DVD Review - Intimate Stories

Intimate Stories is another wonderful film from Argentinean director Carlos Sorin. The well written screenplay is by Pablo Solarz. The film several prizes including a special jury prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

It is a simple tale about three people who travel from their small town of Fitzroy to the Patagonian city of San Julian. Each one of them has their reasons for going there.

The elderly Justo (Antonio Benedicti) heard that his dog Badface was seen in San Julian. Badface ran away three years ago and Justo's mission is to take him home but to also find forgiveness. Roberto (Javier Lombardo) is a slick salesman who has made the acquaintance of a young widow that he would like to woo. To help him with his plan he special ordered an elaborate cake for her son Rene's birthday. Maria (Javiera Bravo) has won an appearance on a television game show (similar to Wheel of Fortune) and has the opportunity to win a grand food processor (and maybe even a trip to Brazil). All three will find what they are looking for but in ways that didn't expect. And along the way they make some very important connections.

This is a very warm film and I really cared about all of the characters - even the minor ones.
Lombardo is a professional actor but Benedicti and Bravo are not (and neither is most of the cast). But that doesn't matter because they display more humanity than many Hollywood "stars." I highly recommend this film for those of you who want something that will touch your heart.

The Pursuit of Happyness

The Pursuit of Happyness is based on the true story of how Chris Gardner rose from rags to riches. The film is directed by Gabriele Muccino in his English language film debut (he previously directed the wonderful The Last Kiss (the original) and Remember Me My Love, both of which were in Italian).

The time is the early 80s and Chris (Will Smith) lives in a shabby San Francisco apartment with his partner Linda (Thandie Newton) and their son Christopher (Jaden Smith). Chris sells bone density scanners for a living and Linda works at a laundromat. They are not making ends meet. Chris meets a man with a fancy car and asks him what he does for a living. The man is a stock broker and Chris decides to apply for an internship at Dean Witter. In the meantime, Linda is fed up with their lifestyle and goes to New York leaving Chris with their son. Things go from bad to worse and eventually father and son find themselves homeless. But as this is a true story we know that in the end things work out.

I really wanted to like this film. I love stories about underdogs. But there are some problems with this film. There are too many scenes of Smith running like a maniac. One of those scenes in particular seemed very improbable. The film is very slick and Hollywoodized and the music was loud and intrusive (I kept hoping that there would be a break from it but no such luck). I just wanted the film to feel more authentic.

On the positive side, there were some heartbreaking scenes that showed us what it is like to be homeless. Smith gives a fine performance as a man who, although he is hanging on by a thread, never gives up. Little Jaden (who is his real life son) is also very good. The father and son relationship is very well developed and is the best part of the film. But Thandie Newton is wasted in an underdeveloped role.

All in all, this is an okay film but it could have been so much more. Steve Conrad's screenplay could have been tighter. Muccino is a good director but I guess he wanted to please the studio with this glossy product. When I left the theater I kept thinking how much better it would have been if the film's positive message came in a different package.

DVD Review - All the King's Men

When I first heard about this film I had mixed feelings as I don't usually like remakes. But I was interested in it because of the cast and the relevancy of the message of the story to today's political climate. When the film came out this past September it got really bad reviews so I didn't bother seeing it in the theater. But I thought that it was worth seeing on DVD and I found that while this is not a great film it is better than the critic's would have you think.

Steven Zallian wrote and directed this adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's novel about Willie Stark that takes place in Louisiana. The film was originally made in 1949 and starred Broderick Crawford as Willie. There is no doubt that the original film is better and a much more subtle telling of the story. I think that Zallian was a bit overzealous in his take on things and I am sure that a better director would have made a better film.

That said, I was still drawn in to this story of populist Stark (based on Louisiana Governor Huey Long) who is supposedly a man of the people. I say supposedly because behind closed doors he is corrupt as the rest of them. He is aided by journalist Jack Burden (Jude Law) who is enthralled with Stark. Others who are on the Stark bandwagon are Tiny Duffy (James Gandolfini) - who is his Lieutenant Governor, Sadie Burke (Patricia Clarkson), and Sugar Baby (Jackie Earle Haley), who is Stark's bodyguard and driver. Stark also has a fan in Ann Stanton (Kate Winslet). But her brother Adam (Mark Ruffalo) does not care for Stark. Those in agreement with him are Judge Irwin (Anthony Hopkins) and Burden's mother (Kathy Baker).
I won't say more about the plot because many of you are familiar with it.

I think that most of the acting is good. Penn sometimes goes over the top but for the most part he makes a convincing Stark. I was surprised at how believable I found Law as Burden. Clarkson, Baker, Hopkins, Ruffalo, Winslet and especially Haley all give fine performances but their roles are small and their characters are not that well developed. I did have a problem with Gandolfini - his accent sounds like Tony Soprano trying to talk with a southern twang.

The DVD has some interesting deleted scenes and an alternative ending that is better than the one they used in the film. All in all, I think that this film is definitely worth checking out on DVD.

The Secret Life of Words

Isabel Coixet's Goya winner is one of the most beautiful and moving films I have seen this year. Sarah Polley plays Hanna, a woman who lives in Denmark (but she is definitely not Danish) and is deaf. Hanna has a hearing aid but when she wants to shut out the world she turns it off. Hanna works hard a her job and doesn't say much. She eats the same food everyday - chicken, rice and apple. One day her employer calls her into the office and tells her that she must take a vacation. Hanna has never taken a day off from her job and reluctantly agrees to go away. While on vacation in Ireland she overhears a man talking on a cell phone. He is looking for a nurse to take care of a man who was burned in a fire on an oil rig. Hanna is a trained nurse (although she is not working as one now) and volunteers her services.

The patient is named Josef (Tim Robbins). He is severely burned and temporarily blind.
Josef is happy to have someone to take care of him and to talk to. At first Hanna barely says a word to him. But she eventually comes around. She even broadens her diet by eating the wonderful cuisine created by the rig's chef Simon (Javier Camara).

Both Hanna and Josef have secrets. We will get to know some of these secrets but there are some that are left to our imagination. I love the way Coixet builds the relationship between these two damaged people. She takes her time but in the end we have something that goes beyond the depths of most films that focus on relationships. And the film also deals with pain - the pain of those who survive wars and how it affects them for the rest of their lives.

Polley and Robbins are outstanding in the film. They give two of the best performances I have seen this year. But will they be recognized during this award season? I am afraid not. The film is having a very limited release and there is very little attention being paid to it. Which is really a shame. Camara does a nice job in his small role. Also of note is a cameo appearance by Julie Christie. She is in only two scenes - she plays Hanna's therapist Inge. But it is always a joy to see her in a film these days as she doesn't make many of them.

I cannot recommend The Secret Life of Words too highly. It is a wonderful film that will touch your heart and your soul.

Miss Potter

I am not a big fan of Renee Zellweger but she is absolutely wonderful (and perfect) in Miss Potter. She plays the title role of Beatrix Potter who wrote many children's books based on animals including my favorite, The Tales of Peter Rabbit.

Chris Noonan directs the film with such flair that it is easy to see that he was born to make this film. This is Noonan's first directing job since he made the beautiful film Babe many years ago. He took his time and waited for the right project to come along. And this was it.

Beatrix was a very talented girl and woman. We see flashbacks of the young Beatrix (Lucy Boynton) drawing and making up stories about animals. No one but her neighbor in the country, William Heelis, has any interest in what she is doing.

Flash forward to the present and Beatrix is an independent young woman with a mind of her own. Her overbearing and difficult mother (Barbara Flynn) is disappointed that the 32 year old Beatrix has not married and cannot see that her daughter has real talent. But her mild mannered father (Bill Patterson) knows that she is special.

Beatrix lands a publishing deal with the Warne Brothers. They have their younger brother Norman (Ewan McGregor), who is just entering the business, handle Beatrix's writings. Norman and Beatrix hit it off at once. He becomes her champion and this leads to much success.
Beatrix also strikes up a great friendship with Norman's equally independent sister Milly (Emily Watson) who is just as independent minded as she is. And that my friends is all I am going to tell you about this film. I will add that the adult William Heelis (Lloyd Duncan) reappears later on in the story. But in order to find out what happens you will have to see this film.

Miss Potter exceeded my expectations. It is funny and sad and romantic and gorgeous to look at. For my money this is Zellweger's best performance. McGregor is very good as Norman and Watson is wonderful as Milly (I just wish we had seen a little bit more of her). And Flynn and Patterson, both of who I have seen on many BBC television productions, were marvelous as Beatrix's parents. The script was well written by Richard Maltby, Jr. And the exquisite cinematography was done by Chris Seager and Andrew Dunn. The film tackles two important issues - the difficulty of being a single woman at that time and class differences. And although the single woman issue has been more or less resolved in western society (but certainly not in all cultures) the class issue still exists today. In fact, it is more important than ever.

I think that women and young girls would be the natural audience for Miss Potter. But there is a lot that male audience members will like as well (including the fantastic illustrations from the books). So go see this film and sit back, relax and enjoy spending time with the greatest creator of children's books who ever lived. You will be happy that you did.

DVD Review - Queens

Spanish director Manuel Gomez Pereira tackles a timely and sensitive subject - gay marriage - in a humorous but touching way. He wrote this charming screenplay with Yolanda Garcia Serrano.

The film tells the story of the first gay weddings in Spain (20 couples will tie the knot at once). Gay marriage has recently been legalized and people want to celebrate in a big way (Spain actually legalized gay marriage last year). The focus of the film is on three couples and their relationships with each other and their mothers and, in one case, father.

Some of the finest actresses in Spanish language cinema play the mothers. Veronica Forque is the neurotic, oversexed Nuria; Carmen Maura is the efficient, ambitious hotel owner Magda; Marisa Paredes is the self centered actress Reyes; Mercedes Sampietro plays a judge who just happens to be very judgmental; and Argentinean actress Betiana Blum plays a restaurant owner from Buenos Aires who brings along her lovely and very frisky dog for the visit (the dog is a central link to the people in this film). The widowed father Jacinto is played by Lluis Humar. Jacinto just happens to be Reyes' gardener. The three couples are played by Gustavo Salmeron (Hugo); Paco Leon (Narciso); Unax Ugalde (Miguel); Daniel Hendler (Oscar); Hugo Silva (Jonas); and Raul Jimenez (Rafa).

This story is really a universal one because it shows all of the tension that people have before a wedding. Everything that can possibly go wrong goes wrong and every couple has a bout of the doubts. But in the end love prevails. This is a true ensemble piece and all of the actors work very well together. They are so comfortable with each other that you think they have known each other forever. And we have director Pereira to thank for that. I highly recommend this film if you want to see something entertaining that has a message (film also tackles class differences as well which is something that is also very important).

Spain, the country of the Inquisition and Franco, has come a long way and is now one of the most progressive countries in the world. The United States, which claims to uphold the rights of all people, wants to ban same sex marriage thereby relegating gay people to second class citizenship. Perhaps one day this country's policies will live up to the phrase "with liberty and justice for all."

Golden Globe Nominations

Here are the Golden Globe nominations in the motion picture category (I didn't include the television category because this blog focuses on film and I don't watch many of the shows that were nominated). Although I haven't seen everything that was nominated I have seen the ten films nominated in the two categories. And although I am quite pleased with some of the nominations I find some of them ludicrous.

I must say that I am very pleased with all of the Babel love because it is one of my favorite films of the year. But I am wondering what Bobby is doing in the Best Drama category. I thought that the film was okay and there were some very good scenes and some fine acting. But as a whole the film didn't come together. Couldn't they find a better film to nominate? Half Nelson anyone?

Best Actress in a Drama is actually good. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a surprise but I have heard that she is great in Sherrybaby. I haven't seen the film but I intend to when it comes out on DVD in January.

Best Actor in a Drama is one of the worst categories. I thought that Leonard DiCaprio gave his best performance in The Departed and I expected him to get nominated. But giving him two nominations is sickening. I didn't see Blood Diamond but no matter how good he is he should not have gotten two nominations in the same category. How about Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson? That was one of the best performances of the year and young Gosling can act circles around both DiCaprio and Will Smith. But his name is nowhere to be found. I am keeping my fingers crossed that either Peter O'Toole or Forest Whitaker win in this category.

In the Best Picture Musical or Comedy I would certainly replace Thank You for Smoking with Prairie Home Companion. That would have been a nice way to honor the memory of the late Robert Altman.

Going to the Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy I hope that Sacha Baron Cohen wins. His acceptance speech will be one of the highlights of the evening. I highly doubt that the good but overrated Johnny Depp will win but this is his fourth nomination in a row. Does that mean he will be nominated again next year for Pirates Part 3? I sure hope not.

In the Best Actress in Musical or Comedy I expect that the wonderful Meryl Streep will win for The Devil Wears Prada. Beyonce Knowles is just okay in Dreamgirls and not worthy of a nomination. But I am not surprised that she got one.

The Foreign Film category is a joke. Yes, both Apocalypto and Letters from Iwo Jima are in a foreign language. But they are not foreign films - they were both made by Americans. This is set up so that Letters will win. It is too bad but remember that this is a popularity contest more than anything else (I haven't yet seen Letters and it might be great but I wouldn't put it or Apocalypto in this category. It just isn't fair).

Supporting Actress is the best category but Supporting Actor leaves something to be desired. Neither Ben Affleck or Mark Wahlberg should have been nominated. I would replace them with Jackie Earl Haley (Little Children), Alan Arkin ( Little Miss Sunshine), or Michael Sheen (The Queen).

The screenplay category is one of my favorites but the director category really burns my ass! Two nominations for Clint Eastwood - doesn't the man have enough awards already? Although I enjoyed Dreamgirls it is not one of my favorites of the year. But how could they not nominate Bill Condon? Why not just anoint Eastwood "Emperor of the Universe" (I am not taking away from his achievements but this does not make any sense).

This list of nominees just proves what star fuckers the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is. Although the Oscar committee certainly has made their share of blunders at least DiCaprio and Eastwood will not be able to get two nominations in the same category leaving a slot open for someone else. And neither Apocalypto nor Letters from Iwo Jima will be eligible for the Foreign Film Oscar. This will leave room for some wonderful films that you may never have heard of to get a nomination.

Finally, I really do hope that Martin Scorsese wins the Best Director award not only at the Globes but at the Oscars as well (the man really deserves it). And then perhaps we will not hear about him, Clint, Johnny and Leo for a little while. I would also add Russell Crowe and Ron Howard to that list. It is time to bring some other people into the forefront of the awards season during the next year or two.

DRAMA
"Babel"
"Bobby"
"The Departed"
"Little Children"
"The Queen"

ACTRESS (DRAMA)
Penelope Cruz - "Volver"
Judi Dench - "Notes on a Scandal"
Maggie Gyllenhaal - "Sherrybaby"
Helen Mirren - "The Queen"
Kate Winslet - "Little Children"

ACTOR (DRAMA)
Leonardo DiCaprio - "Blood Diamond"
Leonardo DiCaprio - "The Departed"
Peter O'Toole - "Venus"
Will Smith - "The Pursuit of Happyness"
Forest Whitaker - "The Last King of Scotland"

MUSICAL OR COMEDY
"Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
"The Devil Wears Prada"
"Dreamgirls"
"Little Miss Sunshine"
"Thank You For Smoking"

ACTRESS (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)
Annette Bening - "Running with Scissors
"Toni Collette - "Little Miss Sunshine
"Beyonce Knowles - "Dreamgirls
"Meryl Streep - "The Devil Wears Prada
"Renee Zellweger - "Miss Potter"

ACTOR (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)
Sasha Baron Cohen - "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
Johnny Depp - "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
Aaron Eckhart - "Thank You for Smoking"
Chiwetel Ejiofor - "Kinky Boots"
Will Farrell - "Stranger Than Fiction"

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
"Apocalypto"
"Letters from Iwo Jima"
"The Lives of Others"
"Pan's Labyrinth"
"Volver"

ANIMATED FILM
"Cars"
"Happy Feet"
"Monster House"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Adriana Barraza - "Babel"
Cate Blanchett - "Notes on a Scandal"
Emily Blunt - "The Devil Wears Prada
Jennifer Hudson - "Dreamgirls"
Rinko Kikuchi - "Babel"

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ben Affleck - "Hollywoodland"
Jack Nicholson - "The Departed"
Eddie Murphy - "Dreamgirls"
Brad Pitt - "Babel"
Mark Wahlberg - "The Departed"

DIRECTOR
Clint Eastwood - "Flags of Our Fathers"
Clint Eastwood - "Letters from Iwo Jima"
Stephen Frears - "The Queen"
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - "Babel"
Martin Scorcese - "The Departed"

SCREENPLAY
"Babel"
"Little Children"
"Notes on a Scandal"
"The Departed"
"The Queen"

ORIGINAL SCORE"
The Painted Veil"
"The Fountain"
"Babel"
"Nomad"
"The Da Vinci Code"

ORIGINAL SONG
"A Father's Way - "Pursuit of Happyness" - Music by: Seal and Christopher Bruce; Lyrics by: Seal
"Listen" - "Dreamgirls" - Music & Lyrics by: Henry Krieger, Anne Preven, Scott Cutler and Beyoncé Knowles
"Never Gonna Break My Faith" - "Bobby" - Music & Lyrics by: Bryan Adams, Eliot Kennedy and Andrea Remanda
"The Song of the Heart" - "Happy Feet" - Music & Lyrics by: Prince Rogers Nelson
"Try Not to Remember" - "Home of the Brave" - Music & Lyrics by: Sheryl Crow

Days of Glory (Indignes)

Days of Glory is a powerful film directed by Rachid Bouchereb set during World War II. It tells the story of a squad of North African soldiers who fought with France against the Nazis. These men are truly some of the unsung heroes of the war.

The film goes into some detail about a few of the men. Yassir (Samy Naceri) and Larbi (Assaad Bouab) are two brothers who are religious Muslims. Although Yassir is enthusiastic about helping his mother country (as France was known to Algeria and Morocco) Larbi is less so. Messaoud is good at firing a gun but when he meets a lovely Frenchwoman his whole attitude changes. He would like to put the war behind him and return to her side but that is not a possibility. Abdelkader is a Corporal and he is quite an ambitious sort. It appears that he would like to rise in the ranks of the military. Said has no ambition and just does whatever is expected of him. He becomes the gofer for the mean spirited Sergeant Martinez, who seems to be a man with a secret.

These men were very brave and risked their lives to save France. But they were not treated as equals because of color of their skin. For example, the French soldiers were allowed to take leave but the North African soldiers were not allowed to do so. This reminded me of a scene from Flags of Our Fathers in which Ira Hayes, who fought for his country, was not allowed into a bar because he was a Native American Indian. Even if people of color fought for their country they were still looked down upon inferior beings.

Bouchereb does a fine job of directing the film. The battle scenes are gritty and realistic. And his screenplay, co-written with Olivier Lorelle, makes us care about these men and hope that they survive. All of the acting is terrific and these men (who are not well known actors) won a Best Actor Ensemble award at this year's Cannes Film Festival. The certainly deserved it.

Days of Glory is not only an important film from a cinematical point of view. It is important from a moral and historical point of view. Before I heard of this film I knew nothing about these brave North African soldiers. The way they were treated during and after the war is a crime. I highly recommend this film and hope that people go to see it because it will give them a new perspective on the war and those who fought it.

20 Centimeters

Ramon Salazar wrote and directed this delightful Spanish musical/comedy. It is the story of Marieta, (Monica Cervera) a transvestite who longs to have an operation to become a woman. Although she looks like very feminine she is quite well endowed with a male organ (check the title of the film).

Marieta shares an apartment with her friend Tomas (Miguel O'Dogherty) who is a dwarf. There are also several eccentric people who live in her building, some of who are problematic. Marieta happens to suffer from narcolepsy and can fall asleep at the drop of a hat. During these episodes she has colorful dreams in which she is the star of gaudy musical productions.

Marieta eventually meets a nice young man named Raul. He likes Marieta just the way she is. Will romantic feelings persuade Marieta to forgo her sex change? Or will she go ahead with it and fulfill her dream of becoming a real woman? If you want to find out you will have to see the film for yourself.

This is a charming, lively little film that has the potential to become a cult classic in the vein of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Cervera is terrific as Marieta. I really felt for her and I hoped that things would start to go her way. This film is definitely worth a look on DVD.

Inland Empire

I really wanted to see David Lynch's new film Inland Empire. It sounded like it would be quite a trip. And at three hours it would also be a long one. The film had trouble getting US distribution and Lynch is distributing it himself. But this is not because of its running time (although that could be a factor). It is more because of the very strange content of the film.

Laura Dern plays Nikki, an actress who is on the verge of getting a career making role. She is absolutely elated when she finds out that she got the part. But she is also a bit perplexed because a mysterious woman with a Polish accent dropped by her house claiming to be a neighbor. The woman seemed to have some strange premonitions about Nikki's upcoming film.

Forward to rehearsals with director Kingsley (Jeremy Irons), his assistant Freddie (Harry Dean Stanton) and Nikki's leading man Devon (Justin Theroux). During the rehearsals we find out that the movie Nikki is working on was made before. But it was never released because the two leads were murdered. It is at this point that things start to get really weird.

There is a Polish prostitute who watches television. There is a woman (Julia Ormond) who has a screwdriver in her stomach. This woman turns into Billy's (Devon's character) wife. Nikki's character Sue goes seems to have multiple personalities and it is hard to keep track of which one is which. And at any time during the film someone might break into a song (such as The Locomotion).

If it seems that I am not making any sense to you the truth is that I am not. That is because I can't make much sense out of the film. It is one long and surrealistic vision. I can't say I liked this film but I wasn't bored with it either (although I think that it would serve the film well if it was shorter). Irons is good as director Kingsley and Stanton is always a joy to watch. There are cameos by Diane Ladd (who is Dern's real life mother), William H. Macy and others. But the film belongs to Dern. She gives a phenomenal performance and her face registers every emotion under the sun. She certainly deserves an Oscar nomination but I don't think that enough Academy members will see this film so she will probably be left out in the cold.

Do I recommend this film to you? Well, not really. Although I respect the film and Lynch and I am not sorry that I saw it I think that it will only be appreciated by a small group of cineastes who like films that are beyond comprehension.

San Francisco Film Critics Awards 2006

Best Picture – Little Children
Best Director – Paul Greengrass, United 93
Best Actor – Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat
Best Actress – Helen Mirren, The Queen
Best Supporting Actor – Jackie Earle Haley, Little Childen
Best Supporting Actress – Adriana Barraza, Babel
Best Screenplay – Little Children
Best Foreign Film – Pan’s Labyrinth

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Nominations

BEST PICTURE
Babel
Blood Diamond
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Children
Little Miss Sunshine
Notes on a Scandal
The Queen
United 93

BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Departed
Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole - Venus
Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland

BEST ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz - Volver
Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet - Little Children

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ben Affleck - Hollywoodland
Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
Adam Beach - Flags of Our Fathers
Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Jack Nicholson - The Departed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Adriana Barraza - Babel
Cate Blanchett - Notes on a Scandal
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi - Babel
Catherine O'Hara - For Your Consideration
Emma Thompson - Stranger Than Fiction

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
A Prairie Home Companion

BEST DIRECTOR
Bill Condon - Dreamgirls
Clint Eastwood - Letters from Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears - The Queen
Paul Greengrass - United 93
Martin Scorsese - The Departed

BEST WRITER
Michael Arndt - Little Miss Sunshine
Guillermo Arriaga - Babel
Todd Field and Tom Perrotta - Little Children
Zach Helm - Stranger Than Fiction
William Monahan - The Departed
Peter Morgan - The Queen

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Cars
Flushed Away
Happy Feet
Monster House
Over the Hedge

BEST YOUNG ACTOR
Cameron Bright - Thank You For Smoking
Joseph Cross - Running With Scissors
Paul Dano - Little Miss Sunshine
Freddie Highmore - A Good Year
Jaden Christopher Syre Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness

BEST YOUNG ACTRESS
Ivana Baquero - Pan's Labyrinth
Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine
Shareeka Epps - Half Nelson
Dakota Fanning - Charlotte's Web
Keke Palmer - Akeelah and the Bee

BEST COMEDY MOVIE
Borat
For Your Consideration
Little Miss Sunshine
The Devil Wears Prada
Thank You For Smoking

BEST FAMILY FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Akeelah and the Bee
Charlotte's Web
Flicka
Lassie
Pirates of the Caribbean 2

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Elizabeth I
The Librarian
Nightmares & Dreamscapes
The Ron Clark Story
When the Levees Broke

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Apocalypto
Days of Glory
Letters from Iwo Jima
Pan's Labyrinth
Volver
Water

BEST SONG
I Need to Wake Up - Melissa Etheridge - An Inconvenient Truth
Listen - Beyonce - Dreamgirls
My Little Girl - Tim McGraw - Flicka
The Neighbor - Dixie Chicks - Shut Up & Sing
Never Gonna Break My Faith - Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige - Bobby
Ordinary Miracle - Sarah McLachlan - Charlotte's Web

BEST SOUNDTRACK
Babel
Cars
Dreamgirls
Happy Feet
Marie Antoinette

BEST COMPOSER
Philip Glass - The Illusionist
Clint Mansell - The Fountain
Thomas Newman - The Good German
Gustavo Santaolalla - Babel
Howard Shore - The Departed
Hans Zimmer - The Da Vinci Code

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
An Inconvenient Truth
Shut Up & SingT
his Film Is Not Yet Rated
Who Killed the Electric Car?
Wordplay

New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2006

Best Picture
United 93
Runners-up: The Queen, The Departed

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Runners-Up: Stephen Frears, The Queen,Clint Eastwood, Letters From Iwo Jima

Best Non-Fiction Film
Deliver Us From Evil
Runners-Up: 49 Up, Borat, An Inconvenient Truth

Best Foreign-Language Film
Army of Shadows
Runners-Up: Volver, The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu

Best First Film
Half Nelson
Runners-Up: Little Miss Sunshine, A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints

Best Animated Feature
Happy Feet
Runners-Up: A Scanner Darkly, Cars

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Runners-Up: Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson, Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat

Best Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Runners-Up: Judi Dench, Notes On A Scanda, lMeryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada

Best Supporting Actor
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Runners-Up: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls, Steve Carell, Little Miss Sunshine

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Runners-Up: Shareeka Epps, Half Nelson, Catherine O'Hara, For Your Consideration

Best Cinematography
Guillermo Navarro, Pan's Labrynth
Runners-Up: Curse Of The Golden Flower, Children Of Men

Best Screenplay
Peter Morgan, The Queen
Runners-Up: The Departed, Little Miss Sunshine

Washington DC Film Critics Awards 2006

Best Film -- United 93

Best Actor -- Forest Whitaker - The Last King Of Scotland

Best Actress -- Helen Mirren - The Queen

Best Supporting Actor -- Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond

Best Supporting Actress -- Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

Best Director -- Martin Scorsese - The Departed

Best Screenplay, Original -- Michael Arndt - Little Miss Sunshine

Best Screenplay, Adapted -- Jason Reitman - Thank You For Smoking

Best Foreign Film -- Pan's Labyrinth

Best Animated Feature -- Happy Feet

Best Documentary -- An Inconvenient Truth

Best Breakthrough Performance -- Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

Best Ensemble -- Little Miss Sunshine

Best Art Direction -- Marie Antoinette

Los Angeles Films Critics Association Awards 2006

BEST PICTURE
Letters from Iwo Jima
Runner Up: The Queen

DIRECTOR
Paul Greengrass, United 93
Runner-up: Clint Eastwood, Flags of our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima

ACTRESS
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Runner-up: Penelope Cruz, Volver

ACTOR:
Tie - Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat and Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

SCREENPLAY
The Queen by Peter Morgan
Runner-up: Little Miss Sunshine by Michael Arndt

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Luminita Gheorghiu, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Runner-up: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Michael Sheen, The Queen
Runner-up: Sergi Lopez, Pan's Labyrinth

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Lives of Others directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Runner-up: Volver directed by Pedro Almodovar

DOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM
An Inconvenient Truth directed by Davis Guggenheim
Runner-up: Darwin's Nightmare directed by Hubert Sauper

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Eugenio Caballero, Pan's Labyrinth
Runner-up: Jim Clay, Veronica Falzon, Geoffrey Kirkland, Children of Men

ANIMATION
Happy Feet (George Miller)
Runner-up: Cars (John Lasseter, Joe Ranft)

MUSIC
Alexandre Desplat, The Painted Veil and The Queen
Runner-up: Thomas Newman, The Good German and Little Children

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Emmanuel Lubezki, Children of Men
Runner-up: Tom Stern, Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima

NEW GENERATION
Michael Arndt, Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris - Little Miss Sunshine

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT
Robert Mulligan

INDEPENDENT/EXPERIMENTAL
Tie - Old Joy directed by Kelly Reichardt and In Between Days directed by So Yong Kim

SPECIAL CITATIONS
To Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 film Army of Shadows which had its U.S. premiere this year, and to Jonas Mekas for his career as a critic and filmmaker.

American Film Institute Top Ten Films 2006

Some of these picks are absolutely ridiculous - Film Fanatic

BABEL
BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
DREAMGIRLS
HALF NELSON
HAPPY FEET
INSIDE MAN
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
UNITED 93

Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 2006

Best Picture
The Departed
United 93, runner-up

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Paul Greengrass, United 93, runner-up

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson, runner-up

Best Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal, runner-up

Best Supporting
ActorMark Wahlberg, The Departed
TIE: Michael Sheen, The Queen; Alec Baldwin, The Departed/Running with Scissors/The Good Shepherd, runners-up

Best Supporting Actress
Shareeka Epps, Half Nelson
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wore Prada, runner-up

Best Ensemble
CastUnited 93
The Departed, runner-up

Best Screenplay
William Monahan, The Departed
Peter Morgan, The Queen, runner-up

Best Foreign Language Film
Pan's Labyrinth
Volver, runner-up

Best Documentary
TIE: Deliver Us From Evil/Shut Up & Sing
51 Birch Street, runner-up

Best New Filmmaker
Ryan Fleck, Half Nelson
Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, Little Miss Sunshine, runners-up

Best Cinematography
Guillermo Navarro. Pan's Labyrinth
TIE: Stuart Dryburgh, The Painted Veil; Xiaoding Zhao, Curse of the Golden Flower, runners-up

New York Online Film Critics Awards 2006

PictureThe Queen

DirectorStephen Frears, The Queen

ActorForrest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

ActressHelen Mirren, The Queen

Supporting ActorMichael Sheen, The Queen

Supporting Actress(Tie) Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirlsand Catherine O'Hara, For Your
Consideration

ScreenplayPeter Morgan, The Queen

Ensemble CastLittle Miss Sunshine

Debut as DirectorJonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris - Little Miss Sunshine

Breakthrough PerformerJennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

CinematographyDick Pope, The Illusionist

Film ScorePhilip Glass, The Illusionist

Documentary FeatureAn Inconvenient Truth

Animated FeatureHappy Feet

Foreign Language PicturePan's Labrynth

Humanitarian AwardDEEPA MEHTA (Water) for taking risks to create films aboutthe difficulties of social change in India especially as it affectswomen.

Ten Best Pictures (Alphabetical)
BABEL (Paramount Vantage)
THE FOUNTAIN (Warner Bros.)
INLAND EMPIRE (Absurda)
LITTLE CHILDREN (New Line)
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (Fox Searchlight)
PAN'S LABYRINTH (Picturehouse)
THE QUEEN (Miramax)
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING (Fox Searchlight)
VOLVER (Sony Pictures Classics)
WATER (Fox Searchlight)

The Lives of Others

The Lives of Others is Germany's submission to this year's Oscars. And if it doesn't get a nomination in the foreign film category then there is something seriously wrong (it has already won numerous awards in Europe and last week it beat out Volver for Best Picture at the European Film Awards). It opens in the US in February but I was lucky to get an early look at the film.

I am not going to say much about the plot because I think that people shouldn't know too much before they see this film. Here are a few details. The story takes place in East Berlin in 1984. The Stasi (East German Secret Police) are everywhere setting up intricate surveillance systems to spy on people in their homes. That is what the title means - they spy on the lives of others. And the "others" are mainly people who they suspect do not believe in the way things are run in their country. These people are very often free spirits and artistic types.

One writer who is exempt from this wiretapping is Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch). Georg lives with his actress girlfriend Christina-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck) in a simple, book filled apartment. They both just want to practice their craft without any trouble from the authorities. But Georg also has some friends who have had trouble and are being watched as well as blacklisted. After seeing one of Georg's plays performed on stage Gerd Weisler, who is a fanatic when it comes to spying on "dissidents," suggests to some Stasi higher ups that Georg's apartment should be bugged. And that is all I am going to tell you about this film.

It is hard to believe that this is writer/director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's first feature film. It is a masterwork in world cinema. Everything about the film works. The look and feel of East Berlin at that time is so real that you think you are there. The acting is remarkable and the script is outstanding. It is several hours since I have seen this film and I am still thinking about it. And I am sure that this film will stay with me for some time to come ( I will definitely want to own a DVD copy of it). The film brought out a certain type of emotion in me that it is hard to describe. So come February - for those of you who live in the US - make sure that you see this amazing film. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

DVD Review - The Architect

The main reason I wanted to see this film is because I like the work of Anthony LaPaglia. As exoected he does deliver a fine performance. And so does his co-star Viola Davis.

Davis plays Tonya Neeley, a woman who lives in a housing project in Chicago. The project is overrun by gangs and violence. Tonya's teenage son killed himself because he couldn't take living there. LaPaglia's character Leo Waters is the architect who designed the project. Tonya is trying to get the project torn down and she wants Leo to sign her petition but he refuses to do so.

After we see the seedy housing that Tonya has to live in we are shown Leo's beautiful house. But all is not well in that lovely abode. Leo's wife Julia (Isabella Rossellini) is very unhappy and seems to be a bit unstable. Their son Martin (Sebastian Stan) has just come home after leaving college. He is confused about what to do next as well as about his sexuality. And their young daughter Christina (Hayden Panettiere) is so lonely that she tries to hook up with an older truck driver just to have someone to be with.

Director Matt Tauber adapted the film from a play written by David Greig that was originally performed in the UK. Greig and Tauber co-wrote the screenplay together and there were major changes made in the storyline.

While I certainly don't think this film is as bad as some of the critics said it was I do think that there are some elements that didn't work. It just seems odd that every single character in the story (including some that I haven't mentioned) has some type of issue. And we don't feel that we really know the characters - I attribute that to lack of character development. But I still recommend the film on DVD because of the fine performances and because the film shows us that we all suffer from some kind of pain no matter what side of the tracks we come from.

The History Boys

Before I saw it I was afraid that The History Boys would be a stodgy, stagy film adaptation of an award winning play. I am happy to report that it is anything but. The film is one of the best transfers from stage to screen that I have seen.

The story takes place in Yorkshire at a school for boys. As they are approaching university a group of boys are gearing up for taking admissions tests for Oxford and Cambridge. Guiding the boys is their general studies teacher Hector (Richard Griffiths), who happens to have a special fondness for the boys, and their history teacher Mrs. Linott (Frances de la Tour). But the cranky headmaster (Clive Merrison) thinks that the boys need some fresh blood in their quest for higher education so he hires Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore) to help them meet their goals. It helps that Irwin is closer to the boys age than the other teachers

The film is filled with wonderful quotes from literature, poetry and cinema. And for the this we have the brilliant writer Alan Bennett to thank. He is also responsible for the intelligent dialog that is many times absent from films these days. For the wonderful transfer from stage to screen we have director Nicholas Hytner to thank. The acting by the adults is all right on target with Griffiths and de la Tour being especially outstanding. All of the boys are wonderful as well.
I was particularly impressed with Dominic Cooper as Dakin, a boy who is questioning his sexuality as he is attracted to both males and females and Samuel Barnett as the sensitive Posner, who is certain of his attraction to males and also happens to be Jewish.

There are gay themes running throughout the film. But for me the film is mostly about the love of learning. The film takes place in the 1980s and things have changed since then. The love of learning for the sake of knowledge has flown out the window and now we have learning for the sake of being better than everyone else. It is certainly a sad statement about modern education.

The History Boys is a highly intelligent film and the people in the theater that I saw it in seemed to agree. I only heard positive things about the film after it ended. However, it is for only a select audience because, unfortunately, many people will not be able to comprehend its essence. But I am glad that there are still filmmakers out there who are making films that make us think and broaden our horizons.

Dreamgirls

Most people are familiar with the story of Dreamgirls, which was a popular Broadway show 25 years ago. The tale is of three young women from Detroit who form the group known as the Dreamettes. The play/movie is said to be based on what happened to Diana Ross and The Supremes.

Effie White (Jennifer Hudson), Deena Jones (Beyonce Knowles) and Lorell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose) have hopes of becoming a successful singing group. Effie definitely has the most powerful voice of the three. She also happens to be a bit overweight. Her brother CC (Keith Robinson) has written many songs for the group and especially with Effie in mind. The girls start off as backup group for a popular blues singer named James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy) as Marty Madison (Danny Glover) takes them under his wing. But Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Jamie Foxx), who is a slick and ambitious promoter, has other ideas for the group. He tells them that they should no longer be backup singers but instead should go out on their own. He changes the name of the group to The Dreams. Taylor also decides Effie's voice is too powerful and replaces her with the blander sounding (and thinner) Deena (who he eventually marries). It doesn't take Effie long to get fed up and she is soon out of the group. She is replaced by Sharon Leal (Michelle Morris). And that is all of the plot that I will tell you.

Dreamgirls is a big, old fashioned Hollywood musical. The production design is outstanding and the costumes are beautiful. And, yes, it is an entertaining film. Bill Condon does a nice job of directing it. However, the script does sag at times and not all of the musical numbers work. Foxx is just okay in his role - we've seen him do this type of acting before. Knowles has a good number towards the end of the film but for the most part she is overshadowed by Rose and, especially, Hudson. Glover's role is totally underwritten. Rose is very good and Murphy is really terrific. But the movie belongs to Ms. Hudson. Yes, it is a showy role. But she carries it out with style and sass. And she definitely has sex appeal and a powerful set of pipes.

Many people think that Dreamgirls is the frontrunner to win the Best Picture Oscar next year. I certainly think that it will be nominated but I am not sure about a win. Even though I liked it it is not one of my top films of the year. And I am quite sure that Hudson (and maybe Murphy) will get an Oscar nomination but, again, I wouldn't necessarily pick her for the win. But my taste goes in the direction of a bit darker and edgier. In any case, if you are looking for some old fashioned entertainment (albeit a bit schmaltzy at times) this holiday season then I suggest that you check out Dreamgirls. You will be glad that you did.

National Board of Review winners

Here is the list of awards winners from the National Board of Review. There are some strange picks and omissions indeed. I am very surprised that Dreamgirls and The Queen are not on the list. But this just makes things more interesting. The next group of awards and nominees comes out in a few days and I will list them as they come in. As time goes on I will also post some commentary regarding all of this madness.

Best Film: LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
Best Director: MARTIN SCORSESE, The Departed
Best Actor: FOREST WHITAKER, The Last King of Scotland
Best Actress: HELEN MIRREN, The Queen
Best Supporting Actor: DJIMON HOUNSOU, Blood Diamond
Best Supporting Actress: CATHERINE O'HARA, For Your Consideration
Best Foreign Film: VOLVER
Best Documentary: AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
Best Animated Feature: CARS
Best Ensemble Cast: THE DEPARTED
Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: RYAN GOSLING, Half Nelson
Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: (2) JENNIFER HUDSON, Dreamgirls and RINKO KIKUCHI, Babel
Best Directorial Debut: JASON REITMAN, Thank You for Smoking
Best Original Screenplay: ZACH HELM, Stranger Than Fiction
Best Adapted Screenplay: RON NYSWANER, The Painted Veil

Top Ten Films:
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA(and, in alphabetical order)
BABEL
BLOOD DIAMOND
THE DEPARTED
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
THE HISTORY BOYS
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
THE PAINTED VEIL

Top Five Foreign Films:
VOLVER(and, in alphabetical order)
CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
DAYS OF GLORY
PAN'S LABYRINTH
WATERTop

Five Documentary Films
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH(and, in alphabetical order)
51 BIRCH STREET
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
SHUT UP & SING
WORDPLAY

Top Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
AKEELAH AND THE BEE
BOBBY
CATCH A FIRE
COPYING BEETHOVEN
A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS
HALF NELSON
THE ILLUSIONIST
LONESOME JIM
SHERRYBABY
10 ITEMS OR LESS
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING

Career Achievement - ELI WALLACH
Billy Wilder Award for Excellence in Directing - JONATHAN DEMME
Career Achievement in Producing - IRWIN WINKLER
William K. Everson Film History Award - DONALD KRIM
The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression - WATER and WORLD TRADE CENTER
__________________

Independent Spirit Nominations

Last week the Independent Spirit nominations were announced. Two very good films, Half Nelson and Little Miss Sunshine, got numerous nominations. And A Prairie Home Companion, Robert Altman's last film, got a few nods. But there were some very obscure films that also received nominations. This makes for a most interesting contest.

The Spirit awards will be broadcast live on the IFC channel on Saturday, February 24, 2007 at 5 pm EST.

Best Feature:
"American Gun""The Dead Girl""Half Nelson""Little Miss Sunshine""Pan's Labyrinth"

Best Director:
Robert Altman, "A Prairie Home Companion"Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, "Little Miss Sunshine"Ryan Fleck, "Half Nelson"Karen Moncrieff, "The Dead Girl"Steven Soderbergh, "Bubble"

Best First Feature:
"Day Night Day Night""Man Push Cart""The Motel""Sweet Land""Wristcutters: A Love Story"

Best Documentary:
"A Lion in the House""My Country, My Country""The Road to Guantanamo""The Trials of Darryl Hunt""You're Gonna Miss Me"

Best Foreign Film:
"12:08 East of Bucharest""The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros""Chronicle of an Escape""Days of Glory""The Lives of Others"

Best Female Lead:
Shareeka Epps, "Half Nelson"Catherine O'Hara, "For Your Consideration"Elizabeth Reaser, "Sweet Land"Michelle Williams, "Land of Plenty"Robin Wright Penn, "Sorry, Haters"

Best Male Lead:
Aaron Eckhart, "Thank You For Smoking"Ryan Gosling, "Half Nelson"Edward Norton, "The Painted Veil"Ahmad Razvi, "Man Push Cart"Forest Whitaker, "American Gun"

Best Supporting Female:
Melonie Diaz, "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints"Marcia Gay Harden, "American Gun"Mary Beth Hurt, "The Dead Girl"Frances McDormand, "Friends With Money"Amber Tamblyn, "Stephanie Daley"

Best Supporting Male:
Alan Arkin, "Little Miss Sunshine"Raymond J. Barry, "Steel City"Daniel Craig, "Infamous"Paul Dano, "Little Miss Sunshine"Channing Tatum, "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints"

Best Screenplay:
Neil Burger, "The Illusionist"Nicole Holofcener, "Friends with Money"Ron Nyswaner, "The Painted Veil"Jason Reitman, "Thank You For Smoking"Jeff Stanzler, "Sorry, Haters"

Best First Screenplay:
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, "Half Nelson"Michael Arndt, "Little Miss Sunshine"Goran Dukic, "Wristcutters: A Love Story"Dito Montiel, "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints"Gabrielle Zevin, "Conversations with Other Women"

Best Cinematography:
Arin Crumley, "Four Eyed Monsters"Anthony Dod Mantle, "Brothers of the Head"Guillermo Navarro, "Pan's Labyrinth"Aaron Platt, "Wild Tigers I Have Known"Michael Simmonds, "Man Push Cart"

Someone to Watch Award:
So Yong Kim, "In Between Days"Julia Loktev, "Day Night Day Night"Richard Wong, "Colma: The Musical"

John Cassavetes Award:
"Chalk""Four Eyed Monsters""Old Joy""Quinceañera""Twelve and Holding"

Truer Than Fiction Award:
AJ Schnack, "Kurt Cobain: About a Son"Adele Horne, "The Tailenders"Eric Daniel Metzgar, "The Chances of the World Changing"

Producers Award:
Julie Lynn, "Nine Lives," "10 Items or Less"Alex Orlovsky and Jamie Patricof, "Half Nelson," "Point&Shoot"Howard Gertler and Tim Perell, "Shortbus," "Pizza"

Special Distinction:
David Lynch, Laura Dern, "Inland Empire"

DVD Review - A King and His Movie

This offbeat comedy from Argentina tells the story of a highly driven director named David Vass (Julio Chavez) who is obsessed with making a film about the King of Patagonia. This king actually was French but somehow won over the indigenous population of Patagonia.

The production starts off with enough money to pay a professional cast and crew to work on the film. But when David's associate Arturo (Ulises Dumont) tells him that the man with the money has left town things start to get chaotic. Even though most of the cast and crew has abandoned him David remains steadfast. He will make this film no matter what. He starts hiring regular people to play the parts including a man named Oso (Miguel Dedovich) to star as the King (who happens to be good in his role).

When they get to Patagonia they start shooting the film. Eventually things go from bad to worse. However, no matter how bad things get David persists on finishing the film.

Carlos Sorin directed and co-wrote (with Jorge Goldenberg) this film. It is supposed to be based on his own of experience of trying to get a film made with hardly any money. The film is funny and certainly a surreal take on the filmmaking process. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and I found myself laughing quite a bit of the time. But the thing that impressed me the most was how much passion David had in regard to making this film. That is the most important thing one can have when doing anything. And when you see a really good film (or read a great book or see a fantastic painting, etc.) you can imagine how much of the person's soul went into what he/she was doing. And in the end that is the most important thing one can contribute to any creative project that they undertake. I highly recommend A King and His Film especially to those of you who like movies about the art of filmmaking.

DVD Review - Callejon del los Milagros (Midaq Alley)

This award winning Mexican film is adapted from a novel by Nobel Prize Winning Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz (who died in August of this year at the age of 95). Director Jorge Fons and his screenwriter Vincente Lenero transported the story from Cairo to downtown Mexico City.

The film is made up of four parts. Each part starts out with the same scene in a bar/restaurant with some men playing dominoes. The first part is entitled Rutilio - Rutilio (Ernesto Gomez Cruz) - who happens to be the owner of the bar (and who is also known as Don Ru). Rutilio is a very ill tempered man. He is always fighting with his son Chava (Juan Manual Bernal) and he beats his wife Eusebia (Delia Casanova). But he discovers that he is attracted to young members of his sex and he decides to act upon his feelings. Given the circumstances there will be consequences for his actions.

The second part of the film is entitled Alma - and Alma (Salma Hayek) is a beautiful and virginal young woman who lives with her mother Dona Cata (Maria Rojo). Dona Cata just happens to be a tarot card reader. Abel (Bruno Bichir) is madly in love with Alma but he suddenly has to go out of town with his friend Chava leaving Alma stranded as she was starting to develop feelings for him. Alma soon discovers that the older antique dealer Don Fidel (Claudio Obregon) is in love with her and wants to marry her. With her mother's prodding Alma reluctantly accepts. But something happens and the wedding does not take place. Instead Alma hooks up with the charming Jose Luis (Daniel Gimenez Cacho) and her life takes a very bad turn.

The third part is entitled Susanita - Susanita (Margarita Sanz) is a spinsterish landlady who goes to Dona Cata for tarot readings. She has been told that a man will come into her life and she believes that it is Chava who has been coming to her in her dreams. When that doesn't work out she finds herself at the bar. As unlikely as it might seem things really heat up between Susanita and Guicho but all is not as it seems.

The last part of the film is entitled The Return and I will not say a word about it. You will have to see the film for yourself to find out what happens.

This was one of Hayek's first films and she is wonderful in it. And so is everyone else. The film really captures the lives of these people who live in this part of the city. It is a real slice of life type of film. And while there is humor throughout the film is not a happy one. It is a realistic portrait of people who are just trying to live their lives and have to make choices. And in many instances they make the wrong ones and have to pay the price. By the time the film ends you feel that you know these people and you care about what happens to them. And for that we have director Fons to thank because he really knows how to get his actors to transform themselves into flesh and blood characters.

This film was made in 1995 and, as I mentioned before, it won many awards. I highly recommend this film and if you decide that you want to see it you can rent it through Netflix. You won't be sorry that you did.

DVD Review - Lassie

This marvelous film adaptation of Eric Knight's book was directed by Charles Sturridge. The film was released theatrically last summer but despite good reviews it generated very little business.

The story takes place in the Yorkshire section of England at the brink of World War II. Little Joe (Jonathan Mason) is a daydreamer who doesn't always perform well in school. His greatest pleasure is spending time with his faithful dog Lassie. Joe's father Sam (John Lynch) is a hard working miner. And Joe's mother Sarah (Samantha Morton) tries to stretch the family's budget the best that she can given their limited means.

Not to far away there lives a rich Duke (Peter O'Toole) who is taking care of his granddaughter Priscilla (Hester Odgers). Priscilla lives in London but her mother Daisy (Jemma Redgrave), who is the Duke's daughter, is afraid that London is no longer a safe place and wants Priscilla to stay with her grandfather until things get better. The Duke has several dogs but one day when he and Priscilla are taking a walk they notice Lassie. They both admire her great beauty. The Duke decides that he must have her and makes an offer to buy her. Joe's parents know how much Lassie means to him so they decline the offer. However, after the mine shuts down Sam and Sarah have no option but to sell her to The Duke. Lassie is unhappy with her new home and escapes several times only to be brought back. The Duke and Priscilla eventually leave for Scotland taking Lassie with them and leaving behind a heartbroken Joe.

Well, you know the rest. Lassie, with the help of Priscilla, escapes from her home in Scotland and makes a dangerous journey back to her real home. Along the way she meets a woman name Jeanie (Kelly MacDonald) who wants to save her from the pound. She also meets a traveling puppeteer named Rowlie (Peter Dinklage) and his dog Toots with whom she spends quite a bit of time.

The acting in this film is terrific. O'Toole is so much fun to watch as the crusty Duke. He may show the world his tough side but we know that deep down inside he has a heart of gold. Dinklage is perfect as Rowlie, a man who has had his share of rough days. Lynch is a fine actor who we don't see enough of and I was happy to see him on the screen again. I was also happy to Morton and MacDonald as I have been fans of both of them for many years. The two child actors, Mason and Odgers, were perfect in their roles. But the real star of the film is Lassie herself. Her beautiful face shines with so much love and wisdom. She was a joy to behold.

This is definitely the best Lassie film that I have ever seen. I used to watch the television show when I was a kid but this far surpasses it . The cinematography is gorgeous and we have Howard Atherton to thank for that.

Lassie is the best family film to come out in some time and yet it did not do well at the box office. The same fate greeted last year's Duma - which was the last great family film to be released. Another wonderful sounding film - The Cave of the Yellow Dog - also just came and went. And like the Duma and Lassie I will have to see it on DVD because it barely played in the theaters despite excellent reviews. I don't understand this. Parents take their kids to see silly films instead of films that have real depth. I guess the dumbing down of America is starting at a young age. This is very sad because the first lesson that parents should teach their kids is kindness and compassion (which is something that these films show). Because without those two qualities nothing else matters.

Home of the Brave

Irwin Winkler's latest film Home of the Brave depicts what happens in the lives of four soldiers returning from Iraq. And while it is not a political film it definitely sends a message. The film is well directed by Winkler and was co-written by him and Mark Friedman. All of the acting is very good.

The film starts out with several soldiers going on a routine mission but you just know that things will go wrong. A truck stops and guns start firing so some of the soldiers start to head back to headquarters. But before they get to their destinations there are some casualties.

After some intense battle scenes we are fast forwarded to Spokane, Washington where the rest of the story takes place. Before I go any farther with the story I must tell you that all of these soldiers are in the National Guard and not just regular enlistees.

Samuel L. Jackson plays a doctor who attended to the wounded in Iraq. When he comes home he finds it hard to relate to his family and he has trouble sleeping. His relationship with his teenage son Billy (Sam Jones III) is particularly inflammatory because Billy is against the war. Jackson's character hits rock bottom when his drinking gets out of control and he has to seek help.

Vanessa Price (Jessica Biel) is a young single mother who loses her hand in the above mentioned incident. After a month of therapy she goes home but is unable to relate to the people in her life and is having trouble adjusting to her prosthetic hand.

Jamal Atkins (Curtis Jackson AKA 50 Cent) has a back injury from his time in Iraq. He also carries around something in his head that will not let him rest. Jamal is frustrated because his girlfriend doesn't want to bother with him and he is having trouble getting compensation from the government for his injury.

Tommy (Brian Presley) can't get over the fact that his best friend was killed in Iraq. He feels a great deal of responsibility for this and can't get this out of his mind. His girlfriend dumped him and the man who he worked before going to Iraq for gave his job to someone else. He isn't getting along with his father and he just can't settle into another job.

These are the four stories and people that the film focuses on. I really got involved with these people's lives and I really felt for them. Each one of them was in so much pain. I like the fact that the film focused on people from different backgrounds and social spheres. The film also lets people with opposing views of the war speak their minds.

But first and foremost this film wants to show us the horror that war is. And whether you are for this war or against it (as I am) you can't help but be moved by this film. And that is enough for me to recommend it.