Manhattan Murder Mystery

A sweet older couple bump into their unacquainted neighbors (Woody Allen and Diane Keaton) on the elevator one evening and invite them up to their apartment for tea and desert. When the wife is carted out the following morning after conceding to a coronary and the husband seems to offer no outward emotions regarding his recent loss, their recent guest becomes excessively suspicious and proactive, much to the annoyance of her husband. Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery goes on longer than it should but works in his oeuvre and, as the prolific artist reveals another talent, as a detective story. The film also contains some very funny one liners.

*** out of ****

Groundhog Day

An arrogant, egocentric Pittsburgh weatherman (Bill Murray) begrudgingly embarks on his annual trip to cover Groundhog Day festivities in Punxsutawney along with his doltish cameraman (Chris Elliot) and a beautiful, high spirited producer (Andie MacDowell). Following a miserable day of small-town inanity, an unforeseen blizzard traps him for one more night and soon he finds himself living the same day over and over and over again. Harold Ramis' enduring modern classic is a clever and insightful morality play featuring Murray in top form though the ending favors cheesed out sentimentality and excessive pontification over laughs.

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

Short Cuts

A man and his fishing buddies refuse to let a dead body ruin their weekend expedition, the revelation leaving his wife not knowing how to respond; a baker harasses a couple remiss in picking up a cake for their son, not knowing that the boy was just involved in a serious car accident; a phone sex operator's line of work secretly frustrates her husband; a philandering cop's extracurricular activities only amuse his knowing wife while he attempts to rid himself of the yelping family dog and carries on with a miserable single mother being targeted by her jealous ex. These are just of few of the stories that comprise Robert Altman's ambitious intersecting LA set anthology drawn from a sampling of Raymond Carver's short stories. While not all the threads are woven into a satisfying patchwork, the ending feels somewhat cheap, and the changes to the Carver stories aren't always an improvement, it is such an impressive, observant assemblage featuring a sprawling, talented cast and the kind of picture that puts today's "interconnected/hyperlinked" movies to shame.

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

Dazed and Confused

Following Texas High schoolers on their last day of classes in 1976, Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused is a spaced-out bittersweet piece of nostalgia, an American Graffiti for Generation X, The film is smartly conveived and extremely well filmed, although it grows tiresome quickly and is stocked with mostly unlikable characters, but is not without its moments.

** 1/2 out of ****

Cannibal! The Musical

While awaiting hanging in Old West jail cell, Alfred Packer (Trey Parker) recalls his mining expedition in Colorado Territory and how the extreme conditions led him to develop a taste for human flesh. Cannibal! The Musical, a debut outing from Parker which also features longtime South Park collaborator Matt Stone, is a stupid often hilarious and virtually no budget musical, similar to their other fare and also demonstrating the same aptitude for farcical melodic numbers.

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

Three Colors Trilogy: Blue, White, Red

With each title taken from the colors of the French flag and stories very broadly drawn from the motto  "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" (much similar to the way he drew up The Decalogue), Krysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy is brilliantly conceived, expertly committed, and lovingly acted by several generations of gifted international actors. Here's a brief word on each film:

Blue (1993)

The first entry is a unique take on grief as a widow marches to her own beat following her renowned classical musician husband's death. Juliette Binoche is quite wonderful in the lead, the direction is spot on, and great use of music is employed (especially during jarring fadeouts in key moments) although the film does get a little heavy in the finale

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

White (1994)

The second film in the series is lighter, and a wry, clever little story at that involving a jilted Pole's complex revenge scheme against his beautiful Parisian ex-wife. Zbigniew Zamachowski Julie Delpy turn in fine work as the couple, Janusz Gajos is great in support as a sympathetic entrepreneur, and the exterior photography of the Polish countryside is exceptional.

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

Red (1994)

Red is the finest of the lot, detailing the growing friendship between a model and an elderly voyeuristic neighbor, uses backhanded story weaving and a keen eye and is told with the superb services of Irene Jacob and Jean-Louis Trintignant.

**** out of ****

The Blue Kite

China’s Communist Revolution of the 50s and 60s is seen through the eyes of a young boy, as members of his family are tragically affected in varying ways by the horrors of the political system, with the title plaything serving as a symbolic familial bond. Tian Zhuangzhuang’s The Blue Kite is an angry, overtly political film dealing with the lives of everyday people and containing several moving, memorable moments.

*** out of ****

What's Love Got to Do with It

The story of Anna Mae Bullock and her inauspicious upbringing in rural Tennessee where she hones her musical ability beginning with the church before being discovered by Ike Turner, changing her name, and enduring years of domestic abuse while becoming one of the biggest musical headliners in the world. What's Love Got to Do with It is a fawning biopic of Tina Turner with not much to it besides the highly charged musical numbers and it odious scenes of spousal mistreatment and is recommended for the outstanding performances of Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne.

*** out of ****

Schindler's List

As Polish Jews are herded into the Krakow ghetto at the onset of World War II, a German entrepreneur and member of the Nazi Party (Liam Neeson) begins employing them as a source of cheap labor with the assistance of a Semitic accountant (Ben Kingsley). Increasingly, as his conscience is stimulated, he views his factory as a refuge from concentration camps and certain death and begins employing as many workers as possible while outwitting party officials, including a sadistic, mentally unstable commandant (Ralph Fiennes) whom he must keep in his corner. Stephen Spielberg’s Schindler’s List is a triumph on every level, from its brilliant, graphic, empathetic script by Steven Zaillian (from Thomas Keneally), superlative, impeccably lit cinematography from Janusz Kaminski, and the performances from Neeson (one he’s never truly been able to live up to), Kingsley, and an absolutely frightening Fiennes.

**** out of ****

Six Degrees of Separation

An eloquent, impoverished, black homosexual street hustler (Will Smith), claiming to be the son of Sidney Poitier, insinuates himself into the lives of a snobbish Upper Eastside couple (Donald Sutherland and Stockard Channing) who are at first charmed, then repelled when his ruse is made apparent, and again delighted to have the experience as an anecdote for social gatherings. John Guare’s adaptation of his own class comedy stageplay takes an irritating comic tone which shifts into more serious fare and gives the film weight. Fred Schepisi overdirects in the hopes of opening the material up for the screen, although the film does featuring some outstanding exterior visuals of the city. Sutherland and Channing (an Oscar nominee) are irritating and off-putting, probably by design, and Smith is surprisingly quite good in this odd early career acting choice.

** 1/2 out of ****

The Age of Innocence

A high society attorney (Daniel Day-Lewis) is set to marry a woman of similar breeding (Winona Ryder) when he falls hard for her cousin (Michelle Pfeiffer), a blighted ex-aristocrat and current pariah in their gossipy social circle. Martin Scorsese takes a detour from his usual time and place settings to adapt Edith Wharton's damning critique of the mid-19th century Manhattan elite. The film is exquisitely shot, with the director's trademarked restless camera, and incredibly acted by the leads. The film also features fine narration from Joanne Woodward and an ending that is memorably flooring.

Deadfall

After becoming unusually taken by the video below, I was drawn even closer to the flame when I decided to watch the dreadful Deadfall, a ponderously horrid debacle that figures prominently in the clip reel ("WELL VIVRE LA FUCKIN' FRANCE MAN!!!") that is even worse than one would initially presume. It stars Nicholas Cage in a performance that is out of control even by his standards, was funded by his uncle Francis Ford Coppola, and directed by his brother Christopher Coppola, presumably to pay off gambling debts. The likes of James Coburn, Charlie Sheen, and Peter Fonda are also part of this godforsaken nightmare which does carry camp value when Cage is present but turns into a total slog upon his swift exit.

Gettysburg

With momentum and confidence on his side, Robert E. Lee marched his Army of Virginia through the Shenandoah Valley in what he believed would be a final death blow to the North. Meeting General Meade's Army in a small Pennsylvania township on a sweltering July day in 1863, they began a bloody three day battle where an ill-fated charge and a heroic, textbook military maneuver led by a Maine schoolteacher would turn the tide of the war and the country forever. Based on Michael Shaara's novel The Killer Angels, Gettysburg is a reverent, meticulous, four and a half hour recreation of the red letter battle of The Civil War, that features some incredible battle scenes, most notably in Little Round Top and Pickett's Charge. The acting is mixed bag: Jeff Daniels as Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and Tom Berenger as James Longstreet are particular standouts while others fall prey to histrionic grandstanding, or as in the case of Martin Sheen playing Lee, are woefully miscast. The film is also rife with pious, overblown speeches and goes way out of its way to offer a Southern rationalization. In the end, I appreciated the painstaking reenactment efforts, but felt they would have been better served in the reenactment battlefield and not for a feature length picture.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

When Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloweenland, stumbles onto Christmas Town, he finds himself becoming more and more disillusioned with his vapid existence and seeks to adopt the strange and foreign ways of this tinselly new world. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is a feature length stop-motion animated picture which was developed from a short story written by Tim Burton in 1982. It is highly imaginative and visually stimulating, containing many of Burton's signature flourishes, and is mostly successful thanks to the Danny Elfman songs, who also provides the tremendous singing voice of Jack. Also, Ken Page is an absolute riot as the debauched dungeon master Ooogie Boogie.

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

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.

In the Name of the Father

Gerry Conlon was a no account hoodlum who went about his time in strife torn Belfast stealing aluminum from buildings with his mates. Then one day, he was mistaken for an IRA sniper by the British military and was sent by his kindhearted father to live in London. There, while bumming around with some hippie types, he wound up near an IRA bombing in Guildford in 1974 and was fingered as the culprit along with three others who came to be known as the Guildford Four. After being tortured by the British police and forced to sign a confession, he was tried and convicted along several other members of his family including his father. While serving a life term in the penitentiary alongside his father, he formed a bond he never had with him as he began to understand his patient ways, while a dogged and sincere young British attorney tried her damnedest to clear the family's name. "In the Name of the Father" reunited the director and star of a "My Left Foot", and tells a similar story of triumph with an equally hard and unlikable protagonist. Here, Jim Sheridan directs from a script he wrote with Terry George from Conlon's book Proved Innocence. The film is an intense, brutal, and searing condemnation the British government's approaches to the terrorist acts that were crippling the country at the time. The intensity is turned up by Sheridan and never let down, particularly in the interrogation scenes and some riot scenes in prison continuing all the way up to the vindication scenes in court in the end. There are also some very touching scenes involving Gerry and his father finally understanding each other while in prison. The film is also a showcase for Daniel Day-Lewis who brings fierce intensity and ignorance in his portrayal of Gerry Conlon. Pete Postlethwaite is his equal in a beautiful perfomance as Gerry's father Giuseppe and Emma Thompson turns in fine work as the Conlon's attorney. "In the Name of the Father" is a shocking and powerful film about a bond between father and son, one man's growth from irresponsibility into maturity, and the errors that can be made in a court system reacting to terrible terrorist acts.

Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron

Sam Peckinpah was a man consumed with violence and rage. His professional and private life were consumed with turmoil, and where their weren't issues he made them. Constantly at war with the studios, he fought to bring his vision to the movies, a vision where the true nature of violence was shown on the screen. His temper and his abuse of his body ultimately got the best of him and his friends and family still remembered him warmly, despite his many demons. Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron is a documentary on the great and troubled director, which interviews friends, family, and collaborators, and tries to figure out what made him tick. We hear from such associates as James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Ali McGraw, L.Q. Jones, and Jason Robards, and gather what seems like an honest portrait of a brilliant and troubled man. The documentary is also fascinating in the way his filming methods discussed along with the readings from his personal journals. Sam Peckinpah's films such as The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs, influenced countless violent films to follow made by directors who had not as much to say.

Dave

It begins with the premise that the White House employs lookalikes to help the president with his hectic schedule. We then meet Dave, an earnest goofy Mr. Smith type who works in a temp agency, likes musicals, specializes in impersonations, and just so happens to be a dead ringer for the commander in chief. Soon he is filling in as his double when the less than scrupulous leader has a debilitating stroke and Dave is forced to fill his considerable shoes. Although the President's advisers have their own plans, Dave has plans of his own. Directed by Ivan Reitman, Dave is fun, sweet, and corny in a Capra-like way. It's Washington locations feel authentic, and the film does a good job at making you forget plot holes, but I found Dave to be a little to preachy. The acting isn't bad it's just misguided: Kevin Kline is too good and not conflicted enough in the lead, Sigourney Weaver is too icy as the First Lady, and Frank Langella is too evil as a top advisor. These one dimensional characters may be what you want for this type of film but I found it to hurt it. It's not to say that it's a bad film, in fact it's very good in parts and I especially liked the ending. It just had one too many sentimental moments and speeches as well as uninteresting characters.

Menace II Society

Menace II Society opens with directorial flare in a scene of senseless violence and for the duration of this scene we think that the Hughes brothers are on their way to making a fresh and original hood film. Then, sadly, the flare fizzles, the violence continues without making a statement, and the movie falls back on cliches. Still it is a notch above other hood movies. It tells the story of Caine, a young man who has spent his whole life in Watts witnessing crime and violence by his parents, friends, and  neighbors. Somehow, he has managed to graduate high school and plans to move away with his locked up mentor's girlfriend, but the cycle of crime he is in as well as the poor influences of his associates, such as the brutal O-Dog, keep him from achieving and may lead to a more impending doom. When this was released in 1993 it came with the tagline "America's worst nightmare" and many hailed it as a ghetto masterpiece. Now, some of the initial power is retained but other parts seem just senseless and unfocused. Also it is hard to root for such an amoral unlikable lead, even though it is clear the film wants us too. The film is undeniably influential and thankfully put the Hughes brothers on the map who have made valuable films since. Still it is not quite in the same league as Boyz N The Hood which created a bleak ghetto landscape while populating it with characters you cared about. On the other hand, now that I know who Caine and o dog are, a lot of rap songs make sense so that's a positive.
**1/2