The Upside of Anger (2005)

Wow. I didn't think this was gonna be good! It's so much nicer to be taken aback by unexpected excellence than to be disappointed by mediocrity. Joan Allen and Kevin Costner are perfectly amazing and the story is heartbreaking and incisive. I loved it.

A-

Hitch (2005)

This movie makes the mistake of relegating the more endearing/interesting couple (the accountant and the heiress) to supporting roles and pushing the tired "tough on the outside, hurting on the inside" couple to the fore. Really kind of wrecks everything.

C

Courage Under Fire (1996)

Meg Ryan is the weak link here, but she doesn't screw anything up. Good movie.

B+

Abandon (2002)

Alright - I'd seen the trailers and was pretty miffed that they'd "spoiled" the fact that her boyfriend comes back. But then, come to find out, they didn't actually spoil anything. So that begs the question…if you spend half the movie feeling irritated about the fact that you know what's going to happen because of the stupid advertisements but then find out that you didn't really know anything, is it still spoiled? And if it's as silly a movie as this one, does it even matter?

C

The Shape of Things (2003)

Very interesting concept - but Weitz's portrayal was so very offputting. I mean, the role wasn't the problem for me, it was her interpretation of the role. Especially during her art presentation - I could barely stand to listen to her and really, truly, it had zero to do with what she was saying. Still, very thought-provoking film. Well worth seeing.

B-

Twice in a Lifetime (1985)

Hit just a *little* too close to home for me. My mother just left my father after 40 years of marriage and the scenes with Sunny (the daughter) throwing a fit in the grocery store over her mother's resigned empathy for her husband felt just so familiar. Bottom line is that it's a sucky situation...which makes for a downer of a film.

C+

A Farewell to Arms (1957)

An overlong bore. Jennifer Jones is so plain and flat that there is no way I could buy her being able to entice a playboy to settle down on sight.

D-

A Very Long Engagement (2004)

Jaw-droppingly beautiful movie -- but, because of there was so much to see on the screen, I constantly felt a little stressed out. I was so worried that I was missing something I needed to see as I was reading the subtitles. I was often a little confused as to what was happening (too many introductions too early made my head swim) but, by the end of it all, I was caught up and following everything (or I think I was, anyway).

B+

The Flight of the Phoenix (2004)

Watchable, but you really can't think about it too much -- and if you can pull that off, more power to ya'.

It was the attitudes of the cast toward the plane designer that I just found so utterly ridiculous that I was getting angry at the screenwriters for getting things so dang wrong. They BUILT A PLANE. Are they really going to start screaming at the guy who directed them during this amazing feat instead of trying to fly the damn thing because, well, he's nothing but a model plane designer when he's not dying in a desert?! Give me a break, man. Get down on your knees and thank him for giving you a chance -- even if he was a freakin' housewife in real life, he deserved respect.

C

In Old Arizona (1929)

The only thing good about this was "the Cisco Kid" (and I think he was only comparatively good, actually). The wily female was just way too conscious of her mouth, which was apparently not used to speaking Spanish. Draggy and I often felt rather embarrassed for the lead lady.

D-

Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

It's kind of a "coming of age" for the middle-aged. Not as full-bodied as I remembered it, but very enjoyable. A feel-gooder for sure.

B-

Coach Carter (2005)

Tough coach whips a bunch of underachievers into academic and sports success. Wants to be inspirational, but I've seen it far too many times to really get too into it.

C+

White Heat (1949)

I'm not a fan of most gangster pics, but I thought this was pretty alright. Cagney overdoes the "crazy headache" episodes, though. The mother fixation and the undercover cop provide tension in a solid story, though the dogged detective is pretty square.

B-

Stand and Deliver (1988)

Not *quite* as good as I remembered -- felt a little bare bones. Still, just a really great, true-life, inspiration.

A-

Min and Bill (1931)

Ugh. Wants to be all "Stella Dallas" but it's so not.

D-

Mission: Impossible (1996)

This movie is MUCH more confusing than I remembered it. I watched it with Nathan and AJ and stopped at least five times to say "do you understand what's going on?" and their answer was, invariably, "no."

B-

Mysterious Island (1961)

Enjoyable enough survival movie…though things kind of slow down once Nemo shows up.

B-

The War of the Worlds (2005)

Oh, brother. Good only in a "make fun of it a la MST3K" way. Fanning is great, though.

D+

It Came from Outer Space (1953)

Does what it can, but it's all pretty square and the aliens look ridiculous. Still, fun enough and it's a different take on the alien story (they crashed and don't want any trouble).

C+

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945)

Good-natured and surprisingly poignant. Robinson is particularly good as the father, though O'Brien is a great match. Biggest problem for me was the schoolteacher storyline -- quite uninteresting.

B

The World of Henry Orient (1964)

The "comic" bits aren't in the least bit funny and most of the rest of what goes on is either boring or seamy -- plus both of the girls got on my nerves. Eccccch.

D

True Stories (1986)

I love quirky. Makes me smile. This, however, veered from quirky to downright weird a few too many times for me. The fashion show, the dinner scene (which, despite the fact that I'm a fan of Spalding Gray monologues, bored me silly -- though I admit it was visually stunning), and the mere existence of Swoosie Kurtz's character went overboard -- while John Goodman's character, the lying woman, and walking through the mall (took me right back to my high school years: Jeans West, County Seat, and Kinney Shoes, baby!) were just right. I also really enjoyed several of the karaoke-ish numbers, especially "Wild Wild Night" (in the club), the one the 4-H Kids sang (but I forget what it was now) and "People Like Us" (Louis's Talent Show Song).

My absolute favorite scenes were the scenes in which Byrne was playing tour guide -- his deadpan just killed me: "They sell a lot of these, but I don't see anyone else wearing them"; "I have something to say about the difference between American and European cities, but I forgot what it is. I have it written down at home" (probably not accurate quotes -- but something like). I'd have loved an entire film of just him walking around commenting on what he saw and what was running through his head.

This is a true original, if not quite as good as it *could* have been. It almost hurts the film a bit to have several flashes of brilliance interrupted by boring stretches.

B

In a Lonely Place (1950)

Clever and tense noir with Bogart the "did he or didn't he" center of a murder inquiry. Quite good with just one problem: Bogart's character is an ass -- a kind of big deal for a story in which our feelings for him matter.

B-

In the Realms of the Unreal (2004)

The subject is just so interesting: recluse leaves a sprawling, illustrated, 15,000 page book behind to be discovered only just before his death. But the "story" he wrote could have benefited from some editing...and so could the film, both seem to go on and on in the same vein and to find themselves utterly interesting when that isn't always the case. There are also just way too many questions I wanted answered that weren't even asked. My impression is that this guy was probably more than a wee bit crazy.

C+

AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)

I'm not sure I'm buying a Predator spending the time to take a human under his wing, but I sure like the idea. Entertaining if you don't look too close.

B-

The Hard Word (2003)

Charming cast who seem to be having a lot of fun…but the second half isn't nearly as enjoyable/inventive as the first -- and things get a bit weirder than is in any way necessary. Overall, I liked it fine.

B-

Summer Stock (1950)

Just an excuse for a bunch of musical numbers -- too bad it's really not worth it. Garland and Kelly are no Astaire and Rogers. There's no life…no spark…and, despite the fact that Gene's 10 years older than Garland, it looks the other way around throughout the film...as though a housewife is falling for a college kid.

C-