Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

Akeelah's wasting her exceptional mind in an unexceptional environment, finding it's easier to blend in than to publicly engage in intellectual joys like playing Scrabble or attending class. Her principal hits on the idea to, basically, exploit her natural spelling talent in hopes that it will translate to money for the school -- and Akeelah finds her niche.

It's got several great messages: be true to yourself, community pride can occur in any community, and children need the adults in their lives to be active therein. So, why does this great stuff have to be so clichéd? My younger son and I both enjoyed it, but the script eventually let us down. The false-feeling "everyone's a winner" ending was especially silly.

B

Unconditional Love (2003)

As previously stated, I've got a thing for Peter Sarsgaard and my TiVo knows it. Too bad he (or, more accurately, his story line) is the worst thing about this movie.

The totally out-there plot involves Grace, a middle-aged dowdy housewife (Kathy Bates), being left by her "I don't want to be married any more" bore of a husband, her favorite singer being murdered by "the crossbow killer," and her impulse flight to England to pay her respects. And, by that point, we're just getting started.

Rupert Everett is marvelous as Dirk, the deceased's longtime companion -- he's almost heartbreaking at times. I think this movie could've really been something if there was more focus on the new relationship between Dirk and Grace: a look at the way someone fully unexpected can come into your life and truly help when no one else can. It could have been a lovely, funny, and wacky romantic (platonic) comedy.

But they had to go and ruin it with the crossbow-killer and a crazy quest to track him down. Ugh. Of course the killer has a reason -- but it doesn't make a lick of sense and the draggy scene in which he holds our heroes as singing hostages gave me enough time to think "this really sucks," a thought which, 'til that point, I hadn't considered since I was kept so off-balance with nuttiness like Julie Andrews' fix-all "Getting to Know You" sing-alongs. I was having a good time until that sequence...and the eye-rolling denouement with Sally Jessy and Barry Manilow (no, I'm not making that up) just made things worse.

C

Cape of Good Hope (2005)

This movie reminded me somewhat of Everybody Loves Raymond. I've never been a faithful watcher of the show -- but if I'm not doing anything and nothing else is on, it's easy to watch, even if I tune in halfway through. The characters are familiar, the plots predictable, and the acting serviceable. But there's something about the show...something heartwarming, something that makes me wish all of the fictional Barones well.

This is a snapshot of several lives -- most of which intertwine at a local animal shelter. There's the distrustful single woman with daddy issues who's having an affair with a married ass, the wife longing for a child, the noble foreigner, a young rascal and his mother, and a shy veterinarian.

It's neither as messy nor deep as it wants to be, but it works. I just really liked these people and wanted things to work out well for them. Of course, with a script like this, the outcome wasn't ever really in question...

B

The Innocents (1961)

Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr), though inexperienced, is hired as governess for Flora and Miles. Their Uncle, charged with their care since they were orphaned, wants someone he can trust to take complete charge of the children and not to bother him with any aspect of their care.

The estate is beautiful, the housekeeper friendly, and Flora's delightful and welcoming. When Miles is expelled from boarding school, Miss Giddens has a difficult time determining why -- but chooses to hope for the best and act as a fair and firm guardian.

As Miss Giddens learns more of the backstory of the estate and the children, she begins to fear for them and becomes convinced that she must protect them. The reactions of Miss Giddens reminded me quite a bit of George C. Scott's in The Changeling -- neither screamed nor froze; both were more curious and determined to force change. The difference is that the governess here seems less mechanical and more compelled -- she was palpably tense where Scott seemed simply cold.

The performances are top-notch (even from the children!) and the story's compelling and unpredictable.

A-

Newsies (1992)

Forgettable songs and messy choreography -- and when production numbers like that are pasted on top of a fairly lazy script about the true-life newsboy strike...well, there's just no reason to watch.

I'm especially embarrassed for Christian Bale and his "that's the foist thing you gotta loin" accent. Glad he's now got enough cash to say no to crap like this. I'd feel sorry for Ann-Margret, too, but she seemed to actually be enjoying herself in the "object of lust for underage boys" role.

D+

Film Geek (2006)

Could, just as easily, have been called "Geek. Period."

What an annoying caricature of a loser this guy is. I smiled for about the first 10 minutes of the movie, during which Scotty arrives at his video store job and proudly tidies up the shelves, works on a "Scotty's Picks" section, and matter-of-factly tells a customer why widescreen is the way to go. But my grin quickly faded -- the guy got old fast. For a fellow who's, seemingly, watched every film ever made (easy when you've got no social life or other hobbies) -- it makes no sense whatsoever for him to be as completely clueless about social interaction; there's enough of it on display in film. I mean, it's not as though Scotty's simply shy or nervous; he's brave and idiotic.

And the ending of the movie? Talk about requiring suspension of disbelief...

D

A Day Without a Mexican (2004)

The latinos in California disappear and the white buffoons left behind have no idea how to deal with it. No one's collecting the trash, washing cars, picking oranges and on and on. Oh, and the state's surrounded by a weird fog that no one's willing to pass through (whatever) and that cuts off communication from the rest of the world (um, yeah). There are some good ideas -- religious zealots believe this is the rapture, conspiracy theorists believe that the latinos are called "aliens" for good reason -- but those are just a couple of one-offs that go nowhere.

It's basically a one- (unfunny) joke movie. The "day" sans Mexicans actually goes on for at least a week...and the movie seems to as well.

D

Brick (2006)

What you've heard is true -- it's a '40s-style noir set in the present-day with high schoolers. Brick, however, transcends the gimmick.

Every one of the characters conceals motives and emotions and are able to do so naturally. It never feels as though there's any winking at the camera; no sense that these are kids playacting as grown-ups. It's interesting to note that the one girl who was unable to conceal her feelings -- who so obviously needed to be accepted, is the one whose death kicks off the story.

I'm sure that, for a lot of viewers, the style will get in the way of rather than enhance the narrative and that's a real shame. This is a quality story that dares to try something different. I think it succeeds amazingly well.

A-

C.S.A: The Confederate States of America (2006)

This mockumentary about the Civil War and its aftermath comes from the "what if" angle of the south being victorious.

The look of the film is often more High School AV than PBS and the actors are embarrassingly stiff. But I wouldn't have minded either of those problems if the movie had anything worthwhile to say -- even something funny would've helped. Instead we get hit over the head with "still slavery after all these years" repeatedly.

The only mildly interesting bits were the advertisement breaks. As revealed at the end, though, many of those sketches (Coon Chicken Inn, Darkie Toothpaste) are for products that actually existed in the not-so-distant past, so the filmmakers can't even take credit for those.

D+

Sorry, Haters (2006)

I've read a few reviews of this film and I've yet to find any that bother keeping a certain piece of the film a secret -- an element that I believe would be film-ruining to have even a whiff of beforehand.

"Philly" (Robin Wright Penn), reeling from an ugly divorce, jumps in a cab one night and becomes entangled in the life of her Arab driver. There was a strong sense of foreboding from very early on, but I had no idea what to expect at almost any point during the film. I wasn't sure whether pity, fear, or anger was in order -- or whom, really, should be on the receiving end of my feelings.

This is definitely a difficult film -- it's upsetting and undeniably offensive. It's also amazing to watch such a talented actress completely throw herself into a role so unbelievable as Wright Penn does and somehow sell it. She made me believe that this wild fiction could actually exist somewhere in reality.

I'm not sorry I saw this, but I truly can't think of a single person to whom I could recommend it. Perhaps that's why no other reviewers are keeping any secrets! They don't think anyone's gonna actually see it!

B

Cleopatra (1963)

It's been on my "to see" list for more than a decade. I wasn't looking forward to it in the least, but since I'm determined to eventually see all of the Oscar-nominated films in the acting, writing, and best picture categories, there was simply no escaping it.

I guess it was all that "most expensive flop of all-time" hype surrounding it that made me view the movie as a chore to be done...but, really, my anxiety was misspent. This is not a bad film. More specifically: it's a fantastic film worthy of an "A" for the first (Caesar) half and an overstuffed spectacle that'd earn a "C-" throughout the second (Antony) half. Together, it's not bad.

B

November (2005)

Sophie (Courteney Cox) is dealing with the recent death of her boyfriend, who was shot during a convenience store hold-up. She's not doing too great a job of it.

There's a lot of good ideas here, but very few of them are fresh. The fragmented flashbacks reminded me of 21 Grams -- though in this film I felt as though I were being given clues rather than simply being jerked around for the helluvit. As for everything else? I just saw it, less than a month ago, in Stay. I feel as though if I'd seen this one first, I would've very likely loved it. It's got a great tone, Cox is terrific, and James LeGros plays her boyfriend (I've loved him since "My New Gun"). But it simply suffers in comparison to Stay -- especially when seen so close together.

It does pack a lot of story into an extremely short run time. It's also pretty dang impressive that the production was budged at 150k, was shot in just over two weeks, and got such a good look from mini DV. I just realized I sound a lot like I'm describing this film as being an amazing dancer with a great personality...I'll stop and slap my grade on it.

B-

The Wood (1999)

The movie opens during the frenzied preparations for a wedding later in the day -- the only hitch is that the groom (Taye Diggs, mmm...) is nowehere to be found. His two buddies are dispatched to track him down and the rest of the movie flip-flops between the present and the early years of the trio's friendship, which started during middle school.

The flashback scenes are completely winning. The teens are all natural actors and the coming of age story felt both familiar (from personal experience) and fresh. If only we could've stayed there. The grown-up versions of the boys -- the groom especially -- were boring ciphers. And we weren't given nearly enough information about his bride-to-be to care whether or not he could be reeled back in.

And is there anything more cringe-inducing than an actor pretending to be drunk badly? Diggs may look fine, but his silly stumbling attempt to convince us he's intoxicated was just embarrassing.

C+

Riding Giants (2004)

Wow. I mean....wow.

This documentary is, simply, amazing. It doesn't matter if you know anything about/have interest in surfing -- you get a crash course in the history, the lifestyle, the beaches, and the stars of the sport. Not boring for a minute and some of the footage will just blow you away.

B+

Proof (2005)

Gwyneth Paltrow plays Catherine, woman in the wake of the death of her father, a once-brilliant mathematician who struggled with, and finally succumbed to, mental illness. She's not mourning so much as quietly panicking that she, too, may be losing her mind. It doesn't help matters much that Catherine's older sister breezes into town for the funeral and promptly decides that Catherine needs looking after.

It's an emotionally draining family drama, but there's also a mystery here -- the discovery of a groundbreaking mathematical proof -- but whose is it? A good chunk of the story is told in flashbacks, so we're a bit ahead of the players in unraveling the mystery of the proof. I'm not sure whether this helped or hurt the tension...but I probably would've been pretty frustrated without them.

I do think that there could have been some humor injected into the mix. Paltrow spent most of the film wearing a furrowed brow that was a combination of worry, hurt, and confusion -- an expression I found myself to be unconsciously mimicking while watching. I ended up having to pop a couple of Excedrin.

All in all, an interesting and well-acted movie.

B+

Ryan's Daughter (1970)

Fairly simple story: free-spirit falls for older schoolteacher (played by Robert Mitchum!) who, despite knowing full well that he's not what the girl is hoping for, marries her. But this is a small Irish town and the young wife yearns for MORE, without even know what that more might be. When a young British war hero gets stationed nearby, she grabs at the chance for adventure.

There's just so much here. My heart was breaking and I was angry at the small minds and the casual cruelty and then more deliberate cruelty of what's supposed to be a community. A gorgeous film to look at and a beautiful story to experience. I had to get past the actor playing the war hero being a bit of a stiff, but that wasn't too big of a challenge.

A-

Tsotsi (2005)

Tsotsi is the dispassionate leader of a small band of thugs who take without thought and kill without remorse. In the aftermath of a carjacking, Tsotsi discovers an infant in the back seat and lugs him home. Seems pretty obvious where this is going, right?

Despite the "dur...wonder if the tough guy is gonna go soft on account of the baby" feeling, it's a testament to both the director and the first-time actor playing Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae) that there's a believable story there. Make no mistake, Tsotsi is frightening in his inability to empathize and his entitlement, neither of which just go away because he's responsible for a helpless child. His emotional maturation during the course of the film is rough and, sometimes, downright hard to watch. It feels real, though, and hopeful.

A-

American Gun (2003)

The old guy in this movie is James Coburn -- so if you're looking for my thoughts on the one where the old guy is Donald Sutherland (2005's American Gun), this ain't it.

This is a film about obsession. Near the beginning of the movie, Coburn's daughter (Virginia Madsen -- beautiful, but nowhere near believable as a high-schooler in flashback scenes) is mugged in a parking lot and shot dead. Coburn is compelled to find out how the gun got to the point where it could be trained on his daughter. He can't just go on with his life as it was -- is unable to "let it go" despite his wife's pleas that he do so.

The film got a little slow in places...began to feel a bit episodic: "tell me your gun story, cue flashback." But it's got one of those endings that ties everything together -- that makes me appreciate the true skill involved in telling a tale well.

B

Pure (2005)

Not bad, so I'm not quite sure why it took three years to release in the states.

The outline of the story is that a father died suddenly and left behind a wife, two young sons, and, apparently, no cash. The widow, though a loving mother, has turned to heroin and lost her cruddy job as a result. The kids know she's sick and takes "medicine," but tragedy strikes close to home and finally opens the eyes of the older son (Paul, played extremely well by Harry Eden) to the fact that his mother is a junkie.

Like I said, it's not bad, but there was potential for power here. There are some good scenes on the screen, but the overall effect was one of holding back a bit too much.

B-