Life as a House

Grade: B+

Okay, okay – I admit that after discovering that this was a “disease of the week” pic, my major reason for going anyway was to see Anakin Skywaker with his clothes off in the shower. That said, there are two important criteria to determine whether or not a tearjerker works – how manipulated you feel and how moved you are. Surprisingly, despite a standard melodrama screenplay, awkward minor characters, and several character transformations that feel like a chunk of the movie was edited out (one has to wonder if it will appear in the DVD version), the film is so beautifully acted by its three stars that the manipulation factor feels quite low and I found myself with tears streaming down my face on several different occasions. Kevin Kline, Hayden Christenson (who I predict will be a smoldering and sexy young Vader) and Kristin Scott Thomas are all great here, and make for believable and moving characters, even when their circumstances are not. And, man of man, what a gorgeous view. (2001)

[Critic's Note – Boy, oh boy was I wrong about Hayden as Anakin. Mia culpa in a big way.]

More Movie Info: http://imdb.com/title/tt0264796/

K-PAX

Grade: B+

Surprisingly refreshing, thoughtful, and intriguing – even though the movie is somewhat long, awkwardly paced, has unbelievable characters and situations that don’t always work, it is also that rare kind of movie that depends on what each audience member brings to it to determine what they will leave with as well. Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges are wonderful here -- Spacey in the showier role of the “non-human” that he nonetheless manages to instill with genuine grace and humanity, Bridges in the more subtle yet equally compelling earthbound character. The ambiguities in the film work beautifully, so much so that the film takes a nose dive during a not insignificant segment that attempts to provide psychological answers to new-age questions. Knowing that Spacey’s character may be suffering from human trauma rather than enjoying a vacation via space travel is enough to intrigue us, and we don’t need a lengthy detective story when the film’s strength is in its ambiguity. Where Spacey is from and where he returns to is ultimately less important than what he leaves behind, and it is here that the film is both profoundly thoughtful and deeply moving.

More Movie Info: http://imdb.com/title/tt0272152/

Waking Life

Grade: B-

This one suffers big-time from critic over-hype. Visually, this movie is so stunningly animated that for a while you don’t really care that you can’t understand most of what is being said in the first place. But only for a while. Then, the thoughts, conversations, and lectures begin to bleed into one another, creating a tiresome and generally watch-looking sit. What a great film this could have been if the main character, realizing he was in a dream within a dream within a dream, decided to actually dream something fun, creative and interesting. But the filmmaker seems far too interested in impressing us with a bunch of philosophy courses taken in college and, while some of the thoughts are indeed thoughtful and fascinating, on the whole this thing is a bore. But I really can’t wait to see if my own dreams are impacted, and whether or not I start trying to flip light switches on and off or read my digital clock to see what will happen.

More Movie Info: http://imdb.com/title/tt0243017/

Riding in Cars with Boys

Grade: B-

Penny Marshall tries so hard not to make another drippy, sappy story that the Marshall clan have become famous for, that instead she’s come up with an incredibly gray, unhappy little tale indeed. Nobody smiles, especially not Drew Barrymore, fine as a teen and as a twentysomething, far less convincing as a mom with a twenty year old son. She’s so damn unhappy that she’s downright unpleasant to be around, making it all really difficult to care that much about her and her plight. Steve Zahn does an Oscar-caliber job as Drew’s nare-do-well but well-meaning husband, although his addiction to heroin plotline feels contrived and over the top as well. Still, this is a generally well-acted and well-meaning film, and it’s nice to see Drew stretch herself beyond the goofy but sweet bubblehead characters she usually portrays on film. Sweet, overlong, pleasant failure.

More Movie Info: http://imdb.com/title/tt0200027/

From Hell

Grade: B

Extraordinarily well-crafted, this one does a wonderful job of setting a stage and time, less well telling the actual story. We’re in 1880’s London, and an amazing representation it is – class struggle, royalty and poverty next to one another, the faint beginnings of modern medicine -- it’s all there and beautifully unfolded and photographed. The tale of Jack the Ripper is extraordinarily intriguing, just not told as clearly as it should have been. Somewhat muddled and plodding, one is left to put pieces together after the film is over. This could have been one of the year’s best, but instead must settle for an enjoyable, if overlong, murder mystery.

More Movie Info: http://imdb.com/title/tt0120681/

Mulholland Dr.

Grade: C

David Lynch is at it again. There is no question that Lynch is capable of being one of the truly great Directors. He brings a perspective to his work that is rarely less than interesting and often visually stunning. He can bring you into his mind’s eye and hold you completely captivated. Unfortunately, Lynch needs to get off the drugs, or stop drinking large quantities of alcohol, or get some serious therapy before he will be capable of joining the cannon of great filmmakers. The first two-thirds of this film are simply wonderful – weird, fascinating, funny, with a look that is utterly unique and thoroughly absorbing. The characters are engrossing, with a wonderful performance from Naomi Watts – she’s one to watch for in the future. The final third of the film, however (beginning with a straight boy’s lesbian fantasy) is absolutely dreadful – confusing, pretentious, boring, choppy, contrived and ultimately meaningless. As a movie-goer, I don’t care if a film is someone’s dream or the first installment of what was supposed to be a television series – these are mere excuses allowing a Director to masturbate all over an audience. Scenes throughout the film are completely confused dead ends, adding to an unnecessarily drawn out movie. I don’t mind having lengthy conversations about the meaning of a movie – that’s part of the joy of film going. But I do mind have to force square pegs into round holes to convince myself that a movie makes any sense whatsoever. It is not a crime for a movie to be linear or comprehensible.

First two-thirds: A-
Last third: F
Final Grade: C

A film with so much promise leaves me very angry indeed.

More Movie Info: http://imdb.com/title/tt0166924/

Serendipity

Grade: C

This one falls under the “been there, done that, seen it all better before” category. It’s a sweet, well-meaning “Sleepless in Seattle” wannabe (which was itself a pale “When Harry Met Sally” wannabe), but with little charm or humor. John Cusack and Kate Beckinsdale do have a nice chemistry, but they’re on the screen together for maybe ten minutes on the front end and two minutes on the back. The rest of the movie is a series of how many different ways they manage to keep missing each other, which becomes a major bore all too quickly. The basic conceit – that our lives are determined by fate, and if it’s meant to be it will most certainly happen – is meant to be romantic, but instead stretches belief beyond repair almost right from the start. Beckinsdale’s character starts off too weirdly new agey for us to believe – the storyline feels exceedingly phony and fabricated. And for such supposedly wonderfully deserving people, John and Kate sure do treat their significant others like total crap. Maybe they really do deserve each other.

More Movie Info: http://imdb.com/title/tt0240890/

Training Day

Grade: C

Any movie that has clouds racing across the screen in fast motion is a sure sign you're in big trouble. This utterly mediocre and generally uninteresting film is redeemed only by a truly interesting and bravura performance -- by Ethan Hawke. Eager to please and desperate for approval, his character literally jumps off several different cliffs, and Hawke's performance is surprisingly rich, pained, and interesting -- his scenes in a drugged stupor alone make him worthy of Oscar consideration. He also has more screentime here than over-hyped Denzel Washington, who is fine here albeit stuck in a rather one-note character. I admit it -- Washington's deep, dark, and intensely brooding/angry characterizations leave me relatively cold, and are highly repetitive at this point in his career. It's time for Washington to do a comedy for crying out loud, and show us he knows how to smile. Start booing me now, but there is simply no comparison between his performance here and that of Mr. Crowe's in "A Beautiful Mind." None. As for the film itself, it seems surprising that two top drawer actors even bothered with the thing. Paint by numbers, very self-impressed with itself, this one breaks the cardinal rule for cop pics -- it's dull and very long-winded.

More Movie Info: http://imdb.com/title/tt0139654/