Barnyard (2006)

Barnyard is certainly no Lion King. It's not even Madagascar or Over the Hedge. It's not as funny as Chicken Little. Barnyard has its moments of humor, brilliance, and sweetness; they're just mixed in with a lot of bits that miss the mark and may jar adults or cause them to snooze. (The writers betray their inanity by penning a joke about the New World Order.) My 9-year-old laughs and loves this movie esp. the mouse and the hairball character. My favorite scenes involve the postman and the neighbor lady but I think the dark scenes and much of the stretched efforts to riff and be cool are just off. By the way, to all those whose reviews consist solely of one sentence or an entire paragraph mumbling "but male bovines don't have udders"--you have udderly no imagination and probably need a good nipple tweaking yourself. Three stars.

Commander In Chief: The Inaugural Edition, Part 2 (2005)

TV. The Bush machine stole two elections and doubtless cancelled this stellar program--showing themselves to be as conniving as the Republican speaker who opposed this fictional woman president. This show was not about Hillary Clinton, though reactionary types manage to see a snake behind every flower. How unfortunate when politics undermine the arts and circumvent the truth. Five stars.

Commander in Chief: The Inaugural Edition, Part 1 (2005)

TV. Commander in Chief is not as presidential as The West Wing but it feels more presidential than our current administration ("I'm the decider" and "what he said"). It's full of states(wo)manlike and principled independent leadership on the part of Geena Davis, of decisions as well as appeals to tell the truth and to "do the right thing," in direct contrast to the smarmy two-faced politically motivated backstabbing and machinations of Donald Sutherland. This is not to say the characters play to type or are black-and-white; they are complex, well-played to the letter, and truly keep you guessing. I was not pleased that the mindless antics of the teen son and daughter could be tolerated in the White House, however, Geena and her "first gentleman" husband ably explore the gender bender of a female president while balancing the politics of reality with the commitment and tenderness of a real marriage. Highly recommended for any student of democracy and humanitarian values. Five stars.

Broken Flowers (2005)

OK, I am a fan of Bill Murray and his minimalist acting. I loved this movie's concept and I was eager to see it. Nevertheless when I finally did, it was like watching paint dry (with no real or implied plot development going on behind Bill's ragged drooping eyelids). I gave Lost in Translation five stars because I could infer and empathize with the ennui and anomie that were inimical to Bill's persona. Broken Flowers is so thoroughly minimalist, on the other hand, that it stands virtually indiscernible from an ottoman collecting dust (interspersed with scenes of planes taking off and cars ambling down country roads). It became almost painful how Bill did little more than mope or stare into the distance with a blank expression -- a truly blank expression, because he never gave any hint of a consciousness or a will behind those vacant stares, much less any potential to learn or grow through his experiences, which were generally so vacuous and futile that in the end I was aggravated since he was apparently doomed to such a fate (sort of a perpetual Groundhog Day without hope or clue of redemption). I almost gave this movie two stars but the chatty-Cathy teenyboppers on the bus helped redeem its entertainment value, as did Sharon Stone's breezy portrayal of an ex-girlfriend -- not to mention her troubling exhibitionist daughter Lolita. ("Interesting choice of name" intones Bill Murray -- in between scenes involving the near and full frontal and dorsal nudity of otherwise unknown Brea Frazier.) Frances Conroy also hints at potential for story and character development, but ultimately disappoints. Two other ex-girlfriends fail to deliver even a perfunctory whiff of plot potential. Bill's neighbors and their five children are good, sincere, happy souls -- and he expresses sincere and wistful affection for them -- yet they appear to be the antithesis of what vexes him and he can never have. Frustrating! Three stars.

Matchstick Men (2003)

Matchstick Men is no Road to Perdition; its light touch is its salvation. Seeing this movie is its own reward, but let's be clear: It's more visceral, human, and funny than The Whole Nine (not to mention Ten) Yards. Nicholas Cage does a fine job playing a quirky, obsessive-compulsive "con artist" with an established career and a sterile lifestyle who suddenly finds out he has a 14-year-old daughter who wants to become involved in his life. He discovers he has feelings (that he mostly doesn't know what to do with yet) -- hopes, worries, and joys -- about this precocious young woman, esp. in regard to his risky career and rigid lifestyle. (Apparently the only thing he eats, for example, is canned tuna.) This movie was very satisfying and never slowed down for want of fresh story development, right down to the (wow, a happy) ending. Everyone in the supporting cast carried the story on their shoulders (through all the plot twists and tensions) and made this a very good, believable, feel-good movie. Four stars.

Shooting War: World War II Combat Cameramen (2000)

Documentary. Here is a good chronological and contextual overview of World War II documentary motion pictures, including some scenes never before released, with extensive commentary from the cameramen themselves. (Tom Hanks narrates and appears initially in a huge bushy beard -- he must have been in production for Cast Away.) Wars had been photographed before but WWII was the first war that was intentionally and massively covered by embedded cinematographers like John Huston and John M. Ford in addition to more than 1,500 soldiers trained as cameramen. Their job was to document every beach landing, carrier operation, urban tank match, and so on. (Cartoons and war films formed the original cinematic trailers and Saturday moviegoing was the best way for civilians back home to get their news of the war. The documentary footage was incorporated into the embedded producers' own coverage, which became war propaganda as it increasingly involved battle reenactments, ship and plane models, actors, and scripting.) The raw war footage was necessary for the conduct of war by generals and for the comprehension of war by civilians. As such, these cameramen on the ground and in the air showed their mettle and often risked their lives to help America "get the big picture" of the war, with a measure of the personal courage, professional dedication, and service to humanity that we have seen in war correspondents ever since. 3.5 stars.

Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972)

Here is a visually and psychologically powerful portrayal of progressive megalomania, played so physically and idiosyncratically by Klaus Kinski. His face is unforgettable with its Teutonic definition, bloodless sculpted lips, and ever sharp but hooded eyes. His swaggering posture is unflaggingly simian, with a low center of gravity as he pivots always at his knees. His choices, strategies, and actions present a study in Machiavellianism. Visually the landscape is stunning as well, and the cinematography (most impressive given the arduous conditions and young age of the director) is creatively varied and always sumptuous, even when feasting on squalor. This is The Mission meets The Lord of the Flies on The African Queen. The greed and expedience of the conquistadors and even the monk are chilling as they slip from self-deception that they choose into self-deception they cannot control. Such is madness, after all. 4.5 stars.

Real Women Have Curves (2002)

Omigosh this is a wonderful movie! It's a captivating study of Latina womenhood -- sort of a Latin version of Moonstruck or a less-in-your-face, more-passive-aggressive My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Every scene conveys Latin culture in L.A. with great visual and clarion quality, esp. the dynamics of Latina women of various ages between themselves and in their families. It's as beautiful, accurate, and sympathetic as Maria Full of Grace yet as sincere as The Full Monty or as virginal as My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It's not a comedy but it's a genuine slice-of-life story that cuts across age groups, where everyone (esp. the charming America Ferrera but not her drama-coach mother Lupe Ontiveros) accepts themselves as they are. America (she of the alluring eyebrows, here in her debut role but most recently the star of Ugly Betty) is fine with her weight because she is a "real" woman who refuses to follow her mother's dictates to lose weight, attract a man, get married, and care for her husband and children. She wants to do that -- but not only that, not just yet, and not just because it's what her mother wants! (Her mother has only recently given up on her older daughter, who runs the family business that provides all the women with sweatshop wages, but wages all the same.) The dynamics of the mother-daughter relationship are captivating and I won't divulge any maternal contradictions here. Be sure to view the additional year-later scene though -- it helped resolve the story and pushed me over from joy to nary-a-dry-eye. Down with starving-waif supermodels! Up with real (esp. Latina) women -- of every shape and curve! Five stars.