Lincoln

— Finally saw “Lincoln” and was fascinated by the script (I know, I know, I should have read “Team of Rivals”). Spielberg managed to convey the inside political story and Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, and Tommy Lee Jones were outstanding. Everyone deserves credit—including Tony Kushner—for a deceptively intimate, big-budget film. It also makes you appreciate the Republican Party’s roots.

---

[2012. 150 min. Directed by Stephen Spielberg. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones and John Hawkes.]
http://thelincolnmovie.com/#http://thelincolnmovie.com?gallery&_suid=135410649229100266572931998747

Flight

— Went to see “Flight” and Denzel Washington does a great job in a film that’s interesting enough with one of the most linear plots of the year. The rest of the film lacks much depth and seems even more shallow given the nuances of Washington’s portrayal of pilot Whip Whitaker. Even so, it help my attention pretty much throughout the film and I've thought about it a few times since.

---

[2012. 138 min. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Starring Denzel Washington, Nadine Velazquez, and Don Cheadle.]
http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/movies/flight-stars-denzel-washington-as-an-alcoholic-pilot.html?_r=0

Cloud Atlas

— “Cloud Atlas” is a wonderful--and exceedingly ambitious--experience. I was reminded of “Babel” and “Tree of Life”, two other very ambitious films that tried looked at the entire human experience. The direction of “Cloud Atlas” is part of its strength and downfall. The six storylines aren’t exactly related and, by jumping back and forth from story to story (sometimes more for cinematic reasons than anything else I could figure out), we can lose the emotional flow of the individual stories. Unfortunately, the larger idea that emerges is a little watered down as a result. About midway through, we begin to see more clearly the interconnectedness of the human experience across time. From one story to the next, good stands up against evil, planting a seed for the future, but evil’s seed is also planted and the push and pull resurfaces from generation to generation. I should say the acting is interesting in this film too, and often good enough to distract us from the prosthetics and make-up. I enjoyed the film and what it did and I think it was far more successful than I imagined it would be. Well worth seeing.

---

[2012. 172 min. Directed by Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski. Starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, Keith David, James D'Arcy, Xun Zhou, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, and Hugh Grant.]
http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/10/26/movies/cloud-atlas-from-lana-and-andy-wachowski-and-tom-tykwer.html?_r=0

The Way

— I tend to shy away from films that are called “inspirational”, worried they’ll be too sugary and filled with too many odds overcome. I took a chance with “The Way” (DVD), the story of 4 people brought together on the Camino de Santiago. I was interested in “El Camino”, the centuries-old pilgrimage from the foothills of the Pyrenees in France to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia Spain. I was fascinated by the trek and by the actors who managed to convey their inner transformations without heartrending specificity or religious fervor.

---

[2010. 123 min. Directed by Emilio Estevez. Starring Martin Sheen, Emilio estevez, and Deborah Kara Unger.]
http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Movies/2011/1007/Martin-Sheen-Emilio-Estevez-in-The-Way-movie-review

Looper

— Saw "Looper" today and really liked it. If you're okay with traveling between past and future, check it out.

---

[2012. 119 min. Directed by Rian Johnson. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, and Emily Blunt.]
http://www.loopermovie.com/

The Master

— I survived all 137 minutes of “The Master”, only because the images were gorgeous, the music and sounds perfect, and both Joaqin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman turned in outstanding performances. Sadly, I left a bit bewildered, thinking I’d experienced film as high art but not as good storytelling. Maybe seeing it again would help but, honestly, it’s still too fresh to even consider squirming through it again.

---

[2012. 144 min. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, and Amy Adams.]
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2012/09/17/120917crci_cinema_lane

Argo

— I can’t believe more people went to see “Taken 2” over the weekend than went to “Argo”. “Argo” was so well done – Ben Affleck’s directing gets better with each film, and he certainly does a good job of acting in this one too. All that and a gripping, true story as well. Definitely worth a gander! Plus, you’ll find out what “Argo” is…

---

[2012. 120 min. Directed by Ben Affleck. Starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, and Victor Garber.]
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/argo-20121011

End of Watch

— Saw “End of Watch” this afternoon (retired people can do that sort of thing). It’s one of those somewhat gritty, sort of riveting, pretty violent looks at LA cops, complete with very good acting and editing. It’s easy to see why critics seemed to like it – I liked it myself!

---

[2012. 109 min. Directed by David Ayer. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Natalie Martinez, and Anna Kendrick.]
http://whatculture.com/film/london-film-festival-2012-review-end-of-watch.php