A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities (1935) starring Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allan, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Basil Rathbone. Dickens' sweeping tale of the French Revolution and its impact on England is brought to the screen. Colman plays an alcoholic English lawyer who is drinking his life away, but finds that his love of a woman (Allan) causes him to commit a noble act on behalf of an innocent French aristocrat. (Subtitles are not included, but closed captions save the day -- again.) Grade: A-

Taking Lives

Taking Lives (2004) starring Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Kiefer Sutherland, Gena Rowlands. FBI profiler (Jolie) travels to Canada to help investigate a serial killer. When a witness (Hawke) turns up, she fears that her attraction to him may compromise the investigation, but the Canadian police talk her into staying on. There are several twists and turns to the movie's plot from this point on, but they're just too weird to be believed. For someone who's supposed to be an FBI agent, Jolie shows surprisingly weak fighting skills. Sutherland, who appears in several key scenes, turns out to be just one gigantic red herring. (The film has subtitles in English for the hearing-impaired, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo. Pelham 123 is the name of a New York subway train, and it is hijacked by a group of heavily armed men headed by "Mr. Blue" (Shaw). The bad guys demand a ransom of $1 million -- to be paid within an hour. If they don't get the money on time, they threaten to kill one hostage every minute. Matthau plays a lieutenant in the transit police, tasked with getting the hostages out alive. Meanwhile, the mayor of New York, who must authorize the payment of the ransom, has a bad case of the flu. Equal parts humor and suspense make this a most enjoyable film, with good performances all around. (The DVD lacks subtitles in English for the hearing-impaired, but closed captions save the day.) Grade: B+

The Syrian Bride

The Syrian Bride (2004) starring a no-name cast. In a small city in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a young woman prepares for her arranged marriage to a Syrian TV star. Grudges spanning generations surface as various romantic entanglements alienate fathers who can see only their own anger. As with many foreign films, the difficult parts for me are the parts where the characters speak English -- heavily accented English with no subtitles, which is almost impossible to decipher. As a consequence, I'm not sure I understood the ending of the film. There was a lot of bureaucratic chicanery about the fact that the Golan Heights, won by Israel in the 1967 war, are still claimed as Syrian territory by the Syrians. Because of this, the wrong stamp on the bride's passport made it impossible for her to cross over into Syria to her wedding. But at the end of the film, we see her walking toward the Syrian side, the passport issue unresolved. I'm not sure what it was supposed to mean. All I can say is that it made for a frustrating end to an otherwise fine movie. The subtitles are a little hard to read. Grade: B

Syriana

Syriana (2005) starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Chris Cooper, William Hurt, Christopher Plummer, Amanda Peet. The politics of the Middle East, U.S. oil interests and corruption on all sides are told in multiple parallel story lines in this complex, disturbing drama. This is the first movie which I have watched with both the subtitles and the closed captions turned on at the same time. It works quite well as many times characters are speaking in Arabic or Urdu, and the subtitles provide translation. The many story lines are a little hard to follow at first, but ultimately they do gel. Clooney won an Oscar for Supporting Actor for his role. This is a very good, but very demanding film. Grade: B+

Swiss Family Robinson

Swiss Family Robinson (1960) starring John Mills, Dorothy McGuire. Around 1800, a family traveling from Switzerland to New Guinea is shipwrecked on what appears to be a deserted island. Disney treatment of classic story is mildly entertaining; good family fare, but probably not suitable for older kids. (Subtitles in English and closed captions are both available.) Grade: B

Swept Away

Swept Away (1974) starring Giancarlo Giannini, Mariangela Melato. Directed by Lina Wertmuller. Italian film about the clash between the capitalist class (the rich) and the Communists (the poor). Crew member (Giannini) on a yacht becomes aggravated at a "rich bitch" customer (Melato), then gets shipwrecked with her on a deserted island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Once they are alone together on the island, he establishes his dominance, making her wash his clothes and kiss his hand in exchange for food (he knows how to fish, hunt and make fire). He beats her and forces her to fall in love with him. But when they are rescued, will the old class patterns be re-established? I have to say I found the movie somewhat grating, and I didn't believe the romance for a minute. (This film is in Italian with very good English subtitles.) Grade: B-

Swing Time

Swing Time (1936) starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers. Late to his wedding, hoofer with a gambling problem (Astaire) must come up with $25,000 to satisfy his prospective father-in-law. He heads to the big city, where he meets a dancing teacher (Rogers) who may just steal his heart. Featured songs include "Pick Yourself Up," "A Fine Romance," "The Way You Look Tonight." Grade: B+

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) starring Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy. After escaping from a creepy cult in upstate New York, Martha (Olsen) goes to stay with her sister, Lucy (Paulson). But she is haunted by flashbacks of her time living with the cult members. Eventually, her sister and brother-in-law (Dancy) decide that she is too much to handle. This is a heavy-duty movie with some disturbing action -- both sexual and violent. We feel for Martha without seeing any hope for her, at least in the short term. It's a powerful statement about cults and brainwashing. (Subtitles in English are available, as are closed captions.) Grade: B+

Sweet Smell of Success

Sweet Smell of Success (1957) starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis. Powerful newspaper columnist J.J. Hunsecker (Lancaster) wants press agent Sidney Falco (Curtis) to break up the romance between Hunsecker's sister and a jazz guitarist. If Falco can't produce results, Hunsecker vows to shut him out of his column. Falco shows that he will do anything to curry Hunsecker's favor. Fairly entertaining movie seems a bit dated, and there's no one likable to cheer for. It's definitely not a light-hearted entertainment. (Subtitles in English are not available, although closed captions are.) Grade: B

The Adventures of Tintin

The Adventures of Tintin (2011) with the voices of Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Nick Frost, Toby Jones, Mackenzie Crook, Cary Elwes. Fearless young journalist Tintin (Bell) goes in search of a model ship, which holds the answer to a mystery. Comic relief is provided by two incompetent police detectives named Thomson and Thompson (Pegg). The motion capture is only partially successful. Many of the characters seem lifeless. And the treasure that the protagonists are seeking is nothing but the usual gold and jewels. Not really so much to get excited about. (The disc offers subtitles in English, and closed captioning.) Grade: B

Seance on a Wet Afternoon

Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) starring Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough. This film is completely lacking in aid for the hearing-impaired. There are no subtitles and no closed captions. Grade: F

Young Adult

Young Adult (2011) starring Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser. Directed by Jason Reitman. Written by Diablo Cody. Theron stars as Mavis Gary, a divorced, 37-year-old, alcoholic writer of young-adult fiction who decides to go back to her small home town and win back her high-school love, Buddy Slade (Wilson). Only problem is, Buddy is married to Beth (Reaser), with a newborn child to take care of. This doesn't bother Mavis (described by another character as "that psycho prom-queen bitch"), who blithely sets out to break up Buddy's marriage and win him for herself. Along the way, she runs into an old high-school acquaintance named Matt (Oswalt), who becomes her confidante and comforter. The whole movie is very uneven in tone, and Mavis is definitely not a likable person. How can you wish for her to succeed when what she is trying to do is so despicable? Director Reitman and writer Cody are the team that brought us "Juno," so expectations for this film might be high; but it is quite a letdown. Theron plays a character we don't like, and does it very well. But her ultimate realization that she "needs to change" is not quite enough to save the movie. (Subtitles in English are provided, and the closed captions are very good.) Grade: C

My Week with Marilyn

My Week with Marilyn (2011) starring Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne. In 1956, Marilyn Monroe (Williams) journeys to England to make a movie with Laurence Olivier (Branagh). On the scene is Colin Clark (Redmayne), a young assistant who by chance becomes Monroe's confidante and companion for a week during the production. Based on a true story, this movie appears to capture the difficulties of making a film with Monroe at this point in her career (she was 30). For Clark, it becomes a first love that breaks his heart, at least "a little." It's a fairly entertaining movie, although Williams (or anyone) is obviously no Monroe. (The DVD has subtitles for the hearing impaired, but does not offer closed captions.) Grade: B-

Melancholia

Melancholia (2011) starring Kirsten Dunst, Alexander Skarsgard, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling. Directed by Lars von Trier. Depressed newlywed Justine (Dunst) behaves badly at the reception following her wedding. When she learns that a previously unknown planet named Melancholia is hurtling towards Earth, she's not afraid. "Earth is evil," she says. "No one will miss it." Her sister Claire (Gainsbourg), however, is petrified that Melancholia will smash into Earth and end life as we know it. Unfortunately, von Trier is the sort of artist who will make a science fiction film and blithely ignore the science. The planet Melancholia flies by, then turns around for another pass -- simple physics will tell you this is an impossibility. I found this movie unsatisfying on many levels. Except for Justine and Claire, the characters are mere sketches. Relationships are poorly structured, or unexplained. Justine's new husband gives up and leaves; why? The Earth is destroyed; who cares? Von Trier joins Terrence Mallick among the directors whose films I will hereafter avoid. (The disc does not offer English subtitles, but is saved by closed captions.) Grade: C+

Sweet Land

Sweet Land (2005) starring Elizabeth Reaser, Tim Guinee, Alan Cumming, John Heard, Alex Kingston, Ned Beatty. In post-World War I Minnesota, a mail-order bride named Inge (Reaser) arrives. From the close-knit Norwegian community, she finds it hard to gain acceptance because, much to her prospective husband Olaf's (Guinee) surprise, she turns out to be German -- from the country we lately fought a war with -- and a socialist to boot. Inge and Olaf just want to get married, but the folks who live thereabouts just can't seem to resist standing in the way. This is a nice little movie which didn't do much at the box office but certainly deserves to be seen. (The disc offers subtitles in English, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B+

Sunrise

Sunrise (1927) starring George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston. Silent film in which married farmer (O'Brien) is tempted by Woman from the City (Livingston). She tries to get him to kill his wife (Gaynor) and move to the city with her. But he can't go through with it, and the movie follows his reconciliation with his wife, until near the end when man and wife are caught in a terrible storm while boating. In this film you can see the elements of modern cinema in early form, and be enabled to witness how a movie without the human voice can still tell an effective story. I don't hold with those who say this is a great movie, however. It was a different experience, but not one I would want to repeat. (No subtitles are needed, since this is a silent film). Grade: B

Support Your Local Sheriff!

Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) starring James Garner, Joan Hackett, Walter Brennan, Harry Morgan, Jack Elam, Bruce Dern. Garner stars as Jason McCullough, something of a drifter who takes a detour into the gold rush town of Calendar, where he takes the job of sheriff because he needs the money. Luckily, McCullough is a very fast gun, and the bad guys in town -- Pa Danby (Brennan), Joe Danby (Dern), and Joe's two brothers -- are not too bright. The romantic interest -- and many of the best comic moments -- are provided by Hackett, as Prudy Perkins, the mayor's daughter. This movie is a comedy first and a Western second, and is not to be taken too seriously. That said, it makes for a most enjoyable evening's entertainment. (Subtitles are not provided, but the disc does have closed captions.) Grade: B+

The Sundowners

The Sundowners (1960) starring Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, Peter Ustinov. Not really a "Western," this movie is about a family of sheep drovers in 1920s Australia. The chief conflict in the film is that the father, Paddy (Mitchum), always wants to keep moving from one job to the other, whereas the mother, Ida (Kerr), and the son, Sean, want to buy a farm and settle down. Crises they face include a bush fire along the trail while they are driving some sheep, and a sheep-shearing contest which Paddy is entered in. The movie eventually got me involved so that I cared about the characters' fates. But the ending was something of a letdown, with no real resolution to the film's conflict. (Subtitles are provided, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B

The Skin I Live In

The Skin I Live In (2011) starring Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes. Directed by Pedro Almodovar. A famous plastic surgeon, Robert Ledgard (Banderas), keeps a woman (Anaya) captive so that he can perform experiments on her skin. A flashback shows that he is trying to improve on human skin because his wife died years earlier after being burned horribly in a car crash. The flashback reveals other things, which I will not detail here, which radically change the viewer's preception of what is going on in this movie. Suffice it to say that Dr. Ledgard is a madman, and he uses his surgical skills for revenge. I thought that there were a lot of things in this movie that didn't make sense, and overall it doesn't have much of a point. It's in Spanish, with English subtitles. Grade: B-

Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire (2010) starring Steve Buscemi. Set in 1920, the first couple of episodes of this HBO series establish the character of Nucky Thompson (Buscemi), an Atlantic City gangster who aspires to be a booze baron now that Prohibition has come in. If you've seen The Godfather or The Sopranos, you have a pretty good idea of how this is going to unfold. I watched the first two episodes, and other than the '20s ambience, I couldn't see that this series has anything special to offer. The disc does have subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: B-

Paradise

Paradise (1991) starring Melanie Griffith, Don Johnson, Elijah Wood, Thora Birch. While young Willard (Wood) is visiting Lily and Ben (Griffith and Johnson), he meets a neighbor girl named Billie (Birch). Willard's parents are going through a breakup, and he struggles to understand why Lily and Ben aren't getting along. This movie is a pretty good entertainment, but it's not exactly great art. It's fun to see the very young Wood and Birch in what must have been nearly the first movie for both. Oddly enough, the chemistry between Griffith and Johnson, a real-life couple, was not convincing to me -- maybe because Johnson is such a weak actor. The disc comes with good subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

Summer of '42

Summer of '42 (1971) starring Jennifer O'Neill, Gary Grimes. Is it possible to be nostalgic for a place and time before you were even born? That's what Summer of '42 goes for. Fifteen-year-old Hermie (Grimes) and his friends Oscy and Benjie are spending the summer of 1942 on an island with their parents. There are girls their own age there, but Hermie gets a crush on an "older woman" named Dorothy (O'Neill), the wife of an Army pilot who is deployed in the war. When Dorothy's husband is killed in action, Hermie's crush bears unexpected rewards. This is a lightweight coming-of-age movie which succeeds in capturing the feeling of '42, and of adolescence, but little else. The disc has adequate subtitles, and also closed captions. Grade: B

Sullivan's Travels

Sullivan's Travels (1942) starring Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake. Directed by Preston Sturges. Tired of making comedies, big-time motion-picture director John Sullivan (McCrea) decides to go slumming so that he will know what life is like for the poor and dispossessed. His plan is to find trouble, and along the way he meets an out-of-work actress (Lake), who briefly becomes his traveling companion. Thinking he has accomplished his purpose, Sullivan goes out one night handing out money to his "fellow hobos." He ends up finding more trouble than he ever imagined. This movie has a point to make, and it makes it rather well. Subtitles for the hearing-impaired are included on the disc, but not closed captions. Grade: B