ANTHONY MINGHELLA: 1954 TO 2008

ANTHONY MINGHELLA: RIP
Talented director, writer and producer of some of the most grand movies to date, has died from complications during treatment for cancer at 54. His eye caught to big picture and made it more elaborate and twice as majestic than anyone could have imagined. He won accolades for his work on The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain, the English Patient.

"He wasn't just a writer, or a writer-director, he was someone who was very well-known and very well-loved within the film community," Puttnam said. "Frankly he was far too young to have gone." Minghella is survived by his wife; his actor son, Max Minghella; and his daughter, Hannah. (From the AP)

INTO THE WILD

INTO THE WILD BREATHTAKING JOURNEY

This is not a film... this is a song, a painting, a poem... a magical ode to nature and the endless wonder in every day life. In our "celeb-reality" world, I think it hard pressed to find such a young man, from a privileged family who would take his own life to such an extreme in order to find meaning and spiritual fulfillment. Alexander Supertramp (Emile Hirsch) is Christopher McCandless, or rather who McCandless was. After graduation, he roamed the country, working at a variety of odd jobs, nothing too hard or too easy. He was quietly propelling himself to Alaska where he would take on mother nature on with both hands. When not exchanging views with a fellow traveler, he would talk to himself or his food or whatever amused him. This is one of those roles where the actor becomes the part. Hirsch is mesmerizing and his young face mirrors the splendor and glory of the world he discovered. His fellow actors took him in and gave back the same warmth and understanding, truly showing no part is too small; colorful charachters paving the yello brick road. His search for truth, his spiritual revolution to "kill the false being" unfortunately killed his physical being. In the end, the flora and fauna he drew life from also may have aided in his death. However, this film is not just about this young man's death, but rather the incredible life he lived before he left this world. The movie is not a biography. But when not compared to the real story, standing alone, it stands. The worst part of the film is that he finds the truth, but ironically, it isn't what he thought it would be. "Happiness is only real when shared".
BIG PICK: Perhaps my favorite of 2007. It touched my heart and soul. More than a movie.

THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE

THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE NOT ALL ASH AND SOOT
Audrey (Halle Berry) and Brian (David Duchovny) have a perfect life, with perfect children and a lovely perfect home; until one day. It is always that "one day" that changes the course of a lifetime, for either good or bad. Then there's Jerry (Benicio Del Toro), Brian's best friend since the second grade. Jerry fell off the path and fell off the wagon. He drank and used drugs and got in all sorts of trouble but Brian was always "there" for him. The one person that Audrey hated the most would end up being the one person who would walk her family through its grief and pain. He is not perfect. He may have a place in the healing, but it isn't always obvious. There was not one bad actor in this film. It was a real group participation and those ties show in the footage. Del Toro is at his best and shows one of the most ugly and painful detox scenes ever. No one jumps in to make a "pretty" film about an addict. The whole movie is like that; not always pretty and perfect. There is a lot of good in this film but it still seems to be lacking something... that something I can't describe. Some scenes get lost in the cinematography while others stand out for lack of production. At points it tries too hard, almost anticipating the tears. It is a good movie even if ingenuine at times.
PICK: Not a perfect film, but the strong performances outweigh the gaps. Del Toro rocks!

HITMAN

HITMAN WELL EXECUTED HIT
"Agent 47: Nika... Nika Boronina: Yes? Agent 47: Stop talking or I'll put you back in the trunk." Agent 47 (Timothy Oliphant) has literally been born and bred to be a top-notch assassin for the government (hense the bar code on the back of his head). One of his most risky assignments goes awry and suddenly he is the #1 target of choice for Interpol, the Russian Mob and other hitmen. So of course he must track down the people who set him up and make everything right in the world. He runs into Nika Boroina (Olga Kurylenko) when she is used as bait for a trap. They make a cute couple. What sets this story apart from the others, aside from it's tight choreography, is the banter of these two back and forth. He is on a fast track to accomplish his work and is surprisingly not the least bit interested in her romantically, although he does have a fondness for her. He doesn't have super-human powers, but he is so well prepared he should get a Scout patch for his efforts. This movie is slick and loud and stylish. There is something just a little off about Oliphant, but I liked him. I think Billy Zane would have been an interesting cast, but perhaps his show of emotion would have been too much for the character. It isn't the most original movie I've seen, however, it is still a good film and the characters and plot are interesting to watch. The way that he understands the reaction to something then he plans for that and uses it for his own actions. It's like he never reacts, he acts. Yes, it's a subtle note, but the one that kept this film above average.
PICK: Loved the characters, loved the action pace and scenes, nicely done.

LUST, CAUTION

LUST, CAUTION IS FEARLESSLY BOTH After directing one of the most groundbreaking films to date (Brokeback Mountain), Ang Lee has done it again. This is a breathtakingly brilliant film about everything: politics, betrayal, spies, love, adultery, romance, torrid sex, and struggle. As the Japanese move in and occupy China, many renegade forces form to fight the war on a smaller scale. A naive college girl Wong Chia Chi (Tang Wei) gets caught up with a group to produce politically forward, patriotic China plays with her classmates. Little does she know that she will use her acting skills in efforts to bring down the powerful Japanese "informant" Mr. Yee (Tony Leung). She enters the world of espionage, starting with a harmless game of maj jong with Mrs. Lee (Joan Chen) and her friends. To get access to his world, she and her fellow actors turned activists take on new character. She becomes Chia Chi, young and coy, but seductive and has to play a sneaky game of cat and mouse with Mr. Yee, forcing him to fall in love with her, against his own desire, and she in turn, also must choose to complete her mission or follow her desires. This is a bold and graphic movie where scenes of war and sex cross back and forth between each other. Sometimes there is love in their love making and sometimes there is hate and aggression. This is a story of war and the choices we make under duress and the consequences those choices bring. This was an intense and mesmerizing movie from the acting to the plot. Thank you Ang Lee for introducing us to worlds we would have never found on our own.

BIG PICK: Beautifully shot, well acted and a compelling story. Exquisite!

IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH

IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH HOLDS SADNESS AND GRIM REALITY
This movie was inspired by true events, which makes it all the more difficult to stomach. Tommy Lee Jones is Retired Sergeant Hank Deerfield, who has been notified that his son, also a service man, has gone AWOL after returning from Iraq. Deerfield leaves his wife, Joan (Susan Sarandon) and drives to the base where his son was last seen to find out what happened. This film is one of, if not THE best work of Tommy Lee Jones to date. Little by little, we are let into his mind and he proves to be sharp and skilled at seeing the items that both local law enforcement and the military police either don't see or are covering up. He finds an unlikely source of information from the new detective, Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) who is able to bust through the good-old-boys network and gives the case the energy and commitment that it deserves. The whole cast is outstanding; not a bad performance in the bunch. At first I thought that casting Sarandon was a waste, but she owned ever scene she had down to the second. Theron was able to present that combination of naivete, hunger to prove herself and the fear or what she is doing. Note: Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin are both in this and No Country For Old Men. Small world.
PICK: Outstanding work by the whole cast honor the life of the man this was based on.

RENDITION

RENDITION TRANSLATES TO A LANGUAGE WE ALL CAN UNDERSTAND

"Rendition: handing over prisoners to countries where torture is allowed." This is what is happening right now. This is our world. If you have a different skin color or come from foreign soil, even if you look like you do, you are perceived as a threat. We've grown into a country waiting for the other shoe to fall. Since 9/11 everything has changed. The "we" is now an "us" and "them". We are alone in this world, just like the characters in this film. Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally) is detained while trying to return home to his wife (Reese Witherspoon) son and his soon to be born baby. This is where to nightmare begins. He is sent back and footsteps ultimately erased, albeit sloppily. He now lives in a dark damp cell; a dirty, bloody, intimidating place. He is tortured in full view of the American CIA agent, Douglas Freeman ( Jake Gyllenhaal) who has been thrust into a situation, not by choice, and has to decide which side of the road he intends to walk. After a while of witnessing this brutal and bloody torture he asks, "In all the years you've been doing this, how often can you say that we've produced truly legitimate intelligence? Once? Twice? Ten times? Give me a statistic; give me a number. Give me a pie chart, I love pie charts. Anything, anything that outweighs the fact that if you torture one person you create ten, a hundred, a thousand new enemies." The paperwork and red tape and politicians all get intertwined when meanwhile, this man is dying a slow death by torture. His wife is doing all she can with people who simply won't acknowledge her presence, even when contradictory proof is offered. Meryl Streep plays a cold hearted bitch, with class. Her dismissive "I can destroy you" attitude made me sick. Witherspoon could be playing a more sympathetic character against this politician who eats people like her for breakfast. I can't say I was overjoyed by Gyllenhaal's performance, but it may have been an error in the script as he is a proven actor. He was able to play the man caught in the middle and when dealing with politicians. He has a tough choice to make. What does he decide; protocol or humanity? Overall, it was an intense, gripping drama that must be paid the most careful of attention to; so that the end will come full circle and make sense.

PICK: The truth hurts and this will too, but it is worth the payoff at the end.

TWO WEEKS

TWO WEEKS SURPRISINGLY WORTH EVERY DAY

There was no rush for me to watch this film. It is technically 2006, but I notice video stores calling three and four year old movies "new" releases. Perhaps it hits a chord with me in a personal way that clouds my better judgement to review a Sally Field tear-jerker, but I'll take my chances. No mystery here, Anita Bergman (Sally Field) is the terminally ill mother of four children. Two Weeks is the time the adult children begin to stand vigil for their mother in her time of need. Keith (Ben Chaplin) is the oldest and acts as our narrator as he films his mother in better condition to live a "living will" of sorts, a message from beyond the grave. Those were the most sappy and not the better part of this film. The better part is watching the siblings act and react to and with each other in realistic ways that one acts while in this sort of situation. Each actor does a wonderful job in their role, although I believe Chaplin actually glows. This isn't a pleasant issue to discuss, as is watching the slow death of a loved one. There is humor that is appropriately inappropriate. They call "dibbs" on the left over morphine and pain killers. Our society doesn't place value on the dying process. We hide our elderly in over crowded "homes" like they have something we could catch. Brilliant scene where clergy is called in. Death is highly personal and everyone deals with their own or others mortality in unique ways. This movie sparks such conversation. Nothing is candy coated, not even the Darvocet. If you can stand the typical mother loves you transition between the Two Weeks, it is well worth it.

PICK: Perhaps a bit syrupy in some parts, but a valuable and well done film.

SMILEY FACE

SMILEY FACE SHOULD BE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
If you can't say something nice...


Since the emergence of Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High (including, lesser known actors such as Eric Stolz, Anthony Edwards and Nick Cage) came a new kind of character; the surfer/stoner dude. Other movies have tried to match the "dude-ness" and some came close. The gimmick in this movie is that the girl, Jane (Anna Faris), who is a "pot head" already, accidentally eats her roomie's cupcakes, which are laced with marijuana. The rest of the film is her wacky and crazy adventures. It just doesn't work... AT ALL. Even with a decent cast, there is nothing funny about this film. There are stoner women (not girls) who smoke weed (Mary Louise Parker, HBO Weeds) but no girl/young woman counterpart that come close. Faris can not hold a whole movie on her own. John Krasinski (Jim from the Office) was good to watch, but he could have been given a bigger bite of these cupcakes. Some bits work, but there aren't enough of them to save this crap. Some called it a cult classic. Let the cult have it.
NOT a pick unless you're too stoned to care. Worthless and unfunny.

AMERICAN GANGSTER

AMERICAN GANGSTER NEEDS TO BE WHACKED

"This is my home. This is where my business is, my wife, my mother, my family. This is my country, I ain't goin' nowhere." This is Frank Lucas' (Denzel Washington) world and we're just living in it. This is after his rise from errand boy for an infamous heroin dealer to replacing that man and crowning himself the new king. Not only did he call it, he demanded it and those who got in the way were "moved" to a more permanent out of the way place. As Lucas is on the rise, Detective/wanna be lawyer, Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) isn't. This is due in part to his drive to become an attorney and crossing the 't's and dotting the 'i's which doesn't sit well for his less scrupulous colleagues. Roberts is obsessed during his downward spiral while Lucas is reveling the high life. Lucas is the true OG (original gangster). Based on a true story, the 2 disc release shows you both men as they helped the movie's production. The theatrical version is 236 minutes. The un-cut version is 255 minutes. Even with the editing, this movie is still too long. It is slick, looks great, but maybe too great. Washington and Crowe are both incredible actors. Why it didn't translate, I don't know. This film was a walking corpse, the body intact but no heart, no soul. Their performances as real life men may be dead on, but their impersonations were lifeless. All the ingredients were there, just not mixed to the right consistency. It was interesting to watch, but not enough for me to recommend it.

NOT a pick: Too long and no energy; a huge waste of talented actors

SLIPSTREAM

SLIPSTREAM... JUMP IN, THE WATER'S GREAT!

What did I just watch? Very reminiscent of one of my most beloved existential psychology professor's quest for "images" and trying to define what "being" is (or Being, capital B). Is this a dream, within a dream, or a movie within a movie, or both? Written and directed by Sir Anthony Hopkins, this movie was compelling to watch, almost hypnotic. If you can let go of the idea of a plot or storyline, then you'll enjoy it for the curiosity to see if it turns into something or ends up nowhere. At some point we discover that this man Felix (Hopkins) is a screenwriter working out a particularly stressful project that puts his brain into overdrive. This film also pokes fun at the "players" in the movie business and gets quite amusing when this writer (Hopkins) interacts with his own characters. Speaking of which, the list of stars in this movie is incredible and spans decades of actors. John Tuturro (one of the most talented and underrated actors to date) goes all out overboard and it works. This film is not for everybody, but I couldn't stop watching. It was like David Lynch on acid. The camera angles, film editing and whatever else they did will make you wonder if something was slipped into your drink. Not a movie for the faint of heart (or head) but really neat to see something so different.

PICK WITH CAVEATS: Very entertaining and interesting. Must watch till end of credits!

DEATH AT A FUNERAL

DEATH AT A FUNERAL PUTS THE 'FUN' IN FUNERAL

Only the British could get away with the antics in this film. It's the day of the funeral of two brother's father. One is a mild mannered man, the other his famous writer brother arriving first class from New York. There are far too many characters to summarize here. When the film starts with the wrong body delivered to the house, it can only go up from there; and it does go up. Higher and higher, faster and faster... there are a million stories and subplots going on at the same time, like an Altman film on speed. This movie does an amazing job at getting you really dizzy and then bringing you back to a sober halt. There is as much drama, realistic and genuine than there is comedy and bawdy humor. Very real issues are covered during the course of this film and at the end of the day, it is another movie about life and death. There is one scene that is truly the most disgusting and horrific scene than I have witnessed in a very long time; worse than anything from the Saw series or any other horror film. It must be seen to be believed. So well done and enjoyable from start to finish.

PICK: Must see film, funny and sad and everything in between. Big Pick!

THE DARJEELING LIMITED

THE DARJEELING LIMITED IS A TRAIN NOT TO BE MISSED
There are two kinds of people in this world; those who love Wes Anderson's work (The Royal Tenenbaums, Bottle Rocket, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou) and those who hate it. The DVD has a short "featurette" before the film officially starts, Hotel Chevalier, starring Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman (Jack).It offers some insight about Jack that comes up later during the film and is a nice short little added extra. After meeting Jack in the featurette, we are then introduced to his other brothers, Francis (Owen Wilson) and Peter (Adrian Brody). Francis has pulled his brothers together for a "spiritual journey" in India. "The past has happened, but it's over isn't it? Not for us." They haven't seen each other since their father's funeral and they start to re-bond before getting kicked off the train. Soon it is revealed that Francis has ulterior motives for their quest, despite his daily itinerary. Wes Anderson's films are magic to me. They are all about family and relationships and their complications and this film is no different. Some of the story is literate and some is unknowingly beautiful. It seems that the train if forever in motion and to get on it they must run after it. The film begins with this and ends with this practise. Bill Murray, a veteran Anderson cast member, gives an appearance as a business man who misses the train. When the brothers catch the train after literally loosing their baggage the effect comes full circle. Angelica Houston also a veteran "Andersonite", also makes a brief, but valuable part in the film. Although mostly humorous, this film has it's serious moments too. In my mind, movies, at the end of the day, are always about life and/or death. This movie is about both. Anderson's work is not for everyone, but I adore him and his vision and adored this film.

PICK: While not for everyone, I loved this film, both in subject matter and execution thereof.

MICHAEL CLAYTON

MICHAEL CLAYTON IS OUTSTANDING WHY???

I have no problem with George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, or Sydney Pollack. This was a well-crafted movie about a lawsuit, the good guys and the bad guys. Clooney restrains himself from the funny/charming part of him and plays the part straight. There are twists and turns, but nothing overly dramatic or spectacular. Frankly, I felt like I was watching a long episode of Law and Order. We've seen this before. There wasn't anything new or cutting edge. I think everyone did a good job, but best actor/best actress/best picture good??? I felt no connection to these characters and if anyone did die, go to prison, lose their practice... I didn't care. It was slick, well cut and wrapped in a pretty box with a big bow, but I still didn't think this movie was anything to get excited about.

This is NOT a pick: TNT shows reruns of Law and Order... you'll see the same stuff there (and for free!).

MARGOT AT THE WEDDING

MARGOT AT THE WEDDING SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT THE BOUQUET Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) brings to us an odd assortment of characters, fully developed and interesting to watch... at least for a while. Nicole Kidman is Margot, who is on her way to her estranged sister, Pauline's (Jennifer Jason Leigh) wedding with her preteen age son, Claude. Their arrival gives everyone a few days to visit before the ceremony. We meet the groom, Malcolm (Jack Black) who practically steals the movie away from his dynamic co-stars. He is crass, vulgar and speaks his mind, which is against everything Margot is for. Kidman realistically reveals the realities of her character as she imbibes wine, Xanax and tries hard to repress her feelings. Typically she hurls insults and cruelly snaps at her son and her sister. She gives new meaning to inappropriate parenting skills. Leigh is comfortable in Pauline's skin. She dances between calm and chaos. The script is tight and mixes subtle comedy in this mostly dramatic film. Again, we see a family that puts the 'fun in dysfunction'. The film moves a bit too slowly. When all is said and done, the ending left me dissatisfied. The whole movie flows from one scene to another with minimal effort except the end. I'm not always one for a happy ending, but there were too many unanswered questions. I didn't like spending the time (maybe too much time) to get to know and understand these people only to be cut off so curtly. Overall an entertaining film to watch, especially Black in a serious role, but not one of my favorites.
Pick-ish: A middle of the road pick, not great but interesting to watch.