Reflections

Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

2012-02-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford. Directed by Irvin Kershner. Luke Skywalker (Hamill), Princess Leia (Fisher) and Han Solo (Ford) continue their adventures battling the evil galactic Empire. In this, the best movie in the Star Wars series, Han kisses Leia, and Luke travels to the Dagoba system to receive Jedi training from master Yoda. Later, in a shocking revelation, Luke learns crucial information about his father. In retrospect, several brilliant strands of the overall plot begin to bear fruit in this, the second film in the original trilogy. Great music by John Williams cranks up the wow factor another notch. The dazzling special effects earned a special Oscar. The DVD offers both subtitles in English and closed captions. Grade: A

Contagion

2012-02-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

Contagion (2011) starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard. A deadly virus begins infecting people all over the world, and the death toll rises to 26 million before a vaccine is developed. People panic and begin looting stores, then stealing from each other. Who is to get the vaccine first? The authorities hold a public lottery to decide. I wish I could recommend this movie, but it just didn't seem dramatic enough. It's a fairly passable evening's entertainment, but nothing special. The subtitles on the disc are adequate; closed captions are not offered. Grade: B

Drive

2012-01-31T16:12:00.000-08:00

Drive (2011) starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Albert Brooks. A man named Driver (Gosling) works part-time as a stunt driver for the movies and part-time as a getaway driver and part-time as a mechanic. Irene (Mulligan) is the girl who lives down the hall. They go out on a few dates; then Irene's husband gets out of prison. Soon, gangsters are threatening Irene and her son Benicio, and Driver steps in to help. That's when the excrement hits the fan. There are several gruesome murders in this film, and plenty of blood, so be forewarned. I have a little trouble accepting the slight Gosling as a stone cold killer, but that's part of the role he assumes for this movie. Perlman and Brooks play West Coast gang bosses whom he comes into conflict with, and they are both well acted. The DVD offers good subtitles, but no closed captions. Grade: A-

Heavenly Creatures

2012-01-30T17:33:00.000-08:00

Heavenly Creatures (1994) starring Kate Winslet, Melanie Lynskey. Directed by Peter Jackson. In the early 1950s in New Zealand, two teenage girls named Pauline (Lynskey) and Juliet (Winslet) form a close bond. To outside observers, the bond appears obsessive; some, including Juliet's father, suspect the girls are lesbians. Pauline and Juliet share an incredibly detailed and rich fantasy life, but they aren't doing anyone any harm -- until their parents decide that they must be permanently separated. The movie is based on true events, and excerpts from Pauline's diary serve as a framing device for the story. The DVD includes both English subtitles and closed captions. Grade: A-

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope

2012-01-28T17:32:00.000-08:00

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness. Directed by George Lucas. This movie, also known as simply Star Wars, set box-office records back in '77, and with good reason. It has everything that the old Saturday afternoon matinees used to have, plus great special effects. The plot: Princess Leia (Fisher) has entrusted the evil Empire's plans for the Death Star to a droid called R2-D2, and Luke Skywalker (Hamill) sets out to save the princess and destroy the Death Star. He is aided along the way by Obi-Wan Kenobi (Guinness) and Han Solo (Ford). Great music by John Williams helps everything hang together. Subtitles in English are available; the disc also has closed captions. Grade: A

Start the Revolution Without Me

2012-01-27T17:05:00.000-08:00

Start the Revolution Without Me (1970) starring Gene Wilder, Donald Sutherland, Victor Spinetti. Directed by Bud Yorkin. Two pairs of twins, switched at birth, grow up to be the noble De Sisi brothers -- and a pair of peasant brothers -- in 1789 France. Wilder and Sutherland both play dual roles as half of each pair of brothers. It's a madcap, slapstick movie about the French Revolution, none of it to be taken seriously. The King of France, Louis XVI, is made out to be the biggest fool of all. Meanwhile, the evil Duke d'Escargot (Spinetti) plots to oust the king and take over the kingdom. The movie was filmed entirely on location in France, which gives it a considerable air of authenticity. It really is a non-stop laugh-fest. English subtitles are offered, but the closed captions are better. Grade: B+

50/50

2012-01-26T16:24:00.000-08:00

50/50 (2011) starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard. Twenty-seven-year-old Adam (Gordon-Levitt) is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and he and his friend Kyle (Rogen) struggle to find ways to deal with it. Adam's girlfriend (Howard) cheats on him, and his therapist (Kendrick) may be falling for him. The movie is based on real life (one of the writers had survived cancer), and it has a real-life feel to it. Adam meets his cancer with humor, and later with frustration and anger. The film is about as close to a comedy about cancer as you can get, but it still takes the disease, and its victims, seriously. The DVD offers English subtitles for the hearing-impaired, but no closed captions. Grade: B

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

2012-01-24T17:02:00.000-08:00

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Catherine Hicks. The familiar (but somewhat older) crew of the USS Enterprise journeys back to the 20th century to save the earth -- with the help of a pair of humpback whales. The fun doesn't really start until the crew members arrive in 20th century San Francisco, where Hicks is the spark plug for the action. She's the keeper of the whales, and has to be convinced that Kirk (Shatner) and Spock (Nimoy) are from the future, and that they have good intentions. Even though the science aspect of the plot is full of hoakum and Trek-talk, it's still fun to watch these characters return to their old roles. The DVD offers subtitles in English for the hearing-impaired, as well as closed captions. Grade: B+

Stardust Memories

2012-01-23T17:09:00.000-08:00

Stardust Memories (1980) starring Woody Allen, Charlotte Rampling, Jessica Harper, Marie-Christine Barrault, Tony Roberts. Written and directed by Woody Allen. Sandy Bates, a character not unlike Woody Allen, agrees to attend a weekend seminar devoted to his films -- where he is besieged by fans, who do all kinds of crazy things to get his attention. One gets the feeling that this film is highly autobiographical. Some may feel it's just narcissistic, but Woody addresses that objection in the film itself. I found it highly amusing. English subtitles are not included, but closed captions are. Grade: B+

Star Trek

2012-01-21T16:27:00.000-08:00

Star Trek (2009) starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Eric Bana, Leonard Nimoy. It's early days as James T. Kirk (Pine) is born as his mother flees (in a medical shuttle) the destruction of the USS Kelvin -- with Kirk's father in charge. Eventually, Kirk goes to Starfleet Academy and ends up aboard the USS Enterprise, where he meets, for the first time, the future crew of the starship which he is destined to command. The rest of the plot is some time-travel crap, apparently devised so that Nimoy can show up as the future Spock. That's OK though, if you're a Star Trek fan you'll enjoy seeing the characters in their early incarnations. I thought Urban was a standout as Bones. There's some pretty exciting action, but the film doesn't stray far from the Star Trek we all know and love. Subtitles in English are available, but I chose to watch with the closed captions option. Grade: B

Midnight in Paris

2012-01-20T17:01:00.000-08:00

Midnight in Paris (2011) starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams. Directed by Woody Allen. American Gil Pender (Wilson), visiting Paris with his fiancee Inez(McAdams), magically (somehow) finds himself transported back in time, to '20s Paris, where he meets F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Picasso ... the list goes on. Also, of course, he falls in love with a young woman from the '20s named Adriana. In essence, Wilson plays the Woody Allen role -- the role that Allen would have played himself when he was young. But there's more to this film than that. There are wheels within wheels, and the script is beautifully written. The subtitles supplied on the DVD are fine, and no closed captions are needed. Grade: A-

Starting Out in the Evening

2012-01-19T17:03:00.000-08:00

Starting Out in the Evening (2007) starring Frank Langella, Lauren Ambrose, Lili Taylor. A worshipful grad student named Heather Wolfe (Ambrose) sets out to write her thesis on aging author Leonard Schiller (Langella); meanwhile, Schiller is worried about his daughter, Ariel (Taylor), who is nearing 40 and can't seem to find her way in the world. Ariel doesn't trust Heather's motives; she thinks Heather might be a gold digger. This is an independent film, and it shows. It's very limited in scope, and I didn't find it terribly moving. It's not a bad movie, just not great. The stars, especially Langella, make it worth watching, but it's not a film I'll recommend to others or ever make an effort to see again. The English subtitles are good, as are the closed captions. Grade: B

The Ides of March

2012-01-17T18:01:00.000-08:00

The Ides of March (2011) starring Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood. Directed by George Clooney. Dirty tricks spoil an idealistic young campaign worker's (Gosling) outlook, and he turns to some dirty tricks of his own. This is an involving, scary movie, and my only criticism is that it seems a bit one-dimensional. The subtitles provided on the disc are very good. Grade: B

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

2012-01-16T17:07:00.000-08:00

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) starring Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner. Burton stars as a British Cold War spy, on the brink of retirement, who is sent on one last, dangerous mission. Bloom plays the woman who has the misfortune to fall in love with him. The twists and turns of the plot are surprisingly clear, and at the end I felt I understood pretty well what motivated the characters and why they made the decisions they did. The movie was adapted from a John Le Carre novel. Burton was nominated for an Oscar for his performance. English subtitles are available, as well as closed captions. Grade: A-

Stalag 17

2012-01-13T17:04:00.000-08:00

Stalag 17 (1953) starring William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger. The quintessential World War II POW movie starts with an escape attempt, which tells you it's going to be about life in the camp. Holden stars as Sefton, a sergeant who has adapted very successfully to life in the camp -- much to the envy of the other men, who suspect him of being a snitch; and there is a snitch in Barracks 14. He turns out to be -- not who you'd suspect. Preminger stars as the camp commandant. Holden won an Oscar for his performance. The disc comes with English subtitles and closed captions. Grade: A-

Higher Ground

2012-01-12T18:02:00.000-08:00

Higher Ground (2011) starring Vera Farmiga. Farmiga stars in and directs this story of a woman's spiritual journey. Corinne (Farmiga), raised to be a Christian, joins a fundamentalist sect. She spends years seeking the Lord, but he does not answer her cries. We watch as she eventually decides to leave the sect, and to leave her husband. This is a pretty good movie, but lacks a clear narrative line. The subtitles provided on the disc are good. There are no closed captions. Grade: B

A Star is Born

2012-01-10T16:34:00.000-08:00

A Star is Born (1954) starring Judy Garland, James Mason. Small-time singer Esther Blodgett (Garland) is "discovered" by famous actor Norman Maine (Mason), who promises to get her a screen test. Eventually, he follows through, and she goes on to become a star. Unfortunately he is a fading star himself, with a bad drinking habit. His contract gets canceled, while she goes on to become the featured star of the studio. My biggest problem with this movie is that Garland, who was 32 at the time it was made and looks older, just doesn't seem like the young fresh star being discovered. The other problem is that the restored film is almost three hours long, and feels to me like it contains a lot of filler. Garland, however, delivers a dynamite performance, and was nominated for an Academy Award. The disc includes English subtitles, as well as closed captions. Grade: B-

Stand and Deliver

2012-01-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

Stand and Deliver (1987) starring Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rosana de Soto, Andy Garcia. Olmos wears a terrible comb-over as a Latino math teacher who's trying to inspire a class of high school kids to take (and pass) the Advanced Placement calculus exam. It's all very inspirational, until ... the Educational Testing Service accuses his students of cheating on the test. Based on a true story, you couldn't make this stuff up. The disc has closed captions. Grade: B+

Stagecoach

2012-01-06T17:02:00.000-08:00

Stagecoach (1939) starring Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell. Directed by John Ford. A motley crew of seven passengers sets off in a stagecoach to cross Apache country in the movie which, among other things, made Wayne a major star. Quintessential Western has just about everything that would later become a cliche in Westerns through the '40s, '50s and '60s. The year Stagecoach came out, 1939, was a great year for movies, producing among other films Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. If you had to see just one Western, this would be the one. The subtitles on this disc are good, although a little hard to find. Grade: A-

The Debt

2012-01-05T17:03:00.000-08:00

The Debt (2010) starring Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, Tom Wilkinson, Ciaran Hinds. Three Israeli Mossad agents travel to East Berlin in 1965 to try to capture the "Surgeon of Birkenau," a dangerous war criminal. Rachel Singer (Mirren) has to relive the events years later when her daughter writes a book about her. When it turns out that some of the events told in the book aren't true, the 30-years-older Singer must go on a dangerous mission into Ukraine. Chastain plays the younger version of Singer. This is an intense, watchable movie, but there's something not-quite-right about the ending. The director seems to want to have his cake and eat it too. Nevertheless, overall, a watchable entertainment. Good subtitles, no closed captions. Grade: A-

The Squid and the Whale

2012-01-03T16:20:00.000-08:00

The Squid and the Whale (2005) starring Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, Anna Paquin. A couple (Daniels and Linney) splits up, leaving their sons (Eisenberg and Kline) with divided loyalties and confused about the breakup. The wife, Joan, is a rising star in the literary world, while the husband, Bernard's fame seems to be in the past. Every word of the script rings true as the boys struggle with being boys while trying to deal with their parents' separation. At the same time, the parents' quarreling dialogue always seems spot on. Daniels especially plays a very convincing consummate jerk. The subtitles are good, closed captions even better. Grade: A

The Spy Who Loved Me

2011-12-31T17:24:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-30T16:21:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-29T16:20:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-27T17:01:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-26T17:33:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-23T16:26:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-22T17:08:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-20T17:34:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-17T17:01:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-16T20:30:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-15T17:03:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-13T18:03:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-10T17:34:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-08T17:12:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

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

The Sons of Katie Elder

2011-12-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-03T18:06:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-01T17:47:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-29T18:00:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-28T17:33:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-25T16:17:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-24T18:21:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-22T16:45:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-21T16:24:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-20T16:22:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-18T17:31:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-17T17:31:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-15T16:49:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-13T17:31:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

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

2011-11-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-31T17:32:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-23T18:02:00.001-07:00

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

2011-10-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-17T17:38:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-10-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-10-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-07T17:31:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-30T16:59:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-12T16:13:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

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+