L.A. Story (1991)

Insufferable and pretentious. Filled with semi-clever ideas that fall completely flat because they take every humorous opportunity about three steps past funny. And it doesn't help much that the leading lady is about as bland as an unsalted pretzel.

D-

The Sum of Us (1995)

The tag line is "Not your typical father and son story" and that says it really well. Top-notch story of a man and his gay son who, simply and beautifully, love and accept each other. The lack of tension in their home feels unnatural to those who enter it. How incredibly sad that it's more accepted and expected that a lifestyle should ruin family love. Touching, wonderful film.

A-

Lost Horizon (1937)

Interesting concept - idealistic but disillusioned diplomat is whisked away (along with those few assorted characters who happen to be on board a rescue plane with him) to a hidden utopia called "Shangri-La." Is it Paradise or a prison?

I hear they cut it to 95 minutes for television broadcasts...the longer version might be worth catching. The over 2-hour cut I saw just kept telling us the same things over and over.

C+

28 Days Later... (2003)

Brilliantly frightening. A super film for the first hour or so, but once the soldiers enter the story, it goes too far over-the-top. Up to that point, the film was suitably small, tense, and wonderful. The DVD offers a "Radical Alternate Ending" -- unshot, but revealed in storyboards and line readings. Unfortunately, the filmmakers chose wrong. The "radical" ending was what the story needed to feel cohesive. As the theatrical version ended up, it feels like two different films. First half - uninfected against the infected. Second half - uninfected against uninfected; and that's just wrong.

Still, it's just the thing for Halloween night, after the trick-or-treaters are tucked in bed.

A-

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

The action scenes are awesome -- just amazing. But the monologues nearly kill the movie. Why is everyone in the future compelled to speak in a drone? Pretends to be much more important than it is. But, like I said, the action scenes rock and are worth seeing.

B-

The Talk of the Town (1942)

Kind of a weird film…a comedy/thriller/romance/drama/screwball/mystery. It delighted me, for the most part. I enjoyed the relationship between Grant & Colman quite a bit more than I did the relationships between each man and Jean Arthur. Not too light...not too heavy...quite satisfying, really.

B

Blue Car (2003)

An English teacher provides stability and encouragement for his talented but troubled young student. Marvelous work here (especially by the incredible Strathairn). The story is just so tangible…all of it real, even the sister who is going mad felt inevitable -- though I would have liked to have seen the story without the extra burden of her tragedy...it divided focus a bit too much for me.

The weird thing is that I noticed that this film shares three big elements with "Limbo" -- a self-mutilator, an empty book, and David Strathairn! Weird, to say the least.

A-

Nowhere in Africa (2003)

Reminded me a lot of Chocolat (1988 - not the Binoche film). Jewish familiy leaves Germany for Kenya just before things get bad. The transition is especially hard on the wife, but eventually it becomes home. A perspective on the holocaust which I've never seen before -- that of the Jewish refugee forced from home. Interesting and well-done.

A-

School of Rock (2003)

Jack Black does what he does so well -- manically impersonates an obsessed rocker. I've seen him do it in Tenacious D, High Fidelity, and even the Conan O'Brien 10-year Anniversary Special. He's pretty good at it, though. But this is really more a kids' movie than anything else. They form a band and stick it to the man -- but it's cute as can be. Unfortunately, both Sarah Silverman and Joan Cusack are wasted in two-dimensional characters (bossy shrew and uptight principal respectively).

B-

Father of the Bride Part II (1995)

Just fine. Pleasant trifle without as many laugh-out-loud moments as the first one -- but it's still a sweet story about a family who love each other.

B-

Street Smart (1987)

Mild-mannered reporter (hehe) gets sucked into the ugly life of a street pimp. Amateurish film with an incredibly bland Reeve in the lead. Freeman is admirably menacing, but it all just felt so dirty without the benefit of mastery.

D+

Titanic (1953)

An extremely good film. The central family's story would have been effective set anywhere - it's made all the more poignant as we're armed with the knowledge that these will be their last arguments and we are full aware that they are wasting precious time at odds with those they love.

I'm not ashamed to admit it made me cry. Hard.

A-

Coquette (1929)

Mary Pickford won best actress for her performance -- which just goes to prove that good acting hadn't been invented in 1929. Nearly unbearable.

D-

Interrupted Melody (1955)

Opera singer rises from nothing, marries a doctor, gets polio, becomes a pain in the ass, rises again. Bo-ring.

C

Old School (2003)

This is one seriously stupid movie. There are a few funny bits -- but not nearly enough -- and the romance subplot is boring. Vince Vaughn's about the only thing holding this film, such as it is, together.

D+

Bend It Like Beckham (2003)

Indian girl from a traditional family sneaks off and joins a girls football team…no straying from the formula thereafter. Her family's upset and demands she quits, her coach is upset she's quitting, lots of jumping to conclusions and expanding horizons ensue.

Fine, but I've seen this stuff before.

B-

Full Frontal (2002)

This is one of those movies that I'm, apparently, not quite hip enough to fully enjoy. I was reminded of how incredibly overrated Julia Roberts is and how flat-out amazing Catherine Keener, who sucks me into even her most unlikable characters, is. Ends up being nothing more than an experiment that doesn't quite work.

C

The Pledge (2001)

I was mesmerized by this film…but the last 10 minutes made me quite angry as it let me down and completely negated everything I thought was happening. Now, come on...just because a detective retires doesn't mean that he has nothing more to offer and that his theories become nonsensical -- I mean, weren't the porcupines and the girl's "wizard" reference enough to reopen the case? It just doesn't fly that evidence would be counted as nothing, especially when it comes from a respected source. And the woman & girl who had become part of his life completely abandon him because of the word of a cocky cop with a beef? Please. I was upset that I was so moved by what ultimately turned out to be crap.

C+