martys-7 Reviews

Eyewitness (2014)

A Masterful Norwegian Thriller

[10/10 · 25 September 2016]

Do yourself a favor and see this series before the American remake. I'm amazed how the majority of American viewers do not realize that every time a Scandinavian TV series or movie is successful, a network or studio buys its rights and soon we have the American remake--which is ALWAYS inferior. The Bridge, The Killing, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, among several others, have been remakes of far superior original versions. The rights for Eyewitness, this excellent Norwegian thriller, were sold to the USA Network and the remake was filmed in Canada for the USA Network. If you can see the original (it is available at DailyMotion), do it before seeing the remake.

While not as long (only 10 one-hour episodes) and labyrinthine as The Killing or The Bridge, this is a relatively complex, character-driven, realistic, well-paced edge of the seat thriller. Two rural teenage boys hide the fact they have witnessed the murder of several bikers to avoid revealing they were having a secret gay encounter. Their secrecy will allow the killer to continue to operate freely while the bikers and the Balkan mafia will go to war. The plot is completely believable while the situations, locations (real biker clubs, etc.), and character development create a naturalistic feeling that prevails in every scene.

This series reaffirms the fact that Norway now shares with Denmark and Sweden the world crown of crime fiction. Eyewitness is an absolute must for lovers of Scandinavian noir and police thrillers.

Wolf Totem (2015)

Amazing Portrait of Mongolians and Wolves

[10/10 · 20 December 2015]

Moving and visually stunning autobiographical film involving Mongolians shepherds and wolves, both groups affected by encroaching settlements and bureaucratic regulations enforced by the Communist Party overseers, during the Cultural Revolution in China in the late 1960s. A Beijing university student is sent to live with nomadic shepherds and learns their ways, including their interaction which wolves, which has a spiritual significance to them. When the ecological balance is altered by human greed, there are fatal consequences for both humans and animals.

While the photography captures the rugged majesty of the steppes in all its beauty and the action sequences are thrilling, this man versus nature drama portraits its characters with veracity never resorting to superhuman heroics or histrionics. Life is frail for both humans and wolves in their struggle for survival, wolves are not anthropomorphized, the Mongolian lifestyle is not romanticized, there are no easy solutions.

Perfectly acted with flawless cinematography, this a must-see films for nature lovers and those who are concerned about the environment. The rest of the viewers should also be rewarded by this poignant and compelling real life story.

Oblivion (I) (2013)

Tom vs the R2D2s from Hell

[1/10 · 7 September 2013]

I gave one start for the magnificent Iceland landscapes and the songs Ramble On by Led Zed and Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum. The rest of this sorry movie is an overcooked pastiche of recycled science fiction ideas from 2001, Stars Wars, Logan's Run, Star Trek, and Moon among other movies.

Evil machines, checked. Hero's weird memories, checked. Noble human survivors in pastoral nature, checked. Clueless clones, checked. Ad nauseam.

Tom Cruise playing Tom Cruise, the way he has been doing since Top Gun, this time fighting drones who look like evil R2D2s. Morgan Freeman as a freedom fighter in leather and a cape pocketing a nice paycheck for shooting a few rounds and talking a few cryptic sentences. What a waste.

Margaret (I) (2011)

Overlong, overblown, a failure despite all the good intentions and people involved

[2/10 · 29 March 2013]

In 2000, I saw the excellent "You Can Count on Me" written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan starring a luminous Laura Linney and a dark Mark Ruffalo. That movie was a true to life minimalistic masterpiece about a dysfunctional family and brought great accolades. This created great expectations for Lonergan's next film which arrived in 2011 (after considerable release difficulties supposedly requiring the editorial assistance of no less than Martin Scorsese) However, this second film is the opposite of the first one: muddled, overlong, winding, with poor character development, poorly edited (sorry, Martin), poorly acted and full of false notes despite its striving for authenticity.

The first problem is Ana Paquin, who was in her late twenties during the filming and whose body and face are not only too mature but also reflect plenty of living to play a 17-year-old ingénue who wants to lose his virginity. Then every time she reiterates her opinion or emotes she yells. This is simple poor acting. Since she dominates the movie, soon it goes nowhere.

Then the plot of a New York teen coming to terms with being morally responsible for her involvement in a tragic accident and the ironies and ambiguities of life could have been told more succinctly not in almost three excruciatingly boring hours. This teen soap ain't Lawrence of Arabia.

So despite of small roles perfectly mastered by Matthew Broderick and Matt Damon, or larger roles convincingly played by Mark Ruffalo and Jeannie Berlin, and an authentic Manhattan's insider feeling showing opera performances at the Met or people's crammed apartments, the movie eventually fails by being disjointed and pointlessly long.

There are far better movies about NYC teenagers encountering mixed emotions and moral decisions such as the groundbreaking Kids and the more recent ones Precious and Rodger Dodger. This one is failure despite all its good intentions.

Last Summer (1969)

Sexually Frustrated Adolescents in the Late 1960s

[10/10 · 26 February 2013]

This review may contain spoilers.

Three handsome teenagers, two boys and a girl, create a bond while spending the summer in Fire Island, NY. The two boys are virgins and lust after the more experienced girl who knows how to excite them, without allowing things to go too far, while manipulating them into an agenda of her own. They are joined by a homely-looking, inhibited and sensitive teen-age girl, which eventually will bring disastrous consequences.

Part of brilliance of the movie is how natural it portraits these four characters. The camera allows the teens to be themselves with their physicality and lust, their notions and experimentation, following their own rhythms and placing them in a world of their own. Also brilliant is how evil is presented, first appearing into their lives as a joke at someone's expense to later manifest as true crime.

Probably some viewers may object to the movie not being a morality tale presenting its characters without any redemption at all. But why should these characters learn from their actions? In real life not every young criminal has a morality crisis seeking atonement and this movie portraits its young subjects in a very realistic light.

Some things may be different for teens now and in some ways the movie may appear dated. However, as a portrait of teenage alienation, lust, experimentation, group behavior, and crossing moral boundaries, this movie stands the test of time. It is a classic in its genre.

My Dog Tulip (2009)

Delightful Acccount of Eccentric BBC Writer and High Strung German Sheperd

[10/10 · 3 February 2013]

When English writer and BBC editor J. R. Ackerley brought home with him a German Shepherd bitch whose owner was in prison, little did he anticipate how difficult would be to care for her. However, despite the fact that Queenie (the original dog's name) was untrained and high strung demanding his full-time attention, he felt unconditionally loved for the first time in his life.

This is a delightful animated movie for adults and older children based on Ackerley's memoir of the same name. Each individual frame was digitally painted with broad brush strokes creating a minimalistic and naturalistic scenes. Tulip is shown acting like a dog when she is taken to the veterinarian, runs out of control in the park, or goes into heat. And life-long bachelor Ackerley used to his peace and quiet is challenged by each one of Tulip's behaviors or problems. This is a movie about unconditional love that dog and animal lovers, or for that matter anybody who has had real feelings for any creature, should treasure.

To understand the origin of Queenie, see the very good comedy drama "We Think the World of You" with Gary Oldman and Alan Bates, based on Ackerley's novel of the same name. It tells how an incarcerated burglar's dog becomes the object of class warfare between his working class wife and parents, who mistreat the dog, and a middle class former boyfriend.

Chico & Rita (2009)

Masterful Sexy and Sentimental Afro-Cuban Musical Tale

[10/10 · 3 February 2013]

Here is a great animated film for adults, particularly for those who enjoy or are intrigued by Afro-Cuban music that after being extremely popular in the 1940s and 1950s faded once the Cuban revolution established a Marxism regime.

Inspired by stories of exile and the music left behind, this is an epic tale of star-crossed lovers, a singer and a pianist/songwriter, whose tempestuous relationship takes from Havana to NYC, from Europe to Vegas, from the 1950s to the 2000s, the film is meticulous in its recreation of streets, bars, apartments, hotels, cars, music halls, clubs, populated by its colorful characters. These lovers, friends, managers, and musicians are all too human flirting, smoking, dreaming, making love, getting drunk, having jealous fights, manipulating, betraying, trying for stardom, realizing their emptiness, or living in somber poverty. There is racism, sex, prostitution, murder, love, heartbreak, regret, and hope, along with piano jazz, big band numbers, small jazz groups, and Hollywood numbers.

All these scenes are presented in fluid, graphic, colorful detail, brilliantly animated, with an eye and hear for period, place, and character. A daytime scene in old Havana is full of color, the streets have people, buses, and advertisement everywhere. There is a blackout and neighbor voices are heard. A nightclub scene at midnight is deprived of colors other than blue hues. Rita's eyes blue eyes in the dark turn brown. This attention to detail make this animated feature true to life making the characters and their stories believable and real, unlike the silly cartoonish CGI of the Toy Story series and the contemporary deluge of animated crap polluting the screens.

Then there is the soundtrack: Charlie Parker, Dizzie Gillespie, Woody Herman, among others along with the Afro Cuban piano of Bebo Valdes, etc. It should delight jazz and Afro Cuban music lovers and may convert those who are not familiar with this sensual music.

This is a first rate animated film for adults, unique even when compared to other realistic, adult-oriented animated films. It doesn't have the animal cuteness of "My Dog Tulip" and while being more akin to Jacques Tati's "The Illusionist," in presenting the stark reality of earning a living as a performing artist, it doesn't take a magical childlike view approach to the story. Chico and Rita is an erotic, musical, historical, emotional tale, unflinchingly real. Take their sentimental journey and you will be richly rewarded.

The Kitchen Toto (1987)

Insightful portrait of childhood, colonialism and bloody rebellion

[10/10 · 19 November 2012]

A houseboy befriends his white master's son in 1950s Kenya while marauding rebels plan murder and mayhem.

The brilliance of this movie is how it manages to tell a story involving children whose innocence and purity will be compromised by the imploding colonial world, white colonialists living a comfortable yet deluded life by exploiting native Kenyans, and murderous rebels whose raging savagery will not spare innocent lives.

Poignant, deep, unflinching, well-acted, perfectly photographed, this is a minor masterpiece not to be easily forgotten. Its story may be a footnote yet it presents the elements that fueled African rebellion and shaped the future politics of sub-Saharan nations. A must see.

Dark Shadows (2012)

Flat, Boring, Pointless -- A Total Waste

[1/10 · 11 November 2012]

A campy performance by J.Depp, a strong supporting cast, some cool and fun special effects here and there, and jokes about the early 70s popular trends cannot save this movie from being one of 2012's worst releases.

There are no thrills, there is very little action, there are very few funny moments, the pace is slow, there is no character development, the plot is thin and not clever. Even a performance by Alice Cooper is boring and goes nowhere.

The original soap opera -- despite the unintended campiness of the supernatural mumbo-jumbo story lines -- at least had some character development and a relentless tension making it ABC's most watched show during its heyday in the late 1960s. Of significance is the fact that the series had dream sequences, morphing, etc., all done with the limitations of being a daytime soap with one-shot takes that went straight from live to tape. Sadly, Tom Burton spent millions of dollars on 21st century digital technology for special effects and came up with a boring, pointless film which is neither a campy comedy nor a supernatural thriller.

There was a 1991 short-lived miniseries which had a compelling cast (Ben Cross, a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt), solid plot lines (for a supernatural story), and a taut, tense pace filled with action, sex, and horror. Watch that one and pass on this turkey.

Animal Kingdom (2010)

A Mesmerazing, Menacing and Twisted Portrait of the Banality of Crime

[10/10 · 28 January 2011]

Animal Kingdom tells an unforgettable realistic story of an Australian crime family. Its tone is cool and minimalist, its characters are flawed and not particularly intelligent or charismatic, its scenes embody everyday mundanity, yet the film draws you into its story of a 17-year-old youth joining his criminal uncles.

The strength of the film rests on its avoidance of presenting ultra intelligent criminals, like in The Town or Takers, who perform superhuman feats outsmarting sophisticated digital systems, fighting martial artist cops, and escaping by driving against speeding traffic. On the contrary, everybody in Animal Kingdom is just too human, nobody is a perfect hero or a perfect criminal. There are no scenes of extreme machine and human noise like robbing a bank or partying at a night club. Instead, characters watch T.V. and fall sleep on the couch or shop at the supermarket. There are shootings, chases, murders, betrayals, heartbreaks, and paranoia but they occur without the histrionics or larger than life feelings so common in today's movies.

A sense of menace permeates almost each scene maintaining tension throughout the entire film. At times it appears as if its all in the protagonist's mind eye because the action occurs without sound, just electronic music. Then scenes have an almost abstract quality producing a feeling of seeing the story almost in its very essence.

The superb cast which includes brilliant actor Guy Pearce are perfect in their portrait of criminals and cops, none of them to be trusted. The criminal mentality in all its banality and psychosis is clearly depicted. This is an excellent film, fluid, engaging, clear-eyed, and sober. Highly recommended.

Alpha and Omega (2010)

A Wasted Opportunity to Teach About Wolves

[2/10 · 27 January 2011]

Although the movie's plot and animation at times try to depict the wolves and their world realistically -- which is when it most entertaining -- most of it is silly, contrived, anthropomorphic nonsense.

It distorts facts such as there is one alpha couple who leads the pack and not two groups of alphas and omegas, the pack is actually an extended family, there is only one omega member, etc. But the worse aspects -- despite the plot's good idea of wolves being relocated by humans -- are the silly clichés, the characters acting like canines one minute and as humans the next one, and the animation that makes the animals look like stuffed toys.

The Omega male is an irresponsible immature slacker who uses large pieces of bark as boards to ride down the slopes. The Alpha female is responsible and mature, hunts for the pack and is ready to sacrifice herself for the sake of the pack. The alpha males of two feuding packs arrange a marriage of convenience between their offspring to unite the packs. The hero and heroine are saved by a duck and a Canadian geese who is an avid golfer. Wolves do R&B howling...

This movie does not come even close to a Disney or a Pixar. Instead, it makes Bambi look like Citizen Cane and The Fox and the Hound like Avatar. It is a pity the makers resorted to such a phony silliness instead of trying to teach children about wildlife with a truer sense of wonder.

Bluebeard (2009)

Pointless and Boring

[2/10 · 21 August 2010]

Charles Perraux's 17th century folktale has terrified generations of children with the story of a psycho killer nobleman murdering his wives while teaching a lesson about the horrors that await those who are disobedient (specially girls) doing what has been forbidden. Apparently based on a real serial killer nobleman, the story certainly contains psycho-sexual elements that in proper hands could become a heady thrilling film.

Considering Catherine Breillat's previous films (Romance among others), one would expect a tour of the dark and tortured aspects of human sexuality involving power, violence, and other themes she has explored in the past. Instead we are presented with two movies both equally bland and meandering: in one, two little girls sneak into an attic that is off-limit to them and read to each other the book Bluebeard; in the second one, the story comes to life as imagined by the girls. The result is neither fish nor fowl: a movie that is too complicated for children but boring and pointless for adults.

The two girls interrupt their reading to talk about scattered subjects, get scared by the story, and argue as siblings do. The heroine as imagined by the girls is a colorless young woman who does not convey the fear or anxiety the girl in the original story has. The villain, fat and morose, is not threatening or mysterious enough to create an impending sense of doom. The movie, despite some rich scenes of a fairytale France, goes nowhere. It is a sad day when a self indulgent job such as this one passes for art.

La Mission (2009)

Uncompromising and Realistic Portrait of Latino Life in San Francisco

[9/10 · 15 August 2010]

This underrated movie provides an insider's view of the colorful San Francisco's neighborhood known as the "Mission" - a predominantly Latino enclave in San Francisco. Inspired by real characters, it does not present the usual clichés of the ethnic minority drama by avoiding the romanticizing of this environment; it skews the typical down home ethnic wisdom favored by liberal Hollywood and does not become another histrionic sordid ghetto thriller/soap opera.

Supported by an excellent cast, Benjamin Bratt gives an astonishing performance as an intolerant bus driver, a single father who cannot accept his adolescent only son's homosexuality despite the love and pride he feels for him. The violent machismo that have shaped his life is perpetuated by the next generation of disenfranchised youth who prey La Mission.

The neighborhood is presented as an insular world almost anachronistic in 21st century San Francisco. Working class middle age men turn old cars into souped-up low-riding monsters and make fun of soy lattes and recycling, feathered Aztec dancers fill the streets with color and sound as neighbors try to maintain a sense of heritage with their indigenous past, families place flowers and pray where their children have been slain.

The movie transcends its family drama genre allowing the story to evolve at its own pace with a feeling of authenticity and honesty prevailing in every scene. Without providing easy solutions, it centers on a character whose contradictions reflect the world he inhabits. Highly recommended.

Oceans (2008)

Marvelous Exploration of the Seven Seas

[10/10 · 2 June 2010]

This epic portrait of the oceans of our planet is one of the most visually arresting films ever made. The aquatic lives in their many forms are astonishing to see. The film's narration cannot, of course, gives a natural history course on every form of life but that it is not the point. The film show us the magnitude of the oceans and their interdependence with life on earth.

It also shows how precarious the situation has became due to pollution, fishing and global warming but that is just one aspect of the film.

This is a sober, magnificent documentary whose vision of ocean life will remain indelible for those who see it. Bravo, Disney!

Now, if parents would take their children to see it that would a reward for everybody.

The Ghost Writer (2010)

Another Polanski Masterpiece: A Thinking Man's Poltical Thriller

[10/10 · 26 April 2010]

This movie does not have: explosions, multiple shootings, martial arts fights, implausible escapes, implausible dangerous situations, and histrionics.

This movie does have: a main character experiencing an increasing feeling of something being terrible wrong and realizing his life may be in danger as he began to discover certain secrets in the life of a former British prime minister, a tense international political situation, and an uneasy group of characters isolated in a New England island in the middle of the winter.

Perfectly paced, without a single false note, this political thriller gets under your skin and keeps the tension until the last second. Each frame, each word, each gesture, each detail is perfectly appropriate and balanced. The plot is totally credible and Ewan McGregor, Kim Cattrall, Pierce Brosnan, Tom Wilkinson, and Olivia Williams are all excellent. Even actors with minimal roles such as Elli Wallach or James Beluchi attain considerable presence in the screen.

Combining vintage Polanski - ominous discoveries (Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown), claustrophobia (Knife in the Water), isolation (The Pianist)- with a contemporary situation involving the war on terror and involvement in the Middle East, The Ghost Writer is certainly one of the best movies of its kind. Roman Polanski is now an old master and this is one of his masterpieces. Those who love their thrillers served well-chilled with a high dose of intelligence and tension should not miss it.

Knut and His Friends (2008)

Fine Documentary for Young Children About the Life of Young Bears

[9/10 · 18 February 2010]

Knut, became a world celebrity when his polar bear mother rejected him after birth and he was raised by his keeper at the Berlin Zoo. This documentary follows very closely the interaction of the adorable bear cub and his keeper who was required to care for him basically 24 hours a day. Two other related stories are featured in the movie: a pair of brown bear cubs in Belarus whose mother has been killed and a polar bear mother raising three cubs.

Knut is the poster bear for his endangered family and the global warming that is melting the ice caps. The movie touches lightly on those themes but its focus is on the bears' interaction and development with Knut as the main star -- which he is.

There are some cheesy aspects such as the narrator being the wind and a second rate chirpy R&B soundtrack, however, one has to consider that this film is intended for young children. As such, it is relatively light and breezy yet educative, moving, and entertaining. This is a must see for families with children under 12 and viewers of all ages whose inner child loves bears and nature.

Is Anybody There? (2008)

Wonder and Dread in a Childhood Memory

[10/10 · 21 January 2010]

There is a hazy feeling permeating through "Is Anybody There?" as the perception of life for the 10-year-old protagonist is affected by the impermanence of the elderly residents living at home. Edward, who has been asked by his parents to give up his bedroom to accommodate residents in the house they have converted into a rest home, struggles with the concept of death as the elderly around him decay and die. He tries to record evidence of the existence of the soul while his obsession makes him an outsider at school and in his own home. The scenes are clearly his memories: this is the mid-80s with "Back to the Future" at the movie theater and "Come on Eileen" on the radio, his parents' quarrels, the boring classroom, his anger at the situation, and old folks dropping dead.

Clarence, played masterfully by Michael Caine, is a former vaudeville magician referred by social services and in the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer's, who becomes a new resident in the home against his wishes. Eventually, Clarence's bitter cynicism is lifted by Edward's ebullience and they bond but despite magic tricks and tenderness their moments will be far from perfect and they will not necessarily alter their belief system and be wiser.

This movie does not follow the contrived formula of the old person/young person plot written and performed countless times, often sweetened with sentimentality and conveying the idea that both lives will change for the better. The older one, often bitter or jaded, learns to love again and spends his/her last days as a better human being thanks to the younger one's candor and energy, while, the inexperienced younger one learns the bittersweet lessons of living and dying from the older one. Sometimes, the formula is inverted and the elderly is optimistic and energetic teaching a child how to open up to life while the young one brings grounding common sense. "Is anybody There?" it is not this type of movie, there are no big lessons and imparting of wisdom. It is just a short tale of two lost souls meeting and departing and the process of aging and dying at a rest home. The scenes do not try to be sentimental or evoke notion of what is living and dying but search for a realistic tone showing the elderly and the rest home daily living under a natural light.

Michael Caine's poignant vulnerable performance as a man living on a meager pension in his last days while still trying to maintain his dignity is award-worthy. Prodigious young actor Bill Milner (who was fantastic in "Son of Rambow") is a perfect match creating a delightful portrait of a lonely, confused and angry boy who is too smart for his own good.

If you are the type of viewer you enjoy conventional dramas or comedies that involve children and seniors, this movie may not be for your. If you wish to watch a British slice of life where a boy and an old man come together for a brief shining moment as one is growing and the other dying, this movie is perfection.

Rudo y Cursi (2008)

Highly Entertaining Rag to Riches Mexican Football Tale

[9/10 · 26 August 2009]

The history of the peasant or working class young man who rises to the top in the world of sports or entertainment only to fall due to betrayal and/or addiction has been told many times before, but this movie from the team of "Y Tu Mama Tambien" feels new and dynamic. Compelling, funny, insightful, fast-paced, philosophical, moving, this tale of two brothers who are able to leave their banana-picker job to become major league football stars in Mexico City is fresh and exciting.

With a vibrant cinematography, an unflinching look at the Mexican realities of the marginally-living rural laborer class and the world of professional football with its egos, deals, and fame, we are presented with a large incisive, ironic slice of Mexican life. Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna as usual disappear into their roles this time as the competing brothers who are not prepared to hit the big time. Poverty, machismo, football fanaticism, gambling, sex, cocaine, family problems, shady people are shown as colorful and obscene as the language used by characters. The scenes are fluid and entertaining; it may be a drama but it is also a fun comedy and totally life-affirming. To top it all, there is a great music video with Garcia Bernal doing Van Halen's "I Want you to Want me" as a ranchera in Spanish. In the end, the movie even at 103 minutes feels perhaps too brief leaving one wishing for more.

"Rudo y Cursi" reaffirms the talents of director Carlos Cuaron, Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna.

I Love You, Man (2009)

Flat, cliché-ridden, not very funny or amusing

[2/10 · 22 August 2009]

This movie is a wasted opportunity. Although it tries to be a good nature comedy exploring the difficulties men can have in finding and maintaining true friendships, the pace is uneven and flat, the dialog is mostly dull, the scarce jokes are not very funny, the situations are uninspired and unrealistic, and the characters are bland and shallow.

SNL alumni Andy Samberg and Jane Curtin and legendary muscleman Lou Ferrigno could have added plenty of laughter and spice but they only have a couple of lines and nothing much to do. And it is the same for the rest of the cast, with the exception of Paul Rudd and Jason Siegel who tried their best despite their contrived and sometimes idiotic lines.

This is a contrived, unoriginal, poorly edited, boring affair full of recycled clichés, badly written and ineptly directed.

Katyn (2007)

A Massacre by the Soviets

[10/10 · 16 August 2009]

This courageous film directed with clarity and care by octogenarian Andrzej Wajda will reward viewers with a relatively unknown dark episode occurred during the occupation of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union at the dawn of WWII and its aftermath under the communist regime.

Without histrionics or gratuitous gore, the film presents a somber portrait of a divided occupied Poland, part of the country under the Germans and the other under the Soviets. The story focuses on the mothers and wives of military officers, professors, and other professionals sent to camps. Once the war is over, the massacre committed by the Soviets at the Katyn forest in Russia is covered-up by the communist regime that punishes to all those who refuse to accept its lies.

Andrzej Wajda, whose own military officer father was a murdered at Katyn, presents a multi-faceted scenario of great sorrow, but never mawkish, in a meticulously reconstructed war-torn Poland. Despair, hope, inhumanity, compassion, self-betrayal, and dignity are embodied by the many characters who inter-relate in the story, all of them affected in one way or another by the Katyn massacre. This is the work of an old master, a complex canvass directed with a sure hand, allowing the actors to embody their characters in brief nuanced performances - a lucid poignant masterpiece.

A must-see for all those who are interested in occupation of Poland and subsequent Soviet satellite regime after WWII.

Brüno (2009)

Sasha Baron Cohen 's Highwire Act Laughing at Ignorance, Homophobia, Fame, Fanaticism, and Other Ills

[9/10 · 30 July 2009]

Nothing prepares audiences for the funniest and kinkiest scenes in the first few minutes of the movie. From then on, the movie is a roller coaster of outrageous jokes at the expense of unsuspected real persons who believe they are dealing with Bruno - the outlandish uber fashionist, self-indulgent gay idiot from Austria who claims is 19 years old and wants to be as popular as Hitler.

There is nothing sacred for chameleon comedian Sasha Baron-Cohen who completely disappears into his role. Fashionists, psychics, celebrities, fame-seekers, gay-reverser ministers, Southern rednecks, Orthodox Jews, Palestinian terrorists, African Americans, and others are mercilessly exposed by the camera. Some are shallow and stupid, others false and contrived. The worse ones are ignorant, homophobic, intolerant, and violent.

Kudos to SBC who valiantly walked a high wire without a net to make us laugh with this outrageous comedy. He could have easily been physically assaulted or sued for millions in his quest to show us our contemporary madness. For those who love their satire pushing all boundaries, this movie is not to be missed.

Dark Streets (2008)

Outstanding blues and swing, arresting visuals, bad screenplay

[3/10 · 6 July 2009]

If you are a fan of Salomon Burke, Etta James, Dr. John, or just love blues and swing, "Dark Streets" would appear to be dream come true. In this tale of a doomed 1930s rich boy turned night club owner, even actresses Bijou Phillips and Izabella Miko hold their own as club singers delivering their songs with plenty of gusto and sex-appeal while the dancers and music scorch the screen. But the music and club act scenes cannot hide the movie's inept screenplay.

Besides the music, the cinematography is also stunning creating the noirest of atmospheres in the middle of the Great Depression. Murderous dark streets, threatening characters, a decadent night club, presented in rich palette of dark hues and swirling camera work. Unfortunately, soon this becomes irrelevant when the plot fails to deliver.

The story borrows heavily from "Chinatown" and 1940s/1950s film noirs, involving electrical power, greed, dissipation, betrayal, and murder. In able hands it could have been a compelling moral tale, but this poorly written movie lacks the required tension to maintain interest resorting to noir clichés (femme fatale) and contrived situations (heartbreak leads to cocaine) with subplots and characters that go nowhere. The dialogue attempts to generate some sparks here and there but the results are noir light - even Bogart and Bacall would have come out flat delivering the lines. To make matters worse, the main character is an uninteresting weakling who does not inspire much sympathy played by Gabriel Mann as if sleepwalking. Parts of the plot are ludicrous: a corrupt police lieutenant who wears a metal chest plate, a large amount of money that is never seeing again, a shrewd hostile governor is set up having sex at the club, characters murdered for no reason, etc.

If you like bluesy music, Busby Berkeley, a 1930s noir atmosphere and flashy camera work, you should enjoy some of this movie. Alas, "Dark Dreams" is neither "Chicago" nor "Chinatown" and while the musical acts sizzle the rest of the movie fizzles. If one would be able to only listen to the music with the voices turn off, it would be perfect. It gets 3 starts only for its music and some of its visuals.

Finding Rin Tin Tin (2007)

Perfect Movie for Those Under Age 12, Entertaining for the Rest of Us

[8/10 · 12 May 2009]

A good children's film is rare indeed. If it is infantile, although children may enjoy it, usually adults stay away and critics destroy it. If it is too intellectual or the plot, characters, and emotions are truer to life, usually it is praised by critics and attract adults but may be too emotionally and intellectually challenging for children, boring or overwhelming them. In this age of "Transformers" and "Resident Evil," a movie like "Finding Rin Tin Tin" is a breath of fresh air - a film for children with a good World War I tale, fantastic dog actors (four dogs play Rinti), and wholesome family values. Younger children should love this movie and adults can be pleasantly entertained without feelings of being lobotomized.

Although the film's depiction of how the beloved German Shepperd dog was found is true, the plot soon strays from the real story imagining Rinty as a creature of superior intelligence and energy, mischievous, loving, and heroic, the star of the battalion. The real Rin Tin Tin was brought to America as a puppy by the soldier who found him and went on to become arguably the biggest Hollywood star of its day whose movies made millions. However, this re-imagining of Rin Tin Tin is not a bad thing since the plot uses his adventures in the last days of WWI to portrait heroism and altruism against meanness, selfishness, and dishonesty.

Filmed in Bulgaria, with a good cast of British and American actors, the movie is fast-paced and entertaining, with enough cuteness and slapstick to have younger children howling but at the same time with an eye for period detail, colorful villains and supporting characters, and the best German Shepperds actors that side of the Atlantic to make the movie enjoyable for older audiences. "Finding Rin Tin Tin" is done very much in the spirit of the old Disney movies, such as "Swiss Family Robinson" or "Nikky, Wild Dog of the North" - movies that baby boomers grew up with. See it, if possible with a child, and keep in mind it is a children's movie. As such, it is quite wonderful.

Sex and the Single Girl (1964)

A Total Waste - Cartoonish Garbage

[1/10 · 7 April 2009]

Here is a movie that could have been a 60s classic lampooning tabloid journalism, skin-deep psychology, proto-feminism, marital problems, hypocrisy, and sexual freedom. Instead, it is a cartoonish pastiche of amateurish slapstick, poorly-time jokes, silly contrived situations, and one of the most idiotic and long car chases in the history of cinema.

The idea of a sleazy editor doing a hatchet job on a 23-year-old virgin psychologist who has written a bestseller affirming the sexual lives of single women should certainly have hilarious possibilities - specially if he is a liar, she cannot handle her own feelings, and they are sexually attracted to each other. However, the script is ludicrous and inconsistent often degenerating into total silliness: at first, the story appears to take place in New York, then all the characters end up at the L.A. airport; a woman is singing with the Count Basie Orchestra and trying to land a recording contract, then she wants to fly away with any man anywhere; a man struggles with his business and marriage, then he just decides to fly away to Hawaii or Fiji.

The inept direction give us the sad spectacle of screen giants Henry Fonda and Lauren Bacall doing the twist while the Count Basie Orchestra is performing a swing song! They try saying their idiotic lines with utter lack of conviction - probably this movie was an embarrassment to them. Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis also fail at being funny although that is the script's fault and not their own. In the long run, it is hard to watch so much stupidity and wasted talent on the screen. Avoid it at all costs.

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

Overlong, tedious, pretentious - an odd mess. See 8 1/2 or the BBC's The Singing Detective instead

[2/10 · 31 March 2009]

Stalwart Philip Seymour Hoffman and some of the excellent cast, including Emily Watson and Jennifer Jason Leigh, cannot save this movie from being one of the decade's worse failures. After writing brilliant scripts such as "Adaptation" or "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Charlie Kaufman tries directing and the result is a colossal, self-indulgent mess of a film that cannot engage viewers at an emotional level or make much intellectual sense despite its ambitions.

All of Kaufman's earlier themes are here - mind illusions, absurdity of life, fractured unresolved relationships - but this time presented in a boring epic scenario. Hofman plays a regional theater director afflicted by a mental disorder that includes hypochondria, paranoia, and dissociation. Divorce, marriage, work, daily activities are experienced in a dream state. He gets a grant that enables him to create a play about his life transforming a large warehouse into a replica of New York but the process become endless as the play and his life became reflections of each other confusing him, the actors, and needless to say the viewers.

Although the film attempts to be a meditation on meaningful themes, such as the transitory nature of life and creating art, its two-hour plus length, poorly-edited pace, and convoluted plot turn it into a boring, meaningless experience. If you want get into the mind of a director, see Fellini's 8 1/2 - a masterpiece for the ages. If you want to experience the feverish imagination of a writer while tortured by illness, see the BBC's mini-series "The Singing Detective." These are unforgettable films. "Synechdoche New York" is a film probably most viewers would like to soon forget.