Edge of Tomorrow

— “Edge of Tomorrow” with its “Live, Die, Repeat” tagline seemed like it would fit right in with the rest of the summer blockbusters. It does, but it’s also a decent story with good acting (Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt) and good direction (Doug Liman) that’s a cut above many fast-paced films. It falls into the "sci-fi, time loop" genre and I liked it a lot—just the escape I wanted on a hot and humid summer day.

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[2014. 113 min. Directed by Doug Liman. Starring Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, & Bill Paxton.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/edge-of-tomorrow-movie-review-tom-cruise-shows-that-hes-still-got-it/2014/06/05/b3ac5bd6-eb29-11e3-9f5c-9075d5508f0a_story.html

Chef

— Friends suggested “Chef” as a movie worth seeing so I did see it. It’s hard not to like this feel-good film about a chef who gets a bad review, goes a little bonkers, learns a valuable social media lesson, and finds happiness in a food truck. Although the first half wasn’t quite as pleasant as the second half, the entire film was enjoyable with a perfect soundtrack and an extraordinarily capable, A-list cast (Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman, Sofia Vergara, Oliver Platt, Robert Downey Jr….). There’s not a lot of meat to this meal and it won’t challenge or offer much enlightenment, but you’ll still be smiling when it’s done.

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[2014. 113 min. Directed by Jon Favreau. Starring Javreau, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Emjay Anthony, Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman, Sofia Vergara, & Oliver Platt.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/chef-2014

The Lunchbox

— “The Lunchbox” is a pretty film with a slight storyline spread over 105 minutes. It’s a glimpse into the lives of a tired and soon-to-be-retired, widowed and friendless accountant, and a yearning and neglected wife and mother. Both characters are vaguely interesting and have emotions with which most viewers could identify, but it is writer/director Ritesh Batra’s attention to the life and customs in Mumbai that make the film—the traffic, the street scenes, the workplace, the families and extended families, and especially the food, carefully prepared by housewives and systematically delivered each day to their office-working husbands.  This isn’t a great film, but it is a sweet one that was lovingly crafted. 

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[2013. 104 min. Directed by Ritesh Batra. Starring Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, & Nawazuddin Siddiqui.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/28/movies/the-lunchbox-with-irrfan-khan-mumbai-mix-up.html?_r=0

The Great Beauty

— Sometimes you miss a great film when it was released, feel guilty about, and either never see it or let years go by before you do.  Luckily, although it took me several months to see Paolo Sorrentino’s ”The Great Beauty” ("La grande bellezza"), I didn’t miss it entirely. It’s a wonderful film that does, just as everyone said, remind you for Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita”.  It’s gorgeous and quirky, serious and funny.  Many times a scene would begin and I’d find myself wondering if I was watching a “real” occurrence or performance art.  What with a dwarf, a 103-year-old nun who’s about to become a saint, a cardinal who’s rumored to be the next pope, an ex-hooker, and more beautiful and endlessly partying people than you can shake a stick at, it’s quite a glimpse of the city and of the main character’s lavish and dizzying life. This film is definitely worth seeing. 

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[2013. 142 min. Directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Starring Toni Sevillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli , & Carlo Buccirosso.]
http://www.villagevoice.com/2013-11-13/film/the-great-beauty-movie-review/full/

Under the Skin

— Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin” was supposedly greeted at Venice (Film Festival) by an even split of cheering and boos and it’s easy to understand why: not much dialogue, many scenes without much light, an unsettling eroticism, and a fairly dark view of things.  It’s a little terrifying and a lot creepy as Scarlett Johansson continues to show just how talented she really is.  I kept wishing there was just a little more information given to help me understand why the alien was wandering in Scotland, but not having it may have helped me see the alien side of our own civilization from her eyes.  This is far from a traditional film but it is a very creative film that just doesn’t follow enough standard patterns to be marketable to large audiences.

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[2013. 108 min. Directed by Jonathan Glazer. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, and Lynsey Taylor Mackay.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/movies/scarlett-johansson-as-a-deadly-alien-in-under-the-skin.html?_r=0

Kill Your Darlings

—“Kill Your Darlings” (DVD) was worth a viewing.  It’s a look at a brief time in 1944 when Alan Ginsberg was at Columbia University and crossed paths with William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac and Lucien Carr. I didn’t know the story, so it was interesting on that level, but much of the interest came from the fact that I was watching it with the benefit of knowing what Ginsberg, Burroughs and Kerouac would become and how the 1950’s Beat Generation changed things—pulling away from conformity and ushering in a less structured time, embracing immediacy and individual freedom while being politically active—only to fade in the 60s when the next counter-culture arose, bringing some of the Beat tenets with them.  It’s an interesting film, although the closeted relationships are a little creepy and disturbing when seen through today's more tolerant eyes

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[2013. 104 min. Directed by John Krokidas. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, and Michael C. Hall.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/movies/kill-your-darlings-stars-daniel-radcliffe.html?_r=0&pagewanted=2

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

—Saw “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” this afternoon. I can’t help it but I’m a sucker for the Marvel Comics’ films that take place mostly on Earth. Luckily, it’s more than some odd fascination. These things really are pretty good even if a bit over the top in terms of action and special effects. I had a good time and the 2+ hours flew by. Oh, and Robert Redford and Scarlet Johansson are good additions to the franchise.

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[2014. 136 min. Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. Starring Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, and Scarlett Johansson.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-review-maybe-the-most-grown-up-avengers-movie-yet/2014/04/03/89bad3d8-ba60-11e3-9a05-c739f29ccb08_story.html

The Grand Budapest Hotel

— I have to echo the sentiments of all my friends who have already seen “The Grand Budapest Hotel”—it’s a wonderful film. There are many, many perfectly crafted lines spoken by perfectly costumed, quirky characters in perfectly cropped scenes/frames. This really is imagination and whimsy built with layers in a way only Wes Anderson can do.

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[2014. 100 min. Directed by Wes Anderson. Starring Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson, et al.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/in-the-grand-budapest-hotel-wes-anderson-dreams-of-a-europe-before-the-bombs-fell/2014/03/13/8f7f6d3a-a64a-11e3-a5fa-55f0c77bf39c_story.html