Adam's Rib

George Cuckor was the ideal choice to direct this witty battle of the sexes comedy which was the first to pair Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. They play a pair of married lawyers that end up against each other in court -- Hepburn is defending a woman who attempted to killer her unfaithful husband on the grounds that had she been a man, she never would have come to trial, and Tracy is the D.A. assigned to send her off to jail. Considering this was 1949, it was well ahead of its time in its portrayal of gender discrimination. What really holds the film together, however, is the script by Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon (yes, that Ruth Gordon) which finds the right flourishes for its two stars.

Spirited Away

This film is generally regarded as Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece, and it may well be. It's about a girl who gets trapped in the spirit world after her parents are turned into pigs. She is forced to get a job in a bath house where spirits come to relax and clean up. There's some definite wonderment going on in this mythical fantasy tale as Miyazaki dazzles the audience with array of unique and imaginative characters. The heroin starts the film as one of Miyazaki's most annoying protagonists, but soon is humbled and grows into one of his most likable and complex characters. As usual it is not a simplistic black and white world, but one in which choices are made and even antagonists can make good choices as can the hero make bad ones. It's myth-making of rare intelligence that exposes most American childrens entertainment for the useless superficiality that is primarily is (including Disney from recent years).

The Pit and the Pendulum

This ranks as the best Corman-Poe adaptation that I have yet seen. Spanish Inquisition, torture, adulertery, people buried alive, scheming women -- yep, it's Edgar Allen Poe and Roger Corman gives it classy drive-in touch making it unusually enjoyable. Vincent Price gives a strong performance in a role that is more victim than victimizer. There are ever a couple of fairly effective suspense sequences.

Little Dieter Needs to Fly

Werner Herzog directed this interesting documentary about a German man who came to America after WWII because he wanted to become a pilot. He joins the Navy and finds himself as a pilot in Vietnam where he is shot down and becomes a POW in a hellish camp for months. The film is basically the man telling his story to the camera. Herzog takes him back to the location of many of the key events of his story and asks him to reinact them. His stories of torture in the camp and then his miraculous escape are tense and make me very glad that I am sitting here comfortably in my own roon rather than fighting snakes for a rat to eat. It's quite a story and Herzog provides some strong imagery to back it up. Plus, I now know how to escape from handcuffs (should the occasion ever arise).

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

An occasionally laugh worthy, but mostly unfunny and awkward 80's teen comedy. As far as vulgar, teen comedies go, this is even pretty frank in its sexual depiction and humiliating as well. Cameron Crowe wrote the script, but thankfully went on to better things. Seeing Sean Penn as stoned surfer dude from 1982, however, is almost worth the price of admission alone. The cast is mostly good, but they all seem to degrade themselves without even realizing it by showing up. It gets a few well-earned laughs but it doesn't deserve its reputation.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Who knew that the director of Y Tu Mama Tambien would also have a touch for dark, children's films? Alfonso Cuaron directs the best film yet in the series and proves a significantly better visual craftsman than Chris Columbus. Actually, this film is superior in almost every way to its predecessors. It's too bad that the major flaws of the series seem to stem from a lack of depth in the original source material. The visuals, however, are mostly striking, and the special effects are well utilized. Emma Watson once again proves that her Hermione Granger is the most interesting character of the lot, though their all becoming better actors. David Thewlis and Gary Oldman are welcome newcomers -- Thewlis giving perhaps the best performance in the series so far. Also, Michael Gambon shows up replacing the late Richard Harris. Unfortuantely, as good an actor as he is, he lacks the grandfatherly charm that Harris brought in the first two films. Overall, this is the most inventive and sophisticated of the series, though it suffers from a less substantial story than one might like, but it does leave me anticipating the next film.

Bad News Bears (2005)

With an uncanny naturalness, Billy Bob Thornton helps make this remake of the 70's film into one of the best comedies in years. It's about a boozing, loser, ex-baseball-player-turned-pest-inspector who, for the money, takes the job of coaching a team of sixth grade rejects/delinquents. Thornton plays the kind of guy that spikes his beer with whiskey and hires strippers to act as fans at the games. The humor is beautifully irreverant and politically incorrect coming equally from Thronton and the kids, which include: a fat kid, two Spanish speakers, an Armenian, a computer nerd who is only on the team for his college transcript, and a kid in a motorized wheel-chair. Directed by indie-king, Richard Linklater, who proves that he is equally adept with this type of small scale, mainstream entertainment.

Greetings

Another early, low-budget comedy from Brian De Palma. It's certainly better than The Wedding Party but not as good as its semi-sequel, Hi, Mom!. Armed with a crude technique, cinematic ambition, film school ballsiness, and an annoyingly improvisatory style (not to mention the awful theme song by The Children of Paradise) De Palma tackles the issues of the day: Vietnam, LBJ, the draft, the Kennedy assassination, sex, skin flicks, etc. The women of this film are solely, and almost offensively, sex objects. But De Palma trademarks such as voyeurism and obsession with the camera itself can be seen in development for later improvement. Reportedly the first American film to receive an "X" rating, as well as Robert De Niro's debut performance.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The second film in the series is an improvement from the first. It jumps right in and doesn't have to spend 45 minutes introducing characters. It suffers many of the same flaws of the first film, though to a lesser degree. New cast members, Kenneth Branaugh and Jason Isaacs bring spark to their roles as the three leads continue to mature as both people and actors. It's certainly a fine, if generally derivative, fantasy film.

Father and Son

It's unfortunate that Russia's most acclaimed filmmaker today is Alexander Sokurov, because with the exception of an occiasional interesting concept (such as the one-shot film of Russian Ark), he really isn't a great filmmaker. It's about a young, ex-soldier father and his 20-ish soldier son. The two of them exchange what appears to be a kind of incestuous/heroerotic relationship (according to Sokurov, just a figment of the dirty minds of the West, which may be, but it doesn't make it any easier). It's kind of dreamlike, but mostly boring.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

The first adaptation of J.K. Rowlings monumentally successful book series is an enjoyable if underwhelming fantasy yarn. As I was watching I couldn't help but feel sorry for poor, young Mr. Potter who apparently is already a legend amongst wizards and witches without even knowing it. Once he shows up at Hogwarts, everyone (including the professors) impress upon him such high expectations (and perhaps even favoritism), that it's a wonder he didn't crack under the pressure of living up to the reputation that he was oblivious to. It's got all of the archetypes and fantasy elements to make for excellent children's entertainment, and a strong British cast to boot, but I'm not sure it's good enough to earn the box office figures that it has managed to generate.

Happy Together

A disjointed, not very good homosexual love story from Wong Kar-Wai. Christopher Doyle provides some characteristically impressive cinematography, and the performances are bold if nothing else. This is perhaps the most frank depiction of homosexuality that I have seen from a straight filmmaker. Ultimately, though, not as satisfying a film as his Chungking Express or In the Mood For Love.

Horror Express

This film has everything that a great awful 70's horror film should have: religious fanatics, prehistoric ape men that know how to pick pad-lock's, mind absorbing aliens, zombies, eye fluid that literally retains the images it saw (absolutely brilliant, you can see dinosaurs and Earth from space), Telly Savalas, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee on the same side (though rival scientists), and the attempt to say something profound. More horror films should be set on trains.

Heart of Glass

Next to Aguirre, Wrath of God and Nosferatu, this may be Werner Herzog's finest achievement. Rumor has it that he forced all of his actors to perform under hypnosis which, along with his brand of photography, lends to an other-worldly quality to the film. With the prolonged opening sequence, Herzog manages to hypnotize his audience and string them through as he does his cast. It's about a small, rural village that falls into chaos when their master glass maker dies without revealing the secret to a very valuable formula for making ruby glass. There are few things as beautiful and interesting as glass blowing. It's a very Herzogian film -- oblique and hypnotic, and it even has a mystic cow-herder.

Felicia's Journey

After watching The Sweet Hereafter, Atom Egoyan quickly became one of my favorite modern directors. With this film he creates what could more or less be described as a serial killer movie... maybe. It's not as simple as that, however. There's not really a villain, just a victim. The film focuses on two characters -- Felicia, a young Irish girl has just arrived in England searching for her boyfriend because she is pregnant; and then there is Hilditch (with a good performance by Bob Hoskins), who is a caterer by day and a lonely, trapped-in-the-past, Norman Bates-like, mother-obsessed, potential serial killer by night, but like I said, it's not as simple as that. Their paths cross and Hilditch offers to help Felicia find her boyfriend. The strength of the film lies in its unconvential lack of judgement for the characters. However, I feel there is jarring disconnect between the two story lines. I felt cheated when the story of the girl searching for her boyfriend gradually turned into her finding herself in a potentially dangerous situation. It felt unnatural and I was left disappointed that that part of the film never found a satisfactory resolution.

The Devil, Probably

"Government's are short sighted."
"Don't blame governments, it's the masses who decide events."
"So who is that makes a mockery of humanity? Who's leading us by the nose?"
"The Devil, probably."

So goes an exchange on a bus in Robert Bresson's second to last film, and one of his least seen. In this he tackles the youth culture with a film that feels much like a Godard film, not so much stylistically, but in the characters and the overall feel. It's also his most overtly political film, but it's not a political film. It centers around a young, disaffected, 20-ish man in Paris who tragically learns the truth of the above exchange. In school he was involved in various left-wing groups and is an environmental activist, but this world is far from perfect, and is sadly, at least temporarily, under the Devil's dominion. He tries everything -- social activism, religion, psychoanalysis, drugs, but nothing seems to help him. He sees all too clearly that he is useless and that his life is meaningless. Basically, this is the most depressing Bresson film that I have seen.

Fearless

Jeff Bridges gives the best performance of his career in this film about life, loss, and the nature of salvation. It may also be the best film from director Peter Weir. It isn't as hypnotically beautiful as his Picnic at Hanging Rock, but it is more probing and raises bigger questions. Bridges plays a man who has survived a plane crash, but now he is different, he seems almost invulnerable. Now he's known as the "Good Samaritan" because he rescued a number of people during the accident while maintaining an unnatural calm. He can't die and has no fear of death, he isn't even allergic to strawberries anymore. But he's also closed up, he can't communicate with his wife, because she doesn't understand what it's like. In a sense he thinks he's already dead, yet he recognizes the love of life. He bonds with a young woman who lost her baby during the crash. The film is based on the novel by Rafael Yglesias who also wrote the screenplay. Bridges is magnificent, the plane crash sequences are intense and haunting, and the ending is as beautiful as one could hope for. Bonus points for the best use of a U2 song in a film to date. What a great, underseen little film.

Even Dwarves Started Small

Here's an eccentric, some might say nightmarish, film from director Werner Herzog. He creates a big person's world that seems to be inhabited only by dwarves. The cars, the furniture, the buildings, everything is too big for them -- even the camera is forced to look down on them (literally, not, as far as I can tell, metaphorically). Apparently this is the first film to feature an all dwarf cast since the 1940's Western, The Terror of Tiny Town. I, of course, was reminded of Tod Brownings most unusual horror film, Freaks. The interesting thing, though, is that I was never disturbed by the film (or Brownings film for that matter) or it's cast, because I can't help but notice the uniqueness and beauty of God's creation. There is no story to speak of, a group of dwarves take over an institution, and then the film moves from one seemingly improvised scene to another -- from mock weddings, to monkey crucifixion, and driving trucks in circles. I won't deny that there's some definite strangeness going on, and the last shot reeks of an almost Lynchian nightmare, but what I saw was one of the most unique and beautifully strange films ever made.

Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?

Here's a glorious mess of a movie. Well, maybe not glorious, but it certainly is a mess, and I think it realizes that. Anthony Newly wrote, directed, produced, and starred in this semi-autobiographical film that has loosely been compared to Fellini's 8 1/2 in nature and the fact that it's kind of a film about the making of a film about the life of Hieronymus Merkin. Upon its initial 1969 release, it received an X rating, perhaps for its candid sexual content and the slightly disturbing undertones of pedophilia, but strangely enough, it's all in good fun. It realizes that it's controversial, in fact the scenes that take place behind the scenes during the making of the film (are you following?) humorously address the candid nature of the film. Like I said, it's a mess, but a bold and sometimes boring mess.

Petulia

At the center there is George C. Scott as a recently divorced doctor and the quirky Petulia, played by Julie Christie at her lovliest. British director, Richard Lester, takes a look from the outside in of what he sees to be the decaying American culture of the late 1960's which is becoming fashionable, yet sterile. Lester's film feels like a Nicolas Roeg film, I suppose that could be because Roeg supplied his particular brand of visual pizzaz as cinematographer. The film is supplied with ample flashback's and the kind of choppy editing that was fashionable at the time. Many find it to be terribly cynical and depressing, while I remained uneffected by this technically impressive, though cold film.

Leaves From Satan's Book

For one of his earliest films, Danish director, Carl Theodore Dreyer, takes a note from D.W. Griffith's masterpiece, Intolerance, but instead of showing intolerance throughout the ages, he tells a story of temptation throughout the ages. Interestingly enough, the main character of the film is Satan himself who has been banished from Heaven. God's punishment to Satan is that he must do evil and tempt people -- for every soul who gives into his temptations, 100 years is added to his sentence; however, for every soul that resists his temptation, 1000 years is subtracted. Satan becomes an almost tragic figure who desires to be redeemed to God, but in order to do this, he must do evil and is constantly hoping that people will resist his temptation. He is used as an instrument of God to test the faith of men in times of crisis as they all struggle for redemption.

The story is told in four parts, the first being the final days of Christ on earth (a much superior portrayal than Griffith's lacking attempt in Intolerance). Satan takes the guise of a pharisee who tempts Judas to betray his master -- Judas, who has begun to question his faith. The second takes place during the Spanish Inquisition, where Satan is the Grand Inquisitor who tempts a young monk who must make judgement on an accused heretic whose daughter he is in love with. There is a beautiful moment in this sequence where the monk stares at a statue of a saint, and the statue becomes the girl he loves. The third takes place during the French Revolution where promises and loyalties are testing. The final section takes place during the Russian Revolution where he takes the form of a Russian monk who forces a young wife to choose to save the life of her husband by fighting for the enemy. The film is a profound portrayal of temptation and the testing of one's faith. It is not a great film, though it is one that is undeniably made by a great filmmaker.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Alas, Tim Burton's latest film is probably his most disappointing to date. Johnny Depp is at his most androgynous as the eccentric candy maker, Willy Wonka, who hides five golden tickets in bars of his chocolate to be won by five lucky children who will be escorted by him through his factory. Augustus Gloop is a German fat kid, Veruca Salt is a spoiled British brat, Violet Beauregarde is an overly-competitive gum chewer, Mike Teavee has been raised on one two many violent video games, and poor Charlie Bucket is a good natured, poor boy who can only afford to buy one candy bar per year. The film features some fine, Burton-esque imagery, and Alex McDowell's production design is a wonder to behold; however, Burton, while a master of production design and art direction, has not yet mastered the art of digital effects which are aplenty and not very convincing in this film. While the Oompa Loompa musical numbers are interesting if uninspired, I have a feeling that when Roald Dahl wrote the lyrics (and the story), I don't think he had disco or 80's metal in mind, though Danny Elfman doesn't seem to have a problem adapting them for such. Christopher Lee has a welcome supporting role as Willy Wonka's strict, dentist father (an addition not found in the orginal story). If I may get uncharacteristically structural for a moment, I believe John August's screenplay falls apart in the third act which drags on and is mostly unnecessary. Ultimately, I prefer the darker 1970's version, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory along with Gene Wilder's more mysterious, less creepy Willy Wonka. Plus I must deduct points for the use of Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra which has been off limits since 1968, as well as for Burton's bastardization of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Psycho.

A Gentle Woman

Robert Bresson ventures into the area of loveless marriage with this film. An older man falls for a young woman who does not love him, in fact she doesn't seem to feel much of anything, she's just gentle. She turns him down at first, but persistance eventually pays off and she marries him. He desires her and her youthful beauty and pursues her in way that is slightly similar (though less comic) than the main relationship in Luis Bunuel's masterpiece, That Obscure Object of Desire. By the end, he has won her body, but she is sent into a depression that leads her to commit suicide (which is seen in beautifully poetic juxtaposition). Ultimately, it is one of Bresson's less satisfying works, which nevertheless has some qualities to be admired.

La Promesse

Here is another interesting film about difficult moral choices from directors Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne. It concerns a fifteen year old Belgian boy who has quit school and become an apprentice at a mechanics shop, though his real job consists of helping his father run a tenement home for immigrants (mostly illegal) which charges exorbitant rates. One day, one of the tenants dies in an accident while running away from a raid by immigration officials -- he makes the boy promise to take care of his wife and baby. The boy agrees. However, his father makes him keep his mouth shut. The strengths of the film lies in fact that the filmmakers choose to not pass judgement on any of the characters, while at the same time emphasizing the nature of the moral choice the boy must make between loyalty to his father and aiding the poor widow. The film looks and feels like their later film, The Son, which has similar strengths.

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (aka Every Man For Himself and God Against All)

There is a man named Kaspar Hauser who can barely speak or write or even stand, because he has been locked alone in a room for his entire life, never leaving or seeing anyone other than the mysterious man who feeds him bread and water until the day he is left with a note in the middle of a town. With this film, director Werner Herzog attempts to view society from what he sees as a completely objective viewpoint. Kaspar has no knowledge of what we take for granted, and he reluctantly begins to learn to live within this new world. Herzog uses this "neutral" viewpoint to reveal how we all have been brainwashed (or something) by societal conventions and religion. The imagery is dreamlike and the performance by Bruno S. as Kaspar is eerily effective, but I would argue that it is foolish to try to view society with an objective eye -- unless you are actually a Kaspar Hauser then it is impossible to view society objectively, you can only bring your own viewpoint of what an objective society might be like. It's an interesting concept, but one that is flawed from the start.

Harvey

A charming little comedy that amounts to nothing more than being intermittently delightful. Jimmy Steward plays one of the nicest characters of his career (which is saying a lot) as a possibly delusional (alcoholic?) who is good friends with a 6'3.5'' invisible rabbit named, Harvey. It's rarely laugh out loud funny, but always delightful.

Election

Alexander Payne's satire of high school elections is amusing if a bit overrated. Reese Witherspoon is as cute as ever and gives her best performance as Tracy Flick, an overachiever with a big smile, a cute voice, and a hint of ruthlessness. Matthew Broderick plays the teacher who may or may not be attracted to her, but wants to see her stopped none the less. It's occasionally funny, for example the campaign speech in which the promise made is to do absolutely nothing and abolish the useless student government so no one will have to listen to campaign speeches again, but it's nothing to write home about.

Ivan's Childhood

The irony of the title is that Ivan has been robbed of his childhood (though partly of his own free will). When we meet the 12 year old boy, he is pleasantly dreaming about being able to fly and seeing his mother, when suddenly he is awakened and forced to swim across a murky swamp. He is a military scout for the Russian army in WWII. This was Andrei Tarkovsky's first feature length film, and in some ways, it's one of his most memorable (and certainly the shortest). Tarkovsky shoots the film in a very expressionistic black and white that stands out from the body of his work. It's a haunting film, though in a different way than his other films. It lacks the hypnotic effect that is often associated with him, but the images have a potency that challenges anything else he's done. It's about a boy who has been robbed of his youth during war time. The dream sequences have an unusual beauty to them, and much of the film harkens to Elem Klimov's 1985 masterpiece, Come and See in which WWII is seen from the perspective of a soldiering, young Russian boy. It is a great film.

Cobra Verde

This is a Werner Herzog directed borefest that is only redeemed in that Klaus Kinski couldn't be uninteresting if he wanted to. He plays a bandit hired by a wealthy sugar cane grower to be the foreman of his slaves. Soon (after he impregnates all three of the owners daughters), he is sent off to West Africa on a quest to bring back more slaves. Herzog has made many far more worthy films.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

This ranks along with Time Bandits and The Fisher King as one of Terry Gilliam's finest films. It features all of his visual excesses with a sense of humor and a sense of wonderment. The baron tells some fantastical tales about his adventures from one end of the world to the other (not to mention the moon) in order to save a city from being overrun by the Turkish army. A young Sarah Polley plays Sally, a girl who believes in the baron and accompanies him on the adventure, and interestingly, provides the grounding in reality for the film itself. Perhaps a bit long, but an adventure all the way.

The Boxer

Jim Sheridan's film about an ex-IRA man recently released from prison with new convictions during a time of political turmoil. Daniel Day-Lewis plays the title character. Has a strong riot scene in which Catholics and Protestants start out peacefully together watching a boxing match, but after a car bomb explodes, so does the crowd. Ultimately, not as affecting as his wonderful In America, though I appecriate any opportunity to see a performance by Brian Cox in which he is not a villain.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

John Hughes once again proves that he is the reigning philosopher of 80's teen movies. There's a charm and even an intelligence to his films that are sorely lacking the teen comedies of today. Matthew Broderick is Ferris Bueller who seems to be a legend in his own time -- he's cunning, charming, one of the most popular kids in schools, and nothing ever goes wrong for him (unlike his sister and the hapless school principal for whom everything goes wrong). He fakes being sick for a day, grabs his best friend, and sneaks his girlfriend out of school for a day on the town. His goal is make his best friend happy who has been long depressed due to an unhappy home life. It's funny, it understands the high school mentality, and it has some likeable performances. This is about as good as one can expect from a teen movie.

Lancelot du Lac

One of Robert Bresson's last films is in some ways one of his best. In it he strips away the Arthurian legend to its barest essentials. There are no epic battle sequences (though arrows fly, swords clang, and there is a beautifully staged jousting tournament), no rousing speeching, in fact Arthur himself is a mere background character. This is a film about the weakness of the flesh -- both literally and figuratively -- the knight's seemingly ineffectual (and constantly clanging) armour does not protect them from blows of the sword or an archer's arrows, and Lancelot's vow to God to end his adulterous affair with Guinevere is short lived. As is the story of Arthur and his knights, Bresson's film is a tragedy. The beginning sees the knights returning home from their quest for the Holy Grail, but are dismayed to have found nothing. The metaphor seems to be that their quest was not only for the Grail, but for God himself, and they have found nothing. Thus, a loss of faith, the weakness of the flesh, and power struggles quickly leads to their downfall and a somewhat brief, though poetic conclusion.

The Wedding Party

One of Brian De Palma's first films shot in black and white and clearly low budget, shows all of the joy and potential of filmmaking, but absolutely none of the talent that he would later display. Made in 1969, the film feels like a eager film student experimenting with techniques made popular by the French New Wave, with no understanding of them. Features an unspectacular Robert De Niro in his second film with only a supporting role.

Creature From the Black Lagoon

A rather mediocre Universal horror film about a gill man in a remote area of the Amazon. Plays like King Kong under water, when the creature see a beautiful scientist swimming, it falls for her and leads to his doom. Mostly boring, but has some good moments.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

I have to admit, I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this musical satire of the corporate system. Robert Morse plays a lowly window washer who comes across a book entitled "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" which he secretly utilizes to jump from mail room clerk to a vice president in a matter of days. Actually, some of the tips seemed rather practical and reasonable (some more dishonest than others). The infrequent musical numbers aren't overly impressive and the direction is nothing to stand and cheer about, but the script, the original source material (it was based on a Broadway play), and the likeability of the cast pull it through nicely. Plus, Maureen Arthur plays the best screen ditz since Jean Hagen's Lina Lamont in Singin' in the Rain.

Lord Love a Duck

George Axelrod made his directoral debut with this satire of just about everything from America in the 60's. Axelrod is a significantly better writer than he is a director, and when the film aims for comedy, it often succeeds wonderfully, but when it aims for drama, the angry and bitter satire of all things America spoils the mood (not to mention feels awkward) and renders moments difficult to watch.

The Loved One

Tony Richardson's film is significantly better than his Oscar winner, Tom Jones, and the perfect example of a cult classic, subversive 60's comedy if ever there was one. The tagline suggest that there's something in it to offend everyone, and while it was probably more true in 1965, it still holds up to its rep. Based on the novel by Evelyn Waugh and co-written by Terry Southern, the film bounces from one thing to another -- from Hollywood satire to satire of funeral homes and pet cemetaries -- that in retrospect is a bit jarring and more than a little disjointed. Robert Morse is a likeable leading man (though I never bought him as a Brit), and has the physical presence of a young Jerry Lewis. There are some wonderfully offbeat comic moments and Haskell Wexler's developing black and white, verite style photography adds to the feeling, but I can't decide if the whole is greater than the sum of its parts or not. There are few films like it, that's for sure.

I Confess

This film along with his The Wrong Man surely rank among Alfred Hitchcock's most underrated, somber, and personal films. This is his most overtly religious film in that it deals with a priest who overhears the confession of a murderer and soon finds himself accused of the murder. As a priest he is sworn not to reveal things told in confession, but he risks wrongly going to jail. It's Hitchcock's favorite theme of an innocent man wrongly accused, but it is now made into a crisis of faith and a test of moral character. Montgomery Clift plays the priest, Father Logan, with the kind of somber passion that only Clift could bring. He's excellent. Robert Burks' photography is appropriately unsettling. If the middle-half of the film didn't get bogged down in a flashback with a romantic sub-plot, I would be willing to rank this among his very finest films. As it is, however, I see the wounded soul of an artist (or two) grappling with his own personal fears in the way that only Hitchcock could do it. Like with The Wrong Man, this is only a step away from being a masterpiece.

Valley of the Dolls

This is one of those mod 60's time capsule films that plays like an American version of an early Roger Vadim film. In true soap opera form it tells the E True Hollywood Story of the rise and fall of a group of attractive women. Fortunately it never takes itself seriously, though you end up laughing at it as much as with it.

Nostalghia

I suppose there are only so many times one can reference the haunting beauty of a Tarkovsky film. The nostalgia of the title seems to be referring to the main characters' longing for spiritual enlightenment as he travels the Italian countryside away from his Russian home. Needless to say, the film is filled with symbols, long pauses, and religious rites as Tarkovsky attempts to uncover his themes. I found this to be one of his more unscrutable films, yet also one of his most beautiful. Erland Josephsson plays an eccentric old man that seems to harken to the character he would later play in Tarkovsky's final film, The Sacrifice.

Pickpocket

The austere nature of Robert Bresson's films allows much to be read into them, but then, that is how he wants it. His preoccupation with spiritual matters, symbolism, and redemption are rarely overt, yet a natural and essential part of his filmmaking. This film is said to be inspired by Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment in which a young pickpocket believes himself above common morality, yet secretly fears that he may not be. He establishes a cat-and-mouse relationship with a police inspector in which they discuss their theories of justice and morality, scenes that remind me of those tense moments with James Stewart in Rope. He loves a woman who loves him, but is afraid to be with her. There's a virtuoso sequence in which a group of pickpockets rob the passengers of a train -- it's a sequence that reminds me of Jacques Becker or even Alfred Hitchcock. The ending most of all lingers in mind leaving me with some interesting spiritual implications.

A Hard Day's Night

Richard Lester gives the fab four a boost of infectious energy with this semi-verite, ficticious account of a day in the life of the world's biggest rock stars, The Beatles. It's filled with one-liners and Lester throws in most of the tricks in the book (mostly for its own sake) and creates an indelible piece of pop art. It's fun, it's energetic, and if you like The Beatles, then there's not much to dislike.

Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

An all too short documentary on the making of Pink Floyd's landmark album, Dark Side of the Moon. The documentary itself has little to offer, but it's awe inspiring to watch and listen and learn how the band developed the ultimate concept album, especially if you're a Pink Floyd fan.

Mouchette

The films of Robert Bresson seem to vascillate between the poignantly hopeful and bleakly despairing -- this is one of the latter. More like an early film by Ingmar Bergman than what I have come to expect from Bresson. Mouchette is a lonely 14 year old girl, neither saint nor devil -- all too human and longing for love and acceptance. Her father is an abusive alcoholic and her mother is dying, she has no friends at school (though that could be because she has a tendancy to throw mud at the other children, but then again, she probably throws mud because she has no friends etc.). Brief rays of hope are quickly squashed by despair, and it doesn't end on a happy note. It's both painful and beautiful, but mostly painful. The opening scene and a scene in which birds get caught in a hunters trap provide wonderful visual metaphors.

Stalker

Yet another hauntingly beautiful film from the great Andrei Tarkovsky. He creates an unspecified world that has remote feelings of being post-apocalyptic in which the "stalker" is a guide (illegally) to an almost mythical area known as "the Zone". Rumors have spread that in the Zone, travelers will receive their hearts desire. The stalker takes two men with him on the journey, a rationalist scientist and a phiosophical, materialist writer. The two men react to their situations as their worldviews dicatate, as the film slowly reveals the fallacy of both. It is leisurely paced, to say the least (at over 2 1/2 hours), but hypnotic. Tarkovsky films his scenes often in long shots with long takes and only a minimal amount of dialogue. The few close-up's in the film are almost jarring. He creates a visual poetry with his images that remind me of his masterpiece, The Mirror, though the metaphysical, science-fiction like wandering reminds me of his Solaris. It's not Tarkovsky's best work, but considering I have yet see a film from him that I would consider less than great, that's no insult.

Kiki's Delivery Service

Once again, Hayao Miyazaki proves that there is magic in his animation. The more of his films I watch, the more I realize that as far as storytellers go, Miyazaki is almost second to none. This simple little tale tells of a young girl who is a witch in training, though the only magic she ever uses is her ability to fly on a broomstick. Once she reaches the age of 13, she must leave her home for a time and learn to live on her own in a whole new town. Kiki, like many Miyazaki protagonists is a good natured girl who seems to have a positive effect on everyone she comes in contact with. Soon she finds herself working as a delivery girl for a kind, pregnant baker. Her journey, she discovers, is to find the source of her inspiration -- that thing that gives her the ability to fly without even thinking about it. It's a magical, touching little film, the kind that I would have no problem raising my children on.

Code Unknown

As the subtitle to this film (Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys) implies, this is comprises of several vignettes that ultimately correspond with certain characters, but are often cut short (even in the middle of sentences). It's unfortunate that what could be considered the most painless and even hopeful film from Michael Haneke is also his most artistically disappointing. The vignette style never works for me, despite some excellent sequences. As Jessica Winter puts it, "Code Unknown is Michael Haneke's most expansive and, oddly, hopeful work -- not a gaze into the void, but a fierce attempt to scramble out of it." But it doesn't compare with his most satisfying film, Time of the Wolf.

No Man's Land

Set during the war in Kosovo or Croatia or the former Yugoslavia (whatever), No Man's Land tells the story of two soldiers, a Serbian and Bosnian trapped in a trench in no man's land (the area between either side). Neither will likely be able to jump out of the trench and run to their respective side without getting shot by the other. Added to this a mine has been activated underneath a soldier who was though dead, though is unfortunately not, and if he moves, it explodes. Some French soldiers for the U.N. get involved as does a British reporter. Danis Tanovic's film is a well executed and compelling war story, but seems to be nothing more than that. If you're looking for the thematic futility of war, you'll proabably find it because it's probably there. I prefer something with loftier thematic ambitions, but like I said, it's a well told story.

Happiness

Todd Solondz's film represents humor at its darkest and funniest. I'm not sure if this is about happiness or a satire of it -- I lean towards the latter. It's an awkward and painfully touching dark comedy. One never quite manages to get their bearings in this film -- it's equally audacious (which is funny in and of itself) and funny, but the humor is offset by the disturbing nature of some of the characters, which is offset by a few truly poignant moments, which is once again offset by the fact that it's funny. The central characters are three sisters -- the sexy and successful writer whose neighbor is shy and obsessed with her, the happy suburban housewife that "has it all" including a pedophiliac psychiatrist husband, and the lonely loser whose life seems to be going nowhere. I wish I could explain it, but this is really the kind of film that must be seen to be understood. As a craftsman, Solondz is only competent, but his unique approach to characters and situations and quirks more than holds the film together, even at well over two-hours in length. It's difficult to know how to react when watching this film, but somehow I suspect that there's an ironic honesty at work here.

The Piano Teacher

Isabelle Huppert is nothing if not a bold actress as she is clearly the focal point of this film which few besides Michael Haneke would dare attempt. Huppert is a cold, domineering piano teacher which a fetish for Schubert (among other things) and she lives with her annoyingly domineering mother (they sleep in the same bed). Her cruelty is expressed when she insults one of her male students when she catches him in porn store, which she herself was visiting, and then later when she places broken shards of glass in the coat pocket on one her more promising pupils. The one of her pupils falls in love with her. She initially resists, but soon gives in, though not as you might expect. For that matter little happens in this film that you might expect. She writes him a letter explaining what is "permissable" for him to do to her, and her rather detailed sado-masochistic account repels him (as it probably will much of the audience). It seems to me that her cold, emotionless exterior hides her secret perverse, masochist sexual desires, which seem to disguise her deep desire to be loved. Huppert, as I mentioned before, is bold and often brilliant, but Haneke's direction seems too calculated to me. He is often overbearing in his restraint and some scenes end up feeling as unnatural as others are masterful. Then, once again, he doesn't end it on a note that makes you run singing through the hills, but it probably shouldn't anyway.

Tout Va Bien

Everything's all right -- or is it? In 1972, four years after the mayhem of May '68, Jean-Luc Godard examines the political motivations of the day. It's one of his angrier and most blatantly revolutionary films, but it's still so boldly humorous in Godardian sort of way. Jane Fonda is an American journalist in Paris married Yves Montand who was an important filmmaker that has sold out into making commercials. The two of them get caught up in a strike at sausage factory where the workers have trapped inside the company leaders as well as Fonda and Montand. There's a wonderfully funny bit where the workers won't allow the boss to use the bathroom (because they only get five minute bathroom breaks, but it takes that long just to get to the bathrooms), so at the point of desperation, he runs into his office, throws something through the window and begins to urinate out the window. If there has ever been a filmmaker who has come close to changing the world politically, it was Godard. His filmmaking is as bold and brilliant as ever, but his striking workers (the exploited masses) come across as petty complainers envious of the success of the wealthy capitalists, but then again, that's always been one of the faults of socialism -- mindless class warfare.

Rob Roy

Where would the Scotish be without their outlaws? In the spirit of (and same year as) Braveheart comes yet another rousing Scotish epic. The recreation of period detail and characteristics are excellent -- it makes you feel like you're in 17th century Scotland. The cast, led by Liam Neeson, which includes Jessica Lange, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, and Brian Cox all perform valiantly. Rob Roy is a man who will die for his honor, and to protect the honor of those he loves -- against the aristocratic English if he must, since they have done him wrong. Alan Sharp's script is equally as manly and as poetic (in that highlander sort of way) as Randall Wallace's for Braveheart, but as good as Liam Neeson is in the role, Mel Gibson will forever be etched in our minds as the true Scotish outlaw. The landscape is beautiful and there's an excellent swordfight between Neeson and Roth. It's good in almost every way, but it's not a great film.

The Monster That Challenged the World

The great thing about these 1950's B sci-fi/horror films is that they almost always lived up to their titles. And while there was less world challenging than I might have hoped, it did help me to realize that there are just far too few films about giant vampire slugs.

Hail the Conquering Hero

Preston Sturges was something of an American original. He had a wit, intelligence, and ear for humor that was (and in some ways still is) unsurpassed in comedy. This one tells the story of a small town boy during the second world war, who was discharged from the Marines for chronic hay fever. Since then he has been working in a ship yard and writing letter and making his mother think that he has been fighting at Guadalcanal and other such battles. One night he runs into six Marines who take him back home where, to his surprise, the town receives him as a great hero. Soon they even have him running for mayor. Sturges throws it out fast and furious and makes you keep up. It has a kind of patriotism that was probably taken for granted at the time, but then again, it's just as much a satire of patriotism and hero worship as it is a vehicle for it. As enjoyable as it is at times, it's also one of Sturges' more naive films. It lacks the sophistication and the flavor that made his best films seem far ahead of their time. But this one lives in the 1940's.

The Long Goodbye

Robert Altman reinvents Raymond Chandler's private eye, Philip Marlowe in this revisionist detective story. Elliott Gould gives a strong performance as Marlowe who seems to be lost and confused -- a 1940's private eye wandering through 1973. It's very clever and very Altman-esque. Though to be fair, some of the credit should go to screenwriter Leigh Bracket who also wrote Howard Hawks' great, The Big Sleep. It's often funny and strings together incidents and characters with that improvisatory style that Altman has mastered. Sterling Hayden gives one of his finest performances a drunkard writer, and it's interesting to notice a couple of uncredited cameos by David Carradine and as yet unkown Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Tales From the Crypt

This Amicus anthology horror film is filled with the delight of a child reading a collection of his favorite ghost stories. It consists of five tales in which the evildoer is made to confront and pay for their sins which, as we learn, leads them into hell. The best is probably the first in which a house wife murders her husband and is soon terrorized by an insane escaped criminal in Santa Claus costume. Another joy is to see Peter Cushing in one of his more unusual roles, though also one of his strongest and most sympathetic performances. Some feature a slightly questionable morality of repaying evil for evil, but I'm sure it keeps the kiddies from being naughty.

The Fall of the House of Usher

One of Roger Corman's first adaptations from an Edgar Allen Poe story which also features his frequent collaborators, screenwriter Richard Matheson and star Vincent Price. While it's traditionally regarded as a horror film, I prefer to describe it as a gothic psychological drama -- a descent into madness and the macabre, which of course were Poe's specialties. Price thinks that the Usher family and its home are cursed with the evil done by his ancestors. The decaying house, I take it, is to be a metaphor for madness. Atmospheric, but never scarey. Corman is a better director than he is often given credit for (there's often more going on than meets the eye), but he's never been a great filmmaker. Features a symbolic, firey ending and some terrific production design.

Me and You and Everyone We Know

This has the kind of independent feel and spirit that seems destined for Sundance. It's an occasionally touching, though subtle human comedy that is as bold in some areas as its filmmaking is naive. But the naivete is part of its charm -- there's a sense of wonderment to lives and outlook of the fractured characters which seems refreshingly un-cynical. I do, however, agree that the film never fully finds itself. It at times feels lost in its eccentricities, which may be due to the fact that its director, Miranda July, began and continues to be a performance artist. It's a film that leaves you with much to admire and much to smile about except for a film itself.

House of Wax (2005)

About the only thing that this has in common with its 1953 ancestor of the same name is the title and some figures made of wax. In this version, however, the house of wax is literally made of wax (as is everything inside), and when it catches on fire it creates a climactic inferno that Roger Corman would be proud of. The most memorable scene in the film is a deadly game of cat and mouse set in an old abandoned movie theater that is still playing What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? It's too bad the audience for this film has probably never heard of that film, nor are they likely to realize that this is a remake. Classic movies and giant pools of melting wax aside, this movie has nothing going for it. Someone pass the No-Doz.

Invaders From Mars (1986)

Tobe Hooper remade this 50's sci-fi classic about a boy who suspects that aliens may be controlling many of the people in his small town. It's a premise not unlike Invasion of the Body Snatchers only in Hooper's film we see the Martians and they are big Mr. Potato Head's created by Stan Winston that come out of a space ship with an interior lit like a disco club. Don't worry this is definitely a B film that knows its place in the world. It's fun, and for the first 45-minutes, a little bit suspenseful, though never to the level of the original film.

Ichi the Killer

I can see how some might find indie Japanese director Takeshi Miike's total disregard for any standards of good taste appealing. It is certainly unrestrained. Unfortunately it seems that the film is little more than an excuse for Miike to indulge in his excesses. It's also certainly a stylish film about the Japanese underworld. It's even energetic for a genre that's know for its energy, but violent to the point of masochism. I may be able to respect Miike as a filmmaker, but I have little desire to see any of his other films.

Saraband

The films of Ingmar Bergman represent the high point of cinema as an artform. Now, at 87 years of age, the great Swedish filmmaker (who is one of the few in the medium's history that deserves the description of genius) has officially retired and bidden farewell to the screen. He technically retired after his 1982 masterpiece, Fanny and Alexander but continued directing on the stage and for televison, which is where this, his final film comes from. Made for Swedish television as an unoffical sequel to his great 1973 miniseries, Scenes From a Marriage, Bergman reunites stars Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson as only he can. The two of them have been acting for Bergman and with each other for 45 years, and their is certainly an unspoken language between the three that is almost profound in and of itself. His characters are probing and frank about their lives, though emotional invalid's even in their old age. Bergman has a unique insight into human behavior, perhaps because he understands people and inner turmoil so well, or rather he understands himself (which is more than most people can say), which is to say he understands a certain part of humanity that is universal. Many of the director's trademark themes including, love, misunderstanding, pain, sufferring, and the desire for redemption can be found within this films hauntingly genle frames, and he directs with the wisdom of a man who has experienced life and now realizes that he has nothing left to prove. This film will not be remembered as one of Bergman's paramount achievements, but it is the right film with the right cast and the right title for him to end his distinguished career on. But the ending has a poignancy that rivals the best of them.

The Final Countdown

How's this for a B-movie premise: the U.S.S. Nimitz, a state-of-the-art aircraft carrier gets sucked into a wormhole in the Pacific and gets spit out on December 6, 1941. With this modern marvel and a knowledge of history, they could stop the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Kirk Douglas stars as the carrier captain and Martin Sheen is an inspector from the Department of Defense. At times the movie and the cast is so enjoyable that you almost forget that the film ultimately doesn't go as far with its premise as I might have liked. It was made with the cooperation of the Navy and was filmed on a real carrier lending a touch of authenticity. The ending is a bit unsatisfying, but on the whole, an enjoyably watchable little movie.

War of the Worlds (2005)

Steven Spielberg's latest science-fiction extravaganza is grandiose in production but unusually lacking in story and character. The characters are all generic and the father-son relationship feels thrown together just so it can really be called a Spielberg film. I still like Tom Cruise, though, and he manages to bring some good moments to David Koepp and Josh Friedman's lacking script. And poor Dakota Fanning who continues to prove that she's the best young actor since Haley Joel Osment, gives the best performance of the lot. For that matter, Spielberg is still no slacker when it comes to directing children. As for the production, it's incredibly impressive with the visual effects and monumental scenes of distruction. For his last couple of films, Spielberg seems to have been battling himself between the child and the adult; unfortunately, he has not yet mastered the art of balance and at moments that should be filled with awe and spectacle, he makes weighty and self-conscious, which at times borders on offensive. While it does manage to avoid most of the cliches of the disaster film, it falls when it should soar and creates all new problems. There are certainly sights to behold, but I just wish there was more. I prefer Byron Haskin's 1953 adaptation, if for no other reason than it was more sure of what it was.

Dillinger

Director John Milius is a man's director. Anyone who has seen Conan the Barbarian knows the kind of machismo that he relishes. With this film he tackles the era of the "g-man" and the gangster and the bank-robber of early 1930's, middle America. This is the era of Bonnie and Clyde, "Machine Gun" Kelly, "Baby Face" Nelson, "Pretty Boy" Floyd, and John Dillinger. Warren Oates plays Dillinger, a cocky bank robber and public enemy #1 who, for awhile anyway, boasts about his never having killed anyone. But the joy to watch is Ben Johnson as Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent who's brought down more than his share of would-be gangsters. He takes a gun in either hand, has an assistant light his cigar, and calmly marches into a farm house where a gangster and his girlfriend are held up, and only one of them walks out alive. Too bad it's really not that good of a movie. It's got a lot going for it, and is more than a little bit inspired by Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde, but it won't be remembered as one of the great gangster films.