You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story

In 1923 Harry, Jack, Sam, and Albert Warner, Jewish immigrant brothers from an impoverished background, founded one of the most daring and successful studios in Hollywood which made some of the most memorable films over the following 85 plus years. Time magazine's Richard Schickel takes us on a journey through the studios history through clips of their films and interviews of many involved with the studio. Narrated by Clint Eastwood, we listen to the likes of James Cagney describing his experiences as we see clips of "The Public Enemy" and "White Heat" up until current day when we see George Clooney and discussing his involvement in many of the Warner's films. We even get to hear Clint take us through many of his hits at the studio. Schickel has carved out a niche with these types of studio documentaries. In addition to this fabulous documentary, I've also seen his retrospectives on Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese and no one really pieces together clips as well as Schickel. "You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story" is an exciting journey through the history of the Warner's remarkable movies.
Here is an outline of each of the five episodes:

Beetlejuice

A young couple movie into an idyllic country house and are killed in a freak accident. In death, they find themselves confined to the home even as a family of insufferable yuppies movie in. Unable to scare them off they employ the services of a crude, perverted bio-exorcist in order to clear the house for themselves. "Beetlejuice" is one of the early films of Tim Burton and is a prime example of the director getting carried away from himself. We get some really good work from Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as the couple, Winona Ryder as the gothic daughter of the yuppie family, and Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones, and Glenn Shadix are  a hoot as the portentous yuppies. However when we get to the death scenes, we get the cartoonish oddities that have dominated Burton's work and Michael Keaton's work in the title role as a manic obscene Bugs Bunny like character is simply off putting and not as fun as most would lead on. I really liked the scenes amongst the living (particularly a possessed rendition of Harry Belafonte's Day-O) and I think there would have been a good film here in the hands of a more restrained director.

The Grifters

A con artist working the east coast horse races for a big time bookmaker is sent on a job to L.A. While out there, she visits her scam artist son who is operating on a smaller scale and is taken aback to learn that he is dating a woman quite like herself. As both woman vie to play the son against each other, all involved are lead down a sinister and deadly path. "The Grifters" is a dark and twisty and slightly laconic modern noir from director Stephen Frears. Written by Donald E. Westlake from a novel by Jim Thompson, whose credits include early Kubrick films "Paths of Glory" and the noir classic "The Killing", "The Grifters" is sharply written and cold as a stone. Angelica Huston, wearing a Marilyn Monroe wig, is outstanding as the con woman mother whose depravity knows no bounds when it comes to getting what she wants and Annette Bening is just as fine as her son's like minded girlfriend. I've always found John Cusack to be uninteresting, and the same stands here, but both Huston and Bening carry him along nicely. Pat Hingle and J.T. Walsh have really juicy supporting roles as well. I really enjoyed the twists and turns "The Grifters", and Frears and company really gets the heart down of the genre in that it has none.

Working Girl

Tess is a ditsy but ambitious and free thinking woman who starts a new job as an assistant for a high profiled female partner. While on vacation, the boss breaks her leg skiing and Tess realizes that she had stolen her idea that she had rejected days earlier. With the boss incapacitated a few thousand miles away, Tess begins to present herself as a powered player for the firm, and push the deal through with an attractive executive she begins to fall for."Working Girl" is a bright and funny film by Mike Nichols and a wonderful showcase for Melanie Griffith, who is delightful in the lead role. The movie serves as both a send up of the yuppie lifestyle of the time as well as a picture postcard of New York City, and manages to entertain as well. The film also features several fine supporting roles: Harrison Ford is fun in what is probably his first comedic as well as romantic role. Sigourney Weaver is in top form as the iniquitous yuppie boss and Joan Cusack has a good part as Griffith's big haired friend. Alec Baldwin has some very funny scenes as well as Griffith's scummy boyfriend and Kevin Spacey is hilarious in a small role early on. The film sags slightly in the middle, is rife with wild 80s styles, and you can see the big twist coming but nonetheless this is still an intelligent, funny, and well acted movie that wraps up especially well in the end.

Touch of Evil

A hoodlum shows a stick of dynamite to the camera and then places it in the trunk of a car and we follow it in an incredible tracking shot as a tycoon and his mistress get it in, cross the Mexican border to America, and are blown to bits. An investigation ensues led by rotund, corrupt, and highly reputable Captain Quinlan given a hand by Mexican police officer Vargas who is on his honeymoon with his young bride. As the investigation takes its course, Vargas realizes that Quinlan is planting evidence and the odious captain wants the impinging foreigner out of his hair. "Touch of Evil" is the brilliant and impeccably composed work of Orson Welles who wrote, directed, and starred in this border tale of police malfeasance. Starring as Captain Quinlan, Welles dives head on into the despicable and remorseless character, crafting a frightening presence. Charlton Heston, though oddly cast as a Mexican, is nonetheless powerful as the righteous lawman. Janet Leigh is fine as well as his bride and pawn in Welles's sick game. The shadows and angles of the camera are remarkable here and, along with the devilish turns, have the capacity to take your breath away. "Touch of Evil" is an uncommonly good film and one that engages you in a way that few films do.

Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood

"Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood" is a documentary from Turner Classic Movies that takes us through the history of motion pictures from their dawn in the late 19th Century up until the end of the 1960s, with the focus being on the group of people, largely poor immigrant Jewish males, who saw an industry in the movies and surged forward with all of their might. Wonderfully narrated by Christopher Plummer, this is an extraordinarily crafted and endlessly fascinating documentary. With the older footage presented in the Ken Burns manner, the film deals with the many twists and turns the industry made, and features interviews from movie experts as well as direct descendants of the moguls themselves. Clocking in at seven hours, my only complaint is that I wish it could have been longer, as much material was unfortunately but understandably left on the cutting room floor. Here is a synopsis of each episode:
Peepshow Pioneers (1889-1907)
The origins of the movies are discussed which include picture flip books, projection shows, and the famous bet where photographer Eadweard Muybridge proved with a series of cameras that a horse does indeed have all four feet in the air at one time when he runs. We also see how Thomas Edison tinkered with the idea of the movies and made it in to an industry. We learn of the brilliance of early filmmakers like Georges Méliès, Edwin S. Porter, and D.W. Griffith and the rise of early stars such as Mary Pickford and Lillian Gish. We also hear the stories of Mayer, the Warners, Laemmele, Goldwyn, Zanuck, and Fox, mostly Jewish immigrants who started the studio system and eventually moved the industry west to Hollywood.
The Birth of Hollywood (1907-1920)
As the movie industry continues to explode and moguls set up shop in Los Angeles, we see the incredible success and controversy surrounding D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation", the rise of cowboy stars such as William S. Hart, Brono Billy and Tom Mix, and the great success of Max Sennett, his Keystone Studio, and his discovery of the young, impoverished, and ambitious Charles Chaplin. We also see the rise of stars like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, producers such as Thomas Ince and Adolph Zucker, and the important roles women played not only in front of the camera but behind it as well. As the country marched into World War I, the movie industry was there to support and film it and by the end of the decade, the United States had asserted itself as the top filmmaking nation in the world.
The Dream Merchants (1920-1928)
As the movie industry has asserted itself in America, it now begins to deal with power struggles, scandals, and calls for censorship. Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith form United Artists, Joe Kennedy develops RKO, and titan studio MGM comes into formation. Stars such as Rudolph Valentino, Lon Chaney, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, and  Clara Bow come into focus and moviemakers Hal Roach, Erich von Stroheim, and Cecil B. DeMille strive to bring their visions to the screen. The Academy is formed to thwart unionizing and the first Award ceremony is held in 1927 as the talkies begin to be ushered in and the industry becomes revolutionized forever.
Brother, Can You Spare a Dream (1929-1941) 
The Stock Market Crash, The Great Depression, and the audience demand for talking pictures revolutionizes the film industry in the 1930s as old stars like Mary Pickford, Clara Bow, and the silent clowns fade out and a new line of stars such as Clark Gable, Bette Davis, The Marx Brothers, Judy Garland, and Shirley Temple take their place. Hollywood makes makes movie stars out of radio personalities like Bing Crosby, Busby Berkeley and Fred Astaire become kings of the musical, and atypical stars like James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson begin to rise. A demand for writers is created and Herman J. Mankiewicz and Ben Hecht heed the call and power players such as The Selznicks, The Cohns, and Howard Hughes have their day. Walt Disney promotes feature length animation, "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gone with the Wind" take audiences by storm, and the moguls have differing responses to the growing threat across the Atlantic.
Warriors and Peacemakers (1941-1950)
While Europe is at war, much of Hollywood is fearful of speaking out in fear of losing the foreign market aside from Charlie Chaplin who releases "The Great Dictator". When America finally enters the war, the film industry goes into full swing as they campaign for the troops, make propaganda films, and sell war bonds. Male stars like James Stewart and Clark Gable enlist, directors like John Ford and John Huston make war documentaries, Bob Hope and Betty Grable entertain the troops, and female stars like Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck greet soldiers on their way over at The Hollywood Canteen. Daryl Zanuck releases Ford's social conscious "The Grapes of Wrath" and Preston Sturges makes funny films laughing at war. John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Joan Crawford, Gregory Peck and Cary Grant are the preeminent film stars, Orson Welles makes "Citizen Kane", and "Casablanca" becomes an unanticipated success. After the war, new tastes develop and film noir as well as social conscious films emerge. A lawsuit by Olivia de Havilland and the work of agents like Charles Feldman and Lew Wasserman lead to more rights for stars and labor strife leads to the HUAC hearings and the Hollywood Blacklist. By the end of the 40s, The Paramount Decree will strip the moguls of their theaters and the television will become a viable threat to the industry.
The Attack of the Small Screens (1950-1960)
As television and the mobility of the 1950s draws audiences away from the movies, Hollywood embarks on a bigger is better campaign with the promotion of drive-ins, 3D, cinerama, technicolor, cinemascope, and stereophonic sound. TV stars like Lucille Ball, Sid Caesar, and Jackie Gleason reach extreme heights of popularity and Hollywood begins to lure television stars and writers and eventually enter the medium by leasing films, producing TV movies, as well as TV shows, particularly with Walt Disney. Star Power begins to combine with emotional intensity as we see stars like James Dean, Marlon Brando, Liz Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Sidney Poitier, and Burt Lancaster while Marilyn Monroe sizzles up the screen. Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder make their marks as directors and Cold War fears lead Charlie Chaplin to become outspoken and exiled. United Artists and the agents at MCA begins to rise and RKO dies largely due to the eccentricities of owner Howard Hughes. We see the deaths of Louis B. Mayer, William Fox, Jesse Laskey, Harry Cohan, and Harry Warner, the resignation of Daryk Zanuck, and the overall decline of the studio system which was being supplemented by independent filmmakers such as Roger Corman.
Fade Out, Fade In (1960-1969)
As the 1960s begin with a mogul's son taking the Oath of Office and the Hollywood blacklist is dissolved, the films of the decade see a great change being influenced by the postwar film revolution in Europe and specifically the films from Italian Neorealism, the French New Wave, and specifically the films of Bergman, Kurosawa, Truffaut, Godard, Antonioni, and Fellini. Kubrick made "Dr. Strangelove" spoofing the cold war madness as well as "2001" and "Bonnie and Clyde" revolutionized American pictures. "Cleopatra" bankrupts Fox, Psycho is a hit, and Marilyn Monroe dies. Mike Nichols makes "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "The Graduate" and counterculture movies such as "Easy Rider" and "Midnight Cowboy" change the game as well. International films blow up such as "Lawrence of Arabia" and the Bond films, and the studios begin to develop sequels. As the decade closes and the studios become conglomerates and titans like Walt Disney and David O. Selznik die, a new generation of filmmakers await in the wings and in the crowds to take the reins and perpetuate are faith in the movies.

Higher Ground

"Higher Ground" is the directorial debut of Vera Farmiga as she stars in the story of one woman's lifelong struggle with her faith as she strains to raise her family on a Christian fundamentalist commune. Working from a novel by Carolyn Briggs, Farmiga's directorial hand is strong and kind here as the film is not judgmental of the people it portrays and strictly observes her protagonists feelings and emotions as she grasps with both her own faith and the strange notion of it her church holds. Many of the scenes in "Higher Ground" are powerful, such as the bus crash into a pond where the members of her husband's band try to salvage their equipment before the drowning baby or when a church wedding counselor relates the story of an adulterous politician to Farmiga and follows it up by saying she will burn in hell. Several other scenes feel out of place and counter to the main objective of the film, such as Farmiga's daydreams, and still Vera Farmiga puts forth an excellent performance here, fully conveying her inner turmoils even in situations where she is dare allowed to speak them.. The rest of the cast is uniformly fine and I really liked John Hawkes, who is oddly cast as her father. "Higher Ground" is a twofold triumph for Vera Farmiga on both the acting and directing front, and is pretty remarkable for how nonjudgmental it is for a film about religious fundamentalism.

Fawlty Towers

Basil Fawlty is quite possibly the rudest hotel manager in all of Britain, if not the entire world. As he insults his guests, mocks his wife, caters to the upper class, manhandles the incompetent Spanish bellboy, impinges on the maid, and always manages to screw everything up. "Fawlty Towers" is the irreverent and hilarious work of John Cleese, Monty Python member, who both starred and cowrote the show with his then wife and costar Connie Booth. Cleese's performance is hilariously manic and physical and I was often taken aback by the outrageousness of the 12 episode of the series as Basil tries to make a Waldorf Salad without a cook, not offend his guests on German Night, and successfully dispose of a corpse taking up space in an occupied room. "Fawlty Towers" is an extremely funny series that must have set the bar for television comedy of its time.

Four Weddings and a Funeral

During the course of the titular engagements, a bumbling yet charming young Brit who has always avoided commitments falls in love with an American and stumbles to declare his feelings as she becomes betrothed to another. "Four Weddings and a Funeral" was an unanticipated success in 1994 as well as the film that launched Hugh Grant to stardom, and watching it its not hard to believe as the film is thoroughly entertaining and Grant is entirely engaging and funny. After a raucous first half of the film, it does settle down though and become of more routine romantic comedy and doesn't really introduce its characters well so that when we do get to the dreaded burial, its hard to go along with the weepy eulogy because we only have a faint idea how these people know each other (I'm still not quite sure who the waif is living with Grant)! And still, "Four Weddings and a Funeral" is a highly enjoyable film and from it you can see a stew of mostly less worthy romcoms that were concocted from its ingredients.

Ulee's Gold

Ulee is a powerfully quiet beekeeper and widower raising his two grandchildren in northern Florida receives an urgent call from his estranged son who is serving out a term for armed robbery. Reluctantly, Ulee goes to visit and his son sends him on a mission to Orlando to retrieve his strung out wife who has fallen into the hands of two of his ex-cohorts. When Ulee arrives to pick her up, the two men have something more they want and now he must contend with all of these difficulties right in the heart of the harvest. "Ulee's Gold" is not only an absorbing film from writer/director Victor Nunez, it is also a courageous one as he elects to tell a fleshed out, paced story which to most studios means box office death. I liked the way the story takes its time and draws out a powerful performance out of Peter Fonda, who seems to be channeling the same types of methods his father used. Perhaps the story is too ruminant and contains too many bee metaphors, but the power of Fonda's performance and the lush photography and leisurely pace make "Ulee's Gold" a winner.

Drive

A part-time mechanic, part-time movie stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver becomes involved with a married mother whose husband is in prison. Upon his release, the driver offers to act as the wheelman in a robbery needed to pay off a prison protection debt. However, the job goes terribly wrong and the driver finds himself as well as the girl and her son the targets of a ruthless crime syndicate. The opening scenes remind us of "Diva" and "To Live and Die in L.A.", two 80s films with famous chase sequences, and thus we have a film with a distinct 80s feel containing two brilliantly executed chase sequences. "Drive" is a brutal neonoir from director Nicolas Winding Refn that features an icy cool performance from Ryan Gosling as he navigates the twisty terrain of the plot. Carey Mulligan is effective as the vulnerable love interest and we get really fine work from Bryan Cranston as Gosling's mechanic mentor and Ron Perlman as an uncouth and ruthless gangster. The scene stealer here though is Albert Brooks as Perlman's equally malevolent partner whom both Gosling and Cranston are into for a lot. I felt the triangle between Gosling, Mulligan, and Oscar Isaac who plays the ex-con husband didn't ring true, but that is besides the point as it is only the springboard for the sinister plot. "Drive" is a brilliantly directed film where you can never anticipate its sudden bursts of violence or what menacing lies around the next bend.

Contagion

We open with a woman coughing at an airport bar and the camera makes us keenly aware of germs being spread as we see closeups of money being handled and a bowl of peanuts on the bar. This will be the onset of a viral epidemic that spreads at an astounding rate and kills its victims within a matter of days. After the woman and her son whom she passes it along to perish, we follow her immune husband and daughter and on a broader scale we follow several doctors working for the Center of Disease Control as they try to contain the disease, trace its roots, vaccinate against it, and control the widespread mayhem that ensues as they epidemic spreads. "Contagion" is an extremely focused and terrifying film from Steven Soderbergh working from a germaphobic script by Scott Z. Burns. Soderbergh again works with a large budget and A-list cast, which is where I feel he does his best work, and his handling of this material, which could have been dastardly, is executed tensely and brilliantly. The cast includes Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow (in some really disturbing scenes), Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Ehle (excellent), and John Hawkes, all contributing nicely. I've read reviews stating that Law's blogger character who profits off the epidemic detracts from the plot, but I thought it fit in nicely, as did Cotillard's Hong Kong subplot, with the screenplays attempts to show the many different angles a catastrophe like this can bring. "Contagion" is an extremely intricate and unnerving film that is sure to yield high returns for the people at Purell.

Yankee Doodle Dandy

"Yankee Doodle Dandy" is a biopic covering the life of patriotic song and dance man George M. Cohan. After his latest play "I'd Rather Be Right" where he portrays FDR, the president himself summons him to the Oval Office where Cohan takes him through his life starting as a brazen lad performing the circuit with his mother, father, and sister to his partnership with producer and friend Sam Harris to his Broadway triumphs and his marriage with his lovely wife Mary. From the instant James Cagney appears on screen, he grabs the viewer and never lets go. Playing against type, Cagney is a revelation in a Academy Award winning performance as he taps and sings his way with gusto through Cohan's life. Directed by Michael Curtiz, an auteur who doesn't get enough credit when you think about his resume ("Casablanca", "The Adventures of Robin Hood"), the film is a wonderful blend of lavish stage productions, including great songs such as "Over There", "Harrigan", and the title tune, as well as personal segments from Cohan's life. Walter Huston, as his father, Joan Leslie as his wife Mary, and Richard Whorf as Sam provide fine support as well. Cagney was an actor of incredible presence who captured the screen unlike any other performer. "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is a wonderful tribute to both his skills as a performer and the life of George M. Cohan.

13 Assassins

After the feudal period in Japan and during a time of peace, a brutally sadistic and powerful lord threatens the prosperity. To prevent his ascension, a group of samurai unite on a suicide mission to take on the lord's mighty army as the transport him to an impenetrable location. "13 Assassins" is a spectacular film from respected director Takashi Miike and the first film of his I've seen. After a quiet buildup where we witness the atrocities of the reprehensible lord and the roundup of the assassins, an extended and incredible action scene takes place which will consume the second half of the film, commenced by an extraordinary segment where  three flaming bulls charge the massive army. It is quite an extraordinary and ambitious sequence and is handled exceedingly well with fluid editing and wonderful cinematography. "13 Assassins" is an exhilarating work and the kind of film that makes you want to seek out the other films by the director.

Harold and Maude

Harold is a death obsessed 20 year who likes to stage fake suicides and attend funerals. Maude is a free spirited eccentric on the verge of 80 who enjoys nude modelling and engaging in minor crimes. Naturally the two meet and fall in love. Harold and Maude is a movie founded on an incredibly creepy premise that is handled extraordinarily well by writer Colin Higgins who employs both humor and subtlety. Directed by Hal Ashby, one of the great and highly unappreciated directors of the 1970s, he stages and frames the film exceedingly well. Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon are fine in the leads and a delightful soundtrack provided by Cat Stevens guides the way in this surprisingly pleasant film.

The Devil's Double

As the first Iraq war approaches, an Iraqi soldier is summoned by Uday Hussein, Saddam's son, to his palace and is requested to be his body double. When he refuses, Uday has him beaten and threatens his family, at which point he accepts and has his looks slightly surgically altered. Given everything at Uday's disposal, the double now must deal with his boss's hedonistic lifestyle and psychotic outburst, with his and his family's lives constantly at risk. With Dominic Cooper in "The Devil's Double", we have the case of one of the great dual performances, right up there with Peter Sellers in "Dr. Strangelove" and Nicolas Cage in "Adaptation." Cooper plays too wildly different characters here and pulls it off brilliantly. It is just a shame that the rest of the production wasn't up to task. Lee Tamahori's direction is lazy, uninspired, and glitzy. The film is ugly and hard to watch, but is buoyed throughout by Cooper's magnetic performance.

Faces

After a night of carousing with a friend (Fred Draper) and a call girl (Gena Rowlands), a successful business man (John Marley) returns home to his wife (Lynn Carlin), with whom he seems to get along with. After dinner and some fooling around, he quickly becomes enraged and abruptly asks for a divorce, leaving the house to return to the prostitute. His wife then goes out with her friends and finds herself home alone with a swinging, mindless younger man (Seymour Cassel). "Faces" is an intentionally rough looking and uncomfortable film directed by John Cassavetes, a director whose style strikes me as more European than any American director I can think of (there's even a reference to Bergman here). Shot in grainy black and white and comprised largely of closeups, "Faces" abandons any traditional film narrative resulting in a very realistic portrait. Things are presented on screen and not explained, leaving the viewer to draw their own conclusions. The acting in the film is of the highest order as well. John Marley, who played Jack Woltz in "The Godfather", is very strong and believable as the successful and unsatisfied young man and Gena Rowlands, Cassavetes' wife and film regular, is wonderful as well. Lynn Carlin submits fine work as Marley's vulnerable wife and Seymour Cassel has a very powerful scene we don't expect when his dopey character is introduced. John Cassavetes was a visionary director who was uncompromising with his work. Here, as with much of his work, the result is brimming with authenticity.

Paul

Two nerds from the U.K. attend Comic-Con and partake on a journey in a rented R.V. through the southwest on a tour of supposed UFO sites. After eluding a run in with some locals at a diner, the pair approaches a car on the road which veers off and crashes and burns in the adjoining desert. As they stop to help, a green, stereotypically looking, wisecraking, pot smoking alien emerges from the wreckage and makes his acquaintance. Having escaped from a government facility and being chased by a dogged agent, the little guy asks for assistance and as the nerds gain their composure they decide to help. Picking up a sheltered young woman along the way, as well as a few pursuers, the oddly assorted gang is in a race to return the visitor to his spaceship before he is retrieved and his brain is extracted. "Paul", directed by Greg Mottola and written by stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, is a one joke movie which isn't helped by the fact that the joke is voiced by Seth Rogen. Ok, maybe there is slightly more to it then that. Pegg and Frost are humorous and amiable, I like Kristen Wiig as the girl they pick up, and Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio are pretty damn funny as a pair of FBI agents. I also liked the southwestern locations as well. However, the laughs begin to wear thin and the movie does not know when to quit, regressing into another action picture and going on probably 45 minutes longer than it should. It's been a recurring gripe of mine lately that comedic flicks are becoming way too long. It's been said that making a good comedy is the hardest thing to do in the film, and the recent bloated running time of these films is only making that maxim more evident.

Moneyball

After his Oakland Athletics tanked after going two games up on the Yankees in the first round of the 2001 playoffs and he loses his three best players, General Manager Billy Beane listens to the usual B.S. at the preseason roundup as his scouts talk about bringing in the most bankable athletes. Knowing the system his flawed and have no money to work with, he meets an Ivy League graduate working for the Cleveland Indians front office who hears the same tune and recruits him to come to Oakland and develop a new system: They will take in guys who have been written off, for off field antics or being injury prone, and sign them to the squad as long as they are cheap and can get on base. Beane's new system seems sure to work, if only he can convince the other dinosaurs in the organization to play ball, and if he can get passed his own failures as a former ballplayer. "Moneyball" is remarkable for how unashamedly baseball oriented it is. We are given a few asides about Beane's home life, but this is really the story of how the game works: the behind the scenes wheeling and dealing, locker room drama, On base percentages and other statistics, power struggles within management, etc. The film was adapted from a true life book by Michael Lewis entitled Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game and director by Bennett Miller, his second outing following the also superb "Capote". It is wonderfully scripted by Oscar winning writers Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, who touch up the script with intelligent and humorous dialogue. Brad Pitt also delivers a finely tuned and nuanced performance as the unconventional Beane and Jonah Hill has a nice dramatic turn as the Ivy Leaguer. Philip Seymour Hoffman, reteaming with Miller, is typically strong as surly A's manager Art Howe. "Moneyball" made me think of how so many sports movies are made to appeal to a general audience and not really about the game they are depicting at all. Here we have the finest film about baseball since "Bull Durham" and the most in depth film about the game that I can recall.

The Future

Miranda July's "The Future" is a film of incomprehensible prattle that has something to do with a couple adopting a dying cat (who provides narration) which drastically alters their future together. July garnered a lot of buzz a few years back with her debut film "Me and You and Everyone We Know", which was praised for its offbeat quirkiness. That was miles ahead of this, but still an example of critics overpraising something simply for being anomalous. I think we should look at July's films, as well as the films of her husband Mike Mills come to think about it, and ask ourselves what it is we are praising about these films. I came across a quote from July where she stated, "I'm not a cinephile. My films don't reference films. I'm more interested in rhythm and feeling." It would be in her best interest to familiarize herself with films made by qualified writer/directors who know how to achieve rhythm and feeling in their work, among other things.

Attack the Block

A group of juvenile delinquents rob a young woman on the streets of South London and as they are about to walk away with the spoils a massive object falls from the sky and destroys a nearby automobile. The leader of the gang looks inside the car and sees a hideous creature and dispatches it with his blade. Soon, the entire block will be under an alien invasion and the gang, along with the girl they robbed, must defend their prized turf. "Attack the Block" is funny British escapism in the same vein as Ali G, "Four Lions", and the Simon Pegg and Nick Frost movies (Frost appears here in a humorous role as a pot dealer). The dialogue is comprised almost entirely of incomprehensible British street slang which is part of its charm and director Joe Cornish does an excellent job working with a slim budget. I felt the novelty beginning to wear off towards the end at which point the film regroups for a pretty spectacular finale. "Attack the Block" achieves its objective of taking a concept and making it funny and entertaining.

The Debt

In 1966 a trio of Mossad agents (Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, Martin Csokas) has been assigned to East Berlin to capture Dieter Vogel, the Nazi war criminal who was also known as the Butcher of Birkenau, and extradite him so he can be returned to Israel and tried. As they work out their plan, a love triangle ensues, and when they finally catch him, they must employ unethical measures for the sake of their country. 30 years later, as one of the members (Worthington, now played by Ciarán Hinds) commits suicide and the truth begins to surface, the remaining members (now Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson) must take action to ensure their lie remains buried. "The Debt" is an engaging thriller by John Madden, that employs a confusing past and present narrative which it juggles quite well (it is even hard to write a synopsis about). When the film finally does come together and we are only left with the resolution in the present, it is only then that the film begins to feel standard. The scenes in 1966 East Berlin with Chastain, Worthington, and Csokas are riveting, and the romantic triangle adds tension and elevates the material above basic thriller fodder. Strangely however the 1997 scenes with Mirren and Wilkinson seem routine and less compelling, although both stars contribute their usual wonderful performance. John Madden is a competent director who deftly weaves a tangled web here, and Jessica Chastain makes it clear that this is her summer.

The Whistleblower

Kathryn Bolkovac was a police officer in Lincoln, Nebraska who lost custody of her children and saw her career hitting a dead end, so she decided to take a job as a peacekeeper in postwar Bosnia. The job was only for six months and paid extremely well but while over there, Kathy discovers a ruthless sex trade in which local officials and even fellow peacekeeping officials were involved. When she tried to report these travesties, she founf her efforts being blocked at every turn, as the U.N. wished to keep the horrendous affair under wraps. "The Whistleblower" moves from scene to scene too quickly at first and doesn't create a sense of urgency for its subject. However, as the heart of the story is uncovered, the movie begins to slow down and give weight to its material. Despite the mishandled first half, Rachel Weisz towers throughout the film in an incredibly subdued performance. This role just cries out for histrionics and overacting, but Weisz puts on the brakes and reserves the dramatics for the most crucial scenes. The result is providing complete believability that her character is a law enforcement professional. "The Whistleblower" is a hit and miss drama that covers a very dark issue and is given merit by the incredible performance of Rachel Weisz.

Stop Making Sense

"Stop Making Sense" is one of the great concert films, right up there with "Woodstock" and "The Last Waltz", and can be credited to the abilities and visions of David Byrne and director Jonathan Demme. The movie is a filmed performance of Byrne's new wave band Talking Heads, which Byrne staged himself. The entire show is bursting at the seems with energy as the band performs favorites such as "Once in a Lifetime", "Got a Job", and "Burning Down the House" as Byrne struts around the stage in his oversized suit in an incredible vocal and guitar performance. He is also given great support by fellow bandmates and onstage guests. "Stop Making Sense" is an immensely enjoyable film that takes us back to time when popular music was innovative and energetic.

The Guard

An police sergeant in a small Irish village sits in his cruiser by the side of the road as a car goes blazing by. Up the road he rolls up on the accident and approaches the driver who lies dead having been flung from the vehicle. He goes in his pockets and takes a hit of acid as he shakes his head at the poor lad. Soon the unorthodox sergeant will be involved in a bizarre murder case tied to an international drug ring and be forced to work with a straight-laced African-American FBI agent working the drug case. "The Guard" is a highly original and very Irish movie by writer/director John Michael McDonagh. It has a very distinct feel which resembles a film from the 1970s, and McDonagh beautifully captures the Irish countryside. Brendan Gleeson has gotten so good at playing these types of roles and he is at his very best here. Don Cheadle is great as well as the no nonsense agent who gradually takes to Gleeson's ways as an officer of the law. This is technically a buddy movie but I did not get that feeling from it, as the characters seemed natural. The movie is very funny and very hard to understand at times, which is part of its charm. For those who are fed up with police procedurals and buddy flicks, "The Guard" should serve as a delightful alternative.