New In Town (2009)

New in Town is a warmly affectionate and humorous tale of love and community spirit set in the winter wonderland (or frigid wasteland) of Minnesota. The movie didn't linger long at the box office and it took longer than expected to arrive on DVD, probably because half the country has no interest in frozen tundra and the 45 states that are not Minnesota or its neighbors have little interest in "yah, sure, yew betcha" country. The folksy Minnesota dialect here is authentic yet understated -- not acerbically omnipresent as in Fargo -- and the soundtrack is rich in Celtic and alt-rock tunes. The dialog is mostly clean (just a handful of coarse words), small-town midwestern values are strong, and the Christian faith is supportively represented. Our story begins as Lucy (Renee Zellweger), a driven executive on the CEO track in Miami, starts her day running then commuting to a meeting where she is assigned to fly out the next day and radically downsize a food-processing plant in New Ulm, Minnesota. (I love New Ulm, home of Schell's Brewery, but filming was actually in Winnepeg, Manitoba.) She arrives in the dead of winter with no winter wear, which is played to comic effect. (Her flippant "How bad could it be?" before venturing outdoors becomes a "Holy mother--!" tirade that is cut off by the airport's automatic doors. Later, upon arriving as a guest for a home-cooked meal on her first evening in town, she spies in the bathroom mirror why her hosts thought she might be "a little cold.") Pratfalls in the snow and ice occur in due season even as Renee's corporate "monkey" buzzwords fall on deaf ears. She even gets off to a bad start with the union boss (Harry Connick Jr.) but they eventually come to a meeting of the minds (and more). (I had only two concerns: a parent getting caught "offsides" after ensuring his daughter would come home at 10:30 pm with her virtue intact on prom night and Renee's increasingly bizarre complexion -- her face looked like it had gone through barbed wire during the second half of the movie.) Renee gradually warms up to the town and things get hunky dory. Whimsical elements of the script include six townswomen's "scrapping" klatsch, where their dialect and scrapbooking handicraft receive sympathetic treatment, plus tubs and tubs of tapioca and (in the deleted scenes) several sneaky gnome-sized "trolls." (Two-thirds of the many deleted scenes were rightly deleted but I would argue that keeping the troll scenes would have given this movie an even quirkier charm that might have won over a borderline cult fan following.) If you like Grumpier Old Men and Kitchen Stories then you will likely enjoy New in Town. 4.5 stars. (5-29-09)

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)

Traffic was exceptionally light during Memorial Day weekend so there were empty seats for the opening night of Night at the Museum 2. (Tickets were sold out for the Science Museum showings though.) I hope families will catch it during the coming weeks though since I liked the sequel better than the first installment. The franchise (if it can be called that) still casts most of the same characters -- with a few exceptionally interesting additions -- but to my mind there's just more plot, action, dialog, and humor. Detractors fault this sequel for relying on physical humor but there's not so much -- and anyway, I love slapstick (as does Ben Stiller, if you survey his career). To sum up, Night 2 is significantly more fun and funny. Larry (Stiller) has left a successful museum career to find a measure of fame as an infomercial entrepreneur -- but in doing so, he has lost his way. He returns to the museum when it needs him the most -- though it may be too late. A wonderfully breezy Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) helps Larry repeatedly escape from and ultimately confound the hilariously lisping Akmun Ra (Hank Azariah) who, despite having the best lines, wants to become dark lord of the universe with the help of Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon, and Al Capone (but he turns down Darth Vader). Creepy hawkheaded minions wielding spears and gangsters brandishing machine guns help him open a portal to the underworld but action and violence are muted; no one is shown getting hurt or killed, though some are threatened or thrown across the room. As a result, families with kids older than ages 6-8 should enjoy this movie immensely. Let's just be clear: This is a family movie. For families. It does not have a mature, structured script that can be compared to an art film's and obeys every law of physics and follows every codicil of history. If you have to think longer than it takes to chomp your present mouthful of popcorn, you are doing something wrong -- so stop complaining with your mouth full then swallow, refill, chomp, and repeat. And use your ears: If anything, Kamun Ra sounds more like Booberry than Stewie Griffin. 4.5 stars. (5-29-09)

Bringing Down the House (2003)

With a good script and director, Queen Latifah can fill a role exceptionally well, as she does in The Secret Life of Bees, Living Out Loud, and even her cardboard cutout role in Chicago. Unfortunately, Bringing Down the House is not such a cinematic exercise. Its basic premise -- an Internet romance switcheroo -- is a promising one and the movie carries off that part of it fairly well. (One of the funniest scenes in the movie is when Steve Martin opens his door and finds out who's really come for champagne -- and what a penny and a pound he's gotten himself into.) But I'm just not that interested in seeing Queen play a stereotypical oh-no-she-di'n't black girl-from-the-hood; where's the originality in being typecast? Steve really drops the ball in the last ten minutes with a lame, affected, tried-too-hard hip-hop caricature. (He was so straighforward and funny in The Jerk but paled here in comparison to his homey's chocolicious come-ons.) Eugene Levy totally makes up for everything else when he takes a shine to Queen and begins sweet-talking her. He is absolutely hilarious with his sincere, unaffected, white-bread jive-talk to his "Boo"! I think everyone needs to see the magic that is Eugene since he completely saves this movie from a 2-star purgatory for me. 3 stars.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

After growing up with these two classics since I was a boy, it's practically not the Christmas season without seeing the 2D animated specials The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (reviewed separately) and A Charlie Brown Christmas. The Peanuts Gang's Christmas special is so timeless and sweet that it reminds us of simpler times -- times that can still be ours in our homes and in our hearts, if we choose to set aside the artificial hustle and bustle of the season and to seek the spiritual meaning of the holiday (as Linus so ably spells out in his Nativity narration from Scripture). All the inimitable innocence of the Peanuts kids' voices are here -- Charlie Brown, Sally, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, Pig Pen, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, and even Snoopy -- and the gang dances to the scatting piano chords of Vince Guaraldi's Whimsy Salad. Yes, the animation is simple and the audio is scratchy -- but that's part of why we love this show, now a 40-plus-year-old tradition. Don't miss it -- ever! 5 stars. (5-14-09 posted 5-19-09)

Groundhog Day (1993)

Bill Murray has a true classic in Groundhog Day and Andie McDowell sweetly plays the romantic foil that his schmuck needs to finally escape from a one-day-in-time self-made hell. Bill plays Phil, a snarky TV weatherman who is climbing the career ladder towards a reputably large metro market. Unfortunately, his annual bottom-of-the-barrel assignment sends him to cover Groundhog Day in Punxsatawney, Pa. He takes it on the chin like a prima donna -- sniping at Andie, his producer, and Chris Elliott, his cameraman -- only to learn (each morning at 6 am) that he apparently has been condemned to repeat the day -- over and over and over again -- presumably until he gets it right. What must he do? He has no idea. He has to discover the answer by trial and error -- over and over and over again -- and herein lies the true magic of this movie. His daily encounters with ordinary citizens -- beginning with the improbably named Stephen Tobolowsky as clueless insurance salesman Ned Ryerson ("am I right or am I right?") -- and the associative and distributive, positive and negative, and even sometimes cumulative lessons he learns from them are the bread and butter of this wonderful situational comedy. Put Bill (as Phil the weatherman not Phil the groundhog) in a sticky wicket -- or a wicker basket -- and see how he pokes and prods to try to get out. That's how this movie works -- and it works marvelously. I love this movie and can't see myself ever getting tired of seeing it one more time. 5 stars.

Bionicle: Mask of Light: The Movie (2003)

The world of Bionicle, with its Toa warrior action figure series and back story from Lego, form an interesting proof of concept. As mechanistic bipeds with personal arsenals, the toys look good and boys enjoy assembling and playing with them. Unfortunately, this first of three Bionicle movies is mostly murky. Our story begins as a timid little guy is "chosen" (why? and by whom?) to be steward of a mask of light that must be kept safe or darkness will consume the land of Mata Nui. All well and good but the 3D animation in this movie is so dark and low-res that it's hard to make out much of anything much less follow along. The climactic scene transpires on a dark cliff cloaked in shadows where a dark shield is thrown between dark pillars -- you get the idea: There is no "there" there. You should never watch this kid-nerd valentine unless you are a Bionicle fanboy. It's as obtuse to adults as any Barbie vignette (just swap tech-alien snips-and-snails for sugar-and-spice). Frankly, I don't see why the producers of kids' shows like this have to pander to the lowest denominator of entertainment. I mean, take a Shakespearean live actor -- that's the height of emotive interpretation and acting, right? Then take some bozo with no acting much less voice talent, draw a stilted digital stand-in for him on a computer, and dub his voice on a character lacking all potential for emotional expression because his face has been cloaked in a helmet. I'm just saying this is far from James Earl Jones as voice talent for David Prouse as Darth Vader. The most implied emotion you get is a shaking head or a glowing eye -- again, in the dim or the dark. 1.5 stars. [Updated 12/27/09: My youngest son, a savvy Bionicle fan, got this movie for Christmas. On my second viewing, I really tried to follow along and keep track of the Bionicle characters and culture esp. Jaller, Tekua, and the seven Toa warriors. I still think the anime-like script is written only for fanboys: Many characters' responses to sudden danger is to call out the name of the person or place that is under attack so it sounds like offputting gibberish to anyone who doesn't already know and love the world of Bionicle. With concentrated effort, I was able to follow along with 90% of the story line. I didn't say the movie was worth the effort for an adult but sometimes (esp. for the love of a child) the journey is its own reward. If not for this major roadblock to the post-teen public, I was impressed enough with the animation and characterization to have given it 3.5 stars. My previous growling about the largely subterranean setting's chiaroscuro approach to lighting proves to be too harsh since I learned that playing the disc on a contemporary laptop with a bright screen is a great improvement over seeing it several years ago on an eight-year-old Mac iBook. The special features include, among other helpful sections, a Making of Bionicle featurette that nicely explains the movie's design and production process, including a Japanese CGI team and an executive producer who is into extreme sports. My favorite character was Tekua's crablike steed and I appreciated the bestial power and viciousness of the Rahkshi (bad guys) as well as the heroism of the Makuta Toa warriors (good guys). Jaller and Tekua are basically Willow and Megosh -- I almost expected the Makuta sage to say "Follow the bird." No spoilers on how Tekua finds the seventh Toa except to say what goes around, comes around. 3 stars.]

Hook (1991)

Robin Williams didn't carry this story well for me. He was too obsessive about work -- what kind of monster shows work is more important than his wife and children, even in a hamhandedly scripted movie? -- to believably have been someone who once insisted he would never grow up. I realize this contrast is the premise of the movie but it was too forced and unbelievable; Robin's face didn't carry the emotion for me. Even when faced with the necessary reconnecting with his inner Pan, it was a bit too formulaic and sudden for me not to chafe. It was a surprise to find Pan's stand-in has been the Hispanic boy Rufio -- but I guess we're Americanizing the British tale a la West Side Story. Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell was a gem whose character frankly carried more pathos for me than Pan himself. The stars of this movie are in fact the wild rumpus of lost boys and, of course, Dustin Hoffman as Capt. Hook. OK, maybe his eyebrows should have gotten top billing by themselves but he gives you a great idea of what the foppish and vain villain could have meant to the life expectancies of Peter Pan and the children. The best line is when the little girl scolds Hook, "You need a mother very badly!" Bob Hoskins as Smee was my favorite character. The climax was little more than a cartoon writ large in live action but Hook's costume will go down in the annals of movie costumes, won't it? Anyway if you love fairy tales or are a Peter Pan fan, be sure to see Hook. Sure, it could have been better but don't miss it if you can help it. Even weak Spielberg is still Spielberg! 3 stars.

The Princess Bride (1987)

The Princess Bride is one of my all-time top-ten favorite movies for two reasons. First, it's a whimsical comedic fairy tale that bends the rules. Second, the script is amazing in its originality and cheekiness plus the entire cast has such amazing comfort in their roles and chemistry together. This movie is so densely packed with superb dialog and one-liners that it's highly quotable with a shelf life of forever. I'll never tire of seeing it one more time! Our story begins with young Fred Savage -- home from school, sick in bed, and already bored with his Commodore 64 baseball video game. (Oh, the deprivation!) His grandpa, the mumblety-peg Peter Falk, comes by with a special book to read to him: The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern. The boy is more interested in the promise of swordfights than romance but shrugs "I'll see if I can stay awake." The story develops a grip on him though since it is pure delight: The lovely girl Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn) discovers True Love with "Farm Boy" Westley (Cary Elwes) but after he goes to seek his fortune, news reaches her that "the dread Pirate Roberts" (who kills all prisoners) has taken his ship captive. The light goes out of her heart but her beauty wins the eye of the pompous Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), who plans to wed her (among other nefarious things). After an ultimatum, an impasse, subterfuge etc., Buttercup is kidnapped by three hired outlaws -- Spanish swordsman Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), dull giant Fezzik (Andre), conceited Sicilian Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) -- then pursued by the dread Pirate Roberts himself. Brilliant supporting roles and bit parts include the sociopathic Six-Fingered Man (Christopher Guest), Miracle Max (Billy Crystal) with his crone of a wife Valerie (Carol Kane). It is impossible to describe how much fun every character in this ensemble cast is or how perennially quotable the script is. (The list of my favorite quotes was as long as this review.) Even the soundtrack with Mark Knopfler's theme song is classic and sweet. For you to not love this movie would be "absolutely, totally, and in all other ways, inconceivable!" 5 stars.

Being There (1979)

Being There is a satirical commentary on the vapidity that our mass-media culture can induce in the weak-minded lower class -- and how thin the line between vapidity and fame can be among the weak-minded (or wishful-minded) upper class. Chance (Peter Sellers) has lived his entire life in the servants' quarters of his employer's mansion, serving as groundskeeper. His every material need provided for, he does nothing but watch TV in his spare time (and he seems mentally suited to little more). He doesn't even know his last name! One day, "the old man" dies and Chance is put out on the street. A wealthy acquaintance of his former employer dents Chance with a fender and takes him in; prompting himself to assume more than he should, the well-to-do and well-connected gentleman (Melvyn Douglas) hears "Chance the Gardner" and substitutes "Chauncy Gardiner." Soon, everything vapid that Chance utters is taken to be the deep and subtle pronouncements of a wise upper-crust peer of the old man. Talk show appearances, fetes, and receptions ensue. Chance: "The roots go deep..." Those hanging on his every word: "You mean the market fundamentals are sound and will rebound in due season! How wise!" Rumor even enhances his reputation sexually as women's imaginations run amok. The funniest scene in the movie is when the gent's wife (Shirley Maclaine) gets Chance alone in her bedroom and, noticing the TV, he says: "I like to watch..." Peter Sellers as Chance did minimalist humor decades before Bill Murray did it in Lost in Translation. Jerzy Kosinski's Being There is a classic that deserves to be seen and remembered by every generation. It will leave an impression on you. 4 stars. (4-17-09 posted 5-8-09)

Mars Attacks! (1996)

Take every aliens-are-coming!-themed movie since the dawn of time, add cotton candy and gin, mix, pour, and you'll probably get Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! Here is pure, gooey, science-fiction campiness -- cartoonish alien-invasion buffoonery in puppetry and live action. The bubble-helmeted, bug-eyed, skull-faced brainiacs that travel in dreamily hovering saucers from Mars to a disastrous mano-a-mano first-contact with the U.S. president (Jack Nicholson) make their genocidal intentions known in as broad a caricature of such a travesty as grim humor could allow. I give due credit to Pierce Brosnan for showing the dual-dangling pluckiness to appear in this production as the bemused pipe-smoking academic who (at the aliens' behest) trades heads with Sarah Jessica Parker and her chihuahua. (The next time he would show such besotted courage -- or wackiness -- he took a singing part in Mamma Mia!) The aliens' leering visages and creepy floating locomotion -- not to mention their ack! ack! ack-ack! chatter -- are so funny that they scream "You cannot be taking us seriously!" even as they scheme to rape Earth and pillage its population -- or perhaps it's the other way around? Finally, just so we know that Tim Burton is from the shallow end of Quentin Tarantino's gene pool, Earth's ultimate victory over the aliens comes straight out of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. A must-see movie but (to me) less impressive on repeat viewings. 3.5 stars. (5-7-09)

The Bear (1988)

I saw Jean-Jacques (Quest for Fire) Annaud's The Bear in the theaters. A lonely bear orphan shadows a peckish male bear during migration and the two eventually stick together. There's no dialog in the whole movie save for a hunter's blurt during a confrontation with (to humans, it's) Mr. Bear. (Bring extra underwear.) Bart (who also appeared in Windwalker and The Edge) is one big bear and he's feeling his oats. He chews through the scenery -- and what scenery! The Bear is a great nature movie for the whole family -- the bear cub is as cute as, um, a bear cub -- just be sure the kiddos cover their eyes during the scene with the big slavering in-your-face-homo-sapiens! roar. An awesome movie for its silence and the wilderness. 5 stars.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978)

When I first saw Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, I was told it was such a bad movie because it had been made to intentionally "win" a Golden Turkey nomination. Well, that factoid can't be true because the Golden Turkeys were just a list of movies in a Michael Medved book that was published two years after the movie. So, Tomatoes earned a Turkey fair and square the normal way -- with blind, misguided sincerity! Our story begins as tubby schlub Mason Dixon is named the dopey American president's lead agent assigned to investigate reports of giant roaming killer tomatoes. The foraging tomatoes bounce or tumble ponderously and some reach the size of a (very rotund) cow. The script is fetid and the acting is memorably dank. (Nonplussed grandparents: "Oh no, a giant tomato's got Timmy." *Snarling, munching sounds off-camera*) The single funniest scene in this movie is the government conference room with barely enough space to sit in the chairs shoehorned around the conference table -- but to reach their chairs, everyone must crawl across the table to their places. (A Honeywell executive laughed when he saw this scene 25 years ago and said he'd been in government conference rooms just like that.) The international meeting's participants also have an entertaining language problem: "Technically, sir, tomatoes are fags." ("He means fruits.") "There's a little jap in the air." ("He means nip.") Eventually, someone comes up with a way to defeat the tomatoes -- provided they can all be herded into the stadium by throngs of extras and you can get the song "Puberty Love" out of your head after the movie ends. This is a hard clip of celluloid to describe or advocate for because you don't want to give it more credit than it deserves (which is very little). Still it's a perennial favorite among those who enjoy intentionally, memorably, and even delightfully bad movies. Scary Movie is Oscar material compared to this low-budget howler. I can also clearly attest it is better than Strangeheart, Throg, and Doggie Poo. I'll have to catch it again sometime -- once every 25 years seems about right. Pass the ketchup! 2.5 stars.

Fireproof (2008)

Fireproof is an independently produced, humanitarian movie that's different. It wasn't made by liberal-arts majors or garden-variety liberals about famine in Africa or the homeless in America. In fact, you'd hardly know it but the production crew was made up of inexperienced first-timers, all members of the same Baptist church that has chosen to make movies that might inspire people's lives for good. Fireproof is certainly not a blockbuster but neither is it low-budget. While Christian at its foundation, it's not churchy and any faith talk is a brief soft sell. Fireproof is not an action movie with a romantic subplot; it is a relationship movie with a little first-responder action to set the hook. Fireproof sincerely aims to save marriages at the human level by encouraging a practical rethinking and renewal to the mutual marital covenant commitment between one man and one woman -- one couple and one step at a time. Fireproof is an emotionally powerful movie that offers the potential for authentic spiritual rejuvenation. Based on the marriage-saving book called The Love Dare, it is the story of a thirtysomething married couple in trouble -- and don't knock this couple's anger if you haven't been in such a place in marriage. Caleb (Kirk Cameron) is a firefighter who is seethingly furious with his wife because he demands her respect and doesn't get it. (I eventually realized that he relates to her in the same testosterone-drenched pattern that he relates to his successful career, job, and male coworkers -- like that's going to work, dude.) Catherine (Erin Bethea) is frigidly angry with him but can't trust him emotionally or talk about it. (Hm, I wonder why.) They're approaching a precipice called divorce -- though the movie is timid about showing how they toy with exit paths like porn or flirting -- when Caleb's father urges his son to try reading and applying a book called Fireproof Your Marriage. It's a 40-day, 40-step program to strengthen or save a marriage; on the first day, for example, Caleb is simply to not say anything critical to Catherine that he would otherwise have said. Each day is one more substantive step in self-control and positive sacrifice, each added to the previous ones; it's hard and it shows. At first, Caleb thinks it is a checklist or a formula but over time he realizes his own inner personal change is what matters since that is all he is responsible for or can control (as is true with any individual spouse in any marriage). But changing one side of the equation may help the other find equilibrium. The wrapup is realistic and yields touching revelations. Fireproof is a movie that can deeply affect those who are prepared to be inspired. I for one am happy to have seen it (in the theater) and I hope any couple who seeks or enjoys the state of marriage will see it together. 4.5 stars.

Outland (1981)

Outland is 2001 meets High Noon, starring Sean Connery as the lone marshal. Largely dark and murky because it's set on a Jovian moon's space station, Outland has Alien-like accoutrements in its space helmets and landing pads and is truly a space western with showdowns aplenty. Frances Sternhagen is great as the wily doc who watches his back. 3.5 stars.

Seven (1995)

In Seven, Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are two police detectives chasing a gruesome serial killer with a sociopathic chip on his shoulder of biblical proportions. Fresh from his masterpiece in The Usual Suspects, Kevin Spacey gives another stellar performance in Seven -- and it's all packed into the final 15 minutes, since we never see him until his final confrontation with his pursuers. (Until finally handcuffed, he exhibits an almost supernatural prescience and ability to stay two steps ahead of New York's finest.) Playing the omnipotent avenger, Spacey is convinced that his life's work -- even God's work, as he calls it -- will yield so memorable a series of seven murders that he (and his captors) will be famous for decades. His first five murders are intensely disturbing in the morbid and self-righteous complexity and commitment required for their completion -- and he unwaveringly promises an encore! Does he deliver? Don't see Seven on a full stomach -- but see it! Seven delivers a tour-de-force script and performances all around. I own it on DVD. 5 stars.

The Great Santini (1979)

Robert Duvall played one of his most memorable roles in The Great Santini -- the nom de guerre of legendary fighter pilot Lt. Col. Bull Meechum, warrior of the skies, possessor of the Right Stuff, tough-as-nails, man's man and leader of men, center of attention, force of nature, life of the party -- the "Chow down, hogs!" scene is hilarious -- and totally emotionally incommunicado with himself, his wife, and his children. As he once more relocates his family, this time accepting a post at the Citadel in stately South Carolina, Blythe Danner is the gracious southern woman, military wife, and rock of the family; Michael O'Keefe is his son, turning 18 and coming into his own; and his daughter ("Sportsfan") is all but invisible to him. Duvall cannot accept the day his son first beats him at hoops, practicing through the night to hone his athletic edge. Moreover, as a warrior entering peacetime (during the JFK administration) and approaching retirement, Duvall has been so accustomed to living life "on the cutting edge" -- what happens if the sword ever slips? 4 stars.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

Really, just make a sci-fi movie better than the average Sci-Fi Channel fare and I'm relieved. Make it better than the War of the Worlds remake and I'm pleased. This remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still is better than some would have you believe. (I suppose it helps if you are a parent.) It is certainly better than the remake of The War of the Worlds for story and special effects but, more importantly, it involved me emotionally, even without comparing it to the original The Day the Earth Stood Still. In fact, I liked this remake quite a bit and would watch it again. (I picked it up as a redbox free Monday rental.) Yes, the plot was a little murky but it ambled along. This adaptation frequently reminded me of two favorite apocalyptic sci-fi novels from Greg Bear, The Forge of God for the extraterrestrial pronouncement of doom and Blood Music for the all-consuming nanocytes. It left me unclear about the big swirly balls of light: Were they weapons or arks for animal life (or a mix, since the one in Central Park remained)? The changes from the original movie esp. those involving Gort left more room for special effects and worked out in the end but made me wonder: Why make so many changes esp. since they left the exact mechanism and extent of Earth's imminent destruction somewhat cloudy (unless the cyberlocusts greatly multiplied and the swirly globes packed more oomph than they had let on)? I appreciated the human touches added to this version: Kathy Bates channeling Hillary Clinton channeling a gutsy Secretary of Defense, the Visitor's conversation in Chinese then English in the cafe, the Visitor's dialog with John Cleese, and Jennifer Connolly's emotional plea for humanity. Cleese, Connolly, and the Chinese gentleman (James Hong) all represented humanity well and I also appreciated the adoptive son (Jaden Smith), who did a yeoman's job in an unpretentious role surrounded by portentious adults. Keanu Reeves has turned his wooden countenance into a bankable asset whenever he plays the taciturn harbinger of doom. Similar to The Forge of God's "Ask important questions" scene, I don't view it as hamhanded for an unprepossessing alien Visitor threatening genocide to speak forthrightly: "No, it's not your planet. If Earth dies, you die. If you die, Earth lives. The decision has been made." Any crisis forms a crux of transformation. The Day the Earth Stood Still delivers. 4 stars.

Flyboys (2006)

Forget the airbrushed special effects and sanitized bluescreen computer graphics of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Enjoy the down-and-dirty, seat-of-the-pants, sweat-of-the-brow, eat-lead-you-damn-Kraut! aerial dogfights in Flyboys, based on the story of the Lafayette Escadrille -- U.S. pilots who volunteered to serve as an air wing in France before America entered World War I. As the Fox-TV-loving detractors of France conveniently forget, America had no fighter pilots or air force, so we sent men to train and fly with the French. Flyboys shows the guff and bluster it took to train our boys up to fly like men who commanded the clouds -- when planes were still little better than biplanes -- and we couldn't have done it without the French. Don't see this movie for a complex love-story subplot as in Pearl Harbor or even historical accuracy as in Master and Commander. Watch Flyboys for its big, gritty, in-your-face, shooting-gallery action. It puts you right in the cockpit with the pilot as a German's twin guns walk perforating rivers of lead across his wing or fuselage, percussive impacts shearing off bits of shrapnel at best and threatening imminent explosive death at worst. Uncle Sam's boys (James Franco and company) fly up a storm but my favorite is their wily squadron leader, played by none other than your favorite Frenchman and mine, Jean Reno. 4 stars.

John Cleese's Wine for the Confused (2004)

I have enjoyed John Cleese's version of a layperson's approach to wine both times I have seen it. (Always my favorite Monty Python member, Cleese has also hosted an impressive documentary about the social and artistic importance of the human face.) Cleese takes a folksy approach to the frequently confusing world of wines, where (as in the art world) snobbery often reigns. He starts with a simple outdoor wine-tasting among a circle of friends (including the always affable Brendan Fraser) and talks them through finding simple words to describe the flavors they notice; words like "fruity" or "nutty" or "raspberry" are offered (if memory serves). He then uses this experience to begin encouraging his friends (and through them, his viewers) to use their own senses, rely and build on their own experiences, and trust their own judgment when deciding what kind of wines they like to drink. He visits a few vineyards, nibbles a few grapes, and dialogs with a few sommeliers (wine stewards) to provide a thoroughly enlightening introduction to wine and its enjoyment. He caps off the show by hosting a blind wine-tasting (again informal and outdoors) which entertainingly proves that one person's $15 wine is another person's $200 wine (and vice versa). The special features include additional insightful tips on wine enjoyment from Cleese, three discussions with a handful of winemakers, and Brendan Fraser's trenchant wine evaluations (such as "Put it back in the horse"). 4 stars.

Tron (1982)

Tron is the holy grail of early computer-animated movies. In the age after Pong on the Atari and predating even the Macintosh, mainframe-based color graphics and animation predominated in Tron but it had the semblance of a story that dovetailed with the characters and computer graphics. In this story, Jeff Bridges is a game programmer whose work is being stolen by the CEO of a megacorporation and its evil mainframe computer (David Warner as Dillinger and the MCP). Bridges has also developed a new technology that can digitize matter into data; turning it against him, the evil mainframe transports Bridges inside the virtual-reality world of its own datastores to pit him gladiator-style against his own games' champions. Bridges has courage though and is determined to surmount each challenge. Through their creator's "incarnation" and battle against totalitarian control, his digital creations show their devotion; the last words of one "program" is a reverent "O, my User!" Tron's most iconic scenes are the deadly lightcycle races and the final confrontation with the evil mainframe. Tron seems a bit dated by today's standards, certainly, but like Metropolis, it remains a seminal and impressive movie from its time. Spoofed in Family Guy so you know it's cool. 4.5 stars.

The Last Starfighter (1984)

The Last Starfighter's Alex Rogan (Lance Guest mirroring a young Tom Hanks) is the quintessential teen who's bored, bored, bored of his mundane earthly existence -- until he meets his lucky star. Alex not only lives in a "mobile home that never goes anywhere" but, rather than being able to go to the beach with his friends or go out with the girl of his dreams, his mother prevails on him to keep the trailer park in repair -- even as he murmurs sotto voce the same tedious daily palaver of the two retirees on the porch. One day, a truck delivers the vehicle of his salvation: a cool new arcade video machine called The Last Starfighter. Alex is exceptionally gifted at the game and soon earns what turns out to be the highest score -- in all of the galaxy. A signal is sent. In time, an emissary arrives in a Delorean-style spaceship: smooth-talking Alpha Centauri (Robert Preston in his last movie role) wants to recruit Alex as "the last starfighter" to save the galaxy from an insidious and advancing alien scourge. They have decimated all previous defenders and would be unstoppable but for one remaining Starfighter ship -- and Alex, if he will train and fly it. He agrees to go. He meets his amiable if reptilian copilot Grig (Dan O'Herlihy) and, through twists and turns, fulfills his destiny. This movie was groundbreaking since it had the first computer-generated graphics (20 minutes' worth as I recall and using no less than a Cray X-MP supercomputer). The Death Blossom battle was pretty suspenseful back in the day and the dialog is dated but still funny. See it for the nostalgia or as a fun family film. (The PG rating is for the little brother's language.) 4 stars.