300 (2007)

Wow. I didn't expect to hate this movie, but neither did I expect to like it quite as much as I did. I thought it'd be an OK diversion that left my mind 10 minutes after I saw it. This was much better than that.

I'm embarrassingly deficient in my knowledge of history (and geography), so I don't have a clue about whether or not there's any accuracy to the events here. I'm am pretty sure the world had a bit more color back in the day...but the sepia-toned look here is so beautiful that I'm certainly not whining about it! I'm a sucker for the "brutal on the battlefield, tender in bed with the beloved wife" type (Gladiator and Rob Roy hit this spot-on too), so I was pretty into it altogether.

Complaint: I don't understand why a movie so obviously saturated with the very best effects would settle for such a ridiculous rubber creation for the Hunchback. It was distractingly fake.

B

Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979)

On the TCM recording, Robert Osborne introduced this as being one of his selections for an "Overlooked Film" Festival in L.A. He blamed the original title ("Head Over Heels") as one of the reasons it wasn't seen during its theater run. I think it's more likely because the story is rather small and unoriginal.

John Heard and Mary Beth Hurt do as good a job as they can in their roles, but it winds up just being a love story that doesn't go anywhere. It's basically an awkwardly presented (complete with to-the-camera narration at times) light take on obsession in which it's never quite clear on why Heard would be obsessed with this rather unremarkable woman.

It wasn't rooting either way -- whether or not they were together didn't matter a bit to me. It was fine when they were dating and fine when they weren't...they seemed equally messed up regardless. Why bother, you know?

C-

The Mating Season (1951)

Before the two stories (Mom's and son's) merge, things are a little slow. Mom's (Thelma Ritter) losing her burger joint due to several months of unpaid mortgage and the son's doing his best to leave his wrong-side-of-the-tracks upbringing behind him and is set to marry the society daughter of an ambassador. But once mom decides to come live with her son in New York, things perk up.

Ritter is the perfect choice to play the no-nonsense unassuming hard-worker who'd rather allow her daughter-in-law believe she's live-in domestic help (against her son's desire to come clean) since she understands that living with an in-law is no young bride's idea of romance. Unfortunately, the other mother-in-law soon moves in and she obviously hasn't got the sense that Ritter's does.

As unlikely as the situation is, somehow the script pulls it off -- nothing gets too outrageous and the characters all behave believably. I was rooting for things to work out.

B+

The Host (2007)

Here are my complaints:

1) The first scene is eye-rolling in its implausibility. "Dump these hundreds of bottles of toxic chemicals into the drain because the outside of the bottles are dusty." "Are you sure boss? That's against the law because it's super dangerous...but of course I will if you say so."

2) Authorities don't even perform the basic checks just to make sure they're correct in dismissing the claims of the family at the center of the story. That's beyond frustrating -- it's manipulative. I think it might have served the story better if the family had simply, in their excited hurry, neglected to inform the bureaucracy of why they were leaving custody.

But really -- that's it. It's inventive and thrilling and funny. I was especially charmed by the slacker father whose desperate love for his daughter spurs him to great acts of heroism. This is a real winner that'll make you both jump and smile.

B+

The Final Cut (2004)

Cool idea: some people have recording devices purchased by their parents and implanted their brains pre-birth. Every single thing that person sees and hears throughout their life is caught on the device along with time stamping. "Cutters" have the prestigious job of editing this footage post-death for loved ones to view at the funeral.

They could have done so much with the concept -- but, instead, it all comes down to nothing more than pettiness (family members deciding which memories are a "must," etc.). I couldn't believe that there wasn't at least the point made that murders are almost non-existent because you never know if the victim is recording...what an oversight!

Robin Williams, once again, does his "why the hell did you ever give me an Oscar" shtick... you know, the same one he showed us in One Hour Photo and, oh, just look at his IMDb list and take your pick. And the mysterious memory that haunts him is completely ridiculous as is the way in which he gets a clue that it might be faulty (he cleans his glasses the same way?? give me a break).

A stupid, stupid waste of a decent idea.

D+

After the Wedding (2006)

Jacob (Mads Mikkelson -- still looking wax figurelike as he did in Casino Royale, but now with dry eyes and mussy hair) is a humanitarian in a struggling Indian orphanage who's forced, against his wishes, to represent the orphanage in a meeting with a potential benefactor in Denmark -- he'd prefer to stay and do the work and let someone else take care of liaison duties.

The Denmark happenings feel, at first, too hugely coincidental. Though beautifully performed, the story felt manufactured and, therefore, weak. But the deeper in we get, the more we understand and it's just profoundly affecting.

I loved the simple truth of the entanglements of life: the way you suddenly can be trapped into doing something -- even being something -- you didn't choose.

A

We Were Strangers (1949)

Jennifer Jones is her usual bland self -- this time with an accent.

The story concerns Revolutionaries in Cuba digging a tunnel with China's (Jones) house as the start point -- well, they dig when they're not giving stilted speeches anyway. John Garfield is the leader of the little group and China can't help but fall for the principled American... but as his only competition for her affections is the smarmy official who personally gunned down China's brother, he shouldn't feel too flattered by this.

All in all, a truly boring affair.

C-

11:14 (2005)

One of those movies where lots of different story lines cross-over and affect each other. It's not too bad, really -- but once we've seen all the threads to the story, it just feels like "well, we've seen everything now" rather than the "so that's what was going on!" or the "whoa" that would've made this film worthwhile.

Also, for a story so dependent on precise points in time, I was particularly annoyed by the time warp that Patrick Swayze's character seemed to enter. He got so much done in about 15 minutes that I was surprised that he wasn't revealed as some sort of minute-stretching superhero at the end.

C+

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

I'll first explain that I saw this with a group during an out-of-state get-together for mafiascum -- so I was exhausted, which could have compromised my enjoyment somewhat.

But still. It seems that all the slow angst from the book has been thrown out in favor of quick spectacle. The insidious Umbridge becomes a joke with power here and the petulant Harry (whose attitude, I'll admit, got on my last nerve when I was reading) is instead a tormented hero. We moved at such a clip throughout that I barely had time to register what had just happened before we were on to the next big scene. And, when I think back on it, I believe that the pace is fully responsible for any illusion of excitement as the content itself is pretty "eh." We spent more than two hours barely getting anywhere, but we did get to see a bunch of flashy lights!

I was tired. Rather than waking me up, this film just wore me out.

B-

A Scanner Darkly (2006)

The story's pretty bleak: a substantial chunk of the population is hooked on "Substance D," a nefarious drug that eventually ruins in-brain communication. Big Brother's watching everything -- the only way to dodge his eyes is by wearing a "scramble suit," which is what undercover cops do when they're at the office. So, while they're exposed on the outside the damage is minimized because they can't be compromised by other cops. The cops are trying their best to find the source of the Substance D...but who and what can be trusted? I was in the dark as much as the characters were for most of the movie.

The "rotoscoping" technique used to animate live-action shots is extremely cool to watch and particularly effective during sequences when various characters are tripping -- but, just as happened during my viewing of Waking Life, I eventually started to wish that I could simply see what the actors were actually doing. It's my opinion that a half-and-half approach to the technique would've served the film better.

Still, the story's pretty compelling, especially once you get used to the sometimes disorienting effects of the film's look.

B-

Lord of War (2005)

I don't know why in the world I keep thinking that Nicolas Cage's name on a movie means it's likely to be good. Is it the Moonstruck effect? That because I loved him the first time I saw him, he will forever hold a place in my heart?

I do truly believe that Cage is one of the most talented actors of the current era. I mean -- the dude rocks it in off-the-wall silliness, is surprisingly effective in romances, can amaze me in serious fare, and even makes some terrific popcorn flicks. Since he's got no genre limitations, you'd think he'd have a better-than-average chance at always having a decent script waiting for him. But no -- about three-fifths of his stuff is junk and I feel betrayed whenever I'm suckered in to watching another Cage stinker.

This one certainly sounded better than average. Gary and I sat down to watch it and were paying strict attention to voice-over, not wanting to miss a bit of nuance. We absorbed the lectures and the images, sure that doing so would pay off in later scenes. About an hour in, Gary said "are you as bored as I am?" and then abandoned me on the couch to go do something more enjoyable -- I think he clipped his toenails and drew up the budget.

D

My Foolish Heart (1949)

So soapy you need a rinsedown by the end.

Susan Hayward's a bitter drunk in a loveless marriage. Lucky for us that we're immediately whisked to the happier days of flashback-land. Not much happier, mind you.

Susan Hayward is in so much, but she's pretty much the same in them all. She can put on a mad face or a sad frown or giggle girlishly, but what she doesn't seem to understand is that one character's "mad" should be different than another's. She's always hitting the same notes -- but she does look good on camera. I think that just about everyone involved here was hired based on their type, not their actual ability.

C+