The Pied Piper (DVD)

The Pied Piper (1972) starring Donovan, Donald Pleasence, Jack Wild, John Hurt, Michael Hordern. In the Middle Ages, during the time of the great Plague, a traveling band of minstrels arrives at the walled town of Hamelin. One of them (Donovan) is known as the Pied Piper, and when he plays the flute it has magical effects. When the town is found to be infested with rats, the Piper offers to get rid of them -- for a payment of a thousand guilders. The burgomaster agrees to the terms -- anything to get rid of the rats, which some believe spread the Plague. But after the rats are vanquished by the Piper, the burgomaster reneges on their deal, with terrible consequences for the town. The movie is rated G, though whether any children would be interested in seeing it I have my doubts. I found it to be barely passable entertainment. It was interesting to see Donovan again -- young. The subtitles consist of closed captions -- good enough. Grade: B

Millions (DVD)

Millions (2005) starring Alex Etel, Lewis McGibbon, James Nesbitt. Directed by Danny Boyle. Two young brothers (Etel and McGibbon) discover a satchel full of money (over 200,000 pounds British) and decide to keep it a secret. Spending the money proves to be a problem for the boys, however, especially since the conversion from pounds to Euros is only a week away. Meanwhile, the man who stole the money wants it back and comes looking for it. There are elements of the mystical in this film, and elements of pure fantasy. There are also elements of pure greed. It all comes together somehow into a satisfying and moving conclusion. The subtitles are hard to read, however. Grade: A-

Pit and the Pendulum (DVD)

Pit and the Pendulum (1961) starring Vincent Price, John Kerr, Barbara Steele. Directed by Roger Corman. In 16th-century Spain, the son of an Inquisitor (Price) is haunted by a scene of horror he witnessed as a boy. His dead wife's brother (Kerr) comes to his castle to investigate how she died, and mayhem ensues. The first half of the film is rather slow, but things pick up after that. This film probably seemed like pretty hot stuff back in 1961 (even though it came out after "Psycho"), but by today's standards it's very tame -- not necessarily a bad thing, come to think of it. It has closed captions for the hard of hearing. Grade: B

Ajami (DVD)

Ajami (2009) starring a non-professional Arab and Israeli cast. Set mostly in the city of Jaffa, a part of Tel Aviv, this movie tells a complex story of tribal violence, racial intolerance and crime. Jews, Christians and Muslims co-exist in Jaffa, and the tensions among them are made palpable in the film. It starts out with a killing, which turns out to be a revenge killing, and which is followed by more killing. The closest thing I can think of for a comparison is the American movie "Crash," which had multiple story lines, interwoven, with themes of race and violence. Frankly, I had trouble following "Ajami," but I came away feeling that I had seen a good movie with profound impact. It just didn't translate very well culturally. The subtitles are OK, but it's unavoidably confusing when some characters speak in Hebrew, some in Arabic. Grade: B+

Pillow Talk (DVD)

Pillow Talk (1959) starring Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall, Thelma Ritter. Brad and Jan (Hudson and Day) share a party line, and Jan is weary of overhearing his romantic conversations with his many girlfriends. Besides, she can't get the line free to place an outgoing call. A plot twist has Brad pursuing Jan romantically, though under an assumed name -- he knows he'd never have a chance if she knew it was him. Randall plays Brad's friend Jonathan, who is in love with Jan, and Ritter adds spice as Jan's perpetually hungover housekeeper. Although the movie is in some ways quite retro (who's ever heard of a party line?), it is for its time rather risque and filled with double entendre. It's actually rather fun. The subtitles are fine. Grade: B+

Pierrepoint (DVD)

Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman (2005) starring Timothy Spall, Juliet Stevenson. Based on true events. Albert Pierrepoint (Spall), a hangman in England from the 1930s to the '50s, is chosen by Field Marshal Montgomery to execute Nazi war criminals after World War II. The number to be hanged is large (47 in one week) but Pierrepoint goes about it with characteristic focus and efficiency. He doesn't care about the crimes of the condemned, only that they die quickly and painlessly. Unfortunately for Pierrepoint, what he does for a living, previously a secret, becomes public knowledge while he is in Germany. When he returns to England, he finds himself the focus of controversy. In a cruel twist of fate, one of the English killers to be hanged turns out to be someone he knows. Altogether, it makes for a fascinating movie. The subtitles are good. Grade: B+

Tortilla Soup (DVD)

Tortilla Soup (2001) starring Hector Elizondo, Elizabeth Pena, Jacqueline Obradors, Tamara Mello, Raquel Welch. Widower Martin (Elizondo), a professional chef, has three grown daughters living at home. Unfortunately, the girls have a way of interrupting meals with announcements, which frequently lead to family arguments. The daughters are all ready to move out, and each is going her separate way. Meanwhile, a brassy neighbor lady (Welch) sets her sights on Martin. The food preparation scenes alone are worth the price of admission. This is a lightweight, but entertaining movie. The subtitles are good. Grade: B

Picture Perfect (DVD)

Picture Perfect (1997) starring Jennifer Aniston, Jay Mohr, Kevin Bacon. Kate (Aniston) fakes an engagement to Nick (Mohr) after her boss tells her she needs to be more committed to get ahead. But it's Sam (Bacon), the office Lothario, who she's really attracted to. She talks Nick into coming to New York and pretending to be her fiance, and once he gets there she finds herself -- surprisingly -- attracted to him. This movie is basically a bit of fluff designed as a vehicle for Aniston, and it delivers about what you'd expect. Not great, but OK entertainment. The subtitles are very good -- even the songs are captioned. Grade: B

The Picture of Dorian Gray (DVD)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) starring George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed, Angela Lansbury, Peter Lawford. In Victorian England, the aristocratic Dorian Gray (Hatfield) is convinced that it would be a good thing if his portrait aged while he stayed young. His wish is granted by a mysterious Egyptian statue of a cat. After he falls in love with a nightclub singer named Sybil Vane (Lansbury), he treats her cruelly as a test of her love. She kills herself. From then on it's downhill for Dorian Gray. The movie is not very explicit, but we are made to understand that he has descended into a life of sin; tragedy piles upon tragedy. It's a very literate script, based on a book by Oscar Wilde, but unfortunately the subtitles are hard to read. It's a pretty unforgettable film, with an impressive cast. Grade: B+

Sybil (DVD)

Sybil (1977) starring Joanne Woodward, Sally Field, Brad Davis. Woodward plays the compassionate psychiatrist Dr. Wilbur to Field's Sybil, a woman who has 16 distinct personalities, or alters. Having just read the book "Sybil," I was curious to see how closely the movie (actually a TV miniseries) would hew to the book. As it turns out, not very. The completely extraneous character of Richard (Davis) is added, and he has no real counterpart in the book. Nor does the heavy emphasis on a certain Christmas holiday come from the book. Nor does Sybil ever cook Christmas dinner for Richard and his son. The dream sequence is totally different from the book. And so on. On the other hand, Field's performance as Sybil is outstanding and can't really be faulted. Likewise, the portrayal of the horrendous abuse -- torture, really -- that Sybil suffered at the hands of her mother is true to the spirit of the book. The subtitles consist of closed captions, which are adequate. Grade: B-

Picnic (DVD)

Picnic (1955) starring William Holden, Kim Novak, Rosalind Russell, Cliff Robertson, Susan Strasberg. On Labor Day, 1955, former college football star Hal Carter (Holden) rolls into the small Kansas town where his old frat buddy Alan Benson (Robertson) resides. Alan is the son of the biggest (well, richest) man in town, and unemployed Hal is hoping to get a job. Nobody counts on Hal getting Madge (Novak), Alan's girl. They all go to a Labor Day picnic together, and there the action takes place. After Hal and Madge end up dancing together, the rest of the world gets forgotten. But then things turn sour, because Rosemary (Russell) is jealous of the young love she sees playing out before her -- and because she is drunk. Everyone says things they will later regret, and Hal and Madge end up running off in Alan's car. Whether they can possibly end up together then becomes the theme of the rest of the movie. It's a pretty interesting film, but was somewhat less so for me because I knew that in 1955, Holden was 37, Novak 22. Not such a clear match, seen in that perspective. The subtitles are very good. Grade: B

Pickup on South Street (DVD)

Pickup on South Street (1953) starring Richard Widmark, Jean Peters, Thelma Ritter. Pickpocket named Skip McCoy (Widmark) accidentally comes into possession of top-secret microfilm when he robs courier named Candy (Peters). Once he realizes the value of what he's got, he becomes greedy. Then, when an informer named Moe (Ritter) is killed, things get really serious. The movie has an odd strain of patriotism running through it, with people frequently referring to other characters as "Commies." In the end, loyalty to America wins out over criminal motives. One has to wonder what effect the hearings of the House Un-American Activities Committee had on the plot of this film. The subtitles are good, but hard to read. Grade: B

Pickpocket (DVD)

Pickpocket (1959) starring Martin Lasalle, Marika Green, Kassagi. Directed by Robert Bresson. Poor Frenchman (Lasalle) seeks out a life of crime, finds someone to train him in the tricks of the pickpocket's trade. He practices the art of the filch constantly, even at the expense of his social life -- such as it is. But then he comes under pressure from the police, and goes on the lam. When he returns to Paris, a young woman he knows named Jeanne (Green) has had a child while he was gone. He tries to go straight and take care of Jeanne and the child, but can he do it? The commentary that is included on the DVD makes it clear that many cinema scholars consider this a great and groundbreaking film, and I can't argue with them. It's certainly unique. Unfortunately, the subtitles are not very good -- and the film is in French. Grade: A-

The Piano Teacher (DVD)

The Piano Teacher (2001) starring Isabelle Huppert, Benoit Magimel. Middle-aged piano teacher (Huppert) is a brilliant musician and very strict teacher, but in her private life she has some pretty kinky ideas about sex and love. She also lives with her mother, which makes relationships rather dicey. When a younger man (Magimel) conceives a passion for her, she accepts his advances -- but only up to a point. It's a fascinating, weird, unique film, which I don't think will be to everyone's taste. The ending kind of threw me, but otherwise I enjoyed the ride. The subtitles are good enough -- and necessary, since the film's mostly in French. Grade: B

Greenberg (DVD)

Greenberg (2009) starring Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rhys Ifans. Roger Greenberg (Stiller), after suffering a nervous breakdown in New York, travels to Los Angeles to house-sit for his overbearing brother. Roger gets involved with Florence (Gerwig), the aimless but attractive gofer who usually acts as personal assistant for his brother's family. For some reason Florence likes him, even though he is in general a jerk and treats her poorly. Is it possible these two could end up together? You'll have to wait until the last five minutes of the movie to find out, but it's an entertaining wait. Gerwig is a real revelation. The film is rather well written. The subtitles are pretty good. Grade: A-

The Piano (DVD)

The Piano (1993) starring Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin. Written and directed by Jane Campion. In the late 19th century, a Scottish woman named Ada (Hunter) and her illegitimate daughter (Paquin) are sent to remote New Zealand in an arranged marriage with a farmer (Neill). With her, Ada brings her most precious possession, a piano which she plays with virtuoso skill. But her new husband knows little of women, and trades her piano to a neighbor (Keitel) for 80 acres of land. Ada strikes a secret bargain with the neighbor to earn her piano back and slowly, but ever so slowly, he seduces her. (This movie is memorable for the nude scenes by Keitel.) The bargain proves to have unexpected consequences, culminating in a heinous crime committed against Ada by her husband. Not to worry; the ending is satisfactory. Hunter and Paquin both won Oscars for their performances. The subtitles consist of closed captions, which are adequate. Grade: B+

The Pianist (DVD)

The Pianist (2002) starring Adrien Brody. Directed by Roman Polanski. Brody won an Oscar for his portrayal of Polish classical pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, who survived the Nazi occupation of Warsaw during World War II. Polanski also won as Best Director. Szpilman, who refused to leave Warsaw when he had the chance, is witness to the humiliation of the Jews by the German occupiers, followed by the ghettoization of the Jews and eventually the worst imaginable atrocities. The first moment of truth comes early in the movie, when he is being loaded onto a train along with his family and many fellow Jews. One of the Polish guards recognizes Szpilman and pulls him out of the line. The train was going to Treblinka, where Szpilman almost surely would have died; he never saw his family again. The film is based on Szpilman's memoir, which he published after the war. His is a harrowing story, at times hard to watch, but always worthwhile. We should never allow ourselves to forget. The subtitles are good. Grade: A

Phoebe in Wonderland (DVD)

Phoebe in Wonderland (2008) starring Elle Fanning, Patricia Clarkson, Felicity Huffman, Bill Pullman, Campbell Scott. Nine-year-old Phoebe (Fanning) wins the part of Alice in her school's production of "Alice in Wonderland." But Phoebe shows signs of mental illness -- obsessively counting her steps, spitting at fellow students, spewing inappropriate words. Her mother (Huffman) blames herself, because she is a work-at-home mom. As Phoebe's troubles continue, she begins to see characters from "Alice," who give her "advice." Finally, it turns out that Phoebe is actually a little girl with the early stages of Tourette syndrome, and it all makes sense. I found this to be an interesting and thought-provoking movie, and I'm glad I rented it. The subtitles are very good. Grade: B+

A Prophet (DVD)

A Prophet (2009) starring Tahar Rahim. A 19-year-old Arab named Malik (Rahim) is thrown into a French prison, where it's sink or swim. He's sentenced to six years. The Corsican mob gives him an offer he can't refuse: kill another inmate, or be killed himself. He is soon working for the Corsicans, and under their protection. Then he starts making deals on his own. And so on. Usually, I like foreign movies, but this one just didn't do it for me. Something about it was just too confusing. Maybe it was just over my head, or maybe it was the translation from French to English subtitles. At any rate, I didn't enjoy it at all. Grade: C

The Ghost Writer (DVD)

The Ghost Writer (2010) starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Kim Cattrall, Eli Wallach, James Belushi, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton. Directed by Roman Polanski. A writer known only as "The Ghost" (McGregor) is hired to doctor a manuscript of the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Brosnan). Ominously, the previous ghost writer who worked on the manuscript died in an "accident" in which he fell off a ferry and drowned. Lang is clearly a stand-in for former British P.M. Tony Blair, and the action takes place during the administration of George W. Bush. When The Ghost actually goes to work for Lang at his Massachusetts hideaway, things start to go very wrong. He keeps digging deeper into Lang's past, and what he discovers doesn't add up. Soon, he finds himself running for his life, pursued by a mysterious black sedan. There are several twists and turns still to go in the plot of the movie, and I wasn't disappointed. It's jolly entertaining, as long as you don't think too much about the director's sordid past. The subtitles are all right. Grade: B+

The Philadelphia Story (DVD)

The Philadelphia Story (1940) starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart. Socialite Tracy Lord (Hepburn) is preparing to marry, two years after divorcing her first husband Dexter Haven (Grant). Helped by Haven, tabloid reporter Macaulay Connor (Stewart) has gained entrance to her house the day before the wedding. Madcap antics ensue -- mostly involving the consumption of copious quantities of alcohol. Still, it's fun to watch the three superstars of their time on screen together. Stewart won a Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance. The subtitles are slightly better than adequate. Grade: B