"Of Gods and Men"

In French with excellent sub-titles, this is an inspiring portrayal of courage born of faith. Superb acting, exquisite cinematography (Caroline Champetier). Purposely, (almost excruciatingly) slow-moving, yet brilliantly paced this is a film whose every scene can be savored and appreciated. Directed by Xavier Beaufois with intelligence and sensitivity. (He also shared writing credits.) The plot (based on real events and real people)revolves around a Trappist (Cistercian) monastery in Algeria during the 1990's. It shows the army -- plus terrorists - impinging upon the peace and tranquility of the life of the monks. The monks are French by the way. They are not young. they have been in Algeria for many years. Days are spent in useful pursuits as well as devotion expressed with magnificent liturgical chanting which permeates their daily routine and rituals. The expressive faces of each of these exceptional men will be etched in your memory. As true Christians, giving medical treatment to anyone who came to them, without discrimination, the monks served the villagers -- most of whom were Muslim. The cast list is headed by Lambert Wilson and Michael Lonsdale, but every single actor is superb. FOUR STARS!

"UNKNOWN"

Warning, it's quite violent in some places. Also, I'm not a big fan of car chases. "Unknown" has several lengthy and spectacular ones, But I can find no fault with any other aspect of this film. I have to give it FOUR STARS despite any imperfections. Probably the 4 star performance by Liam Neeson accounts for my unabashed admiration and enthusiasm. He is definitely a force to be reckoned with! What a marvelous, spectacular performance! Excellent, suspenseful plot (OK, maybe you have to "suspend disbelief" - but so what?). Neeson plays the part of "Dr. Martin Harris," enroute, with his wife "Liz," well played by January Jones, to attend a scientific convention in Berlin. While checking into their hotel, he realizes he left his briefcase at the airport, and dashes off frantically in a Taxi to retrieve it. In a freak accident in the cab, driven by Diane Kruger, he is nearly killed (she saves his life). He is in a coma for 4 days. When he wakes up, he can barely remember his name. But as he starts to recall the conference he is supposed to be attending, he leaves the hospital prematurely. The doctor warns him he should wait - but he feels the urgent need to see his wife, and hurries to the Hotel where the conference is being held. When he sees his wife, she tells him (and everyone else) that she does not know who he is, and introduces Aiden Quinn as her husband, Dr. Martin Harris. Add to the mystery, a frightening attempt on his life in the hospital, and then a bunch of thugs following him and trying to kill him. Bruno Ganz (wonderful old actor!) plays "Jurgen" a P.I. (proud to be a former member of the East German secret police) who tries to help him. Neeson was given Jurgen's contact information from a nurse at the hospital with the explanation that "he finds people." Frank Langella adds his acting talents to the film. So, who is "the real" Dr. Martin Harris? Why is "Liz" denying his identity? What is going on? I may even see it again, now that I know -- but I'm not going to spoil your fun by telling you ! Don't read any spoilers; just go and see it for yourelf. Praise for the Director: Jaume Collet-Serra and the Screenwriters: Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell, "Unknown" is based on the novel: Out of My Head by Didier Van Cauwelaert (I hope I spelled all these correctly.)

Two Reviews: A Comparative Study

Why was "Just Go With It" not worth more than ONE STAR, whereas "Cedar Rapids" earned THREE STARS on my enjoyment meter? My determining factors are: (1) Dialogue (script provided by the Writer/s), (2) Actors delivery of those words, and (3) the Director. The only redeeming feature of "Just Go With It" was Jennifer Aniston's performance. She was excellent! Otherwise, though Adam Sandler wasn't bad, and the little girl (about 11 years old?) was quite good, there were too many scenes that I found offensive. I noted later that there were six different writers credited for the film. The result was really a hodge-podge, a series of scenes that didn't really mesh into one cohesive whole. There's an old joke about things decided by committee! Or, perhaps it was, "Too many cooks spoil the broth." (I saw the name of the old pro Abe Burrows on the list of writers. I guess he was outweighed by the the other five.) I really don't like potty "humor" -- I find it offensive. Just about every character in the film is lying about something, including Nicole Kidman (I almost didn't recognize her) who has a small but unpleasant part to play. Then by contrast, there's "Cedar Rapids" an original take on the "country boy goes to the big city" theme, done very cleverly, with an excellent cast, headed by Ed Helms as the naive, somewhat innocent (despite his liason with his former school teacher, Sigourney Weaver - who is wonderful in her part, of course) small town insurance salesman who is sent to the "big city" of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to attend the Insurance Companies Convention. He has experiences he didn't expect. Admittedly it has a few rather "off color" lines, primarily delivered by John C. Reilly, but the film didn't depend upon them. (And Reilly was actually good in his role, as was Steven Root, our hero's boss.) Written by Phil Johnston and marvelously directed by Miguel Arteta, "Cedar Rapids" easily earned my THREE STAR rating. (Would have been Four, if it hadn't been for the few crudities -- which in French, as I recall, means 'raw vegetables.') I must give special mention to one of the actors who, although she has a relatively small part, quite favorably impressed me: Alia Shawkat. She plays a prostitute named "Bree." She accosts our hero when he first arrives and asks him for a cigarette. He, of course, lectures her (nicely) about the health hazards of smoking, and offers her some butterscotch candies instead. Definitely Kudos to Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr. and everyone else in the fine cast of this enjoyable film.

"Biutiful"

Fabulous actor, Javier Bardem, playing a truly complicated (and conflicted?) human being who is a mixture of compassionate criminal, loving, protective father of two young children, married to a disgusting drunkard slut of a wife, with whom he doesn't live -- until circumstances lead him to share housing with her (you find later she is bi-polar), and BTW, he is dying of prostate Cancer. So he's trying to get all his financial affairs in order (put aside enough money to at least pay their rent for a year.) Oh, and also, BTW, he is gifted with the inner vision/communing with the dead and dying. He finds jobs for illegal Chinese immigrants in a factory (whose owner is a crook, who pays him a kick-back, so he doesn't have to hire union workers). Similarly there are the Chinese construction workers, who don't know beans about construction. There's also Uxbal's (Bardem's role) brother who mangages (owns?) what seemed to me to be quite definitely an X-rated hot spot replete with pole dancers, etc. I was not prepared for this! The music was quite effective and emotionally compelling, but horribly LOUD. Another thread of the story is that Uxbal has decided to have his father, who has just died, cremated, which will save money - not having to keep a niche reserved previously for the body. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) there were subtitles throughout this film, which takes place in Barcelona. Bardem is an amazing actor. If it were not for his mesmerizing presence, I probably would have walked out, but watching him kept me glued to my seat. His performance is, of course FOUR STAR, and all the rest of the cast are fine (the children are great), but the story is so miserable, and the most of the characters so despicable that I simply don't know how to rate it -- all things considered. So, maybe TWO STARS?

Another Year

Directed by Mike Leigh, this is fine film making, splendid acting, but ultimately, an unpleasant and depressing experience! How can that be? Well, despite the loving long term relationship of husband, Tom (Jim Broadbent) and wife, Gerri (Ruth Sheen), their "enabling" friendship with Mary (Lesley Manville) whose excessive drinking and alcoholic deterioration from season to season (as the title implies, "Another Year") is painful to watch. Technically, as some critics noted, it could be considered an excellent movie, I pretty much hated it. (This might be a good picture to show at an AA meeting?) For openers, Janet (Imelda Staunton), suffering from insomnia, and obvious depression, is shown trying to get a prescription for sleeping pills. This scene sets the miserable tone of the majority of the movie. I have to admit there are a few pleasant scenes, Tom and Gerri seriously enjoying gardening, for instance. And visits from their lawyer son. Tom's brother's wife dies, so you get to go to a pathetic little funeral, just to add another facet of sorrow. Sorry folks, I'm suggesting ONE STAR, and that only in appreciation for the performances. (Plus, I didn't walk out.) SP

"The Way Back"

Directed by Peter Weir, starring Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Jim Sturges, and Saoirse Ronan, this is a wonderfully told story of survival, courage, character, and friendship. Some claim it's true, I don't care if it is or not. Against all odds, a small group of prisoners escape from a Siberian Gulag and walk 4000 (yes, four thousand) miles to reach India and safety. Not all of them make it. Some are political prisoners, some have been accused of being spies. Some have been "turned in" by relatives for criticising the Communist regime (those relatives probably having been tortured to get them to talk. One American, others Polish, Russian, and another country (I've forgotten which), they start off suspicious of each other, but through the exhausting trek and the hardships they share, they develop the kind of friendships that only such an experience of mutual dependency can forge. Marvelous Photography is spectacular. Absolutely splendid acting by everyone in the film. Of course I'm more familiar with Ed Harris and he is amazing in his role as "Mister" (the only first name he answers to) Smith. Colin Farrell remarkable as well. And Saoirse Ronan (good grief, such an unfamiliar name to spell, much less pronounce) holds her own admirably with these pros in a wonderful performance as a runaway girl who joins their group. Trudging through miles and miles and miles (meters) of snow, blizzards, then heat and desert clime, and crossing the Himalayas all on foot, nearly starving, nearly dying of dehydration, you can imagine this requires stamina just to watch. It may not be for everyone; I loved it! FOUR STARS for sure.

"Queen of the Lot"

Rarely do I walk out of a movie. Today I did. I suffered more than 30 minutes, and then escaped. Since I love movies (usually), I had figured a film about a famous star who is under house arrest (the ankle bracelet, you may recognize from "White Collar" -- a great TV series) for breaking parole (?) after too much booze, or was it drugs? I couldn't quite tell, and moves in to her manager's house, and takes it over, and gets her boyfriend -- also a famous star to come and stay also. Boring, boring, boring. I didn't care much for the lead actress. Directed, I believe, by Henry Jaglom -- supposedly known for better things. Oh, well. I can't give it any stars. The annoying dialogue sounded as if there were no script, and the actors were improvising. (and not doing it very well.) Sorry. I do try to be positive, but this was dismal. NO STARS.

"From Prada to Nada"

Truly a disservice to Jane Austin's Sense and Sensibility. Supposedly modernizing and changing the locale of her story about two wealthy, spoiled sisters discovering upon the death of their father, that they are destitute, this film is just not good. However, it was tolerable, and, as a Hollywood resident I could appreciate the street signs of Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, East Central LA, etc. Splanglish spoken here. So, ONE STAR for local color. (And I liked the actor who played a seemingly "tough guy" Mexican-American.) Really annoying music in the opening scenes. Don't waste your money.