Westworld

Westworld (1973) starring Richard Benjamin, Yul Brynner, James Brolin. Written and directed by Michael Crichton. Two men (Benjamin, Brolin) visit an adult amusement park of the future, in which fantasies can be acted out with the help of robots. Rigid safety measures are in place so that none of the human guests can be hurt, but things get hairy when the robots start to rebel. Brynner is effective as a gunslinger robot who gets tired of being killed all the time. Interestingly, within the movie the resort is called "Westernworld." Although advances in technology and special effects have made this movie look a little dated, it's still a fun thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. (Subtitles in English, supplied on the disc, are adequate. Closed captions are also available.) Grade: B+

The Master

The Master (2012) starring Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams. After serving in World War II, Freddie Quell (Phoenix) returns a damaged man. He falls in with Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman), the "Master" of a cult-like philosophy that seems to be modeled on Scientology. Dodd likes Freddie because he can make strange brews (which include ingredients as far-ranging as paint thinner) that Dodd likes to drink. The problem is, Dodd is the only one who likes Freddie, who is a drunk and has a tendency towards violence. Not to put too fine a point on it, I didn't like this movie. There was no one to really cheer for -- even Phoenix-Quell, who was the putative hero, was not a likable character. The film is quite a bit too long, and some scenes just seem to drag on forever. Although many critics greeted this movie as a masterpiece, I found that it fell well short of being interesting, much less compelling. (English subtitles are available for the hearing-impaired, but not closed captions. There are several songs, which unaccountably are not subtitled.) Grade: C

The Westerner

The Westerner (1940) starring Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Fred Stone, Doris Davenport. After the Civil War, Cole Harden (Cooper) is headed west to California when he happens through the Texas jurisdiction of Judge Roy Bean (Brennan). Harden also rides into the middle of a full-scale range war, with farmers versus cattlemen in a classic confrontation. Cooper shows why he was such a great film icon in this Western, which is now little-remembered. Brennan won an Oscar for his supporting role as Judge Roy Bean. This is a pretty standard-issue Western, but well done. (Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B  

Viva Maria!

Viva Maria! (1965) starring Brigitte Bardot, Jeanne  Moreau, George Hamilton. In the early 1900s, two women named Maria in a traveling carnival (Bardot and Moreau) "invent" the strip-tease, then get mixed up with a South American revolutionary named Flores (Hamilton). After Flores is killed off (surprisingly soon), the two Marias take over his Revolution and are followed by all the peasants in the country. From that point on the movie is an action-packed romp, with lots of battles, gunfire and dying on both sides. It seems churlish to say it, but this is just a silly movie, made only marginally entertaining by the idea of the two pulchritudinous females leading a revolution. It's kind of a fun film, but it seems to me to have little relevance in the 21st century. It's in French, Spanish and English, with English subtitles. Grade: B

Welcome to the Dollhouse

Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995) starring Heather Matarazzo. Written and directed by Todd Solondz.  Dawn Wiener (Matarazzo) is a 13-year-old going through junior-high hell. Unlovely and awkward, she is relentlessly bullied by just about everybody in the social hierarchy at the school, including teachers. Meanwhile, at home, Dawn is neglected by a mother who seems not to love her and to actively dislike her. Her little sister, Missy, gets all the loving attention that Dawn longs for. Her older brother Mark is focused on his future career and can only offer her the cold comfort that high school will suck a little less than junior high. This movie is kind of a slice-of-life look at Dawn's existence, and she is no better off at the end of the movie than at the beginning. We can only laugh and sigh and remember how junior high was for us. (English subtitles are available on the disc, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B+  

The Wedding Singer

The Wedding Singer (1998) starring Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore. Sandler plays Robbie, a formerly aspiring musician who has been reduced to singing at weddings and bar mitzvahs. Jilted at the altar, he soon meets Julia (Barrymore), a cute girl who is engaged to be married later in the summer. Naturally, they fall in love. The story is set in 1985, so for those viewers who feel nostalgic for the '80s, this movie is bound to have a  lot of impact. There's lots of music from the '80s, so you have that to enjoy -- again, if you're nostalgic for the '80s. And Sandler and Barrymore do make a cute couple. This movie is not bad for a lightweight entertainment. (English subtitles are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B

End of Watch

End of Watch (2012) starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena. Two L.A. cops (Gyllenhaal, Pena) take video of themselves as they go about their business of fighting crime. The relationship between the two cops is what makes the movie work, and it works really well. The only criticism I have is that the constant shaky camera work makes the film a little hard to watch for me. It's too bad because, that aside, it's a very well written and performed movie, with gritty details that make you feel like you're right there on the streets of South Central L.A. In fact, the violence and blood might be too much for some viewers. (Subtitles in English are furnished on the disc for the hearing-impaired; surprisingly, closed captions are not offered.) Grade: A-

We Bought a Zoo

We Bought a Zoo (2012) starring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Colin Ford, Elle Fanning. Directed by Cameron Crowe. Benjamin Mee (Damon), a recent widower with two children, decides that his next big adventure is going to be, literally, to buy a zoo. Johansson plays Kelly, the leader of a motley crew of zoo keeper personnel who Mee inherits along with the animals. She also, inevitably, becomes Mee's romantic interest -- although he is still too hung up on his deceased wife to be falling in love with someone new. The movie follows a predictable arc, from despair to elation, and Crowe makes you care enough about the characters that the film works. In spite of the fact that it is a "small" film, I liked it. (Subtitles in English for the hearing-impaired, as well as closed captions, are available on the disc.) Grade: B+

The Bodyguard

The Bodyguard (1992) starring Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston. Professional bodyguard Frank Farmer (Costner) takes on the job (against his better judgment) of guarding a celebrity named Rachel Marron (Houston). At first the two clash, then (surprise) they fall in love. The movie suffers from a near-chaotic script, with all kinds of odd developments going unexplained. The idea of teaming Costner and Houston must of been the main impetus behind the  making of the film, and it's not enough to sustain this or any other movie. The romance between the two almost works, but it doesn't quite ring true. Houston, unfortunately, was not much of an actress. (Subtitles in English, as well as closed captions, are available.) Grade: C+

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) starring Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller, Emma Watson, Mae Whitman, Paul Rudd, Dylan McDermott. Charlie (Lerman) is a high-school freshman who falls in with a crowd of seniors -- a note of unreality I found it hard to forget about while watching this movie. His friend Patrick (Miller) is gay, and his first love Sam (Watson) is dating someone else. Charlie himself has just come out of a mental hospital, and has a fear of "blacking out" and doing crazy things while he's out. Somehow the film comes together and makes for a touching story, which reminded me obliquely of "Ordinary People." I did find it hard to identify with high school students from the late '80s-early '90s, and their deep affection for "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" left me lukewarm. Still, this was a pretty good movie. (Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B

Funny Girl

Funny Girl (1968) starring Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif. Streisand stars as Fanny Brice, star of the Ziegfeld stage show, whose success on stage is belied by her unhappy private life. Sharif plays Nicky Arnstein, the rich gambler playboy who comes backstage and into her life. They fall in love and get married, but then Nicky's fortunes take a bad turn and it affects their relationship. The movie takes a surprisingly dark turn in the last half-hour or so, and it definitely lacks a happy ending. Another tear-jerker from Streisand, but who can blame her? It works for her. Even when the movie is a downer, her talent is incandescent. Songs include "People (Who Need People)" and "Don't Rain on My Parade." (Subtitles are available on the DVD in several languages, including English. Closed captions are also offered.) Grade: B

The Way We Were

The Way We Were (1973) starring Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand. Opposites attract in a romance that spans decades, with Streisand the Communist crusader Katie Morosky and Redford as the straight-arrow Navy man Hubbell Gardiner. They first meet at college in the 1930s, but they don't start to get together until World War II is in full swing and they run into each other at a bar in New York. After they are involved, they realize they are not compatible and break up. Then, after a brief make-up scene, they are magically married and living in California, where Hubbell has become a screenwriter. Trouble is still brewing for them, though, because of the 1950s blacklist. You get a feeling that Katie's Communist past will come back to haunt her and Hubbell. This movie is a real tear-jerker, mainly because Katie loves Hubbell without reserve and he can't reciprocate her feelings. But I found the on-screen chemistry between Redford and Streisand to be a little hard to believe, and there were two or three spots in the film where giant jumps in time and space were made without transition. I found it very unsatisfying. Besides, I'm still not crazy about Streisand. (Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions for the hearing-impaired.) Grade: B-

Hello I Must Be Going

Hello I Must Be Going (2012) starring Melanie Lynskey, Blythe Danner, John Rubinstein, Julie White, Christopher Abbott. Newly divorced Amy (Lynskey) is 35, reduced to living with her parents in a house which they may have to give up, and having an on-again, off-again affair with 19-year-old Jeremy (Abbott). This is a small, independent film about relationships, but it's well done and makes for a good evening's entertainment. Lynskey is very appealing in the lead role. (Subtitles for the hearing-impaired are offered, but not closed captions.) Grade: B

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) starring Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin. Bill (Winter) and Ted (Reeves), two airheads on the verge of flunking out of high school, are given the opportunity to travel through time and gather famous figures for their final report in History. Carlin plays Rufus, a man from the far future who comes back to give them guidance. This is basically a silly movie with the most slender of plots, and little to recommend it unless you are a fan of Reeves and want to see him in an early film. (To the DVD's credit, it does offer subtitles in English and also closed captions for the hearing-impaired.) Grade: C 

Flight

Flight (2012) starring Denzel Washington, Kelly Reilly, Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle, John Goodman. William "Whip" Whitaker (Washington), an airline pilot, is forced to bring an airliner in for an emergency landing in which six people are killed. The toxicology report shows that he had a .24 alcohol level, not to mention cocaine in his blood. The movie becomes a portrait of a man who is a substance abuser, and who doesn't want to stop being a substance abuser. Mostly, he drinks. He says that he can stop whenever he wants, but he never stops -- even when the NTSB is investigating him and he faces life in prison. Even though the film starts with a slam-bang action scene, it is not an action movie. It's more of a film about addiction, and how one man comes to terms with it. I found it highly entertaining, and Washington was very good in the starring role. (Subtitles are available for the hearing-impaired, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B+ 

Wayne's World

Wayne's World (1992) starring Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere. Directed by Penelope Spheeris. Wayne (Myers) and Garth (Carvey) put on a local-access cable TV show from Wayne's basement, and it's fun -- until they are "discovered" by the evil promoter (Lowe) who wants to buy their show. This Saturday Night Live spin-off is sure to be a cult favorite for years to come as it throws in just about everything that Myers and Carvey can think of to bring their characters to life. The SNL origins show in the scatter shot nature of the jokes, but enough of the bits land to make it an entertaining movie. While it didn't get the greatest reviews, it did very well at the box office, and for fans of SNL and  heavy metal music it is not to be missed. (Subtitles and closed captions are both available for the hearing-impaired.) Grade: B

Wattstax

Wattstax (1973) starring Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, Luther Ingram, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Richard Pryor. Marking the anniversary of the 1965 Watts riots, a great gathering of black people shows up in Los Angeles to hear music and celebrate the African-American spirit. Interspersed with the music are interviews with various blacks, talking about life, love and whitey. Some of the funniest bits are those with Richard Pryor. There's lots of music, culminating in an appearance by Isaac Hayes. All in all, I would recommend this movie to black people; some whites will enjoy it, but I think they would be in the minority. (Closed captions make the dialogue understandable -- even the songs are captioned.) Grade: B

The Waterboy

The Waterboy (1998) starring Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Fairuza Balk, Henry Winkler. Moron Bobby Boucher (Sandler) starts out as volunteer waterboy for college football team, ends up as player. Sandler plays Bobby as a stuttering fool who can only play football by getting mad at the opposing players. This is a simplistic movie with an unimaginative script; most of the jokes are just dumb. If you love Adam Sandler, you may like this movie, but all others should avoid it like the plague. This is one of the stupidest movies I have ever seen. (Closed captions are available for the hard of hearing.) Grade: D