so yeah

I'm taking a break from this.

Skip It 3/7/2010

Tobacco Road (1941)
Directed by: John Ford
Written by: Erskine Caldwell; Jack Kirkland; Nunnally Johnson
Starring: Charley Grapewin, Marjorie Rambeau, Gene Tierney, William Tracy, Elizabeth Patterson, Dana Andrews, Slim Summerville, Ward Bond
A family of backwood idiots in South Carolina are evicted from their property by the bank, and do very little to help themselves. Soon the moronic son is married to the local religious zealot and they buy a car and drive around reeking havoc, crashing into almost everything and abusing the car like it's a toy. The patriarch of the family wants to get a loan from the bank so he can plant some crops again, but he's too lazy and shiftless to actually do anything. There's a bunch of weird slapstick and overacting that could put post-Scarface Pacino to shame, mixed with awful maudlin scenes of desperation. This kind of film is typical of that era in American history, where rich, 'enlightened' people gathered to laugh at those less fortunate, be it blacks, latinos or hicks, in movies filled with stereotypes and cruelty. It's a dated dud that is better off forgotten. D



Possessed (1947)
Directed by: Curtis Bernhardt
Written by: Rita Weiman; Silvia Richards + Ranald MacDougall
Starring: Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, Raymond Massey, Geraldine Brooks, Stanley Ridges
Joan Crawford falls in love and gets rejected, so she tries to do everything she can to win the object of her affection's love. At some point someone drowns or something and Crawford winds up in a hospital, but I think there was more to it than that. To be honest I had the hardest time paying attention to this one. I typically like Joan Crawford movies, but this melodrama just seemed stagnant. Her acting is good as usual, but she'd definitely done better work than this. C



Blood Beach (1980)
Directed by: Jeffrey Bloom
Written by: Jeffrey Bloom
Starring: David Huffman, Marianna Hill, Burt Young, Otis Young, Lena Pousette, John Saxon, Darrell Fetty
'Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, you can't get to it.' The film's tagline is probably the most memorable thing about this movie. An unseen monster is sucking people under the sand of a California beach, and a bunch of cops try their best to find it and kill it. The story could have made for a good monster movie, but the execution here is abysmal. There are entire scenes that seem (badly) improvised, such as a scene were the wife of a victim spends what seems like an eternity describing to the police what her husband was wearing when he disappeared. The scene is endless, and pointless, just like the rest of the movie. F



Dick Tracy (1990)
Directed by: Warren Beatty
Written by: Chester Gould; Jack Epps Jr. + Jim Cash
Starring: Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Charlie Korsmo, Glenne Headly, Madonna, Dustin Hoffman, William Forsythe, Seymour Cassel, Charles Durning, Mandy Patinkin, Paul Sorvino, Dick Van Dyke, James Caan, Kathy Bates, Catherine O'Hara, Mary Woronov
When the various crime families are forced to consolidate, detective Dick Tracy must do his best to bring the big boss down. Also hanging around are a homeless kid who Dick takes under his wing, a nice girl who wants to marry Dick, and the bad girl lounge singer who knows more than she's letting on. The problem with this movie is the story, which fails to hold the various more successful elements together. Everything else is pretty exceptional, from the over-the-top comic book performances, colorful sets, a lively score, bizarre make-up and some original songs by composer Stephen Sondheim. But the story is pretty routine and fails to really hold everything together, and by the last half hour things get really tiresome. C+



The Forbidden Dance (1990)
Directed by: Greydon Clark
Written by: Roy Langsdon + John Platt
Starring: Laura Harring, Jeff James, Barbra Brighton, Miranda Garrison, Sid Haig, Angela Moya, Richard Lynch, Shannon Farnon
An Indian princess from the Amazon must convince a corporation to stop the destruction of her jungle, so she and a witch-doctor hop on a plane and fly to Los Angeles. Soon she's someone's maid, and she goes out dancing with her bosses spoiled lay-about son. They dance the 'forbidden dance,' aka The Lambada!, one of the most ridiculous dances I've ever seen. Soon the lay-abouts bigoted ex-girlfriend and the evil corporation's hit-man team up to get rid of the sexy dancing thorn in their sides while our hero couple prepares for a televised dance competition. This is one of those movies that has to be seen to be believed, where every scene is just so aggressively awful that you question the direction of our society as a whole. F (A+ for camp value)

See It 2/27/2010

Grand Illusion (1937)
Directed by: Jean Renoir
Written by: Jean Renoir + Charles Spaak
Starring: Jean Gabin, Dita Parlo, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim, Julien Carette, Georges Peclet, Werner Florian
WWI changed everything, and 'Grand Illusion' carefully reveals the eroding social structure of the early 20th Century. The classes are melting into each other, and the new world emerging is seen with both hope and reservation. The cast is well chosen and they work wonderfully as an ensemble. There are many powerful scenes in the film, so many that it would be pointless to try listing them. Nevertheless, this is a great film about the futility of war, racism, classism, and all other things that separate any human being from another. A wonderful film. A-



Pygmalion (1938)
Directed by: Anthony Asquith + Leslie Howard
Written by: George Bernard Shaw, WP Lipscomb, Cecil Lewis, Ian Dalrymple, Anatole de Grunwald, Kay Walsh
Starring: Leslie Howard, Wendy Hiller, Wilfrid Lawson, Marie Lohr, Scott Sunderland, Jean Cadell, David Tree, Everley Gregg
Professor Henry Higgins, an upper-class intellectual snob, makes a bet with a friend that he can transform Eliza Doolittle, a crass, unrefined girl from the street into a refined, dignified lady of society. After working and training Eliza to fit in, he soon realizes that Eliza is a human being, with feelings and opinions of her own. Goerge Bernard Shaw's play is successfully adapted into a funny, touching film, featuring an absolute knock-out performance from Wendy Hiller as Eliza. The sexism that occasionally rears its ugly head could turn off today's viewer, but whatever, they'd be missing out on a really good film. B+



Ninotchka (1939)
Directed by: Ernst Lubitsch
Written by: Melchior Lengyel, Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, Walter Reisch
Starring: Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas, Ina Claire, Bela Lugosi, Sig Ruman, Felix Bressart, Alexander Granach
A wonderful romantic comedy starring the luminous Greta Garbo, who plays Ninotchka, a tough Soviet visiting Paris to finalize the sale of some confiscated royal jewels. She plays the role to perfection in finding nothing good with capitalism and all that it represents. The movie must have given audiences some insight into what was going on with the Soviets at that time. She eventually begins to soften a little after spending time with her co-star Melvyn Douglas, a rich playboy, who happens to fall in love with her. Things get complicated when true identities are discovered, and the former owner of the jewels tries to get them back. The story is somewhat basic but does have quite a bit of humor that brought on more than a few chuckles. B+



The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Directed by: John Ford
Written by: John Steinbeck; Nunnally Johnson
Starring: Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Charley Grapewin, Dorris Bowdon, Russell Simpson, O.Z. Whitehead
This powerful film chronicles the turmoil of a family traveling west to California during the Great Depression. The always excellent Henry Fonda plays Tom, just released from prison. He travels back to his family's farm only to discover they've been evicted from their land. When rumors of available work spread from the west, the family packs all their belongings to brave the unknown as they make their way cross country in their jalopy. There are countless powerful scenes and images throughout, as our heroes face starvation, homelessness, and cruelty on their journey. A



Ball Of Fire (1941)
Directed by: Howard Hawks
Written by: Billy Wilder, Thomas Monroe, Charles Brackett
Starring: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Oskar Homolka, Henry Travers, S.Z. Sakall, Tully Marshall, Leonid Kinskey, Richard Haydn, Aubrey Mather, Kathleen Howard, Mary Field, Dan Duryea
When a group of socially awkward professors, led by Gary Cooper, realize they need to study how 'real' people talk in order to complete their 12 year encyclopedia writing project, they end up unwittingly aiding a beautiful singer (Barbara Stanwyck) escape from the police when her gangster boyfriend gets into hot water. While laying low with the professors, everyone learns something new, and eventually she gets a marriage proposal from Cooper. Things get dangerous for everybody when her mobster boyfriend locates her. Stanwyck is great as always, but it's Gary Cooper who's the real draw here. Playing against his tough guy image, he is really good as the timid, awkward Professor Potts. B



The Naked City (1948)
Directed by: Malvin Wald
Written by: Albert Maltz + Malvin Wald
Starring: Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart, Don Taylor, Frank Conroy, Ted de Corsia, House Jameson, Anne Sargent, Adelaide Klein
Amid a semi-documentary portrait of New York City and its people, Jean Dexter, an attractive blonde model, is murdered in her apartment. Homicide detectives Dan Muldoon and Jimmy Halloran investigate. Suspicion falls on various shifty characters who all prove to have some connection with a string of apartment burglaries. This police procedural was groundbreaking in it's day, but often plays like a narrated episode of 'Law and Order.' Regardless, it's still a pretty interesting movie, with some great on location cinematography of a long-gone New York City of yesteryear. B



Miss Julie (1951)
Directed by: Alf Sjoberg
Written by: August Strindberg; Alf Sjoberg
Starring: Anita Bjork, Ulf Palme, Marta Dorff, Lissi Alandh, Anders Henrikson, Inga Gill, Ake Fridell, Kurt-Olof Sundstrom, Max von Sydow
When the young, wealthy Miss Julie and the married servant Jean spend the midsummer night together, they reflect on their respective pasts. They are in love but because of who they are they know they cannot possibly be together. They hatch a plan to run away together, but circumstances, and the specters of their painful histories, seem to hold them where they are. This is a very odd but incredibly moving film. Anita Bjork is fantastic as the cold, defensive Miss Julie, and the dreamlike cinematography is some of the best I've ever seen. A-


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Listening to: Loretta Lynn - Snowbird
via FoxyTunes

My Oscar Choices

Best Motion Picture
of the Year:
The Hurt Locker
or
Inglourious Basterds

Best Performance by an
Actor in a Leading Role:
Jeff Bridges for 'Crazy Heart'
or
Jeremy Renner for 'The Hurt Locker'

Best Performance by an
Actress in a Leading Role:
Gabourey Sidibe for 'Precious...'
or
Carey Mulligan for 'An Education'

Best Performance by an
Actor in a Supporting Role:
Christoph Waltz for 'Inglourious Basterds'

Best Performance by an
Actress in a Supporting Role:
Mo'Nique for 'Precious...'

Best Achievement in Directing:
Kathryn Bigelow for 'The Hurt Locker'
or
Quentin Tarantino for 'Inglourious Basterds'

Best Writing, Screenplay
Written Directly for the Screen:
'The Hurt Locker' by Mark Boal
or
'Inglourious Basterds' by Quentin Tarantino

Best Writing, Screenplay
Based on Material Previously
Produced or Published:
'In the Loop' by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell,
Armando Iannucci, and Tony Roche

Skip It 2/20/2010

The Box (2009)
Directed by: Richard Kelly
Written by: Richard Matheson; Richard Kelly
Starring: Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella, James Rebhorn, Holmes Osborne, Gillian Jacobs, Celia Weston, Deborah Rush
A creepy old man offers a suburban couple one million dollars if they simply push a button in a box. The catch is that somewhere in the world, someone they don't know, will die. After a bit of contemplation the button is pushed, and soon after things get complicated. What could have been a really creepy thriller is bogged down by tons of needless exposition and some really bad acting. 'The Box' is a film that tries to be thought provoking but just ends up being stupid. D-



Where The Wild Things Are (2009)
Directed by: Spike Jonze
Written by: Maurice Sendak; Spike Jones + Dave Eggars
Starring: Max Records, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker, Chris Cooper, Lauren Ambrose
An obnoxious little boy runs away from home because he doesn't get enough attention from his single mom, and finds himself on an island inhabited by giant unpleasant mascots. They declare him their king and then they run around breaking things and arguing for the rest of the movie. A kids book is stretched out into a long, unpleasant, boring movie that only masochists would enjoy. F



Nine (2009)
Directed by: Rob Marshall
Written by: Mario Fratti, Maury Yeston, Arthur Kopit; Anthony Minghella + Michael Tolkin
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren, Stacy Ferguson
An acclaimed director is trying to come up with a script for his new film, which has already begun production in Rome. While following this man as he goes through a private development hell, we meet a group of women that have either inspired him in the past or complicate his life in the present. All these women have a big song, but the only memorable one belongs to Marion Cotillard, who plays the wife. Other characters are jammed in haphazardly, particularly Nicole Kidman as the directors muse and Kate Hudson as a reporter, and all the big production numbers fall completely flat. The whole movie is disjointed, way too long, and ultimately a big mess. C-



The Wolfman (2010)
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Written by: Curt Siodmak; Andrew David Walker + David Self
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving, Art Malik, Geraldine Chaplin
In this remake of the 1941 cult classic, a man named Lawrence Talbot returns to his ancestral home on the English moors after his brother goes missing. When he arrives he discovers that his brother's body has already been found, and it looks as if he was torn apart by a wild animal. Soon, Talbot is bitten by a giant wolf and before we know it, he himself transforms into a hulking beast when the moon is full and goes on a rampage. Also along for the ride are his creepy father, his dead brother's former fiance, a Scotland Yard detective and some gypsies. The only things that make this absolute mess watchable are the cinematography and production design, which create a wonderfully foreboding atmosphere. We have fog shrouded forests, vine encrusted edifices, long dark hallways, cob-web covered walls, and tons of gore. What's missing here is a good script, decent pacing and some actual suspense. There's absolutely no reason to care about Lawrence Talbot, and the only scares in this are the cheap jump scares. Avoid. D-


----------------
Listening to: Icehouse - Crazy
via FoxyTunes

See It 2/13/10

The Loveless (1982)
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow + Monty Montgomery
Written by: Kathryn Bigelow + Monty Montgomery
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Robert Gordon, Marin Kanter, J. Don Ferguson, Tina L'Hotsky, Lawrence Matarese
A young biker (Dafoe) on his way to a rally in Florida is held over in a small sleepy roadside town when his motorcycle needs repairs. While waiting in a diner he meets some other bikers and some locals looking for a thrill. 'The Loveless' focuses on atmosphere over plot and hhile the movie is incredibly slow moving, I guess it really captures what it was like to be in a biker gang in the 50's. You didn't know where you would end up, time passed by unnoticed and you never knew who you were going to cross paths with. B



La Femme Nikita (1990)
Directed by: Luc Besson
Written by: Luc Besson
Starring: Anne Parillaud, Marc Duret, Patrick Fontana, Tcheky Karyo, Jeanne Moreau
In France, a violent gang member is arrested after a botched robbery, declared dead by the government and enlisted into a top secret organization of assassins. After being held underground and trained for a few years, she is released and sent on various missions. When she falls in love with an unsuspecting civilian she has a hard time keeping her double life as an assassin separate from her married life. This film has a wonderful look to it, as well as a great soundtrack. But the best thing about it are it's action set-pieces, which keep you on the edge of your seat. B+




Gojira (1954)
Directed by: Ishiro Honda
Written by: Ishiro Honda, Shigeru Kayama, Takeo Murata
Starring: Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, Fuyuki Murakami
After a Japanese fishing village is ravaged by what everyone thinks is a hurricane, a team of scientists discover that a radioactive monster has been awakened by atomic bomb testing in the pacific. The monster, nicknamed Gojira by the Japanese after a mythical sea god, ravages Japan, while the scientists race to find a way to destroy it. There were two versions of this film released, the original Japanese version, and a version released in America with scenes of Raymond Burr as a visiting American shoehorned in while other scenes with the Japanese cast were omitted. This is the original version, and while the effects seem dated and clunky, and the acting stiff, the images of civilians being burned alive, children dying and cities being toppled and burned to the ground are an all too painful reminder of how Japan was eviscerated at the dawn of the atomic age. B



Running On Empty (1988)
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Written by: Naomi Foner
Starring: Christine Lahti, River Phoenix, Judd Hirsch, Jonas Abry, Martha Plimpton, Ed Crowley, L.M. Kit Carson, Steven Hill, Augusta Dabney
During the Vietnam War, a pair of liberal activists blew up a napalm factory, paralyzing an innocent bystander in the process. Ever since they have been fugitives of the law, going from town to town under assumed identities. Now they have two children, Stephen, a young boy and Michael, a teenage piano prodigy (a wonderful River Phoenix.) After they arrive in a small town in New Jersey, the teenager falls in love with his music teacher's daughter and applies to Julliard in NYC. But when the family needs to skip town and go on the run again, he is torn between his aspirations and his family. Christine Lahti and Judd Hirsch are both great as the streetwise, idealistic parents, but the real star here is the late River Phoenix, who gives a wonderful, angst filled performance. A-

Skip It 2/5/10

New Year's Evil (1980)
Directed by: Emmett Alston
Written by: Emmett Alston and Leonard Neubauer
Starring: Roz Kelly, Kip Niven, Chris Wallace, Grant Cramer, Louisa Moritz
The hostess of a televised New Years Eve punk show is terrorized by a killer. Throughout Los Angeles the killer murders various people, eventually finding his way to the hotel where the punk show is being broadcast. This is one of the many holiday themed slasher films that were churned out after 'Halloween' hit big. This movie features some awful acting, particularly Roz Kelly as the lead, terrible punk music from no-name bands, and absolutely no scares. Completely inept on every level. F


The Stepfather (2009)
Directed by: Nelson McCormick
Written by: J.S. Cardone
Starring: Dylan Walsh, Sela Ward, Penn Badgley, Amber Heard, Sherry Stringfield, Paige Turco, Jon Tenney
Remake of the 80's cult classic has the same basic storyline, but switches the genders of the teenage protagonist (for no apparent reason.) A nut-job (a decent Dylan Walsh) goes from family to family, seeking the perfect family, killing them if they don't meet his high expectations of perfection. This time he marries a single mom with two sons. The eldest son (a sleep inducing Penn Badgley) grows suspicious of his step-dad, and things sloooooooowly build to a predictable, cliched climax. Stick to the original. D-


The Countess (2009)
Directed by: Julie Delpy
Written by: Julie Delpy
Starring: Julie Delpy, William Hurt, Daniel Bruhl, Anamaria Marinca, Andy Gatjen, Adriana Altaras
I really wanted to like this. Based on the true story of 17th century Countess Bathory, who grew obsessed with retaining her youth, and decided the best way to do this was by bathing in the blood of virgins. What could have been a disturbing descent into madness turns out to be a dull by the numbers bio-pic/period piece. Julie Delpy does an alright job in the titular role, but the departure from her usual romantic roles doesn't really work, as Delpy just seems like she's on auto-pilot thru most of the film. The script, written by Delpy, treats the Countess as some sort of feminist pioneer, and at other times, shows her to be a monster. The movie wants to have it both ways, but in the end it it just seems really confused and tiresome. C-

See It 1/17/10

An Education (2009)
Directed by: Lone Scherfig
Written by: Lynn Barber; Nick Hornby
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Peter Sarsgaard, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Williams, Cara Seymour, Emma Thompson, Sally Hawkins
It's England in the early 60's, and a young, impressionable but headstrong student gets courted by an older man she meets one day walking home from school. She loves everything about his cultured lifestyle, the music, the parties, the people etc. Soon she abandons her schooling in favor of spending time with him in his world, unaware he is hiding something. Carey Mulligan, and Alfred Molina as her protective father, are both excellent in this wonderfully made coming-of-age cautionary tale. A-



Whip It (2009)
Directed by: Drew Barrymore
Written by: Shauna Cross
Starring: Ellen Page, Alia Shawkat, Marcia Gay Harden, Daniel Stern, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Eve, Zoe Bell, Drew Barrymore, Andrew Wilson, Jimmy Fallon, Ari Graynor
A rebellious Texan girl feels trapped in her small town life of beauty pageants and lower middle class boredom. After seeing a flyer for a roller derby in a nearby city, she and her friend sneak out and attend the event. Soon she becomes part of the team and has to hide her involvement with the raucous league from her family. This isn't as funny as it could have been, given the cast, but the performances are all really good, the derby scenes exciting, and first time director Drew Barrymore proves herself to be more than capable behind the camera. B



Sorority Row (2009)
Directed by: Stewart Handler
Written by: Mark Rosman, Josh Stolberg, Pete Goldfinger
Starring: Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Jamie Chung, Rumer Willis, Margo Harshman, Audrina Patridge, Matt O'Leary, Julian Morris, Caroline D'Amore, Matt Lanter, Carrie Fisher
A group of tight knit sorority sisters decide to play a prank, and as things usually go in these movies, everything goes horribly wrong when one of the sisters is killed. The sisters decide to cover up the killing and never speak of it again. Cut to a few months later, and the girls start getting mysterious text messages and warnings. Someone knows what they did. During the big end of the year graduation party, a cloaked killer starts offing the sisters, and their boyfriends, one by one. Unlike 2005's dreadful 'Black Christmas,' another sorority set slasher, this is a fun, fast paced, gory whodunit filled with well rounded (for a horror film) characters and some actual scares. It's one of the best slasher movies in over a decade. B+



Avatar (2009)
Directed by: James Cameron
Written by: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephan Lang, Joel Moore, Giovanni Ribisi, Michelle Rodriguez, Laz Alonso, Wes Studi, CCH Pounder
James Cameron creates a visually stunning film with 'Avatar,' fully realizing a world of lush jungles, magical trees, flying dragons and tons of other fantastical elements that literally jump from the screen. But the story is pretty basic and at times seems a little drawn out. On the distant planet of Pandora, a human is synced into the mind of an avatar and becomes one of the native people. Soon he realizes that the humans who are mining the planet plan on destroying the native's land and he manages to get the natives to fight back. Even though the story is pretty simple and left me kind of cold, the film is still a must see while it's still in theaters. It features the absolute best, most convincing special effects to date. A-
(EDIT 2/5/10: After a couple weeks, I've come to the conclusion that 'Avatar' is stupid. Click Here to see why.)


The Blind Side (2009)
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Written by: Michael Lewis; John Lee Hancock
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Jae Head, Lily Collins, Ray McKinnon, Kim Dickens, Adriane Lenox, Kathy Bates
In the south, a wealthy white woman offers a helping hand to a homeless black teenager. She and her family eventually consider him one of their own, giving him a roof over his head, a private tutor and getting him involved with football. At times the movie does seem pretty manipulative and 'feel good,' but despite the cynic in me, I enjoyed it. I don't think Sandra Bullock has ever been better and I think it's her performance that makes this enjoyable. I read that Julia Roberts turned down the chance to be in this, and I cannot imagine how awful this would have been with her in it. Oh God. B

See It 1/7/10

Thrashin' (1986)
Directed by: David Winters
Written by: Paul Brown + Alan Sacks
Starring: Josh Brolin, Robert Russler, Pamela Gidley, Brooke McCarter, Josh Richman, Brett Marx, Sherilyn Fenn
A hilarious time capsule of a movie. In Los Angeles, a skateboarder (Brolin) falls in love with the sister of the leader of a rival skate-gang. So it's pretty much Romeo & Juliet with skating instead of suicide. This isn't a good movie by any means, but it's really entertaining. B



They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)
Directed by: Sydney Pollack
Written by: Horace McCoy; James Poe and Robert E. Thompson
Starring: Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Gig Young, Red Buttons, Bonnie Bedelia, Michael Conrad, Bruce Dern, Al Lewis
One of the more depressing films I've seen recently. This grisly film follows a group of desperate people who enter a three day dance marathon during the Great Depression. Throughout the film the various contestants drive themselves to the brink of physical, and in some cases mental, exhaustion in order to win a cash prize. A-



White Dog (1982)
Directed by: Samuel Fuller
Written by: Romain Gary; Samuel Fuller and Curtis Hanson
Starring: Kristy McNichol, Paul Winfield, Jameson Parker, Samuel Fuller, Lynne Mooder, Martine Dawson, Burl Ives
A girl (McNichol) in Los Angeles is driving along Mullholland one night when she hits a large stray white German Shepherd. After getting it some medical attention she adopts it. Soon, to her dismay, she realizes the dog has been trained by it's previous owner to attack and kill black people. She does whatever she can to retrain the dog, and ends up taking it to an experienced animal trainer (Winfield) who specializes in breaking 'white dogs.' What follows is a heartbreaking meditation on racism. B+

Skip It 1/4/10

Taking Woodstock (2009)
Directed by: Ang Lee
Written by: Elliot Tyber and Tom Monte; James Schamus
Starring: Demetri Martin, Imelda Staunton, Henry Goodman, Emile Hirsch, Paul Dano, Kelli Garner, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Eugene Levy, Jonathan Groff, Mamie Gummer, Liev Schreiber
A gay jewish guy manages to get the Woodstock festival to take place in his sleepy town in upstate New York, unaware of the cultural significance the event will gain. While dealing with permits, hippies, war vets, and angry locals, he meets various weird characters, the most interesting being a drag queen played by Liev Shreiber. What hurts this film is it's insistence on following a boring character around instead of focusing on more interesting people, and clocking in at two hours, it takes too long to tell its story. Also, the usually great Imelda Staunton plays the grossest, most stereotypical jewish person I've seen on film, who literally cannot control herself around money. The 'Woodstock' documentary remains the best window into this historic concert. C



Dorian Gray (2009)
Directed by: Oliver Parker
Written by: Oscar Wilde; Toby Finlay
Starring: Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Richael Hurd-Wood, Rebecca Hall, Emilia Fox, Ben Chaplin, Caroline Goodall, Fiona Shaw, Maryam d'Abo, Douglas Henshall
A pretty boy (Barnes) gets his portrait painted and it somehow gives him immortality. After getting endlessly talked at by a rich dapper gent (Firth) about morals and beauty, he fucks anything that moves. When sex with women isn't enough he resorts to S&M, gay sex and getting tattoos, and eventually murder, all while his portrait shows the strain all this bad behavior. The film starts off alright, but halfway through it just becomes a hokey, badly acted mess. D



Up In the Air (2009)
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Written by: Walter Kim; Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Amy Morton, Melanie Lynskey, J.K. Simmons, Sam Elliott, Danny McBride, Zach Galifianakis
George Clooney plays a guy who flies all over the country to assist companies with the laying off of their employees. He gets assigned an 23 year old ingenue by the company to train, while developing a romance with a fellow traveler he frequently meets at airports. And then nothing very interesting happens. This could possibly be the most overrated movie of 2009. It's not bad, but it's nowhere near as good as the ads and critics would have you believe. The only standout here is Anna Kandrick, who plays the trainee. C+

See it 1/3/10

The Earrings of Madame de... (1953)
Directed by: Max Ophuls
Written by: Louise de Vilmorin; Marcel Achard, Max Ophuls and Annette Wadermant
Starring: Danielle Darrieux, Charles Boyer, Vittorio De Sica, Jean Debucourt, Jean Galland, Mireille Perrey
Beautifully filmed and wonderfully acted story about Louise, a wealthy woman who sells a pair of her earrings to pay back some debts. After her husband buys them back and gives them to his mistress, the earrings find their way to a wealthy man who falls in love with Louise. A-



Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
Directed by: Tim Burton
Written by: Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens, Michael Varhol
Starring: Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daly, Mark Holton, Diane Salinger, Cassandra Peterson, Alice Nunn, Jan Hooks, Judd Omen
Bizarre, sometimes annoying, but altogether entertaining story about a weird man-child who gets his prized bicycle stolen. He goes on a long journey in order to get it back, crossing paths with several strange characters. B



The King of Comedy (1982)
Directed by: Martin Scorcese
Written by: Paul D. Zimmerman
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott, Sandra Bernhard, Shelley Hack, Ed Herlihy
Rupert Pupkin is a desperate wannabe comedian who goes to great lengths to impress his idol Jerry Langford, the host of a late night talk show. After trying repeatedly to get close to him, Rupert and Jerry's number one stalker, played by Sandra Bernhard, team up and kidnap him. The acting is great in this dark, but hilarious, film. A-