Jaffa (2009)

Jaffa, like Broken Wings and many Israeli and Palestinian films, is rife with tragedy and no-win scenarios. First, as seems common for such films, it is a slice-of-life story that shows how family members in a foreign country interact, live, and cope, both at home and in society. Second, it is a tale of minor “first world” problems that would only aggravate an American family, ballooning out of proportion into a tragic turn (or several of them). Third, it is a raw and true depiction of the sorrow and loss felt and expressed by the various members of the two families involved, each in their own way – first, for a loss that was tragically thrust on them, and nine years later, for a loss that is the result of two central members’ choices. The daughter admirably carries this movie, from her secret joy to her public sorrow, and her father is the foundation of his family, as he wisely calms various persons just when they are making things worse. The daughter’s destiny is to navigate certain decisions that amount to rocky shoals – indeed, to points of no return. By the end of the movie, I believe she has made the right choices, despite her earlier vacillations. Her future is a hopeful story that is yet to be written. Enjoy! 4 stars. (3-31-2016)

Making Mr. Right (1987)

Making Mr. Right is Weird Science meets What Women Want (with a bit of Being John Malkovich). Because this movie turns the science-geek-builds-perfect-woman conceit on its ear by aiming to please women with an artificial man, Making Mr. Right sounded to me like a fluffy dollop of pseudoscientific frivolity -- and it is. Usually, however, in such movies, the science geek (whether nerdy student or dweebish engineer) is a male who constructs a female android for (shall we say) romantic purposes. By contrast, in Making Mr. Right, the scientist (John Malkovich) creates a male andoid in his own image (also played by Malkovich) for scientific purposes but is told by a marketing consultant (Ann Magnuson) that the android must learn to interface with and appeal to women to be accepted by society. The scientist complains about mucking up the android's programming with social niceties and male-female interactions, but the fact is, the android proves to be a more willing student of the human condition than his human creator. Lots of hijinks ensue as (a) the android, (b) the marketing consultant, (c) her soon-to-be-wed sister (who has a successful tete-a-tete with the android), (d) an off-kilter female co-worker who is infatuated with the scientist (but has a disappointing date with the android she thinks is the scientist), and (e) the male lead in a cheesy soap opera called Jersey, all cross signals, fists, and lips. It's a consistently entertaining riff on the theme, though only mildly so. Neither of Malkovich's two roles require social sophistication deeper than a pie plate and every woman save Magnuson is a caricature. She is the central and most interesting character in the movie. As a bossy but flighty marketing expert, she's eminently fun to watch, no matter what she's doing. I think the problem is the script never rises above a certain level; it never commands interest, just fumbles through (like the klutzy android who even shambles ineptly). I enjoyed the whole show, but couldn't say I greatly enjoyed it (like Weird Science or Date Night). In fact, The Hangover wins a MacArthur grant, compared to Making Mr. Right. In the end, I'm glad I watched it, and I hope you will (mostly) feel the same. Enjoy! 3.5 stars. (11-10-2010, posted 3-28-2016)

Character (1997)

Character won the Oscar for foreign language film in its day, and it holds up quite well. Completely character-driven (no pun intended), the plot centers on a life-long confrontation between father and son – generally from a distance, although the movie begins with mano-a-mano before retracing the boy’s whole life (told while he is in police custody) and then continuing just beyond, to reveal who really did kill the man—an infamous and ruthless bailiff, enforcing evictions, repossessions, and bankruptcies, and hated by many (if not all, including possibly himself). The father-son relationship is necessarily at a distance for these reasons, and another that winds throughout the narrative. The father sees his adversarial approach as a break-or-break thing – thwarting his son will help make him stronger. The son, in turn, wants to prove he can succeed on the merit of his own ambition and hard work. Character is a Gordian knot of intricate characters, and the interplay of their character. I believe this one will stay with me for a long time – and will with you too. Enjoy! 4.5 stars. (3-28-2016)

Eye in the Sky (2016)

Eye in the Sky is Zero Dark Thirty meets Enemy of the State (or, very nearly, Out of the Loop meets Good Kill). I saw it at a preview last night, and though I want to give it 5 stars, I will keep it to 4.5 stars, because Babel and Bridge of Spies are superior. Even so, Eye in the Sky expertly presents the strategic, tactical, and ground situations behind authorizing a drone kill of terror suspects that have been hunted for six years, have been pinpointed for an hour or two, and must be urgently prosecuted by a surgical missile strike before unleashing imminent suicide-bomb attacks. Complicating the rules of engagement is a sweet young Muslim girl, with her devoted parents. who we come to know personally and will likely become collateral damage. Helen Mirren is the British colonel pressing for a “go” authorization. Alan Rickman (in his final role) is the Lt. General who becomes enmeshed in brokering the political side of the decision. Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) is the first-time weapons-away drone pilot who goes “home” in Las Vegas at the end of his shift. What is one innocent life worth, and how is it calculated? Eye in the Sky may leave you pondering just those questions. Enjoy! 4.5 stars. (3-24-2016)

Cooties (2015)

Cooties is Shawn of the Dead meets Children of the Corn, or something of that ilk. I greatly enjoyed it and hooted at the appropriate parts in this first film from Elijah Wood’s production company. Though it only made $55K during one week in the theaters, it afforded Rainn Wilson’s dopey phy-ed teacher a hobbit joke at Wood’s expense, and gave him the key closing line (while holding a match): “Nap time, m---f---ers!” It also poked fun at blind “patriots” and semi-dittohead libertarians. A substitute teacher and wannabe novelist, Wood commits the ultimate cringeworthy sin and assigns his classroom to read and critique his manuscript. (No, that’s not what brought on the zombie apocalypse – it was tainted chicken nuggets from the leading manufacturer in the sleepy burg of Fort Chicken.) I would love to watch Cooties again. It’s not quite as funny as Zombieland or Shawn of the Dead, but what it lacks in sheer mirth, it makes up for in chutzpah. Enjoy! 4.5 stars. (3-24-2016)

Palms and Passion (2004)

I watched this DVD on Palm Sunday. It is worthwhile for the scenery and even for the inspirational music. (The Discovery Singers are syrupy-sweet – inspiring thoughts of the decade before The Wonderful World of Disney – but the songs by Marty Goetz had me considering an album purchase.) True, it is only a DVD, but to see actual scenes of Jerusalem and the Holy Land – places alive in faith and history – well, you don’t get that in your own backyard. In addition, the Bonus Features’ mini-biographies of persons at the Last Supper was so good that I learned things I did not know (and I have a related degree). Please note that the presentation respectfully showcases all the faiths that share Jerusalem, however, a Christian audience is presumed by the narration and the music. Enjoy! 3 stars. (3-21-2016, posted 3-24-2016)

Three Monkeys (2008)

Three Monkeys is a somber Turkish drama in which a politician bribes his driver to take the blame (and short prison term) for a hit-and-run death on a backwoods road. Actually, the drama evolves out of the toll that the driver's prison term takes on his wife, on his son, and on himself. It's a largely quiet film with many long moments when a character is gazing pensively or reflecting on the import of the latest complication. These are not empty moments but palpably reflective and even insightful (for the character and, I expect, the viewer). In short, you care about each character and perceive the turmoil they're going through even if they generally don't show it; you can almost see the wheels turning in their minds as they uncover the progressively weightier burden that one man's absence has cost the family. Moreover, that burden of loss has an inertia that inexorably perpetuates itself into others' lives, like the chilling rings of a silent bell that echo through flesh and bone, impacting not one's eardrum but the tympanic membrane of one's soul. Three Monkeys feels like Los Olvidados meets Crimes and Misdemeanors not just by reason of its plot but a mild sense of surrealism or magical realism as characters evince dialog or encounters they may be thinking but are not acting out -- at least in the current timeline (and one might surmise several). Three Monkeys has less action and structure than Memento but it's a thinking person's movie. I hope you enjoy this taut, tightly wound but slow-paced film as much as I did. 4.5 stars. (11-24-2010, posted 3-16-2016)

John Adams (2008)

Based on David McCullough's tome John Adams, this same-titled TV miniseries delivers an exceptionally good historical portrayal of the life and times of John Adams (Paul Giamatti), his wife Abigail (Laura Linney), and our nation's founding fathers (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, and others). We see John Adams as a highly principled soul who so clearly believes that man is to receive impartial justice through the rule of law that he risks his legal career to defend the British soldiers who fired on a street crowd in Boston. We also see Abigail counsel her husband on the most effective summation by tempering his pride. Through every stage of the mounting revolution to securing America's freedom through the Declaration of Independence, Adams is at the center of the intellectual and political fray, even to being elected the second U.S. president. We witness John and Abigail moving into the White House while it is under construction, even as they pause on the portico to survey the ranks of slaves who are building the nation's capitol. Every scene in this series is masterful and many are memorable -- so much so that the book and the DVDs are becoming a part of my library. 4.5 stars. (5-11-2010, posted 3-16-2016)

Jurassic Park III (2001)

Jurassic Park III starts with a lock on what we have come to expect and enjoy of the franchise: a scenic view of Isla Sorna, the swelling theme music, and not one but two ill-advised turned ill-fated turned fatal forays into the island's interior. The all-in double-ante on the threat board is a bigger, badder "spinosaurus" (that can snap the neck then body-slam a full-grown T-Rex), a clutch of swooping pterodactyls, and the ever-present velociraptors. After telling an audience that is seeking sensationalism more than science that "No force on earth could get me back on that island," Sam O'Neill finds that fate, or just a really bad SNAFU, didn't get the memo. In no time, the trained mercenary defense team is decimated and Sam is forced to lead William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, their son, and his assistant to survive long enough to be rescued. While Laura Dern remains his good friend and colleague, her husband and 3-year-old son hold her attention now -- though she has promised to help in any way when called. 4 stars. (5-21-2010, posted 3-16-2016)

My Life in Ruins (2009)

I like Nia Vardalos esp. in My Big Fat Greek Wedding though a bit less so in her brief TV series based on that movie, My Big Fat Greek Life. My Life in Ruins is more formulaic but Nia continues to deliver the funny as a put-upon tourist guide in Greece. A former Greek history professor, she is in a dead-end job where her boss and the other tour guide have painted a big target on her back. She exhibits her stress through cynical observations about her tourist cohort and her scruffy-looking bus driver (whose Greek name shortens to the nickname Poupi Kakas). This story setup in the first 20 minutes is the funniest part of the movie. The tour group's situation evolves, of course, as she and Poupi warm up to each other and the tourists (led by the affable yet sensitive Richard Dreyfuss and the buffoonishly Palinesque Rachel Draytch) learn to pitch in and support each other. They stop being victims and begin pulling off coordinated pranks on the other tour guide. My Life in Ruins is an enjoyable outing, a pleasant excursion, a sojourn through frustration and laughter with a feel-good destination that satisfies. Enjoy! 3.5 stars. (11-24-2010, posted 3-16-2016)

Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic (2005)

The title Jesus Is Magic comes from the second half of a line in Sarah Silverman's hour-long performance after she mentions her boyfriend is Catholic. The rest of her cute/edgy shtick is chock full of naivete in word and song, interspersed with unmitigated gall (or it would be if she weren't so funny). For example, she intones, "My grandmother died." Sarah then adds, "She was 96, so naturally I suspect foul play." Next, after Sarah explains the shovel-ready post-mortem indignities by which she intends to prove her suspicions, her twisted thinking yields the inevitable conclusion: "I hope I find semen in my dead grandmother's vagina!" Back to her naifish side, Sarah is known for singing songs that are simultaneously cutesy and word-to-the-wise. Sarah's performance seems on par with the dialed-back creativity and energy levels of Wanda Sykes. She's funny here but has been funnier. Enjoy! 3.5 stars. (11-24-2010, posted 3-16-2016)

Decoding the Past: The Templar Code: Parts 1 & 2 (2007)

The Sy-Fy Channel has a reputation for making bad (chee-ZEE!) sci-fi made-for-TV movies. The History Channel is building a reputation for making even worse (hoo-EE!) history documentaries. You know the kind: (1) Oblique mention of unsupported factoid. (2) “Could it be that [unsupported factoid] is the explanation for what really happened?” (3) Factual statements thereafter presenting the factoid as fact. Another exasperating aspect of this pair of 50-minute episodes is how they leave you with the distinct feeling that the whole show could have easily been covered in 50 minutes. The repetition in the script becomes obnoxious enough, but the reuse of dozens of play-acting scene snippets, dozens of times each, becomes ridiculous. (I wanted to build a list and keep tally: Hands counting out giant shiny coins, hands sliding a scroll in and out of a pottery jar, hands grubbing in loose soil and uncovering a clay chalice, three soldiers dressed in mail storming a Templar site and tossing around empty burlap sacks, a half-dozen generic torture scenarios, and so on.) Worst of all, the rumor mill just runs wild with this one. Perhaps the most you can glean will be the names of six historical figures, but the facts of their involvement are glossed over or twisted by baseless innuendo. Any documentary that leave you more confused about a topic after viewing it, has problems, and this one has them in spades. At least they didn’t harp on the Dan Brown brouhaha, really only mentioning his secondhand speculations obliquely and at the end. There are a number of better documentaries, not to mention Jeremy Renner’s upcoming Knightfall. See those first! 2 stars. (3-15-2016)

Dragonheart (1996)

Dragonheart was a thrill to finally watch. It is the movie that gave us, right after Jurassic Park, the first computer-generated character in Draco, the dragon (voiced by Sean Connery). Frankly, any movie that has Sean Connery in it is a different kind of movie. I have always liked Randy Quaid too. Here, he is Bowen, a former knight of the Crusades who has lived by King Arthur’s knightly code: “A knight is sworn to valor. His heart knows only virtue. His blade defends the helpless. His might upholds the weak. His word speaks only truth. His wrath undoes the wicked.” It has not worked out well for him in the end, however, and a dragon offers him an alternative to their stalemate: Join forces to survive together (just not in a way you would expect). Draco (the name is given to him by Bowen as they get to know each other) does not want to kill needlessly either. (He explains a knight’s skeletal arm that Bowen found rotting between his teeth in this way: “I merely chewed in self-defense. I didn’t swallow.”) The young, prideful king whose fate is intricately bound with theirs is less puissant and more pissant. The aerial dimension to their newfound quest adds a thrill to every development. Don’t overlook Pete Postlethwaite as an errant monk and would-be bard who turns out to be a natural with projectiles, and don’t forget Dina Meyer, whose courage outshines the usurper king (and many villages full of peasants). It is true that Dragonheart holds a candle to courage and chivalry while Peter Jackson (King Kong, The Hobbit) fills the screen with hours of visceral, whirling dervishes of death – but knightliness is not about adrenaline and slaughter – it is about courage and sacrifice. None better than Dragonheart reminds us of this. 5 stars. (3-11-2016, posted 3-14-2016)

Hell and Back (2015)

Hell and Back is ParaNorman meets Lucy Daughter of the Devil, and is a hoot and a half. Some have been critical, but I like the stop motion animation. It was cartoonish but did not feel as antic and bouncing-off-the-walls as the Madagascar films. I also liked the added comic touches of physical comedy, such as the snap at the end of a tumble. The characters and comedy were not as strong as Archer or Boondocks, which are 5 stars in my book, but they carried the story and gave me more laughs than I would have expected with such subject matter. My favorite humor is the secretarial voice on the Devil’s intercom and Hell’s P.A. system. (“Welcome to Hell. You are here for a reason. Pick up after yourself. Your mother doesn’t live here. Or, if she does, she was a whore.”) The malleability of the Devil’s personae is fun too – Hellboy-like beast with an attitude, or artiste poseur. This show is not a family values lovefest – the first half has an awful lot of adolescent genital fixation and F-bombs, and a major plot point in the second half is sex-offender male rape by sentient, mobile oak trees. It all fits into the plot, even though I was no fan of the genital trash talk and angel’s stripper-pole scene. I’m beginning to think I’m a sucker for anything that has Bob Odenkirk, Mila Kunis, and H. Jon Benjamin. It's rated R, people! 4 stars. (3-10-2016)

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (‏ 1984)

Like many of Hiyao Miyazaki's masterfully animated movies, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is about a young woman who exhibits the strength of leadership born out of her nature and her people's need. In this case, Nausicaa is a princess who leads her people to defend themselves against aerial pirates more devious than usual. As in Castle in the Sky, an element of destiny infuses this young woman's call to courage and a young man aids her in the quest. He bears rumors and his forebears may have been masters of an ancient flying city that could be more than fabled. The story is a marvel to behold and Miyazaki's animation is always rewarding in how it pays close attention to detail. My youngest son and I want to own every one of Miyazaki's movies. I encourage you to watch this one and see how well you like it. Enjoy! 4.5 stars. (11-29-2010, posted 3-9-2016)

Righteous Kill (2008)

I enjoyed Righteous Kill. It's not DeNiro's or Pacino's best movie but, after all, they are in this one together so it is already better than anything with lesser actors. They certainly didn't phone in their performances but even if they had, Righteous Kill had a head start on their inertia alone. However, no one wants actors (esp. these guys) to sit on their laurels, so Righteous Kill seems to have gotten midrange reviews -- and my rating concurs. (Since I rate 3 stars for "liked it" and 4 stars for "really liked it," Righteous Kill comes down in that middle ground of 3.5 stars -- lower than Collateral but better than Insomnia.) I am not one to wring to death the story arc, turning everything on its ear until the final twist, so I can say "See! I knew that was going to happen!" (Like my Oscar predictions, I believe in publicly committing one's predictions to writing in advance so that veracity can be confirmed.) So long as a twist is competently couched, I will allow it to surprise me (as in The Sixth Sense). Righteous Kill received such a benefit of the doubt and I enjoyed the twist all the more for it. I would watch it again sometime if given the chance. Enjoy! 3.5 stars. (11-29-2010, posted 3-9-2016)

Dinner for Schmucks (2010)

Steve Carell (with the possible exception of Jim Carrey) is the only guy who could carry off the role of the mawkishly awkward dweeb who stumbles over (or is almost run over by) an up-and-coming executive candidate (Paul Rudd), who the company president has invited to a "secret dinner" where the employee who presents the biggest idiot gets the promotion. We know Carell's character is a hopeless nerd, but a harmless and lovable guy, before we meet him because the opening credits feature a wonderfully quirky soundtrack and the detail-oriented assembly of his city park tableau of stuffed and dressed mice who are boating, picnicking, cycling, riding the swings, and so on. He is a romantic dreamer at heart, albeit socially a dunderhead who blithely traipses across personal boundaries. This makes a great setup for the havoc and chaos that ensues. Dinner for Schmucks, for me, is as funny as The Hangover -- great story potential and fairly good execution with missed humor opportunities and yeomanlike production. The movie rolls (or sometimes lurches) from scene to scene, with the most watchable characters limited to Carell, Rudd, the fiancee, and the stalker. 3.5 stars. (1-5-2011, posted 3-9-2016)

My Life Without Me (2003)

My Life Without Me is a poignant yet plainly told story of Anne (Sarah Polley), a young wife and mother who learns she has two months to live. Without telling anyone else in her trailer-park, blue-collar existence, she silently bears the emotional burden of her impending death while secretly making preparations for her loved ones to live on after she is gone. (Her bucket list includes recording birthday messages for both of her children through age 18 and introducing a kind and thoughtful girlfriend to her husband and children in the unspoken calculation that the friend will become her spousal and maternal replacement.) My Life Without Me presents no pretense as it simply tells the story of one working class woman's stoic regard for her loved ones and her legacy -- for the life her family currently lives with her, and she expects they will continue to live without her. As such, Sarah Polley in this role is a bit like Mary Louise Parker in Friend Green Tomatoes (but without the haggard death scene) or Shelby in Steel Magnolias (yet without all the camaraderie and weeping at the end). Anne's is one woman's life, lived in service to her family and without any hint of drama (beyond what we infer on our own out of empathy). It is the story of Everymom. It is a tale of motherly love. 4 stars. (3-10-2011, posted 3-7-2016)

Megamind (2010)

I enjoyed Despicable Me slightly more than Megamind. Nevertheless, Will Ferrell did a fine job as the tragically one-upped also-ran whose planet implodes just after his parents pack their infant son into a spaceship bound for Earth -- only to meet a lifetime of denial of all the perks of adoption, recognition, and adulation garnered by a second interplanetary traveler who got there first and became Metro City's self-confident, dashing, and debonnaire superhero, Metro Man. So like many a frustrated, unemployed, nerdy, colored-skin (in this case, blue), unlucky-at-love adolescent, Megamind's antisocial experiences radicalize him towards a life of villainy and terrorism. His accidentally greater-than-anticipated success goes even further to his head, however, and soon he realizes that being the supreme all-powerful ruler of "Metrocity" is not all it has cracked up to be: He needs a challenge, a foil, an enemy with which to do battle. Sure, he can create another superhero -- but what if such a superhero were to turn even more evil than Megamind? What about Megamind's secret feelings for the TV news reporter (Tina Fey)? Is there a line beyond which even Megamind will not go -- or a pale beyond which Megamind would feel compelled to choose good instead of evil? Megamind innately works well as a movie because it turns the superhero/supervillain tropes on their ears and puts a contemporary spin on the megalomaniacal soliloquys so favored by all-powerful overlords. Even Metro Man is all high-school- or pro-football-star writ large, with his smarmy high-fives, showboating, and baby juggling. Cartoons can be fun even for adults and Megamind, for one, fills the bill. 4.5 stars. (3-10-2011, posted 3-7-2016)

Babe: Pig in the City (1998)

Babe: Pig in the City is not nearly as heartwarming as its predecessor, Babe, but it does trade well on some of the existing characters and quirky production touches. Our story begins as the aptly named Esme Hoggett (Magda Szubanski), wife of farmer Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell, who appears briefly), travels with Babe to "the city" in order to "save the farm." Esme finds that animals are not welcome but she locates a sympathetic boarding-house owner (Mary Stein) in a scene that reminds me a lot of Shelley Duval as Olive Oyl in Popeye. The house is full of animals -- and melancholy -- and so Babe steps in to save the day (and Mickey Rooney!). It won't be easy esp. after the authorities raid the house for a stock of lab-test animals but the chase scenes are fairly maudlin (think Keystone Cops or Toy Story). Here's the deal: If you and your family love animals, see this movie; the animals rule the roost in the end. Alternatively, if you loved Babe, see this movie even though it's not as perfect -- but then, how could it be? 4 stars. (5-12-2010, posted 3-4-2016)

Office Space (1999)

Office Space is a predictably droll take on office drudgery -- sort of a live-action Dilbert with a troupe that's a decade younger -- that never fails to amuse and only gets better with repeat viewing. It is leisurely in pace since it's told from a slacker's perspective: Ron Livingston gets so put off by the inanities and inefficiencies of the corporate life that he decides (as he tells Jennifer Aniston): "I don't think I like my job. I'm not going to go anymore." And just like that, because he's fearless with the downsizing consultants who are looking for people to lay off, they conclude he has an "in" with management and is untouchable. Meanwhile, he and two friends have come up with a scheme to siphon excess fractions of pennies from the computerized accounts -- which becomes chillingly far more successful than expected, sending frissons of first panic and then resolve down their spines. What they do and how things turn out are only distractions from the closing scene, which leaves us with nebbishy nerd Stephen Root mumbling to himself (as always). 4 stars. (5-21-2010, posted 3-4-2016)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (2010)

I'm sure that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I is an adrenaline rush of a movie for dyed-in-the-wool Harry Potter fans who have read every book and seen every movie thus far. For someone who is not a "fan" but has seen every previous movie save one, it pales just short of a thrill ride but suitably holds one's attention from start to finish. As the first of two parts, this movie addresses the mortal pursuit of Harry Potter (and his friends and their families) by Voldemort and his evil league of traitors and assassins. The pursuit starts off with a bang and continues quite steadily through to the end of part 1. (Truth be told, much of the mid-flight tumult and mid-fight mayhem flings itself across the screen too fast for the naked eye to perceive. As a result, I felt cheated by special effects wizardry that was too sophisticated for its own good -- or slapdash since how am I to tell? -- and I wished for slow-motion views of the fight scenes so we could tell what is going on. Truth also be told, neither has it escaped me that the wizards' ability to instantly and frequently zap themselves from place to place on a moment's notice is a bit too deus-ex-machina: If anything can happen at any time, what happens to drama?) From an owl's-eye perspective, Harry Potter 7 part 1 becomes a string of aerial "chase" scenes interspersed by a spate of wand-zap "fight" scenes as Harry and his friends try to find and magically destroy the first of four "horcruxes" (crystal pendants) and discover the meaning of the sign of the "deathly hallows" (think of a folk tale with wizards standing in for the Billy Goats Gruff). In fact, the animated segment where the three wizards confront Death was very well done (because it amounted to a story rather than a blur). However, aside from the bare story arc of chase scenes and the window-dressing of special effects, the real drama and story should have been found in the friendship and loyalty held fast between Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Here we have a mixed bag that only each individual movie viewer can discern. Speaking for myself, I was suitably pleased with Hermione's maturity and commitment to cover Harry's back but disappointed with Ron's perfunctory performance. Even so, if you are inclined to see this movie, you are quite likely to enjoy it! 4 stars. (11-29-2010, posted 3-3-2016)

Inside Job (2010)

Inside Job is the clearest and most comprehensive explanation I have seen of the origins of the recent global financial meltdown that has stripped millions of citizens worldwide of their life savings even as the powerful financiers who perpetrated the meltdown have walked away not only scot-free of criminal prosecution but with hundreds of millions of dollars in "executive compensation." From its A to B to C narrative, evenly intoned by Matt Damon and sustained by largely rational testimony throughout, to the movie's pervasive organization of ample information into well-designed graphics, Inside Job is a tour-de-force of clarity and a clarion call to action. It names (and, when possible, interviews) specific persons and implicates specific policies that contributed to and perpetuated the banking and mortgage industries' deregulation over the Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations and interviews dozens of figures on both sides of the culpability aisle, all in nonpartisan fashion. Although neoconservatives and financial industry executives will likely grouse about how they come out in Inside Job, they are largely implicated by their own words or intransigence in congressional testimony as well as their duplicitous answers or failure to respond to simple ethical questions such as, "It's true that any citizen can walk into those hearings and state his or her opinion, but do you think that's on the same footing as your paying $700,000 to lobbyists to promote your views?" Because of the understated urgency and critical care with which it presents the evidence, I hope that Inside Job becomes this year's An Inconvenient Truth. While it will never convince the partisan minions who long ago took sides against ethical practices, societal welfare, and the American dream, I have for the past 12 years believed that rolling back deregulation and the corporate takeover of the American political system is the most pressing issue that confronts our freedom and our future. 5 stars. (11-30-2010, posted 3-3-2016)

Rango (2011)

Rango is an animated Western comedy that is packed full of intricately drawn and superbly voiced characters in a detailed setting and a dramatic story arc full of physical and social humor as well as in-jokes and parody. I found myself constantly laughing with simmering mirth or out-loud guffaws as a sheltered iguana and would-be drama divo (voiced by Johnny Depp though at times sounding like Kermit D. Frog) finds his world shattered (literally) and he is abandoned to certain death in the desert. Later taking the name Rango and posing as a wily tough guy (in a modern twist on the folk tale about "seven in one blow"), he becomes a parched settlement's new sheriff, determined to be the hero they both need and respect. His tracking and fighting the real culprits behind a systemic and debilitating theft of the town's water supply ranges through a passel of suspects, varmints, and conspirators and a series of increasingly climactic showdowns until justice is served. Through it all, we are tragically forewarned by a melancholy Mexican quartet of musical owls: "The lizard, he is going to die." I enjoyed the ironic scene where Rango meets "the spirit of the West" (voiced by Timothy Olyphant with his tongue planted firmly in both cheeks). I think you will love Rango since it is extremely well-done and it entertained folks from 4 to 84 in the full-price theater where I saw it last night. You may never see wizened, idiosyncratic Old West coots and characters more intricately drawn than in Rango. (I was chuckling just to see the holes on top of the holes in one character's hat.) Rango is a movie I intend to own. 5 stars. (3-18-2011, posted 3-3-2016)

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Grandmaster of Japanese animation Hiyao Miyazaki took 13 years to bring Princess Mononoke to the screen. In Japan, it was the highest-grossing film ever (until Titanic came out a few months later and just barely topped it) but it got short marketing shrift in the U.S. and Europe. DVD sales have been strong though esp. as people discover and come to love the creative ingenuity and attention to detail seen in all of Miyazaki's work. Our story begins as a giant demon (in the form of a great boar covered in writhing tentacles) attacks a town and a noble young warrior attempts to turn it aside or bring it down. He pays for his valor with a wound that will eventually kill him, according to the town's wise woman. From her, he learns scant more but he chooses to accept a quest to find what turned to boar into a demon and to seek healing for himself or to save others who may be in danger. His journey takes him far and wide, through pursuits and negotiations and battles, as he discovers the human, natural, and supernatural agents who are at work, many at cross purposes. He consistently seeks peace and to avert others' deaths, though many choose to set other paths in motion. Though tragedy befalls many in this intense and sometimes gory narrative, no one is strictly a villain here since even the primary antagonists show great virtue and selflessness by other means. One beautiful dimension of this film is its acceptance not just of magical realism but of Japanese magical folklore such as talking wolves, boars, and apes (who together seek to defend the forests from man's industrial proclivities), and the walking shadow. Princess Mononoke is like nothing you have ever seen; though Miyazake's My Neighbor Totoro comes close, this film is much more about an urgent quest and the attendant battles required by those who play offense and defense, sometimes on the same side. It is a film much-loved by my youngest child and I as well as a movie we will be sure to own. 5 stars. (3-21-2011, posted 3-3-2016)

Robot Chicken Star Wars: Episode II (2009)

The Emmy-nominated Robot Chicken: Star Wars II contains a 22-minute, 30-skit special episode from Season 3 plus a 15-minute, 3-skit "extended" offering. RC: SW II is even funnier than the first offering and the feature content shows what a field day the RC production team had at Lucasfilm for the disc premiere. Contents: 1 (Boba Fett slaughters Ewoks until Leia does a striptease), 2 (Palpatine rebuilds Vader), 3 (Palpatine's barber suggests bounty hunters), 4 (Geonosian arena in a monster-truck-rally commercial), 5 (Leia mocks Luke's loss of Ben since she lost a planet), 6 (Stormtrooper brings smart daughter to work), 7 (medical droid points out SW movie inaccuracies), 8 (Admiral Ackbar's Fish Sticks jingle is rejected), 9 (stormtrooper mourns fellow trooper killed by Leia), 10 (mouse pilots mouse droid), 11 (Anakin kills younglings by pretending to pick flowers for Padme), 12 (two AT-ATs race), 13 (dragon critiques notion of planets like all-ice Hoth, all-forest Endor etc. before 3PO passes its skeleton on all-desert Tatooine), 14 (Palpatine lords it over Vader, calls for bounty hunters), 15 (Jar Jar sells car insurance a la Geico), 16 (bounty hunters accept Palpatine's mission), 17 (Lando comments on Slave I), 18 ("Moesha Poppins" retread in awkward banquet with Vader on Cloud City), 19 (Attorney Bob Goldstein sues Jedi who sever limbs), 20 (parody before Han Solo is frozen in carbonite), 21 (Vader continually alters the deal with Lando), 22 (Luke imagines idyllic father-son times with Vader, falls to death), 23 (apartment-seeking couple in Cloud City), 24 (Admiral Ackbar sees Jedi order calamari), 25 (Boba Fett spins tale of brave battle and leap into Sarlacc), 26 (Palpatine has a bad day), 27 (Luke removes Vader's helmet, crew member snaps photo with cell phone), 28 (Ewoks killed by falling chunks of Death Star), 29 (chickens sing SW theme), 30 (two Imperial officers decide to abandon planets full of weapons, ships, and soldiers after loss of Palpatine and Death Star). Extended skits: 1 (Tusken Raider startles, flees bar), 2 (Anakin's family laughs at his mother's death, he gets last laugh), 3 (bounty hunter in fight scene similar to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). 4 stars. (6-5-2011)

Zombieland (2009)

Zombieland is a fun grim-reaper-style road trip across America by what looks like the last four survivors of a plague that turned the entire nation overnight into flesh-eating zombies. As would be expected, zombies pop up almost anywhere, feral and grabby and running fast, and they don't stop unless killed by a double shotgun blast or similar kinetic impact (baseball bat, banjo, and Hummer are a few examples that come to mind). Jesse Eisenberg is Wichita, a neurotic antisocial nerd who has survived by strict adherence to a list of rules -- Cardio, Double Tap, Beware of Public Restrooms, etc. His narrative voice lends a puckish yet grim reality to the movie. Woody Harrelson is Tallahassee, a git-er-done wild man who gives kick-ass a good name. (He has a sensitive side too.) This unlikely pair encounters two through-thick-and-thin sisters (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin) with trust issues who will do whatever it takes to survive. They are very good at what they do too -- but everybody needs somebody sometime. If you can appreciate zombie movies, Zombieland is quite enjoyable and funny with many zombie attacks and inventive zombie takedowns. It is not entirely a lark because being (probably) the sole human survivors tends to be a bummer -- but our quartet holds onto hope for as long as possible. By the way, keep on the lookout with them for a fifth human survivor -- you should love that cameo (if one were to exist). Enjoy! 5 stars.(6-16-2011, posted 3-3-2016)

Secretary (2002)

Secretary is a cheeky little movie that gets its freak on in subtle and not so subtle ways. Maggie Ghyllenhall is magnificent as the emotionally damaged daughter of an alcoholic father and a garish Barbie doll mother. After being institutionalized for self-mutilation, she is released on the day of her older sister’s wedding. (Talk about a study in contrasts, dysfunction, and denial. Furthermore, her mother locks up the kitchen knives but never thought to check her daughter’s room for contraband.) While she is damaged goods to the trained eye, she wins a job as a legal typist for a reluctant attorney in his rococo mansion/office. James Spader, it turns out, has a trained eye: He overcomes his shyness because of a similarly haunted psyche. In subtle and not so subtle ways that would give fits to any HR director (or attorney), he heals her of her demons – then leads her to his. From her first spanking to the movie’s consummation, their on-again, off-again pas-de-deux is presented as a tender love story culminating in a free and willing exchange of liberated self-giving. (Of course, to believe such claptrap ignores the multiple alarms going off inside the heads of every HR and legal professional in the room, not to mention every therapist who notes that she is exchanging one form of abuse and codependency for another, or every biology and medical professional who notes that she is exchanging one form of addiction for another. The movie also clearly goes too far in claiming that the saints of old were part of a “spiritual” S&M tradition.) Unfortunately, S&M movies baldly proselytize in that way, just as S&M practitioners troll for new converts instead of keeping to their kind. Secretary is a sensual, subtle movie that knows a lot about our inner demons. However, that alone does not mean you should be convinced by its attempt to make a picket-fence couple out of this guy and a woman who becomes so morbidly obsessed  with him that I am surprised she was not reinstitutionalized. Secretary is sneaky like that – but sexy, in its own whacked out, freaky way. The quirkier the better, I love every scene in that mansion -- and against the tree trunk – because Secretary does get under your skin. 4 stars. (5-2-13, posted 3-2-16)

Completely Christ's: Mother Teresa (2007)

This disc contains a morning and an afternoon address delivered by Mother Teresa in 1981 to a conference of women and men who have taken vows in religious orders, followed by a brief QA session where her pithy, honest answers are refreshing. The sustained focus of her remarks is how to attain closeness to the Son and do His will. Even though I believe she is one of a handful of the most inspirational and world-changing individuals of the last century, I had never seen or heard her speak before. (Photo ops on TV news don’t make the grade.) Consider renting this disc, especially if you are spiritual, if for no other reason than to hear this completely ordinary yet spiritually phenomenal person speak in her own words. Start with the QA, if you like: When asked if her order is active politically, she replies to laughter _Oh, we don't have time for that!_ but then explains that she cannot love everyone equally if she belonged to a political party. (This disc is part of a two-disc set, so the description mentioning Father BG and MP refers to the other disc.) 3 stars. (1-27-16)

The Woodsman (2004)

Kevin Bacon is excellent as a tormented ex-con, released after 28 years, who will forever be branded as a child molester. He still feels, and fears, that darkling siren call. At the same time, he knows the consequences if he sins again: life in prison. A gifted woodworker like his father, and out of respect for his father’s legacy, he is given a mind-numbing factory job, manning a table saw. He wants to mind his own business and get on with life – but a nosy and moralistic secretary wants the whole company to know his past. The police lean on him too. Kyra Sedgwick is the hard-bitten forklift driver who both shares his pain and sees good in him. Ultimately, he makes a couple of momentous choices. Have you ever known Kevin Bacon to disappoint? 4 stars. (5-2-13, posted 3-2-16)

Risen (2016)

Risen is a well-produced, coherent historical drama about Roman involvement in the crucifixion (and resurrection) of Jesus Christ. It falls short of the highwater mark for authenticity and emotional impact held by the The Passion of the Christ, but it starts out a bit like Troy or 300 to establish the gritty bona fides of Clavius, the trusted and capable ranking officer and right hand of Pontius Pilate. Clavius is constantly summoned to put down rabbles and rebellions against Roman rule, slaying every messianic pretender and his followers when they refuse to submit. It is wearing on him though, and his life’s goal is to attain “a day without death.” He returns from a costly mission and is immediately charged with “finishing” the now-in-progress crucifixion of Christ. These scenes are vivid, since the Romans are proficient at their craft – but several are moved to perceive this man was different. Shortly after burial, however, the body is reported missing – and Clavius is commanded to use whatever means necessary to find the body and quell the nascent rumors. The second half of the movie is largely a fictionalized account of Clavius’ subsequent journey, though several scenes center on Peter and his final encounters with Christ. I wish they had not taken liberties with Christ’s own final scene – the biblical narrative is eminently more acceptable than using special effects to show him walking into a glaring sunrise and turning into a cloud of dandelion fluff (or something like that). Seen at a Houston preview. 4.5 stars. (2-5-16)

The IT Crowd (2006)

The IT Crowd is a British sitcom that lasted four seasons for a total of 24 episodes. Centered on a three-person corporate IT department with little to no adult supervision, it is basically Black Books with two nerds and a twit. The characters hold up well, individually and as an ensemble cast, and the loopy corporate president (first father, then son) adds a quirky nuance to the show’s tangy idiot stew. The jokes are a bit old and often predictable, but they offer a certain familiarity that seems to be common in British comedy (for example, Fawlty Towers, Absolutely Fabulous, Are You Being Served, and The Catherine Tate Show). Roy is Irish, a temperamental technician who fairly functions in the real world and sometimes gets a girl (briefly). Moss is a Brillo-haired OC mama’s boy who is literal-minded and can only interest a girl in the most unlikely of circumstances. Jen is the clueless up-and-comer with no IT skills who is made the duo’s manager. Plots center around the idiot executive son hitting on women in the workplace or partying at company expense, or Jen claiming to understand and speak Italian, or Roy obsessing over the inconsistencies in his girlfriend’s life story (that she refuses to discuss further), or Moss bailing out Jen or getting into trouble with some technological toy he slapped together. It is all quite familiar (“Hello, IT. Did you turn it off and on first?”) yet othernerdly as you realize how lucky it is that this IT crowd barely gets by in the day-to-day world. 3.5 stars. (6-21-13, posted 3-2-16)