Coriolanus

A Roman General suppresses a rebellion and averts a food shortage crisis at the expense of the people. When he is hailed in the Senate and nominated for consul, the people reject his bid, and the newly dubbed Coriolanus bitterly retreats in exile to take up arms with the very foe he once so viciously battled. For his directorial debut, Ralph Fiennes, along with acclaimed screenwriter John Logan, chose to adapt one of William Shakespeare's lesser known (and more violent) works and transplant it to a modern setting while retaining the original language. In the lead role, Fiennes is powerfully fierce as the proud and determined general and surrounds himself with an extremely fine cast, including Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, and Jessica Chastain, all of whom passionately emit the Bard's words (the exception is Gerard Butler, who I'm not quite sure why he was cast in a crucial part as Fiennes' rebel enemy). The film does not have any great cinematic value, and is shot in a rugged, digital format, and I'm not quite sure the modern setting was necessary as well. "Coriolanus" is the kind of film that would probably play better on the stage, but in this format, the eloquence of the words and the strength of the acting cannot be denied.

The Announcement

Throughout his professional playing career with the Lakers, Magic Johnson was the toast of L.A.: 5 NBA Championships, 3 MVP Awards, 12 All-Star Game Appearances, in addition to a winning personality to match his supreme talents on the court. However, in November of 1991, Magic shook the world when he announced that he had contracted the HIV virus, retired soon there after, and became the face of a disease that affects over 33 million people worldwide. "The Announcement", a recent entry in the ESPN film series, is a personal and moving account told directly by Magic himself. With highlights from his career followed by some brutal truths and coverage of his new found activism, this sports documentary never ceases to be both engaging and informative, with Johnson's brimming disposition shining through the entire time.

The Great Gatsby

Nick Carraway takes up a modest residence in Long Island next door to a mysterious millionaire of newly acquired and likely ill-gotten means. Gatsby, the endearing new friend, hopes to stoke the flames of a love that once burned between himself and Daisy, Nick's cousin who is married to an old money man. Gatsby's dream eventually manifests itself in tragedy against the backdrop of the aimless opulence of the Roaring Twenties. F. Scott Fitzgerald's monumental novel is given a faithful rendering in this adaption written for the screen by Francis Ford Coppola and directed by Jack Clayton. While all the plot points are mostly hit, symbols such as the the green light on Daisy's dock and the glowing eyes of Dr. T.J Eckleburg are nicely realized, and Gatsby's parties are gloriously recreated, the spirit of a classic that probably does not need a film rendering is never rightly instilled. The film is well cast, with Robert Redford making a near ideal Gatsby, Bruce Dern excellent as the cruel, philandering Tom Buchanan, and Sam Waterston as the naive and reticent Nick (I felt Mia Farrow was wrong as Daisy, playing her as too broad and wooden). Despite this inspired casting, the film fails to delve deeply into the hearts of these, which Fitzgerald does so well in the novel. "The Great Gatsby" is a film that may defy cinematization due to its narrative structure and beautifully poetic and descriptive prose. This version gives it a good, perhaps overly faithful but ultimately hollow crack at it, and I hold deep reservations for the upcoming 3D(?) Baz Luhrmann version featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan due out later this year.

Going My Way

A magnetic, young priest is sent to smooth over the replacement of the old cantankerous pastor of a Brooklyn Church. While handling the affairs of the struggling parish, the musically inclined padre also starts a choir with the troubled local youth and aides a wayward runaway. "Going My Way" is old-fashioned corn presented in a highly affable manner, and made all the more palatable by the amiable nature of Bing Crosby, the famous crooner in his Academy Award winning turn, and the enderaring performance of Barry Fitzgerald, also an Oscar winner, as the cranky old cleric. Director Leo McCarey's immensely popular film seems dated in some regards, and almost impossible to succeed today. Despite oversentiment and a few meandering moments, it is still a highly entertaining and nostalgiac film.

Luck

The lives of the trainers, owners, jockeys, and gambles at the Santa Anita Racetrack in California are examined, while a notorious mob figure, just sprung from prison, plots his takeover of the facilities as part of a revenge plot against the cold blooded thugs responsible for his internment. The short-lived HBO series "Luck" is a slow-burn marriage of two unique and brilliant minds, that of creators Michael Mann ("Heat", "Collateral") and David Milch ("Deadwood", "NYPD Blue"). The series features phenomenal race sequences and measured pacing that leads up to an incredible season (hopefully not series) finale. The cast led by Dustin Hoffman and featuring old pros and affable newbies is excellent, with the often overlooked Dennis Farina rising to the top as a particular standout as Hoffman's chauffeur and personal bodyguard. Nick Nolte is also quite powerful also, playing the grizzled owner of a standout horse. More serious elements of the show are also given a nice counterbalance in the form of comic relief in the story four bumbling gamblers (Kevinn Dunn, Ian Hart, Ritchie Coster, Jason Gedrick), who have just one a major sweepstakes and hope to assert themselves as players in the horse racing game. I wanted to address the issues surrounding the shutdown of production of this series, hopefully without seeming crass, with a simple question: Which is more important, Art, or the lives of three elderly horses?

26 Years: The Dewey Bozella Story

In 1977, Dewey Bozella was convicted for a brutal murder of an elderly New York woman which was overturned no less than 26 years later, the duration of which was spent at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. With his newfound freedom, Bozella sought to become the oldest person to attain a boxing license in the state of California and took it a step further when, at the age of 52, he fought in and was victorious in his only ever professional match. "26 Years" is a heartbreaking but ultimately triumphant story of injustice and determination. There are times during the course of this brief documentary, which largely follows Bozella's training, when Dewey and other participants are clearly acting for the cameras and the "fly on the wall" effect is lost. However, it is hard to not get behind a story this appealing and inspirational.

I'm No Angel

A dancing queen (Mae West) accepts the affections and offerings of numerous gentlemen callers, but when her boyfriend is sent up the river, she heads to the city and becomes a lion tamer in the Big Show. When the cousin (Cary Grant) of one of her "fans" seeks to extricate his relation from her acquaintance, she genuinely falls in love with this new companion. Following the massive success of "She Done Him Wrong", Mae West was given a large amount of control in this riotous film in which she both wrote and stars in. In a Hollywood that hadn't just yet been strangled by the Hays Code, "I'm No Angel" sizzles with West's inimitable innuendos and an endless barrage of sinuous punchlines. Cary Grant, reuniting with West following the success of their prior outing, shines in the sort of patsy role he went on to perfect so well throughout his career. In an film era where anything goes with intelligence and cleverness almost entirely out the door, the sexy witticisms of Mae West in "I'm No Angel" serve as a breath of fresh air.

Love Story

A brooding Harvard student of means wanders to nearby Radcliffe College and check out a book from their library and falls for the imperfect, blue-collared girl behind the counter. To the chagrin of his disapproving father, the two begin a courtship and we follow them through the peaks and valleys of their loving and ultimately tragic union. "Love Story" is ubiquitous, shameless, and often insincere pap that is not entirely without appeal. Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw bring a great likability to their characters, and are aided greatly by the supporting actors playing their fathers, Ray Milland his and John Marley as hers. Arthur Hiller's film is a contradictory one, a movie with off-putting qualities that is somehow made palatable and enjoyable, mostly due to the fact of the allure of its cast.

Far from the Madding Crowd

A beautiful, provocative, and bull-headed country girl (Julie Christie) inherits her uncle's farm and insists on running it herself, while inviting the affections of three suitors, a noble shepherd (Alan Bates) , a bottled up landowner (Peter Finch), and a roguish British soldier (Terence Stamp), and falling in love with the most inappropriate one. John Schlesinger's "Far from the Madding Crowd" is a sumptuous screen adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel, that features splendid cinematography from Nicolas Roeg. The film is supposedly faithful to the book, and successfully captures notions of independence, repression, unrequited love. Its superb cast is uniformly excellent, with Christie running a gamut of emotions amidst her three powerful male supporters. "Far from the Madding Crowd" is not only well-realized and brilliantly acted literary treatment, but also a modern and relatable cinematic fare.

A Hard Day's Night

Over a 24 hour period or so, The Beatles dodge hordes of adoring fans, try to keep Paul's rascally grandfather in line, pick on Ringo, and even manage to find a few moments of peace and revelry in a sparse field while they prepare for their latest television broadcast. Filmed on a shoestring and rushed to theaters at the height of Beatlemania, "A Hard Day's Night" is a rollicking, whimsical, and irreverent pseudo-documentary recreating and imagining what a day in the life of the Fab Four would be like. Director Richard Lester employs a number of exhilarating techniques that give the form a free flowing feel. The film greatly depicts the exploits of John, Paul, George, and Ringo in a series of light and humorous vignettes, including that of Wilfrid Brambell who is a particular treat as Paul's mischievous grandpa. It also features wonderful concert footage and a fine array of their early tunes including "Can't Buy Me Love", "She Loves You", and the title track. "A Hard Day's Night" gloriously captures a pop phenomenon that has shook the world like nothing since and seemingly does so without effort.

Custer's Last Stand

From his heroic exploits at Gettysburg to his controversial and mythicized demise at the Battle of Little Bighorn, General George Armstrong Custer was always one for gallantry and honor, never content with taking up the rear of his company, but rather facing the hellish blazes of battle head on. He was ill-tempered, and loved pageantry, publicity, and controversy which seemed to follow him in some form for his entire life. "Custer's Last Stand", an entry in the excellent Wild West series of the American Experience, traces the ostentatious cavalry man's life and examines the event the signified his end and yet marks his legend. This entry features of wealth of photographs, which were the result of Custer's vanity, and also features insightful commentary from experts on the famed General, all adding up to an engrossing portrait of a grandiose and legendary figure.

The Mousetrap

During a massive blizzard, an assorted array of travelers arrives at an inn just taken over by a young couple, shortly after a murder has taken place at a flat in nearby London. A notepad found at the scene of the crime had two addresses scrawled in it, first the location of the murder and second, the address of the inn. With everyone present a suspect, Scotland Yard sends a detective in the middle of night to investigate and root out the murderer. Agatha Christie's most famous play began its London run in 1952 and has not ceased in the 60 years since, making it the longest running play in the modern world and swearing its audience to secrecy of its major plot revelation all the while. The play is a brilliant and eerie construction and was given marvelous treatment in its recent run in Cleveland by the Great Lakes Theater Company, whose eclectic cast carries off the difficult, highly British material with intelligence and grace. I have longed  to see the great mystery writer's intriguing work on the stage and with this interpretation, it more than does her work justice. 

Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles

Toynbee Tile located at W. 3rd St. and Prospect Ave., Cleveland, OH

Over the last twenty years, abstruse tiled messages have been appearing in the city all over eastern parts of the U.S. and some segments of South America, warning of a resurrection of the Planet Jupiter as told by the teachings of Albert Toynbee and found in Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey", or something to that effect. Largely ignored by the millions who pass over them everyday, a group of three people recently decided to seek out the one thought unsolvable authorship of the mysterious tile, whose quest is detailed in this investigative documentary. "Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles" is a fascinating documentary that goes to wildly intriguing places with its obscure topic. The material is expertly handled, with the current stages of the investigation given proper treatment, and occurrences taken place before filming being clearly explained. Even a personal touch which I initially took umbrage with eventually pays off and gives considerable weight to the story. "Resurrect Dead" is eye opening and unexpected documentary, that succeeds beyond the constraints usually associated with the genre.

Shanghai Express

Passengers ride the title locomotive in the midst of a Chinese Civil War, and speak in a hushed tone of Shanghai Lily, a woman who lives by her wits and off many of the male passengers. On board, she encounters her ex-fiance, an army surgeon who never got over his love for her and her seedy lifestyle. When a guerrilla leader takes the passengers hostage, Lily gives herself up to the rebel for her husband's life but now faces an even more difficult task of conveying her true affection for him. "Shanghai Express" is a finely directed and edited film that reunited director Josef von Sternberg with Marlene Dietrich, who dazzles in a sultry lead role in this surprisingly risque precode film. The audio in the print I watched was somewhat hard to hear, and the film itself is not immediately grabbing, but elements come together nicely in the end and the entire production is abetted by von Sternberg's direction and Dietrich's engaging performance.

Wrecked

A bruised and battered man awakens in the passenger seat of wrecked car at the base of a ravine. Gauging his surroundings, he notes the rear passenger and the driver both have been killed, his leg is seriously wounded, he has no food or cell phone reception, in addition to no recollection of who he is or what has happened. As he goes into survival mode, glimpses of who he was come into focus and he begins to wonder if it is even worth preserving his previous life. "Wrecked" is an immediately grabbing survival movie that gradually begins to drag and ultimately gets spoiled by unnecessary backstory and gimmicky hallucinations. The movie is held together by Adrien Brody's commanding lead performance.

Here Comes Mr. Jordan

A cocky prizefighter on his way to the title crashes his self-piloted plane after his latest bout. Upon arriving in heaven, it is determined that his "messenger" pulled his soul from his body too quickly and, according to schedule, he still had another 50 years on earth. Now, it is owed him a new body and the proper life span, and he is given  that of a millionaire chiseler who has just been murdered by his wife and her lover. Now, while preparing his new self for a title fight, he begins to correct the wrongs by the previous owner and romance a sweet girl who's father he had put the screws to. "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" is a highly entertaining and awfully complex lighthearted tale. Plot contrivances abound, but thanks to the sincerity of its cast, the film never ceases to be engaging. Robert Montgomery is extremely likable in the lead as the street tough Joe Pendleton and is surrounded by a wealth of supporting players. Claude Rains is his usual inimitable self as the title heavenly boss and Edward Everett Horton is funny as his bumbling messenger. Evelyn Keyes plays the love interest well and James Gleason is a particular standout as Montgomery's disbelieving manager. "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" is old fashioned, often unrestrained, but always fun and engaging entertainment.

Sam Cooke: Crossing Over

With his angelic voice and charismatic style, Sam Cooke was the first rhythm and blues singer to cross Gospel and Pop music. His epic career was marked by an independence unheard of in black performers of the time and a determination to fight racism, shown in his boycott of segregated Southern venues. His life was tragically cut short in a bizarre shooting in an LA hotel room, but his influential legacy has carried on by an indeterminate amount of artists to this day. "Sam Cooke: Crossing Over" is a loving portrait of an icon, made all the more immediate through interviews with friends and family and some great archival footage and songs. The profile is not particularly well written, but Sam's music is so beautiful as to make this more than worth a look.

Five Graves to Cairo

After his tank division has been shelled in North Africa, a soul surviving British officer stumbles his way across the desert into an abandoned hotel in a bombed out city inhabited only by its manager and a female member of the staff. When General Rommel, the Desert Fox, takes up residence with his unit in the inn, the officer assumes the identity of a deceased server, which puts him in a unique position due to the fact that this waiter was also a German spy! Now, with access to the secret location of five arms bases, the officer now has the ability to turn the tide of the war in Britain's favor! "Five Graves to Cairo" is an early war yarn from master writer/director Billy Wilder. It is not funny in the typical Wilder sense, but it is still a tense, pointed, and well constructed film. Franchot Tone is excellent as the dry hero and Akim Tamiroff, Anne Baxter, and Peter van Eyck have fine supporting roles as the hotel manager, the staff member, and the German officer she is trying to seduce to return for her POW brother's release. Erich von Stroheim is also a lot of fun as an idiosyncratic Rommel. With "Five Graves of Cairo", Wilder demonstrates his dexterity and his certified skills as one of our great auteurs.

The Kid with a Bike

An irascibly defiant young boy refuses to accept the fact that his father has abandoned and journeys across his village to find him and get answers, while his foster center counselors give chase. In the course of his search, he accosts an angelic hairdresser who helps him retrieve his missing bike and eventually takes charge of the lost boy. But this sudden change will not prove to be to easy as the boy's angry nature and the temptation provided by local hoodlums will test the resolve of his new foster mother. "The Kid with a Bike" is another observant and intimate film by the Dardenne brothers ("The Son") involving youth. Watching this seamless film, one cannot help but think of Francois Truffaut's "The 400 Blows", another masterpiece about another disaffected youth. In the lead role, Thomas Duret does an excellent job purveying the emotions of a lost, wounded, and angry boy and Cecile de France is absolutely wonderful as the woman who takes him in. "The Kid with a Bike" isn't a fancy movie. It is stripped down, realistic filmmaking with believable characters told in a simplistic and keen manner.

Cab Calloway: Sketches

Cab Calloway was a charismatic jazz musician in the big band era who, compared to his contemporaries such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, you could call a self-invented man with his wild and fluid body movements and his unique singing voice. With his hit song "Minnie the Moocher" and its largely infectious hi-de-hi-de-hi chorus, Calloway was the hit of Harlem nightclubs and helped bring black music to a larger audience. "Cab Calloway: Sketches" is a fascinating and highly entertaining entry in the American Masters Series. Calloway, who is now familiar to most through "The Blues Brothers", was a truly engaging personality and is wonderfully captured here in rare and exciting footage (I really dug a clip that showed him dancing side by side a cartoon walrus he was the model for). "Cab Calloway: Sketches" is a wonderful profile of a great talent and a great way to be introduced to the sadly forgotten artist.

The Walking Dead

Season 2 (2011-12)

Following their escape from the CDC, the group is back on the road as things become bleaker and bleaker in the face of the seemingly hopeless zombie apocalypse. A near tragic accident soon places them in the hands of a Southern landowner and his spacious farm, as the camp begins to split into two factions and more secrets regarding their situation come to the forefront. The sophomore season of "The Walking Dead" retains many of the elements that made the first season so engaging such as strong tension and great location shooting. However, the acting largely remains grating and amateurish and the plot continually goes in circles, with intriguing developments few and far between. Again, I found much of the season to be effective but based on the strength of the remaining cast and the circular and now tiresome nature of the plot, I fear the show has little where else it can go. 

** 1/2

Season 1 (2010)

Zombies have had a staying power in the movies for awhile now, and I never understood why. So when I checked out The Walking Dead only because of AMC's recently formed reputation for original programming, I was pleasantly surprised. The story takes place in a town outside of Atlanta, where police officer Rick Grimes has just been shot in a shootout. When he awakens, he finds dead bodies strewn along the hospital corridor and no sign of the townspeople anywhere. Instead, they have been replaced by fleshed eating zombies. With help given by a father and son who have stayed, and hope kept alive by signs that his own wife and son are still alive, Officer Rick sets out to Atlanta on a quest to find his family. In addition to battling the hoards of undead who have seemingly overrun the country, Rick and the other survivors he encounters must also battle themselves. The Walking Dead  was developed from a graphic novel by Frank Darabont, the filmmaker who made a career out of adapting Stephen King's work. Here his greatest strengths are the plot developments and the action sequences, which are well realized and exciting. Where he falls short is the human stories, which ranges from mushy to overly dramatic, and they are carried out by mostly poor actors. The fact that this is amateur hour in the acting department should have taken a bigger toll on how I responded, but I was so drawn into the action that I almost didn't mind.

***

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Sir Charles Baskerville has just died on the moors on his estate near Devonshire from an apparent mauling by a giant hound. His death, and the story of his family's curse, is related by his and physician and friend to Sherlock Holmes whom he implores to take on the case before the state his transferred to Charles' relation Sir Hennry. In his stead, Holmes sends his dear friend Dr. Watson to investigate and, after meeting up with him later, uncovers the truth behind the Baskerville curse. This adaptation of the popular Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novel is notable for the strengths of its lead performers. Peter Cushing makes an excellent Holmes, finding his idiosyncrasies and avoiding tendencies to bring likability to the character. Andre Morell likewise makes an excellent Watson, and Christopher Lee turns in good work in an early role as the Sir Henry. I thought this version got bogged down by its unnecessary flourishes and silly asides, and doesn't really measure up to the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce 1939 version, but is worth seeking out due to the fine performances.

The Cabin in the Woods

A group of five co-eds pack the camper and head for a weeked respite at a remote cabin in the hilly woods. After encountering the usual abandoned gas station creep en route to their stay, and uncovering a few expected ghoulish elements, it seems that all is set for a standard "isolated teenager massacre." However, something more subversive and sinister is looming below the surface, as members of some sort of corporation watch the entire ordeal, wager on the methods of attack, and manipulate the teens surroundings. "The Cabin in the Woods" is another self-aware horror film, this one from director Drew Stoddard and his cowriter Joss Whedon. Stoddard and Whedon attempt to mesh two different tones in making the film, the horror one involving the camping teens and the humorous bordering on parody one involving the controllers in the corporate office. This blending of styles does not mesh well, and serves as counterproductive to all attempted. I did enjoy the cast. The teens, especially Chris Hemsworth and Kristen Connolly, are engaging, and it the tower, Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins provide comic relief. Without giving anything away, the movie mostly serves as an excuse to arrive at a scene of orgiastic violence, which is impressive in itself but cannot justify an entire movie. I must say though, that I was impressed that the movie did not take the easy way out in the end (though I could of done without the cameo). I think that horror movies (and comedies as well) are subjective experiences, and probably immune to criticism. Many are praising this film for its creativity and for what it does with this staid set-up, but I still found it lacking. Being billed as a horror movie, I also found it to be misleading, as what is promised is not what it is provided. Despite some high ambitions and a few creative ideas, "The Cabin in the Woods" is still another entry in an underperforming genre that leaves much to be desired.

Histoire(s) du cinéma

"Histoire(s) du cinéma" is an ambitious art house project by legendary French director Jean-Luc Godard, made over a period of over ten years, and generally considered to be his greatest work outside of his New Wave period. In a series of eight, 25-50 minute long episodes, Godard offers essentially what the title says, except not only just history of the cinema, but an attempt to explain the 20th century through the history and with images from the cinema...I think. The movie is deliberately vague and extremely obtuse, with Godard meshing images from films as diverse as "Rear Window", "Notorious", "Scarface", "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", with pornography and other bizarre imagery while spouting outlandish and sometimes mad declarations, to what end I'm not sure even its esteemed director could explain. The work is intriguing and even hypnotic, to a point but I would only recommend this to the most adventurous viewer of loyal Godard devotee.

La Jetée

In postwar bombed out Paris, a man haunted by a childhood vision of a woman is imprisoned, experimented on, and sent to time travel with the hopes of merging the past and the future in the present. "La Jetee" is a highly original short film which tells a bizarre and highly engaging story using narration on top of mostly pictures and very little, if any, live footage. 33 years after its release, Terry Gilliam would directly remake this movie into "12 Monkeys". Here you can watch this hypnotic film, in two parts: