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