fans, it has a fittingly horrific ending. The subtitles are good enough. Grade: B

Moby Dick (DVD)

Moby Dick (1956) starring Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart, Leo Genn. Directed by John Huston. Peck stars as Captain Ahab, the one-legged whale hunter who seeks revenge on the great white whale which obsesses him. The whale-hunting scenes are terrible to behold, with the wanton slaughter of these great mammals which is portrayed. Worse, though, this disc lacks captions for the hearing-impaired. Grade: F

Gandhi (DVD)

Gandhi (1982) starring Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, John Mills, Martin Sheen. Sweeping epic of Mahatma Gandhi, who rose from obscure beginnings to free his nation of India from British rule. A moving and inspiring lesson in the power of non-violence and civil disobedience. Winner of eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Actor, Director, Screenplay. Kingsley is remarkable in the title role. Biggest flaw is extreme length, a bladder-buster at over three hours. Fortunately, the DVD can be stopped for bathroom and kitchen breaks. The second half drags a bit. Superb subtitles. Grade: A-

The Bridge on the River Kwai (DVD)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) starring William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins. Directed by David Lean. In 1943 in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, a British colonel named Nicholson (Guinness) finds himself locked in a war of wills with the commandant of the camp. The British POWs have been commanded to build a railroad bridge, and -- after winning the initial skirmish with the Japanese commandant -- Colonel Nicholson decides that that is just what they will do. Meanwhile, an American POW (Holden) escapes and is reluctantly recruited by British commandos to go back on a mission to destroy the bridge. The movie won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Main flaw is extreme length of almost three hours. The subtitles on the disc are good. Grade: A-

Beauty in Trouble (DVD)

Beauty in Trouble (2006) starring Ana Geislerova, Roman Luknar, Josef Abrham. An attractive young woman named Marcela lives in the Czech Republic and faces a difficult choice: Stay true to her husband (Luknar), who is in jail for car theft, or take a chance on a wealthy man (Abrham) who promises her a comfortable life, but one without passion. While she is deciding, she and her two young children are living with her mother and Marcela's creepy brother, who does everything he can to make their life miserable. Strangely enough, although the picture is in Czech with English subtitles, some of the songs on the soundtrack are in English. The subtitles are adequate, but I sense something has been lost in the translation from Czech to English. Grade: B

Mister Roberts (DVD)

Mister Roberts (1955) starring Henry Fonda, James Cagney, Jack Lemmon, William Powell. Fonda plays the title character, an officer stationed aboard a cargo ship stuck in the backwaters of World War II near the end of the war. He longs for the action of battle, but his tyrannical captain (Cagney) won't grant him a transfer. Lemmon won an Oscar for his performance as the irrepressible Ensign Pulver. Not surprisingly for a film made in 1955, this one shows its age -- but it still makes for an enjoyable evening of entertainment. The movie was enough of a hit that it was lampooned in Mad Magazine. The captions are adequate. Grade: B+

Frownland (DVD)

Frownland (Don't know) starring Who Cares. Unwatchable crap. Grade: F-

The Girlfriend Experience (DVD)

The Girlfriend Experience (2009) starring Sasha Grey. This is a low-budget film edited in a non-linear fashion using non-professional actors. It has no subtitles for the hearing-impaired, so I found it largely incomprehensible. Grade: F

Mission of the Shark (DVD)

Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the USS Indianapolis (1991) starring Stacy Keach, Richard Thomas, David Caruso. In 1945, after delivering the atomic bomb that would destroy Hiroshima, the USS Indianapolis is hit by a Japanese torpedo. The ship quickly goes down, and the surviving crew are left floating in the waters of the Philippine Sea. Because the ship's mission is classified, their rescue is delayed for five days. Not only must they battle dehydration and exhaustion, but sharks soon begin swarming around them. Some of the men behave heroically; others lose their minds. Over 800 die. It's all made more dramatic by the fact that it's a true story, stirringly told. Not bad for what was originally a TV movie. Good captions, too. Grade: B+

The Brothers Bloom (DVD)

The Brothers Bloom (2008) starring Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz, Robbie Coltrane, Rinko Kikuchi. Two brothers, a team of con men (Brody and Ruffalo) decide to take on one last mark -- an adventure-seeking heiress (Weisz). But the danger is, will the younger Bloom brother (Brody) fall in love with her? And if he does, will he be able to follow through with the con? There is plenty of humor, several switcheroos, and lots of love to go around in this movie, which is a lot of fun to watch. The subtitles on the disc are very good. Grade: B+

Un Coeur en Hiver (DVD)

Un Coeur en Hiver (1992) starring Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Beart, Andre Dussollier. The title means "A Heart in Winter" in English. Two men, longtime partners in a violin-repair business, have worked together so long that they don't need words. When Maxime (Dussollier) falls for a young violinist (Beart), trouble brews when she finds herself attracted to Maxime's partner, Stephane (Auteuil). The trouble takes an unexpected turn, however. The movie turns out to be about Stephane, a man so emotionally closed off that he is unable to form bonds of friendship or love. His heart is the "heart in winter" of the title. As expected in a foreign film, the story takes unexpected turns that an American may find hard to understand. But it makes for fascinating viewing. Grade: B+

Miss Firecracker (DVD)

Miss Firecracker (1989) starring Holly Hunter, Mary Steenburgen, Tim Robbins, Alfre Woodard, Scott Glenn. Carnelle Scott (Hunter) longs to win the Miss Firecracker contest, so that she can leave her miserable life in a small southern town in a "blaze of glory." Hunter shines in the role, and this could have been a most enjoyable viewing experience -- if this disc did not lack the essential feature of subtitles for the hearing-impaired. I missed out on about half of the dialogue. Grade: Movie, B; DVD, F

The Mighty (DVD)

The Mighty (1998) starring Kieran Culkin, Elden Henson, Sharon Stone, Gena Rowlands, Harry Dean Stanton, Gillian Anderson, James Gandolfini, Meat Loaf. Physically afflicted but brilliant Kevin (Culkin) and mentally challenged Max (Henson), both seventh-graders, form an unlikely alliance against the creepy Dogtown Boys gang. Living in Kevin's fantasy world, they go on knightly quests together -- until Kevin's condition worsens and Max's father (Gandolfini) returns from prison. Then the real drama starts. What this movie lacks in believability, it makes up for in heart. The subtitles are very good. Grade: A-

The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (DVD)

The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944) starring Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken, Williams Demarest, Brian Donlevy. Trudy (Hutton) goes to an all-night party "for the boys" (remember, this takes place during World War II) and ends up married -- and pregnant. Only trouble is, she can't remember what happened that night, because she drank too much "lemonade." She turns to her friend Norval (Bracken) who is all too willing to marry her, but she can't bring herself to "do that to him." Until she does. Directed by Preston Sturges. Grade: B

The Milky Way (DVD)

The Milky Way (1969) starring Paul Frankeur, Laurent Terzieff. Two men on a religious pilgrimage through France find their faith put to the test by the zealots and apostates they meet along the way. Directed by Luis Bunuel, who delights in making fun of organized religion and hypocrisy. It's a mystifying film, and there's a good Extra on the disc which helps explain what it's all about. But in general, it will be of interest only to theologians and film historians. Grade: B-

Mimic (DVD)

Mimic (1997) starring Mira Sorvino, Josh Brolin, Charles S. Dutton. Entomologist (Sorvino) saves New York City from mysterious plague by wiping out cockroach population. But the superbug she developed to destroy the roaches fails to be sterile, as planned, and returns with a life of its own -- and it's evolving. This movie is dark and creepy, a grimy, slimy scarefest -- not my kind of film, but fine for people who like that sort of thing. Grade: C+

State of Play (DVD)

State of Play (2009) starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman. When Congressman Stephen Collins' (Affleck) mistress dies in an apparent suicide, journalists Cal (Crowe) and Della (McAdams) spring into action to investigate. Cal soon begins to suspect a conspiracy, and as they dig deeper, they find a tangled web of deceit and murder. The last half-hour of the movie, however, feels rushed; and the denouement comes much too quickly. The movie was condensed from a British miniseries, and it definitely has the feeling of some pieces being left out. Good subtitles, though. Grade: B-

Trumbo (DVD)

Trumbo (2007), documentary. A portrait of Dalton Trumbo, successful Hollywood screenwriter who was blacklisted after refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947. Trumbo's personal letters, archival footage, and interviews with his surviving contemporaries all figure in the mix. Interesting. Lacks captions for the hearing impaired. Grade: B

Mildred Pierce (DVD)

Mildred Pierce (1945) starring Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Ann Blyth. Mildred Pierce, divorcee (Crawford), goes from housewife to restaurant owner. She finds great success in the restaurant business, but loses control of her spoiled daughter, Veda (Blyth). The story comes wrapped in a murder mystery, which is resolved rather nicely. Crawford won an Oscar for her performance. The subtitles are OK, not the best. Grade: B+

Mighty Aphrodite (DVD)

Mighty Aphrodite (1995) starring Woody Allen, Helena Bonham Carter, Mira Sorvino. Allen plays Lenny, a sportswriter who, after he and his wife Amanda (Carter) adopt a child, becomes obsessed with trying to find (and get acquainted with) the birth mother. To his dismay, the birth mother (Sorvino) turns out to be a porn actress and hooker. Meanwhile, Lenny and Amanda are drifting apart as she spends more and more time working on an art gallery she is opening. Sorvino won an Oscar for her performance. I found it delightful. The subtitles are pretty good. Grade: A-

Midnight Run (DVD)

Midnight Run (1988) starring Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, Joe Pantoliano. Bounty hunter Jack Walsh (De Niro) is offered $100,000 to bring in Jon Mardukas (Grodin), an accountant who embezzled $15 million from the mob and gave it to charity. One problem: They have to get from New York to Los Angeles in a few days, and Mardukas is afraid to fly. Second problem: Both the FBI and the mob want to get their hands on Mardukas. The movie is basically one long chase scene, salvaged only by the chemistry between De Niro and Grodin, which is pretty good. Grade: B-

Midnight Express (DVD)

Midnight Express (1978) starring Brad Davis, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Randy Quaid, John Hurt. Based on a true story. In 1970, American tourist Billy Hayes (Davis) tries to smuggle two kilos of hashish out of Turkey and gets caught. He is sentenced to four years in a Turkish prison for possession, which his Turkish lawyer assures him is a lenient sentence. After three and a half years in hellish conditions, with his sentence nearing its end, he learns that the prosecutor has appealed his sentence, and he is re-sentenced by the appeals court to 30 years in prison. Finally, at wit's end, he decides he must try to escape. It's virtually impossible not to get caught up in Billy's horrible fate, and to root for him as he goes through his ordeal. The subtitles are very good, although there are several stretches where Turkish is spoken and no subtitles are offered. Grade: B+

Scrubs (DVD)

Scrubs (2003), Season 3, Disc 3. Starring Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, John C. McGinley. Maybe it's not to everyone's taste, but this TV show makes me feel good every time I watch it. Each character on this series is quirky and funny in his or her own special way, and they all add up to a great ensemble. The show suffers a little bit from the stunt casting of this third season (Tara Reid, Michael J. Fox, Richard Kind), but it still manages to hold mostly true to its core of humor combined with serious insights about medical care. Grade: A

Superbad (DVD)

Superbad (2007) starring Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen. Three high-school seniors (Hill, Cera and Mintz-Plasse), close to graduation, go on a quest to procure alcohol for a party to which they have been improbably invited. Their object: The girls of their dreams. The three friends get separated and end up in three different kinds of trouble. Mintz-Plasse, as McLovin, gets involved with a couple of clueless cops, played by Hader and Rogen. Hill and Cera, as best friends Seth and Evan, end up at an adult party, where they do not belong. I hate to admit it, but I liked this movie -- rude, crude and lewd as it is. Most of the crudeness is of language, there is no real nudity. The disc has extensive extras which, unfortunately, I did not have time to watch. The subtitles are very readable -- heavy yellow letters, the best kind. I can't recommend this movie to everyone, due to the extensive lewdness, but I did rather enjoy watching it. Grade: B

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (DVD)

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982) starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young. Set in 2019 in Los Angeles, "blade runner" Rick Deckard (Ford) is recalled from retirement to hunt down four replicants (humanoid robots) which have returned to Earth from the off-world colonies. This version of the movie is director Ridley Scott's preferred version, having been recut and remastered from the original. It dispenses with Deckard's voice-over and adds a dream sequence which suggests that Deckard himself may be a replicant. The visualization of a future, dystopian L.A. is stunning, and the soundtrack by Vangelis is a masterpiece. Some critics have panned this film for problems with the acting or the script, but it remains one of my favorite movies ever. Grade: A

2001: A Space Odyssey (DVD)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) starring Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood. Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Black monoliths of unknown origin play a decisive but puzzling role in mankind's destiny. After one is discovered on the Moon, a manned mission is dispatched to Jupiter in search of other monoliths. Even though this movie is 40 years old, the scenes depicting activities in space and on the Moon are still pretty spectacular -- even though to our more experienced eyes they don't look "real." The whole series of events around the HAL-9000 computer on board the Jupiter mission is classic. My only complaints: The extreme length, at two and a half hours, of the movie; and its leisurely pacing. The light show near the end was a real head trip back in the '60s. The subtitles are adequate. Grade: A-

Earth (DVD)

Earth (2007) narrated by James Earl Jones. From the folks at Disney comes this documentary about the Earth, its climate, and the creatures that roam its surface. Some of the photography is truly spectacular, as we follow polar bears, elephants and whales in their quest to survive. But if you've seen nature documentaries before, and I have, it all has a "been there, seen that" quality to it. It does have good subtitles. Grade: B

Gran Torino (DVD)

Gran Torino (2008) starring Clint Eastwood, directed by Clint Eastwood. Crusty, racist Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) must come to terms with his Hmong immigrant neighbors after his wife dies. Basically, it's "Dirty Harry Grows Old"; he keeps a loaded gun handy in his house, and carries a handgun with him in his pickup truck. If you're any kind of an Eastwood fan, it's great fun to watch -- and it comes with a poetic twist at the end that I, for one, did not quite see coming. Grade: A-

Rudo y Cursi (DVD)

Rudo y Cursi (2008) starring Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal. Two Mexican half-brothers dream of escaping poverty by finding fame as professional soccer players. Tato (Bernal) is the first to make the pros, but Rudo (Luna) is not far behind. They end up playing for rival teams, both with success. But the two brothers react to success differently. Tato (nicknamed Cursi by the press) has a weakness for women, while Rudo is an inveterate gambler -- and becomes a drug user. Soon, both of their lives are spinning out of control in amusing and entertaining ways. The grand finale revolves around a big soccer game in which they are pitted against each other -- and it might help your enjoyment of the movie if you know a little something about soccer. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles. Grade: B

Adventureland (DVD)

Adventureland (2008) starring Jesse Eisenberg, Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Stewart. It's 1987, and recent college grad James Brennan (Eisenberg) finds the his planned trip to Europe canceled due to money problems. Instead, he must take a summer job at Adventureland, a low-rent local amusement park. Although he fears he has fallen into a dead-end job, he meets interesting people and soon finds his life entwined with his fellow employees. The soundtrack of the movie is saturated with '80s music, which will surely have nostalgia value for those who came of age in the '80s. The characters and plot are interesting and original enough that I can recommend this movie. Grade: B+

Blade Runner (DVD)

Blade Runner (1982) starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young. This is the international theatrical release, the version that was shown outside the U.S. when the film was originally released. I've never seen it before and I'm curious to see if it is substantially different from the U.S. version. ... It's not. It only shows a few more seconds of explicit violence that, apparently, were felt to be too rough for Americans to see. It's essentially the same experience as watching the U.S. theatrical version. Grade: A-

Duplicity (DVD)

Duplicity (2008) starring Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti. Roberts and Owen play Claire and Ray, a pair of spies on opposite sides in an industrial espionage caper. Wilkinson and Giamatti are great as rival CEOs who hate each other. Though they are working against each other, Claire and Ray are romantically involved -- and they are secretly working together to raise $40 million so that they can get away and be together. Or at least that's what they tell each other. As befits such a movie, there's a Big Twist towards the end, and I must admit I didn't see it coming. Unfortunately, it doesn't lead to a Happy Ending, and I also admit I felt a little let down. But Roberts and Owen are fun to watch, and they are good together. The film also has excellent subtitles -- even including the lyrics to the closing song over the credits. Grade: B

Surveillance (DVD)

Surveillance (2007) starring Julia Ormond, Bill Pullman, Ryan Simpkins, Kent Harper, Pell James, Michael Ironside, Cheri Oteri, French Stewart. Written and directed by Jennifer Lynch, daughter of eccentric auteur David Lynch. Ormond and Pullman play a pair of FBI agents investigating a series of gruesome murders; Simpkins, Harper and James play witnesses with widely varying accounts of what they have seen. But that brief description doesn't begin to fully disclose what the experience of seeing this movie is like. It's one of the most sickening, disgusting movies I've ever seen. There's a major twist in the middle that makes it interesting, but it's not worth it to sit through all the sadistic bullying and bloody gore. To top it all off, it lacks English subtitles for the hearing-impaired, making it a chore to follow. Grade: F

Blade Runner (DVD)

Blade Runner (1982) starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young. This 1982 theatrical version of the movie is the first one I saw, at a theater here in Springfield. It's the version which features the voice-over by Ford. This must be at least the 20th time I've seen this movie, but I always marvel at the beauty of the future world the filmmakers created. And I always cringe at the glaring flaws of character, plot and dialogue. Overall, this remains among my top 10 films of all time, if only for the impact it had on me when I first saw it in the theater. Grade: A-

I Love You, Man (DVD)

I Love You, Man (2009) starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Jaime Pressly, Rashida Jones, Jon Favreau. Peter and Zooey (Rudd and Jones) become engaged, only to find that Peter does not have a close friend to serve as his best man. In fact, he doesn't have any real male friends at all. He goes on a series of "man-dates" until he finally meets Sydney (Segel) by chance at an open house. Soon, Peter's blossoming friendship with Sydney is threatening to ruin his relationship with Zooey. Unfortunately, what's lacking in this movie is clever writing and truly funny jokes. The funniest moments come between Pressly and Favreau, as a constantly feuding couple -- but that's not where the focus of the movie lies. The true center of the film is supposed to be the bromance between Rudd and Segel, but sadly the two seem to be lacking in chemistry. There are really no big laughs to be had, only wry smiles. [The subtitles are adequate, but I wish they would have shown the words to the numerous songs on the soundtrack.] Grade: B-

The Magnificent Seven (DVD)

The Magnificent Seven (1960) starring Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn. Farmers from Mexican village grow tired of being victims of gang of thieves, led by Wallach, and hire seven American gunslingers to help them fight back. The Americans, led by Brynner, are a ragtag bunch. Based on the Japanese film, "Seven Samurai," and hews fairly closely to it, until climactic battle scenes. Stirring score by Elmer Bernstein is memorable, instantly recognizable. Big drawback of DVD is the lack of English subtitles for the hearing-impaired, especially as many of the characters -- Wallach in particular -- speak with Mexican accents. Oddly enough, the Japanese movie, with English subtitles throughout, was easier to follow. Grade: Film, A-, DVD, F

Being There (DVD)

Being There (1979) starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine. A simpleton named Chance (Sellers) happens to meet rich and powerful people, who interpret his artless speaking patterns as brilliance. Through a misunderstanding, he becomes known as Chauncey Gardiner -- a cipher in whom everyone who meets him sees what he (or she) wants to see. It's funny, at first. The film gets in some good shots at Washington and the establishment. Unfortunately, it goes on a little too long and there are a few merely ridiculous scenes toward the end. Grade: B-

Hannah Montana: The Movie (DVD)

Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009) starring Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Emily Osment. This movie may be suitable viewing for tween girls -- it's certainly free of sex and violence -- but for adults it's just a big bore. There's a lot of nonsense about how Miley (brown hair) and Hannah (blond wig) keep disappointing people because they can't be in two places at the same time (since they're the same person). This all struck me as the basic weakness of the Hannah Montana concept -- kind of like the Clark Kent/Superman problem, but for girls. Kids might buy it, but it ain't for grown-ups. There are a few catchy musical numbers, but the subtitles are very inconsistent in displaying the words of the songs. Grade: D

Torchwood (DVD)

Torchwood (2006) starring Eve Myles, John Barrowman, Naoko Mori, Burn Gorman. BBC sci-fi production tells the tale of a secret organization known as Torchwood, which monitors alien incursions into Earth-space from a small city (Cardiff) in England. The premise is rather silly, but it's meant to be fun, not serious. In the first two episodes, contained on this disc, policewoman Gwen Cooper (Myles) stumbles onto the clandestine group and makes the acquaintance of its leader, Captain Jack Harkness (Barrowman), an American. In Gwen's first day on the job -- after being hired by Torchwood -- she accidentally releases an alien entity which kills its victims by having sex with them. Unfortunately, there's not much sci-fi and lots of low-fi in the action... typical of a low-budget series. Grade: B

Katyn (DVD)

Katyn (2007) by Polish director Andrzej Wajda. The names and faces of this film's stars will be unfamiliar to American audiences, but the drama is palpable. Beginning in 1939, at the beginning of World War II, Polish soldiers and other citizens find themselves trapped between the German occupying forces and advancing Soviet troops -- neither of which has the Poles' welfare foremost in mind. Sometime in 1940, some 12,000 Polish officers and intellectuals were massacred by the Soviets and buried in a mass grave in the Katyn Forest. During the war, the Germans use the slaughter as a propaganda point against the Soviets. After the war, the Soviets cynically blame the mass murder on the Germans. Poles living in Soviet-occupied Poland after the war find that they must agree with the Soviet line or face prison, or death. It's a tragic film without a happy ending, but worth seeing. Main shortcoming is mixture of Polish, German and Russian spoken during film, requiring sometimes complicated subtitle solutions. Grade: A-

The Class (DVD)

The Class (2008) starring Francois Begaudeau. Based on a non-fiction book, this movie tells the story of one year in the life of a French class in Paris, and the trials endured by the teacher of the class. The school is in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Paris, and the students' problems outside of class are reflected in the classroom. Though the ending of the film is anticlimactic, it still leaves the viewer with much to think about. Grade: B+

The Seven Samurai (DVD)

The Seven Samurai (1954) starring Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura. Directed by Akira Kurosawa. A village of Japanese farmers hires seven professional warriors to help them fend off a gang of bandits. Classic film has been the template for many others, including U.S. remake "The Magnificent Seven." The battle scenes of the second half of the movie are primitive, but exciting. My only cavil is the extreme length of the film, which comes in at about three and a half hours. Ultimately worth it, though. Grade: A

The Soloist (DVD)

The Soloist (2008) starring Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx. Los Angeles newspaper reporter Steve Lopez (Downey) discovers brilliant street musician Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx) and decides to write about him. Their lives become intertwined when Lopez tries to rescue Ayers from life on the street. But Ayers does not want to be rescued, and Lopez must come to terms with his own limited ability to change the world. Ultimately, this movie becomes an indictment of the plight of the homeless, and why shouldn't it? The homeless section of Los Angeles is depicted as a kind of hell on Earth. Lopez may have been able to help Ayers in a limited way, but what about the rest of the 90,000 homeless in Los Angeles alone? Who will help them? Grade: B+

Speed (DVD)

Speed (1994) starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper. Psycho villain (Hopper) likes to blow things up -- and he doesn't mind if people die. So he places a bomb on a bus, rigged to explode if the bus slows to below 50 miles per hour. Reeves plays Jack Traven, a Los Angeles policeman to whom it falls to save the bus and the people on it. Bullock, in her breakthrough role, plays Annie, a woman who is called into service as the bus driver when the regular driver is injured. One exciting scene follows another as the action, though mostly confined to a bus, keeps us riveted. Grade: A-

Seven Sinners (DVD)

Seven Sinners (1940) starring Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne. Dietrich plays Bijou, a south-sea island hopping singer who seems to bring trouble wherever she goes. Wayne plays Lieutenant Dan Brent of the U.S. Navy, the man she falls in love with. It's a fairly entertaining film, full of fist-fights and bar riots; but it all hangs on the romance between Dietrich and Wayne. I wasn't convinced -- she was six years older than him at the time the film was made, and it shows. A lot of people must have found her appealing, but I don't. For me, the film gets a Grade: B

Shepherd of the Hills (DVD)

Shepherd of the Hills (1941) starring John Wayne, Betty Field, Harry Carey. Somewhat sentimental story about Ozark mountain folks, and the man (Wayne) who lives his life in the shadow of a curse -- the promise to kill the man who left his mother and sent her to an early grave. The production quality is good, and the subtitles are adequate. Grade: B

Hannah and Her Sisters (DVD)

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) starring Woody Allen, Michael Caine, Mia Farrow, Carrie Fisher, Barbara Hershey, Max von Sydow, Dianne Wiest, Julie Kavner. Directed by Woody Allen. One of the high points of Allen's filmmaking career depicts a group of neurotic New Yorkers with intertwined lives. It's an all-star production with scarcely a wrong note, complete with a happy ending. Grade: A-

Taxi Driver (DVD)

Taxi Driver (1976) starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Peter Boyle, Harvey Keitel. Critics may debate the merits of this movie, but what is indisputable is that the DVD lacks English subtitles for the hearing-impaired. About 25% of the dialogue is unintelligible to me. Grade: F

Repulsion (DVD)

Repulsion (1965) starring Catherine Deneuve. Directed by Roman Polanski. Young Frenchwoman named Carol (Deneuve), living in England, slips into madness -- one of Polanski's favorite themes. I saw this movie in 1965, and found it puzzling. Now I find it merely interesting -- not shocking, as I recalled. When you understand that Polanski's theme is insanity, everything makes sense, and yet of course no sense at all. Deneuve is quite beautiful, and plays disturbed convincingly. Grade: B

Coraline (DVD)

Coraline (2008) featuring the voices of Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher. A young girl named Coraline (Fanning) discovers a secret door that leads from her humdrum existence into another apartment, occupied by her "other mother" and "other father." Life with them seems like paradise -- until the true nature of the other mother (Hatcher) is revealed. Is Coraline dreaming, or is there a true evil spirit living in the other apartment? The stop-motion animation is marvelous and imaginative, and the story is a true original. Grade: B+