Monsters

Six years ago alien life was discovered in our galaxy and a probe was launched to collect samples. Upon reentry, the spacecraft crashed over Mexico forcing a quarantine over half the country to contain the alien life force. Presently, the daughter of a newspaper magnate is stranded in Central America who in turn sends one of his photographers stationed nearby to retrieve her. In a journey back home that will inevitably result in a passage through the infected zone, the two come to terms with their own disheveled lives and growing feelings for each other. "Monsters" is an ultra-low budget film from writer/director Gareth Edwards that makes excellent usage of its budget as well as the genre. Edwards understands that the less we see of a monster the greater the tension and in scenarios reminiscent of "Jurassic Park" the employment of the minimalist approach greatly increases the trepidation factor which also leaves the final tell all the more rewarding. I did though feel that he underplayed his hand at times, cutting to scenes of subsequent safety during high terror point. The acting is of a low quality, although I did like how the romance angle was handled. Nowadays, monster movie makers miscalculate their work and misuse their slimy stars. It is a relief to see a director who understands the less is more precept.

Tom Jones

In the mid 18-century British countryside, Squire Allworthy returns home from London to find a newborn baby in his bed. After dismissing the his barber and maid Jennie Jones, the suspected parents, Allworthy decides to name the boy Tom and raise him as his own. As a man, the robust Tom's appetite for food, drink, and especially women will lead him through a series of misadventures as he tries to gain enough respectability to marry Sophie, another squire's daughter and the only woman he has ever loved. "Tom Jones" is a lively and inventive film adaptation of Henry Fielding's 1749 novel. From a finely tuned script from John Osbourne, Tony Richardson directs with flair and imagination while employing several different styles which include fast motion, silent film, and a grandiose sequence following a hunting party. In the lead role, Albert Finney is fantastically magnetic bringing great likability to his flawed character. Susannah York is excellent as well as his beloved Sophie as are Hugh Griffith, Diane Cilento, and George Devine in supporting roles. "Tom Jones" is an inventive literary adaptation as well as a liberated film which is true to its hero's spirit.

Thunderball

S.P.E.C.T.R.E. has hatched its latest mission under the leadership of criminal mastermind Emile Largo: hijack NATO nuclear warheads and launch devices while holding a major British/U.S. city ransom for a large sum. Now Agent 007 is dispatched to Nassau to rendezvous with the sexy sister of a murdered NATO pilot and do reconnaissance work into Largo's suspected illicit affairs. "Thunderball" is a mumbled, silly, but not entirely without enjoyment Bond installment. It features forgettable villains as well as sexy but equally unmemorable Bond girls, yet Sean Connery remains his usual, affable self. The story is uninspired and poorly constructed which particularly rings true in the underwater denouement sequences which is confusing and anticlimactic. "Thunderball" marks the first film where the formula begins to wear thin.

Nostalgia for the Light

In the arid Atacama Desert in Chile astronomers examine the skies through hulking telescopes, trying to unravel the burning mysteries of life while nearby families of the victims of the Pinochet regime search for the remains of their loved ones in a tireless and mostly fruitless search. In "Nostalgia for the Light", filmmaker Patricio Guzman mashes these two disparate topics together while making vague generalizations to tie them together in a dull, lazily constructed, convoluted, and borderline insulting documentary. By comparing the women's search to a scientists search for truth ("the calcium in the bones of the victims is the same as the calcium in the stars"), Guzman is trivializing these injustices. The film also centers much on astronomy, but does not feel compelled to explain much to us and is instead contented with providing shots from the telescope with broad and often nonsensical explanations from the selected astronomers. This was a critical darling amongst the few who reviewed it and there is a problem in film criticism that I think should be addressed. With the onslaught of sameness they must endure, critics often mistakenly equate uniqueness with greatness while ignoring what makes a film fundamentally good. This also tangentially applies to the slew of documentarians who approach their craft with the enthusiasm and presentation of a public service announcement or educational films. Documentaries are film and must be presented as such and the great documentarians (Ken Burns, Michael Moore, Alex Gibney, the Maysles) know that a camera, interviewees, charts & statistics (n/a here), and photographs alone do not constitute a good film. A little cohesion and clarity wouldn't hurt either.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

After springing Ethan (Tom Cruise) from a Moscow prison, the team breaks into the Kremlin to do some reconnaissance work, when a bomb is detonated and the entire historical context is reduced to rubble. Now, with IMF cutting their support and being forced to go rogue, while also being hunted by the Soviet police, the squad (Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg) must find the person responsible for the bombing, and stop him before he unleashes his follow-up act of global destruction. The "Mission Impossible" series was one that started in mediocrity, sunk a little below that in its sequel, and with the third film and now this one, has risen to a level of excellence. "M:I - Ghost Protocol" is the best film of the series, and can be largely credited to its director Brad Bird, the Pixar veteran ("The Iron Giant", "The Incredibles", "Ratatouille"), who debuts here with his first live action feature. Bird brings his acumen a series of stunning, nonstop action sequences, and in several of them inspires and genuine sense of awe. This was that rare action film where I was not so much concerned with plot or character development, and was on the edge of my seat waiting for the next stunning action set piece (the scaling of the Burj Khalifa and a final parking garage sequence are particularly incredible). The cast is really fine as well. Cruise shows off his star power nicely, and the addition of Renner to the cast is a definite asset. Pegg brings some good comic relief and Patton is amazing as an action star. "M:I - Ghost Protocol" is a shot in the arm compared to what passes for Hollywood action offerings.

Warrior

An angry and bitter young man (Tom Hardy) returns to the home of his alcoholic father (Nick Nolte) so he can train him to fight in a mixed martial arts tournament and nothing more. His older brother (Joel Edgerton), whom he also harbors resentment towards, is a struggling school teacher facing foreclosure and also eyes the substantive cash prize of the MMA tourney. "Warrior" is a sports movie that is rife with cliches, that is handled in such an extraordinarily powerful manner that we gladly embrace them. It's a film that transcends its genre and should appeal to everyone because it finds strength in its human story. Tom Hardy, who's star is quickly on the rise, brings a quiet ferocity to the role and Joel Edgerton is quite good as well bringing believability to his family man/scrappy underdog fighter. Then there is Nick Nolte, an actor many write off for his off screen antics, who reminds us all what a powerful presence he is. His repentant and tough as nails drunk is surely to earn him a supporting actor nod. With "Warrior", director Gavin O'Connor has taken the kind of film that holds a high mass appeal and injected with a dynamism along with a touch of humanity resulting in a work that plays like gangbusters.

Midnight in Paris

            Since 1969, Woody Allen has been making films at the rate of about one per year. While the writer/director/actor has gone through ups and downs in work, there is always something to appreciate in his movies. His latest offering is Midnight in Paris, which opened this year’s Cannes Film Festival to acclaim, and is a whimsical delight of a movie which reminds us what an Allen film is all about.

            Midnight in Paris takes the standard Allen format of a comedy featuring a pessimistic neurotic and adds other elements he has employed in past films such as the fantasy elements of The Purple Rose of Cairo and the love letter to a city as in Manhattan, substituting Paris for New York. The movie stars Owen Wilson in the Woody Allen role as a self-described hack screenwriter who has dreams of being a respected novelist. He is currently on vacation in The City of Lights with his fiancée (Rachel McAdams) whose Republican parents are with them and in the city on business.

For the pessimist we expect from Wilson’s character, he is surprisingly engaged by Paris, eagerly taking in the sights and even talking of relocating there. We get a window into his person when we hear him talk of how he longs for the Paris of the 1920s and also of how the lead character in his novel runs a nostalgia shop. While out one night on the town, Wilson decides to depart from his wife and her boorish intellectual friends and wander the streets alone. He takes a seat on a set of stairs and as soon as the clock strikes twelve, an old fashioned car pulls in front of him with revelers beckoning him to get in.

He takes there ride and is taken to a bar that seems to be just like the swinging 20s joint he’s dreamed of. There he finds Cole Porter playing the piano, makes acquaintances with F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, who in turn introduces him to Ernest Hemingway and Dorothy Parker. After awhile he is returned to his present day, but continues to revisit this magical place night after night. As his relationship with his fiancée continues to become more argumentative and he takes up with a beautiful mistress of Pablo Picasso, he must now decide which reality he wants to live in.

Midnight in Paris is a wonderful film which can be appreciated by anyone but it is a special treat for Allen fans. The film is whimsical and funny, and Allen does a great job creating scenarios with what I’m assuming are his heroes from the 1920s (I loved how Owen Wilson gives Luis Bunuel the plot idea for The Exterminating Angel and Bunuel doesn’t get it).  Wilson proves to be a great stand-in for Allen, capturing the neuroses while still maintaining a sense of wonder with Paris and the new world he has discovered. Much like the feeling Wilson’s character gets when transported back to the Paris of the 20s is the same feeling I get when sitting in the theater and that jazz music begins to play over the white and black opening credits of a Woody Allen picture. 

The Wages of Fear

In an unnamed South American country, a medley of outcasts await employment from the Southern Oil Company which afford them the money for a return ticket home. After an accident injures several union workers, four of the men (Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Folco Lulli, Peter van Eyck) are commissioned two drive two trucks stocked with nitroglycerin across a 300 mile stretch of rugged terrain, with a $2,000 check awaiting whoever survives the perilous journey. "The Wages of Fear" is a tension filled, nail biting film from Henri-Georges Clouzot who had been dubbed France's Hitchchock. After introducing its characters in a thorough manner rare to most action films, Clouzot begins the terrifying trek hardly letting the viewer a minute to the catch his breath. The actors are all fine, particularly Montand and Vanel whose characters reveal much about themselves in the throes of their treacherous situation. In addition to his nerve wracking treatment, Clouzot's handling of the story and its resolution can also be appreciated as well. "The Wages of Terror" is a phenomenal psychological thriller made by a master who knew how to milk every ounce of terror out of his deadly scenarios.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is in the process of losing his life savings after being lured into libeling a ruthless tycoon. With his reputation in shambles, he takes on a missing persons case, trying to find the niece of a missing industry giant who has been missing for 40 years. Moving to his Swedish island estate, where the only suspects are residents of the island at the time, Blomkvist enlists the talents of a brilliant but damaged investigator (Rooney Mara) to assist in finding the truth behind the mysterious disappearance. Since their initial release, Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy books have garnered worldwide acclaimed, as have the subsequent Swedish films. Despite the initial success of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", the film has been adapted into an American rendering, assumedly because the studios figure the subtitle shy movie going Americans hasn't seen Niels Arden Oplev's original and see a good means to capitalize. Despite this, the new offering ends up being so much more than that. David Fincher, one of the best American filmmakers going right now and at least the great technical wizard in the industry, puts his mark on the series and creates a gritty, and visual sublime near masterpiece. Although Noomi Rapace will always be The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Rooney Mara makes a noble bid for the title and turns in a compelling performance. Daniel Craigis surprising and effective playing the sissified Bloomkvist, and veteran actors Christopher Plummer and Stellan Skarsgard turn in Oscar worthy performances (a scene with Craig and Skarsgard near the end of the film is one of the best I've seen all year). Although I'm hesitant to say so, the more I think about it the more I prefer this version to the original. As I read through reviews of the film, it seems as though critics are grasping for straws in looking for criticisms of this film, in order to subjugate it to the original. The only real criticism I've found or determined is that Fincher's version comes to closely on the heels of the excellent original, and as hard as it is to believe, tops it.

Seems Like Old Times

A writer greets two bank robbers at the door of his hillside cottage who involve him as the gunman in their latest pilfering. A fugitive from justice, the man turns to the place he can, his magnanimous ex-wife/attorney which only complicates the fact that her now D.A. husband is being considered for Attorney General. Neil Simon's "Seems Like Old Times" is a stupid and unfunny farce, the kind of film that finds its plot so hilarious that it feels the need to continually remind us of it. Chevy Chase's employs his smarmy panning to no effect and the delightful Goldie Hawn is giving nothing to work with in a lamebrain screenplay. The only ray of light is Charles Grodin who creates a likable stiff in Hawn's district attorney husband. 

The Music Room

A feudal lord sits on the rooftop of his deteriorating mansion which lies in the desolate deserts of 1920s Bengal. In the most subtlest of flashbacks, we see how the unflinching noblemen squandered his fortune and family for the sake of pride in the form of extravagant recitals in his prized title room. Indian director Satyajit Ray became the first of his countrymen to find international success and following the first two films in his "Apu Trilogy", he fashioned this wonderfully perceptive film which is largely considered his masterpiece. It stars Chhabi Biswas, the great Indian star of stage and screen, who delivers a wonderfully nuance performance as the proud and cultured lord. Ray offers many subtle criticisms to the feudal system, while also criticizing modernism in his depiction of Biswas's rival nouveau riche neighbor. "The Music Room" is a thoughtful, sad, and well-realized piece of filmmaking.

The Great Train Robbery

Edwin S. Porter's "The Great Train Robbery" is a 12 minute simple tale of the title thievery and the pursual of the gang by a mob. Despite its modesty, it may have been more influential on the development of cinema than any other film. Porter's storytelling devices, cutting, and use of close-up laid the groundwork for all subsequent films up to this day, while he simultaneously introducing the Western genre. Watching the seemingly simple film, the quality and look of the film is quite remarkable, as is the final scene (pictured above), which Martin Scorsese would utilize in two of his masterpieces, "Goodfellas" and "Hugo". With "The Great Train Robbery", you can see the framework for modern movies as we know them.

Limelight

In 1914 London, a drunken and forgotten comedian stumbles his way into his apartment when he begins to smell gas emanating from one of the flats. Breaking the door down, he rescues a suicidal dancer and afterwards begins to nurse her back to health. Raising her spirits and devoting himself to her, the clown begins a revival in order to raise money for her revue, but fails miserably leading to a role reversal with the dancer championing his spirits. All results in a grand finale with the two artists performing in a grand production. "Limelight" is Charlie Chaplin's tribute to his life's work. While overindulgent and overly sentimental, the film is deeply moving and stylistically superior. Hearing Chaplin speak, which he had done before on film, is a great surprise as his voice is elegant, well-spoken, and not at all a letdown compared to his silent tramp. His performance is wonderful as well, incorporating many of his silent gags into the spoken role. Clare Bloom is really fine as well, even though her character is overly mawkish. While the best parts, in my opinion, occur in the smaller moments in Chaplin's flat with Bloom, the culmination song and dance routine between Charlie and fellow silent great Buster Keaton is the highlight of the movie. "Limelight" is a deservedly indulgent self-tribute by and to the greatest clown of the cinema.

The Color of Money

25 years following his banishment from big time pool, "Fast Eddie" Felson has found success as a liquor salesman, while staking small time sharks on the side. One day he sees a kid who has what it takes, a shadow of his former self, and convinces him and his girlfriend to go on a cross country tour of pool halls, learning the tricks of the trade, with all roads leading to a championship tournament in Atlantic City. Following the 1961 classic "The Hustler", Martin Scorsese directed "The Color of Money", the film that won Paul Newman his long overdue Academy Award. Newman's performance doesn't miss a beat and is as natural as any in his career while Tom Cruise shines in an under appreciated performance. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio delivers fine work as Cruise's insatiate girlfriend. I liked how Scorsese worked from Walter Tevis' similarly delayed sequel to his original novel, and his direction is refined and unrelenting, almost to the point of overdirection. I also found the latter parts of the movie (the tournament) to be less compelling than the set-up, but "The Color of Money" is a worthy sequel made with reverence to an undeniable classic.

Pride and Prejudice

Social climber Mrs. Bennet is eager to marry off her five daughters so when the handsome and high standing Mr. Bingley arrives in town, she sees the perfect opportunity to set-up her eldest daughter Jane. Her headstrong daughter Elizabeth though is taken by Bingley's likewise attractive but boorish friend Mr. Darcy although she refuses to be courted in the usual manner and seeks social revenge for an initial slight. This 1940 adaptation of Jane Austen's seminal comedy of manners is a delightful and gorgeous treatment. As Elizabeth, Greer Garson is simply magnetic as an intelligent woman caught up in a shallow society and as her counterpart, Laurence Olivier turns in a wonderful performance as the similarly out of place Darcy. The supporting roles are filled nicely as well, particularly Edmund Gwenn and Mary Boland as the heads of the Bennet family. "Pride and Prejudice" is an often revisited Austen novel and here in its first telling, it is truly an excellent rendition.
*** 1/2 out of ****

Advise & Consent

The Secretary of State has just died and the President (Franchot Tone) wishes to have his replacement appointment Robert Leffingwell (Henry Fonda) swiftly confirmed by the Senate. This is not to be as the confirmation hearing becomes a battleground as senior and junior senators from both sides (Charles Laughton, Walter Pidgeon, Don Murray, George Grizzard) and the Vice President (Lew Ayres) get caught up in the nasty business of politics. "Advise & Consent" is an adaptation of Allan Drury's Pulitzer Prize winning political novel which was directed Otto Preminger. The film is rigorous and measured and watching it I was reminded of his classic "Anatomy of a Murder". Where that was a dissection of a murder trial here we have a sharp analysis of a confirmation process, which shows us the inns and outs of the Senate floor and the backroom dealings. The cast is excellent with Laughton in a flashy role and Fonda strong, but surprising taking on a secondary role. Among the supporters, Tone and Ayres are fine as the President and Veep, and Murray turns in fine work as a moral Senator forced to face the skeltons in his closet (this homosexual subplot seems brazen for its time). "Advise & Consent" measured pace may turn away some viewers, but I found it to be an engrossing depiction of the political process.

Beautiful Boy

A married couple begins pondering separation now that their only son has begun college and is out of the house. One evening they receive an ordinary call from him, and the next he kills 17 of his classmates and then himself. Assailed by the media, and receiving uncomfortable condolences from family and friends, the couple wrestle with guilt, anger, and regret while slowly realizing that together is the only way to cope with this unimaginable situation. "Beautiful Boy" is an amateurish rendering, both of the issue it encompasses and as filmmaking in general. Shot in shakycam, there is nothing done to elevate this film above a made at home movie. The films subject is handled in a contrived manner, and leaves good actors Michael Sheen and Maria Bello out in the cold and looking ridiculous performing overwrought scenes. For a recent film about parents dealing with incomprehensible guilt, you could hardly do better than David Schwimmer's "Trust" (I've also heard the upcoming and similarly themed "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is excellent). "Beautiful Boy" does not add anything to its incendiary topic.

Brooklyn Bridge

When an elderly Long Island resident was asked by a local paper what her response was to the hoopla surrounding the moon landing, she said it was interesting, but nothing compare to the day they opened The Brooklyn Bridge. The construction of the bridge was a massive undertaking, the largest of its kind up to that point. Connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn and breaking ground in 1867 and taking 16 years to complete, the work the product of innovator John Roebling and carried out by his son Washington. Following the arduous construction, the bridge has become a symbol of progress and beauty, inspiring the many who have beheld it. "Brooklyn Bridge" is the first film from Ken Burns, and contains all of the trademarks and prowess used in his subsequent masterpieces, all of which have captured part of the American experience. Telling his story in two parts, Burns presents the conception and construction of the wonder in the first segment, and leaves the second open to commentators giving their reflections on it (these include Arthur Miller, Lewis Mumford, and David McCullough who also narrates). With his first film and already in complete command of his medium, Ken Burns tells the story of a simple yet wondrous feat of American engineering.

War Horse

12/26/11 I saw this again, and once more found it to be a rousing, sentimental and thoroughly entertaining old-fashioned picture. Certain critics panning the film for being 'overly sentimental' and 'boring' must also reserve the same sentiments towards "Gone with the Wind", "Ben-Hur", "Lawrence of Arabia" because "War Horse" is made in the same vein as those classics and plays nearly as well.

11/2/11 A drunken English farmer foolishly buys a thoroughbred at auction, an animal which will not help him plow his rocky fields. The farmer's son quickly forms a bond with the horse, and gently breaks it in. As the First Great War approaches, the father sells the horse to the army and we follow the extraordinary creature on his journey through war torn Europe, as the young soon to be enlisted son yearns for the day that he can reunite with his beloved pet. "War Horse" is epic filmmaking from director Steven Spielberg who crosses several different genres in his creation of this grandiose film, from a book by Michael Morpurgo. The opening passage features panoramic shots of the countryside and the story resembles "The Black Stallion" and other earlier Mickey Rooney horse films. Then as the horse is sold, we are taken on a "Winchester '73" type of journey, as we are given rousing, sweeping battle scenes as well as quiet, domesticated vignettes. The cast is very fine as well, as great character actors populate the cast. Jeremy Irvine is sincere as the young boy, and Peter Mullan and the great Emily Watson are fine as his parents. Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Thewlis, Eddie Marsan, and Niels Arestrup deliver fine work as well in supporting roles. I was really taken by this ambitious and touching film, even though I felt that not all scenes worked out completely, some needing trimming while others needing fleshing out. Regardless, this is old fashioned, large scale filmmaking and a needed reminder of why we love going to the movies.

A Christmas Carol

"A Christmas Carol" is the best known of Charles Dickens' novels and perhaps the most filmed story in the cinema (that may be incorrect). In this early MGM production of the revered tale, Reginald Owens takes the reins as the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge who as we all know will be haunted by his deceased business partner Jacob Marley, visited by ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, and make a total 180 redirection of his life. What separates this film in making it special, in addition to the wonderful Owen performance, is its comfortability with the material and opposition to extremes (which, to say, are not always unwelcome). Director Edwin L. Marin's rendition of the timeless story is neither too sentimental, nor harsh, nor too scary and tells Scrooge's story of ultimate redemption in a simple, straight forward fashion. The supporting cast is wonderful as well, and I was particularly drawn to Barry MacKay's work as Scrooge's magnanimous nephew Fred as well as Gene Lockhart's turn as the noble Bob Cratchit. Some elements of the story are changed as well which add interest, including the casting of Ann Rutherford as the Ghost of Christmas Past, and some lighter scenes with MacKay interacting with some neighborhood kids. "A Christmas Carol" is a timeless story, that always seems to garner affection. This version is no exception.

A Christmas Tale

When Abel and Junon's eldest child became sick with bone cancer, neither themselves, their daughter Elizabeth, nor their recently arrived son Henri could save their sickly child. After the arrival of another son Ivan, the Vuillard seemed to carry the weight of this terrible tragedy. As an adult, Elizabeth is inexplicably unhappy married to a wayward husband and mother to a mentally ill son. After paying ne'er-do-well Henri's debts and saving him from a prison sentence, she insists that they never speak again. After five years of estrangement, the news that Junon has contracted the same cancer that killed their son brings the family together when Henri is found to be compatible. Now the troubled family are forced to face years of guilt and resentment in the face of this new hardship. "A Christmas Tale" is a wonderful film from French director Arnaud Desplechin, a film that follows no ordinary routes in a story that just begs for a standard treatment. I could just imagine the American version, replete with flatulent jokes, unearned sentiment, and a rushed artless feel. Instead, Desplechin constructs a beautiful cinematic film, filled with a variety of music and film techniques, that makes no easy compromises with its well developed characters. The great Catherine Deneuve gives a sublime performance as the matricarch of the family and Mathieu Amalric is equally wonderful as the shiftless Henri. I imagine most shudder when they hear the term 'holiday family comedy'. "A Christmas Tale" is the perfect antidote to those tired and routine yuletide offerings.

Stephen King's Bag of Bones

“Compared to the dullest human being walking on the earth, the most brilliantly drawn character, in any novel, is nothing more than a bag of bones.”

-Thomas Hardy

Mike Noonan is a second rate author of thrillers who, while signing copies of his latest release, loses his wife when she is hit by a car. Learning that she was hiding her pregnancy from him, Mike retreats to their country home and, while experiencing greif and stifling writer's block, becomes involved with a troubled young single mother, and tries to unravel his wife's secret and the dark curse that seems to haunt the town. "Bag of Bones" is a made-for-TV adaptation of Stephen King's novel, and considering the baggage that comes along with this format and production cost, is a pretty entertaining excursion. Although his film adaptations may often often be glaring turkeys, King is always a top storyteller and here the story is enough to carry the film through its detractions, which includes poor acting. Although the supporting players are not up to snuff, Pierce Brosnan is quite good in the lead role, delivering a grounded performance while avoiding the usual trappings of overacting. "Bag of Bones" is not a great movie, but it moves briskly, tells a pretty good story, and offers a few chills. What more could you ask for from such a production?

Howl's Moving Castle

An insecure young milliner is placed under a spell and transformed into an elderly old lady. Taking refuge in a vain young wizard's bizarre mobile castle and mingling with its strange inhabitants in the midst of brutal war, the girl finds her raison d'etre and a love for the equally struggling wizard. "Howl's Moving Castle" is another cherished entry from hallowed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, and is an imaginative and wildly inventive film. While the movie's artistry has no bounds, it lacks a certain cohesion and, as a result, moves in fits and starts. Animation is always praised as a genre of unlimited invention, but I still want something in a film like this that follows some sort of logical basis. With "Howl's Moving Castle" my head started hurting trying to make odds and ends of what I was seeing, which actually resembles some sort of "Wizard of Oz mashup" and I was unable to fully appreciate the majesty of Miyazaki's creation (the castle looks phenomenal). Maybe I'm too Americanized and not adjusted to Japanese film. I watched the original version in subtitles, then sampled the dubbed American version which seemed more contiguous. "Howl's Moving Castle" is beloved by many and I think, with a little restraint and realism, would be the masterpiece it is widely considered.

Chocolat

A mysterious, nomadic woman (Juliette Binoche) and her young daughter settle into a small, cloistered French village dominated by the local Church and open a confectionery at the outset of the Lenten season, much to the perturb of the rigid town mayor (Alfred Molina). Offering desert oriented remedies to the townspeople and gradually becoming involved in their lives, the town becomes further disrupted by the arrival of river gypsies led by an equally mysterious Irish captain (Johnny Depp), who garners the affection of the young woman and gives the mayor an opportunity to impose his strict morality. "Chocolat" is the kind of offbeat and well directed sentimental fare that we've come to expect from Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom and features a nice performance from the grossly under appreciated Binoche. Supporting players are fine as well including Molina, Judi Dench, and Hallstrom's wife Lena Olin (although its strange to watch her scenes with Binoche after watching the more intimate ones they share in "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"). Despite these good elements, the problem of the film lies with its heavy-handedness and its hammering away at underscored points. Like the chocolates confections Binoche serves in her shop, "Chocolat" is a rich, warm film that is somehow lacking in substance.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Of all the great Christmastime television specials, including "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas", "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" is the most endearing, most likely do to its supreme collaborators. The story of the green mountain dwelling miser and canine friend Max who seek to steal Christmas from the Whos of Whoville, only to have his heart changed do to their unflappable resolve comes to the screen from the beloved Dr. Seuss books by way of likewise admired Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones. With monster movie legend Boris Karloff both narrating and voicing the Grinch and baritone Thurl Ravenscroft crooning the wickedly sublime "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch", all the ingredients are in place for a delightfully offbeat Christmas recipe.