Terri

Terri is an overweight 15 year old who lives with his demented uncle in the woods near the marsh. Routinely picked on by kids at school, he wears pajamas to class because they’re comfortable, and is constantly tardy, lately due to his growing fascination with killing field mice and offering them up as a meal to a hawk. His behavior causes concern for his principal, so Terri is thrown into a group of school misfits who must meet with him on a weekly basis for counseling. Although apathetic at first, Terri forms a friendship with his principal, and a more unlikely friendship develops when he comes to the aid of a beautiful but troubled classmate.

            “Terri” is an offbeat independent comedy that serves as both a tale of a loner as well as a slice of life film. Directed by Azazel Jacobs and written with Patrick DeWitt, the movie is warm and unconventional, containing sharply drawn characters who seem like authentic people. I was surprised by much care and detail had been given to not just the main characters but also to background players who would usually go unremembered in most movies.

            The performances are wonderful as well. As Terri, Jacob Wysocki is a real find and must portray a wide range of emotions that his laconic character goes through. It is a difficult performance and he does a great job of pulling it off. I just hope there are more roles to come because he is not exactly a Hollywood type.

            John C. Reilly turns in excellent, award caliber work as well. I think people often forget what a gifted actor he really is due to the silly nature of some of the roles he takes. Here, the chummy principal is a somewhat goofy concoction, but there is so much depth to the role that I have a hard time picturing anyone else portraying it just as fine.

            I did have one problem with the movie: an extended scene where Terri, a friend, and the girl he has a crush on pop pills and get drunk in his uncle’s basement went on too long and ran counter to the tone the film had set up until that point. I also did not buy some of the character’s choices in that scene. Still this is a warmhearted and sharply observed film, and in an industry where movie characters come straight off of the assembly line, here is a movie whose characters have been handled with care.

Berlin Express

In Paris just following the end of World War II, as a German doctor discusses his Berlin peace plan at a conference, some kids in a park near the Eiffel Tower take home a pigeon that has been shot down. Inside the shell extracted from the pigeon, they find a message in German which is reported to authorities. We learn that the message refers to a Nazi attack on an express train from Paris to Berlin where the target is the German doctor. When the bomb goes off and the doctor is killed, the only witnesses are his sultry European secretary, an American, a Brit, a Frenchmen, and a Russian, all of whom are untrusting of each other. Now the group is thrust into political intrigue which becomes even more dangerous when it is realized that the man killed was really a decoy and the doctor's life is in even more imminent danger. "Berlin Express" was one of the first movies filmed in postwar Europe and contains stark and remarkable footage of the dilapidated, bombed out cities of Frankfurt and Berlin. Director Jacques Tourneur keeps a steady hand on the camera and the movie itself is harsh containing several violently brutal scenes. There is a major flaw with the movie which is its narration that plays largely throughout the film. I think the idea was to give the film a more realist feel but the result was to make a lot of the movie play like a "News of the World" reel. Also Robert Ryan isn't very effective at all as a leading man. "Berlin Express" is a well made political thriller and with a few changes in the script, it could have been a great one.

The World of Henry Orient

Two 14 year old girls, both new to an all girls school in New York City, form a friendship and begin to engage in adventurous mischievous behavior throughout the city. One day in Central Park, they happen up hack concert pianist Henry Orient with a woman in the park and they seemingly keep happening on him in ways that are very inconvenient to him. One of the girls develops a crush on him, and the two begin to follow him and keep a diary which raises concerns for one of the girl's often absent and controlling mother. "The World of Henry Orient" is a cute little comedy from director George Roy Hill from a book by Nora Johnson and a screenplay by Johnson and Nunnally Johnson. Chameleonlike actor Peter Sellers does a wonderful job and is exceedingly funny as the womanizing musician, but the real stars of the film are Merrie Spaeth and Tippy Walker and I was delighted at how well the film handled the two young actresses and how well the two handled themselves onscreen. Phyllis Thaxter and Bibi Osterwald contribute nicely as the considerate mother and friend of Spaeth's character, and Angela Lansbury and Tom Bosley are great as Walker's parents, Lansbury playing her usual icy bitch role and Bosley a warm father coming to terms with his marriage and neglect for his daughter. "The World of Henry Orient" is a good natured and funny film which tells a good story with young protagonists, a feat that isn't always easily accomplished.

Errol Morris' First Person

Documentarian Errol Morris burst onto the scene in 1978 with "Gates of Heaven" and crafted a hypnotic and engaging documentary the likes of which had never been seen before. Since then, he has crafted the same kind of mesmerizing films, documenting intelligent oddballs. Through the use of his Interrotron, a device he invented which allows his subject to keep eye contact with both himself and the camera simultaneously. This device has resulted in films that are immediate and grabbing than most any other documentaries ever filmed. In 2000, he made a TV series lasting for two seasons and 17 episodes, with guests ranging from a man with an obsessive quest to see a giant squid to a man who lives his live entirely in front of the camera. Each episode is interesting in its own way as Morris stares down each person and uncovers the reasons for their peculiarities. Here is a short synopsis of each episode:

Season 1 (2000)

Mr. Debt The inaugural episode showcases a New York debt attorney who seems like he has made it his cause to take on and destroy the credit card company while trying to get consumers back on their feet. He explains how the credit system in America works and how people are systematically forced to stay in debt. He also explains how his business works and how he is able to fight the creditors, while dodging questions from Morris that some may consider him a huckster.

Eyeball to Eyeball A zoologist discusses his lifelong passion/obsession with coming face to face with a Giant Squid, something which is seemingly impossible to do. In the process of describing this hopeless quest, we hear about his career, his contact with a washed up dead Giant Squid, the nature of the beast, and his many futile attempts to make contact with the creature

Stairway to Heaven Autistic Temple Grandin, whose life story was recently told in an HBO television movie, tells how she gradually realized how to use her condition to her benefit and how her style of thinking allowed her to design a humane slaughterhouse, whose model is now used in 1/3 of all beef production in the United States. This is a fascinating segment, as Grandin takes us into her mind, explains how it works, and tells why she chose to use particular design ideas on her intricate slaughterhouses.

The Killer Inside Me In high school, Sondra London dated a charming man who ended up being a serial killer. Years later she met up with Gerard John Schaefer and decided to help him tell his story in book form. After a falling out with him, she moved on to Danny Rolling, another serial killer whom she likewise wrote a book with and had a relationship. This fascinatingly strange episode tries to get into London's mind and determine what drawsher to serial killers.

 I Dismember Mama Saul Kent discusses his fear of death at how he became involved in cryonics during one of its early stages when it was simply known as freezing people. While discussing how the process works and how we will have the technology to bring frozen people back to life, he tells the story of how his mother died and wished to be frozen. Because her body was so worn down, he severed her head and then froze and hid it when he became the subject of a murder investigation and media frenzy.

The Stalker When Post Office supervisor Bill Kinsley was forced to fire carrier Thomas McIlvane for threatening a superior, Kinsley became the target of McIlvane’s threats. After taking means to protect himself, his family, and his work, the law told him there was nothing they could do. Then, one day McIlvane showed up at the post office with a sawed off shotgun and killed several of his former coworkers before shooting himself. Kinsley tells the story of the nightmarish experience while stating how his life was ruined due to scapegoating.

The Parrot One night a man broke into a Sonoma, California woman's house and suffocated her, leaving her parrot as the only witness. People involved with the case offer their takes on the guilt of two suspects and a pet store owner recounts how the bird's cries, which were declared inadmissible by the judge, implicate the man who was sent free and clear of the name of the man serving life for the murder.

Smile in a Jar Gretchen Worden, the director of the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, takes us on a virtual tour of the facility which houses human anomalies ranging from giants to dwarves to Siamese twins to horns and even includes famous people's body parts.

In the Kingdom of the Unabomber Psychologist Gary Greenberg desperately wanted to jump start his career and get published, and saw the best way of doing this was by striking up a correspondence with Ted Kaczynski. Greenberg tells about his writings to the Unabomber and how he became extremely close to landing the coveted first interview.

The Little Gray Man A CIA agent and master of disguise discusses the tricks of his trade, while discussing his early forays in infiltration, a well as missions in Laos and Moscow.

You're Soaking In It A woman's stepson killed himself and she was left to clean up the mess. Grief stricken, she was also inspired to start her own crime scene cleaning business, which she discusses here.

Season 2 (2001)

Mr. Personality  Forensic psychologist Michael Stone discusses his system for ranking evil and talks about his fascination with serial killers and mass murderers.

The Only Truth A high profile defense attorney whose clients include gangster rappers and the mafia discusses his career, his various defense strategies, and the time he was indicted for a felony.

Harvesting Me As a child Josh Harris felt lost in his big family and spent hours in front of the television. As an adult, he decided to install cameras and microphones in his apartment so his every waking moment could be recorded, an internet venture that made him millions. Harris discusses what makes him live his life in public and the several downfalls that come with the highly intrusive territory.

One in a Million Trillion Highly intelligent and nerdy Rick Rosner explains why he chose to redo his senior year of high school over and over again. He also discusses his appearance on the first episode of the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" as well as his appearance on another show where he was eliminated on what he believed to be a poorly worded question.

Leaving the Earth In 1989 on a flight from Denver to Chicago, pilot and pilot trainer Denny Fitch was a passenger when there was an explosion on the plane and all hydraulic power was lost, an accident that had no precedent and almost guaranteed death. Fitch describes what happened as he assisted in the cockpit, the mechanics of the plane, and how he and three other pilots were able to save a majority of people on the plane.

The Smartest Man in the World Chris Langan has worked as a construction worker and now works as a bouncer. He also has one of the highest recorded IQs in the world. Here Chris tells of his oversized head while he divulges his theories on the universe and master plans for the human race.

Love and Death: The Story of Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were criminals who were wildly in love and captured the hearts of Depression era America due to their poor background and blazen flaunting of disregard for the law. After going on a crime spree that included robbery, kidnapping, prison escape, and murder, the two eventually met an inevitable and violent death. This documentary tells the story of their poor upbringings, courtship and highly publicized crime spree through interviews with biographers, historians, and even relatives of the duo. The film makes great use of archive footage, photographs, and recreations from their era. I was surprised how violent and ruthless both Bonnie and Clyde were, compared to the more romanticized depiction in the classic Arthur Penn movie. "Love and Death: The Story of Bonnie and Clyde" makes great use of available materials to tell the story of two tragic and madly in love bank robbers.

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.

The Secret Friend

While many movies are padded with exorbitant special effects and unneeded dialogue, sometimes a filmmaker can say all that needs to be said with a 15 minute short. "The Secret Friend" is such a film as it tells its succinct and nicely realized story. Taking place in a New York City house filled with black and white family pictures, a recently widowed elderly woman spends her time alone watering her plants. After a visit from a concerned neighbor, she begins to receive phone calls from a caller who does not say a thing. At first irrate with the calls, she begins to embrace them, speaking into the dead air. As the calls continue, the woman finds her life being rejuvenated as she begins to revisit favorite books and hobbies. Written and competently directed by Flavio Alves from a short story by João Silvério Trevisan, "The Secret Friend" is a strange story with fine touches of humor and sentiment. Viola Harris does nice work as well in the lead role. Finding success on the festival circuit, including winning the Best Fiction Short Prize at our Cleveland International Film Festival, "The Secret Friend" is an amiable film and a fine way to spend 15 minutes.

The Trip

Steve Coogan is sent on an all expenses paid vacation to cover the finest restaurants in northern England for The Observer. After his girlfriend decides to take a trip to America, he asks his friend Rob Brydon to tag along. As they navigate the windy country back roads, eat fancy foods, and one up each other as they exchange many celebrity impression, the discrepancies between the two men begin to show, Coogan divorced and unsatisfied with his younger girlfriend and career and Brydon content with his wife and child and modest career. The Trip is edited down from a six part TV series and directed by Michael Winterbottom, who also directed the two actors in "Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story". Coogan and Brydon play themselves more or less in a highly improvised film and their rapport is clear. The movie is also a wonderful travelogue, containing picturesque shots of the British moors as well as many fine scenes of food preparation. The film does tend to wear thin after awhile, and the banter between Coogan and Brydon grows redundant. The also don't think it achieves the more serious goals it sets out to do, such as documenting Coogan's loneliness. I found this movie to be pleasant enough, but when a film, especially one of a comedic such as this, is upstaged by the scenery and the food on display, there is something fundamentally wrong with the material.

The Merchant of Venice

In 1596 Venice, Jews are treated with intolerance and resigned to ghettos where they are locked in at night and forced to wear red hats if they leave during the day. This intolerance is magnified through the story of Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes), a romantic spendthrift who needs to raise money to he can present himself as a suitable suitor to the beautiful and playful Portia (Lynn Collins). In order to dear this he seeks the help of his dear friend Antonio (Jeremy Irons) a successful man who has all his funds tied up in his shipping business. In order to procure the money, they go to the ghetto and seek the services of Shylock (Al Pacino), a money lender whom Antonio has treated with harsh abuse to do his high interest rates. Now, Shylock demands that instead of interest, if Antonio defaults on the loan, he must pay him with a pound of his own flesh, a debt he insists on collecting. "The Merchant of Venice" is William Shakespeare's most controversial and least filmed plays. Here the film feels stagy and there is not much to Michael Radford's directial approach. However, Shakespeare's story is is so rich and cunning and his dialogue is so beautiful and eloquent that it almost comes off as music. The acting by Pacino and especially Irons is spectacular, and the emotions they convey are both deep and resonating. There is a reason that the works of William Shakespeare are so often adapted for the screen. His lyrical style cannot be found anywhere else and watching "The Merchant of Venice" I was taken aback by the beautiful wordings to go along with the wonderful performances.

The Thing

A Husky runs into an American outpost in remote Antarctica, being chased by Norwegians in a helicopter attempting to shoot it. At the chopper lands, one man accidentally drops a grenade, blowing up himself and the craft while another pursues the dog. After he wounds one of the Americans, he is shot dead and two of the Americans, a pilot and the doctor decide to check out the Norwegian's camp after the suspicious happenings. There they find a the post in ruins along with burned bodies, a frozen man with his throat slit, and an open coffin like apparatchiks. When they return to base, they discover the real reason those men were trying to kill the dog, and a battle begins between not only the men and the deadly shape shifting creature but also amongst the men themselves. John Carpenter's The Thing is based on John W. Campbell Jr.'s novel Who Goes There? which inspired the 1951 film "The Thing from Another World" and it does something interesting with the gruesome monster movie by placing it in the isolated world of the Antarctic, resulting in intense situations and plotting. Kurt Russell is effective as the pilot who becomes the leader when the thing takes over the camp and I liked Wilfred Brimley as the doctor who discovers the true nature of the beast. I found the monster itself to be too grotesque to the point that it somewhat detracts from the story, then again the story is set up very well. The snowy locales provide some nice and foreboding visuals and I liked certain touches such as the ending (spoilers) of the film which ends not in a bloody massacre but in a cold and silent standoff. The movie also seems to have inspired subsequent filmmakers and I thought of James Cameron a lot during this movie, particularly "The Abyss" and "Terminator 2: Judgement Day". As a monster movie, The Thing achieves its primary objective of being eerie, scary, and entertaining and with some effective visuals and plotting it succeeds at being something more as well.

James Taylor: One Man Band

For over forty years, James Taylor has been the quintessential singer songwriter, expressing songs that wonderfully capture longing and sorrow with his resonating and memorable voice and guitar chords. Of all my favorite artists, he is my favorite to see in concert, not only because he is a consummate performer, but also engages the audience with humor and stories in between songs. Starting out as a solo act, he played with bands for many years until recently to decided to put out One Man Band, a concert at The Colonial Theater in his hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts with only pianist Larry Goldings. Starting out with a folksy introduction over footage of the surrounding Berkshire Mountains, the program commences with performances of classic favorites such as "Carolina in My Mind", "Shower the People". and "Fire and Rain" played over personal slides interspersed with stories and anecdotes. One Man Band is a wonderful concert film showcasing one of finest musical talents.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

A scientist working for a genetic engineering company has been working on an Alzheimer's drug that repairs brain tissue and believes that he has now perfected it. However, during a pitch to the board members, one of the apes goes ballistic and injures several as it tears its way across the lab before stifled. The rest of the injected monkeys are ordered to be put down, but the scientist decides offer refuge to a baby ape, who is the son of the injected chimp that went crazy. As time goes by the baby, or Caesar as he is named, shows signs of incredible intelligence leading the scientist decides to test the drug on his father, who has dementia. After showing positive results, he begins to regress and soon Caesar attacks a neighbor out of defense. Now reprimanded to a sanctuary, Caesar begins to conceive of a plan to unite the other chimps, break out of the facility, and begin the battle against the humans for planet earth. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a low expectations film that surprises and dazzles, and is a fine example of big budget fun that has been lacking in this summer's blockbusters. The use of CGI is incredibly fine and the film is excitingly directed by Rupert Wyatt. James Franco sleep walks through his role here, which he has been getting good at doing lately, but the real star of the film is Andy Serkis. Using the same motion capture CGI techniques that provided the facial expression of King Kong and Gollum in the Lord of the Rings, Caesar becomes a lifelike and sympathetic character. Even though it is a prequel to the series, the use of The Planet of the Apes in the title does not do this film justice, and is probably the reason for low expectations. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes is an exciting film that much like its star anthropoids can stand on its own two.

Brute Force

At Westgate Penitentiary, the inmates live a harsh existence made even harsher by Captain Munsey, the sadistic head of the guard staff who runs the prison under the cowardly warden. In cell R17 reside a group of men, led by Joe Collins, who all committed crimes motivated by love and share a brotherly bond. When Munsey drives one of them to commit suicide, they decide it is time to follow through with their often talked about escape plans. Brute Force is a hard boiled and brooding prison film made in the noir vein by Jules Dassin, who made some very fine noir and crime films both foreign and domestic. From a screenplay by Richard Brooks (In Cold Blood) from a novel by Robert Patterson, Brute Force is an unsympathetic look at prisoner control methods, prison operations, and a daring escape movie. In one of his early staring roles, Burt Lancaster commands the screen as he always does with that quiet yet powerful manner. Stellar supporting actor Hume Cronyn is excellent as Munsey, crafting an extremely contemptible villain. The film also contains a wonderful ending, featuring the chaotic prison break. Brute Force is a dark and wonderfully directed film that manages to offer a social commentary while being a rousing entertainment as well.

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

A middle aged suburbanite's wife tells him that she is having an affair and wants a divorce. Stupefied with the revelation, he spends his nights sulking in a local bar, telling his tale of woe to anyone who will listen. Tired of this routine and possibly out of pity, a suave younger man decides to teach him the ropes of womanizing, which only push things into a bigger tailspin. "Crazy, Stupid, Love." is an awkward movie that is poorly written and realized, often cringe inducing, and contains plot contrivances that make no sense are there strictly to sentimentalize the movie. Steve Carell is good at playing these sad sack roles, which he demonstrated in the far superior "Dan in Real Life", but there is hardly anything to work with here and his improvisations only go so far. The cast is filled with other great actors (Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, Kevin Bacon, Marissa Tomei, Emma Stone), but the script doesn't do them justice at all. "Crazy, Sexy, Love." is a hard movie to watch, not only because of how embarrassing the writing is, but because of how good the people are trying to make sense of it.

Battleship Potemkin

In 1905 the crew members of the Russian battleship Potemkin were fed up with their maggot ridden meat rations and decided it was time to rise up against the officers of the ship. After overtaking their boat and pulling into Odessa, word of their rebellion spread and ignited the revolutionary spirit. Soon the Czar sent his troops to quell the uprising and many protesters and innocents alike were slaughtered. The revolution continued leading up to the Bolshevik uprising of 1917. Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin has often been referred to as the greatest film ever made, and it is certainly one of the most electrically charged. From its kinetically edited scenes, which seem impossible to have been made for its time (I mean how many cameras did he have at his disposal in 1926 Russia?), we can see the seeds for the films of Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, and others. Filmed in beautiful black and white, its scenes of uprising are rousing and incredible. The Odessa staircase scene, where the baby carriage with baby in tow glides slowly down the stairs, is one of the most famous film sequences and rightly so. Battleship Potemkin is a superior film and during its editing process, Sergei Eisenstein must have surely invented some new techniques that would inspire generations of filmmakers to come.

Picnic at Hanging Rock

On Valentine's Day in the year 1900, girls from a boarding school go on an all day retreat to an area made of up of volcanic rock. After reciting poetry and laying about, four of the girls decide to climb the rock, seemingly drawn by an unspoken possession. One girl runs back, and the other three, along with a teacher whose disappearance is never explained, are never seen from again. The disappearances cause a media stir and have a devastating affect not only on the girl's college, its students, and cruel headmaster, but also on two young men who were present that unfortunate and mysterious day. Picnic at Hanging Rock was master Aussie director Peter Weir's first film to reach an international audience, and it is a lyrical and haunting film. Like fellow countryman and director Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout, it deals with teenagers dealing with their sexual longings while alone in the wilderness. Weir's film is successful because of its atmospheric tone and beautiful visuals, but also because it never provides answers, only suggestions as to what happened to the girls. Benefiting from the same strategy that aided Fargo, the movie presents itself as a true story, when it was really based on a book by Joan Lindsay which was only inspired by true events. Picnic at Hanging Rock is an eerie film made by a true director who knows that not all horror films must deal with blood, guts, and cheap scares.

Farewell

 In 1981, a French engineer living in Moscow begins a liaison with a disillusioned KGB agent who begins passing him secrets which can then be snuck out of Russia and passed along to French intelligence. Soon, it becomes clear that the secrets are in regards to American intelligence, specifically security locations and codes and the identity of Russian spies. The information is passed along to Reagan who has the agents subdued and uses the opportunity to pursue his Star Wars initiative, all of which as blowback on the engineer and rogue agent. Farewell, from the French director Christian Carion, is an intricately detailed spy thriller based on crucial real life events. Guillaume Canet and Emir Kusturica, as the engineer and the agent respectively, deliver fine performances and it is interesting to see Fred Ward play Ronald Reagan and William Dafoe as a high ranking CIA official. In a time when spy movies are associated with nonstop actioneers such as the Bourne or James Bond series, it is a pleasure to see a well made character driven film that takes its time and lets its story develop.

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.

Straw Dogs

A pacifistic mathematician receives a research grant and leaves turmoil ridden America with his wife to live in the British countryside where she grew up. In their pastoral and seemingly peaceful village they receive increasingly alarming harassment from the locals which builds up into a situation where he must embrace the harsh violence he has so vehemently rejected. Straw Dogs is another take on the subject of violence by Sam Peckinpah, the director who was so consumed by it and determined to see its true nature presented on the screen. Dustin Hoffman delivers a stellar and totally identifiable performance as we watch his character's journey from cowardice to courageousness as he endures torment not only from the vicious townspeople but also from his tempestuous wife. The movie is thoroughly engaging and several segments grab hold of your attention like few films I seen. Some scenes do get out of hand, such as the extended rape scene, which shows Peckinpah's misogynistic side, and the final scene in which Hoffman defends his house, which although satisfying, is overly violent and counteracts the rest of the more subtle film. Straw Dogs is absorbing statement on violence containing a decisive performance from Dustin Hoffman which should speak to anyone who watches it.

The Doors

"We need a two and a half hour movie about The Doors? No we don't, I can sum it up for you in five seconds: I'm drunk, I'm nobody. I'm drunk, I'm famous. I'm drunk, I'm fuckin' dead!"

Denis Leary hit the nail on the head with the above quote about Oliver Stone's movie about Jim Morrison and The Doors. While Morrison was a talented poet and singer and The Doors had some hits and were a key band of the late 60s, Morrison was such an intensely unlikable figure and his life is not interesting enough to sustain a 140 minute movie. It begins with a childhood memory of Morrison regarding a dying Indian on the side of the road during a family road trip. Cut to Jim (Val Kilmer) in his early 20s where he wanders around Venice Beach and meets lifelong partner Pamela Courson (Meg Ryan). He attends UCLA film school where he makes nonlinear and dismissed films and meets future bandmate Ray Manzarek (Kyle MacLachlan). The two partner up with John Densmore (Kevin Dillon) and Robby Kreiger (Frank Whaley) and thus begins the rise of The Doors, which is actually just a gradual freefall as Jim engages in excessive drug use, sex, alcohol, witchcraft, indecent exposure, and an unhealthy fascination with death. Stone's film is extremely well made and vividly captures the aura of the 1960s. Kilmer, a Morrison lookalike to start, engulfs himself in the role and gives a mesmerizing performance, while MacLachlan and Ryan give fine performances as well as two of Morrison's long suffering partners. The film also makes great use of The Door's songs which play throughout. The problem with the film though starts with Morrison's polarizing effect and continues with Stone's attempt to drag the film out and stuff it with prolonged trippy sequences and unpleasantries. In the end, the film is kind of like Morrison himself, leaving us with some good, but ultimately bloated with excess.

The Hangover Part II

The Hangover Part II is a shameless exercise which exists for the sole purpose of capitalizing on the immensely successful original film. It takes the same actors and plugs the into the same plot where the exact same antics ensue. It is entirely similar to the first film, except that it is more raunchy and entirely devoid of freshness and laughs. It would have been slightly less offensive, and the studio would have saved some time and money,  if they released the original film with a '2' inserted after the title, which is basically what they did.

Trust

An insecure suburban 14 year old girl starts a relationship with a 16 year old boy in a chatroom who gradually reveals himself to be 20, then 25, and finally in his mid 30s when she agrees to meet him at the local mall. Preying on her weaknesses, he convinces her to return to his hotel room where he sexually assaults her. Confiding in a loyal friend at school who relays what happened to the principal, an FBI investigation begins and the girl's life starts to unravel. Also, her laid back father who advertises for a store that markets scantily clad teenagers to sell its apparel, is taken aback and soon becomes obsessed with finding the man who assaulted his daughter. Trust is an exercise in realism, tackling difficult issues and not soft serving as is often the case with the subject in made for TV movies. This is the second feature for Friends alum David Schwimmer, who demonstrates a strong handle for the craft, gauging strong performances from his actors and engaging methods in which to tell his story. Clive Owen delivers some of his strongest work as a man who never even considered the situation he's in and is shocked by the way his daughter reacts to the case. His final speech is wonderfully realized and delivered. Catherine Keener is wonderful has well who sees the unhealthy obsession developing in her husband and is perhaps more perceptive with their daughter. 15 year old and relative newcomer Liana Liberato delivers a remarkable performance is well, and as she goes through the roller coaster ride we gain a clearer window into what being a victim of this terrible offense at that uneasy age must be like. Supporting players are fine as well, especially Jason Clarke as a dogged FBI agent and the wonderful Viola Davis as a tender and patient counselor. Trust is a film that tackles a difficult issues head on, offers no easy answers, and provides insight into our technological world and the dangers that can stem from it.

A Cry in the Dark

In 1980 Lindy and Michael Chamberlain are vacationing in Queensland, Australia with their two boys and infant girl. One night, Lindy puts the baby to sleep in the tent and heads back to the group when she sees a dingo exiting the tent. She runs back and sees her baby is missing and a hunt begins to find the remains. What follows is a nightmare involving not only the morning of the couple’s dead baby but also a police inquest, trial, media frenzy, gossip, circumstantial evidence, and religious prejudice. Fred Schepisi’s A Cry in the Dark in an intricate recreation of events of Australia’s most known court case. From the search for the baby, to the media’s editing of the Chamberlain’s interviews, to the police investigation, to the court details, we are given what seems like a firsthand account of a strange and tragic case. Meryl Streep and Sam Neill are outstanding in the lead roles, Streep portraying a strong and slightly cold individual and Neill a devout man at first who finds himself falling apart at the seems under the weight of the circumstances. A Cry in the Dark is a wonderful example of translating a real life incident into film.

Somebody Up There Likes Me

Rocco Barbella was a scrappy street kid from Brooklyn who was never given a chance from the word go. With a drunken failed prizefighter father and a supportive yet frail mother, he was in and out of reformatories for most of his childhood. After being released from prison and drafted into the army, he went AWOL and stumbled upon a gym where he changed his name to Rocky Graziano and was able to channel his hate into boxing and, with the love of a young woman, became a world boxing champion. Robert Wise’s Somebody Up There Likes Me, a biopic on the early life of Rocky Graziano, was Paul Newman’s second role and was the film that introduced him as a top star. Replacing James Dean after his untimely death, Newman really delved into the role and delivered a high caliber performance that was really unlike the rest of his subsequent work, portraying Graziano as a headstrong tough guy. Supporting players Pier Angeli, as his sweet and loving wife and Everett Sloane, as his long suffering manager contribute fine work as well. The film was shot on New York City streets in beautifully stark black and white cinematography that won the Oscar. With Somebody Up There Likes Me, you can see the roots of great future boxing pictures, such as the buffoonlike likability of Graziano or the tenderness of his relationship with his girl evident in Rocky or the gritty black and white fight scenes which surely inspired Martin Scorsese when he made Raging Bull (he does commentary on the film’s DVD). Somebody Up There Likes Me is a fine sports biopic thanks to the Paul Newman’s amiability, the unexpected humor in Ernest Lehman’s script, and the fine direction of Robert Wise.

Something Wild

A straight and narrow tax accountant and family man (Jeff Daniels) pockets the check in an NYC diner and is caught by an impulsive young woman (Melanie Griffith), who offers him a ride back to the office. Instead the two embark on a spontaneous road trip where the two fall in love, engage in acts of petty crime, and return to her hometown where they visit her mother and attend a 10 year high school reunion where they pose as a married couple. At this point things take a violent turn as the woman’s husband (Ray Liotta) enters the picture, having just being sprung from the joint. Adept director Jonathon Demme’s Something Wild is an offbeat kinetic love story, the likes of which is not seen in today’s cinema. Made during the apex of 1980s greed, it also strives to be a condemnation yuppie culture. The actors fit well into their roles and are played conviction and likability. Daniels sincerity helps us empathize with his character’s situations and decisions. Griffith, with her girllike voice and Pandora’s Box wig (she even introduces herself as Lulu) make her character brazenly sexy and sympathetic at the same time. Finally, Ray Liotta is a particular standout in his first major role as a psychotic yet somehow charming ex-con and that trademark sinister laugh. Something Wild is a true original and a film that dared to break the mold of factory made Hollywood love stories.