Munich

Following the 1972 Olympic Massacre which claimed the lives of eleven Israeli athletes at the hand of Black September, a PLO sect, Israel's government sanctions a Mossad agent (Eric Bana) and his heterogeneous team to carry out retaliatory hits on nine of the involved planners of the mass murder. Steven Spielberg's Munich, with a thoughtful screenplay by Eric Roth and Tony Kushner from a book by George Jonas, is intense and relevant, and unlike most thrillers doesn't settle for the easy road out.

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

The Post

When government contractor Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) witnesses the perpetual standstill in Vietnam followed by a knowing Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood) still selling the war to the public, he decides to steal a lengthy top secret document, later to be known as the Pentagon Papers, which was a study of the war that revealed a decades long awareness and deceitfulness regarding the hopelessness of the conflict. When these papers were published by the New York Times, they were hit with a temporary injunction by the Nixon White House, leaving the door open for the then regional Washington Post and their tenacious editor-in-chief Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) and his team to find the source and publish the remaining documents, just at the same time their owner Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) is taking the paper public. Steven Spielberg's The Post seems to be stretching its story farther than it wants to go with a deficient, hokey screenplay that doesn't have a whole lot to say beyond first amendment power of the press rhetoric and barely veiled references to the current administration. Its become well known how quick the movie was assembled, shot, and edited and that rushed feeling shows in the final, forgettable product. Also, Spielberg appears to be attempting an unnatural style of directing outside of his ouevre. Hanks is miscast as the hard-nosed Bradlee and only calls to memory a superior Jason Robards portrayal of the newsman in All the President's Men. Streep, however, is appealing as the softspoken, underestimated newspaper magnate. A well-recognizable cast fails to leave an impression.

** out of ****

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

After proving a danger to the son he was supposed to replace, a cyborg (Haley Joel Osment), is cast out in the wilderness by the mother he was programmed to love and desperately seeks The Blue Fairy he learned of in Pinocchio lore in order to transform him into a real boy. Steven Spielberg's working of material developed by Stanley Kubrick is light sci-fi with an incomplete feel, often fascinating and always watchable while still arriving in an unsatisfying place. Some of this material seams ideally suited to the director and other, more darker parts of the story just don't. Osment is rightly cast and William Hurt is excellent as the Geppetto cipher.

** 1/2 out of ****

The Color Purple

Impregnated by her father as a child before having the child stripped from her and being sold into a loveless marriage to a cruel and buffoonish husband on a turn of the Twentieth Century Southern plantation, The Color Purple tells the story of one woman's decade's long crawl into education, self-respect, and happiness. Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of Alice Walker's novel is beautifully composed and aims for an old timey, Gone with the Wind feel. At its center Goldberg is a wonder, tenderly and impressively conveying much largely without the use of words. The story however meanders, is overwrought and melodramatic, and is not at the same level when focusing on other characters. Also its middle section really plods as the  film becomes more and more confused. When it finally arrives at a  climactic dinner sequence that should have been the highlight of film, is instead embarrassingly handled and would been more at home in some Eddie Murphy comedy. As for the rest of the cast, Oprah is pretty hard to stomach and Danny Glover is a caricature who doesn't know how to inhabit his character.

** 1/2 out of ****

Bridge of Spies

At the height of the cold war, a pragmatic insurance attorney (Tom Hanks) is tapped by his firm to defend an overwhelmingly guilty, both by the questionably attained evidence and in the fervant court of public opinion, stoic Russian spy (Mark Rylance)  to present an international view of fair treatment. Shortly after procuring a relatively light sentence for his client and becoming a much maligned figure in the press, the counselor is once again called upon to travel to East Germany to negotiate for the swap of an American spy pilot, recently shot down behind enemy lines. Bridge of Spies is a well made though overlong spy pic, intentionally drab and dreary, crafted in the vein of a John le Carre quasi thriller by the Coen Brothers along with Matt Charman. In spite of the material and its intentions, its director still strives for nauseating Spielbergian moralizing and uplift, with a first act that plays like a civics class and a second which isn't as dramatically pulling at it should be. Hanks is well cast, putting his affable attributes to good use and Rylance, an unknown to me, is a self-effacing standout.

** 1/2 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 ****

Raiders of the Lost Ark

After having his latest quest foiled by a rival and making a daring escape from Peru, archaeologist Henry "Indiana" Jones (Harrison Ford) returns to his teaching post where government officials apprise him that the Nazis are seeking out one of his former colleagues. From there, Jones embarks on a perilous, continent spanning expedition after realizing the vile dogs are in search of the Ark of the Covenant, which they believe will make their armies indestructible. Revisiting Raiders of the Lost Ark, I was surprised to find it a great deal cheesier than I remembered a kid when it always struck me as grown up (in a good way). Spielberg's classic action/adventure nod to Saturday Morning serials is brazenly mounted, occasionally over the top, but impeccably carried out, and still a whole lotta fun. The film is well cast and although Ford and Karen Allen leave little to be desired in the acting department, both hold tremendous appeal.
*** 1/2 out of ****

The Sugarland Express

Outraged that the state has taken custody of their son and placed him in foster care, a young mother (Goldie Hawn) busts her old man (William Atherton) out of a Texas minimum security prison with only a few months remaining on his sentence with aims on reclaiming their child. Instead, they are forced to kidnap a highway patrolman (Michael Sacks) and lead an caravan of lawmen on a multi-county chase. The Sugarland Express was Steven Spielberg's first directorial outing and is done just about as well as as a two hour car chase can be. The famed helmer's ability is evident right from the get go and the movie is only hurt when its satire is kicked into high gear. Atherton is a liability in a vital role and Hawn, at her most stunning, is quite effective in her part.

Empire of the Sun

A resourceful British boy (Christian Bale) living with his family in Shanghai at the start of World War II, becomes separated from his family during the Japanese invasion and struggles for survival, first on the streets then in a POW camp, while holding on to his love of planes and remaining somewhat aloof about his dire situation. From a book by J.G. Ballard who drew on similar personal childhood circumstances, Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun is visually among the best films he's ever made and features a focused, remarkably aware performance from a young Bale and nice support from John Malkovich who plays a sordid black marketeer. That being said, it is overlong by a third, narratively dense, and grows more frustratingly inaccessable as the film progresses, never allowing the viewer to understand what's going on in its youthful protagonist's head.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Revisiting Steven Spielberg's venerated masterpiece once more, I hearkened back to the days when the networks actually showed movies during primetime on Thanksgiving (this year the lineup consists of a football game, a Charlie Brown special, and an episode of Glee). As a youngster, I was mesmerized by the spectacular special effects and was drawn into an intelligent story that didn't condescend to my age group. Watching E.T. again, it is remarkable how much empathy is still generated by the Henry Thomas performance and that of an automated puppet, and how much of that same sense of wonder and even some of the more painful, fearful feelings (when E.T. is sick) are retained.

Lincoln

As the bloody siege of Petersburg has finally begun to show signs of a weakening Confederacy and a new assault on Willmington deems the fall of Richmond imminent, Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis), having just gained reelection, sees the current lame duck session as a crucial juncture in American history--one where he can both end the debilitating Civil War and abolish slavery through the passage of the 13th Amendment. Along with stalwart abolitionist and U.S. Representative Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), Secretary of State and confidant William Seward (David Strathairn), and his frenzied yet adept wife Mary (Sally Field), and other members of his party, Lincoln schemes and deals as he braces the nation once more for cataclysmic change, in the final few months before his assassination. After years of production halts, Steven Spielberg finally brings his portrait of the 16th President to the big screen in typically masterful fashion. Working again with Tony Kushner ("Munich"), who scripted from Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Spielberg focuses on a very brief (though crucial) point of Lincoln's life and, in doing so, is able to offer an all-encompassing and uncompromising look at the life of our great secular saint, and even goes beyond that by offering a warm and humorous film that, among other things, details the inner workings of our Congress. In uncanny make-up, Day-Lewis is expectedly brilliant and commanding,  rivaling even the greatest Abe film performances of Henry Fonda or Raymond Massey. His ability to channel Lincoln, underplay his hand, and not go over the top is only a testament to his considerable talents. The supporting cast is incredible and too vast to list here, with my favorites being Jones delivering an Oscar caliber, prickly (what else?) performance, Jackie Earle Haley as pragmatic Confederate Veep Alexander Stephens, and James Spader in an outrageous and pleasantly unexpected turn as a reprobate lobbyist. For the last few months prior to seeing the film my thoughts were, why are Spielberg engaging in such a safe project, right within both of their wheelhouses? Instead I was blown away in ways I never expected, by a film with a film that strives for realism with incredible epic ambition that is by turns stimulating, deeply felt, and entertaining.

Saving Private Ryan

Following the tide turning yet devastating invasion of Normandy, among the slaughtered masses on Omaha Beach lies a private Ryan, the third member of his family to perish that week. Back in Washington, no less than General George Marshall deems it necessary to pull the last remaining Ryan brother out of combat, despite the fact that he lies deep behind enemy lines in an unknown locale. Leading the mission, along with a band of seven other combat worn soldiers, is Captain John Miller, and after one of their own is taken by enemy fire, the group begins to question the logic of their task. "Saving Private Ryan" is a wondrous technical achievement from Steven Spielberg and a resounding indebtedness to the men who served and died for our country in WWII. Beginning with the astounding opening 20+ minute battle sequence, Spielberg uses all his acumen and resources (which includes collaboration with historian Stephen E. Ambrose) to stage an exacting recreation, a marvel he is able to perpetuate for the film's duration. Although the cast is assembled along the lines of war movie stereotypes, the players are excellent nonetheless with standouts including Giovanni Ribisi as the unit's medic, Barry Pepper as a devout sniper, Matt Damon as the titular officer, and of course Tom Hanks as the group's stoic leader. The film's moralizing grows a bit wearisome after a point, but "Saving Private Ryan" remains a methodical and harrowing ode to our country's servicemen and on of the finest achievement's in Spielberg's predominant career.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

An Indiana electrician is sent out on a late night job when he encounters a UFO. From that point on, to the chagrin and even neglect of his own family, he becomes obsessed with finding out the truth behind the occurrence and is inexplicably drawn, along with several other people, to rendezvous point in a mountainous region of Wyoming. "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" was Steven Spielberg's followup to his smashing hit "Jaws", and is a thoughtful and highly entertaining look at alien encounters. Above everything else, the film is marked by spectacular special effects that seem almost impossible for the time it was made. From his own screenplay, Spielberg crafts scenes of great invention and directs them with the greatest skill. In the lead role, Richard Dreyfuss is an ideal everyman and is given great support from Teri Garr and Melinda Dillon, who play his concerned wife and a woman undergoing a similar experience, respectively. Legendary film director Francois Truffaut also has a wonderful role as a scientist orchestrating the greetings for the great alien arrival. "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is an impossible film, both for its supreme special effects and in the rare and intelligent way it approaches its subject.

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.

The Pacific

Through the eyes of three Marines, a long-term soldier, a cynical reporter, and a late enlistee we are given a window into the horrors of the the Pacific theater. From the jungle nightmare of Guadalcanal to the forgotten battle of Peleliu to the bloody excursions on Iwo Jima and Okinawa, "The Pacific" is a recreation of the brave and hazardous journey many young men took to protect the world from fascism. As a followup to the inimitable "Band of Brothers", "The Pacific" is somewhat of a letdown surprisingly, despite the lofty bar that has been set. Again produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, and comprised of most of the filmmakers who developed the earlier series, "The Pacific" is a technical wonder and merits a recommendation on its look and battle sequences alone. However, and it pains me to say this, the three men chosen to represent the campaign, John Basilone, Bob Leckie, and Eugene Sledge, are not depicted as interesting as perhaps they deserve and are not played by actors who can do their characters justice. Also none one of the characters contain that existential, ethereal nature which made "BOB" so compelling, which is definitely strived for here. Despite misplaced focus and poor characterization, "The Pacific" is worth a look, if only for its technical marvels and to understand the debt we owe that generation.

The Adventures of Tintin

A boy genius reporter and his trusty dog Snowy are browsing at the market in London and come across a model ship which they purchase at a bargain, or so it seems. Soon shady people come crawling out of the woodwork to unhand the boy of his ship and eventually it is stolen, but not without leaving behind the secret messages which the marauders are ultimately seeking. Now, Tintin and Snowy, with a drunken ship captain in tow, embark on a grand adventure on the high seas and deserts, unraveling the secret of the unicorn. "The Adventures of Tintin" is based on the beloved European children's author Hergé, adapted by acclaimed penners Steven Moffat ("Dr. Who", "Sherlock"), Joe Cornish ("Attack the Block"), and Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead", "Hot Fuzz"), and brought to the screen by special effects giants director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson. Made in a Robert Zemeckis style of motion capture animation, and shot in reserved 3D, "Tintin" is a wonderful and comical action romp, replete with fine motion capture performances from Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and the inimitable Andy Serkis. Alongside his "War Horse" which is also scheduled for a Christmas release, Spielberg has crafted two endearing family films, this one in the same vein as "Raiders of the Lost Ark", the kind of film which he does best.

Band of Brothers

When the United States entered World War II, many of the young enlistees had not even heard of the paratroopers, a relatively new Army unit with an extraordinarily high causality rate. "Band of Brothers" follows the brave members of Easy Company, who volunteered for the paratrooper regiment in the 101st Airborne. From their drop into Normandy, through the horrific Battle of the Bulge, to the capture of Hitler's Eagles Nest, "BOB" follows the men who fought, were wounded, and died in service from their country. Adapted from the book by Stephen Ambrose in a 10-part miniseries produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, is the story as told by the men themselves, who also appear in each section in extremely poignant interviews. The film is impeccably shot, in a similar format to Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" and the men's individual stories are harrowing and moving as well. In a sea of impressive performances, a few stand out: Damian Lewis as Maj. Winters, a born leader and true soldier who seems to have a somber, existential quality about him. Ron Livingston as the cynical, alcoholic Capt. Nixon. Donnie Wahlberg as the stoic Lt. Lipton who shares the same leadership qualities as Maj. Winters. "Band of Brothers" is one of the most vivid historical recreations I've seen, and with the present day footage of the heroic company men, it is also one of the most affecting.

Here is a brief synopsis of each of the ten episodes:

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Just before his quest for the lost Ark, Indy narrowly escaped a melee in China with an evil crimelord with his new friends a ditzy nightclub singer and a young Chinese boy. They then narrowly escape the crimelord's plane which they've mistakenly boarded and has been set to crash. Surfacing in India, they come across a local village which has been stricken with disease which they claim is due to a Satanic cult stealing their sacred rock and their children. Now, Indy and crew embark on a deadly mission to retrieve the rock and kids and restore prosperity to the village. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a downright laughable sequel, containing none of the wit or sense of adventure from Raiders of the Lost Ark. The story is uninspired, the jokes are terrible, and Kate Capshaw and the little Chinese boy are cringe inducingly terrible. This would have been a complete loss if not for a spectacular mine chase sequence followed by a remarkable rope bridge segment, comprising the last twenty minutes of the film. But when only one sixth of a movie is great, how can you recommend it. This Indiana Jones installment is a colossal failure much worse than the recent Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls entry, and the blame should not only fall on Steven Spielberg, but also equally on George Lucas who wrote this lackluster story.

Jaws

Jaws is recognized as many things: A study in tension, the movie that created the summer blockbuster, and the film that put Steven Spielberg on the map. Watching it at a 35th anniversary screening, I had forgotten how well realized the characters are, how humorous it was in places, and what a meticulously constructed and well made film it is. There is so much more going on in the film then just a small island vacation town dealing with a shark threatening their summer business. One of the things that caught my attention was the use of closeup and how great the actors were cast in the film: Roy Scheider as the weary yet assured Chief Brody.Richard Dreyfuss as the young and intelligent marine biologist who takes offense at the local's insults. And of course Robert Shaw as the hard boiled Irishman who takes the bounty on the Great White. Although the scenes involving the shark are masterful, the best scene comes during a moment in the cabin of The Orca, just after the three men bond and drunkenly sing, "Show Me The Way To Go Home." A tattoo inquiry leads Quint to recount his ordeal on the Indianapolis during World War II. His tale is able to generate as much terror as any of the scenes involving the shark, and is an example of how this is great moviemaking, not just a great suspense blockbuster.