"Farewell"

Four Stars!! Splendid espionage thriller -- Based on a real life Colonel in the KGB who managed to help the United States get rid of Russian spies in its midst! In 1981 he convinced a French engineer (not a trained spy) who was working in Moscow to deliver secret documents to France, wheere they could be put into the hands of the U.S. government. (Fred Ward plays President Reagan) This is a true story, directed, and co-written by Christian Carion. The two main leads are not only excellent actors, but directors in their own right. Top flight entertainment. (In French & Russian- with English subtitled, of course.) Suspense, intrigue, courage: good stuff. See "Farewell" (code name for the courier) SP

"Winter's Bone" and "Inception"

Talk about two diametrically oppposed films! "Inception." a SCI-FI THRILLER with SPECTACULAR special effects (WITHOUT benefit of 3D, I'm happy to say!!) is number one at the box office, whereas "Winter's Bone," in somewhat limited release, is stark reality, and I do mean stark .-- No holds barred, it shows living conditions in the Ozarks that require learning survival skills just to stay alive day by day. Playing Ree Dolly, the 17 year old heroine of "Winter's Bone," is a an unknown (up until now!) Jennnifer Lawrence, who gives one of the finest performances I've ever seen. The cast of "Inception" on the other hand boasts consistenly capable Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead, and perfectly cast supporting actors: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page (these two steal the show, I think), Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy ,Tom Beringer. Cillian Murphy and Marion Cotillard with one of my all time favorites, Michael Caine, whose appearance is brief, but as always, flawless. Directed by Christopher Nolan, "Inception" has to do with mind games, played within the three levels of the dream state. (Play close attention if you expect to follow the plot, which is supposed to be about corporate espionage.) Whereas the story line in "Winter's Bone" is clear enough, Ree Dolly is searching for her father, who has disappeared after putting the family home up for bond while he's awaiting a court date. Ree is meanwhile taking care of her two younger siblings (beautifully seen not as child actors playing parts, but as real children - unselfconscious of the camera. ) and her mother, who seems to be suffering from dementia (that's my diagnosis, anyway.) All that Ree says is that her mother is "sick." Anyway, I vote for Jennifer Lawrence as the ultimate heroine (and Academy award contender), whose courage and determination are not based on leaping off buildings, or shooting a bunch of bad guys (though she obviously knows how to handle a shotgun, and teaches the younger kids how to do it, so they can get squirrels for supper if she's not there.) Although "Winter's Bone" is grisly in parts, it is mesmerizing, and everyone in it is totally believable. (Some of them actually are not actors, but folks recruited from the locale!) Both films have their top notch direction, photography, and acting, but as for the "enjoyment" factor --- well, some of "Winter's Bone" is quite unpleasant, and "Inception," which most professional critics give highest praise, somehow annoyed me. (Perhaps because it was confusing to me-- as it was probably supposed to be.) So, this makes my now requisite rating by Stars difficult. Hmmmm. All things considered, I think I'll go with 3 stars for each film -- though many of you may think I should have given each of them 4. I must admit, I might reconsider, but lest you think I'm a pushover for 4 stars for everything, I'll let it be 3 each, for now. Let me know what you think, if you see them. Signed, Ambivalent Author of this Blog, SP

More about "The Devil in the White City" to view

According to two of my best sources (see Guruka Singh's comment with information about screen versions of "The Devil in the White City"), here's more from Richard Nagy (aka Gurubir Singh) who e-mailed me: "Found the full-length version of Madness in the White City to watch online: http://www.sling.com/video/show/110549/62/Madness-in-the-White-City . This National Geographic film definitely comes closest to the book, because it enmeshes the story of the fair with the story of the killer. The book's author actually appears in it. -Gurubir "
He also wrote me previously that Utube has some clips and there are other short films about H.H. Holmes - including quite grisly ones about serial killers. (Grisly is not something I'm intending to pursue.) Still, as far as I know, the book has never been shown on the BIG screen. SP

Two Favorite Books

For years, probably since I was in my teens, I've been saying that Christopher Morley's WHERE THE BLUE BEGINS is my favorite book, And then I got to wondering if it would still hold that rating, now that I'm in my 80s. So, I read it again, and loved it again. In exquisite prose that reads much like poetry. It is philosophy, fantasy, a fable, a personal quest for truth - and happiness, presented through the eyes and adventuresof a bachelor, Mr. Gissing, who happens to be a canine, in the literal sense of the word. (Yes, he's a four legged dog.) My copy was published in 1922, so you may have to go to a used-book dealer to find it. But it's worth finding.
My other favorite is the fascinating THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY. The White City refers to Chicago in 1893 when it hosted the monumental World's Fair, and the Devil refers to H.H. Holmes, the infamous serial killer who carried out his murders at this same time period in this same city. This is a true story, non-fiction, that reads like the best fiction/mystery novel. Written by Erik Larson, it was published in 2003. I found a reference on Google to the "movie"about the White City, but it has not been made yet, as far as I know. Reporting from the City of the Angels, Signed, your host, SP

"Sunrise: A song of Two Humans"

Wow! Winner of 3 Academy Awards, this Silent film. produced in 1927, has stood the test of time magnificently! Outstanding photography (spectacular special effects - without benefit of computerized technology), starring Janet Gaynor as the gentle, loving wife of George O'Briend who has been bewitched by a femme fatale from the City, vacationing in their small lakeside village. This vixen suggests that he "accidentally" drown his wife and move to the big City with her. This melodrama, masterfully directed by F. W. Murnau has twists and turns to keep any viewer guesssing. Emotions are splendidly portrayed and enhanced by a full orchestra on the remastered Sound track. Occasionally a few hand printed words are shown on a plackard in between scenes, but the acting is so superior (especially Miss Gaynor), that dialogue is barely necessary. OK, so O'Brien is a bit over the top sometimes, but I enjoyed "Sunrise" so thoroughly, that I have to give it highest praise, , thus, TaDa: FOUR STARS. sp

"Exit Through the Gift Shop"

Never heard of this ? Try and find it! Out of 4 Stars ( my new rating system -- due to popular demand). I'm giving this one all four Stars! The star quotient is based on how much I enjoy a film. This documentary is all about "Art" or, as some might qualify it, "Street Art" - or what used to be called "Graffiti." It tracks the emergence of a new "famous" (and now rich) street artist, who calls himself "Mr. Brain Wash." He's French, and seems like a genius (which possibly implies he's a bit obsessive) His huge One man show (truly an "Event") was in Los Angeles. Some footage also filmed in London. MBW started out behind a camera, making a documentary of everything in sight, but he himself ends up being the subject of this unique, amusing, and fascinating film which explores the world of Steet Art and artists. SP

"Despicable Me" and "Great Directors"

To give the Devil his due, "Despicable Me"did a good job with the 3D effects. Actually, too good a job in places, such as the roller coaster ride, which I couldn't watch -- it made me queasy! The sad thing is that this film had excellent animation, great voices (Steve Carell, Jason Segal, and even Julie Andrews, God bless her! She is depicted as an ugly old crone, the mother of the main protagonist, "Gru" who speaks with an accent that only the marvelous Carell could have invented), an interesting plot, and a good script. I would have been just as pleased to watch it in 2D (and even more pleased not to have to pay extra for the 3D!) , but it wasn't available in the theater where I saw it. The three little orphan girls were adorable, and almost stole the show.
In another genre, "Great Directors" is a documentary. It was only playing for one week at a small theater in Santa Monica, the Nuart, that shows "arty" films and older films you don't find elsewhere. I thought the Producer/Director who managed to put herself on screen with each of the ten Directors she interviewed was rather annnoying, but it was very interesting to hear the Directors talk about what directing is all about for them. Several were European, and I had only heard of a few of them (David Lynch, for one) - and had not seen many of the films they directed (clips were shown), but I enjoyed Great Directors, and would recommend it to anyone who loves going to the movies. As for how many stars? That's tricky. Do I rate a film according to my enjoyment of it? If the story is good, but the acting isn't, or the acting is great, but the story is confusing, or if it's visually excellent (such as "Avatar"), with fine photography, but otherwise not appealing, how do I rate it? Sigh...SP

"Wild Grass"

Fortunately my good friend had told me that this French film was confusing, so I went in with that expectation. . And it certainly was convoluted. However, I did appreciate the marvelous photography and the superb acting. Otherwise, oh my! To add insult to injury, the subtitles in white were frequently superimposed on scenes that were so light that I couldn't read the text. I doubt if that would have clarified much, but it did add to my annoyance. My analysis is that the story (two main characters -- a woman whose purse is stolen on the street -- and the man who later finds her abandoned wallet with the money gone, but the I.D. intact --- becoming obsessed, and pretty much cracking up! (taking turns haiving nervous breakdowns. He's first ) It's about obsession (probably sexual -- although nothing overt or even R rated is shown); losing one's mind; and self destruction. The lead actress, actually a pretty woman is obviously demented (even though she doesn't act it, at first) if one can judge from her wild, untamed (uncombd?) bright red hair . It was truly a fright wig. Reminded me of Johnny Depp's wild Mad Hatter in the recent "Alice in Wonderland." BTW, she's a dentist. One critic called this movie a "mind bender." Well, thank you very much, but no thanks. However, I must admit, the male lead actor was outstanding. After the show, I saw small groups of folks standing around obviously trying to figure out what it was all about! SP

"Love Ranch"

Unless you don't mind being verbally assaulted with non-stop, over the top, vile profanity, do not, I repeat, do not see this film. I went because I figured anything with Helen Mirren in it had to be worth seeing. It wasn't. It's based on a true story of the owners of the Mustang Ranch in Nevada, the first legalized brothel. Joe Pesci (playing the husband to Helen Mirren's character) is given dialogue, if you can call it that, not just peppered with vulgarity -- it consists mainly of spewing the F word, over and over and over and over...with a few other unpleasant words thrown in. The only redeeming feature of the film is the romance between Helen Mirren's character and the excellent Spanish actor playing a boxing champion from Argentina. SP