Outside the Law

As celebrations ring out in France as victory in Europe is declared, Algerians marching for their independence are beaten, imprisoned, and slain on the streets of Setif. Three brothers of disparate paths, a soldier, a firebrand politico, and neutral financier find themselves taking up the cause of the FLN, leading the armed Algerian resistance against the oppressive French. "Outside the Law" is writer/director Rachid Bouchareb's following to 2006's "Days of Glory" (unseen by myself), which also told the story of a fight against French Oppression. Here, Bouchareb tells an intriguing story with sure-footed direction and a good pace, especially for a longer film. However, his characters never succeed in being any more than types, and as a result we can never really identify with their cause or their brutal, terrorist actions. Also crucial scenes of high drama are hackneyed and superficial. "Days of Glory" is an engaging look at historical events populated with wooden fictional characters that don't do the story justice.

African Cats

On the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, a proud and elderly lion protects its pride from invading lions across a nearby river, while a wounded old lioness tries to secure a place for her cub. Meanwhile, a mother cheetah is raising her little cubs, protecting them from the dangers that surround them while teaching them to fend for themselves. Following "Earth" and "Oceans", "African Cats" is the third film in the Disney Natures series drawn from the acclaimed documentary television program "Planet Earth". Like its predecessors, it gorgeously captures its subjects, here the ebullient colors and magnificent creatures of the Savanna Desert. However, although the film is rousing for awhile, it seems to lose focus and goes on too long. The narration is also terribly simplistic, gearing itself towards the youngest children, although narrator Samuel L. Jackson does his best to keep things interesting. And yet, despite its problems "African Cats" is always beautiful to behold as it captures some of the world's most incredible creatures in action.

Amigo

In 1900 during the Philippine-American War, a small Filipino village is occupied by a U.S. garrison that maintains dominance over the area hoping to root out any insurrectionists. The town's tax collector has the dubious honor of being appointed leader of his people and now must contend with the vicious Colonel and his people, while being placed against his brother and son who have joined the revolutionaries. John Sayles ("Lone Star", "Matewan") is one of the unsung writer/directors of the American cinema, creating intelligent dioramas that cross many people and cultures. Here is historical fictitious portrait of life in an occupied village, we are introduced to and get a great sense of whom all the players are, as is the case in all of Sayles' films. For example, we meet the town mayor, known as Amigo (wonderfully portrayed by Joel Torre), and learn of his disdain for the intruders but his fear for his people, including the rebels. We meet the cracker soldiers, led by Chris Cooper and Garret Dillahunt in fine turns, and feel like we know them all individually. Finally, we meet the rebels camping out in the hills and come to learn of their motivations and struggles. With "Amigo", John Sayles has lent his touch to create an all inclusive, ultimately tragic tale of miscommunication. 

The Skin I Live In

On his secluded estate, mysterious plastic surgeon toils away on his new invention, a durable type of skin that can withstand heat and penetration. His test subject is a beautiful and seemingly willing prisoner whom he has locked away in his mansion and monitored by closed circuit camera. When his half brother disrupts his dubious practices, he becomes close with the subject as we are taken down the decadent road that led to their current arrangement. "The Skin I Live In" is director Pedro Almodovar at his most gawdy, providing a bizarre and soapy story with high drama and plush colors. Antonio Banderas, reuniting with the director, delivers a fantastic and obsessive performance as the ethics-free doctor. Elena Anaya is also fine as Banderas's test patient, and the mysteries surrounding her situation are truly a kick to the gut when revealed. There are several plot points and implications that are left unresolved here, but this is still a sinuously gorgeous piece of entertainment.

Martha Marcy May Marlene

A trembling young woman phones her estranged sister to pick her up from a rural location, and goes to live with her and her husband. While attempting to adjust and exhibiting increasingly bizarre behavior, she reflects on the abusive cult from which she fled and its controlling, domineering leader. "Martha Marcy May Marlene" represents two breakthroughs and incredible introduction to the film world. The first is Elizabeth Olsen,  who distances herself from her famous twin sisters and turns in an incredible and dark performance as the troubled Martha. The second is writer/director Sean Durkin, who with his debut film, crafts a hypnotic, visually stunning movie that weaves between two separate narratives. As we go back and forth between Martha's time at her sister's summer home and the time at the commune, the technique becomes seamless and leads to great payoff later in the film. Great character actor John Hawkes is also menacing as the manipulative cult leader. "Martha Marcy May Marlene" is a unique and sure-handed centered on an intense and brooding lead performance.

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein

Cargo delivery men Bud and Lou receive a long distance call from Lawrence Talbot but before he can tell the nitwits not to open the two recently delivered crates, the full moon rises and he is transformed into a werewolf. The duo deliver the crates to the house of horrors, open them, and unleash Dracula and Frankenstein's monster. Now with the aid of a beautiful doctor who has captured Lou's heart, Dracula aims to place his "pliable" brain into the monster. "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" is a film with a funny premise that should have been funnier than it is. Many of the gags are uninspired and Costello's constant quipping and mugging grow tiresome. What makes this film worthwhile is the monsters, with Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney reprising their famed roles.

Henry V

William Shakespeare's Henry V has always been a rallying cry for the British people, often staged during times of war. So it is no surprise that Winston Churchill summoned Laurence Olivier from his stint in the navy to helm a production of the play. Filmed over a short period of time in beautiful Technicolor, Oliver directed, wrote, and starred in a rousing version of the play that aired in England at the same time of the invasion of Normandy, the same lands of which King Henry conquers in the play. The film begins as a performance at the Globe Theater in 1600 and the action onstage shifts to the fields of northern France in 1415 where the courageous Henry leads his men to victory in The Battle of Agincourt during the One Hundred Years' War. Like all of Shakespeare's work, it takes a minute to get a hold on the dialogue, but after a bit, this becomes a rhythmic and rousing affair. Olivier is commanding in the lead as he passionately recites scores of beautiful and energizing prose. Up until this point, Shakespeare was thought of as too stodgy for the big screen. With "Henry V", Olivier set the bar for the future films adapted from The Bard's work.

Gomorrah

In Naples, Italy the Camorra organized crime system controls nearly every aspect of life. In the midst of a turf war,  "Gomorrah" follows five different storylines which display the far reaching depravity of the powerful organization: two young "Scarface" emulating stickup artists, an even younger boy drawn into the life, a toxic waste dumping politico, a gun shy bag man, and a tailor moonlighting with a rival designer. Matteo Garrone's film, based on an expose by Roberto Saviano, is a stark, neorealist account, told without music, that effectively and shockingly reveals the nature of organized crime. Even in a great, unromantic film such as "Goodfellas", we can still be taken by the glamorous elements of the story or the flash of the direction. Scene through an unadulterated lens, "Gomorrah" offers a sickening view of corruption.

Goldfinger

A malevolent and rotund gold obsessed Dutchman has hatched a treacherous scheme to infiltrate Fort Knox and contaminate the U.S.'s gold reserve, thus increasing the net worth of his own gold supply. Now 007 must battle Oddjob, a short statured hat throwing Mongolian and Pussy Galore, a sensuous and wicked pilot. "Goldfinger" is a wonderful blend of camp, sex, and thrills and so far the pinnacle of the Bond series. The amount of gadgetry, treachery, and provocativeness is enough to pack two films and many of the hallmarks of the series are present here. Sean Connery is still a lot of fun also, and seems to be comfortable in the role. I also really admired the zany end to this film, especially the 2nd ending aboard the president's private jet. "Goldfinger" is a prime recipe for to successfully blend all the elements of a Bond film.

Angels with Dirty Faces

After committing a petty crime, young chums Rocky and Jerry make their escape when Jerry stumbles on the train tracks and is saved by Rocky who is in turn arrested as Jerry makes it out. The two's lives take divergent paths, Rocky becoming a career criminal  and Jerry a priest. Years later when the two reunite, Jerry (Pat O'Brien) becomes discouraged by how the slum kids have taken a liking to Rocky (James Cagney) and goes on a crusade to exposed organized crime in the area, much the chagrin of the shyster lawyer (Humphrey Bogart) who wishes to take the righteous priest down. Michael Curtiz's "Angels with Dirty Faces" has one of the most hackneyed and antiquated set-ups known to the movies, yet it is still raucously entertaining and possibly the finest of the Warner Brothers gangster pictures. James Cagney is delightful and charismatic as ever and has some wonderful scenes in which he mentors O'Brien's Dead End Kids including one where he officiates a basketball games and resorts to tactics as dirty as the ones used as his players. Bogart is effective as well in a thankless role as the heavy, but I was really impressed by O'Brien's work in the typically boring work as the straight man. O'Brien brings weight to the role and is a large reason the film succeeds. "Angels with Dirty Faces" rises above its framework and even above its genre, and its final conclusion is greatly realized and extremely satisfying.

Double Indemnity

A wounded insurance agent races through a red light in the early hours of the mourning and rushes into his agency where he dictates the events of the last few weeks of his life and how he became embroiled in his current predicament. Beginning with a trip to renew a man's auto policy, the agent becomes enamored with an icy blond and entangled in a murderous insurance scheme, with his keen and dogged boss always on the scent. Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity" may be the finest example of film noir to ever grace the big screen, and with a script from a novel by James M. Cain ("The Postman Always Rings Twice", "Mildred Pierce") and contributed to by fellow hard boiled author Raymond Chandler ("The Big Sleep", "Farewell, My Lovely") and given Wilder's crackling writing style, it should be of no surprise. The dialogue that populates the film is terse, witty, and cold and is given greater weight through Fred MacMurray's deadpan delivery as Walter Neff (with two f's as in Philadelphia). He is matched by the beautiful Babraba Stanwyck as the heartless and calculating Phyllis Dietrichson. Edward G. Robinson is wonderful as well as MacMurray's boss, in the role that ushered him from leading man to supporting player. In addition to the great dialogue and crisp black and white direction, one of the great things about the film is how well the crime is spelled out and how plausible every character's involvement and motivation is. "Double Indemnity" is a success on several different levels and another triumph on the incomparable Wilder's list of successes.

From Russia with Love

SPECTRE's number 1, the malevolent Blofeld with the help of his number 3, a former KGB dominatrix, and number 5, a world class chess champion, has developed a plan to lure 007 with a beautiful Russian spy carrying a secret decoder device under the guise of defection. Seeing this as a obvious trap, Bond travels to Istanbul to rendezvous with the stunning agent and do battle with the evil organization's muscleman (a young Robert Shaw) aboard the Orient Express. "From Russia with Love" is largely regarded as the best of the Bond series, and while it is a fun and exciting film, it is still an exercise in silliness. Unlike its predecessor "Dr. No" which started off strong and ended in absurdity, "FRWL" starts off turgidly and concludes wonderfully highlighted by the fight to the death on the train. Perhaps I got into this Bond project with the wrong impression of the series and too high of expectations. Still "FRWL" is an entertaining if a bit too campy cinematic excursion.

The Roaring Twenties

In a foxhole on the western front, three doughboys meet and go there divergent paths back home in the big city. Eddie (James Cagney) has a rough go of finding work and stumbles into the bootlegging business. Straightlaced Lloyd (Jeffrey Lynn) starts a law practice and heartless George (Humphrey Bogart) falls back in as a sailor and climbs his way to the top of the rumrunning rackets. Raoul Walsh's "The Roaring Twenties", from a story by Mark Hellinger, is one of the more affectionate gangster pictures that Warner Brothers put out during the era. Cagney is magnetic in a more affable role than his earlier "The Public Enemy" and Humphrey Bogart is in fine form as the ruthless bootlegger who briefly teams up with Cagney. I also liked the work of Gladys George as speakeasy matron Panama Smith as well as Frank McHugh as Cagney's cabbie pal from back home. "The Roaring Twenties", though still condemning of the gangster lifestyle, is lighter and one of the more enjoyable genre pictures of the time.

Broadcast News

A fiery and talented network news producer out of D.C. becomes attracted to the handsome new anchor who is the embodiment everything she detests about nightly news, much to the chagrin of her friend and reporter who secretly carries a flame for her. James L. Brooks' "Broadcast News" endearingly cynical portrait the watering down and cheapening of our on air news programs. Much like "Network" with less venom, it is prophetic in the way it sees the trajectory of our television journalism (watching the news stories presented in this film, I couldn't believe how literate they were!) Brooks' wonderful script is anchored (no pun intended, hahaha) by three magnificent performances from three distinguished types. Holly Hunter stands at the center of the film in an incredibly realized depiction as the wound-up producer (I'd hate to call her adorable and take anything away from the performance but she is). William Hurt is equally great as the charismatic, self-admitted dope, and Albert Brooks is just fantastic as a brilliant but photogenically challenged reporter. Jack Nicholson also makes a welcome and hysterical cameo as the national news anchor. In a film full of many great ones I wanted to mention two which stand out: One is where Hurt is called to read the news on whim and we see the inner workings of the studio as Hunter delivers his lines via earpiece, some of which come through Brooks over the phone. The other is a speech delivered by Brooks to Hunter where he tries to stall her from meeting Hurt deriding him as the devil while declaring his undying love for her. I don't know if I've ever seen a film that manages to be so enchanting and loving, while so succinctly conveying its cynical message.

Submarine

Oliver is a pensive, self-conscious teenager who has a crush on the like-minded Jordana, whom he begins to court. Meanwhile, his stiff parents are going through a rough patch of their marriage and Oliver is determined to prevent his mother from reconnecting with her ex-flame, the weirdo, mullet-headed motivational speaker who has just moved in next door. "Submarine" is the directorial debut of British writer/director Richard Ayoade and is  a replenishing splash in the face to run-of-the-mill teenage romantic movie outputs. Cut as compulsively as a Michael Bay film (yes this is a compliment) in the vein of "Amelie", Ayoade tells an exceedingly funny and offbeat story, with characters who are just as off-kilter. Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige are great as the teenagers, and Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor as the parents. Paddy Considine is particularly funny as the weirdo neighbor. While I was watching this film, my (standard issue) 16-year-old cousin and his (standard issue) 16-year-old friend stopped by about 20 minutes into the film and, to my surprise, I found both of them engaged by the film until the end. "Submarine" captures that element of youth that has been so greatly submerged in many films about young people.

The Rum Diary

In 1960, journalist Paul Kemp takes a job at the San Juan Star, a failing paper under a miserly editor run out of a dilapidated building. Soaking up booze and living with two of his colleagues in an equally neglected apartment, Kemp begins to freelance for a shady businessman looking to develop the island, and sets his sights on his fetching fiance. Bruce Robinson's adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's first novel is simultaneously a wild meandering romp through Puerto Rico as well as a condemnation of 1960s jet set culture. Johnny Depp, again playing a Thompson cipher, brings the proper amount of beguile and shock to the part and creates really a fun character. Amber Heard is dazzling and quite good as Aaron Eckhart's fiance, who is also in good form as the macho sleazeball. Richard Jenkins, Michael Rispoli, and Giovanni Ribisi are also wonderful in comic roles as newspaperman. I immensely despised the aimless and headache inducing wanderings of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", Depp's other Thompson film. Yet here, I feel Robinson (who hasn't directed a film in 19 years) finds the right rhythms as well as the correct blends of romp and cynicism to do Thompson's work justice.

The Public Enemy

A young street tough and his mate gradually work their way up from petty crime to calculated murder during the era of Prohibition. Going to work for an Irish mobster, and dallying in money, booze, and women, Tom Powers rises to his inevitable fall, fooling his poor dear mother and shaming his straightlaced brother. William A. Wellman's "The Public Enemy" is one of the early Warner Brothers gangster pictures and was the movie that made James Cagney known to the public. Cagney bristles with energy and ferocity here and brings immense likability to a truly detestable character (this is the one where he shoves the grapefruit in Mae Clarke's face). The story is gritty and highly influential as well (the opening of "Goodfellas" came to mind a lot while watching this). "The Public Enemy" is an exciting picture of a nasty individual and an attestation to the talents of a true screen legend.

In Time

In a dystopian future, the aging process stops at 25 years at which point people are given only 1 year to live, with time being the currency. An poor man saves a despondent man worth eons who transfers all of his time to him and jumps off a bridge. Now, faced with the murder charge, the newly enriched hero determines to kindnap a tycoon's daughter and redistribute the wealth, thus throwing off the unfairly tilted balance. Andrew Niccol ("The Truman Show", "Gattaca") is a writer/director who likes to use gimmickry in telling stories. Here he uses his time is money apparatus as a parable to the current economic crisis told in a "Logan's Run"/The Prince and The Pauper/"Bonnie and Clyde" sci-fi mashup, and the result is a badly written overlong preachfest. Justin Timberlake is barely tolerable in the lead (though he's not given any help from the script) and Amanda Seyfried sleepwalks her way through the picture. Supporting players Cillian Murphy and "Mad Men's" Vincent Kartheiser do their best to help the film. For a popcorn movie I guess this kind of works, but as social commentary its absolutely insufferable.

random thought: the word "time" was used so often here, after awhile I felt like I was watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and counting how many time's the word "who" was said

Casablanca

For the many who attempt to escape the tyranny of WWII Europe, the last stop of their arduous journey is the Moroccan town of Casablanca where scores of refugees wait and wait for safe passage to Lisbon and then the new world. There many spend their time at Rick's, a cafe run by a hard bitten American expatriate who sticks his neck out for no one, until a freedom fighter and his wife, Rick's ex-flame walk into his gin joint and makes him realize that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans. Of all the great films that consistently top purportless lists ("Citizen Kane", "The Godfather", etc.), "Casablanca" is the most cherished and the finest of the American films because of its mass appeal traversing multiple genres, its durability over the years (and through attempts to contaminate it i.e. colorize), and for its downright effectiveness and profundity. Director Michael Curtiz, from a quintessential script by Howard Koch and brothers Philip and Julius Epstein, has fashioned a film as memorable and quotable as any that is just as grabbing the fifteenth time you've watched it as it does the first. Humphrey Bogart is at his cynical best and Ingrid Bergman is transcendentally beautiful and affecting. The supporting cast headed by Claude Rains as the happily corruptible French police captain is the finest ever assembled as well, rounded out by the shifty Peter Lorre, the rotund Sydney Greenstreet, and the inimitable Dooley Wilson as Sam the piano player. "Casablanca" is a wonderment of the cinema and every revisit is a renewal of a beautiful friendship.

J. Edgar

After dismissing a top SCLC member before heading out to meet Attorney General Bobby Kennedy and blackmail him into securing a wiretap for the organization, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover begins to dictate his memoirs. Beginning as a fervent young federal agent who made his name during the Red Scare of 1919 and the Palmer Raids, Hoover's durable career would be one of intimidation and rule bending, but also one which strengthened and organized our national policing abilities making the country safer. He also held dark and unaccepted secrets that would have been as damaging as any of the information contained in his private files. "J. Edgar" is a continuation of the rich and powerful filmmaking that Clint Eastwood has made standard in his work. In an unlikely collaboration with Oscar winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black ("Milk"), the two arrive at a middle ground resulting in an extremely compelling film which handles the homosexual elements with restraint and nuance, while presenting a contemptible yet sympathetic view of one of the most controversial figures in 20th Century American history. Leonardo Dicaprio again delivers a riveting historical portrayal as a disappears in the role of Hoover through over half a century of his life. Armie Hammer, who had his breakthrough role(s) as the Winklevoss twins in last year's "The Social Network", is incredible here, especially in the aged scenes, as Clyde Tolson, the fashionable and shy companion of Hoover. I did feel the movie mishandled its female characters, first with the role of Hoover's mother played by Judi Dench. Dench is over the top and obvious as the domineering matriarch and the scenes feel life out of "The Aviator", another Leo biopic. The other female role is that of Hoover's secretary (Naomi Watts, excellent despite), whom he gave full trust and access to his private files. The relationship is never fully developed and we get very little time of Dicaprio and Watts interacting on screen. The rest of the movie including the scenes between Leo and Hammer, and the historical ones come off remarkably and are the result of great craftsmanship and wonderful acting. Even at 137 minutes, I thought the film felt short and would have liked to see a more encompassing picture (1935-1962 are omitted). Still this is engrossing picture of a contentious man and another wonder from the now 81 year old Eastwood.

Point Break

A young hotshot ex-football player (Keanu Reeves) transfers to the L.A. bank robbery division of the FBI and is assigned to an eccentric veteran (Gary Busey) who has a wild theory that the most elusive crew is comprised of surfers who don the mask of former ex-presidents. Buying into the theory, the agent attempts to infiltrate the gang by way of a surfer chick (Lori Petty) which leads him to the centered, zen-like king of the board (Patrick Swayze) who takes him on a dangerous ride. "Point Break" is a fun and silly movie until about the 45 minute mark when the film rapidly digresses into utter ridiculousness. Kathryn Bigelow's movie is surprisingly well shot, but after awhile I wondered if the movie was to be taken seriously or taken for a farce as inane plot turns and horrendous acting become to much to bear. Honestly, I liked Swayze and supporters Busey, Petty, and John C. McGinley, but Reeves' movies consistently leave me asking myself if a better film would have resulted if he were not in them and the absolute absurdity of almost all of the plot turns here left me feeling more then a little bummed out.

A Somewhat Gentle Man

A compliant Norwegian thug is released from prison after a 12 year stint for murder. With the help of his mobster boss, he begins to assimilate himself by working at a local garage, reconnecting with his now grown son, and renting out the basement of a lonely and brutish looking woman's apartment. As his life begins to show signs of improvement, his professional boss insists that he takes care of the rat who fingered him for the crime he went away for. "A Somewhat Gentle Man" is a bizarre and quirky film that has some humorous, well-observed moments, but for the most part overplays its hand. This export from Norway strives to be something of a Coenesque bumbling criminals flick, but it falls way short of the mark. The Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard gives a fine performance, and as I said there are some very fine moments (I liked the scenes between him and his landlady), but the film ultimately suffers from overcooking.

Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction

Filmed at Constitution Hall in early 2009, Robin Williams takes us through his usual manic performance with takes on current issues of the time including the Beijing Olympics, the bailouts, texting, the recently elected president, GPS navigation, porn, rehab, hands off driving, and the creation of the human anatomy. Like his other riotous television stand-up specials including "Live at the Met" and "Live on Broadway", Williams is a hyperactive ball of invention replete of wild body contortions, impersonations, and humorous musings. Some of the material is recycled from previous outings, but it is still some kind of wonder to see him get on a roll and command the typical uproarious reaction.

Night of the Living Dead

A brother and sister drive up a hilly Appalachian road to lay a wreath on their father's grave when they are approached by a seemingly inebriated man. As the two laugh it off, the man attacks the sister and then kills the brother as she flees to a local farmhouse. There she becomes petrified with fear and is barricaded in with several others. Throughout the course of the night, the members of the household listen to news reports and bicker amongst themselves as they try to figure out the best way to counter the mounting attack. Zombie master George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" set the standard for the genre and was a film he crafted on a shoestring budget with his friends and western Pennsylvania locals. The budget is clear by the look of the film, but what is so remarkable about the movie is its professional direction. Romero is so sure-handed behind the camera as well as being so adept at mounting terrifying sequences. The level of gore and violence, while not repulsive, is also shocking for its time. "Night of the Living Dead" is a chilling film that shows that the best horror films are made with intelligence and craft.

Matinee

Having just arrived at their new home on a naval base in Key West, a young teen and his brother are taking the the latest Vincent Price double billing at the local theater. The trailer features the latest picture from scare maestro Lawrence Woolsey about a half man half ant being shown in the new format ATOMOVISION, and leaving the theater the two realize that Woolsey himself will be there promoting his film in two weeks! Now they along with rest of the town must get ready for the big event, all during the course of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Joe Dante's "Matinee" is a sweet, nostalgic, silly, and extremely fun throwback to monster movies and times of innocence passed. John Goodman is a lot of fun as the confident B movie man and Cathy Moriarty is just as good his his jaded leading lady/girlfriend. There are some half baked elements in the film that could have used more fleshing out, but when the film gets down to business in the premier of "Mant" (this movie within a movie is an absolute riot), the movie really soars in supremely funny and chaotic fashion.