Strangers on a Train - 7

Alfred Hitchcock is a genius at directing and making films. I've said it before, and I'm sticking to it (This film makes it 8, with about that many more to see). This film uses the double-sided-ness of the human condition to tell a story of murder and guilt (or lack there of). The main character is the somewhat crazy Bruno, who can't quite draw the line between fantasy and reality. He draws an unsuspecting tennis star, Guy, into a conversation about his recent divorce and the possibility of remarriage. He asks what seems like an innocent and funny question: wouldn't murder solve the problem? Well, yes it would, but it would also be wrong. By the end of the conversation, they suddenly aren't just strangers on a train anymore. Well...I guess that depends on who you ask. The characters are great, the suspense is tangible, and the mystery remains after the last frame. If you don't understand yourself and the human condition better after seeing this film, you weren't paying attention. This film is excellent and truly one of the greatest films ever made. If I made a top 100 list (I doubt this is really possible without a lot of explanation and essay's on each choice), Hitchcock would be on it a lot.

For Your Consideration - 5

While I love most of Christopher Guest's films (especially Best in Show, This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, and A Mighty Wind) this film does not live up to the level of humor that he is capable of. Don't be confused, this is a better film than most that try to poke fun of Hollywood (better than his previous attempt at the subject in The Big Picture). But not as subtle or harsh as Robert Altman's The Player. Collecting a familiar cast including: Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Fred Willard, Jennifer Coolidge, Harry Shearer, and Jane Lynch.
It is a biting critique of the cult of the Oscar buzz and the control it can have over people in the film business. Some of the film seems over the top, but then again, TV entertainment shows are usually over the top. The film critics are hilarious. And not to try to play into the plot of the film, but Parker Posey is great in this film and most others too (Oscar worthy?- probably not). Not a bad film, I just thought I would have liked it more (I should keep my expectations in check).

The Conformist - 7

More famous for his Americanized films like Stealing Beauty with Liv Tyler, Bernardo Bertolucci (Last Tango in Paris) is one of the great Italian filmmakers. I'm going to step out on a limb here and say this is probably his best film. This film is about a man whose job it is to kill of people who might be subversives against the fascist regime in Italy during the 1930's. He is the ultimate conformist, doing what others say is the proper course of action. Slow moving at first, it turns into a beautiful commentary on the uncritical choices we make and how the consequences of such choices have an effect on us and our relationships (despite our own denial). It is also beautifully shot, many of the scenes will be in my head for a long time.

An Inconvenient Truth - 5

Pretty simple really. This film is about Al Gore over the course of a year when he travelled the world giving a presentation on global warming. Most of the film is the actual presentation, with some smaller (very small) parts that reflect on Gore's life and family. As documentaries go, it isn't bad, but I think it focuses too much on the presentation at the expense of actually documenting Al Gore, or doing justice to the facts and insights about global warming. It should have choose to either be a film about global warming, or about Al Gore. It seemed like a bit of a stretch to do both. The nice thing about the film is that if flows nicely from scene to scene, maintaining a relatively coherent narrative. The audience gets a picture of what Gore has been doing since winning (uh, I mean losing) the presidential election in 2000. I would have also liked to see the film deal with Michael Crichton's book State of Fear, which makes a counter-argument (complexifies and problematizes) about global warming.

Apocalypto - 5

Or should I say, Mel Gibson's Apocaplyto? The marketing of this film was just weird...Mel Gibson is the only big name, and the previews make this film seem like an action film, which it is...sorta. Granted the marketer's probably had there hands full, with all of Gibson's antics and that the entire film is in the Yukatek Maya language (Another problem associated with this is that I think it makes the audience less suspicious of the fact that this is a fictional account- some of the dialogue is definitely contemporary English translated back into this ancient language). What made this film better than I thought was that the plot is actually (believe it or not) more complex than I thought it would be. It has all the usual film elements; gore, action, a man driven to save his family, an oracle, and other homage's to many previous films. But is it also does give a picture of what the times and historical period might have looked like. An interesting film, but not a great one.
Apparently I'm not the only one conflicted about this film. Here is a quote that somewhat sums it up for me:

"The difference between a great movie and a merely acceptable one often isn’t a matter of what you put in, but what you leave out. "Apocalypto" could have done more with less."

If the film had ended five minutes earlier, I think it would have been a better film.

MASH - 7

This is one of Robert Altman's early films (He is one of the great film directors of all-time; McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Nashville, The Player, Shortcuts, Gosford Park, A Prairie Home Companion). He has had enormous influence on other directors, most notably PT Anderson (Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love). I have probably been overly harsh on some of his earlier film (follow the links above), but Altman has the gift of making complex films, usually with a massive cast.
This film is a war satire about a medical unit serving in the Korean War. This means there are plenty of gags and guys fooling around, surgery and good health take a back seat to trying to have fun, and a possible golf trip to Japan. At the same time, it also highlights how humor is used in times of great stress and trauma to deal with the huge questions of life that arise when we are confronted with our own mortality. Both an entertaining and thoughtful film (and a great use of the Army Base's PA system).

Blood Diamond - 7

Blood Diamond gives us a picture of the brutal side of the Western pursuit of the bling-bling lifestyle. The film follows three characters each with their own reasons and motivations for pursuing a buried diamond. Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) has made a living being a mercenary and diamond smuggler for a major European diamond company. When he hears that a poor farmer, Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), who has been forced to work in the diamond mines, has hidden a large diamond in the jungle, he uses Solomon’s displaced family as a lure to get to the diamond that might allow Danny to leave Africa forever. Along the way, they meet a desperate and compassionate journalist, Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), who is looking for the story that can change Western views of the diamond industry.
Each of the characters is continually faced with choices that they know will define who they are. Each of them are complex people who struggle to know what to do. The line between right and wrong has become hazy, as the bullets and hatred spread because of the greedy pursuit of diamonds. As the struggle becomes harder and they can now only trust each other, they come to recognize that they are starting to be the people they hate. They have forgotten who they wanted to be- who they were meant to be.
In a key scene near the end of the film, Solomon must remind his own son, who has been taken in by the rebels and can now kill unflinching, who he is. He pleads with him to once again come back to being a son of the father. The son has been taken in by the false hope of a utopia brought about by Uzi’s. The father reminds him that he is defined by his love of family and the hope he has, not by the false power of a gun.
It is a great film, becuase its politics, heroics, and emotion never go over the top, they remain within a very human realm, which is what all films should be in the pursuit of.

The School of Rock - 6

Jack Black is great as the pretend substitute teacher, who teaches what he knows- his own failed attempt to start a rock band. As a substitute (using his roommate's name and teacher certification), Dewey Finn, is inspired by his fourth-grade students musical abilities and makes up a rock band project for them so he (and them, if they must) can be in the city's battle of the bands competition. While the plot isn't particularly original (the usual teacher inspires students/precarious situation that could lead to a change or a catastrophe), the execution is great, with the kids almost stealing the show from Jack Black. It is a funny film and reminded me of my high school music teacher who thought it was important that we all know the history of rock and roll.

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie - 4

A rather obscure French film, that is known for it's surrealism, and the use of dreams, and dreams within dreams. The scenes are rather bizarre, but the characters just adapts and adjust to any new information and plot developments. The only point I could think of is that it shows the masks and layers of how people think about their identity. The title intrigued me, and I think there is something in this film about class, although it is not made clear in the randomness of the film. An interesting film in the history and development of film, but obscure and random enough not to see.

Tideland - 5

The first moments of this film are director Terry Gilliam (12 Monkeys, Time Bandits, The Brothers Grimm, Brazil, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) explaining how there will be a myriad of responses to this (faithful?- I haven't read it) but weird adaptation of the book by Mitch Cullin. Some will like it (mostly people who are Gilliam fans already), some will hate it (those that are in need of a more simplistic narrative structure), and those that don't know what to say. While I am part of the first two groups, I guess that actually makes me have the third response. I think the film is interesting and excites the imagination, but it leaves most of the work of responding up to you. Plenty of valid reasons can be given for all the possible responses. I would explain the film as an expressionist film about a young girl (Jodelle Ferland, who as an actress is well beyond her years) whose parents are heroine addicts, and who moves to a vacant house in the middle of a large wheat field. She eventually meets up with the neighbors a strange older women blinded eye and her son, an epileptic with a large scar on his head from brain surgery (Yeah, its that normal that you followed all of that without going: "What the....?"). The crowd is small for this film, but seeing the film will only confirm whether you think the medium of film might be an art form, or just a entertainment-money-machine.

Vertigo - 7

Talking about this film gives way to much away. This is a must-see film. You will not understand M. Night Shyamalan or Wes Anderson fully until you do (they are highly influenced by Hitchcock). The gist of the film is a psychological thriller, involving a retired detective (James Stewart- who also stars in Rear Window) who suffers from vertigo, and a love affair with a women (Kim Novak) he is supposed to be following. There are plenty more plot twist and intrigue but that would give the surprise away. Hitchcock has the gift of drawing the audience into the plot, I was constantly on edge waiting for the next plot development to see where the story was going. And just when I relaxed because I thought I had it figured out, something new was thrown my way. A great film (I think I've caught the highly contagious Hitchcock bug). Not to mention that this film is a technical work of genius as well.

The Bicycle Thief - 7

This is a classic (1948) Italian film, even being recognized with some Oscar's in the US. The story is about desperation, as a man who finally gets a job and sells some necessities to get a bicycle required for the job, has it stolen the first day. Then, with his son, he must search all of Rome to try to recover it. The situation continues to get more and more desperate, until the title of the film changes meaning (If you've seen it you know what I mean- although there has been some controversy that the film title should be translated as Bicycle Thieves). A very well done film.

All Quiet on the Western Front - 6

Made in 1930, this film is based on the anti-war book by Erich Maria Remarque. The story focuses on Albert- a young German military recruit in WWI. The film shows his mother's grief about the prospect of losing him, and his father's pride in the honor of fighting for his country. This tension frames the rest of the film.
Having more than 75 years of history between this film's creation and my viewing it is quite a gap. I am not sure what to make of it. It has been an often banned film, because of its pessimism about war and heroism. It is a very honest movie about the feelings of those involved in war, and the real conversations of war time, like what are we fighting for exactly? This film, unfortunately, has lost none of its relevance. It's acute perception of the fear that lies deep in the human condition is poignant and made vivid to the audience.

The Cider House Rules - 5

This is the film based on John Irving's character study novel. This film is less of a story, and more about a young man's search for home. Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire) has lived his life as an orphan, apprenticed by Dr. Wilber Larch (Michael Caine) to deliver babies. He also learns how to perform abortions but refuses to participate. He eventually leaves the orphanage to see the outside world, falling in love with Candy Kendall (Charlize Theron), learning about race working at an apple orchard (the reference for the title of this film comes from the workers rules that are posted but never followed). A good film, that captures the universality of the search, as well as the beautiful setting of Maine set during WWII.

Love Actually - 7

I watched this twice last week (It was for a movie discussion). Not much to add to what I have said before (Christmas 2004 and 2005)
Richard Curtis (Bridget Jones's Diary, and The Edge of Reason, as well as the excellent The Girl in the Cafe) wrote and directed this film. I like how the film covers the many aspects and types of love that there are in a series of vignettes that all cohere in the end. It makes the case that love in the end is how we pursue connections- and that maybe it ought to be that way. Now that I have seen this film for three consecutive Christmas', I may make it a tradition(?).

49 Up - 6

This is the latest film in Michael Apted's Up Series (7 Up, 7 plus Seven, 21 Up, 28 Up, 35 Up, 42 Up), started in 1964 with fourteen 7-year-olds and chronicling their life every seven years. The series stared out as a commentary on social classes in England, but has now morphed into a story of people's choices and lives and how people both stay the same as well as change. Having reached the half century point, these subjects are now parents and some are grandparents, and much more reflective of the value of family. The real value of these films in not in the story that they tell, but rather the reflection that comes when thinking about the progress of one's life. The lives of these people cannot be as simply explained by social class systems, and yet class systems cannot be rejected as having no role in the shaping of their lives. These films are an interesting work, and we'll see how long they can continue as both Apted and the group are getting older.

The Break-Up - 6

I liked the film a little better than I thought I would. The one huge critique of it is that the story is so fragmented- characters appear and disappear way to easily, the only constant is Gary (Vince Vaughn) and Brooke (Jennifer Aniston). One of the things I did like about the film is that it really isn't a romantic comedy, or really a comedy at all. It has funny parts, but the anger, bitterness, and resentment is far more real than you are likely to see in any comedy (It must have been the only marketing option). I'm not trying to spoil anything, but it is about a "Break-Up." This is not a date movie. Its value lies in how truthfully it portrays life's unfortunate events, not so that one can somehow make up some reason that give it meaning and will make one feel better, rather to show how real these experiences are, and that these experiences connect everyone together as human beings. This film is highly influenced by other Vince Vaughn/Jon Favreau collaborations like Swingers and Made.