The World is Not Enough

After her father is murdered by a psychotic villain with a lodged bullet in the brain constantly empowering his senses (Robert Carlyle), an oil pipeline heiress (Sophie Marceau) is tasked to 007 (Pierce Brosnan) who allies himself with a beautiful short shorts wearing nuclear physicist (Denise Richards). Michael Apted's treatment of the The World is Not Enough is another excellent outing for Brosnan, contains an exciting opening and close and the one-liners at their best, but is still marred by overlength. Carlyle has the makings for a better villain and still should have made one, Marceau is supremely sexy and a superb Bond girl, and Richards is an insufferable joke playing a scientist.

*** out of ****

Sweet and Lowdown

The story of Emmet Ray (Sean Penn), the best jazz guitarist in the world, second only to Django Reinhardt (whose name's very mention throws him into fits), who was completely inept in every other facet of his life, including his relationship with his life's love, an adoring mute girl (Samantha Morton) who worshiped the ground he walked on. Woody Allen again enters nostalgic 1930s territory with this fictionalized and somewhat slight account while once more employing a mockumentary format and saluting his love of jazz. Penn creates a great, almost tragic comic performance and Morton's lovely show is as emotive and tender as any silent screen performance.

*** out of ****

Fight Club

A disaffected auto recall adjuster (Edward Norton), suffering from insomnia and addicted to 12-step groups, finds his life radically changed by a nihilistic, narcissistic soap procuring stranger (Brad Pitt) with their initial creation of underground boxing clubs growing into something more radical, coordinated, and dangerous. From Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, David Fincher’s cutting edge and kinetically crafted Fight Club is often cruel, unpleasant, and ultimately senseless though it strikes a resounding chord while sending out mixed messages. Norton, Pitt, and a crucial Helena Bonham Carter are all at the top of their craft.

*** ½ out of ****

Magnolia

The lives of ten quasi related Los Angeleans, most with some connection to a long running children's quiz show, are put through the emotional ringer on a long, rainy day as they face personal and past revelations that reach a literal biblical proportion. Paul Thomas Anderson's brilliantly directed, captivating, and draining pastiche is remarkably only barely marred by its extreme length and aptitude for pretentiousness and self-indulgence. While some of the actors are hard to stomach (Juliane Moore, Melora Walters), most are tremendous including Philip Baker Hall, Melinda Dillon, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Jason Robards, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Tom Cruise in a fierce, highly charged, career-topping turn as a misogynistic self-help sex guru.

**** out of ****

Belfast, Maine

An intimate, microscopic look at the members of the blue collar seaside community which includes (among many others) operations at the cannery, church services, court proceedings, a trapper, play rehearsals, an English literature class, lobster fisherman, social services and nursing home visits, and the premier of a Stephen King movie. Frederick Wiseman’s Belfast, Maine, a committed profile caught with an incredibly discerning eye capturing the minutiae of a depressed town, for myself a great introduction to an acclaimed documentarian and will make you wonder just how much more is going on in the shadows and corridors of your seemingly dull community.

*** ½ out of ****

My Best Fiend

Werner Herzog looks back on his temptestuous friendship and professional relationship with Klaus Kinski, the maniacal actor with whom the director shared a boarding house as a youth and went on to star in some of his best work (Aguirre the Wrath of God, Nosferatu, Fitzcarraldo), while recounting having to weather (and often encouraging) Kinski's fierce tirades and abuses before his premature death in 1991. My Best Fiend is the kind of documentary that probably sounded better in its initial conception rather than its end result. Though containing some hysterical and outrageous stories and footage, where Herzog's megalomania is just as much on display as Kinski's, this is the kind of work that plays better as part of movie lore than as a documented record.

** 1/2 out of ****

Summer of Sam

As David Berkowitz targets brunettes throughout the New York boroughs in the sweltering summer of ’77, a Bronx neighborhood is whipped into a frenzy and mob rule begins to reign while a hairdresser (John Leguizamo) believing he was marginally spared from the killings begins experiencing guilt over his own infidelities while a friend (Adrian Brody) who has recently adopted a punk lifestyle becomes a target. With Summer of Sam Spike Lee tries to accomplish way too much, all the while saying and exploring very little in an overlong hodgepodge. The film works best when played in minor key, as a slice of life picture, the kind of area where Lee excels Best. Leguizamo is a standout in a large cast.

** 1/2 out of ****

The Matrix

A computer programmer (Keanu Reeves) is recruited by a rebel organization and their unorthodox leader (Laurence Fishburne) to fight the cloned, superhuman despots and introduced to another reality which may be more tangible than the current, oppressive facade. Over a decade and a half on since its initial release, the exciting state of the art visuals of The Matrix hold up incredibly well, and Reeves' laconic performance, which was met some mockery at the time, seems to play better among a talented cast. Still, deus ex machina rules the day, with the then Wachowski brothers's constantly changing the rules to their alternate universe in service of the muddled plot, and there is something off-putting with all the veiled Christian metaphors meshed with the stylistic, ultra graphic violence.

*** out of ****

New York: A Documentary Film

From its start as a Dutch trading post through the immigrant experience up until present day, covering formative politicians including Boss Tweed, Al Smith, and Fiorello Laguardia, and other visionaries that shaped its mindset and the physicality such as Walt Whitman, Frederick Law Olmstead, and Robert Moses, New York: A Documentary Film is a lengthy, comprehensive, informative history of the incomparable metropolis by Ric Burns, told with the same rigor and craft associated with the works of his brother Ken. There are many passages of note and a great use of footage though I somehow wished the film had time to slow down to focus on smaller stories instead of on the hustle and bustle and constant progress and forces shaping the city. The documentary is also hurt by chest thumping New Yorkers, historians and celebrities alike, constantly harping on the vast greatness of the city while adding little to the experience. Lastly, following the 9/11 attacks, a final episode was tacked on detailing the monotonous history of the World Trade Center buildings, which was mostly overlook during the first run.

*** out of ****

The Straight Story

Based on a true story, an elderly man from Laurens, Iowa (Richard Farnsworth) learns his estranged brother is sickly and decides to bury the hatchet and visit him in Mt. Zion, Wisconsin. In poor health himself and unable to drive a motor vehicle, he opts to use his trusty John Deere mower as a means of transportation on the nearly 300 mile trek. The Straight Story is old fashioned. beautifully told, sentimental but sincere, and all the more of a wonder considering it is the work of David Lynch, who should be applauded for putting his eccentricities aside and plugging his talents into such a work. Farnsworth is exceptional, usually a memorable character actor, and here finding a genuine and quietly powerful role. The film has great local flavor and many unforgettable sequences, which include one that cannot be forgotten: the old man sharing a beer and his secret war time shame with another WWII veteran.

**** out of ****

Cookie's Fortune

A elderly southern matron (Patricia Neal) finally decides to off herself, a long gestating plan to join her beloved departed husband in the afterlife. When her nieces, a domineering local staple (Glenn Close) and her buffoonish sister (Julianne Moore), stumble upon the scene and decides to disguise the shameful suicide as a home invasion, leaving her black caregiver (Charles Dutton) accused of the crime, though only mildly suspected by the close knit community. Robert Altman's Cookie's Fortune is a humorous small-town drama, at once a social commentary and slice of life, also ingeniously constructed and with a great cast.

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

Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony

The story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, their friendship, and tireless, decades long struggle for women's suffrage, an objective neither would see come to fruition in their lifetimes. Ken Burns' Not for Ourselves Alone is expectedly informative and well researched, but is somewhat plodding and slightly marred by the documentarian's signature, unchanging style, although some beautiful live action photography helps. The high points of the film are the assumedly unabridged speeches, especially a charged debate between Anthony and Frederick Douglass.

*** out of ****

Ride with the Devil

In Missouri territory during the Civil War, a Bushwacker (Tobey Maguire) and the rest of his band of Southern loyalists engage in brutal guerilla warfare against the Union hopeful Kansas Jayhawkers. He eventually joins forces with a black soldier (Jeffrey Wright), in the curious position of fighting for the same Rebel cause, and gradually learns of the man's predicament as the two share stories and ride out the war together. Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil is gorgeously filmed and has a unique point of view for a war picture but is ultimately hurt by overlength, redundancy, and unconvincing acting, Maguire being the biggest culprit. Wright turns in an nuanced performance in an underdeveloped role.

Bringing Out the Dead

From Joe Connelly's novel drawing on real life experiences, Bringing Out the Dead offers a nightmarish glimpse into the life of a burned out paramedic (Nicholas Cage) as he works the weekend night shift in a Hell's Kitchen where any and everything can happen, which has been all the more amplified by a lethal substance which has just infiltrated the local drug market. Working again with screenwriter Paul Schrader,  Martin Scorsese offers a series of amazingly filmed vignettes, highlighted by a riveting soundtrack (featuring Van Morisson, The Rolling Stones, R.E.M., and Frank Sinatra among others), and is anchored by a harrowing, all-in performance from Cage who receives great support from then wife Patricia Arquette, Cliff Curtis as a neighborhood pusher, Nestor Serrano as a worn emergency room doctor, and John Goodman, Ving Rhames, and Tom Sizemore who play Cage's colorful driving partners.

The Insider

After being fired from a major tobacco company, scientist Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) contacts 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) to spill the beans on the toxic practices of his former employer, despite the fact that he is still bound by a confidentiality agreement. Now, as Bergman and renowned reporter Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer) fight the brass at CBS to air the inflammatory interview, Wigand now faces lawsuits and must fend for the safety of his family. "The Insider" is a brilliant thriller that combines the acute sensibilities of director Michael Mann with an ingenious screenplay by Eric Roth. Told largely as two separate stories, most found the one involving Wigand's struggles to be the more intriguing one and although Crowe gives a towering performance, I must say that I was fascinated by the scenes involving Pacino and the inner workings of the 60 minutes studio. Also, it is absurd that Plummer was not even considered for an Oscar here. "The Insider" is an intelligent and thrilling modern nonfiction film, that features great performances and a damning account of an unscrupulous corporation.

Election

Mr. McAllister is a dedicated history teacher at George Washington Carver High School, with a loving wife at home and friends he enjoys. All of this is disrupted when Tracy Flick, an ultra-perky dynamo, decides to run unopposed for class president, and Mr. M decides to meddle (as Tracey would put it). "Election" is the super sly film that put Alexander Payne, along with cowriter Jim Taylor, on the map as an auteur of quirky and deeply affecting human comedies. Working from Tom Perotta novel, "Election" is a wonderfully observant and insightful, characteristics that have been true of all of Payne's work since. The movie also represents the breakout performance Reese Witherspoon who manages to fashion a character so contemptible, and then manages to draw sympathy for her in the film's denouement. Matthew Broderick delivers one of his best performances as a teacher who at first is trying to put on his best face, and soon is trying to keep everything together. Chris Klein is excellent as well playing a good natured jock whom Broderick's character has plans for. "Election" is a film about High School, geared towards adults that is wickedly cynical, warm, and perceptive.

The Iron Giant

In 1957 small town Maine, a mischievous and lonely boy is playing in the restaurant where his single mother works. He overhears the town cook being mocked for claiming he saw a metal giant fall out of the sky. Later that night the boy chances to meet the 50 foot creature, and the two begin to bond as the boy discovers the giant is capable of learning and showing emotion. The boy soon realizes that keeping his new friend hidden from the fearful townspeople will be a problem, but he soon befriends a beatnik junkyard dealer who reluctantly allows the boy to store his pal there. A bigger problem looms though in the form of a incompetent yet dogged government agent who has caught wind of the giant's presence and will stop at nothing until he is caught and destroyed. The Iron Giant is an animated science-fiction that also functions as a satire of 1950s atomic age America. The film wonderfully recreates the times and tells a greatly involving story as well. Brought to the screen by Brad Bird, who would later join the Pixar team and direct the fine films The Incredibles and Ratatouille, this is a wonderful and warm film made in the same vein as E.T. The creation of the giant is truly remarkable, and the responses and emotions he emits are touching. Here, Bird proves that animation need not only be for children, but, by being intelligent and involving, can also hold an appeal for adults as well.

Man on the Moon

Milos Forman is considered the director of misfits, having directed films about such misunderstood souls such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, and The People vs. Larry Flynt. With Man on the Moon he may have directed his greatest misfit to date, with his portrait of the interminable and ingenious Andy Kaufman, with Jim Carrey towering at the center. The film does not seem to be a standard issued biopic but one that Kaufman himself may have approved. We follow his adult career from Saturday Night Live to Taxi to Pro Wrestling and later into his battle with cancer. All the while we find ourselves either laughing or scratching our head at his antics.

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut

After the immediate success of the animated series, Trey Parker and Matt Stone released this full-length feature in 1999. On top of being a hilarious and scathingly satiric film, it is also a great musical. It even garnered an Academy Award for Best Song. Another remarkable thing about the series is not only how Parker and Stone have kept the show funny, but also how they have actually improved it over the years. The film, although hysterical, was released at the height of its popularity when it geared towards an audience that appreciated its bawdy langauage over intelligent humor. Since then, the material has improved although the movie remains a classic.
***1/2

The Talented Mr. Ripley

The Talented Mr. Ripley is an excellent enrty from the late Oscar winning director Anthony Minghella. As the film opens and we meet Tom Ripley, he is playing piano at a Princeton function in a borrowed Princeton jacket. He is mistaken by a rich ship builder as a Princeton grad and friend of his son Dickie. The tycoon sends Tom to retrieve his aimless son, and it is almost immediately that he begins to assimilate himself into Dickie's life and ultimately transform himself into Dickie, by any means possible. Damon shines in the title role as the creepy, homosexual sociopath and Jude Law is great as Dickie. Other great actors make appearances as well such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The screenplay is nicely constructed and we are shown beautiful scenery of various locations in Italy. There are portions towards the end that meander, but all-in-all this is a wonderful film.

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