The Spy Who Loved Me

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) starring Roger Moore, Barbara Bach. Agent 007 (Moore) must team up with a Russian spy (Bach) after two nuclear submarines -- one British, one Russian -- go missing. It's a typical James Bond movie, with lots of action in picturesque locales, and a scary villain named Jaws, plus plenty of gadgets provided by Q. There's plenty of guns and explosions, if that's what you like, but not much in the way of clever dialogue or script. English subtitles are available, as well as closed captions. Grade: B-

Splash

Splash (1984) starring Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, John Candy, Eugene Levy. Directed by Ron Howard. Hanks and Hannah star as Alan and Madison, love-at-first-sight lovers of different species -- he's human and she's a mermaid. Levy plays the bad guy, a scientist who is determined to prove that there is a mermaid in New York City -- a task made difficult by the fact that on dry land, Madison has legs instead of fins. I found this movie utterly charming, and the chemistry between the stars really convinced me that they were in love. Candy, as Alan's screw-up brother Freddie, has a lot of funny moments. The film has subtitles for the hearing-impaired and closed captions. Grade: B+

One Day

One Day (2011) starring Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson. Emma (Hathaway) and Dexter (Sturgess) almost, but not quite, have sex on the night of their college graduation on July 15, 1988. They become best friends, and the movie revisits them every year on July 15 to trace the progress of their relationship and their progress in the world. Emma seems to be in love with Dex, who is in love only with himself. She struggles in a job at a Mexican restaurant, while he becomes a semi-famous TV personality. Ultimately, what I felt the movie lacked was chemistry between the stars. Hathaway is appealing, but Sturgess just doesn't succeed in making you care about him. In the end, I did find the film as moving as the book, although of course something is almost always lost in translating from page to screen. The movie has good subtitles, but no closed captions. Grade: B+

The Spirit of the Beehive

The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) starring Ana Torrent, Fernando Gomez, Teresa Gimpera. In 1940 in Spain, a young girl (Torrent) sees the film Frankenstein, and later becomes convinced that the spirit of Frankenstein's monster is alive and living outside her village. A lot of stuff happens in the film after that, but it's disjointed and there's no real plot. Other reviewers have analyzed the movie as an allegory for Franco's Spain, but I lack the insight to see it. The film is in Spanish, with English subtitles. Grade: B

Margin Call

Margin Call (2011) starring Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, Simon Baker, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci. In 2008, at the very beginnings of the current financial crisis, an analyst (Quinto) at a big investment bank realizes that the sub-prime mortgage situation is about to blow. The big shots at the company are called in, and they decide that to survive they have to dump their bad investments on the market -- without telling anyone what they are doing. Many heads roll, and it's an uncomplimentary look at what happens when a giant firm goes under. The film is well made and well acted, though the subject matter may prove a little esoteric for many viewers. Good subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: B+

The Help

The Help (2011) starring Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain. In 1963 in Jackson, Miss., Miss Skeeter Phelan (Stone), an aspiring writer, gets the idea of telling the story of "colored" maids from the perspective of the help. She enlists Aibileen (Davis) to tell her stories, and through her a number of other maid/nannies. The movie does a pretty good job of reproducing the book, although of course few films ever live up to the books they're based on. There are some notable changes in this movie, but I won't go into them in detail. You have to give the film credit for providing acting jobs for women, and for black women. It was enjoyable to watch. The subtitles are good, but I chose the closed captions, which I prefer when they are available. Grade: A-

The Spiral Staircase

The Spiral Staircase (1946) starring Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, Ethel Barrymore. A mute young woman named Helen (McGuire) works in a house where a serial murderer may be lurking. A kind doctor wants to take Helen away for treatment, but will he get her out of the house in time to save her? Or will she have to face the killer alone? It's a dark and stormy night all through this movie, and the atmosphere pretty much works. It's basically a pretty routine murder mystery, and you'll likely guess the killer early on. The film has subtitles, but the closed captions are preferable. Grade: B

Speed

Speed (1994) starring Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock. Elite Los Angeles Police detective Jack Traven (Reeves) angers a madman (Hopper) who likes to blow things up for ransom. The bad guy has rigged a bus to explode if its speed drops below 50 mph. It falls to Traven to somehow get on the bus and prevent the bomb from going off. Bullock made her breakthrough to stardom as Annie, a passenger on the bus who is pressed into service as the driver when the regular driver gets shot. Incredibly kinetic thriller never lets up for a minute, with nearly constant action from beginning to end. My only quibble is with issues of believability (the bus stays above 50 mph while driving through downtown L.A.), but they won't likely decrease your enjoyment of the movie. Reeves is charismatic in his role and Bullock is her usual appealing self. The subtitles are good, and closed captions are available. Grade: A-

Babette's Feast

Babette's Feast (1987) starring Stephane Audran. Two Danish sisters give up love and fame to stay in their remote village and live the religious life. A French refugee named Babette (Audran) comes to stay with them and be their servant, and she serves them for 14 years -- until she wins the lottery. Babette has a secret, which she doesn't reveal until near the end of the film, but frankly it came as no surprise to me. This movie won the Best Foreign Film Oscar, but I can't quite see what all the fuss is about. It's in Danish and French, with English subtitles. Grade: B

Spartacus

Spartacus (1960) starring Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, Peter Ustinov. Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Douglas stars as a slave named Spartacus in ancient Rome, who escapes from gladiator school and goes on to lead an army of escaped gladiators and freed slaves against the Romans. Olivier plays the arch-villain Crassus, and Simmons is the slave woman Spartacus falls in love with. It all leads up to a big battle scene, in which the slave army is defeated by three Roman armies acting in concert. It's an epic saga, but the movie is overlong at more than three hours. The subtitles included on the disc are adequate. Grade: B

Winter in Wartime

Winter in Wartime (2008) starring Martijn Lakemeier, Jamie Campbell Bower. In German-occupied Holland during World War II, a teen-age boy (Lakemeier) tries to aid a downed English pilot (Bower). Complications arise when it is discovered that the pilot shot and killed a German soldier after parachuting into a tree. The movie is in Dutch and German, with English subtitles, which forms somewhat of a barrier to complete enjoyment; but it is filled with high drama and exciting sequences. Grade: A-

Spellbound

Spellbound (1945) starring Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Dr. Constance Peterson, a psychoanalyst (Bergman) falls in love with a patient (Peck) who suffers from amnesia and a guilt complex. Although the mental analysis seems a little crude by today's standards, this is still a pretty good psychological thriller in the Hitchcock tradition. Refreshingly, Peck was a year younger than Bergman when this film was made -- as opposed to so many films which pair an aging actor romantically with a young starlet. This is really Ingrid Bergman's film, and she is excellent in it. The disc offers both English subtitles and closed captions. Grade: B+

Fright Night

Fright Night (2011) starring Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, David Tennant, Toni Collette. Teenager Charlie Brewster (Yelchin) suspects that his new neighbor, Jerry (Farrell) is a vampire. At first he can't get anyone to believe him, but it's not long before everyone knows there's a full-blown vampire living in the neighborhood. Comparisons with the 1985 film of the same name are inevitable, especially since this movie is based explicitly on that one. My verdict: The '85 film had more humor and slightly better acting, but the '11 version has better special effects and makeup. It's really kind of a toss-up as to which film you prefer. This one has excellent subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

Spanking the Monkey

Spanking the Monkey (1994) starring Jeremy Davies, Alberta Watson, Carla Gallo. Young pre-med student Ray (Davies) is stuck at home taking care of his injured mom (Watson). Unfortunately, the film was hard to follow because it had no subtitles for the hearing impaired, and no closed captions. Grade: F

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (2011) starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson. Harry (Radcliffe), Ron (Grint) and Hermione (Watson) hunt down and destroy Horcruxes, which contain pieces of Voldemort's soul. Meanwhile, Hogwarts comes under attack from Voldemort and his multitude of minions. Ultimately, of course, Harry must face Voldemort mano a mano. Or wand to wand, as the case may be. The bottom line is, if you're a Harry Potter fan, you'll love this movie. If you're not, I think you'll find this movie to be of indifferent entertainment value. The disc comes with subtitles for the hearing impaired, but not closed captions. Grade: B+

The Sorrow and the Pity

The Sorrow and the Pity (1970) documentary. Part 1: The Collapse shows how France fell under Nazi sway at the beginning of World War II, and how an uncomfortably large number of the French collaborated or at least cooperated with the Germans. Anglophobia and anti-Semitism ran rampant, even in Vichy France. Part 2: The Choice deals with life in France during the occupation. The choice in question seems to be whether to join the Resistance or not. Several former members of the Resistance are interviewed. Also: A Frenchman who joined the Nazis. And further discussion of anti-Semitism in France, then and now. All of this is followed by interviews about the repercussions that came after the Liberation by Allied forces. At four hours, this movie is plenty long, and you have to be dedicated to history to be able to enjoy it. But if you're into it, it's fascinating. It's in French, with English subtitles. Grade: B+

Sounder

Sounder (1972). This movie has no subtitles, no closed captions, nada, rien, zilch. Grade: F

The Sons of Katie Elder

The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) starring John Wayne, Dean Martin. The four sons of Katie Elder (including Wayne and Martin as the eldest) reunite in their small Texas home town for her funeral -- only to find out that their ranch has been taken over and their father murdered. When they set out to find out what happened, they meet opposition every inch of the way. The four brothers fight among themselves, but you just know they'll pull together before the movie is over. I was hoping for a rousing Western, but I was mostly disappointed -- this film has plenty of gunplay, but so many guys are shot, both good- and bad-guys, that it gets boring after a while. There are several strands of the plot that are never satisfactorily resolved. This is just an OK Western. Good subtitles. Grade: B-

The Song of Bernadette

The Song of Bernadette (1943) starring Jennifer Jones. In 1858 in France, young peasant girl named Bernadette (Jones) has a vision of a lady who talks to her. Bernadette does not claim the lady is the Virgin Mary, but others in her village make that assumption. Naturally, the authorities in the town try to oppose her at every turn. The movie tells the story of the Miracle of Lourdes in a very moving and convincing fashion -- enough so that the film won 12 Oscar nominations and four wins, including Best Actress for Jones. A quote used twice in the film is telling: "For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't believe, no explanation is sufficient." The movie is two and a half hours long, but doesn't seem that long -- a rarity with me. It has good subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: A

The Future

The Future (2011) starring Hamish Linklater, Miranda July. I didn't totally understand this film. Jason (Linklater) and Sophie (July) are a 35-ish couple who live together. They try to adopt a cat, but the cat has to be held at the animal shelter because it is injured. They can pick it up in 30 days. The cat talks to the camera. Jason and Sophie decide that they have 30 days in which to live their lives, and then it's all over, so they quit their jobs and disconnect from the Internet. Sophie has an affair. Jason talks to the moon. And various other weird stuff happens. I wanted it to all come together and make sense, but it just refused. Even so, this is a movie that will stay with me as a unique experience, and certainly was unlike any movie I've ever seen before. It has good subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) starring Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling. Cal Weaver's (Carell) wife, Emily (Moore) suddenly asks him for a divorce. Cal starts going out to bars, where he meets Jacob (Gosling), a real playa. Jacob decides to "help" Cal by teaching him all his tricks for getting ladies into bed. The plot is much more complicated than just that summary would suggest, however. Cal's son, Robbie, is in love with the babysitter, Jessica; and Jessica has a crush (never reciprocated) on Cal. Meanwhile, other characters who seem unconnected to the main plot are dealing with their unhappy love lives. Everything comes together in a grand cluster fuck finale which is truly hilarious, and at the same time moving. This movie gets top marks from me. It has subtitles, but not closed captions. Grade: A-

Beginners

Beginners (2010) starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent. Directed by Mike Mills. Oliver (McGregor) has an affair with Anna (Laurent) in 2003, but is haunted by memories of his recently deceased father, Hal (Plummer). The kicker is that Hal, who was married to Oliver's mother for 44 years, came out as gay five years ago, after the mother's death. The story is told in non-linear form, with the love affair with Anna taking place now, while Oliver's relationships with his father and mother are explored in flashbacks. We see that Oliver, confused by his parents' long and (he thinks) unhappy relationship, has trouble committing to Anna, who is beautiful and loves him. The movie is well crafted and the script is well written. The disc has subtitles for the hearing-impaired, but not closed captions. Grade: A-

Songcatcher

Songcatcher (2001) starring Janet McTeer, Aidan Quinn. Musicologist Lily Penleric (McTeer) visits her sister in Appalachia, discovers a treasure trove of Scots-Irish ballads which have been preserved for hundreds of years by the hill people. The songs she finds are previously unknown to the outside world, and she immediately knows that she wants to collect them and publish them. The road is not smooth, however, as the backward ways of some of the mountain folk get in the way, and Lily's colleagues back in civilization try to steal her discovery. This movie does not have a "happy ending" in the usual sense, but it's still worth seeing, if only for the music. The subtitles are very good -- all the songs are subtitled, which makes it very enjoyable. Grade: B+

Something New

Something New (2006) starring Sanaa Lathan, Simon Baker, Blair Underwood. Young African-American woman Kenya (Lathan) falls reluctantly for white landscaper Brian (Baker). They fall in love, but then decide that their relationship can't work because of the race issue. How they find their way back to one another makes up the plot of this movie. The film pokes fun at both sides of the racial stereotyping question, and eventually transcends it. Lathan and Baker are appealing, but I never quite believed them as a couple. It's a nice fantasy, but seems divorced from reality. The disc has subtitles for the hearing impaired, which is a good thing because it doesn't have closed captions. Grade: B

Somebody Up There Likes Me

Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) starring Paul Newman, Pier Angeli. From common criminal to Army deserter to middleweight champion, Rocky Graziano (Newman) defied the odds. But then, after he settled down and got married to Norma (Angeli), his past came back to haunt him. This movie, based on Graziano's autobiography, is well mounted. Newman delivers a solid performance, and at the end I was really rooting for Graziano to win. The film ends in 1947, when Graziano won the middleweight championship, and his subsequent life (he died in 1990) is left to the viewer to research if he or she wants to know more. This disc has English subtitles, as well as the more extensive closed captions. Grade: A-

Super 8

Super 8 (2011) starring Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich. Directed by J.J. Abrams. Six youths filming a zombie movie in 1979 accidentally capture footage of a train crash. They later learn that on that train was an alien creature with fantastic powers -- a creature who occupies their home town and turns it into a war zone. But the alien isn't evil, just scared and desperate to reassemble its spaceship and go home. This was a summer movie in the Spielberg mold of the '70s and '80s, with the kids being front and center and the adults existing mostly in the background. It works rather well, and makes for a pleasurable viewing experience. The disc has English subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: B+

Sarah's Key

Sarah's Key (2010) starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Melusine Mayance, Niels Arestrup. In the summer of 1942 in France, the authorities carry out a roundup of the Jews. Instinctively trying to save her little brother, Sarah locks him in a closet and keeps the key. Later, held in a detention camp, she is obsessed with the idea of going back and rescuing him from the closet. Meanwhile, in 2009, Julia (Thomas) -- a journalist -- investigates the same roundup and discovers that an apartment she is thinking of buying was once inhabited by a Jewish family. It all leads to a complicated mystery as she tries to track down whatever happened to Sarah. The final reveal is very good, and I found this movie's story quite moving. The disc features excellent subtitles -- English for the deaf and hard of hearing, both for when English is spoken and when French is spoken. Grade: A-

Someone to Watch Over Me

Someone to Watch Over Me (1987) starring Tom Berenger, Mimi Rogers, Lorraine Bracco, Jerry Orbach. Directed by Ridley Scott. Happily married junior detective (Berenger) is assigned to protect a beautiful witness (Rogers) to a murder. Naturally, they fall in love; and the detective's wife (Bracco) is quick to figure out what's going on. But the thriller aspect of this movie soon takes over, and it's non-stop suspense until the very end. This film has many hallmarks of a Ridley Scott movie, up to and including a song on the soundtrack ("Memories of Green") that he used in Blade Runner (1982). That's not a criticism, however. I think this is a pretty good movie, although feminists might howl at Bracco's decision to take Berenger back at the end. The disc features subtitles in several languages, including English; in addition, it has closed captions. Grade: B+

Some Like It Hot

Some Like It Hot (1959) starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe. After witnessing the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, two musicians (Lemmon, Curtis) go on the lam -- disguised as women. They hop a train for Florida as part of a women's band, of which miss Sugar Kane (Monroe) is a member. Naturally, Lemmon and Curtis, while trying to maintain their mascarade as girls, end up competing for Monroe. This movie was pretty hot stuff back in 1959, with lots of making out and sexual innuendo. There are a lot of double entendres, only a few of which I caught. All in all, this qualifies as a comedy classic, especially the last line. The disc features no English subtitles, but does have closed captions. Grade: A-

Some Came Running

Some Came Running (1958) starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Shirley MacLaine, Arthur Kennedy, Martha Hyer. In 1948, David Hirsh (Sinatra) returns to his Midwestern home town after getting out of the Army. He's followed by a floozie (MacLaine) who's stuck on him, and he fancies himself falling in love with a local teacher (Hyer). Meanwhile, he's stirring up the town, gambling and drinking and getting in fights. This movie was apparently some kind of big deal in 1958, but it's only moderately diverting today. MacLaine surely deserved her Best Actress Oscar nomination, but for me the weak point of this movie is Sinatra. He's just too small and weasely to fill out his role, in my opinion. The film has adequate subtitles for the hearing impaired, but no closed captions. Grade: C

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) animation. Disney's first full-length animated feature holds up remarkably well. The animation is beautiful, the story is compact and well told, the music is pleasant (includes the songs "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "Whistle While You Work"). I can remember as a child seeing this movie and being starkly terrified by the wicked witch, which I later came to believe lived under my bed. The disc features good subtitles, as well as closed captions. Oh, and a happy ending. Grade: A

The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life (2011) starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken. Directed by Terrence Malick. Director Malick produces another meditation on Life, the Universe and Everything. Also, at times, various characters in the movie do voice-over work in which they ask questions of God. The film has everything, including dinosaurs. The bulk of the movie, however, is made up of vignettes from the life of the O'Brien family of Waco, Texas. Pitt plays the overbearing father, Chastain the wife, and McCracken gets most of the screen time as the young son Jack. At the end, there's what seems to be a happy ending, with everyone winding up in heaven together -- though I'm none too sure about that. There's just enough good stuff to make the film watchable, but all of the metaphysical hooey is just wasted time. Subtitles are included, as well as closed captions. Grade: B-

Life in a Day

Life in a Day (2011). On July 24, 2010, thousands of people around the world shot home videos at the behest of filmmaker Kevin MacDonald. The result is 4,500 hours of footage, which MacDonald condenses into this 90-minute film. Some of the clips are interesting, but the sound quality of many of them is poor, and the movie is not subtitled -- except for small, hard-to-read subtitles on the foreign-language portions. In addition, the amateur quality of the video is all too apparent. Generally hard to watch. Grade: C-

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids (2011) starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy. Annie (Wiig) a down-on-her-luck baker, is asked to be maid of honor at her best friend's (Rudolph) wedding. Wiig in this movie gets the starring role that she has so long deserved, and she really nails it. The supporting cast is all good, and each part is written to be a distinct and interesting individual. And it has a happy ending, more or less, which lets you leave the movie feeling good. The subtitles, included on the disc, are pretty good. Grade: B+

Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses (2011) starring Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey. Three schmucks (Bateman, Sudeikis and Day) scheme to escape their horrible jobs by eliminating their horrible bosses (Aniston, Farrell and Spacey). Promising premise doesn't really turn out to be very funny, as the chemistry among the three miserable employees falls flat time and again. This problem could be due to a weak script. Also, Charlie Day, who plays one of the schmucks, has a screeching voice that is like fingernails on a blackboard. I really wasn't cheering for him to win. The movie has subtitles in English for the hearing impaired, but no closed captions. Grade: C+

The Sleeping Beauty

The Sleeping Beauty (2010) starring Carla Besnainou, Julia Artamonov, Kerian Mayan. In a modern twist on the old fairy tale, Anastasia (Besnainou) is saved from a curse of death on her sixteenth birthday by three well-meaning witches. Only catch: she must sleep for 100 years instead. While she sleeps, she dreams. The dreams are strange and interesting, but the whole is less than the sum of its parts. This movie didn't do much for me. It was a real chore to watch. It's in French, with English subtitles. The subtitles are hard to read. Grade: C

Snow Cake

Snow Cake (2006) starring Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss. Alex (Rickman), a solitary middle-aged man, picks up a young hitchhiker while driving across Canada. After the hitchhiker is killed in a crash (not Alex's fault), Alex finds himself torn from his moorings. Guilt-stricken, Alex goes to visit his hitchhiker's mother, Linda (Weaver), who is autistic. From there, the plot takes some unexpected turns, and Alex's dark past is revealed. It's a good little movie, and Weaver does a fine job of playing autistic. The disc comes with English subtitles, but no closed captions. Grade: B+

The Snake Pit

The Snake Pit (1948) starring Olivia de Havilland. Virginia Cunningham (de Havilland), a young married woman, is sent to a mental hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown. The point of the movie seems to be that, in 1948 at least, mental hospitals made you crazy. At least Virginia has a good doctor. De Havilland earned an Oscar nomination for her acting in this film, but the movie seems to me hopelessly dated and unrealistic. It does have good subtitles and closed captions. Grade: B-

Smithereens

Smithereens (1982) starring Susan Berman, Brad Rinn, Richard Hell. New Jersey girl named Wren (Berman) who fancies herself a bidnesswoman hooks up casually with a guy from out of town named Paul (Rinn) who lives in a van. He likes her, but she's only into using people so that she can get the money to go to L.A. Only problem with this movie is, it has no subtitles or closed captions whatsoever, and the soundtrack is really muddled. Grade: F

The Sniper

The Sniper (1952) starring Adolphe Menjou, Arthur Franz, Richard Kiley. Noir thriller in which a man (Franz) with mother issues decides to start killing women who he feels have slighted him. He kills from a distance, using a World War II Army carbine. The case is solved by a police lieutenant named Kafka (Menjou), assisted by a police psychiatrist (Kiley). For today's viewer, this movie has little to offer, except for the authentic San Francisco scenery, which is nice to see. The psychology of the serial killer is just not convincing, and in early '50s fashion, they've got it all wrong. To its credit, the film has both subtitles and closed captions. Grade: C

Smiles of a Summer Night

Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) starring Ulla Jacobsson, Eva Dahlbeck, Margit Carlquist, Harriet Andersson, Gunnar Bjornstand. Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Swedish concept of a romantic comedy is not very romantic nor very funny. But it does improve toward the last 30 minutes or so, and everybody ends up with whom they should be with. It's in Swedish, with English subtitles. Grade: B+

The Small Back Room

The Small Back Room (1949) starring David Farrar, Jack Hawkins, Kathleen Byron. Munitions expert Sammy Rice (Farrar) battles crippling injury, bureaucracy during World War II. The Germans are dropping a new kind of weapon on England, and meanwhile Rice is fighting the temptation to drink his pain away. After his girlfriend Susan (Byron) leaves him, he is called to disassemble one of the new devices in the field. This is really a pretty standard World War II movie, except for one scene where Rice wrestles with the desire to take a drink. The disc has English subtitles for the hearing impaired. Grade: B

Fright Night

Fright Night (1985) starring Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Roddy McDowall. When his new neighbor (Sarandon) moves in, Charley Brewster (Ragsdale) quickly becomes convinced that the neighbor is a vampire. But no one will believe Charley, not even self-proclaimed "vampire killer" Peter Vincent (McDowall). This is a pretty standard horror film, but good special effects, fine performances by Sarandon and McDowall, and a spectacular finale elevate it. It has subtitles in many languages, including English; also, closed captions. Grade: B+

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal. Orphaned boy Jamal (Patel), on the brink of winning Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", is accused of cheating. Meanwhile, he pursues his lifelong love, Latika (Pinto), who out of poverty has fallen in with gangsters. This film is practically an epic, with the scope of Jamal's life acting as the backdrop. The movie won eight Oscars, including Best Picture. The captions are good, but the original subtitles (part of the movie is in Hindi) are too small to read easily on a TV screen. Grade: B+

Sling Blade

Sling Blade (1996) starring Billy Bob Thornton, John Ritter, Dwight Yoakam, Lucas Black. Written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton. Karl Childers (Thornton) is released from a mental hospital after serving a long sentence for killing his mother and her lover when he was 12. He returns to his small rural home town, and quickly meets and makes friends with a boy named Frank (Black). Soon Karl is enmeshed in Frank's life and events lead to an inevitable (and foreseeable) climax. Thornton won two Oscars, one for acting and one for screenplay. The film has a fairly simple trajectory, with not much surprising taking place. It's been described as a good example of Southern storytelling, and I'd agree with that. The DVD offers good subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: B+

Sleeper

Sleeper (1973) starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton. Slapstick sci-fi is the best phrase I can think of to describe this movie. Woody plays Miles Monroe, a clarinetist and health food store owner from 1973 who dies and is frozen for 200 years, waking up in the year 2173. Keaton gamely tries to keep up with Allen in the slapstick department, playing Luna, a woman of 2173 who at first wants to turn Miles in as a dangerous alien but later joins the underground. This film is very uneven, with some great laughs at points but also some slow patches -- surprising in a movie that is only 87 minutes long. The disc lacks subtitles, but closed captions are available. Grade: B

Sleepless in Seattle

Sleepless in Seattle (1993) starring Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan. Sam (Hanks) and Annie (Ryan) find each other through the medium of radio after Sam's son, Jonah, calls a syndicated talk-radio show. Sam is a recently widowed architect, Annie is an unhappily engaged newspaper reporter. Jonah thinks his father needs to find a new wife. Just like in Annie's favorite movie, "An Affair to Remember," she asks Sam to meet her at the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day. It's totally a chick flick, but who can not root for Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan? They're just so ... cute. And so is this film. It has English subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: B+

Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) starring Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, Eugene Roche, Sharon Gans, Valerie Perrine. Billy Pilgrim (Sacks) has become unstuck in time. The movie jumps around in time also, from Pilgrim's youngest days to his days as a grunt in World War II to the days he is held captive by aliens on the planet Tralfamadore. The attempt to translate Kurt Vonnegut's novel to the silver screen is not entirely successful, but comes pretty close. I think those who have read the book will actually be able to follow the movie better than others. As for me, I loved the book, liked the movie OK. The disc supplies subtitles for the hearing impaired, but not closed captions. Grade: B+

Page One: Inside the New York Times

Page One: Inside the New York Times (2011). Documentary about the state of print journalism, as told through the prism of the Times. Newspapers are going through a depression, with falling ad revenues, while they compete with TV news and the Internet for the attention of Americans. This movie examines the current state of the New York Times, which has recently gone through layoffs in the newsroom. Will the Times survive, and if not, how big a loss will it be? Only the viewer can decide if the loss of the Times would be a tragedy, so watch this film and make up your own mind. It's a fascinating and very current question. This disc has no subtitles, but does offer (saving grace) closed captions. Grade: A-

Nora's Will

Nora's Will (2010) starring Fernando Lujan, Ari Brickman, Silvia Mariscal. Although the literal translation of the title (and the one that appears onscreen) is "Five Days Without Nora," it makes little difference in the enjoyment of this movie. Nora (Mariscal) carefully plans her suicide so that her death will draw the disparate elements of her family together for Passover. Her ex-husband Jose (Lujan) sees through her ploy and is highly resistant to the idea of her manipulating him from beyond the grave. But he finds himself powerless against the forces arrayed against him. This is a quiet, gentle comedy that entertains through the power of being rather unique. In Spanish, with English subtitles. Grade: B+

Skins

Skins (2002) starring Eric Schweig, Graham Greene. This tale of Native Americans on the reservation in South Dakota is marred by the total lack of subtitles in English or closed captions. Too bad, because it looks like it's probably a pretty decent movie. Grade: F

The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense (1999) starring Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Olivia Williams, Toni Collette. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Spoiler alert -- Do not read this review if you haven't seen the movie. This is Shyamalan's famous first movie, in which young Cole (Osment) sees dead people. Willis stars as a child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe who is shot early in the film by an ex-patient. Afterward he starts appearing to Cole, not realizing that he, Malcolm, is dead. I've seen this movie several times, and it always pulls me in by the end. Willis is good, but young Osment steals the show. He is preternaturally convincing in the role of a boy who sees dead people, and is terrified by the experience. He was nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance. The film has a series of climaxes, each more intense than the one before, until finally the big "twist" is revealed -- and it's a doozy. The DVD includes subtitles for the hearing impaired, as well as closed captions. Grade: A

Help!

Help! (1965) starring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr. Members of a far Eastern cult pursue Ringo, who has somehow come into possession of a ring that the cult uses in their ceremonies. The other Beatles come along for the ride. The flimsy plot provides a framework within which John, Paul, George and Ringo can perform a number of their songs -- although the songs in this movie are not among the best the Beatles ever sang. To be fair, this movie provides some good laughs, and Beatles fans are sure to be delighted. The subtitles are good; even the songs are subtitled. Closed captions are not offered, and not really needed. Grade: B

Sirens

Sirens (1994) starring Hugh Grant, Tara Fitzgerald, Sam Neill. A Church of England priest (Grant) on his way to a posting in Australia is called on to try to dissuade an artist (Neill) from displaying a painting that incorporates religious themes with female nudity. The priest and his wife (Fitzgerald) find themselves nearly seduced by the painter's practices and the presence of his models, who have no qualms about posing nude. This movie has not-so-subtle overtones of soft-core porn, although it mostly just shows a few models nude. I'm only guessing, but I would speculate that it will be more entertaining for men than for women. I found it very sexy. The disc offers subtitles for the hearing impaired, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

Sink the Bismarck!

Sink the Bismarck! (1960) starring Kenneth More, Dana Wynter. In 1941, during World War II, Germany launches the Bismarck, a mammoth battleship that outclasses anything the British can send against it. The orders come down from the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill: "Sink the Bismarck." Movie is pretty straightforward, really, with not much nuance, and simple plot. In actuality, it only took seven days from the time the Bismarck was launched until it was sunk. The sea battles are interesting to watch. The British were flying World War I-era biplanes off of aircraft carriers, which torpedoed the Bismarck from the air. After the great battleship was crippled, it was finished off by surface ships. Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

Singin' in the Rain

Singin' in the Rain (1952) starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, Jean Hagen. Called by some the greatest musical ever made, and I wouldn't argue. Among the standout musical numbers: The title tune, with Kelly dancing and singing in the rain; and "Make Them Laugh," with O'Connor doing just that in a fantastic, athletic comedy dancing routine. Grade: A

Since You Went Away

Since You Went Away (1944) starring Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Shirley Temple, Joseph Cotten, Monty Woolley. World War II home-front drama has Colbert as Anne Hilton, the wife of a businessman who has enlisted and is headed off to war. She tries to keep the home fires burning, which includes keeping up a normal household for her two daughters (Jones and Temple). Cotten plays a friend of the family who comes to visit, and Woolley plays their cranky lodger. The movie was nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture. Too many subplots make this an overlong film (almost three hours), and it's dated and somewhat corny. Still, it's a landmark film. Good subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

Hanna

Hanna (2011) starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett. Hanna (Ronan) is a teenaged assassin, trained by her father (Bana) alone in the forest. When she is sent on a deadly mission in Europe, she finds herself confused by civilized society and by the English family she randomly latches on to. Eventually, she discovers the secret of her genesis -- but is it too late? The movie is essentially one long chase scene, with Blanchett as the baddie who wants to do in Hanna and her father. What it lacks is heart. Ronan really gets to show her stuff in this film. The subtitles are OK, closed captions are not offered. Grade: B

Silas Marner

Silas Marner (1985) starring Ben Kingsley, Jenny Agutter. Silas Marner (Kingsley) is shunned by his church after he is wrongly convicted of stealing the church's funds. He retreats to a quiet, lonely life as a weaver in the countryside, where he lives and saves for 15 years. Things take another bad turn for him when his savings of 15 years are stolen. Marner's fortunes seem to change, though, when a toddler child turns up on his doorstep on New Year's Eve. We know who her real father is, but Marner does not. It's a simple story, well told, with a happy ending. There's not much to criticize in that. Closed captions are available on the disc. Grade: B+

Silver Streak

Silver Streak (1976) starring Gene Wilder, Jill Clayburgh, Richard Pryor. On a transcontinental train trip (from L.A. to Chicago), George Caldwell (Wilder) witnesses a murder; but he can't get anyone to believe him. Various shenanigans ensue, but the movie really comes alive about halfway through, when Grover (Pryor) pops up and joins the cast. This was the first film to team Wilder and Pryor, who went on to make four movies together. The segment where Grover tries to teach Caldwell to act "black" is a minor classic, and there's a funny running gag about Caldwell repeatedly getting thrown off the train in the middle of nowhere. The supporting cast features a lot of familiar faces. The ending is spectacular. Subtitles are available, as well as closed captions. Grade: B+

Silkwood

Silkwood (1983) starring Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, Cher. Karen Silkwood (Streep), a worker at an Oklahoma nuclear processing plant, is exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. Soon, she is involved with the union and is carrying on an investigation of safety conditions at the plant. Her boyfriend Drew (Russell) leaves her at first, but later returns to support her. Cher plays Dolly, Karen's lesbian roommate. The story, based in fact, does not have a happy ending, but it is compellingly told, and calls into question the legitimacy of nuclear power as a viable source of energy. Streep, as always, is excellent in the lead role. The disc offers subtitles in English, as well as closed captions. Grade: B+

Silent Running

Silent Running (1971) starring Bruce Dern. In the distant future, space ships carry the precious cargo of the last remaining trees and plants from planet Earth. Lowell (Dern) is one of the astronauts tending to the forest. When the order comes from Earth to destroy the last remaining greenery, Lowell runs off the rails. Sound interesting? It's not. This is one of the most boring movies I've ever seen. Very little happens, and when something does happen, it looks like the film was made by amateurs. To its credit, this movie does have pretty good subtitles, but that is about all it has going for it. Grade: C-

The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn. FBI candidate Clarice Starling (Foster) is recruited into the hunt for a serial killer dubbed Buffalo Bill by the media. Her boss (Glenn) sends her to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins), another serial killer who is now a prisoner in an ultra-high security jail. This movie is a taut thriller, with plenty of spine-tingling chills and never a dull moment. The film uses a little deceptive editing at a couple of points to heighten the suspense, but overall it is nearly without flaw. The ending is truly creepy and will stay with you. Good subtitles, plus closed captions. Grade: A-

Sideways

Sideways (2004) starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh. Best friends Miles (Giamatti) and Jack (Church) travel to California wine country to celebrate one last week together before Jack gets married. Miles, who has never recovered from his divorce, just wants to taste some wine, eat some good food and play some golf. Jack, on the other hand, wants to get laid one last time before he gets hitched. He ends up in a wild, mid-life crisis type of relationship with Stephanie (Oh), while Miles finds himself in a more serious, low-key affair with Maya (Madsen). This movie is a delight from beginning to end, and the ending, while not a standard Hollywood happy ending, gives the viewer just enough hope. The subtitles are adequate; the closed captions are good. Grade: A

The Best Years of Our Lives

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) starring Harold Russell, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo. Three veterans returning from World War II have a difficult time adjusting to civilian life. Homer (Russell) has lost both hands; Al (March) drinks to forget; and Fred (Andrews) suffers from symptoms of what is now known as PTSD. The movie won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Russell, a real veteran who lost both his hands in the war, won an Honorary Oscar. The disc lacks English subtitles, but does have closed captions. Grade: A-

The Larry Sanders Show

The Larry Sanders Show (1992) starring Garry Shandling, Rip Torn, Jeffrey Tambor. Four episodes from the first season of "The Larry Sanders Show" are featured on this disc. The show stars Shandling as Larry Sanders, star of a fictional late-night talk show. The guest stars are too many to mention, but suffice it to say that many of them are hilarious making fun of themselves -- and of showbiz. "The Larry Sanders Show" first aired on HBO from '92-'98, so the actors are free to use language that could not be heard on a network show. "TLSS" is a classic in a genre all its own. The DVD features subtitles in English, as well as closed captions. Grade: A

Short Eyes

Short Eyes (1977) starring Bruce Davison, Jose Perez. Man (Davison) is convicted of molesting a child, goes to prison, discovers hell on earth. The title is prison slang for "child molester." This movie, which has a lot of African-American cast members, cries out for subtitles in English, but it has none, nor does it have closed captions. Grade: F

Shoot the Piano Player

Shoot the Piano Player (1960) starring Charles Aznavour. Directed by Francois Truffaut. French film about Charlie (Aznavour), a former concert pianist, who is now tickling the ivories in a Parisian saloon. One day his brother stumbles in, pursued by two mobsters, and Charlie gets swept up in his brother's troubles. This is ultimately a bleak movie with little humor and two deaths. Although I found it watchable I didn't find it ultimately satisfying. It's in French, with English subtitles. Grade: B

Win Win

Win Win (2010) starring Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan. Hapless part-time wrestling coach Mike (Giamatti), who is also a lawyer, gets named guardian to an old man named Leo. Mike is after the monthly stipend of $1,500, but in the bargain ends up playing host to Leo's grandson, Kyle. Kyle, it turns out, is a talented wrestler. Unfortunately, just as he is entering his big wrestling match, his mother -- fresh out of rehab -- shows up wanting to take him home. This is not a simple, feel-good movie, but it delivers emotionally. There are funny moments, but also very serious moments. Giamatti and Ryan deliver strong performances. The disc has English subtitles for the hearing-impaired, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks (1990) starring Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Sheryl Lee. Directed by David Lynch. MacLachlan stars as FBI agent Dale Cooper, and Ontkean plays Sheriff Harry S. Truman as the series opens with the discovery of the body of local homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Lee). If you were of an age in 1990, you'll remember the "Who killed Laura Palmer?" rage that briefly swept the nation. This, the pilot episode, is a reminder of the great potential the series had -- a potential that was eventually wasted after Lynch abandoned the project and others tried to carry it to completion. The disc features good subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: A

The Shop Around the Corner

The Shop Around the Corner (1940) starring Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan. In the original "You've Got Mail," Klara (Sullavan) and Alfred (Stewart) are a pair of pen pals who don't realize that they know each other. While writing beautiful letters to each other, discussing philosophy, literature, art and love, in person they don't get along. You might even say they don't like each other. But when Alfred discovers that Klara is the one who has been writing him these letters, his attitude changes. The movie has a couple of sub-plots that keep things interesting, and Stewart cements his place as a leading man. Sullavan is not beautiful, but has an every-gal appeal. It's an enjoyable, if old-fashioned, film. The disc features excellent subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: A-

Shoeshine

Shoeshine (1946) starring Rinaldo Smerdoni, Franco Interlenghi. Directed by Vittorio De Sica. In poverty-stricken postwar Italy, two young friends try to survive by shining shoes. But the boys also get involved in black-market sales of stolen goods, and end up getting arrested and sent to juvenile detention. Juvenile detention is, of course, a hellhole. The youths are put in different cells, and the authorities manage to turn them against each other. This movie, shot in the Italian style known as neorealism, depicts the difficulty of life in Italy after World War II. The country was devastated and occupied by American military forces. As with much neorealism, this film tends to look at things through the eyes of children. It's an interesting movie, well told and involving. The film is in Italian, with English subtitles that are only adequate. Grade: B+

Shock Corridor

Shock Corridor (1963) starring Peter Breck, Constance Towers, Gene Evans, James Best. Newspaper reporter (Breck) gets admitted to a mental hospital with hopes of solving a murder, winning Pulitzer prize. The script is ridiculous, the acting is terrible, and this disc has no subtitles for the hearing-impaired and no closed captions. Grade: F

The Shipping News

The Shipping News (2001) starring Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Judi Dench, Scott Glenn, Cate Blanchett. Distraught over the death of his first love (Blanchett), Quoyle (Spacey), not knowing what to do with himself, moves with his aunt (Dench) to their ancestral home in Newfoundland. There, solely on the strength of his name, he is hired as a reporter by the editor (Glenn) of the local newspaper. Based on the novel by E. Annie Proulx, this movie has loads of local color and interesting characters. I can't remember how like the book it is, but I recognized certain scenes, certainly. The acting is uniformly good, and the ending is satisfying. The disc has good English subtitles for the hearing-impaired, as well as closed captions. Grade: B+

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre (2011) starring Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Judi Dench, Jamie Bell, Amelia Clarkson, Sally Hawkins. Charlotte Bronte's novel is adapted for the screen once again. I must admit, I haven't read the novel, but I get the sense that only a fragment of it has made it into this movie. As with most books, it would be impossible to contain the whole novel in a two-hour movie. This one concentrates on the years that Jane spends at Thornfield with Mr. Rochester, and the reveal of his ugly secret. I can only say that I wasn't much moved by this adaptation. The "passion" between Jane and Rochester seemed bloodless, and the film was too sketchy to ever capture my interest fully. It's a good movie, not great. The subtitles, in English for the hearing-impaired, are adequate. Grade: B

Meek's Cutoff

Meek's Cutoff (2010) starring Michelle Williams, Shirley Henderson, Zoe Kazan, Bruce Greenwood, Will Patton. A small group of pioneers travels the Oregon Trail in 1845; but their guide, Stephen Meek, seems to have led them astray, and they are starting to run short of water. The movie starts to get interesting when they somehow manage to capture a Native American who crosses their path. Can he -- will he -- lead them to water? The answer is ... we'll never know. The film abruptly ends with no resolution, which is a high price to pay for a movie experience that has been so slow-paced, tedious and boring. I was really disappointed with this film, which was supposedly based on a true story. If it's based on a true story, where's the story? It does have subtitles for the hearing-impaired, but does not have closed captions, which are generally easier to read. Grade: C

Ship of Fools

Ship of Fools (1965) starring Vivien Leigh, Oskar Werner, Simone Signoret, Jose Ferrer, Lee Marvin. In 1933, a German passenger ship departs Mexico for Bremerhaven, Germany, with a varied cast of passengers and crew making the voyage, each for their own reasons. Nazism has already infected some of the German passengers, but it is in its early stages, and the word "Nazi" is never spoken. Of course, there are some American passengers on board, and they have their roles to play. The people are merely human, and by this movie's measure we are all fools. This was Leigh's last film -- she died in 1967. English subtitles are available, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

A Hard Day's Night

A Hard Day's Night (1964) starring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr. The Beatles' first movie stars the Fab Four pretty much being themselves. Many Beatles songs are featured on the soundtrack, all circa 1964. The film has become a nostalgic romp for Beatles fans, and especially for those who were in their teens when the Beatles came out, the Grade has to be: A

Shine

Shine (1996) starring Geoffrey Rush, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, Lynn Redgrave. Young Australian piano prodigy David Helfgott (Taylor) wins scholarships to study in America and later London, but his possessive, abusive father (Mueller-Stahl) forbids him to go. He goes to London anyway and is disowned. As a dysfunctional adult, David (Rush) ends up institutionalized, but later returns to his music and even finds love (Redgrave). Rush won an Oscar for his performance as the adult David. This is a good film, the music is certainly enjoyable; my only pick is that Rush's manner of speaking is so rapid and hard to follow. But that may be because of my poor hearing as much as his rapid talking. The disc includes English subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: B+

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) starring John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson. Directed by John Ford. In the 1870s, right after Custer's Last Stand, Captain Nathan Brittles (Wayne) leads a troop of soldiers against Indians out west. Judging his last mission a failure, Brittles retires from the cavalry and heads out west towards California. But the Indians are still on the warpath and Brittles ends up on one last mission with the cavalry. This is kind of a sentimental Western, with very little actual fighting between Indians and cavalry. It's mostly about the relationships among the men of the cavalry -- and one particular young woman (Dru). I found it pretty entertaining for the most part, but I'm not one to go all soppy about John Wayne. The disc has good subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

She's So Lovely

She's So Lovely (1997) starring Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn. Male half of a married couple gets committed to a mental institution for ten years after committing a violent crime; comes out and tries to reclaim his wife, who has remarried. This is one of the stupidest movies I've sat through in my entire life. The script is idiotic and the acting is atrocious. The only reason it doesn't get an F is because it has good subtitles and closed captions. Plus there are a few funny moments. Grade: D

Sherrybaby

Sherrybaby (2006) starring Maggie Gyllenhaal. Sherry Swanson (Gyllenhaal) is released from prison on parole, and tries to resume being a mother to her five-year-old daughter. But it's all academic, because this disc has NO subtitles for the hearing-impaired, and NO closed captions. Grade: F

Sherman's March

Sherman's March (1986), documentary. Directed by Ross McElwee. Ostensibly a movie about Sherman's march to the sea during the Civil War, this is more of a study of director McElwee's love life, and why all his relationships fail. It also evolves into an examination of Southern womanhood, and why they are the way they are. Could it be that McElwee's relationships fail because he relates to women (and seemingly everyone) through his camera? So it would seem. This film is at least a half-hour too long, and lacks the all-important feature of subtitles for the hearing-impaired. No closed captions either. Still, for the most part, I found it absorbing. Grade: B-

Shall We Dance?

Shall We Dance? (1996) starring Koji Yakusho. Japanese businessman Shohei (Yakusho), during his daily commute, sees a beautiful woman looking out of the window of a dance studio. From this comes the germ of an idea -- maybe he should take ballroom dancing lessons! In Japanese culture, ballroom dancing is considered somehow shameful, like a public show of affection. Plus, Shohei starts his ballroom dancing lessons without telling his wife and daughter. Soon, he finds himself entering a competition, though it is far from a sure thing that he has the skills. This is a happy, feel-good movie that provides an enjoyable evening's entertainment -- and who knows, you may just want to kick up your heels and dance after you see it. It's in mostly Japanese, with English subtitles. The disc even provides an option of English subtitles for the hearing-impaired -- a first, in my experience. Grade: B+

Shall We Dance

Shall We Dance (1937) starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers. American Pete Peters (Astaire), who goes by the ballet stage name of Petrov, falls in love with jazz dancer Linda Keene (Rogers) during a trans-Atlantic crossing. Naturally, Peters and Keene end up dancing with each other, and even go so far as to get married. The music for this movie is by George and Ira Gershwin, and there are some standards here, including "They Can't Take That Away from Me." Overall, this film is lightweight piffle, but it's good quality piffle. Subtitles in English are available on the disc, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

In a Better World

In a Better World (2010) starring a Danish cast you've never heard of. This Danish film explores issues of violence among boys and men. Is it all right to hit someone? If someone hits you, how much violence are you justified in using to retaliate? Is there any way the cycle of violence can end except in tragedy? These and related questions are explored in depth in this movie, which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It's in Danish and English, with English subtitles. Grade: A-

Shakespeare in Love

Shakespeare in Love (1998) starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Judi Dench. While Will Shakespeare (Fiennes) desperately works on his new play, lovely noblewoman Viola de Lesseps (Paltrow), disguised as a man, tries to win a part in it. They fall in love, but hit a bump in the road when she learns that he is already married. Their romance is credited with being the inspiration for "Romeo and Juliet" and "Twelfth Night." The movie won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress (Paltrow). I had fun watching it. The disc offers subtitles as well as closed captions. Grade: A

Seven Beauties

Seven Beauties (1976) starring Giancarlo Giannini. Directed by Lina Wertmueller. During World War II, an Italian (Giannini) who fancies himself something of a ladies' man ends up in a German concentration camp. There he determines that the best way to save his life is to seduce a brutish female guard. Surprisingly, she goes along with the idea -- with the proviso that he must make love to her or die. This is a comedy with a surprisingly serious heart, and the movie does not have a "happy" ending. This film won Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Film, Best Actor and Best Director -- the first time a woman was nominated for Best Director. It's in Italian, with English subtitles. Although the disc allows you to listen to the dialogue dubbed in English, I chose to listen to it in the original Italian. Grade: A

Secretary

Secretary (2002) starring James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal. Recently released from a mental hospital, Lee (Gyllenhaal) takes a job as a secretary to a lawyer named Edward Grey (Spader). She has a tendency toward self-harm, and he has a domineering personality; their office relationship gradually evolves into a dominant-submissive bond. He enjoys being abusive, she enjoys being abused. Only problem is, he is ashamed of his behavior, even though she likes it. This is a unique, strange movie, and you will not find another like it. Unfortunately, it goes a little off track in the last 15 minutes or so, but still worth seeing. Good subtitles; no closed captions. Grade: B+

Kiss Me Deadly

Kiss Me Deadly (1955) starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Decker, Paul Stewart, Cloris Leachman. Sleazy private detective Mike Hammer (Meeker) picks up a scantily clad hitchhiker (Leachman), only to find that some very serious mobsters have an interest in her. Through the twists and turns of the plot, Hammer searches for the thing that was so important that it got his hitchhiker killed. I was surprised to find that the important thing was much more interesting (albeit not believable) than anything I would have guessed. What at first seemed like a schlock movie turned out to be really thought-provoking. No subtitles, but closed captions are available. Grade: B

Love and Death

Love and Death (1975) starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton. Directed by Woody Allen. Woody Allen takes on Mother Russia, portraying a Russian noble named Boris who tries to avoid fighting in the war against Napoleon but ends up becoming an accidental hero. It's all played for laughs, with Keaton as his cousin Sonja, with whom he is in love. The second time Napoleon invades Russia, Boris and Sonja cook up a hare-brained scheme to assassinate the French emperor. Sporadically funny movie is not one of Allen's best, but offers enough entertainment value to make it worth seeing. The bits where he tries to make fun of philosophers become a bit tedious. The film has no English subtitles, but does offer closed captions. Grade: B

Shadow of the Vampire

Shadow of the Vampire (2000) starring John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe. A dramatization, fancifully reimagined, of the making of the 1922 film "Nosferatu." Malkovich plays F.W. Murnau, the director; and Dafoe won an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Max Schreck, the "character actor" who just may be an actual vampire. This movie says as much about filmmakers as about vampires, and it is beautifully executed. Dafoe's performance is near perfection. The subtitles that come with the disc are very good. Grade: A-

Shadow of a Doubt

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) starring Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Young Charlie (Wright) becomes suspicious when her Uncle Charlie (Cotten) comes to town to visit. (Yes, they're both named Charlie.) Could her beloved Uncle Charlie be the Merry Widow Killer, a serial killer sought by authorities from back East? Turns out he could. This movie has little in the way of suspense, and it's not very convincing the way young Charlie turns against her uncle and seems to have no regrets. Then again, he does try to kill her. I found the acting performances winning -- all except for Cotten, whose role seemed a bit over-written. Still, Hitchcock can always make a movie interesting. This one had the usual good photography and macabre touches. The disc offers subtitles for the hearing impaired, although they are a little hard to read. There are no closed captions. Grade: B

Seven Years in Tibet

Seven Years in Tibet (1997) starring Brad Pitt, David Thewlis, B.D. Wong, Mako. Pitt puts on an Austrian accent and a blond dye-job as he plays Heinrich Harrer, a Nazi mountaineer who in 1939 journeys to Nepal to climb the world's ninth highest mountain. When World War II breaks out, he and his companion Peter (Thewlis) are taken prisoner by British forces and become P.O.W.s in India. After they escape and face many trials and tribulations, they gain entry into Lhasa, the most holy city of Tibet. There Harrer meets the 14-year-old Dalai Lama, who thirsts for knowledge of the wide world. Harrer grows close to the Dalai Lama. Then comes the Communist Chinese invasion of Tibet. The movie becomes a vehicle for condemnation of the Chinese occupation of Tibet, and as such it serves rather well. The fact that it is based on a true story gives it more power, and I liked it even though Pitt's performance was pretty weak. Subtitles are available on the disc, as well as closed captions. Grade: B+

The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad

The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958) starring Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Torin Thatcher. Prince Sinbad of Bagdad (Mathews) must sail to the island of Colossa to save the princess Parisa (Grant) from an evil spell. On the island are exotic monsters, including a giant Cyclops which has a taste for human flesh. Sinbad is forced to ask for help from an unscrupulous magician (Thatcher) who betrays him at the first opportunity. The acting is awful, the script is silly, and the special effects are primitive in this fantasy epic. The stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen was state-of-the-art at the time, and I'm sure many children would be entertained (as I was, as a child) by this movie. To it's credit, English subtitles are available, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

The Seventh Seal

The Seventh Seal (1957) starring Max von Sydow, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Nils Poppe. Directed by Ingmar Bergman. A knight (von Sydow) and his squire, returning from the Crusades, come back to a land infested with the Black Plague. Death comes for the knight, but the knight talks him into playing chess for his life -- and the lives of his companions. The movie is a strong meditation on the meaning of life and death, although I must confess I was less impressed than most critics seem to be. The film is in Swedish, with English subtitles. Grade: A-

Limitless

Limitless (2011) starring Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert De Niro. Eddie (Cooper) starts taking the new wonder drug NZT, which gives him incredible mental abilities. Only problems, of course, are side effects and ultimately severe, even fatal, withdrawal. The movie quickly veers off into untenable territory, with Russian mobsters forming the chief threat to Eddie and his girlfriend (Cornish). The ending is just a blatant cheat, in which everything we have learned about NZT turns out to be false. This film provides an exciting ride, but ultimately the writers aren't smart enough to make Eddie seem as incredibly smart as, allegedly, NZT makes him. Subtitles are available, as well as closed captions. Grade: C+

The Magnificent Seven

The Magnificent Seven (1960) starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn. Directed by John Sturges. Mexican farmers, tired of having their village raided by banditos led by Calvera (Wallach), journey north to the U.S. border to try to buy guns. They come back with something better -- seven gunmen to help them defend their little town. Led by Chris (Brynner) and Vin (McQueen), the Americans set about training the villagers in ways to fight and defend themselves. Based on the 1954 Japanese film "Seven Samurai," this movie does a faithful job of bringing the spirit of the original to the American West. The score, by Elmer Bernstein, is memorable -- especially the "Magnificent Seven Theme." The film doesn't have subtitles in English, but it does have closed captions. Grade: A-

The Seventh Continent

The Seventh Continent (1989) starring Birgit Doll, Dieter Berner, Leni Tanzer. Directed by Michael Haneke. Austrian film based on a true story. A dysfunctional family goes through tribulations, then decides to emigrate from Austria to Australia -- or so they say when taking all their money out of the bank. It's only toward the end of the movie that the awful truth becomes -- sort of -- clear. Director Haneke was also responsible for the film Funny Games, which was equally disturbing and unpleasant. Leonard Maltin gives this movie three and a half stars (out of four), but I can't agree. It's in German, or whatever they speak in Austria, with English subtitles. Grade: C

Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai (1954) starring Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune. Directed by Akira Kurosawa. During the time of civil wars in Japan, frightened farmers try to hire samurai warriors to defend their village from bandits. They find one who is willing (Shimura), and he helps them find six others. Soon the planning begins for the battle ahead. The fight scenes, which make up most of the second half of the movie, are well staged and exciting. Although the film's length, at three and a half hours, works against it, it is well worth seeing the full-length version. Great Japanese movie was remade in 1960 in America as The Magnificent Seven, about Western gunslingers hired to guard a Mexican town from banditos. Seven Samurai is in Japanese, with English subtitles. Grade: A

1776

1776 (1972) starring William Daniels, Ken Howard, Howard Da Silva. The Continental Congress, in the summer of 1776, debates whether the colonies should declare their independence from Great Britain. There's a lot of speechifying, broken up by the occasional outburst of song. Unfortunately, the songs are forgettable and the actors aren't very good singers. To that, add the fact that the movie is two hours and forty-five minutes long, and you're close to having a turkey on your hands. Made in 1972, this movie has not aged well. The subtitles are good, and it has closed captions, too. Grade: B-

Divorce, Italian Style

Divorce, Italian Style (1961) starring Marcello Mastroianni. Baron Ferdinando (Mastroianni) fantasizes about different ways his wife could die. He is in love with his niece Angela, although she is out of reach. Ferdinando begins to form a plot in his mind -- if he can get his wife to cheat on him, he can legally kill her in the "heat of passion." Thus he will have accomplished a divorce -- Italian style. Naturally, his plan goes awry. This is a flavorful, hilarious movie, in Italian with English subtitles, that hardly hits a wrong note. Everything works out as it should -- until the twist at the end. Very funny. The subtitles could have been better, and easier to read, but they don't ruin the movie. Grade: B+

Seven Men from Now

Seven Men from Now (1956) starring Randolph Scott, Gail Russell, Lee Marvin. Scott stars as Ben Stride, a former sheriff scouring Arizona for the seven men who were involved in the robbery in which Stride's wife was killed. Russell plays Mrs. Greer, the female half of a couple that Stride helps out along the way. And Marvin plays an ambiguous bad guy -- you're not sure but what he might end up helping Stride in the end, even though his motives are base. The movie has an oddly satisfying twist, in which John Greer, the pioneer whom Stride helps, is carrying the strongbox from the robbery in his wagon. This is a minor movie, but a solid Western. It has the virtue of being short, at 78 minutes, but is almost too short. It seems like it could have been gainfully fleshed out a bit. The disc offers good, legible subtitles, and even better closed captions. Grade: B

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) starring Howard Keel, Jane Powell, Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn. Out of a family of seven orphaned brothers, Adam (Keel) is the first to marry. He marries Milly (Powell) and brings her back to the homestead in rural Oregon. The rest of his brothers then get the idea that they want to be married, so they all show up at a barn-raisin,' where they meet some local girls -- and get in a big fight with the townsmen. The plot of this movie is rudimentary, serving mostly as the tree to hang the songs on. Unfortunately, the music and lyrics are uniformly forgettable. You won't recognize any of the songs here -- none of them had any staying power. To its credit, the disc has subtitles and closed captions, and the songs are captioned. Grade: B

Seven Days in May

Seven Days in May (1964) starring Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Fredric March, Ava Gardner. After the president (March) signs a peace treaty with the Soviets, military aide Martin Casey (Douglas) begins to suspect his boss, General James Scott (Lancaster), of plotting to overthrow the U.S. government. Gardner is thrown into the mix as an ex-lover of General Scott, with letters -- written by him -- that could be used against him. The fact that President Lyman hesitates to use the letters is as quaint as the rest of the movie. As a relic of Cold War paranoia, this film serves a historical purpose. It's entertaining, suspenseful, and well acted. But it is also seriously dated. Although the hatred directed at President Lyman is reminiscent of the hatred directed at President Obama, that's the only similarity I noticed between this political thriller and modern America. The movie kept me watching, but in the end I was not terribly moved emotionally. Subtitles in English are available on the disc, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

Sergeant York

Sergeant York (1941) starring Gary Cooper. Directed by Howard Hawks. Cooper was 40 years old when this movie was released, making his performance as a young Alvin York even more remarkable. He won an Oscar for his portrayal of a conscientious objector who was drafted to fight in World War I. The movie received 11 Oscar nominations, including Best Director. Everything about the film is memorable, from the back-hills beginnings in rural Tennessee to the battlefield scenes set in France in 1918. All in all, it's just a really good movie. An American classic. Subtitles in English are offered on the disc, as well as closed captions, which I find easier to read. Grade: A

Se7en

Se7en (1995) starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey. Pitt and Morgan play two homicide detectives investigating a series of killings based on the Seven Deadly Sins. Paltrow plays Pitt's wife, Tracy, who has second thoughts about their recent move to the big city. Spacey is chilling as the serial killer. Although this movie has a gut-wrenching climax, almost to the point of being sickening, it is perfect in its own way. Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions. Grade: A

Let Me In

Let Me In (2010) starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz. Twelve-year-old Owen (Smit-McPhee) has problems with school bullies. But when he meets Abby (Moretz), a girl apparently his age, he finds the courage to stand up to them. Abby, however, is not a girl -- she is a vampire. When Owen finally figures this out, he's not sure what to do. In general, I don't care for vampire movies, but this one was a minor exception. The relationship between the two 12-year-olds was special, and Abby's ability to teach Owen how to deal with bullies adds a dimension to this film that most monster flicks don't have. The disc offers subtitles for the hearing-impaired, which is fortunate, because it doesn't have closed captions. Grade: B+

Serindipity

Serendipity (2001) starring John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Jeremy Piven, Molly Shannon, John Corbett, Eugene Levy. Jon (Cusack) and Sara (Beckinsale) meet and fall in love one magical night in New York, but they are both already in relationships. He wants her number so that he can find her later, but she wants to leave things up to fate. Are they meant to be together? Years later, as each is preparing to get married to someone else, they go on one last frantic search for one another. I felt that Cusack and Beckinsale had pretty good chemistry on screen, but not enough to knock your socks off. Of course the viewer knows all along that they will find each other in the final reel, so there's not much suspense. I found that I was pretty well entertained. Subtitles are offered, but the closed captions are easier to read. Grade: B

Serpico

Serpico (1973) starring Al Pacino. In a story based on a true life cop, Pacino plays Frank Serpico, the only honest police detective in New York City. Because he is a nonconformist, and because he refuses to take bribes, Serpico becomes alienated from his police colleagues. As we learn at the very beginning of the film, he ends up getting shot -- but not to death. Frank Serpico is a true American hero, and this movie does no harm in portraying his struggle. Pacino is very good in this role. The disc has English subtitles, as well as closed captions (which are easier to read). Grade: A-

Seraphim Falls

Seraphim Falls (2007) starring Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson. A few years after the Civil War, former Confederate Col. Morsman Carver (Neeson) leads a posse pursuing former Yankee soldier Gideon (Brosnan) in the mountains of the West. He's bent on revenge because of something that happened at Seraphim Falls, but what happened isn't revealed to the viewer at first. Both men kill without compunction, so it's hard to know who to root for. The movie is beautifully photographed, with lots of good character actors in secondary roles. Only in the last half-hour does the film begin to flag and lose direction. It's still quite watchable, however. Subtitles are provided, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

Source Code

Source Code (2011) starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga. Gyllenhall plays an agent sent back in time on a mission: He must find the terrorist who explodes a bomb on a train. The catch: Gyllenhaal goes back as a passenger on the train, and he has only eight minutes to find and identify the bomber. Also, the bomber is a fellow passenger, and there are hundreds of people on the train. There are other surprises in this movie's plot, but I won't give them away. Unfortunately, in the last half-hour, the film veers from speculative sci-fi into romance territory. It has a happy ending, but I wasn't satisfied with it; it seemed forced. The disc has subtitles in English, but not closed captions. Grade: B-

Life During Wartime

Life During Wartime (2009) starring Allison Janney, Shirley Henderson, Ally Sheedy. Directed by Todd Solondz. Three sisters ponder the virtues of forgiving and forgetting with the degenerate (or dead) men in their lives. Solondz seems to have a theme here that he wants to explore, but the movie seems kind of sketchy to me. The subtitles are hard to read. There are no closed captions. Grade: B

Separate Lies

Separate Lies (2005) starring Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, Rupert Everett. Corporate lawyer James (Wilkinson) becomes suspicious of Bill (Everett) when there is a hit-and-run accident near his house the night of a party. Shocking revelations follow in quick succession, as he first learns that his wife Anne (Watson) was in the car the night of the accident, and then that she's been having an affair with Bill. Soon James is faced with a dilemma as he tries to cover up the crime, not for his wife's sake, but to avoid scandal. This movie is an exceptionally fine psychological drama, which continually takes surprising turns as the characters are revealed to us. Wilkinson is especially good. Subtitles are included, but the closed captions are better. Grade: B

True Grit

True Grit (1969) starring John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell. This version of the story hews pretty closely to the novel, though not as well as the more recent version by the Coen brothers. Wayne won an Oscar for his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn, but a big weakness is Campbell as Texas Ranger La Boeuf. Let's just say that as an actor, Campbell's a good singer. He's certainly no match for Matt Damon, who filled the role in the 2010 version. Although the ending veers away from the original novel, the filmmakers deserve credit for staying true to the spirit of the book. The disc has subtitles in English, as well as closed captions. Grade: A-

Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility (1995) starring Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant. When the Dashwood family are thrown on their own by the death of a patriarch, they are forced to subsist on 500 pounds a year. They must leave their grand house and move into a "cottage" on a relative's land. In the manner of all movies based on Jane Austen novels, there is romance, though it is frequently unspoken; and there is always the consideration of property and inheritance, both of which favor men over women. The acting is fine throughout this film, and although some might call it a chick flick, I found it to be profoundly enjoyable and satisfying. The disc offers both subtitles for the hearing impaired and closed captions. Grade: A

Send Me No Flowers

Send Me No Flowers (1964) starring Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall. George Kimball (Hudson), a hopeless hypochondriac, becomes convinced he's going to die soon. When he starts acting strangely, his wife Judy (Day) gets the impression that he's having an affair. This movie is mostly retro silliness, and harks back to the '50s more than the '60s, but it's good, clean fun. Harmless and occasionally funny. Subtitles for the hearing impaired are included, but not closed captions. Grade: B

The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau (2011) starring Matt Damon, Emily Blunt. Rising political star David Norris (Damon) meets the girl of his dreams, Elise (Blunt) on the bus. They seem fated to be together, but strange forces start interfering in their lives, trying to drive them apart. Who or what are these strange forces? My best guess is that they are angels and the Chairman they answer to is God. They could just as well be alien beings interfering in life on Earth. The movie never really makes it clear. All I can say is that I was vaguely disappointed by the happy ending, but that it was a lot of fun getting there. The film features subtitles for the hearing impaired, but no closed captions. Grade: B+

Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids (2011) starring Ed Helms, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Root, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche. Insurance salesman Tim Lippe (Helms) travels to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for an insurance convention -- the first time in his life he's been outside his comfort zone in small-town Wisconsin. He ends up getting drunk for the first time, getting laid, and smoking crack. And that's just in the first half of the movie. In the final analysis, this is a damn likable little movie, not too complicated, that will win viewers over with its sincerity and wit. Watching it made me feel good, and a lot of the credit for that goes to Helms, who is sympathetic as the small-town lad who goes to the big city. The disc offers subtitles for the hearing-impaired, as well as closed captions. Grade: B+

Seize the Day

Seize the Day (1986) starring Robin Williams. Promising movie features Williams as middle-class schlub who's having a mid-life crisis and can't seem to find satisfaction no matter which way he turns. Only problem is this disc has no subtitles and no closed captions, so that the hard of hearing (like me) cannot follow the film. Grade: F

Rango

Rango (2011) with the voices of Johnny Depp, Abigail Breslin, Isla Fisher, Alfred Molina, Ray Winstone, Harry Dean Stanton, Ned Beatty, Stephen Root, Bill Nighy. Domesticated lizard (Depp) gets separated from his family, ends up finding a strange adventure in the desert. He lands in the town of Dirt, whose inhabitants are all desert animals of one kind or another. By a series of improbable events, he is appointed Sheriff of Dirt. What Dirt needs is water -- the town is parched. Naming himself Rango, the lizard takes on the task of finding Dirt's lost water. Half Western, half animated fantasy, this movie is fairly entertaining to watch. Perhaps children, who are able to suspend all disbelief, will be able to enter fully into its story and will like it. I was profoundly underwhelmed. Some of the animation is beautiful, but the story leaves much to be desired. To its credit, this disc includes subtitles as well as closed captions. Grade: B

Semi-Tough

Semi-Tough (1977) starring Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh. Billy Puckett (Reynolds) and Shake Tiller (Kristofferson) are professional football players and best friends. They're both halfway in love with Barbara Jane Bookman (Clayburgh), the football team's owner's daughter. Then things start to get a little weird when Shake and Barbara Jane decide to get married. This movie is clearly an artifact of the '70s, with everyone attending a hokey find-yourself seminar called B.E.A.T. The film doesn't take it seriously, though, and it's rather fun to watch. Reynolds is at the height of his stardom. The movie has no English subtitles, but it does have closed captions. Grade: B

The Sender

The Sender (1982) starring Zeljko Ivanek, Kathryn Harrold. A young man, patient John Doe 83 (Ivanek), is admitted to a mental hospital after he tries to kill himself. John Doe turns out to be a "sender," a telepath who broadcasts his thoughts to those around him. Only trouble is, he can't control it, and it usually happens while he's dreaming, or hallucinating. Doe wreaks havoc in the psychiatric hospital when he begins sending his visions out to his fellow patients. Harrold plays Doctor Farmer, who first begins to understand his condition. Usually I'm inclined to like this sort of movie, but this one was no great shakes. It was OK. No subtitles and no Extras, but it does have closed captions. Grade: B

The Lincoln Lawyer

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) starring Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, John Leguizamo. L.A. lawyer Mick Haller (McConaughey) operates out of the back of a chauffered Lincoln Town Car. Amongst all his wheeling and dealing, he finds himself defending rich young Louis Roulet (Phillipe) on an attempted rape and assault charge; Louis swears he is innocent. But very soon the plot takes twists and turns that surprised me, even though I had read the book. Although no movie can truly do justice to a 400-page book, this one comes close. It brings the essential elements to the screen and does so in an entertaining way. McConaughey does himself proud. Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions. Grade: B+

Seeing Other People

Seeing Other People (2004) starring Jay Mohr, Julianne Nicholson. Alice (Nicholson) tells her fiance Ed (Mohr) that they ought to have sex with other people before they get married, because she feels light on experience. Only trouble is, she's monogamous when it comes to seeing other people. Meanwhile, Ed is sleeping with various women he meets through his position as a TV writer, but he's not enjoying it. It's all a big mess. This movie has the feel of made-for-television fare; although it has some good names in the cast, the production values are pretty low, and it looks like it was shot on a shoestring budget. It has closed captions, but not subtitles. Grade: B

The Secret of the Grain

The Secret of the Grain (2007) starring Habib Boufares, Leila D'Issernio, Hafsia Herzi, Bouraouia Marzouk. After getting laid off from his job in the shipyards, a Tunisian immigrant to France named Slimane (Boufares) decides to pursue his longtime dream of opening a couscous restaurant. Only problem is, on the night of the big opening, his children misplace the grain that is needed as the base for the couscous. Some of the scenes in this movie go on too long, as does the movie itself, but it's all rather well done -- even if the ending does seem a bit abrupt. In French, with English subtitles. Grade: B+

Seduced and Abandoned

Seduced and Abandoned (1964) starring Saro Urzi, Stefania Sandrelli, Aldo Puglisi, Lando Buzzanca. When his 15-year-old daughter Agnese (Sandrelli) is seduced by her sister's fiance Peppino (Puglisi), Don Vincenzo (Urzi) sets out to "salvage his family's honor" by having Peppino marry Agnese. When Peppino runs away, Don Vincenzo sends his moronic son Antonio (Buzzanca) to kill him. The movie cleverly makes fun of sexual traditions -- at one point Peppino says he won't marry Agnese because she's not a virgin; after all, she gave in to him. Toward the end the movie veers from comedy into madness, but underneath all the comedy and madness, this is a serious movie about social mores in Italy. I found it tremendously entertaining and even charming. It's in Italian, with English subtitles. The subtitles are hard to read. Grade: A-

Of Gods and Men

Of Gods and Men (2010) starring Lambert Wilson. After much debate about whether to stay or flee, and after much pressure from various quarters, some ordering them to leave, others begging them to stay, seven French monks in the mountains of Algeria decide to stay in their monastery during a war. Eventually, they are taken hostage by Islamic fundamentalists. This movie builds very slowly to its climax, and the climax comes in the form of a few screens worth of words. Not very satisfying, in my opinion. It's in French, with English subtitles. Grade: B-

The Secret of Roan Inish

The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) starring Jeni Courtney, Eileen Colgan, Mick Lally, Richard Sheridan. Directed by John Sayles. After the death of her mother, a young girl named Fiona (Courtney) is sent to live in Ireland with her grandparents. There she is steeped in family myths, including stories about the island known as Roan Inish (Irish for "island of the seals"), where her entire family once lived. Convinced that she has seen her long lost baby brother Jamie, Fiona convinces her cousin Eamon that they should fix up the old cottages on Roan Inish and show the seals that they intend to move back there. This is a nifty little movie with a satisfying conclusion. The acting is a little flat, but otherwise it's a fine evening's entertainment. Subtitles and closed captions are both included. Grade: B

The Secret Life of Words

The Secret Life of Words (2005) starring Sarah Polley, Tim Robbins. A factory worker named Hanna (Polley), on holiday, takes an opportunity to be a nurse to a burn victim named Josef (Robbins) on an oil rig. Slowly she opens up to him, until at last, in a climactic moment, she is able to tell him the terrible secret out of her past. This is ultimately, and surprisingly, a deeply moving movie about a war that most of us have forgotten about -- but which, nevertheless, had its own Holocaust. There's not much plot here; it's more in the nature of a character study. But it is truly worth seeing. Subtitles are supplied, which is good, because there are no closed captions. Grade: B+

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden (1993) starring Kate Maberly, Maggie Smith. Young orphan Mary Lennox (Maberly) is sent to live at her uncle's melancholy mansion in the English countryside. Both Mary's mother and her mother's twin sister have died, and Mary finds solace in a secret garden that she finds on the grounds of the mansion. Miss Medlock (Smith) is the grouchy old servant who tries to keep the children from finding what happiness they can. But Colin, Mary's cousin, is not cowed and orders her to leave them be. This movie is a rather tepid version of the Secret Garden story, but it is certainly suitable for children. The subtitles and captions are well done. Grade: B

Starman

Starman (1984) starring Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith. In response to Voyager II, launched in 1977, an alien (Bridges) comes to visit Earth. He takes human form as Scott, Jenny's (Allen) dead husband. The movie paints a really ugly picture of the human race, as just about all the alien encounters is hostility. But humanity is exonerated by the actions of a few, and the film has a fully satisfying ending. Bridges was nominated for an Oscar for his work as an alien in a human body. The subtitles and closed captions are adequate. Grade: A-

Secondhand Lions

Secondhand Lions (2003) starring Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment, Kyra Sedgewick. Young Walter (Osment) is dropped off at his two great-uncles' (Caine, Duvall) house in the country by his irresponsible mother (Sedgewick). At first he is not welcomed by the two old bachelors, but soon they begin to bond. This is an almost-but-not-quite-great movie, which if you buy into it you will really love. Me, I found it a little too hard to swallow, especially the part where the British Caine plays a Texas good-ol'-boy. Nevertheless, it's an honest film, with plenty to like, and a minimum of sex and violence. Osment is winning, as always. There are good subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

Sea Wife

Sea Wife (1957) starring Richard Burton, Joan Collins, Basil Sydney. Set during World War II, Burton and Collins survive a ship being torpedoed, and he falls in love with her afterwards, not knowing she is a nun. His name becomes "Biscuit," because he dispenses the biscuits in their life raft. She is called "Sea Wife," another name for a mermaid. Why Sea Wife chooses to keep the fact that she's a nun a secret never became clear to me while watching the movie. I didn't think the chemistry between Burton and Collins was particularly good. I found the ending particularly unsatisfying. The film has good subtitles and closed captions. Grade: B-