Sweet Land (2005)

Sweet Land is Sommersby meets The Shipping News in Minnesota. The scenery and the acting are enchanting and beautiful. The character and emotional restraint visible in the faces of these people of the land is amazing. Olaf (Tim Guinee) is a stoic Norwegian bachelor farmer who longs to be wed to his intended bride. The community opposes their union because she is a German immigrant in the aftermath of WWI. Young Inge (Elizabeth Reaser) is a sharp, doe-eyed dish who will not let her destiny be denied. Old Inge (Lois Smith) is a timeworn gem who emanates the lifelong love of her husband. The story is reminiscent of bits from The Notebook and It's A Wonderful Life and the landscapes can be jawdroppingly gorgeous. Most of the movie is in English but even if you don't know Norwegian or German, the intentional lack of subtitles for these scenes incurs the same effect in viewers as would be experienced by the characters: their dependence on communicating by emotions and gestures rather than words. Unless you're uncomfortable with reality outside the city limits, vote to see this film in a heartbeat. 5 stars.

The Darwin Awards (2005)

Think of The Darwin Awards as X-Files and Punk'd meet Being John Malkovich. It's not as funny as Fargo or Groundhog Day but it's better than Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys. Joseph Fiennes is too softspoken half the time but he and Winona Ryder feel comfortable in their roles. Blame the director for the tepid acting and editing but kudos to scriptwriting and casting for the droll humorous vignettes, esp. the poetry references and Lawrence Ferlinghetti cameo. The plot isn't too inspiring: Prissy top police profiler, disgraced and seeking employment, is paired with a jaded insurance adjuster. The more he becomes preoccupied with Darwin Award "winners," the more he risks (and imagines himself) making similar lethally stupid mistakes. The "documentary photographer" gets some funny lines from behind the camera. Don't miss the Mythbusters guys, who sell a jet engine to a doomed would-be racecar driver, and Josh Charles from Sports Night as a paramedic. 3.5 stars.

Apocalypto (2006)

Awesome film! Visually stunning, adrenaline-pumping, slightly less graphic than The Passion of the Christ and 300 for yick or splut factor. For panoramic views, cinematography, scriptwriting, linguistics, sound editing, film editing, set construction, costuming, and makeup -- not to forget action -- this story rocks! It's a gripping narrative arc that kept me writhing on the edge of my seat. Those that complained it's a racist movie are off their feed; I would worry about Mel Gibson's gore fetish though. As to the Mesoamerican history academic who complained it's not 100% historically accurate and conflated several cultural trends, hm, well, Hollywood has never done that before, have they? Hey, I'm a Tolkien scholar and Lord of the Rings didn't follow the book verbatim either. The forced-march and Mayan temple scenes are captivating for their beauty and attention to detail as well as their brutality. See this movie for the action and suspense -- you really care about the characters -- which is doubly amazing, since its script is written entirely in a Mayan tongue. (Cool!) 5 stars.

Evita (1996)

Musical. Here is a modern political opera with style. The music is memorable esp. as sung by Madonna and Antonio Banderas. The makeup and costuming are superb. (Ah, the 1940s!) The crowd scenes (rallies, protests, marches, routs) are impressively staged. Madonna makes this production shine! Look out for streaks of melodrama though. 4.5 stars.

Code 46 (2004)

Wow! This is simply an astounding movie that will linger and won't let you go. The story is imbued with visual and aural textures and an emotional complexity that, while appearing smooth on the surface, actually run deep, very deep. Here is a groundbreaking, thoroughly iconic film that blends the storylines of 1984, Children of Men, and Gattaca with a global gestalt (filming was in Shanghai and Dubai) reminiscent of Koyanisqaatsi. It's a sci-fi setting for a love story that is an art film too. The emotional and sexual chemistry between Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton is undeniable, though each has reasons to be of two minds: His marriage and her "therapy" for violation of Code 46. It's interesting how widely others' reviews of this movie vary -- from comments comparable to "astonishingly rich and complex story and acting -- unparalleled" to "I didn't understand it -- boring, a waste of time." (Hm, I wonder which is the smart crowd and which is the dumb crowd.) Probably just a half-dozen dystopian-future sci-fi movies have grabbed me as strongly and enduringly as Code 46. A must-see movie from BBC Films and the director of A Mighty Heart. 5 stars.

Hair (1979)

Musical. Hair is a raucous celebration of hippie culture -- if you lived through those days -- but to modern folk it will play like a goofy otherworldly sketch that fails to explain why people dressed and acted like that. Twyla Tharp's choreography is amazing as always, the singing and acting is superb and the two lead actors (Treat Williams and John Savage) perform memorably. The hippie lifestyle just seems so anachronistic to a post-Enron, post-Goth, post-Columbine, post-9/11 etc. world. We have really lost our way from the idealism of the flower children, while we in this Bratz and Botox age laugh at their hair, clothing, hygiene and irreverence for capitalism. The final twist is a telling one and a brave message to remember during the Vietnam -- and Iraq, or any -- war. 4.5 stars.

Doggy Poo (2004)

An odd Korean short film that's sensitively done, if you don't think about it too much. Our story: A piece of poo falls by the side of the road and, being self-aware, asks "Why am I here?" questions of himself and passersby. The plotline is as somnolent as a Pokemon episode without a battle. If only the subject matter were less squeamish. Some might ask "Why would anyone make this movie?" though I'd say sincere creativity can take even this form. Nevertheless, my youngest son and I only watched this because it's short and available online. 2 stars.

Spy Game (2001)

I originally gave this one 3 stars but after catching it a second time, I raised that to 3.5 stars and, on further consideration, 4 stars. Spy Games is not as iconic or memorable as Enemy of the State, Babel or even A Clear and Present Danger but it's at least as good as Swordfish and a good sight better than Sneakers. Redford ably plays the coolheaded, experienced but now deskbound spy who prepares his career-capping rogue operation beneath the noses of his superiors. Pitt plays the earnest junior operative who needs rescue. The action is often fast-paced, realistic and gritty, esp. when suicide bombers are involved, but the storyline often lost me during the bureaucratic subterfuge -- Redford's superiors just look like a gallery of nameless white guys I could care less about. Redford, Pitt and the two women make this movie but everyone else does a good job. Watch this after you're tired of multiple viewings of the Mission Impossible movies. 4 stars.

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Vol. 3 (2005)

TV. Harvey Birdman presents a constant stream of visual and verbal punbits. Harvey and company's fast-paced absurdist wit is enhanced in season 3 by cameos from U.S. Supreme Court justices and Frida Kahlo plus a "classic" Birdman cartoon from "1967." You have to see every episode more than once to catch every quick snatch of humor. 5 stars.

Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

This movie began with enough delightful quirks (Geoffrey Rush and George Clooney can almost do no wrong) that it caught my attention (on cable TV) and affection even before the credits showed it to be a Coen Bros. venue. While it is not up to their usual snuff for originality, this movie is full of enough twists and sendups that I would happily watch it again. Catherine Zeta-Jones is subtle as the spider eyeing fly after fly and all the satellite roles (Billy Bob Thornton, Cedric the Entertainer and the rest) were excellent. Not as hot as Russo and Brosnan in The Thomas Crowne Affair or as volatile as War of the Roses but mercifully more engaging than Law of Attraction. A few of the twists are either predictable or intractable -- you either see them coming or you can't figure out how they got there (for example, it's unclear for professional reasons why Clooney gets the hots for Zeta-Jones, although it's clear for every other reason in the book). So if you can deal with less-than-perfect plotting, here is a strong entry that people seem to either love or hate -- therefore those who hate it may do so because of their expectations rather than the content of the film itself. This movie skewers the cynicism of L.A.'s power-playing marital-prenup divorce gallery by exposing it in all its seaminess and promotes old-fashioned love and vulnerability for their own sake -- what more could a true romantic ask for? 4.5 stars.

Moral Orel: Vol. 1 (2005)

TV. I'd caught promos on Adult Swim (showing Orel giving his team a sports drink made of his own urine) but I had to see this show because of the subject matter: A postmodern Babbitt and son. Moral Orel is Davey and Goliath meets Family Guy or The Oblongs, not South Park as some say (no swearing). Its satire hits dead-on more often than it misses or goes flat. Orel is an 11-year-old who sincerely loves God but is so sheltered by the religion-based denial mechanisms of his family, pastor and co-inhabitants of Moralton, Statesota that in his zeal, he mistakes or simply takes their advice too far. (No one wants to see innocent Orel getting drunk, smoking crack, bludgeoning gay boys or passing out his urine to drink, but satire shows unpleasant things to prove that the rationales which led to such outcomes are what are truly heinous.) In the process, and in the inevitable ensuing encounter with his dad and his belt in the den, Orel learns valuable life lessons -- or does he? Read the Wikipedia entry on Moral Orel for a breakdown of the characters but the potential is rife for the exposure of the sin and folly of Moralton's adults as Orel, in his trusting nature, follows their advice. Everyone in town is smug about their church attendance and spiritual superiority (esp. to Catholics) but of course it doesn't do their lives any good. Orel's dad, Clay Puppington, is so bitter about his dead-end job and sexless marriage that his religion-based pronouncements to Orel about the purpose of marriage and life are naked in their error and resentment; similarly for their burned-out and embittered Protestant minister, who remains a virgin at what appears to be age 50 and has a coffee mug that reads "I hate my boss." The librarian burns books and organizes protests of movies, even The Ten Commandments. Also, in every episode we learn of a "lost commandment," which is often the basis for Orel's erroneous adventures, such as the 18th, "Thou shalt be loyal to all thy friends at the same time." Moral Orel skewers self-important fundamentalist priggishness far more effectively than most people know, because most people don't know self-important fundamentalist prigs. (The truth is out there.) Moral Orel is often tasteless but its satire and message is rarely baseless. One last thing: See the official Web site to play the Crucifolks song "Reason (Is the Enemy of Faith)"! 5 stars.

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

George Clooney and Brad Pitt are back with some help from the rest of the Ocean's Eleven crew, but the plot divides them up singly and into subgroups -- and against no less than four major antagonists -- so their appearances feel like cameos. (You see Bernie Mac in what seems like 3 scenes for 60 seconds total.) Matt Damon has a slightly bigger role but as a bumbler (apparently) and some of the plot twists stretch credulity. (I loved the idea of Julia Roberts impersonating Julia Roberts but how it was carried off was a clear fumble.) Ocean's Twelve is slower in action and humor than Ocean's Eleven -- you may get confused if you don't hear every line or nod off but it may not make a difference or you may not even care -- however, the dynamics parboil for a bit during the final plot twists. Catherine Zeta-Jones is a welcome addition. 3.5 stars.

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

A very nicely done art-of-the-con flick! The ensemble cast plays very well together and with plenty of understated humor. (To George Clooney nitpickers: It's not being cocky when he's right and he wins, esp. after affecting humility.) Here is a smartly designed production that resembles the brainy twists and turns of the Mission: Impossible TV series more than the amped-up MI movie franchise and is almost as fun as The Italian Job. 4.5 stars.

Wonderworks: Bridge to Terabithia (1985)

This film stands on its own, however, at one hour in length it contains very little on Terabithia and the lead characters' relationship, unlike the popular recent release (which left one wanting more). In short, this film is definitely not as good the 2007 version, or even your average 1980s Disney "family movie," but it's OK for the homeschool crowd that eats this kind of thing up. 2.5 stars.

Les Miserables in Concert (1996)

Musical. Here is the "dream team" with a vast choral cast in a nearly flawless concert presentation of the world's best-loved musical, lyrically and compositionally more complex than The Phantom of the Opera (fewer catchy tunes but more impressive, indeed nearly operatic). The Thenardines are well-played as opportunists (to be kind), Valjean is staunch, Cosette is luminous and Javert is awesome. 5 stars.

Underdog (2007)

They did a pretty good job with this movie, sustaining the production values and the cute factor enough to dispel my concerns for its quality (based on the previews) and even win me over. I really liked the movie, esp. the cartoon-based introductory homage, script riffs back to the original and rapped-up theme song. The storyline was a bit thin but Patrick Warburton as Cad outshone the usual mad doctor's sidekick schtick. The chaos of the heroic superdog's bumbling flight makes for plenty of physical humor and the verbal jokes stay fresh enough for plenty of chuckles, even for adults. Stay for the "outtakes" which are all predictable cliches but that's why they are included. 4 stars.