Top 20 of 2014

— Here are the 20 films I've liked most from 2014, but I haven't seen "Big Eyes" or "Cake" or "Mr. Turner" yet:

• American Sniper
• Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
• Boyhood
• Calvary
• Fury
• Gone Girl
• Grand Budapest Hotel
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• The Immigrant
• The Imitation Game
• Intersteller
• Into the Woods
• John Wick
• Locke
• Nightcrawler
• Snowpiercer
• St. Vincent
• Under the Skin
• Whiplash
• Wild

March 2015 Update: Now that I've seen Still Alice, I want to add it to the group and make it 21!
(If I had to come up with 22, I'd reluctantly include Foxcatcher.)

Unbroken

— Zamperini’s story of endurance and survival is a good one and the choice of actors is also good. Angelina Jolie puts lots of polish on the film, and uses a slower pace than that to which we’re normally accustomed, but the story itself, even with Joel and Ethan Coen as screenwriters, seems out of pace with it's precise, belabored telling. What should have drawn us into a tale of the human spirit and inspired us, really just let watch at a distance.

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[2013. 137 min. Directed by Angelina Jolie. Starring Jack O’Connell, Takamasa Ishihara, and Domhnall Gleeson.]
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/unbroken/review/752885

Enemy

— This is a very enigmatic doppelganger film (DVD) that’s halfway through before you’re sure you’re watching something more than a thriller and realize something else is going on. It’s probably about totalitarian government and it’s interesting to see, but it’s only hope is that it’ll find a cult following.

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[2013. 90 min. Directed by Denis Villeneuve. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Melanie Laurent, and Sarah Gadon.]
http://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/toronto-film-review-jake-gyllenhaal-enemy-1200655619/

Into the Woods

— “Into the Woods” is better than many but not quite wonderful. Sondheim’s music and lyrics are wonderful and Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt are both very good. Rob Marshall’s done his best with it but, somehow, it’s just a little off. I think some of the twists and humor of the original play are missed as a result of cleaning it up a bit for movie and Disney audiences, but that may be okay in a story that really is about the absence of absolutes and the certainty of compromise since these toned-down characters are something of a compromise. Although I’m a little disappointed by the softer ending, I still liked it a lot and would recommend it.

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[2014. 124 min. Directed by Rob Marshall. Starring Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/into-the-woods-2014

The Maze Runner

— Decent effects don’t mask the fact that this is a simplistic storyline and the first in a trilogy by James Dashner. I don’t think we need another trilogy and “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent” are much better. I watched this on a flight (DVD) and it was acceptable fluff in that context but I wouldn’t suggest going out of your way to see it.

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[2014. 113 min. Directed by Wes Ball. Starring Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, and Blake Cooper.]
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/09/18/the-maze-runner-review

The Theory of Everything

— Eddie Redmayne’s performance is incredible and reason enough to see the film. Good thing too, since even though it’s very well done, I left wondering what I was supposed to take away from it. It’s a perfectly fine story of a brilliant person overcoming the odds, experiencing great love, and making signification contributions to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity. But come on, without Redmayne’s performance and James Marsh’s expert direction, it would be, as Willie Waffle says, really just “the adult, classy version of 'The Fault in Our Stars'.”

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[2014. 123 min. Directed by James Marsh. Starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/toronto-film-festival/11081593/The-Theory-of-Everything-review-tasteful-and-affecting.html

Venus in Fur
(“La Vénus à la fourrure")

— I’m always a little fascinated by movies about plays. The way “Venus in Fur” (Netflix) blurs the lines between the play and “real” world, and even between the players’ roles as control shifts and the director becomes the one directed, is particularly intriguing as issues of love and power surface. The resemblance of the main character to a younger Polanski is striking and knowing Vanda/Venus is Polanski’s wife adds another level to the thing. Even the idea of a movie about a play translated from the English to the French, about a German novel, is a bit convoluted, so it’s no wonder that, by the time the film was over and Thomas had surrendered himself, it was all pretty chilling but a little familiar too.

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[2013. 96 min. Directed by Roman Polanski. Starring Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric.]
http://www.timeout.com/us/film/venus-in-fur

Locke

— This was an unexpected joy to watch. The idea of one person inside his car and talking on the phone for an hour and a half wasn’t something I wanted to embrace no matter how good critics claimed the film was. I’m glad I decided to watch “Locke” (DVD) anyway. Watching Tom Hardy dealing with his life coming apart as he tries to hold on to the various pieces while doing the right thing is mesmerizing. It’s a well-written and well-acted film and deserves more attention than it’s received.

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[2013. 85 min. Directed by Steven Knight. Starring Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, and Ruth Wilson.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/locke-2014

Million Dollar Arm

— It’s nice to base a film on a true story, but this story was a little slow starting. Travelling from town to town in India trying to locate potential major league baseball pitchers should have been a preface, not a third of the film. The real story is the culture shock and adaptation, the homesickness, and the triumph of the two Indian players, along with their agent’s realization that love and family may be more important than money, conquests, and cars. Disney's "Million Dollar Arm" (DVD) was just so-so and much more suited for stumbling across while channel surfing than sitting down to deliberately watch.

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[2014. 124 min. Directed by Craig Gillespie. Starring Jon Hamm, PitobAlan Arkinash, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal, and Lake Bell.]
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes/2014/05/16/review-million-dollar-arm-successfully-brings-sports-film-genre-to-india/

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

— “Birdman” was great fun. Really. I smiled and chuckled more in this film than I have in a long time. It’s fascinating to watch Michael Keaton as the aging has-been whose fame came from playing the superhero “Birdman”…and two sequels. Since then, he’s faded from the limelight and aged enough that it’s probably best he avoid spandex. Now he’s in existential crisis and putting on a Broadway play and hoping to get some respect for it. He kept me mesmerized, grateful this is a Hollywood satire that isn’t written for insiders. In fact, there are so many contemporary references that I sometimes wished I’d read a few more “People” magazines while waiting in the doctor’s office. It takes some unexpected turns but it definitely got me thinking about relevancy and reality. Go to see this one if you can!

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[2014. 119 min. Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Starring Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, and Naomi Watts.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/birdman-2014

Intersteller

— “Intersteller” is lucky to have time and space on its side since it’s really carrying multiple themes and juggling multiple storylines and dimensions to look at love, family, survival, environmental issues, and passive acceptance vs active discovery, on earth and in space. There’s something familiar about many scenes, almost but not quite an homage to things we’ve seen before, but the memories it brings toward the surface work well with the film. Sometimes we’re all too conscious that it’s playing with our heartstrings, but it seems to work and we don’t mind. The film itself is beautiful, perhaps helped even more because it avoids total dependence on CGI. Christopher Nolan has done an amazing job and the three hours flew by. Matthew McConaughey is perfect in the film, ably supported by Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain. This is a very good film and one that’s worth seeing in a theater.

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[2014. 169 min. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain.]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11207268/Interstellar-review-a-feast-of-extraordinary-ideas.html

2 Guns

— This is a surprise since I expected a run-of-the-miller buddy bandit film with lots of blood, bullets, and repartee. “2 Guns” (DVD) is really much better than that. Washington and Wahlberg do a fine job, the script is decent, and the plot isn’t as formulaic as expected. It’s not a great film, but certainly more than an average one and up to the task of entertaining.

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[2013. 109 min. Directed by Baltasar Kormakur. Starring Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton, Edward James Olmos, and Bill Paxton.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/2-guns-2013

Nightcrawler

— This is an excellent film that slowly worms its way into your mind. It’s the story of a news stringer with a camera whose sense of ethics and morals are on the blink. It ends up he’s not the only one with such problems. Jake Gyllenhaal is extremely good as the sociopathic stringer with something wicked just beneath his controlled and slightly charismatic façade and Rene Russo rocks as the news editor willing to manipulate the news for ratings. It’s a look at the seedy L.A. life after dark, and at paparazzi- and freelancer-driven news. It will make you feel uncomfortable, voyeuristic, and cynical.

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[2014. 117 min. Directed by Dan Gilroy. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, and Bill Paxton.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/nightcrawler-2014

John Wick

— Liking this is sort of a guilty pleasure. It’s pretty much what you’d expect when Keanu Reeves, a retired hitman, goes after the guys who killed his dog. This is an all action film with plenty of blood and violence. The fight scenes aren’t a jumpy mess of overly cut footage but nicely choreographed scenes with an interesting attention to the details of things like reloading guns and going in for the kill shot. This movie does a pretty good job of what it’s supposed to do and I like that.

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[2014. 101 min. Directed by David Leitch, Chad Stahelski. Starring Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, and Alfie Allen.]
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2014/10/keanu_reeves_action_movie_john_wick_reviewed.html

St. Vincent

— Let me begin by saying I liked this film even though it was predictable and threw every imaginable cliché at me. A curmudgeon who’s a cross between Jack Nicholson and Walter Matthau, a mother starting over with and her innocent son after leaving her cheating husband, a pregnant Russian prostitute, a bully, a loan shark, and even a perfectly groomed white cat. The plot may be a familiar, but the actors add nuance to almost every line. It’s definitely Bill Murray’s film and he does a remarkable job, but credit also goes to Melissa McCarthy who toned down her usual, somewhat physical, comedic shtick, to play a believable mother struggling to start a new life, as well as to Jaeden Lieberher who plays the son without the smugness and cuteness that makes you want to slap most child actors. I laughed, I cried, and only very rarely did I groan. Go to see Murray.

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[2014. 102 min. Written and directed by Theodore Melfi. Starring Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Jaeden Lieberher, Maomi Watts, and Chris O’Dowd.]
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140906-bill-murray-deserves-better-films

Words and Pictures

— Two decent actors as two high school teachers with lots of baggage in a film that seems awfully familiar. “Words and Pictures” (DVD) is a romantic drama/comedy with enough witty dialogue and intellectual passion to make it a pleasant enough experience.

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[2013. 111 min. Directed by Fred Schepisi. Staring Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/words-and-pictures-2014

Fury

— This is a rock solid war film, filled with the tension of war, only interrupted by occasional respites before the soldiers in the tank, “Fury”, move on to the next battle and the next one after that. This is a bloody, realistic war, where everyone is enemy or friend, killer or killed. There is something deceptively simple in the script but the outcome is a rare look at innocence, barbarousness, survival, comradery, and valor in 1945 Germany. This is a good film but not one that’s easy to see or forget.

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[2014. 134 min. Directed by David Ayer. Starring Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, and Jon Bernthal.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/movies/fury-starring-brad-pitt-a-raw-look-at-warfare.html?_r=0

The Equalizer

— Denzel Washington, even on a bad day, can add some complexity to an action film. This one’s a little slow to develop but once the blood starts splattering, it moves along at a good clip. It’s the sort of film anyone who likes it would only recommend with the caveat “if you like that sort of thing”. I’m not opposed to heroes who are nearly sixty, bloodbaths, and a world where some things really are black and white, so I’d recommend it too…if you like that sort of thing.

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[2014. 132 min. Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Starring Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, and Chloe Grace Moretz.]
http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/toronto-film-review-the-equalizer-1201297616/

The Judge

— Talented people in a movie that has few surprises. It’s a better script than many on Lifetime and it’s neatly but not subtly packaged. It’s a father/son drama that pulls out most stops to keep you emotionally involved and liking it.

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[2014. 141 min. Directed by David Dobkin. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton, Vicent D’Onofrio, and Jeremy Strong.]
http://www.hitfix.com/motion-captured/review-robert-downey-jr-is-guilty-of-being-shameless-in-the-judge

Belle

— Nicely produced and acted film inspired by a painting which provided a storyline overlapping with the 1786 Zong massacre case in Great Britain. Although "Belle" (DVD) is a little too “love conquers all” for my tastes and seems to wallow in the trappings of period pieces, it more than touches on the important issues of race and gender equality.

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[2013. 104 min. Directed by Amma Asante. Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Sam Ried, Tom Wilkinson, and Matthew Goode.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/02/movies/belle-centers-on-a-biracial-aristocrat-in-the-18th-century.html

The Railway Man

— With Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman in the lead roles, the script and directing would have to be terrible for "The Railway Man" (DVD) to be without value. Luckily, both are acceptable and after a somewhat slow start, the pace picks up and a story of letting the pain of the past rule your present, of moving from revenge to acceptance, and of opening your heart come through. Not the best film of either Firth or Kidman’s careers, but perfectly acceptable.

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[2013. 116 min. Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky. Starring Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, and Stellan Skarsgard.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-railway-man-2014/

Love Is Strange

— “Love Is Strange” cries out for the art theater crowd. John Lithgow and Alfred Molina do a great job as the partners who, after 39 years together in NYC, finally marry, leading to one of them losing his job and medical benefits as a music teacher at a Catholic school. With only his partner’s pension, they can no longer afford their apartment or the lives they’ve lived. It’s a touching look at a relationship and its tender and difficult times. It’s impossible not to be angry at the circumstances which proved to be their undoing, or to smile at their unshakable love, but it falls a little flat in the end. Maybe that’s the way life is.

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[2014. 94 min. Directed by Ira Sachs. Starring John Lithgow, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei.] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/22/movies/love-is-strange-stars-john-lithgow-and-alfred-molina.html

The Skeleton Twins

— This is worth seeing. It’s is a good little film that catches you unaware because with Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig starring, you expect something leaning more on the comedy than that drama side of things. There are some very funny scenes and lines, but Hader and Wiig prove themselves up to the task of serious and sometimes dark drama as well. They’re siblings who were once close but haven’t spoken in ten years, brought together again. Both of them are damaged souls with lives teetering on the brink of despair, trying to shake old demons, discover a better future, and just make it through the day. It’s a little hard to know where the film is going as the scenes unfold giving glimpses of the guilt and angst with an ability to see the oddly funny dimension to their situations. In the end, it feels like some tender resolution is reached, but I’m not really sure it’s enough to sustain them.

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[2014. 93 min. Directed by Craig Johnson. Starring Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Luke Wilson.]
http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-the-skeleton-twins-1201064119/

Gone Girl

— “Gone Girl” may have been a little long at 2.5 hours, but at least there was enough plot to sustain the time. The actors all did a fine job although Neil Patrick Harris seemed like an odd choice for his part, and the directing was more than competent. Of course the highlight was really the script which may have lost a little of the depth of the novel, but still worked as a psychological thriller, unfolding from various perspectives until you had a full picture of the main characters and their relationships. Definitely worth seeing.

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[2014. 149 min. Directed by David Fincher. Starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Niel Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, and Carrie Coon.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gone-girl-2014

The One I Love

— I tend to like Mark Duplass’ films. The guy who chatted with the audience before “The One I Love” really liked the film as had many of his friends (yes, it’s that kind of theater where films are introduced while the audience sips cocktails and overheard conversations are sometimes as entertaining as the film). He said it was odd that a few friends were really unimpressed, until he realized all his married friends loved it and his single-and-never-married friends were unimpressed. When the film started, I was initially a little irritated with what was happening. When I began to realize it wasn’t just trying to be a film about alter egos and egos, the real and imagined, or the said and unsaid in relationships, but instead it was what Drew Fortune refers to as “a new genre called ‘sci-feelings’”, but too say I loved it would be too strong. I liked it. Duplass and Elisabeth Moss were great.

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[2014. 91 min. Directed by Charlie McDowell. Starring Mark Duplass, Elisabeth Moss, and Ted Danson.]
http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-mark-duplass-elisabeth-moss-in-the-one-i-love-1201066612/

Frank

— “Frank” is certainly an oddity. A little absurd and quite a bit weird, but pretty delightful too, even if more than a couple of times I seemed to be the only person laughing in the sparse audience. It’s an odd tale of odd people, of musicians, creativity, and emotional issues. Amazingly, insanity evolves into a something a bit more serious and the film ends with care. The cast of bruised and borderline personalities still seems a bit peculiar, but no longer over the edge. This was fun if you’re even vaguely prone to like this sort of thing.

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[2014. 95 min. Directed by Lenny Abrahamson. Starring Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/frank-2014

The Double Hour

— “La Doppia Ora” (Netflix) premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2009 and, only three years later, a remake is on the way! Now that I’ve seen the original, I can understand the attraction but fear they’ll have a hard time doing as good a job. It’s filled with twists and you’re halfway into thing before you catch on to how complicated things are. There’s a love story, an art heist, a few funerals, a cop who won’t leave anything alone, and plenty of uncertainty, intrigue, and tension. It takes a bit for all the twists and loose ends to play out, but it’s worth it. This is a very clever and satisfying film.

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[2009. 95 min. Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi. Starring Kseniya Rappoport, Filippo Timi, and Antonia Truppo.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/movies/the-double-hour-italian-thriller-review.html

About Time

— I thought this was sort of fun, had a fine message, and moved along at a good clip. “About Time” (DVD) is pretty tame time-travelling, not the usual romping from decade to decade travel, and it is in the context of a comedy about self-discovery. Pleasant characters, decent-enough acting, and a focus on the present instead of changing the past to help the future. With a domestic gross of just over $15 million, most people liked this less than I did. I’d suggest checking it out.

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[2013. 123 min. Written and directed by Richard Curtis. Starring Domhnall Gleeson Rachel McAdams, and Bill Nighy.]
http://www.npr.org/2013/11/01/241594516/its-about-time-for-romance-and-rather-more http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/movies/about-time-a-british-confection-from-richard-curtis.html

This Is Where I Leave You

— A friend whose opinion I trust told me this was better than she’d thought "This Is Where I Leave You" would be and took issue with critics who thought the stellar cast was wasted on so blah a script. As a result, I went to see it. It was better than I expected too, and it was funny when it wasn’t trying to get a laugh out of boob or boner humor. I like a good dose of dysfunction in any family and this one has plenty of it, but as you’re watching it there’s something familiar about almost every gag. (For the life of me, I can’t remember the other movie that puts potty training front and center as a humorous thread, but one film with a cute kid carry a training potty around is enough!) Luckily, this über competent cast could make almost anything seem either touching or hilarious. It’s a great set-up, entertaining enough, and has just the right amount of emotional connection to uplift. Not original and not likely to be lauded as much more than a bit of fun, but an okay way to escape.

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[2014. 103 min. Directed by Shawn Levy. Starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, and Connie Britton.]
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/07/this-is-where-i-leave-you-review-jason-bateman-tina-fey

Calvary

— This is a very good film and extremely well written and Brendan Gleeson is wonderful in the starring role. A priest in a confessional is told he will be killed on the beach in a week, not because he did anything wrong, but because he is innocent and not the priest who abused the man as a young boy. Yes, it opens in a dark place and the rest of the film, as the priest puts his affairs in order and the audience tries to figure out who the murderer will be, is a continuation of the darkness with a very odd bit of humor to it. Everyone in the village seems to have problems and most appear to have more sin than virtue. There is no order in any of the lives, just moments of calm amongst cynicism, desperation and chaos. I’m not sure how much my Catholic education added to my enjoyment of the film but I did notice I snickered and smiled more often than many viewers. Learning the identity of the soon-to-be murderer takes a back seat to an increasing exasperation as everyone burdens the priest with their problems/sins. The film moves carefully to its conclusion, the priest heads for the beach, and everyone’s lives are still in shambles.

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[2014. 100 min. Written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. Starring Brendan Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd, Kelly Reilly, and Aidan Gillen.]
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/13/calvary-review-terrific-black-comedy

The Hundred-Foot Journey

— “The Hundred-Foot Journey” is a nicely shot film, but even Helen Mirren couldn’t add much meat to the vaguely endearing but somewhat unfocused, simple, predictable, and linear script. Wait for it to be released to the home market before you bother to see it.

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[2014. 122 min. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom. Starring Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, and Charlotte Le Bon.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/08/movies/in-the-hundred-foot-journey-kitchen-wars-break-out.html

Muscle Shoals

— “Muscle Shoals” (Netflix) is a fascinating documentary. I can’t believe how much of the soundtrack of my life—of everyone’s lives—was touched by a couple of studios in a small town on the Tennessee River in northwestern Alabama. What an unlikely spot to surface as the crossroads for so many musical styles and so much talent. The film documents the birth of the “Muscle Shoals” sound thanks to Rick Hall’s FAME Studios, and the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, founded by “The Swampers" who originally were session musicians working for Rick Hall. It’s also a reminder that, even in the early 1960s, black and white musicians came together, blind to color when segregation and inequality were commonplace all around them.

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[2013. 111 min. Directed by Greg “Freddy” Camalier. Featuring Aretha Franklin, Mick Jagger, Alicia Keys, Bono, Etta James, Percy Sledge, Jimmy Cliff, Candi Staton, Clarence Carter, Greg Allman, and Keith Richards.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/muscle-shoals-2013
http://www.artsatl.com/2013/10/review-muscle-shoals-theyve-swampers-music-cut/

Draft Day

— There’s something about Kevin Costner’s smooth voice and easy attitude that helps any movie. “Draft Day” (DVD) is a decent enough behind-the-scenes look at the machinations of the NFL Draft. It held my attention and kept me rooting for the right people. If you only want to see one draft film, choose “Moneyball” which was better, but if there’s room for more, give “Draft Day” a try.

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[2014. 110 min. Directed by Ivan Reitman. Starring Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Frank Langella, and Denis Leary.]
http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-draft-day-1201155283/

Delivery Man

— It’s not the best Vince Vaughn film you’ve seen and certainly not the best comedy, but “Delivery Man” (DVD) has a good, comedic premise and is more touching than you’d expect, even if the stereotypic man-child finding growth through schmaltz becomes more and more irritating with each successive film.

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[2013. 105 min. Directed by Ken Scott. Starring Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt, and Cobie Smulders.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/delivery-man-movie-review/2013/11/20/3f961404-4e11-11e3-9890-a1e0997fb0c0_story.html

Gambit

— With Michael Hoffman directing a Coen Brothers’ script and actors like Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Tom Courtenay, and Stanley Tucci, “Gambit” (Netflix) should have been more than mediocre. When the opening titles paid homage to 1960’s caper films, you knew something was off but it ended up that almost everything was “off”. Nearly everyone was miscast and the pacing was off most of the time. It wanted to be a sophisticated caper comedy but really missed the mark. I suspect everyone involved is still shaking their heads, wondering how they ended up associated with the mess. Sad too since I vaguely remember liking the original version with Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine

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[2012. 89 min. Directed by Michael Hoffman. Screenplay by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Tom Courtenay, and Stanley Tucci.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/28/movies/gambit-stars-colin-firth-and-cameron-diaz.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1

Divergent

— A focus on finding your identity, embracing your complexity, and remaining watchful of those in charge leaves no doubt that “Divergent” (DVD) is a film for young adults. A cast of people who all look like personal trainers, plenty of empowered women, lots of interesting tattoos, and a fair amount of questioning of authority leaves no question that it’s meant for today’s young adult. “The Hunger Games” does outshine it and, even though Shailene Woodley does a decent job, she’s just not Jennifer Lawrence. Even so, I still kind of liked it and I was happy to watch something that didn’t focus on oversexed vampires or spoiled, shallow, rich kids. Oh, and Kate Winslet is in it too, and she’s always a worth seeing.

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[2014. 139 min. Directed by Neil Burger. Starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoe Kravitz, and Miles Teller.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/03/22/would-divergent-be-getting-such-bad-reviews-if-the-hunger-games-didnt-exist/

Magic in the Moonlight

— I like Woody Allen. Sure, not every film of his is a winner, and lately it seems like every other film isn’t, but even his less stellar films can still be fun. “Magic in the Moonlight” is definitely not up to the caliber of “Blue Jasmine” or “Midnight in Paris”, but it’s still entertaining. Maybe a little slow. Maybe more stage play than film. Maybe dialog that is a little off and a script that's not up to Woody’s cleverness. Maybe a little light on theme and on believability, but people in the audience were guffawing and I was one of them. I wanted to like it more than I did. The best part was Colin Firth and the rest of the cast, all of whom were more than able if only they’d had a bit more to work with.

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[2014. 97 min. Directed by Woody Allen. Starring Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Marcia Gay Harden, Jacki Weaver, Eileen Adkins, Hamish Linklater, and Simon McBurney.]
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/25/magic-in-the-moonlight-woody-allens-film-is-as-airy-as-they-come-first-look-review

Guardians of the Galaxy

— I had no idea who the“Guardians of the Galaxy” were since these guys are not among my limited universe of superheroes. Most of the time—spaceships, planets and odd species aside—I almost forget I was watching “superheroes”. The quintet was more like a ragtag group of bickering outlaws operating behind a decidedly unhip but catchy soundtrack of '60s and '70s pop hits. Oh, and they were genuinely funny, or at least quirky. I liked it a lot, but I’ve liked almost all the Marvel movies in the past 4-5 years. Too bad Guardians 2 isn’t slated for release until 2017. Meanwhile, I may pick up the soundtrack of oldies everyone knows, which reached number 1 (Billboard 200) the second week of its release.

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[2014. 121 min. Directed by James Gunn. Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel (voice), and Bradley Cooper (voice).]
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/11/one-2

Get On Up

— I’d probably like “Get On Up” for the music alone, but I was happy that Chadwick Boseman was able to give us an unforgettable James Brown, even if Brown’s ego is depicted to be as big as his talent. The script is a little irritating at times (I’ve grown tired of actors turning to talk to the audience) and it feels a little tame and over-directed, but I still enjoyed it.

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[2014. 138 min. Directed by Tate Taylor. Starring Chadwick Boseman, Nelson Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, and Viola Davis.]
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/11/one-2

A Most Wanted Man

— Philip Seymour Hoffman is the reason to see this film. He stands out in this adaptation of the John le Carré novel. I didn’t read the novel but the script is fairly linear which doesn’t exactly jive with my view of le Carré’s usual style. There are quite a few characters and the director sometimes loses track of the reasons behind the espionage so he can deal with personalities and power plays. It still holds up even if it isn’t among the best thrillers, because Hoffman is among the best actors.

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[2014. 122 min. Directed by Anton Corbiun. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Grigoriy Dobrygin, and Homayoun Ershadi.]
http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-a-most-wanted-man-1201064200/

Boyhood

— I missed “Boyhood” at the True/False Festival in February 2014 but I’m happy I finally got to see it! The film chronicles a Texas boy’s adolescence while his mother cycles through a few unsuitable husbands and his father takes a long time to become a responsible adult. The remarkable thing is that it was filmed over twelve years, using the same cast. We watch everyone grow, moving in and out of each other’s lives, and it’s a remarkable evolution, filled with lots of questions, with sadness and happiness, and with a sense of real time unfolding, sometimes too slowly and sometime too fast. It really is unlike anything I’ve seen before and it’s well worth seeing. I’ve always liked both Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette and they’re perfect as the boy’s parents. It’s hard to imagine how director Richard Linklater picked a 5-year-old boy who’d be up the 12-year task, but Ellar Coltrane certainly was.

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[2014. 165 min. Directed by Richard Linklater. Starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, and Ethan Hawke.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/11/movies/movie-review-linklaters-boyhood-is-a-model-of-cinematic-realism.html?_r=0

Begin Again

— I tend to like Mark Ruffalo since he’s always playing a likeable, fuzzy guy, who’s pretty enlightened. He’s in that character again in “Begin Again”, this time paired with Keira Knightley also very capable, even if her career is not quite as consistent. This is a mostly fun film with pleasant enough people singing in New York and overcoming life’s obstacles. A couple of times I felt like there wasn’t quite enough script or that transition scenes relied too heavily on iPod playlists. I liked the film and I liked the characters, but writer/director John Carney should have kept his focus on surviving within and outside of relationships, instead of also trying to make a statement about greed in the music business.

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[2013. 104 min. Directed by John Carney. Starring Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld, James Corden, and Catherine Keener.]
http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/begin-again-review

The Immigrant

— Marion Cotillard helps almost any film and this one’s pretty good anyway. The film has a feeling that it’s from another era, with its noble but down on her luck leading lady who must lose a part herself to survive and the man responsible for both her downfall and her salvation. It’s a carefully crafted film that develops more like a novel than a film and ends with as much a sense of resignation as of hope. I’m not really familiar with James Gray, the director, but this is his fifth film and it’s good enough to make me ready to check out one or more of the others.

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[2013. 120 min. Directed by James Gray. Starring Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, and Jeremy Renner.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/the-immigrant-movie-review/2014/05/21/347920e4-df65-11e3-9743-bb9b59cde7b9_story.html

Jodorowsky’s Dune

— I had 9:00 p.m. tickets for “Jodorowsky’s Dune” (DVD) at the True/False Film Fest last March but, being tired from having watched three films already that day and knowing bad weather was on it way, I skipped out. I must just not have realized how interesting a film it actually is. Somehow I’d let the stench from David Lynch’s “Dune” affect me. Instead, this is a interesting look at the “Dune” that was never filmed but came oh so close. With a remarkable group of people signed on to the project (Salvador Dali, Mick Jagger, Orson Welles, Jean Giraud, Dan O’Bannon, Giger, and others) charismatic cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky created an adaption of Frank Herbert’s book that was visionary, artistic, and doomed. Even so, the case is made that its storyboard rippled throughout Hollywood, ultimately affecting science fictions films like “Star Wars”, “Alien”, “Contact”, “Blade Runner”, “The Matrix”, “Terminator”, and more. Also of interest is Jodorowsky’s steadfast belief in his vision remaining unaffected by the business of Hollywood which ultimately resulted in his vision never being realized.

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[2013. 90 min. Directed by Frank Pavich. Featuring Alejandro Jodorosky, Michel Seydoux, H.R. Giger, Chris Foss, Brontis Jodorowsky, and Richard Stanley.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/movies/jodorowskys-dune-from-frank-pavich.html?_r=0