Sideways –Alexander Payne –2004
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor writers
***1/2 (out of five)
Terrific across the board. Nicely written, directed and acted. Nice to see an adult comedy/drama to close out the year.
Monthly Archive for December, 2004
The Life Aquatic –Wes Anderson –2004
Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach writers
**1/2 (out of five)
Very disappointing especially given my affection for Anderson’s prior films. “Aquatic” tries to have the same mix of whimsy and pathos of those earlier pictures but it never quite gels. Clever ideas and some engaging characters are undermined by a lack of real structure. Another pass at the screenplay and they might have really had something. A missed opportunity.
La Dolce Vita –Federico Fellini –1960
Federico Fellini and Ennio Flaiano writers
*** (out of five)
Though far too long and unstructured for me, La Dolce Vita was certainly more rewarding than 8 1/2. I’m not quite sure if the film ever adds up to the sum of its parts but many of the episodes along the path of Mastroianni’s rambling journey are fascinating.
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra –Larry Blamire –2001
Larry Blamire writer
**1/2 (out 0f five)
I admire the spirit with which this film was made; Mr. Blamire clearly has a lot of affection for the schlocky drive-in movies of the fifties and sixties. Those older movies come by their charm more honestly though. They had miniscule budgets and mediocre acting not by design but out of necessity. It seems a little odd to me to deliberately try and recreate that feel.
Return of the King: Extended Edition –Peter Jackson –2003
Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philipa Boyens writers
**** (out of five)
At nearly four and a half hours, truly one of my longest movie experiences ever –and it’s, by and large a very positive one too. With few exceptions the new material is engaging and relevant. It’s good to see Saruman’s demise at last and the material fleshing out Faramir, Pippin and Merry is all good. As in the previous “Rings” extended editions, it’s the sillier material that undermines the show (as in Gimli’s silly slapstick in the Paths of the Dead) but this is a minor complaint. Coupled with the two discs of supplemental material, “King” joins it’s brothers as one of the best DVDs ever printed.
Gaslight –1944 –George Cukor
John Van Druten, Walter Reisch and John L. Balderston writers
*** (out of five)
The direction and the performances are uniformly excellent but there’s nothing about Gaslight’s story that isn’t telegraphed well in advance.
Ocean’s Twelve –Steven Soderbergh –2004
George Nolfi writer
**1/2 (out of five)
Ocean’s Twelve is not completely without entertainment value. Certain aspects of the caper and the camaraderie between the stars is somewhat rewarding. At the end of the day though, the movie feels phoned-in. And little bits of stunt plotting (like having the Julia Roberts character play the real Julia Roberts as part of the scheme) undermine the effort.
It Happened One Night –Frank Capra –1934
Robert Riskin writer
**** (out of five)
Utterly charming. The stars are terrific (particularly Claudette Colbert who, while not conventionally beautiful, manages to be quite sexy in the role.)
Bananas –Woody Allen –1971
Woody Allen and Mickey Rose writers
** (out of five)
Not nearly as funny as I remembered it being. In fact, it’s quite sloppy and amateurish in places. –I guess the Woodman didn’t really hit his stride until Sleeper.
World of Warcraft finally shipped while I was in the midst of my class. It truly is an outstanding game and it’s getting phenomenal reviews. They don’t exactly need my plug but…
The Magnificent Seven –John Sturges –1960
William Roberts writer
*** (out of five)
Well, it’s certainly no Seven Samurai but “Magnificent” is still a damn good Western. I question the wisdom of casting a German to play a Mexican (or, for that matter, casting Eli Wallach as a Mexican) but it all not only manages to work but also to have a bit of a message.
Shattered Glass –Billy Ray –2003
Billy Ray writer
*** (out of five)
I didn’t think I was going to like “Glass” as it opened; the tone seemed a little too gee whiz for me. Later in the film you find out this was a deliberate move and it pays off rather nicely. –Good performances and a solid story.
Cool Hand Luke –Stuart Rosenberg –1967
Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson writers
*** (out of five)
Despite being a little obvious in places and more than a little heavy-handed in its finale, “Luke” is buoyed by a great Paul Newman performance and an interesting chain gang slice-of-life story.
Othello –Orson Welles –1952
William Shakespeare and Orson Welles writers
** 1/2 (out of five)
There’s some remarkable artistry in Othello –the composition is uniformly excellent and the acting is quite good but the seams of Welles’ minuscule budget show throughout. The sound is often poor and the evident cost-cutting is hard to ignore. –A definite “A” for effort.
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