The Words

— I expected “The Words” (DVD) to be fairly straightforward. Instead it was purposely convoluted, leaving me wondering why and feeling sorry that good performances in two storylines (Jeremy Irons, Bradley Cooper) are lost amidst failed cleverness. Making matters worse is a third, mostly unneeded storyline involving Dennis Quaid. The best part of the film was catching a few of what were probably many references to literary history.

---

[2012. 102 min. Directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal. Starring Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, and Zoe Saldana.]
http://entertainment.time.com/2012/09/06/the-words-oh-what-a-tangled-web-they-weave/

Seven Psychopaths

— Too bad a film with a title like “Seven Psychopaths” (DVD) didn’t quite make it. It did have a great premise, good acting (Collin Ferrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson), and a complicated but well-done script. It was darkly funny, but just a little tedious. Certainly not as good as “In Bruges” or Tarantino’s recent films, but still might be worth the effort if you like black comedy.

---

[2012. 110 min. Directed by Martin McDonagh. Starring Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish, and Olga Kurylenko.]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/9843381/Hyde-Park-on-Hudson-review.html

Robot & Frank

— “Robot & Frank” was something of a surprise. With Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, and Liv Tyler, I knew it would be halfway decent, but I didn’t expect it to be quite so captivating and fun in a low-key way. Another look at aging and the things that make us what we are, as well as the importance of memory, both human and computer. This is a decent, semi sci-fi, comedy/drama with an imaginative and twisting plot. Frank Langella is a wonder, keeping everything intimate and real.

---

[2012. 89 min. Directed by Jake Schreier. Starring Peter Sarsgaard, Frank Langella, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, and Susan Sarandon.]
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/23/entertainment/la-et-mn-robot-and-frank-review-20120824

The Paperboy

— How was I oblivious to the release of “The Paperboy”? A friend didn’t exactly “recommend” it but said she’d be interested in what I thought about it. I fell for it when I saw it at Redbox, thanks to Joey’s mention and because “The New Yorker” called it “so over the top, so deliriously tawdry and nonsensical, that they earn the moniker of camp classic”. Lee Daniels pulled together an unbelievable cast (Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack, Scott Glenn…) to make this fascinating mess of a film. It’s one of those steamy, southern stories set in 1969 with a plot headed in so many directions you can’t tell if you’re watching a thriller, a coming-of-age film, a period piece, or a sex film. Whatever’s going on, it’s hard to turn your eyes away, you feel guilty for watching, and in the end you’ve seen something that’s really different in a good way…or maybe a bad way. Thanks to some of the goings on, I’m steering clear of swamps, jellyfish, visiting prisoners, and laundry rooms for the next few days. If you’re not squeamish or prudish and don’t mind feeling a little icky while you watch a film, this one’s for you!

---

[2012. 107 min. Directed by Lee Daniels. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, and John Cusack.]
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/01/why-the-paperboy-is-a-camp-classic.html

Quartet

— Well, the audience for “Quartet” made those who were at “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” look like children! The film itself is definitely interesting. Heck, the setting alone is fascinating, and I’m beginning to think it would be impossible for any character Maggie Smith plays not to be fascinating. This is the "older age" that boomers are trying to brace themselves for, where cognitive and physical functioning is still mostly working, just not as well as one would like, and there’s a sense that death isn’t too far away. Hoffman’s got the film looking right and feeling right, although it may be a little slow and there was something missing – I just can’t put my finger on what it was.

---

[2012. 98 min. Directed by Dustin Hoffman. Starring Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay, and Pauline Collins.]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/jan/06/quartet-review-film-dustin-hoffman

The Crash Reel

— “The Crash Reel” (Lucy Walker) “starts as a high-adrenaline sports story [and] grows increasingly deeper and more resonant, [into] an inspiring tale of friendship, recovery and brotherly love.” I think Lucy Walker is one of the best documentary film makers around. I loved “Waste Land” and was amazed that I stayed awake past midnight watching “The Crash Reel”. I’m captivated even when her film focuses on brain injury and extreme sports, but if you can see only one of her films, choose "Waste Land".

---

[2013. 108 min. Directed by Lucy Walker. Featuring Kevin Pearce, Shaun White, and Mason Aguirre.]
http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13077/the_crash_reel

Stories We Tell

— “Stories We Tell” (Sarah Polley) is “an investigation of her parents’ hidden history”. Polley’s certainly adept at telling her story and her film in structured so well that the story unfolds so we have the same sense of surprise about her discoveries that she may have had.

---

[2012. 108 min. Directed by Sarah Polley. With Michael Polley, John Buchan, and Mark Polley.]
http://filmmakermagazine.com/60600-stories-we-tell-director-sarah-polley/

No

— “No” (Pablo Larrain) “chronicles the nationwide referendum in which Chile decided whether strongman Augusto Pinochet should ("Yes") or shouldn't ("No") remain in power”. It’s an incredibly interesting slice of recreated Chilean history as well as an interesting look at the power of advertising.

---

[2012. 118 min. Directed by Pablo Larrain. Featuring Gael Garcia Bernal, Alredo Castro, and Antonia Zegers.]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/charlottehigginsblog/2012/may/22/cannes-2012-pinochet-happiness

Dirty Wars

— Took in four films at True/False Film Festival yesterday and all were worth my time. “Dirty Wars” (Rick Rowley) built “a deeply troubling case that the “global war on terror” has sidestepped our Constitution, spread beyond borders and spun out of control”. It’s troubling and definitely makes you question the real US agenda and the blinders we all put on in the guise of party affiliation.

---

[2013. 87 min. Directed by Rick Rowley. Featuring Jeremy Scahill, Nasser Al Aulaqi, and Saleha Al Aulaqi.]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/dirty-wars-sundance-docum_n_2538914.html