Die Another Day

After being captured during a North Korean mission, 007 (Pierce Brosnan) is held in a prison camp for 14 months until traded for a terrorist with a diamond encrusted face (Rick Yune) and released. Now targeting his counterpart, he allies himself with a beautiful American agent (Halle Berry) and also sets his sights on a diamond merchant (Toby Stephens) who has funded a satellite with Earth destroying implications. Brosnan’s final Bond outing is also his worst, a dull, special effects heavy, and ludicrous (even by series standards) entry with forgettable villains and gorgeous Bond girls Berry and Rosamund Pike bringing little else to the proceedings.

** out of ****

Hollywood Ending

A Hollywood executive (Tea Leoni) fights for her once lauded ex-husband (Woody Allen), whose career has hit a wall due to various neuroticisms, to direct a new mid-level project only to find him going inexplicably sightless, a fact that must be kept from cast, crew, and her powerful producer husband (Treat Williams). Allen's Hollywood Ending is inconsistent though sometimes very funny, but still a one-joke movie that wears thin and plays for too long. Allen writes himself a strong lead role with a lot of good zingers and Leoni brings empathy to her character. Once more for Allen's pictures, the cinematography excellent, showing great depth.

*** out of ****

25th Hour

In the wake of 9/11 New York City, a thoughtful and personable coke dealer (Edward Norton) sits along the river with his recently rescued pup and ponders his last day of freedom and the limited choices they present as he must report to prison the following day. In the meantime, he ties up loose ends with his alcoholic father (Brian Cox) and loving but suspicious girlfriend (Rosario Dawson) and catches up with loyal but troubled childhood pals (Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman). From a novel and screenplay by David Benioff, Spike Lee’s 25^th Hour is an operatic, involving, and powerfully acted work with Norton giving one of his finest performances and a noted, central “mirror” sequence a particular highlight. As for the detractions, Dawson seems out of her league amongst the other players and Cox’s narrative fantasy finale is way too much.

*** ½ out ****

The Quiet American (1958 and 2002)

A jaded British journalist (Michael Redgrave in the original, Michael Caine in the update) covers the French colonialists' war with the communists in 1950s Vietnam and finds his much younger local mistress being swept away by an unassuming, idealistic, and also much younger American aid worker (Audie Murphy and Brendan Fraser) who proves to be something totally different than he initially appears. Graham Greene's cynical story was first adapted by Joseph L. Mankiewicz into a great, depoliticized screenplay that ultimately leaves much less of an impact whereas Philip Noyce's remake keeps much of the contentious politics intact, though this version seems to detract from the main love triangle where our sympathies mostly reside. In both films, it is the wary and consummate lead performances from Redgrave and Caine which make the film worth seeing and Fraser is quite good as well, crafting a humanized, three-dimensional character out of a vapid blueprint that is far beyond Murphy's empty portrayal in the earlier picture.

1958: *** out of ****

2002: *** out of ****

Adaptation.

During production of Being John Malkovich, overanxious screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Nicolas Cage) begins his latest undertaking, a big screen adaptation of Susan Orlean’s (Meryl Streep) decidedly small scale and narratively bereft The Orchid Thief ostensibly about a magnetic Florida flower poacher (Chris Cooper), which blocks his creative process and becomes a major source of consternation. Meanwhile, his twin brother Donald (also Cage), a novice writer, tries his hand at the trade and effortlessly produces a moronic and completely bankable thriller. Kaufman’s Spike Jonze directed Adaptation. is a brilliant self-conscious examination, self-referential a hundred times over, that manages to be warm, surrealistic, cynical, funny, and sad all at once. Cage gives the finest performance of his career in creating two distinct, humanized characters and Streep, especially Cooper, and Bryan Cox in a key walk on role are all tremendous.

**** out of ****

Ripley's Game

Tom Ripley (John Malkovich) living anonymously off the fruits of his crimes in an idyllic Venetian suburb involves a terminally ill man (Dougray Scott) as the centerpiece of his latest murderous financial scheme. Ripley's Game is another engrossing, sophisticated piece of nastiness from Patricia Highsmith, a quiet thriller told with twisty logic on great locations with one of those sublime, all-knowing, laconic performances from Malkovich. Ray Winstone is excellent in support as his crony but Scott is unconvincing in his complex role.

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

Russian Ark

A journey through the Russian Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg where, at the hands of a cynical guide, we are given a full-blooded tour of the history of the city as told in one unbroken 96 minute take. Russian Ark is one of those rare films that creates its own world and writes its own rules while slowly drawing you in. The remarkable (suspicious?) uninterrupted filming concept comes off as a boast or a stunt, and has had major influence on future filmmakers.

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

Irreversible

Told in reverse chronological order with a weaving, unsteady, and nauseating camera that gradually stabilizes as we arrive at happier times, we are shown a blissful relationship gone sour due to drug and alcohol use, then a brutal, unflinching subway tunnel rape, and the boyfriend's search through the underbelly of Paris to mete out justice to the perpetrator. Gasper Noe's Irreversible is more of an endurance test than a movie, both cruel and unrelenting, but effectively and consummately uses its narrative device (which had to have been ripped off from Memento) to lead us to a surprising meaningful resolution. Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci, married at the time, are outstanding.

*** out of ****

Solaris (1972 and 2002)

A psychologist is sent to investigate disturbances involving members of the crew at a space station and, upon arrival, is quickly haunted by visions of his recently deceased wife. Andrei Tarkovski's Solaris, an adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's novel is extremely protracted (as expected) and yes overlong, though introspective, beautiful, and stirring with great performances especially by Nataly Bondarchuk. Steven Soderbergh's remake 30 years on has none of the original's patience nor hypnotic qualities, although George Clooney inhabits the lead role strongly and stoicly, and Viola Davis is confident in support.

1972 version: *** 1/2 out of ****

2002 version: ** 1/2 out of ****

The Kid Stays in the Picture

The title decree was proclaimed by legendary producer Darryl F. Zanuck in response to a petition signed by Tyrone Power, Ava Gardner, Mel Ferrer, and other cast members of The Sun Also Rises who had lobbied to have the woefully inexperienced Robert Evans removed from his crucial role in the picture. Evans would go on to rise fast in the industry as a producer and present some of the most important films of the 1970s (The Godfather and Chinatown for starters) before going into a catastrophic tailspin in the decade to follow. Evans put his life story into a same named memoir which is an ego stroking and wildly entertaining read that becomes extremely compressed, even more egomaniacal, and devoid of most of its value when translated into documentary form. It was interesting to see a few elements described in the book such as Evans filmed plea to the Paramount brass to save The Godfather production, but mostly I spent the film wishing a similar appeal for his own book adaptation had been rejected.

Chicago

After catching the lively Bob Fosse/Kander and Ebb musical when it visited town two weeks ago, I was again taken by the dazzling production and infectious songs and decided to revisit the likewise popular screen adaptation which was a lead player in the musical resurrection of over a decade ago. Watching Chicago, which details the rivalry of two Cook County murderesses sharing the same hotshot attorney and vying for front page ink, I was impressed by how well the story was translated for the big screen  in Bill Condon's inventive script. At the picture received some mild criticism for being overly flashy but it stands to be said that it is never boring, often amusing, and when considering it in terms of gustful performances (Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, Richard Gere, and especially Catherine Zeta-Jones) with a measured one by John C. Reilly thrown in to boot (not to mention they all did their own singing and dancing), we have one of the best cast performances of the last twenty years.

Manhunter/Red Dragon

Two families are brutally massacred with identical modus operandi exactly a month apart from each other. This gives FBI profiler Will Graham no more than the course of one moon cycle to consult with imprisoned diabolical psychopath Hannibal Lecter and capture the media dubbed Tooth Fairy before he claims his next victims. Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon has been adapted twice for the big screen, first by Michael Mann in 1986 as Manhunter and than as a prequel to Silence of the Lambs by the classic's Oscar winning penner Ted Tally in a Brett Ratner rendition. Mann's version is done in his cheesed out 1980s Miami Vice style, is aided by his visual flourishes, hampered by an insufferable soundtrack, and is very effective until it loses steam midway and somewhat collapses during its uninspired concluding shootout. William Peterson as Graham and Tom Noonan as the killer are unconvincing while Dennis Farina as a senior FBI agent and Brian Cox as Lecter (if you can get past Anthony Hopkins portrayal) are strong. 

Ratner's followup to Lambs is unnecessary and mostly does not do justice to its predecessor, except for scenes involving Ralph Fiennes as the killer trying to go straight while wooing a sweet natured blind woman played by Emily Watson, whose moments together are eerily moving. Ed Norton is surprisingly bland in the lead role, as are Harvey Keitel and Philip Seymour Hoffman (who star as the senior agent character and a snarky reporter, respectively) and Hopkins is extremely overcooked in an attempt to savor his return to his legendary character.

Gangs of New York

In 1863 during the heart of the Civil War and with a major conscription act on the horizon, a young man (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns to the Five Points, a deadly melting pot on the south side of Manhattan, to seek vengeance on the merciless political boss (Daniel Day-Lewis) who took his father's life. Gangs of New York was a years in the making passion project for Martin Scorsese and Jay Cocks (who wrote the screenplay with Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan) whose production was also beset with great difficulties, and the result is an original, full-blooded, imperfect epic. DiCaprio's performance is a mixed bag, alternating between powerful and grossly lacking, a lot of which, I think, has to do with the pairings. For example, Leo will play up to a stronger performer (Day-Lewis) while his work suffers when, how shall I put it, he is met with lesser company (Cameron Diaz is atrocious and a good part of the picture suffers for it). Even the Day-Lewis performance, which I once would have ranked among the greats, while still powerful, often comes off as caricature. Aside from these quibbles with the acting, the rest of the production is on point, highlighted by several heart pounding sequences which include the opening turf war, Day-Lewis' stunt performance, and the draft riots. I must add that this was one of the great, captivating theater experiences I've had and watching it a decade later, though some of its flaws are more evident, much of its greatness is still intact.

Mount Rushmore

Overlooking a portion of the Blacks Hills of South Dakota, the sacred land of the Sioux, lies the sixty foot granite visages of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt. PBS' American Experience documentary on Mount Rushmore is a well presented and surprisingly humorous telling of sculptor (and apparent character) Gutzon Borglum's wild efforts to procure funding for the monument and his fourteen year, often dangerous completion of the task. 

28 Days Later...

A radical environmental sect releases a group of test monkeys from a top secret lab, inadvertently unleashing a flesh eating virus and decimating the British population. Left standing are a small band of uninfected survivors who have the almost impossible task of evacuating the Isle. Danny Boyle, a director whose style over substance approach to moviemaking has resulted in some riveting films, falls completely flat here with this undead outing. Shot largely in digital, one of the first films to do so with the now widely used format, 28 Days Later... has a dismal, murky quality which isn't aided by its complete lack of narrative thrust and usually competent actors such as Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, and Brendan Gleeson who flounder in Alex Garland's lackluster, inert screenplay.

Spider

After spending time in a mental institution, a severely disturbed man (Ralph Fiennes) enters an austere halfway house under the care of a dour proprietor (Lynn Redgrave). There he remembers a horrendous incident of his youth involving involving his mother (Miranda Richardson), father (Gabriel Byrne), and his father's mistress (Richardson again). David Cronenberg's Spider, like most of his pictures, is cold, morbid, and relentlessly bleak, while also being impeccably directed and picturesquely framed. Fiennes' work is strong as usual and Richardson delivers not one but two standout performances. Cronenberg is a master filmmaker, even if his icy films occasionally keep you at arm's length. Here, I began to appreciate his frugality as a director, how he never presents more than is needed and how his films always feel exactly the right length.

Love Liza

Relapsing into despair after finding the suicide note of his recently deceased wife, a young man (Philip Seymour Hoffman) takes to huffing gas fumes, and then to a radio controlled airplane hobby in order to console his consuming grief (I think that's all the plot description I can bear to muster). "Love Liza" is an incredibly bad and misguided film, featuring a putrid performance from Hoffman, which consists of a lot of yelling and blubbering, all from a poorly conceived screenplay written by his brother Gordy and directed guilelessly by Todd Louiso. 

Cinerama Adventure

As at home viewing has become so widespread and cheap, going out to the movies has become less of a gratification and even something of an inconvenience. Yet in the early 1950s, when the movies where threatened by the advent of television, the studios developed several presentations to illustrate the significance of widescreen viewings and attract large audiences. "Cinerama Adventure" charts the history of one of these processes, which is filmed on three cameras and shown through three like 35mm projects which called for the creation of their own specialized theaters. Though very few films were made in this format ("How the West was Won" is the most famous one) and only three of these theaters remain in the world today, the film going experience keeps fondly in the minds of the many who attended them during their heyday. "Cinerama Adventure" is an excellent expository, which thoroughly tells its story, and features breathtaking making-of footage which includes a plane flight into a volcano and a bizarre ritual showing tribesman bungee jumping off of a 1,000 foot wood structure.

The Great Dictator

During an unnamed World War I battle, a Jewish barber (Charlie Chaplin) from the fictional country of Tomania saves the life of a superior officer and is immediately knocked into a coma. Released from the hospital two decades later, he returns to his shop where, unbeknownst to him, his people are persecuted at the behest of a vile dictator (Chaplin, again). "The Great Dictator", Chaplin's first genuine talking picture, functions great as propaganda, but is somewhat slight as a Chaplin movie which is just as well considering the historical context. The best comedic scenes involve gags with Chaplin as the vain, insecure dictator Adenoid Hynkel and his bullying ally Benzino Napaloni humorously portrayed by Jack Oakie. The final speech, a direct plea to the audience for peace and sanity, is surprising and moving.

In 2002, Kevin Brownlow and Michael Kloft in collaboration with Turner Classic Movies, released a documentary entitled "The Tramp and the Dictator" which documented the paralleled lives of Charlie Chaplin and Adolf Hitler and how his awareness of these similarities, no matter how trivial, spurned Chaplin to create "The Great Dictator." Kenneth Branagh narrates this intriguing film which features some remarkable, colorized making of footage.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

When it comes to the attention of the great wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) that his old dear friend Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) is in possession of the One Ring, he determines it must be destroyed in the cauldron whence it was formed before the evil being Sauron can attain it and wreak destruction. Charging Bilbo's nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his loyal friend Sam (Sean Astin) with this task, a fellowship consisting of two men (Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean), two more hobbits (Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd), an elf (Orlando Bloom), and a dwarf (John Rhys-Davies) forms to guard the ring's passage, as the aforementioned embark on a battle to save Middle Earth.  I was going to treat these films as three separate entries but i wanted to spare myself the writing (and you the trouble of reading) what is already widely known of what is essentially one, expansive film anyway. Peter Jackson's magnum opus is an overblown adaptation of the beloved J.R.R. Tolkein fantasy trilogy, which was a sequel to his equally successful (and forthcoming as another Jackson adaptation) The Hobbit. These first installments continue to achieve endless amounts of acclaim, but I find them unnecessarily overlong and incredibly corny efforts to please the Tolkien fanboy minority. They are most notable for their spectacular visuals, which by no means deserve to be downplayed considering, in my opinion, that they buoy a nearly ten hour film. Of the three films ("The Fellowship of the Ring", "The Two Towers", "The Return of the King"), none is far superior to any other, although the first installment has the unenviable task of being the set-up film and the last's multiple endings conjured nightmares of my bladder exploding when I first viewed it during the theatrical release. Ian McKellen (you almost need an actor of his breadth to take some of this shit seriously), Viggo Mortensen, and Sean Bean are in fine form although the hobbits (with the exception of Holm) are completely insufferable, especially Astin who is in all out Rudy mode. I thought Andy Serkis' Gollum was phenomenal, and that Jackson and co. are to blame for not clearly explaining the CGI process to Academy voters in efforts to garner him an Oscar nod. Detours also detract from the overall effect (I was bored to tears every time an elf was on screen) and many segments are beyond mawkish to the point of laughability. Still, the virtuoso filmmaking, breathless photography, and seamless CGI make this trek worth enduring.