Kwaidan (1965)

Kwaidan consists of four separate Japanese ghost stories and it's pretty difficult to find reviewers who will say anything bad about it. Well, allow me to be an exception.

The film's praised for its beauty. Well, I guess if you're into Japanese art (and I'm not), it could be considered pretty. For the most part, the sets are sparse and monochromatic -- not a bad thing, by any means -- but not visually stimulating either. It's also praised for choosing to be "disturbing" rather than going for cheap shocks. Well, excuse me for wanting to be scared when I see a ghost story...and excuse me again for pointing out that what may be disturbing when told around a campfire (and left to the imagination) can morph into kinda silly when put on film. A smiling man's face in a cup of tea is more "what the...?" than "Aiiiieeeeee!"

It just didn't entertain me -- and nearly three hours of non-entertainment is pretty irritating. Does that make me shallow?

D+

To Be and To Have (2003)

Documentary about a rural one-room school in France. It's kind of an old-fashioned situation, but one that appears to be successful. The children (approximately 20) range in grades from pre-K to upper elementary. The teacher seems to love his work and the kids seem to be thriving as a result of the attention and the proximity to other age groups.

That said, I had a couple of problems with it. The children, the instructor, and the families seemed to cater to the cameras. There was a self-consciousness to the proceedings, especially in the case of the teacher who seemed, too often, to be acting out an idea of "wise and patient mentor." Another problem I had was that it was downright boring. I don't need a documentary to show me that children are unpredictable, precocious, selfish, and cute. I'm guessing that the intent of the film was to explore the success of the alternative educational system and to showcase the dedicated teacher -- but, instead, I felt it veered too often into "aren't these moppets fun?"

Still, there's no denying that the one-room school is interesting. I think covering more time might have been smarter -- maybe five or even ten years -- so that we could check in with the kids and see the results of their early education. Increasing the scope could've made this film meaningful rather than just sentimental.

C+

Sitting Pretty (1948)

Young couple with an unruly trio of children lose their fed-up housekeeper/nanny and place an ad for someone to take her place. Impressively qualified Lynn Belvedere gains the post sight-unseen and surprises everyone when Lynn turns out to be a Mr. rather than a Miss.

Clifton Webb is great as the particular Belvedere, who's quite good at his job, despite his professed distaste for children. It's a joy to watch the children respond favorably to his high expectations and the couple twist themselves into knots with curiosity and responses to neighborhood gossip.

Kinda daffy, but a real charmer.

B+

28 Up (1985)

Although it felt a little "padded" to Gary and me, I think that had more to do with the fact that we'd seen the first three films so recently than it did with any pacing or editing problems. There are a lot of flashbacks which, for us, were unnecessary as we could remember what we'd seen in the last couple of weeks -- but I could definitely see that they would have been helpful for those viewers new to the subjects.

So far, the most interesting of the series. This is our first real checkpoint for the "give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man" quote. For the first time, we're actually seeing them as adults and, in a couple of cases, not seeing them at all -- which is, in itself, an assertation of their adulthood.

A

Strangers With Candy (2006)

I've seen all of the SWC episodes on Comedy Central and "get" the equal parts of silly, stupid, disgusting, politically incorrect, and cringe-worthy that make each installment such a weird mixture that just works.

Unfortunately, another ingredient that I hadn't noticed as integral to its success was the natural brevity of a sitcom. You see these characters for 20 minutes a week and that's enough -- stretching it out to movie-length just kills it. There are still funny moments, but it definitely outstays its welcome.

C

Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006)

I don't think of myself as a tree-hugger. I can't imagine moving out to a commune to fertilize the land with my own waste. But I do rinse out my cans, bottles, and jugs for the recycling truck and scowl self-importantly at the long line of SUVs next to my fuel-efficient Honda in line to pick up students from school. Basically, I haven't yet inconvenienced myself in order to make the world greener -- but I happily make easy changes and am surprised at those who are too selfish to do so.

It's not like I really love separating and washing my trash while paying $8 extra a month to do so as though it's a privilege rather than extra work, but it'd be truly difficult for me to stop. I've tried to let recyclables just stay in the trash can when guests have tossed them in there -- but the thought of leaving them just bothers me too much when it's so easy to keep them from taking up landfill space. I know that the level of emotion can't compare, but it gives me some idea of the outrage California drivers felt when they were no longer allowed to drive the cars they'd come to love: cars that were quiet, efficient, dependable, and non-pollutive. Some were in tears, others were simply mad, all were dumbfounded at the decision to stop producing these cars that had lists of people eager to own them.

Don't be scared off by the environmental sound of the film. Even if you don't care a whit about spotted owls or global warming, this is good movie-making and, in my opinion, must-know information for all Americans.

A-

21 Up (1977)

This time the filmmakers decided to gather these young adults, who were first captured on film for British TV at age seven, for a screening of the first two installments. The mingling afterward is some of the most interesting footage here. Many of them seem to want to try to analyze who they were back then -- comparing their "now" selves with the "then" children and young teenagers. They're as interested in the changes as we are, apparently.

One thing I'd noticed in the second installment but which was, in this one, much more pronounced, was what seemed to be a bias coming from the interviewer (who, I assume, is Michael Apted himself). He almost talks down to Symon, who seems to deliberately choose not understand what's being implied about his not-good-enough lifestyle. The trio of schoolgirls, now all working class women -- two of whom are already married -- do not take the bias so calmly. Jackie and Lynn especially seem quite agitated when it's suggested that they might be jealous of those who've had more money and less hardship.

This was, for me, the most intriguing update so far. I've now got people for whom I'm rooting (Tony) and those who baffle me (Suzy). Reality contestants have nothing on these true reality stars.

A-

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

I'm not very crafty.... Each November, etc.

This was another one to which I'm glad I didn't devote complete attention. To spend more than two hours (!) doing nothing other than looking at this would've been preposterous. Sure, everyone on screen seems to be having fun and I've read a couple of interviews with the cast in which they uphold the apparently agreed-upon "it was soooo great!" story, but I'm not buying it.

What this reminded me of was the time when I was in high school and a big group of us went to Disney World for the day. I had a crush on a guy and had hopes of that I'd eventually be holding his hand in the Haunted Mansion. Cute little Dana apparently had the same idea and we weren't even off the monorail before it was obvious that he'd not be spending any time with me without some serious effort on my part. So I had SO MUCH FUN. I laughed a lot and jumped into group photos of Asian tourists and carried around a Mickey balloon I sweet-talked the vendor into giving me for free and was the freakin' life of the party. I was sure that he'd leave much-less-interesting Dana behind and rush to my exuberant side just to get a piece of the excitement I was generating.

Didn't work for me. Doesn't work for Clooney.

D

Hide and Seek (2005)

I'm not very crafty. I don't knit or crochet or operate a sewing machine. I don't know how to decoupage or paint a mural or even paste together a scrapbook. Every time my my boys have been assigned a big art project, they've instinctively turned to their father for assistance.

Each November, however, my inner Martha Stewart emerges and I pore over every magazine with a Christmas tree on the cover to decide on the perfect ornamentation for my own tree. Since I'm not a natural -- making homemade ornaments takes quite a bit more time than it probably does for most others. So I pull out the card table, plop it in front of the television, and stick in films in which I'm mildly interested but to which I know I won't have to pay too much attention in order to follow them.

Let's just say that this one deserved even less attention than I was able to spare while bent over my glitter and ribbon. It was mind-numbingly obvious and terribly boring.

D

7 Plus Seven (1970)

Watching this sequel to Seven Up! (especially right after the first, as we did) is jarring. I couldn't help but make mental predictions about how each child might be when we next got to see them...and I was just shocked to see how wrong I was in a few of my guesses.

Of course the children had separate personalities when they were just seven, but one thing they all had in common was a sense of excitement at being filmed. Now, however, some of the young teenagers have changed their minds on this point and are quite a bit less animated in the interviews. This is incredible stuff.

B+

Seven Up! (1964)

Basically, the introduction to an ambitious experiment based on the saying "give me the child until he is seven, and I will give you the man."

We meet the fourteen British 7-year-olds chosen by Michael Apted as the subjects for this experiment. We get a broad spectrum of boys and girls: some from a state-run children's home, some from both lower- and middle-class neighborhoods, and a few from the upper class. There are a few interviews with each of the kids, but this is simply preparation for the check-ins that are scheduled to take place every seven years hereafter.

Not bad, but the interesting stuff will come later.

B

Bloody Sunday (2002)

A horrible event in Ireland's history known to most (including me, prior to this viewing) only through the words of a U2 song, gets a serious treatment here. The problem was, I spent the first three-quarters of the film a bit confused and somewhat bored.

I actually felt ashamed that I was left so cold by the carnage...I mean, how can I be so jaded to seriously say "this tragedy is boring"? But there you have it. I saw the power in the subject but not the telling. And, really. Should it be the viewers' job to find the power in a piece of art?

C+

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

As we would fast-forward through advertisements on TiVo, both Gary and I would stop and back it up if we even thought we glimpsed a Borat spot, so of course we couldn't pass up watching the MTV half-hour preview show hosted by the two stars of the film. Unfortunately doing so made watching the film a little less hysterical as many of the great scenes (most notably the rodeo anthem) were shown during it.

I think I'd have had a better time in the theater if the whole thing had been fresh -- this, for me, is not something I'm going to want to watch over and over. Still, Baron Cohen's an amazing talent: committed to his character and extremely funny on the fly...though a little less so during the obviously scripted bits.

B

Cars (2006)

I had the same feeling during this film as I did when I watched The Incredibles -- yeah, it's good. But it's no Toy Story. It's sweet but there are zero surprises in the character development area...which, frankly, is as it should be in a movie like this.

Springfield is a Route 66 city and, so, I was especially touched by the storyline of how our go-go lifestyles are destroying our physical history. That, to me, was the most affecting part of the movie. I mean, talking cars are cute, but they pale in comparison to the truth of our decaying towns starving for visitors.

B

Wordplay (2006)

First, full disclosure: I'm not a crossword puzzle fan. That didn't stop me, however, from enjoying a lot of this movie.

As a board game enthusiast, I understand the cult of special interest. I love to play. I love to talk to other people who play. I can discuss, at length, things that only other board gamers would find even the least bit interesting. But, see, that's the thing...most people don't find the subject interesting and that means I can't talk about my passion very often without boring others to tears.

That's why I liked the last part of this film so much. Here are a whole bunch of crossword puzzle nerds joyously talking about their hobby and finding themselves among others who are excited to share in the discussion. Nirvana. If I could afford to travel to a large game convention, I'd do it at LEAST annually in order to experience the same sort of camaraderie.

For me, the first part of the film was just alright. It was mildly interesting to hear about how puzzles are constructed -- less interesting to hear monologues from puzzle-solvers, both world-famous and puzzle-world-famous. I'm also sorry to say that I was almost embarrassed for Jon Stewart. I mean, I like the guy, but he seemed way too desperate to entertain. Rather than going disarmingly lowkey (as most others did), Stewart delivered what felt like a lame "bit."

B-

The Memory of a Killer (2005)

Aging hitman wants/needs to get out of the business soon -- he's got a brother who is institutionalized with Alzheimer's and recognizes that the disease is taking him over as well.

I liked so much about this film. The way that the hitman is both fearful and resolved to make sure that his purpose is complete before allowing himself to succumb to his illness is believable and the acting is top-notch. I also really liked the policeman in charge of the case(s) at the center of the story here. And although I usually hate swirly camera tricks, they were used judiciously and effectively for the purpose of serving the story.

My one complaint would be that the mystery is so by-the-numbers. Corruption and cover-up in high places. Bad guys getting rid of witnesses. It's all stylishly handled, but it's the same good vs. bad vs. ambiguous stuff I've seen countless times before -- for example, of course the cop will ultimately admire and trust the hitman, despite the fact that everyone else sees him as a suspect. They could have just cast Tommy Lee Jones as the cop as shorthand.

Strong premise, great looking, clichéd case.

B

The Racket (1951)

Robert Mitchum plays McQuigg, the only incorruptible police captain in the big city and the thorn in the side of mid-level bad guy Nick Scanlon (Robert Ryan).

The story wants to be big. It has political seats being guaranteed by organized crime, and informants to the mob inside the police department -- but it never feels big. It's stagey, predictable, and just plain boring. Factor in the bland look and the blah line readings and you get a big nothing.

Though I know that Mitchum can play a decent human being convincingly (The Sundowners and Ryan's Daughter being two marvelous examples), he's asked to be a menacing good guy here and he can't seem to figure out just how to do it.

C-

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Although I enjoyed the first two films, they didn't really stick with me. They were entertaining but throwaway. This one actually seems to have something to say and, because of that, I think it's the best in the trilogy.

Basically, this superhero stuff isn't really my thing -- but the film's angsty and exciting and, overall, pretty cool.

How generic is that review??

B-