The Lady Eve

After an expedition up the Amazon, a snake expert and heir to an ale fortune boards a cruiser for New York and wards off the advances of several gawking women. Then on the way to his room, he is tripped by a beautiful young conwoman, who takes him back to her room where he falls madly in love with her. Planning to fleece him in a card game, the unexpected happens and she falls in love with him and limits the damage to be done by her father and his criminal partner. However, before the two can wed her identity is soon revealed to him, leaving her alone and dejected, and inspiring her to craft an audacious plan of revenge, not to take his money but to break his heart. "The Lady Eve" is a delightful and extremely sexy film from writer/director Preston Sturges. Barbara Stanwyck stars in a marvelously sultry role as the professional con artist who never foresaw herself falling in love and Henry Fonda uses his sincerity to wonderful comic effect playing the ultimate dope with an trusting nature. William Demarest has a particularly funny role as Fonda's suspecting bodyguard and Charles Coburn and Eugene Pallette are fine as well as Stanwyck and Fonda's fathers, respectively. Sturges' film is extremely sensual, particularly in two scenes that take place early on in Stanwyck's cabin, the first where Fonda is overtaken by her perfume, the second where she strokes an alarmed Fonda's hair after she has been scared by one of his snakes. "The Lady Eve" is a delightful screwball comedy thanks to Sturges' funny and unpredictable script, and two magnificent leading performances.

Neil Young: Don't Be Denied

Neil Young's music has always struck a deep chord with audiences and been highly influential for subsequent singer/songwriters. Here we are taken on a journey through his career from his early days in Winnipeg through stints with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Crazy Horse, and Devo, always following his own musical route no matter the cost to personal fame and professional relationships. Through interviews with collaborators including David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, James Taylor, and Nils Lofgren as well  as Young himself, we get a sense of the difficult and extremely talented man. During the course of the film, Young does come off as self-important, and when he claims that it has been "all about the music" and later shown on stage during his Living With War tour playing under a jumbotron displaying W. news clips, he just sounds downright phony. And still, he has made some great, piercing songs and had an incredible career along the way, which is nicely documented here.

Super

A deranged loser's recovering junkie wife leaves his for a sleazeball drug dealer and, with visions from above in the form of a costumed television superhero who teaches teenagers about abstinence, he adopts the crime fighting persona of The Crimson Bolt. Violently attacking drug dealers, child molestors, vandals, and line jumpers alike with a wrench, a teams up with a star struck comic book store girl aka Boltie and the duo resolve to rescue his wife from the clutches of the well fortified drug dealer. Everyone seems to be fashioning themselves as a superhero these days and James Gunn's "Super" is an extremely twisted and perverse take, often yielding very funny results. Rainn Wilson is really wonderful here playing that kind of screwball moral crusader that he does so well. I also found Ellen Page to be adorable, giving an edge to her hipster persona in some really racy scenes. Kevin Bacon is really humorous as well as the dirt bag. The last third of this film turns extremely ugly and violent, losing a lot of its humor and appeal. Nonetheless, Wilson and Paige are so good here, the movie is really funny in parts, and the film is outrageous and sort of refreshing in its own way.

Rubber

A law enforcement official climbs out of the trunk of car, breaks the fourth wall, and tells us that we are about to witness an homage to "no reason". For the following 80 minutes we watch a tire, realizing its power of telekinesis, rolling around the desert causing head explosions of everyone it comes across. Looking over the most detestable films I have ever seen, I have determined that I would rather sit through a marathon screening of "The Happening", Tony Scott's "Domino", "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", "Smokin' Aces", "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me", and "Ali G Indahouse" than be subjected to this putrid inanity again.

In a Better World

A young boy is grieving the loss of his mother and relocates from London to a pastoral Danish town. At his new school, she stands up for a bullied kid whose parents are going through a separation. As the two form a bond, they engage on a quest of retribution against an adult who had accosted one of their parents, a pacifist who works as a missionary in a violent African village. Susanne Bier's "In a Better World" is an excruciating exercise in sentiment and pretension and inexplicably won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film this past year. Shot vapidly in what should have been a more luminescent Dutch countryside, the film is a solemn and incredibly obvious treatise on courage, bullying, control, revenge, etc. The acting is matter-of-factly and amateurish and the scenes set in Africa do not work at all with the rest of the story. Bier clearly has good intentions here but her presentation is almost insulting. Maybe in a better world we won't have to endure such pompous drivel.

Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee was a man of fierce calculation and dogged determination, graduating at the top of his class at West Point and becoming a hero under Winfield Scott during the Mexican-American War. When whispers of secession turned into roars a gravely divided Lee, a brutal slave holding Virginian loyalist who had sworn an oath of loyalty to the union, resigned as an officer to command the Confederate Army. He would come to be known as the bloodiest General in American history and immortalized as a symbol for the lost dream of the south. Lee's entry into the "American Experience" catalog feels like a glossed over recollection of the American legend's life and could have used a more fleshed out treatment. Also voice actors, a crucial element to these films, seem miscast and not as commanding as someone with Lee's presence would demand. Nonetheless, this is still an extremely well written and captivating account of a man of both extreme ruthlessness and sorrow.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Baby Jane Hudson was the toast of Vaudeville, appearing before sold out crowds and even selling her own brand of lifelike dolls. Soon however, she became overshadowed by her sister Blanche who became an endearing star until a car crash confined her to a wheelchair and ended her career. Now, Blanche lives in an old Hollywood mansion once owned by Rudolph Valentino, under the career of delusional and insanely jealous Jane, who proceeds to torture her invalid sister while planning to make her big comeback. "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" is a perverse, shocking, and often very funny film from director Robert Aldrich. It is a send-up of ex-Hollywood starlets and made in a very similar vein to Billy Wilder's classic "Sunset Boulevard". "Baby Jane" marked a revival of the careers of its female stars, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford (who were reputedly offscreen rivals as well) and they are both stunning in roles that could have easily been switched. Davis, wearing what seems to be pounds of makeup gives a cackling performance as what must be one of the most diabolical of any screen villain. Crawford brings gravity to the role of the put upon sister in a less showy but still exceptional role. Two other supporting players turn in fine performances as well, including Maidie Norman as a fretful maid and Victor Buono as a bumbling piano playing mama's boy who answers an ad placed by Davis. "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" succeeds extremely well on many levels: It is technically gorgeous, with its intricate setting shot in stark black and white. It is a terrifying horror story as well as a hard hitting and funny lampoon of stardom. Finally, it is a tremendous showcase for two of the best known stars of their time who showed they were still able to rip off the gloves and go for the jugular.

Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends

Over the past 60 years Tony Bennett has become synonymous with the Great American Songbook, beautifully crooning works from Gershwin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, and Rodgers and Hammerstein to name a few. In the loving retrospective, Bennett's life and career is celebrated by some of his closest friends including Clint Eastwood, Harry Belafonte, Mel Brooks, and Martin Scorsese (there's some great footage of Marty and his editor Thelma Schoonmaker inserting "Rags to Riches" into "Goodfellas") in addition to his sons as well as interviews with the legend himself. With narration from Anthony Hopkins, the film is wonderfully assembled as we see rare performances and footage and watch songs from old film clips as Tony picks up where Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin leave off. There are also many wonderful extended performances of staples such as "(I Left My Heart) In San Francisco" and "Come Fly with Me". "Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends" is an affectionate portrait of an enduring entertainer.

The Captain's Paradise

A British captain has found the secret to happiness. Commanding a cruise boat between Gibraltar and Morocco, he keeps a woman in both ports, one a sexy siren, the other a domesticated housewife, both of whom completely fulfill his needs. However, his well kept secret is threatened to be exposed and, even more to his dismay, each woman begins to develop the traits of her complement. "The Captain's Paradise" is an ingeniously clever film from Britain's Ealing Studios and contains another extraordinary performance from Alec Guinness, who was once referred to as the actor's actor's actor. Both women, Yvonne DeCarlo as the seductress and Celia Johnson as the homemaker, and they are given a chance to play both roles, they in turn give Guinness a chance to turn in two wildly different performances as well. Consider two great scenes: DeCarlo accidentally receives an apron intended for Johnson instead of a swimsuit, and absolutely loves it. In a fit of manic improvisation, Guinness speaks in Spanish of what becoming cook can do to your figure. Then in the adverse scene, Johnson opens the wrapped bikini, of course embracing it, much to Guinness's dismay. "The Captain's Paradise" is a pretty racy and raucously ingenious film which provides the perfect platform for Alec Guinness to display his considerable talents.

The Dotted Line

After making documentaries on McDonalds and product placement, Morgan Spurlock now gives us "The Dotted Line", a look at sports agents. Following three agents, one trying to recruit college football players before the combine, another telling of his dealings with Michael Jordan, and a third disgraced ex-agent who blew the whistle on industry malfeasance. While attempting to show the darker side, "The Dotted Line" is Spurlock's baffling attempt to show the positives and usefulness of sports agents. In addition to the ridiculous stances he takes, Spurlock is a grandstanding amateurish filmmaker (here having the ex-agent drive onto a lot behind a collegiate practice field) who resorts to gimmicky and shoddy presentations of his material. I do though await his upcoming films in which he takes us through the history of Walmart and gives us an inside look at the unsung heroes of the banking world.

The Hurricane of '38

In September 1938, a French naturalist in the west Saharan desert notices monstrous winds heading towards the coast and two weeks later, the same storm was thought to his off of the coast of Florida. As residents readied for the storm, Florida was spared as the hurricane moved northward approaching seaside communities along New England. Forecasters could have foreseen the coming nor'easter but instead wrote it off, thinking it to make its way out to sea. So, without warning, many villages along the northeastern shores were completely decimated and many lives were lost. "The Hurricane of '38" an incredible story in a less than compelling fashion. Even with David McCullough and testimonies from survivors of the great storm, the documentary fails to be told in a cohesive manner which makes it lose interest as it bounces around from story to story.

Seabiscuit

In 1938 Walter Winchell printed his annual top 10 newsmakers of their year list which included FDR, Adolf Hitler, and a champion racehorse by the name of Seabiscuit. This documentary tells the story of the stubborn and unlikely horse who was seen to have greatness by a stoic trainer, sold to a wealthy west coast magnate, and ridden to glory by two jockeys, most notably in a one on one showdown with rival and thought to be superior stallion War Admiral. The American Experience's presentation of "Seabiscuit" is a wonderful documentary of what should be considered the greatest sports underdog in American history. The horse's story along with the heartrending story of Red Pollard, one of its jockeys, is told beautifully and with excellent narration by Scott Glenn as well as comment by Laura Hillenbrand, the author of the book upon which the 2003 Oscar nominated film was based. By the time the story reaches Seabiscuit's comeback for his final race, I was surprised to find my eyes welling up, and realized I had been watching one of the finest sports stories in our history.

Pinocchio

"Pinocchio" is an early animated classic from Walt Disney which consists of two wildly different halves, the first comprising of scenes of delightful imagination and the second containing dark and terrifying passages. The well known story begins with the folksy Jiminy Cricket stumbling into the home of Geppetto, a kindly woodcarver who has just crafted a boy like marionette. That night, he makes a wish upon a star that the puppet Pinocchio will become a real boy. His wish is slightly granted by a blue fairy who says he must attain virtuous qualities to become human. So, with Jiminy in tow as his conscience, the naive Pinocchio sets out for a series of misadventures. "Pinocchio" is one of the true wonders, not only for animation, but for movie storytelling as well. The animation is incredibly intricate and beautiful, and the early scenes in Geppetto's hovel, where he dances in revelry with Pinocchio, Figaro the cat, and Cleo the fish as Jiminy dances with the cuckoo clock figurines, are an exercise in pure delight. The following scenes where Pinocchio is sold by the devious Honest John and Gideon to Stromboli and is forced to perform in his travelling show are comical and magical as well. Then as the coachman discusses his sinister Pleasure Island plan and laughs his sinister laugh, I was immediately taken back to scenes of childhood fright as thoughts of the donkey boys and Monstro the whale came rushing back to my brain. "Pinocchio" is a painstakingly beautiful film that is both dark and funny and far too daring for any studio to attempt to replicate for today's prudish audiences.

Hunger

In 1981, the British government is refusing to recognize the Irish Republican Army as a political organization and in response to this IRA inmates at the Maze prison in Belfast are staging a protest wherein they are refusing to wear prison clothes and bathe. As conditions worsen and the protests appears fruitless, prison leader Bobby Sands embarks on a hunger strike, heedless of his own life or the lives of his men. "Hunger" is the film debut of British artist Steve McQueen and it is a brutal exercise in pure simple, approaching each scene with a basic ferocity. The film stars the compelling young actor Michael Fassbender who has been so extraordinary in many recent films, and you can add one to the list as he portrays Sands as a stalwart and righteous soldier. The film is full of many unforgettable sequences including one where the British police are called in to quell the rioting inmates and begin to pound on their shields sounding some sort of war cry, or Sands' hunger strike which is shown in gruesome silent detail. Another remarkable sequence occurs near the film's midpoint where for approximately 15-20 minutes and with only 4-5 shots, a priest attempts to talk him out of his suicidal mission. "Hunger" is a film made by a man with confidence in his abilities, his lead actor, and his story. It is a remarkable piece of filmmaking.

Renée

Richard Raskin was born into an upper class family and found success in everything he attempted, becoming a doctor and a successful amateur tennis player. Deep down though, he held a desire to become a woman and created a firestorm of controversy he had a sex changed and attempted to enter the 1977 U.S. Women's Open as Renée Richards. "Renée" is a creepy portrait of a disturbed and conflicted individual, presented in an intriguing fashion. The documentary is not particularly well written but director Eric Drath does a nice job of assembling archival footage and interviews with greats from the tennis world, Richards friends and family, and Richards herself. The story is presented in a nonjudgmental fashion, allowing all viewpoints to be heard, including Richards son, who is struggling and still very upset with his father's life choices. Renée Richards comes off as distorted and self-absorbed, but her life makes for an intriguing story.

Restless

Enoch is a grieving teenager who has lost his parents in a car crash, been kicked out of school, and is currently playing board games with a Kamikaze ghost from WWII. Finding solace in attending funerals, he is busted by a minister and while being threatened, a beautiful young girl comes to his rescue and claims him as an acquaintance. The two begin a courtship and it is gradually revealed that the life loving girl, Annabel, is dying of terminal brain cancer. Gus Van Sant’s film, which was written by Jason Lew and surely inspired by Hal Ashby's "Harold and Maude", is a touching and beautifully realized work, which wonderfully incorporates its whimsical elements. Mia Wasikowska, delivers an indelible performance as the convivial young girl and Henry Hopper (Dennis's son) contributes nicely in a moody performance. I found myself being drawn into the lives of these characters and Van Sant does a terrific job setting his palate and maintaining his tone.

The Boat

Having just finished building his new boat, the aptly named Damfino, Buster, his wife, and two boys trail the vessel to be launched at sea, dismantling their house and sinking their car in the process. While out on the open waters (after raising the sunken ship) a major storm hits causing Buster and his family to abandon ship and high tail in back to shore. "The Boat", an early Buster Keaton short, contains some fine sequences including a desperate SOS call to a confused radio operator and an incredible scene where Buster tries to maintain his balance on the rolling ship.

The Play House

Buster is a stagehand who doses off backstage, where he dreams he is every member present at a symphony including the band members, conductor, and the audience members. He awakens to engage in vaudevillian zaniness which includes impersonating a missing monkey and rescuing his sweetheart when her water submersion trick goes wrong. This early Buster Keaton short is whimsical and funny, again showing the wide range of the master's talents.

One Week

Buster and his new wife have received a plot of land and a ready-to-assemble house as a gift from his uncle. Little do they know that her jilted lover has changed the numbers on the boxes, resulting in the construction of one of the damnedest most backwards looking structures ever conceived. "One Week" was Buster Keaton's directorial debut and contained all the wit and physical gags that he would come to be known for throughout his career in the 1920s.

Bronson

On an imagined stage, Michael Peterson performs his one man show in which he tells the story of how he desired to become famous, adopted the alter ego Charles Bronson, robbed a post office, received seven years in prison, serving 34, 30 of which were spent in solitary confinement. "Bronson" is director Nicolas Winding Refn's brutal biopic on the life of Britain's most notorious and violent prisoner. Shot as a dystopian nightmare comparable to "A Clockwork Orange", Refn's dark and stylish film is more off-putting and bizarre than it is entertaining. The film is anchored however by a twisted, intense, brooding, and psychotic comic performance from Tom Hardy who is a whirlwind of spit and fire from start to finish. Hardy's performance carries Refn's flawed film that is often striking and funny, but also sometimes gets lost in excess, rambling, and artistic pretense.

An Unmarried Woman

Erica has it all, a happy marriage to a sensitive husband, an intelligent daughter, a Manhattan flat, and a good job at a contemporary art gallery. Things are going so swimmingly in fact that she engages in her own rendition of Swan Lake in her skivvies while alone in her bedroom. Then after meeting her husband for lunch, he informs her on the sidewalk that he has fallen in love with another woman. Thoroughly dejected, Erica enters the single world and on the advice of her therapist, begins to date and gradually finds strength in her own independence. Paul Mazursky's "An Unmarried Woman", one of the pivotal woman's lib films of the 1970s, is a crowning achievement for the work of Jill Clayburgh, who is truly remarkable in the title role. Running the gamut in terms of emotions, Clayburgh perfectly projects joy, frustration, anger, bewilderment, and a slew of others as she begins her transition into single life. The performances of the men are excellent as well: Michael Murphy as her weak but loving husband, Cliff Gorman as the chauvinistic swinger whom she has a fling with, and Alan Bates as the ideal artist whom she falls in love with. Mazursky's film must have been refreshing for audiences in 1978, but it is due to Clayburgh's incredible and engaging command of the screen that makes this film work.

The Big Year

"The Big Year" refers to a bird watching contest where participants spend the entire calendar year trying to observe as many species of North American bird possible. Three men, each going through his own personal crisis, pursue their life's passion and enter the contest, traversing the continent and engaging in both friendships and rivalries with each other. "The Big Year" is an old fashioned race film that seems quite knowledgeable of its obscure topic. In addition to being treated to a warm and funny film, we also gain some ornithological knowledge as well. The film stars three endearing actors who all contribute nicely hear: Jack Black as a down on his luck computer programmer, Steve Martin as a recent retiree who fears he may have waited to long to pursue his dream, and Owen Wilson as the event record holder who will do anything to protect it, even if it cost him his marriage. The supporting cast is equally bright as well: I really liked Dianne Wiest and Brian Dennehy as Black's parents and Rashida Jones is her usual bristling self as his love interest. JoBeth Williams is strong as Martin's wife and Rosamund Pike is adorable as Wilson's. Anjelica Huston has humorous role as well as a cantankerous charter boat captain. After awhile the film starts to wear thin and grows slightly redundant, but with such a sunny film and an engaging cast, it is hard to complain.

Oliver Twist

A sickly pregnant woman runs through the rainy moors to the gates of a workhouse where she delivers her child the dies. Oliver Twist, the name given by the cruel, bulging orphanage overseer, begins a life of mistreatment as he is sent from the workhouse to work for a coffin maker whom he escapes from to make for the streets of London and to be taken in by a band of pickpockets. Following the success of "Great Expectations", David Lean decided to adapt another Dickens' classic, achieving the same dark and wondrous results. "Oliver Twist" is an impeccably directed, beautifully gloomy rendering of the story of the young waif. For me, my introduction to the story came with Carol Reed's wonderful musical "Oliver!", which is much lighter in tone. Lean's version is more dire than I even realized (ashamedly, I haven't read the book), and pretty shocking considering the time it was released. John Howard Davies is ideal as Oliver, bringing all the needed qualities of the beset upon orphan and the adult cast is incredible, led by the inimitable Alec Guinness in a twisted comic performance as gang leader Fagin which drew controversy for resembling Jewish stereotypes. Robert Newton is vicious as the contemptible Bill Sykes, Kay Walsh is incredible as his fiery and magnanimous girlfriend Nancy, and Henry Stephenson is great as the warmhearted Mr. Brownlow. David Lean was a master craftsman of the cinema, crafting gorgeous, incredibly realized masterpieces like this before leaving Britain for Hollywood to direct some of the grandest epics in history. Working big or small, he realized that storytelling was essential, and with "Oliver Twist" he again does literary great Charles Dickens justice.

Clean and Sober

A hotshot yuppie embezzles $95,000 from his employer and wakes up to find the girl he picked up dead from a cocaine overdose. Needing a place to hide out, he takes refuge in a detox clinic, where he doesn't even remotely begin to remotely face his own addictions. Soon with the help of a hard nosed counselor and an ardent AA sponsor, he takes the leap and begins the arduous trek towards recovery. "Clean and Sober" is essentially divided into three stages, Addiction, Rehab, and Recovery, and for the first to it is an unrelenting look at dependency. The third segment pulls back slightly, though still tenacious, and introduces a romance angle which isn't entirely successful. The film is centered on an extraordinary, unsung performance from Michael Keaton, who manages to be simultaneously repugnant and sympathetic, takes major risks, and pulls them off wonderfully. There are also two great supporting performances in the film from Morgan Freeman (was that guy ever young?) as the counselor and M. Emmet Walsh as the sponsor. Many films about addiction and recovery are soft served fairy tales where the addict returns to his supporting family and friends and patched up work environment. "Clean and Sober" is a harsh and realistic viewpoints not only of addiction but the road to recovery as well.

Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World

The whaling industry in America was a contradictory one: a rousing and courageous adventure on a contemplative sea with the goal of viciously slaughtering a passive beast. From 17th to 19th century America, the whaling industry out of New England bolstered the country's economy to the point that it was a major factor in breaking off from England, and helped to make The United States a formidable world power in the decades to follow. "Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World" is a reflective and elegiac history of the controversial enterprise intercut with the tragic story of the whaling ship The Essex which inspired young whaler Herman Melville to pen his magnum opus Moby Dick. Director Ric Burns does a wonderful job of presenting haunting images and music here and is given great support by a studied and well spoken groups of experts on the subject. Willem Dafoe's narration is quietly powerful and this entry into the "American Experience" series does a fantastic job of showing the many different facets of this incredible and brutal industry.