Walk the Line (DVD)

Walk the Line (2005) starring Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon. Witherspoon deserved the Oscar she won for portraying June Carter, the love of singer Johnny Cash's life. But the rest of the movie is too long, with too much attention paid to soap opera and not enough to the music. Phoenix is not bad as Cash, but them's awful big shoes to fill. Grade: B

Proof (DVD)

Proof (2005) starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhaal, Hope Davis. Paltrow plays Catherine, the daughter of a famed mathematician (Hopkins). The story focuses on her as she struggles with memories of her recently deceased father, along with doubts about her own sanity and her own talent as a mathematician. Fortunately, you don't have to know much about math to follow the story, which folds romance into the plot about a mathematical proof and the authenticity of its authorship. I found the movie watchable, but not riveting. Grade: B

Cinderella Man (DVD)

Cinderella Man (2005) starring Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti. Crowe plays Jim Braddock, a real-life boxer of the late 1920s and early 1930s. The story takes place during the Great Depression, and that is what sets it apart from other boxing movies. Braddock starts out as a good boxer whose career is cut short by injuries. Then comes the Depression, and he and his long-suffering wife Mae (Zellweger) must struggle to hold their little family together. After a few desperate years for the family, Braddock's manager (Giamatti) gets him a fight with a decent payday. Braddock is expected to lose, but the fight re-ignites his career. All this is pretty typical stuff for a boxing movie, except for the Depression-era setting. At almost two and a half hours, the film is too long -- even though the fight scenes are exciting, the story that takes place between fights is bit too drawn out. The climactic fight, in which Braddock takes on heavyweight champion Max Baer, is thrilling -- but it's a long journey to get there. Grade: B

A History of Violence (DVD)

A History of Violence (2005) starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris. "A History of Violence" lacks one thing, and that's a protagonist we can root for. Mortensen, as a small-town cafe owner, seems to fill the bill at first, but what the film reveals about his past and about his true nature make him someone undeserving of sympathy. While the unfolding of the film is fascinating and is executed with great skill, there is, ultimately, no one to cheer for. ... On the other hand, the movie has the structure of a classic Western: A man with a violent past tries to go straight, but events transpire which force him to deal with bad guys who won't leave him alone. On that level, it is satisfying. Grade: B-

Bleak House (DVD)

Bleak House (2005) starring Gillian Anderson ("The X Files"), the only cast member likely to be familiar to Americans. There are, however, a number of good performances in this BBC production of the book by Charles Dickens. Furthermore, the actors portray engaging characters, some admirable, some villainous, some comic. Viewing "Bleak House" is no small undertaking, as it takes up eight hours on three discs. I had to stretch it out and watch it over a period of two or three weeks, but I found it to be a rich and rewarding experience. Grade: B+

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (DVD)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson. The fourth installment in the Harry Potter series is a bit of a disappointment. Michael Gambon, as Dumbledore, just lacks the charm and sparkle of the late Richard Harris. Great chunks are missing from the book, an effect not so apparent in the earlier Harry Potter films. The music, too, is less magical. Grade: B-

Capote (DVD)

Capote (2005) starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener. Hoffman won an Oscar for his turn in the title role, but otherwise this movie isn't an especial standout. It tells the story of Truman Capote's writing of his famous book, "In Cold Blood," and of what it costs him to write it. While the movie was intellectually engaging, I didn't find it especially moving emotionally. Neither Capote, nor the killers he writes about, elicit much sympathy. Capote's high, whiny voice, as portrayed by Hoffman, is just plain irritating. Grade: B

The Squid and the Whale (DVD)

The Squid and the Whale (2005) starring Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline. Directed by Noah Baumbach. "The Squid and the Whale" is an exquisite miniature, a portrait of a family disintegrating before our eyes. It takes place in 1986 in Brooklyn, and many scenes were filmed on location in Brooklyn. All the characters are interesting, especially Jeff Daniels as the consummate, self-involved jerk, and the father in the family. This is one of the few movies I've seen where I felt it was too short and wanted to see more. There was Oscar buzz about this low-budget indie, and it was well deserved. Grade: A-

The Door in the Floor (DVD)

The Door in the Floor (2004) starring Jeff Bridges, Kim Basinger, Jon Foster, Mimi Rogers, Bijou Phillips, Elle Fanning. Based on John Irving's novel "A Widow for One Year," "The Door in the Floor" tells the story of one summer in the life of a family that is breaking up. Ted, the father, is a famous writer of children's books. Marion, the mother, has been turned to stone by the tragedy of a car accident in which both her sons were killed. Elle Fanning, Dakota's younger sister, plays Ruth, the four-year-old daughter. Eddie, the writer's assistant hired for the summer, is played by unknown Jon Foster. Ted and Marion, played by Bridges and Basinger, are not admirable characters. Both have flaws that make them unlikable. Foster, as Eddie, should be the center of the story, as it is told from his point of view. But his presence on screen is so weak that he seems to fade into the background of nearly every scene he's in. Many viewers will find "The Door in the Floor" unpleasant to watch, as there are no characters to admire. But I found it to be an absorbing study of dysfunctional people, and it was interesting to note the points of connection between the book and the movie. Grade: B

The 40 Year Old Virgin (DVD)

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) starring Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks. Some reviewers really liked this movie, but I'm not one of them. It falls into the "OK" category with me -- passable but not transcendent. The basic structure of the movie is good and works rather well, but it is overlong and has a few too many tiresome, tasteless jokes thrown in to fill out the running time. Catherine Keener is a delight as the main love interest of the title character, and the last 10 minutes of the film are enjoyable. It's just a long journey to get there. Grade: B-

The Weather Man (DVD)

The Weather Man (2005) starring Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis. A relentlessly downbeat movie masquerading as a comedy, "The Weather Man" leaves the viewer feeling slightly let down, despite a (somewhat) happy ending. The running joke in the movie is that Nicolas Cage, as weather man David Spritz, keeps getting hit by items of fast food thrown by "fans." It's not a very funny joke, and it gets old early on. The rest of the movie is consumed by David's campaign to get back together with his ex-wife (Davis), who clearly has no desire to try to make their marriage work again. Grade: C

Welcome to Sarajevo (DVD)

Welcome to Sarajevo (1997) starring Stephen Dillane, Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Emira Nusevic, Kerry Fox, Goran Visnjic, Emily Lloyd. Directed by Michael Winterbottom. With the present war in Iraq, it is easy to forget the horrors that came about in the 1990s. "Welcome to Sarajevo" reminds us of the tragedy that occurred when Yugoslavia broke up into warring nations, including Bosnia and Serbia. Peoples who had lived side-by-side in peace for centuries turned on one another in savage "ethnic cleansing." This movie tells the story of one journalist (Dillane) who is covering the siege of Sarajevo, and his decision to try to save one orphan from life in the war zone. The film is hard to watch at times, but worth the effort for those who are willing to remember. Grade: B+

Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (DVD review)

Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005). Animated. Mildly amusing, but mostly aimed at children. Won the Oscar for an animated film. Grade: B

In Her Shoes (DVD review)

In Her Shoes (2005) starring Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz, Shirley MacLaine. Two sisters are polar opposites, except for their shoe size. Collette plays Rose, the button-down lawyer who has her professional life together but her love life not so much. Diaz is Maggie, the ditzy party girl who gets drunk, has sex in the public bathroom, and ends up sleeping on her sister's couch. MacLaine is the long-lost grandmother who ends up bringing the two sisters back together after they have a horrible fight. It's tempting to brush this movie off as a chick flick, but it probably deserves more than that. It didn't quite work for me because the story was told in a herky-jerky fashion wherein big changes take place suddenly without explanation. And at 130 minutes, the movie is long enough to spell things out for us. Collette should get props for her acting. Grade: B

The Best of Youth (DVD review)

The Best of Youth (2003) features a cast that no one in America will recognize. Airing originally as a miniseries on Italian television, it is now available on DVD, in Italian with English subtitles. The six-hour running time will seem forbidding to some, but it is well worth the investment of time. The story follows the lives of two brothers, Matteo and Nicola, from the 1960s to 2003. The sweep of the narrative follows their lives as they mature from youths to men, form relationships with women and have children. Parallel to their individual stories is the development of Italian society and politics over the same period of time. Both of their lives are suffused with love and tragedy, but "The Best of Youth" rises above soap opera. Also notable are numerous scenes featuring beautiful scenery and beautiful Italian actresses. Grade: A

North Country (DVD review)

North Country (2005) starring Charlize Theron. Theron delivers a convincing performance in what is basically a by-the-numbers, "Norma Rae" type movie. One woman who needs her job in a Minnesota mine faces sexual harassment by good ole boys who don't think women should be taking jobs that otherwise would go to men. She fights back, battling not only the men but the other women who work there, her parents, and even her kids, none of whom stand with her at first. The story's arc is pretty much predictable, and the courtroom scenes feel familiar, but the performances are good enough that the viewer can easily get emotionally involved. Grade: B

Zathura (DVD review)

Zathura (2005) starring Tim Robbins as the father and three unknowns as the kids. Two brothers, Danny and Walter, find an old game called Zathura and start playing it. Zathura is a space adventure game, and the conceit of this movie is that what happens in the game really happens to the kids playing it. The game and its workings make for some good fun moments, but what this movie is really about is the relationship between Danny and Walter. At the beginning of the movie Walter is the mean older brother and Danny is the younger, neglected one. But through their adventures playing Zathura and fighting the Zorgons, Danny and Walter move their relationship to a new, more brotherly level. There are some logical inconsistencies that may bother adults, but for the children's audience that is the main target of this film I don't believe there will be any complaints. Grade: B+

Wedding Crashers (DVD review)

Wedding Crashers (2005) starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, Christopher Walken. What a disappointing mess this movie is. Wilson and Vaughn start out kind of funny as a couple of opportunists who go to weddings to pick up girls -- who they figure will be feeling romantic because of the wedding atmosphere. But the movie veers off into a mixture of raucous comedy and romantic mushiness that just doesn't work. It doesn't help that the chemistry between Wilson and McAdams never achieves liftoff. Grade: C

The Aristocrats

The Aristocrats (2005) A cast of dozens of comedians take turns telling the legendary joke that ends with the punchline "The Aristocrats." The joke has a flexible structure so that it can be as dirty as the comic wants to make it, and some of the versions in this movie are almost unbearably embellished with scatology, incest, bestiality, you name it. And yet the movie, which is essentially a documentary, offers us a peak inside the world of comedians -- and there are a lot of funny people here. Many viewers will find this movie distasteful, and it certainly is tasteless. But I'm glad I saw it. Grade: B-

Broken Flowers (DVD review)

Broken Flowers (2005) starring Bill Murray and an interesting supporting cast. Murray plays Don Johnston, a middle-aged man who retired early after making a fortune "in computers." On the day his girlfriend leaves him, he gets a mysterious letter telling him he may have a 19-year-old son whom he has never met. The movie is about his exploration of his past, through the women he thinks could be the kid's mother. In the process he takes a road trip and goes back to meet these old flames. The disappointment at the end of the film is that the mystery of the son is left unanswered, and thus the point of the movie becomes the journey, not the destination. Some viewers will find this satisfying, while others will be frustrated. Grade: B