Spider-Man 2 (2004)

"Everybody loves a hero" says Aunt May to Peter Parker when he tries to give up his Spider-Man alter ego, and yes this film is basically a love story.  He believes he can never be with Betty Jane since this would endanger her life should his enemies discover their relationship; yet neither he, nor as it turns out she, can be really happy without each other.  Yes, we have a villain in Doc Ock as brilliantly played by Alfred Molina ( he doesn't want to die a monster), but his story disappears into the woodwork for great chunks of the two-hour running time as our hero ponders his destiny.  Similarly the sub-plot of James Franco looking to revenge his father, the villain of the first film, comes and goes.  Both Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst bring a real likeability to their roles and the franchise looks set to run and run.  And I suppose I must mention the impressive computer effects throughout, although one does begin to tire of these at times -- there is only just so much swooping about the city that the viewer can take.

The Pickwick Papers (1952)

One of the most enjoyable Dickens adaptations, this movie leaves  the viewer with a big smile and a zest for life.  There are no big stars in the cast but a lot of familiar British faces from the films of the period, all uniformly excellent.  James Hayter is Mr. Pickwick whose exploits with his close friends form the episodic narrative; a particular stand-out is Nigel Patrick as the rascally Mr Jingle whom neither we the viewer nor Mr Pickwick can quite bring ourselves to dislike. Beautifully filmed in crisp black and white, the movie is a real pleasure.

Connie and Carla (2004)

Nia Vardalos' follow-up to her mystifyingly successful "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is this cross between "Some Like it Hot" and "Victor/Victoria" although not as classic a film as either.  She and her co-lounge singer, Toni Collette, witness a murder and go on the lam, ending up as girls pretending to be boys pretending to be drag queens.  With their unconventional looks the two actresses can just about get away with the bizarre appearance their new act demands.  To be honest, it is on balance not a particularly good movie, but it does have its entertaining moments and it certainly has a very big heart in the right place.

The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978)

The first time I came across the title of this film I had visions of its being some sort of fairy tale, but I couldn't have been more wrong.  A Palme d'or winner at Cannes, it is considered the Italian director Ermanno Olmi's masterpiece, but it is hard-going and at the best part of three hours, not an easy watch. It is set in Lombardy in Northern Italy at the end of the 19th Century and relates incidents from the lives of a number of families living together as tenant farmers.  There is no simple narrative; rather one is presented with vignettes acted out by the non-professional cast and there is not a lot to smile about.  The film covers poverty, birth, a wedding (with a honeymoon in a convent where the happy couple are made to take on a year-old child), tomato-growing in detail, and finally desperation as one family is forced to leave for the sin of having cut down a tree to make new clogs for their clever son who must walk six kilometres to and from school each day.  As a slice of peasant life it may be brilliant, but as satisfying viewing, forget about it.

Out of the Woods (2005)

This is a nothing special cable movie about a yuppie lawyer (Jason London) sent by his greedy parents to prevent his grandpa (Edward Asner) who has moved to a cabin in the woods from squandering the family inheritance by purchasing the surrounding land.  Guess what?  After failing to communicate they begin to bond and by the old man's death London has learned to appreciate the virtues of the simple life.  Yawn.

Tooth (2003)

A would-be charming British fantasy film that is completely charmless, gormless, and a waste of time.  A number of well-known British actors totally embarrass themselves in this idiocy involving tooth fairies, the Easter Bunny and some very uncomic baddies.  It is anyone's guess for whom this farrago was intended; it is set in an unrecognizable America that jars with the assorted British accents and its message that we need "magic" to save the day reads like the poor man's Peter Pan.

Jane Eyre (1944)

Not the first or the last, but certainly the best, of the Bronte adaptations starring a radiant Joan Fontaine as Jane and a slightly unrecognizable Orson Welles as Mr. Rochester, plus a host of sparkling character actors.  It is also worth noting that the young Jane, played by Peggy Ann Garner, has a number of scenes with Elizabeth Taylor in one of her earliest movies (she was also a lovely child).  The film has high production values and striking photography, and while it may feel slightly padded, it does remain reasonably faithful to the source material and totally enjoyable in a romantic gothic sort of way.

The Runaway Jury (2003)

I had all I could do to stay awake through this long and serpentine movie despite its stellar cast.  Based on yet another of John Grisham's courtroom sagas, it is the story of a woman suing a big gun manufacturer for her husband's wrongful death.  She is represented by Dustin Hoffman somewhat less bandstanding than he can be; the lawyer for the defense has employed Gene Hackman to manipulate the jury to their benefit.  One of the jurors is John Cusack (who is another actor who can do no wrong from my point of view), but he and his galfriend Rachel Weisz have their own agenda.  It all ends with Hackman getting his comeuppance but it is a slow slog getting there.

The Candidate (1972)

Michael Ritchie made a number of interesting films in the 70's (he also made some real duds) and this is one of them.  With a particularly literate script which won an Oscar, it tells the tale of an idealistic young lawyer (Robert Redford) who is cajoled into running for office as the senator from California by a devious Peter Boyle on the grounds that he can not possibly defeat the incumbent.  He therefore feels free to speak his mind on the various issues rather than play politics as his father (Melvyn Douglas) did before him. His refreshing approach results in his victory and it is only then that he realises that he has no idea whatsoever as to what he has taken on.  For once one could actually see Redford displaying real emotion in his puzzlement.

Against All Odds (1984)

I re-watched "Out of the Past" (see below) after viewing this film which is meant to be a loose remake, but while the plot is similar, this is far more bloated and unnecessarily longer.  Jeff Bridges takes the Mitchum role as successfully as he takes most and manages to emulate the latter's laid-back approach to life; the love interest here is Rachel Ward.  The big difference is that she does not incorporate Greer's amorality and the scene at the end implies that she and Bridges will live happily ever after.  The gimmick in the casting is that Jane Greer plays her mother, a character who has no part in the older film and who is not really necessary here..

Out of the Past (1947)

An archetypal film noir with all the ingredients in place: the tough but easily led hero played by Robert Mitchum with his usual sleepy efficiency, the quintissential femme fatale in Jane Greer, the suave but slimy Mr. Big played here by Kirk Douglas in a supporting role (one forgets that Mitchum was the bigger star then) and brilliant shadowy black and white composition.  Perhaps the plot is over-complicated but one just knows that there can never be the hoped-for happy ending.

End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2004)

Another documentary which would probably be more at home on the small screen.  I am not all that familiar with the Ramones' music apart from their involvement in the l979 cult classic "Rock 'n' Roll High School".  It covers the period from the early 70's through their farewell concert in 1996 and seems to be saying that they were more influential in creating new bands in their wake than in earning any lasting financial success for themselves.  From the original four (who were not related but who all took the surname Ramone for their act), replacements came and went during this period -- again always adopting the same last name. There is a remarkable amount of archive footage included, much of it of poor quality, but it does give the movie an authentic feel.  Sadly two of the original band died before the doc's release and a third has died since.

Vera Cruz (1954)

A handsome, but in the end not that memorable, Western starring an aging, but still impressive, Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster as potential hijackers of the Emperor's gold, set in Mexico during one of their many revolutions.  They are both prepared to double-cross the other to get the gold for their own ends and have to compete with Cesar Romero's crooked marquis who is also after it, and also with some greedy females.  Lancaster's motley gang includes Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam and Charles Bronson which adds to the fun.  Frankly the scariest parts of this movie are Lancaster's teeth (they are whiter and he seems to have more of them than anyone else) and they seem ready to chew up any opposition.

The Angel and the Badman (1947)

The consensus of the reviewers claim that this movie is some sort of anomaly among John Wayne's films because it has a soft-centered heart and spirit as it weaves the story of a "badman" nursed back to health and drawn into love by a naive Quaker lass (the lovely Gail Russell, who died far too young).  It is a sweet little film but I have seen the look of love in Wayne's eyes in many other of his films, not just here, and while it is a pleasant enough diversion, it does not number among his most memorable movies.

The Natural (1984)

It's been a while sinced I last viewed this film and while I concede that it is well-done and well-acted, I am still not drawn in by it.  It's not a question of not enjoying movies about baseball, since I can think of a number of good ones, but the fact that this story strives to make one believe that it is some sort of mythic experience that loses me. Robert Redford plays a young man whose dreams of baseball glory are cut short by a totally inexplicable event but who comes back to the game some 15 years later with great success. He was far too old then to play even a 35-year old but he makes a reasonable job of it and the supporting cast are uniformly good.  The film is some sort of allegory between good and evil, good women and bad women, and remaining true to oneself or something.  I wish I could be more positive, but somewhere along the way I gave up caring. 

Sunset (1988)

This movie should have been a whole lot better than it was since it is set in Hollywood during the crossover period to sound and stars Bruce Willis in one of his early film roles as the movie cowboy Tom Mix (he looks great in the fancy western gear, but otherwise seems mis-cast).  The saving grace is James Garner playing the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp; Earp did actually act as a consultant in Hollywood, so the fact that he died the year before this film's setting is neither here nor there.  Together they investigate a not terribly involving murder.  I think Garner is incapable of being boring on screen and the Blake Edwards' dialogue has its moments.

You Can't Take it with You (1938)

I do get annoyed when I see the films of Frank Capra referred to as "Capracorn" since he made some of the loveliest slices of Americana during the 30's and 40's; this is one of a number that is guaranteed to leave me with a big fat smile on my face. It was voted best picture of the year and garnered Capra his third (!) directing Oscar.  James Stewart and Jean Arthur play sweethearts from either side of the social divide; he is the son of uptight Edward Arnold and Mary Forbes, social snobs, and she is from an eccentric family headed by grandpa Lionel Barrymore.  Love does conquer all in the end, but the sweetness of the romp to get there!

And what a dream cast: to mention just a few -- Donald Meek as a timid inventor (this little man lit up every small role he ever took), Ann Miller as a klutzy dancer with Dub Taylor as her xylophone-playing husband, Mischa Auer as a mad and hungry Russian, Harry Davenport as the judge with a twinkle in his eye, and in the crowd scenes Christian Rub whose name no one knows but whose face no one can forget.  In fact even the smallest parts were taken by actors who shone.  If you are looking for a happy experience, I can't recommend this film more.

Whitewash - The Clarence Brandley Story (2002)

I very nearly didn't post my reactions to this cable movie (believe it or not, not everything I see makes it to this blog) since I was feeling battered after seeing a theme that I have seen time and again -- how an innocent black man can be condemned for murder by a racist community.  Based on a true story (of course), the title character spent ten years in jail, eight of them on death row, before being reprieved five days before his set execution.  Since his final re-trial he has received no compensation and the real murderers who are known are still at large.

So far so good, but making movies of this type of tale, however worthily, does not appear to change the travesties of justice that can occur in some southern states.  OK, they make us liberal viewers more aware but that is hardly the problem.

The Yes Men (2004)

Documentaries seem to be in vogue at the moment but I wonder just how many of them are worthy of a theatrical release.  This film is a case in point.  It relates the exploits of two hoaxers who pass themselves off as experts from the World Trade Organization and who as such are invited to speak on TV and at conferences.  The fact that they talk a load of codswallop seems to be ignored by their audience.  The subject is not uninteresting but there is absolutely nothing filmic about this picture -- it might just as well have been a television programme -- even there, I think the segment where they talk about solving famine by reprocessing eaten food (use your imagination how this could be done) would have remained nauseating.

Quadrophenia (1979)

I sometimes look at my film collection and wonder how a certain title ever made it there.  This is very much the case with this movie which I must have taped at the request of someone else in the family; it certainly wouldn't have been my choice since I can not relate to the mods vs. rockers theme or the music of the period.  However, it is a fine film produced by The Who and capturing the anomie of the youth of the time.  It is far from a happy film and the ending could not be more downbeat, but the need to belong to an identifiable group is something that rings true today as well as then.  The lead, Phil Daniels, is not particularly likeable, but he serves as a focus for the movie's themes and does a workmanlike job.  Sting in his first movie role is magnetic (not that I can stand the man) and there is also an early part for Ray Winstone.  A film of its time but still meaningful.

The Goodbye Girl (2004)

At the risk of repeating myself I do wonder why certain films get re-made.  It can't be for the money since how much can a cable movie make?  This was a 1977 film for which Richard Dreyfuss received a best actor oscar (and at that time the youngest winner ever, subsequently overtaken by Adrian Brody).  The role of the actor forced into sharing an apartment with an out-of-work dancer is taken here by Jeff Daniels and I must confess that he was very good and very very likeable in the part.  The Marsha Mason role was taken by Patricia Heaton whom I don't know, but she too did well.  Still none of this answers my basic question. 

Norma Jean and Marilyn (1996)

This made-for-cable movie is based on the not particularly sanitized life of Marilyn Monroe and I understand that a longer, even less sanitized version exists.  The gimmick is that the lead role is split in two: Ashley Judd plays the needy, I'll-do-anything-to-succeed Norma Jean and Mira Sorvino plays the metamorphosed movie-star Marilyn, full of insecurities and drugs.  Even at the height of Marilyn's success, the Norma Jean persona appears to remind her that she is letting the side down.  Both actresses do well although neither completely conjures up the star. It's an interesting concept, but one that doesn't quite work.

Ghosts on the Loose (1943)

I watched this film because it was there and that's 66 minutes gone forever.  After their featured parts in "Dead End" and "Angels with Dirty Faces", a whole series of films were made with the Dead End Kids, here called the East Side Kids -- and goodness only knows why, since all of them were pretty pathetic.  Here they expose a group of Nazi sympathisers led by that well-known Nazi, Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi).  The hook for getting this movie seen by modern audiences is that it features Ava Gardner in an early ingenue role which you wouldn't even have noticed if you weren't told it was she.  And by the way, there are no ghosts.

 

Pret-a-Porter (Ready-to-Wear) (1994)

I can't quite say that the director Robert Altman can do no wrong; although "Nashville" remains one of my favourite films, I was never particularly fond of his filmed plays of the 80's and he has had the occasional near-miss since.  However "Pret-a-Porter" is not one of them despite the consensus of the critics to the contrary. Coming off the critical acclaim of "The Player" and "Short Cuts" -- his two previous movies -- I think they felt it was time to take him down a peg and this film received horrible reviews.

There is no one like Altman for handling ensemble casts and multiple story lines; obviously with intercut stories some are going to be more successful than others, but the occasional lesser tale need not detract from the whole.  This film is set during Paris fashion week and mixes real designers with make-believe designers and fashionistas and although many of them are grotesques, I think there is a certain underlying affection for the whole silly scene. The only bit that I felt was beneath him was the running gag of stepping into dog doodoo. Needless to say some critics made this a metaphor for the film as a whole, but that is really an unbalanced cheap gibe. There are actually many delights to be found.

Van Helsing (2004)

I saw this movie at the cinema when it was first released and thought it was crap. To be more charitable on this second viewing I shall say it was a load of hokum (thank you, Michael).  The trouble is that it is so dependent on computer generated images that character and story are lost in the process.  I have nothing against CGI as such -- I can remember how impressed I was when I first saw "Jurassic Park" but the visual overload here is such that one feels trapped in a computer game.  The movie begins with a pastiche tribute to the Universal films of the 30's which only serves as a reminder of how effective those early horror films were in comparison. 

Misery (1990)

This is undoubtedly one of the more successful Stephen King adaptations for the screen and goodness knows there have been some awful ones, but unlike most critics, I reckon there have been some other pretty good ones as well.  In her first major screen role Kathy Bates won (and deserved) an oscar for her portrayal of the "number one fan" who swings between tender concern and icy obsession as the nurse who tends writer James Caan's injuries.  And while most people have focused on her tour de force, he is also noticeably strong in his role.

Naturally I have seen this movie several times before (there are not many mainstream movies of this generation which have fallen between the cracks from my point of view), but the icing on the cake for me is the inclusion of Richard Farnsworth as the local sheriff.  He spent most of his career as a stuntman and only took a few acting parts towards the end of his life -- most notably in "The Straight Story" where he was brilliant.  He and his screen wife, played here by Frances Sternhagen, also up the quality of this very memorable thriller. 

Jagged Edge (1985)

I hadn't planned on this being a Jeff Bridges week but here's another virtuoso role.  He plays a man who may or may not have killed his rich wife and one could believe him as either villain or victim.  Of course he claims he is innocent and Glenn Close is coerced by her law firm to defend him since she has had experience in the D.A.'s office where she previously crossed swords with a rather swarmy Peter Coyote.  I doubt that it is accepted form for a lawyer to begin a steamy love affair with her client, but one parks logic at the door when watching this sort of film. All three of them are very good indeed.  There is also a nice turn from Robert Loggia as Close's foul-mouthed investigator who is firmly convinced of Bridge's guilt, but Close does have stars in her eyes. You may or may not guess the outcome.

Cold Creek Manor (2003)

This so-called thriller has very few thrills and it is lonnnngggg! Dennis Quaid and his wife Sharon Stone and their two children decide to move to the country where they buy a repossessed farm with all its contents.  Stephen Dorff plays the local psycho who wants his house back.  That's about it as he attempts to terrorise them.  He doesn't win.  The film also features Juliette Lewis who should stick to her new career as a pop singer.

It Runs in the Family (2002)

I guess if one is a power player one can get just about anything made, but this vanity project starring three generations of Douglases -- Kirk, Michael and Michael's son Cameron -- plus Kirk's first wife (and Michael's mother) is really the limit.  Not that the story of three generations of wealthy New York Jews with all their attendant problems and hang-ups wasn't of interest while it was on, but barely memorable once it had finished.

I have never been much of a Kirk Douglas fan although he has appeared in a number of very good films, most of which I have in my collection; he has always struck me as a "look-at-me-and-see-how-macho-I-am" kind of actor.  However since he had his stroke I do find it painful to watch him on screen, although to give credit where it is due, he does seem to be striving very hard to overcome his speech defect and has certainly improved.

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)

As mentioned a few days back it is always good to see Clint Eastwood films, especially when he was young and beautiful as he is here, but the real heart of this movie is Jeff Bridges who is probably the most under-rated actor working today.  He is never less than amazing and he fits into every role so naturally that one completely forgets that he is playing a role.

The pair get together as two kindred spirits outside the law and the first half of the movie is a chase film as George Kennedy seeks revenge on Clint. It then segues into a heist story where the film slightly loses its way; things pick up again after the robbery and it looks like we may have a happy ending.  However that is not to be and the ending is in fact incredibly sad. An uneven film but a worthwhile one.

The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)

All I remember of my first viewing of this film is that I gave up halfway through deciding it was a bunch of pretentious twaddle. However since I am now older and maybe wiser and since it is considered one of the seminal films of the 70's, I decided to try again.  I think I was right the first time.

The story concerns two brothers -- the serious one played by Jack Nicholson (you can tell he is serious because he is wearing glasses) and the feckless, slightly criminal one played by Bruce Dern (an actor I have always liked but who has never achieved A-list success) -- and their involvement during Dern's latest wheeze with an aging beauty queen (Ellen Burstyn way over the top) and her nubile step-daughter in a pre-redeveloped Atlantic City..  It all ends tragically but since one never developed any sympathy for any of the characters, one doesn't really care.  Perhaps I'm missing something.

The Story of the Weeping Camel (2003)

This semi-documentary was made by a bunch of German film students and focuses on an extended Mongolian family living in the Gobi Desert and their attempts to help the most-recent camel colt who has been rejected by his mother.  I think the film was meant to be charming, but while the look it afforded at another way of life was not without interest, I think the story was too "staged" in the tradition of "Nanook of the North" to really warm one's heart.  The film-makers seem so enamoured of every facet of the family's life that the coherence of the tale is lost. The most interesting part to me since I find baby camels resistible was the inroads being made by so-called civilization into what was once a simple life--from the plastic dust-brush used to sweep the yurt through the clothing with logos to the television set the family had acquired at the end (no doubt a gift from the Germans).  

Honky Tonk (1941)

On many levels this could be labelled a potboiler, but with a cast that includes Clark Gable, Lana Turner (20 years his junior and gorgeous), Frank Morgan, and Claire Trevor, it is hardly a waste of time.  While we've seen the story before of a charming rogue redeemed by the love of a good woman, Gable brings such charisma to his role that one is prepared just to sit back and accept it.  There's not a lot more to the story despite it lasting some 100 minutes, but there are far less enjoyable ways of spending an afternoon.

Pieces of April (2003)

What a delightful and unexpected treat.  Katie Holmes may be in the headlines as the next Mrs. Cruise (Lord help her) but she shines here as the punk daughter trying to make a Thanksgiving dinner for her slightly dysfunctional family, including her dying mother -- a sensational Patricia Clarkson.  Chief among her problems is that her oven has conked out and she finds herself begging her assorted and somewhat weird neighbours in her apartment block to borrow theirs. The word "quirky" just about covers this movie, but it is also very funny at times and by the end extremely moving. 

To Die For (1995)

This was probably Nicole Kidman's breakout movie in the US to show that she could be a star without the help of Tom Cruise.  However although she is very good as the simpering idiot who will do anything for fame, her performance is not quite as wonderful as all that.  At times I had trouble understanding what she was saying since inbetween all the cute faces, she was mumbling.  But it was good to see her in the days before she became the all-out diva that she now is -- and her basic talents are evident.

However I reserve my praise for the rest of the cast: Matt Dillon (whom we have established I like) as the doomed husband, Dan Hedaya as his father, Illeanna Douglas as his caustic sister (she was actually terrific) and even Joaquin Phoenix as the dopey high school kid that Kidman seduces.  The film also had a wonderful ending which totally came out of the blue and wrapped up the action admirably.  The movie should have finished there, but not knowing when enough is enough, the director added on some extra unnecessary scenes.

Mad Max (1979)

It's hard to believe that this film is 26 years old but looking at Mel Gibson, one can see just how young he is.  One can also see the roots of his character in the Lethal Weapon series -- Mad Max relocated to the States.

I have never actually been that taken with this movie or with any of the films in the series, but I thought it was worth another look.  It's a nasty tale and one where revenge doesn't really make me feel any the better.  I can understand why it has its fans, I just can't bring myself to be numbered among them.

Taking Lives (2004)

This is an instantly-forgettable police procedural with the fragrant Angelina Jolie playing an FBI crime profiler called in by the Montreal police (an excuse to employ several French actors all of whom are wasted) to help them find a serial killer who takes on the identities of the men he kills. There are also parts for Kiefer Sutherland and Gena Rowlands (both also wasted) and Ethan Hawke -- who is I think miscast. The denouement comes as no big surprise. The whole can of worms holds one's attention if one is willing to forgive the insults to one's intelligence.

Portrait of Jennie (1948)

Back in the early days, Hollywood had a nice line in fantasy films of which this is one, although the premise is so far out of left field that it doesn't bear thinking about. Briefly Joseph Cotten plays an unsuccessful artist whose latent ability comes out after he meets Jennie played by Jennifer Jones.  He doesn't seem too bothered by the fact that she is a child at their first meeting and seems to age by several years at subsequent meetings (all over the period of about a year) nor by the fact that she is probably dead. It's a completely lunatic scenario but the romanticism of the plot just carries one along.  As they say, they don't make them like this any more.   

Welcome to the Jungle (US: The Rundown) (2003)

Changing the name of this film for its UK release was unlikely to be any sort of improvement, and I don't know what would be.  While I have no great love for wrestlers-turned-actors, the Rock is perfectly acceptable as the retrieval expert sent to hunt down a gangster's son played by Seann William Scott (not a million miles from his Stifler persona). And Rosario Dawson as the third lead is also OK.  It's just that nothing really seems to grab the viewer to agree that the Rock will be the next big action hero -- not even the cameo endorsement by Arnie at the start of the movie (blink and you will miss it).

As for Christopher Walken playing the villain, years of received information lead one to believe that he adds class to any film which has often been the case.  Not so here. I really felt that he was walking through the role without so much as a twinkle in his eye en route to his paycheque.

These Old Broads (2001)

I have heard about this television movie for a while but have only just seen it.  The appeal is the teaming of Debbie Reynolds, Shirley Maclaine, and Joan Collins as three (obviously) aging divas who are being brought together for a reunion show, and as is usually the case in this sort of thing, they start off hating each other.  It's no surprise that they love each other by the end.  The real surprise is how game and feisty the three actresses are -- they are not afraid to take pot-shots at their own images -- and when they sing and dance, they are still pros.  Elizabeth Taylor has a cameo part as their agent and plays it right over the top, adding little, other than her presence, to the movie. 

The Flamingo Kid (1984)

I have a soft spot for this film despite it not being all that special since it reminds me of my teenage years on the sunny south shore of Long Island.  It's all about our young hero played by a young Matt Dillon being seduced by the lifestyle of the rich and tawdry as personified by the Mr. Big of the beach club, Richard Crenna.  Dillon was a magnetic presence in his youth and more the pity that he has faded from the scene recently.  One bit of useless information for you: the movie was directed by Garry Marshall and features Hector Elizondo as Dillon's father; Elizondo has appeared in all of Marshall's pictures and is considered something of a good luck charm by the director..

The Name of the Rose (1986)

This must be Sean Connery's strangest role, even allowing for "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" early in his career.  Here he plays a 13th Century Franciscan monk with overtones of Sherlock Holmes who has been asked to investigate a series of gruesome deaths at a monastery.  His sidekick and acolyte is a very young Christian Slater whose older self is the off-screen narrator.  Based on the difficult book by Umberto Eco, this film could be heavy-going, but it holds one's attention through the strength of the acting and the odd visuals.  The company of monks look as if they were recruited from a gargoyles' convention and the ugliest of them all is Ron Perlman (no beauty at the best of times) who plays a snaggle-toothed hunchback. Hardly everyone's cup of tea, but well worth a look says Pretty Pink.

Miranda (2002)

This British-made film is one of several that Christina Ricci has made in the last few years which have barely seen the light of day (where are "Prozac Nation" and "Pumpkin"?).  I quite like Ms. Ricci but she does seem to commit to some dubious prospects and while she does well enough in this movie as attractive bait for John Hurt's property scams, that part of the film is the least interesting.  Rather more to the point is the love she inspires in her co-star John Simm, a young man I've not noticed before (primarily a TV actor) who made a reasonable fist of the role.

On the downside, John Hurt who is normally a superb actor brought very little to his part and Kyle McLachlan as a businessman leching for Ms Ricci was just uninteresting (except in extreme close-up, I swear that man has a Dorian Gray-like portrait in his attic).

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

I've only seen Stephen Chow's previous UK release "Shaolin Soccer" in its shortened, dubbed version and look forward to seeing the complete version with subtitles (I do have an in-built aversion to dubbing full stop).  I have also seen several of his earlier Hong Kong films on tape; his comedy is very broad, but he is as popular in Hong Kong as Jackie Chan, possibly even more so nowadays.

This film (which benefits from subtitles) is very silly in places and exhilarating in others.  Chow seems to think that if he revs up the action, he will have more hits than misses -- and this is generally true. After a relatively slow start where Chow is a would-be gangster, he reveals the hidden kung-fu talents of a slum tenement's inhabitants and eventually becomes a kung fu master himself.  Much of the action is heavily dependent on CGI effects, but the funniest moments are the small ones which spring from the innate silliness of his character.  There is also a sentimental sub-plot with a mute girl which could hark back to silent film.  All in all a satisfying cinema visit although there were one of two images that I could have done without, particularly the last one.

Joe Kidd (1971)

I suppose I had seen this Clint Eastwood oater before, but I didn't remember it -- and not surprising, since it was directed with a pedestrian touch by John Sturges and certainly it was not as accomplished as the series of westerns that Eastwood would direct himself in the following years.  Nice photography 'though.  The story is that land-baron Robert Duvall hires Eastwood to hunt down a renegade Mexican played by John Saxon with a silly accent; they fall out and that's about it until most of Duvall's men are dead.  There is however an extremely jolly bit of Eastwood hijacking a train and driving it through the local saloon -- you don't see that every day. 

Big Fish (2003)

Good gracious -- another set of Siamese twins or were they just another of the tall tales told by the hero of this tale, especially since they were seen separately at the end of the movie (perhaps they were surgically separated like the ones in "Stuck on You" which I saw shortly before starting this blog).  Anyhow it seems to be a worrying theme in my current viewing.

Going back to this Tim Burton extravaganza, I wonder why he chose two British actors to play the protagonist as a southern old man and as his younger self, although Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor do well in the roles (and at least the latter kept his trousers on!)  The basis of the story is that a son, played by Billy Crudup, has been estranged by years of hearing his father's "lies" over and over and only returns home as the former lies dying.  This occasions a replay of some of the father's incredible experiences told with the visual panache that one expects from Burton.  At times it does seem that he is trying a little too hard , but on balance the occasional striking images and emotional punch at the film's end save the day.  The big fish of the title is both a feature of one of his favourite stories and I suppose what the Finney character has become in the little pond of his world (actually not that little).   

Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2004)

Back  in 2000 there was a nifty little Canadian horror film which somehow equated the beginning of menstruation in teenaged girls with the blood curse of the werewolf.  Hmm. It was indeed quite a watchable low-cost production.  As with most successful movies, someone felt that a sequel was necessary and Ginger Snaps Unleashed followed in 2004 which in turn was followed by this prequel.

The heroine of the first film was destroyed so her sister was the heroine of the second.  Both sisters are back in this movie and they are played by the same actresses; however since it is set in the early 19th Century, no way can they be the same characters.  The theme however remains unchanged and the girls bring a rash of gory killings with them when they arrive at a remote fort.  Not exactly anything special and with some convoluted logic; but it will pass the time for gorehounds.

Marci X (2003)

I knew that this film sat on a shelf for two years before its 2003 release and that it attracted some terrible reviews, so I wasn't exactly expecting high art.  In fact it is in excruciating taste but conversely it is in part extremely funny.  I can just about see it attracting some sort of perverse cult following in due course.

The lead is Lisa Kudrow playing a Jewish-American princess who gets involved with a dirty rapper played by Damon Wayans (one of the talented but interchangeable Wayans brothers).  Their nemesis is Christine Baranski playing an uptight senator.  All of them do a reasonable job in a movie that could actually have been a whole lot funnier and possibly marginally less offensive.

While I'm at it, let me comment on the ex-cast of friends.  I do not really believe that any of them can look forward to a lasting career in films.  They are beginning to show their age (certainly Miss K. did in this movie) and I personally do not feel that any one of them can carry a movie.  Maybe I'm wrong, but maybe I'm not. Yes, I know that Jennifer A. has had some indie success, but that's about it.

The Incredibles (2004)

This is the first time I have sat through this film, having seen parts of it in passing (as in in-and-out-of-the-room) previously.  The film comes with a pedigree of praise which is well-warranted and Pixar certainly confirm their animation skills.

I am actually quite an animation fan and accept that old-fashioned 2-D hand-drawn films have had their day (although no one will ever convince me that Hayao Miyazaki has had his).  There is much to admire in the technical virtuosity of "The Incredibles" and the voice talent is largely first-rate, but there was something about the film as a whole that left me a little uneasy.  Perhaps it was the over-emphasis on families sticking together which is very politically-correct nowadays or perhaps it was the realisation that indeed too many people today think mediocrity should be the norm and unusual skills surpressed.

However those niggles apart I do have to agree that this film is a stupendous achievement and one which deserves all the kudos it has received. 

Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)

I have never understood the appeal of Steve Martin, who while pleasant enough never seems a special talent, and I have definitely never understood the point of remaking films that were not particularly good in the first place.  In fact it's not even a remake since the Clifton Webb starrer from the 50's was about an efficiency expert and this movie only shares the title.  The picture is OK in a nothing special sort of way, but my main reaction is "why bother".

I know that Martin has a following for his "crazy guy" persona, but that was a long time ago and the recent family-friendly fare can not possibly appeal to the same fans.

The Killing (1956)

A classic noir heist film by Stanley Kubrick in the days when he could make a crisp 80-minute thriller, just the right length for having everything go wrong.  Nowadays an audience just won't accept having a carefully-planned caper collapse like a house of cards.  Sterling Hayden is the brains behind the racetrack robbery but he could not predict the chance factors that would undermine him; the fatalism with which he accepts this at the end is stunning.

Filmed in high contrast black and white (you will discover that I am a big fan of the days when cinematography mattered), the film also boasts a lovely cast including everyone's favourite loser, Elisha Cook Jr., and the untrustworthy Marie Windsor in her best femme fatale mode as his treacherous wife.

Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003)

I wasn't expecting much from this film starring David Spade and produced by Adam Sandler among others, and it certainly started off as something of an embarrassment.  Spade may see himself as lovable but he can be well and truly annoying with it.  However the tone mellowed as the film went on.  The gist of the story is that he pays to live with a family for two weeks to experience normal family life and to make up for the childhood he never had -- and guess what, everyone's lot is improved by the end (except the absent father whose place he ends up taking and his horrid ex-squeeze).  It had its moments, if not many, but it's a little damning to say that the dog and the two children were the best things in it.

There was a nice sequence during the end credits with former TV and young film stars joining in a song, although many of the faces would only ring a bell with an American audience.

Santa Sangre (1989)

This is one of my favourite "weird" films and this was my third viewing.  It is quite unlike any other film you have seen.  The basic story is of a young boy who sees his father cut off his mother's arms after she has thrown acid on his nether regions (!).  He is so traumatised by this that he is institutionalised until he is an adult; he then escapes at his mother's beckoning and forms a stage act with her where he stands behind her and pretends to be her arms.  She also encourages him to murder any amorous female using "her" arms.  The background is the circus and the assorted characters include a voluptuous tattooed lady, clowns and one of the smallest dwarfs ever. There is also the burial of a dead elephant.  If all this makes it sound as if it might not be to everyone's taste, that is probably the case.

The director is chilean-born Alejandro Jodorowsky who made the film in Mexico with a local cast speaking English (I did find that having the English subtitles on helped).  Jodorowsky is now in his seventies and has only made six films, three of which hardly anyone has seen.  The other three: "El Topo", "The Holy Mountain" and this one are genuine cult items and well worth a look if ever you have the opportunity.

The Unsaid (2001)

In preparing these capsules, the choice of moods on the drop-down screen does not always cover my reaction to a film.  They should also include "bored", "puzzled" and "why did they bother making this film" all three of which would cover my response to this one.  It features Andy Garcia as a psychologist who has given up treating patients after his son has committed suicide but who is cajoled into treating another young man by Teri Polo (presumably before she met the Fokkers).  It all hinges on sexual abuse and the bleeding heart liberals would have us believe that analysis will cure all, even after the youth has displayed some extremely violent behaviour.  Yawn, yawn.