The Player

A narcissistic studio executive (Tim Robbins) who green-lights movie scripts finds his job jeopardized by a rival shark and his life threatened by one of the many writers he has turned down over the years, leading him to commit a dubious murder and cast into a paranoid, Kafkaesque nightmare. From Michael Tolkin's novel, Robert Altman's skewering of Hollywood is both a hilarious black comedy and effective noir showcasing the maverick director at the top of his form. With the spectacular opening tracking shot, to a perfectly cast Robbins, the endless celebrity cameos, and the insider's script, The Player is a masterful Hollywood satire on par with Sunset Blvd. and The Bad and the Beautiful

Baraka

An erupting volcano, Manhattan traffic, Eastern temples, sites of war atrocities, an African tribal ritual and many more events ranging from mundane to the extraordinary make up Ron Fricke's free flowing, non narrative documentary. Consisting of the highest visual quality--you could even mistake it for an episode of Planet Earth, which is saying something considering it was shot over 25 years ago on 70mm--Baraka boasts wondrous and even breathtaking imagery but is awfully broad and incohesive.

*** out of ****

Husbands and Wives

A happily married couple (Sydney Pollack and Judy Davis) happily announces their mutually arrived at amicable separation to close friends (Woody Allen and Mia Farrow) which shatters their perceptions and causes them to entertain never before thought possible infidelities. Husbands and Wives has a great cast (Pollack and Davis are excellent) committing some intense scenes and drawing from an intelligent, more vulgar than usual Allen screenplay though there are a few lulls and film's trajectory quickly becomes apparent. It is also a strange decision (and I'm not sure its the correct one either) to film in a cinema verite style.

*** out of ****

Howards End

After her sister (Helena Bonham Carter) is jilted by the youngest son of an upper class family, Middle class Margaret Schlegel (Emma Thompson) befriends its dying matriarch (Vanessa Redgrave) who unofficially wills her family's centuries old home to her. Soon she finds herself married to stern widower (Anthony Hopkins) and affecting the lives of an intertwined lower class couple. Merchant Ivory production of E.M. Forester's class examination is beautifully designed, unfolding like a novel, and benefiting from wonderful performances (especially Thompson and Hopkins) and Richard Robbin's offbeat musical score.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Leolo

Jean-Claude Lauzon's imaginative film grows on you, is even moving in segments, but is told in a pretentious, philosophical tone with a depraved, scatological, international sense of humor that feels like a mashup of Salo and a Roberto Benigni movie. Leolo raises a question in how far brownie points should go in terms of originality and creativity for receiving a movie and I imagine that some will find it more endearing than others.

** 1/2 out of ****

Blade Runner

In a bleak and not too distant future, the Blade Runner unit of the LAPD is charged with tracking down and “retiring” rogue replicants, or highly intelligent human cyborgs produced by an ignominious global corporation. When six of these androids escape from their transport and seek refuge in the city, tainted detective Richard Deckard (Harrison Ford) is assigned to the deadly case, never suspecting he’d fall for one their own (Sean Young) he meets along the trail. Bearing just a passing resemblance to Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is a triumph in set design and visuals, which alone justify the price of admission, even if the plot is uninvolving, the romantic subplot doesn’t bear much weight, and the film is as cold and lifeless as one of its cyborgs. The Ford performance is unlikable, awkward, and amateur, probably by design, and Rutger Hauer is frighteningly electric. Following the initial studio cut, which features putrid, dumbed down Phillip Marlowe like narration, the film went through several subsequentcuts, varying in different degrees, Scott’s final cut in 2007 probably being the most worthy of your time.

*** out of ****

The Long Day Closes

A lonely boy lives with his mother in their stark, sterile flat, deals with the bullies and instructors at his strict Catholic school, and finds his only solace in the local movie theater. Terence Davies' semi-autobiographical film is a narrative-less elegy, a melancholy remembrance of a lonely childhood in 1950s Liverpool, told on beautifully filmed sets that are revealed in what resembles the disarray of memory.
*** 1/2 out of ****

Fata Morgana/Lessons of Darkness

Fata Morgana, 1971

Lessons of Darkness, 1992

In 1971, Werner Herzog sought out to make a science fiction film in the Sahara Desert which was later abandoned but resulting in a landscape documentary of the unforgiving, arid region known as Fata Morgana. Twenty Years later the maverick director visited the combustible fields of post Gulf War Kuwait for another similarly haunting apocalyptic documentation. Herzog has spoken of the cinema being devoid of memorable images and his films are known for being comprised of a bizarre array of them, but here these two similar documentaries contain only images and are devoid of narrative and anything else resembling traditional storytelling. Still, both are beautifully shot and even poetic, and, like many of his films, have a certain evocative, ethereal quality.

Unforgiven

A once vile drunk and murderous outlaw (Clint Eastwood) lives a reformed life on his barren pig ranch, a widower struggling to raise two young children, at the close of the Old West. When a prostitute is disfigured by visiting cattlemen in the town of Big Whiskey, Wyoming a bounty is placed on their heads (against the orders of the no nonsense sheriff (Gene Hackman)) calling the aged, out of practice gunslinger along with his long serving associate (Morgan Freeman) back to his vicious ways. Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven is a stoic, uncompromising meditation on killing that turns the Western on its ear. Crafted from a thoughtful script from David Webb Peoples, it offers painterly scenery, a spectacularly haunting and meaningful finale, and an outstanding cast with tired, worn, and soberly powerful performances from Clint and Freeman, a brilliantly complex and hardened turn from Hackman and fine support from Richard Harris, Frances Fisher, and Jaimz Woolvett.

**** out of ****

A Tale of Winter

A single mother (Charlotte Very) has a fling with a chef she meets while on vacation. Five years later, the two have completely lost touch while she raises his child. However, she continues to carry an unwavering torch for him despite the fact that she has two eligible men vying for her affection. A Tale of Winter is the talky, observant, and well realized second entry in Eric Rohmer’s Four Seasons series, although its impulsive main character is reasonably off-putting.

*** out of ****

White Men Can't Jump

A basketball hustler (Woody Harrelson) with a crippling gambling addiction presents himself as a goofy, baggy clothes white boy and works the courts of Venice Beach. After burning a fellow fast-talking conman (Wesley Snipes), the two form a tenuous, volatile partnership and enter a high stakes 2-on-2 tournament. Ron Shelton's White Men Can't Jump is a highly informed sports movie on top of being a whole lot of fun. Harrelson and Snipes both turn in funny, likable performances in addition to looking like seasoned veterans on the blacktop. Rosie Perez has a charming supporting role as Woody's girlfriend.

*** 1/2 out of ****

The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Muppet's update of Charles Dicken's classic holiday standard doesn't exactly do justice to particular elements of the well-worn story (although Michael Caine makes a serviceable Scrooge and I suspect an even better one in a more reverent rendition) but works best with the imaginative infusion of Jim Henson's beloved creatures (Henson died not too long before the films release and his son Brian is credited as director). Major characters are grossly underused, notably Kermit as Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy as his wife, and Fozzie Bear as Mr. Fezziwig (or Fozziwig for our purposes) and the original songs are mostly forgettable but the minor characters supply a share of hearty laughs and Gonzo steals the show playing the Dickens as he clumsily narrates the festive proceedings.

*** out of ****

Basic Instinct

Several murders in the San Francisco area follow the same pattern as the killings in the erotic novels of a  steamy blonde author (Sharon Stone) who lures a police detective (Michael Douglas) on the case who may be in way too deep for his own good. Basic Instinct is a sleek, often dumb, occasionally intelligent thriller whose many sex scenes are as often unappealing as they are provocative. Stone delivers a soundly confident performance, Douglas' is a mixed bag as he seems to struggle with the heated scenes, and every story angle or scene spotlighting Jeanne Tripplehorn is completely awful. Paul Verhoeven's film attempts to channel classic San Fran movies such as Vertigo and Bullitt, and does so successfully, and then offers a conclusion that is supposed to end things on an ambiguous note, that comes off as more idiotic than anything.

The Last of the Mohicans

During the French and Indian War, Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis), an Indian raised white frontiersman, and his adopted father and son (Russell Means and Eric Schweig), rescue the daughter of a British officer (Madeline Stowe) from an ambush led by a ruthless rival tribe leader (Wes Studi) and agree to accompany the surviving members of their party to their destination at Fort William Henry. Michael Mann's adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper's classic adventure tale The Last of the Mohicans is ultimately engrossing despite occasional mundane dramatics and a surprisingly lifeless performance from Daniel Day-Lewis. It draws its success mainly from Dante Spinotti's exquisite photography and Mann's galvanizing handling of the material.

Donner Party

In 1846, just a few years before the Gold Rush, a group consisting of thirty six men, women, and children seeking a new start in California attempted, against advisement, to cross the Sierra Nevada range and found themselves ensnared in the frigid mountains and ultimately resorting to cannibalism. Ric Burns' treatment of the chilling, mythical tale of Manifest Destiny is hauntingly told and features exquisite photography of the region.

Prime Suspect

Prime Suspect 7: The Last Act (2006)
On the cusp of retirement, Jane draws the case of a missing teenager which she refuses to let go until the killer is brought justice. Simultaneously fraught with personal strife, including her father's illness and her own alcoholism, Jane becomes drawn to a young girl central to the case, a smart and fiercely independent sort that reminds her of herself. With "The Last Act", Prime Suspect and star Helen Mirren go out on a high note, one that could have been a masterful one had it not been for some tacky plot choices, the kind of which have marred other episodes in this series. It goes without saying that Dame Mirren is excellent once more here, and its superfluous that I'm even stating so.  Director Philip Martin does an excellent job directing, which sort of continues the new style employed by Tom Hooper in the previous outing. There is also a really nice touch in the return of series veteran Tom Bell (who died before release and to whom this installment is dedicated) and his prickly, chauvinistic chief inspector. In closing, Prime Suspect was a series that both revolutionized the modern crime series while also inspiring the cliched, unworthy elements that plague it today. In also never featured anything less than perfection from its inimitable star.
*** 1/2

Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness (2003)
Jane once again finds herself bucking her superiors, who now try to force her into retirement, as she investigates the murder of Bosnian refugee, leading her on a journey to the Balkans and a ruthless war criminal. The sixth entry is the Prime Suspect series doesn't break any new ground as far as material is concerned, and follows the same blueprints as its predecessors, but is notable for the exceptional direction of Tom Hooper, who brings his distinct visual style to the series. Of course, Helen Mirren is excellent once again, following a long gap since the previous installment.
***

Prime Suspect 5: Errors of Judgement (1996)
Jane has been reassigned to a high crime district, but is being underused in her commission as a community liaison officer. When an aboveboard drug execution presents itself, she sees it as an opportunity to impress her commander. Things, of course, are not as straightforward as they seem, and the lead suspect proves extra wily and it soon becomes apparent there is a mole in the police department. "Prime Suspect 5" is more of the same with Helen Mirren carrying the rest of the overwrought and routine affair. An engaging supporting performance from Steven Mackintosh as the mad dog suspect help keep things in order as well.
** 1/2


Prime Suspect 4 (1995)
Part I - The Lost Child
Part II - Inner Circles
Part III - Scent of Darkness
The fourth series of "Prime Suspect" is divided into three sub-parts, with Jane working three independent cases. The first part is entitled "The Lost Child" and deals with the search for a missing child and a rush to judgement based on a prior sexual history. "Inner Circles" details the investigation into the murder of a bereft country club manager which leads to a scandal involving a housing complex. The final segment, "Scent of Darkness" follows Jane as a copycat murderer causes her to reopen the file for the case depicted on "Prime Suspect 1". Although Helen Mirren is quite good once again here, the redundant formulas have become glaring where a suspect is identified while Jane is harrassed who goes on to identify the correct perpetrator, usually the most ludicrous person imaginable. And still, "PS4" is nonetheless entertaining with Mirren standing triumphant at the center.
***


Prime Suspect 3 (1993)

Jane has transferred to head a vice squadron where the murder of a young male prostitute leads to a child sex ring implicating a devious sex solicitor, a transvestite, a seemingly noble head of a youth center, and possibly a disgraced recently retired police captain. The third installment in the "Prime Suspect" series is steeped in histrionics and replete with irritating gay stereotypes as well as outdated gay themes, yet it still remains an intricate and powerful series, with Helen Mirren continuing to lead the way with her dazzling knockout performance. I also appreciated the plotting here, and how you can't exactly pin down the plot or foresee where its going. Additions to the cast are strong as well which include David Thewlis, Ciaran Hinds, and Mark Strong, as well as the return of Tom Bell who appeared in the first installment and deftly again plays that oily character. Though maybe not quite on par on the first two entries, "Prime Suspect 3" continues to set the bar for quality television criminal procedurals.

*** 1/2

Prime Suspect 2 (1992)

As racial tensions gather over accusations of police brutality, Chief Inspector Tennison has earned the respect of her peers when a decomposed corpse is found in the backyard of a black neighborhood. To make matters more complicated, a black detective whom Tennison has had a fling with is brought over to work the case for PC reasons. "Prime Suspect 2" is a fine followup to the groundbreaking British series. Helen Mirren is as towering, excellent, and believable as ever and the incendiary plot plays out extremely well (although I though they didn't play fair with the identity of the perpetrator). "Prime Suspect 2" is a gritty and engaging film continuing the trend from its predecessor.

*** 1/2

Prime Suspect (1991)

Police procedurals have always been a standard on television, but especially today crime shows, particularly grisly forensic oriented crime programs, are dominating the airwaves. With the Prime Suspect, an excellent British series revolving around a criminal investigation, we see the bar being set for modern shows of the same nature, few of which succeed in meeting it. In a dynamic performance from Helen Mirren, we follow her character Jane Tennyson, a London investigator who has been passed over for promotion two many times due to her sex. When the beloved lead detective on a brutal homicide has a heart attack and dies, it is finally her chance to head an investigation. As things begin to point in a different direction than the original detective was heading, and the case begins to widen, she faces hostility from her colleagues both out of loyalty to the deceased and shear sexism. "Prime Suspect" functions excellently on several levels: as an investigatory program, as a character study, as an examination of sexism in the workplace, and finally as study of how bureaucracy places barricades in the way of a successful police investigation. Mirren here demonstrates her unmatched abilities as an actress and again the fact that they don't make women like her anymore as she demonstrates grit, determination, and elegance. Also making early acting appearances in the movie are Tom Wilkinson as her husband and Ralph Fiennes in a small part. "Prime Suspect" is a fine example of an intelligent cop movie that many modern ones could learn from.

*** 1/2

Bram Stoker's Dracula

So the DVD for this movie offers an introduction from its director Francis Ford Coppola, which I watched before starting the movie. Yet instead of redirecting to the title screen, after the intro was through the film started automatically with Coppola's commentary playing over it. The point of this story is that I wish I would have watched the film this way instead of restarting and playing it the originally intended way. The legendary director's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" is a glorious looking adaptation that shows a supreme command of the medium. Casting is another story. Aside from Gary Oldman in the lead, who is excellent but not doing anything revelatory, the acting is truly abysmal and hampers the flawless film to a point of near disdain. Keanu Reeves, who God only knows how he broke into the industry let alone has gotten steady work for the last 20 plus years, is horrendous as the real estate agent whom Dracula imprisons. Winona Ryder leaves not the slightest impression in a forgettable role as Reeves' fiance who the Count lusts after. The most disappointing performance is that of Anthony Hopkins who hams it up absurdly playing the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing. "Bram Stoker's Dracula" may be an example of a director so concerned with the look of his film that he forgot to pay any attention to the characters who were inhabiting it. 

Fonda on Fonda

Henry Fonda was an actor who brought a relatable sincerity to the screen, playing roles that carried truth that people could identify with. In this retrospective, his daughter Jane lovingly reflects on her personal relationship with him and takes us through his classic films, which includes "The Grapes of Wrath", "The Lady Eve", "Fort Apache", "12 Angry Men" , "Mister Roberts", "Once Upon a Time in the West", and "On Golden Pond". Other family members including wife Shirlee and son Peter, as well as collaborators and friends James Stewart, Sidney Lumet, and Katharine Hepburn share their warm thought and remembrances of the actor as well. Whenever I watch a Henry Fonda picture, I never get the sense that he's putting on airs and get the feeling that I am watching the genuine article. According to testimonies here, it seems like that assessment isn't too far off the mark.

Glengarry Glen Ross

A group of real estate salesman are called in for a meeting on a Tuesday night and a sales motivator (Alec Baldwin) lays it on the line: There will be a sales contest, 1st place wins a Cadillac, 2nd a set of steak knives, and 3rd you're fired. As the salesman scramble to sell, we see the hotshot seller (Al Pacino) tries to close with an ineffectual businessman (Jonathan Pryce), two incensed employees (Ed Harris and Alan Arkin) contemplate a robbery scheme, and an old loser (Jack Lemmon) tries to bribe the office manager (Kevin Spacey) for the leads.  Directed by James Foley, "Glengarry Glen Ross" is a film crackling with vulgar, desperate dialogue. Adapted by David Mamet by his own play, the movie is vintage Mamet, stripped to its bare bones and containing no bullshit. We are guided by the poetry and the ferocity of Mamet's words, brought to life by the stellar cast. Baldwin's brutal, straight forward opening scene, which was written for the movie, sets the tone. Pacino and Harris are powerful in their roles and Lemmon is heartbreaking as the deluded and washed up salesman. Arkin and Spacey round up the cast nicely as well. David Mamet is one of my favorite screenwriters one because it is so blunt and engaging and two because of how well it draws an image in your head. "Glengarry Glen Ross" is quintessential Mamet and an acting showcase for some of our finest.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

"Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" is a prequel to the acclaimed David Lynch television series and briefly shows the investigation of Teresa Wright before chronicling the last week in the life of Laura Palmer, the series' victim. The movie is an abomination in every way imaginable and does disservice not only to fans of the show but for those not familiar with it as well. For fans, there is no continuity in tone whatsoever. Instead of dark and funny we here just have strange and humorless. The R rated nature of the film is jarring, and much of the cast is missing, including Lara Flynn Boyle who has been replaced! Kyle MacLachlan is in it way too little as well. I liked the early scenes involving Chris Isaak, Kiefer Sutherland, and Harry Dean Stanton, but those are short lived. For non fans, there will be no way to comprehend the film, so I really don't know what Lynch was going for. In my review of the series I said that David Lynch is a director I do not respond to and that he is best perhaps suited for television. After the success of his show in his return to the big screen, he one again gets carried away and makes a movie solely for himself.