Reviews

Lions For Lambs is a dialog, a debate really, about the "affairs of state" in Washington D.C. and the "state of affairs" in the Persian Gulf region. It's 10 AM D.C. time and Janine, a local newspaper (read Washington Post) reporter, steps into the office of GOP Senator Irving for a one-on-one and on-the-record discussion about a plan to win the war in Afghanistan (read Iraq). The conversation starts, with the senator representing the conservative right and the media lady representing the liberal left. The scene changes to a West Coast university (read UC Berkley); it's an early 7 AM and Todd arrives in the office of Dr. Malley for a career focused discussion---Todd has been skipping class. The conversation starts with the professor, advocating high ideals he encourages Todd to stand for something, make a commitment and take action. Todd, disengaged, turned off and disaffected with the world pushes back at the good professor saying he's not going to get involved in this mess--read average U.S. citizen. It's midnight, or thereabouts, in Afghanistan and a team of airborne troops are to occupy a frozen hilltop; Ernst and Arian run into trouble and spend the night alone. Back to Washington.

Lions For Lambs is tedious at best and mind numbing at worst, unless you've just arrived from another planet and never tuned in the American media circus. This film is the political equivalent of Groundhog Day (1992) where newscaster Bill Murray is forced to live the same day over and over again covering this minor holiday in Punxsutawney PA. In this film, the water torture (repetition) is the replay of all the Sunday morning political talk show babble (pro and con) from the last 4-years. Just in cast you think your side wins this one don't bet on it, there are no winners here. A partisan in front of me clapped and hooted when the conservative took it in the shorts the first time, only to fine his liberal view was skewered next, before he could catch his breath. And so the conversation goes.

Lions For Lambs is being highly touted by the press, who don't want to blow a ticket to the Academy Awards next year. The tragedy here is that we've got three fine actors without a story; it's neither good entertainment nor serious political science. Each player reads his / her lines (literally yesterday's newscast), there's no story line and no emotion to engage viewers. The closest thing to artistic technique is the scene continually rotates between D.C., California and the mountaintop. I'm thinking this may be as good (read bad) as The Blair Witch Project (1999), and win my 2007 Stinker award.

Sicko is populist filmmaker and activist Michael Moore' latest assault on American society in general and health insurance companies in particular. He offers a view if the U.S. health care system in a documentary format. Join Moore as he collects half-truths from selected anecdotal evidence, filters man-on-the-street interviews, and injects his own bias to synthesize a story. In the process, Moore visits Canada, Cuba and Britain to show us how it's done. Residents tell him unlimited, universal health care doesn't cost them a dime. Ignored is that the British system has become an incubator for terrorists. The highlight of our trip comes in Paris, a Utopian Shangri-La, where we learn universal health care, plus nanny service, child daycare, 5-week vacations and a college education don't cost a dime. And, physicians earn $250,000 a year, and drive German luxury cars. Moore' sharp investigative techniques get to the bottom of Americas heath care dilemma, when he pins the tail on two people we love to hate: Hillary Clinton and Richard Nixon. The film is short on serious input from industry professionals and informative statistics. Comic relief is occasionally provided with irony. At one point, Moore brags he pays the health insurance premium for a man running an anti-Michael Moore website, so the man can continue bashing him. To his credit, he leaves us with two rhetorical questions to ponder. First, aren't we all in this together? And second, why can't the wealthiest nation on the planet care for all its citizens? Both good questions.

Sicko is Moore' umpteenth film expressing his personal criticism of American society. Like the never-ending Rocky Balboa series that started in 1976 and is now in its sixth reincarnation, this film is "the next verse same as the first, a little bit louder and a little bit worse". Mr. Moore' films ---- truth be told ---- do nothing to constructively move issues forward. He is political, polarizing, confrontational and seeks conflict (and a big personal paycheck). This is not stiff for a rational discussion, consensus or resolution of the issues he exploits. Roger and Me (1989) has not improved the American auto industry or its workers. Chrysler, GM and Ford are on the verge off bankruptcy. GM has sold its most profitable subsidiaries, GMAC and Delphi (now also in bankruptcy), and merged their Saturn division into its mainstream operations. Meanwhile, the United Auto Worker (UAW) ---- the organization Moore championed 20-years ago --- is in decline and the union is now giving back hard-won benefits gained over nearly a century of partnership with auto companies. Bowling for Columbine (2002) has done nothing for more gun control. The U.S. congress, run by politicians that should know better, has yet to renew assault weapon legislation with the bill in limbo since 13 February 2007, and the beat goes on, and on, and on.

Mr. Moore could move to Canada and stand in line waiting for health care while being over taxed, as Canadian-trained physician's desert the system by moving to the USA. Or, he could get low cost health care in Cuba while driving a 50-year-old American car to pay for it, as the inmates paddle inner tubes headed for Florida. Instead, Moore receives some of the best health care in the world, while becoming a multi-millionaire bashing the system that provides it (even a dog knows not to crap in it's own back yard) ------is this a great country or what? Moore is in fact part of the problem not part of the solution. He's a walking health care disaster waiting to happen, his own worst enemy. Overweight, under exercised and mentally conflicted---------Moore is at odds with his country, its society, leaders and public institutions. After he looses 100 pounds, starts exercising daily and gets his head on straight, he will have captured the moral high ground necessary to tell others how to improve the American health care system. Until then, well the word that comes to mind is "sicko".

The Da Vinci Code, set in Europe, is a fictional mystery--thriller about the origins of the Catholic Church. Robert Langdon, a Harvard religious symbolist lecturing in Paris, is called to a murder scene at the Louvre. The victim has scrawled symbols and a message in his own blood, to leave a clue to his killer's identity. Langdon is there not only as an expert but also as a suspect; his name was found on the victim's daily schedule. Sophie Neveu, a police detective and estranged granddaughter of the deceased, arrives unannounced; she has reason to distrust Police Captain Fache. Langdon suspects he's stepped into the middle of a two-millennium old war between the Church and the Divine Feminine. The death message indicates the victim is of the Priory of Sion, keepers of the Holly Grail and the secret of Mary Magdalene relationship with Jesus. Opus Dei, a devout Catholic organization, will defend the Church and stop at nothing to squash these secrets. Langdon and Neveu elude Fache and a race is on to find the Holy Grail, avoid the authorities and not fall victim to Opus Dei. Racing across France and Britain Langdon enlists Sir Leigh Teabing, a Holy Grail expert and close friend. Clues come from artistic symbols, Fibonacci numbers, a cryptex, and a rosewood box. The path leads through European history, Westminster Abby and Temple Church, ending at Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland.

The Da Vinci Code is a super duper film, as a friend of mine would say. The screenplay honors the novel and truly brings the author's words to life; the plot is fast-paced and intellectually challenging. The filmmaker's phase-in short flashbacks and thought images to capture and collapse the book's descriptive passages; this tactic effortlessly informs the viewer. The great locations and settings are a visual feast and offer a great backdrop for the plot. The film runs a fast 2-hr. 15-min. with ease and could hold one's attention longer. The final scenes back in Paris include a great symphonic soundtrack leading to the final scene.

The Da Vinci Code could have been cast in the tradition of Indiana Jones, a bigger than life macho hero and a sensual blond hot pants heroine. Rather, the characters are more scholarly and academic. Tom Hanks, as Robert Langdon, is a very subdued character dressed in shades of black and always with a serious—almost panicked---facial expression. Audrey Tautou, as Sophie, is a rising French actress unfamiliar to most U.S. audiences. Ms Tautou delivers the right blend of composure and horror, for someone about enter the history books. Ian McKellen is in his traditional role of elder coach, teacher and adviser; a perfect fit. Paul Bettany, as Silas the Opus Dei killer, is truly a scary character as an albino. Bleached hair, pale white skin and glass blue eyed, he faithfully prays and flagellates after each violent action.

Editorial Comment: Professional reviewers are criticizing The Da Vinci Code (the film) for everything from too much salt on the popcorn to addition of new dialog. The Da Vinci Code (the novel), a worldwide best seller with over 60 million copies sold, has been on the New York Times best seller list for 163 weeks, as of May 2006. The film grossed over $77 million on opening weekend and won't leave theaters anytime soon. Director Ron Howard has been nominated for 40 film awards worldwide, including four (4) Golden Globe Awards, and has won one (1) Academy Award. Leading man Tom Hanks has been nominated for over 80 film awards globally, including 5 Academy Awards for best acting, of which he won twice. This film is better than the professionals would have you believe. Time Magazine severely panned The Sound Of Music [1965] only to reissue a glowing review in their magazine after realizing the customer is always right. Stay tuned.

Transamerica is a road trip through life and across American culture. Stanley Osbourne is about to achieve his ambition, gender reassignment surgery to become a woman, Bree. One evening shortly before the surgery Bree receives a call from a 17-year-old in a New York City lockup asking for his father Stanley, Bree denies his / her identity. Bree shares the call with her therapist, who until now has been told she has no family, 'they're all dead' was her standard response. The therapist informs her the surgery can't proceed until she comes to terms with her emotional issues. Bree travels to NYC and posing as a religious social worker bails the boy, Toby, out of jail. Alarmed at what might become of Toby, Bree convinces him to ride with her to California, without yet revealing her true identity. Thus, a voyage of discovery begins with two strangers, lost souls in the sea of life. Bree easily slips into the roll of mother, she corrects Toby' grammar, makes him eat vegetables, and discusses career choices. Heading west they confront a father who sexually abuses his stepson in rural Kentucky, an underage girl in the Ozarks that propositions Toby, a Mary-Kay party for trans-gender 'converts' in Dallas, and an Indian horse trader in the Arizona desert who becomes infatuated with Bree. Finally, with nowhere to turn after their car is stolen Bree is left to call upon a truly dysfunctional family in Phoenix.

Transamerica is a stroke of pure genius. The storyline uses humor, tragedy, grief, love, suspense, adventure and deceit. The film is neither too serious nor too frivolous. It simultaneously hits multiple bull's eyes with subplots addressing youthful indiscretion and denial, pain and suffering inflicted upon others, family conflicts, and social values. The film reaches a crescendo defined by truth and humor in Phoenix, as it approaches the conclusion. Following these scenes, closure to the main subplots is developed.

Transamerica's cast and their performances are perfect. Felicity Huffman, as Bree, delivers an astounding characterization unmatched in recent history. Only Charlize Theron, as the female serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003), comes close. Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress. We see Bree struggle to confront her past life, yet never waver about her future. Always composed and in her 'Bree character', she plays the young lady her operation will create. Bree encounters Graham Green, an Indian horse trader in Arizona, and he validates her trans-gender reassignment quest. Kevin Zegers, as the wayward son Toby, is a subtle combination of youthful innocence and adult decadence. Zegers, present in most scenes, carefully plays his role as the supporting actor, not stealing the spotlight from Huffman. In the finale, Bree must return briefly to her origins where she confronts Fionnula Flanagan, as her mother Elizabeth, a destructive person whose work will be complete only when she's destroyed each family member. Burt Young, as her father Murray, passively stands aside as the sister (played by Carrie Preston) is under fire, knowing he will survive only until Stanley' sister Sydney is destroyed.

The Constant Gardner is a conspiracy story set mostly in Kenya. The story starts near its end, as Justin Quayle sees his wife Tessa and Arnold Bluhm, her friend and associate, depart on a flight to the Kenyan outback. Shortly thereafter, Quayle is notified that Tessa and Arnold have died when their SUV overturns; "foul play is suspected" as they say. In his mind, Justin recalls events leading to Tessa' death to determine if she was murdered. We learn that Justin is a relatively clueless second generation British Foreign Service professional when he meets Tessa just a year earlier. Tessa, an outspoken activist, sees evil hiding behind corporations and government agencies; she quickly seduces, romances and marries Justin. Their transfer to Africa provides her with a fertile hunting ground. Tessa becomes involved with Arnold, a United Nations associate, working with Aids treatment programs. She immediately suspects the big pharmaceutical companies may be using unsuspecting natives for more than Aids research. Being what she is, Tessa starts turning over stones, writing reports and involving professional activists over the Internet; not good behavior for a Foreign Service wife. The entire British Foreign Service establishment is not asleep at the wheel; Sandy Woodrow the local representative and Sir Bernard in London take notice of Tessa's activity. Was her death in vain?

The Constant Gardner is adapted from a John LaCarre novel. In his classic style, it's told through the protagonist's minds eye (flashbacks) and has little live dialogue. This is a film without a screenplay and a foreign intrigue story without a mystery. The film opens at midpoint in the story with neither context setting nor character development as an introduction. The viewer must sort out the characters, storyline and plot in piecemeal fashion within the flashback sequences. The plot or conspiracy in this case is quickly apparent, since it's stated early and often with increasing emphasis as the story progresses. (Not even a Louisiana politician could misinterpret the message.) The story is told incrementally, as repetitive flashbacks and recollections add pieces to the puzzle. This turns the 2-hours runtime into an interminable evening.

The Constant Gardner is being praised as one of the better films of the summer 2005 cinema season. This assertion unwittingly speaks volumes about the quality of big screen entertainment. The film is not totally without merit; Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz are perfectly cast and deliver credible performances. Fiennes is the quintessential LaCarre protagonist; self-centered, contemplative and enigmatic, he lives life as a mental not a physical exercise. Rachel Weisz projects a powerful presence and fills a big screen in all dimensions; this is an activist who will not be stopped. Finally, if you're suspicious of public institutions and believe that nuclear medicine, vaccines, antibiotics, electronic imaging and cardiovascular replacement parts grow on trees, this is the conspiracy film you've been waiting for all your life.

The Interpreter is a political intrigue thriller set mostly at the UN's Headquarters in New York. Silvia Broome interprets rare African dialects; upon returning to her workstation after hours one evening she hears a private conversation picked up inadvertently by the sound system. Realizing this may be a threat against an African head of state slated to speak before the General Assembly, she reports her secret to UN security. Enter agents Tobin Keller and Dot Woods assigned to investigate the threat credibility and take preventative action. It soon becomes apparent that Silvia is more than a pretty blond with a knack for foreign tongues. She's got an opaque history with the Dark Continent, but is she a conspirator or just a concerned citizen?

The Interpreter turns out to be a film that's far less than the sum of its parts; where is Robert Ludlam when you need him?. Two Academy Award winning stars with no chemistry or synergy between them competing for face time to deliver their lines. A unique and complex storyline that's contaminated with moralizing monologues about human rights violations in Africa and subliminal messages justifying the UN's good works. The story is filmed on location at the United Nations and is the perfect venue for this kind of thriller. The price of the movie ticket may also be less than the cost of an actual UN tour. The film is over before is starts, if you've seen the previews and can put together early clues, yet drones on for over two hours.

The Interpreter is a rare snoozer for Director Sidney Pollack who usually delivers. In Havana [1995] he mixed love and revolution with political rhetoric about Cuban dictator Juan Batista, and come up dry. Individually, both Kidman and Penn give good performances, but don't play well against each other. This film needs a romantic subplot but neither character is cast to do that. Silvia is up tight, sharp edged, distrustful and cold, although she is vulnerable. Tobin is mostly unemotional and remote. Only in the end is there a fleeting connection. The supporting cast is varied and extensive, never mind that Pollack casts himself in a small speaking role. Catherine Keener, one of my favorites, tends to be in slightly off beat movies, but here co-stars with Penn as a no nonsense secret service agent.

The Upside of Anger is a romantic drama set in suburban Detroit. Terry Wolfmeyer (Joan Allen) is p--sed-off, mad as h--l, and she isn't going to take it any longer. Her husband is gone---run off with his Swedish secretary---and Terry has canceled the credit cards, changed the door locks, and taken to bed with a stiff gin and tonic. She explains all this to her four teen daughters around the dining room table as they eat dinner. Several days later Denny (Kevin Coaster) shows up, knocking at the front door and checking the patio door locks. Denny's not who you'd expect; rather, he's a neighbor who wears a World Series ring, and makes his living autographing baseballs and hosting talk radio----but he can't bring himself to discuss baseball. Terry and Danny would have little to say to one another under ordinary circumstances; but, they've intersected at a unique point in their lives---and the process begins. Terry and her daughters bring humanity into Danny' otherwise sterile life; they respect him for who he is, not for what he used to be. Danny brings a perspective to Terry' situation and is someone she can confide in and trust. Danny also takes his share of tough love from Terry who is neither bashful nor just anyone's fool. The "upside of anger" emerges as Terry moves through the sequence of shock, anger, realization and action, and her family is better as a consequence.

The Upside of Anger is in many ways similar to Terms of Endearment (1983) that won the big-five Oscar awards; this film could do at least as well. Let's get one thing out of the way now; this is not a 'Kevin Coaster film'. The storyline creates a well-crafted balance between drama, dark humor, irony and a coming of age story. The script and dialog are sharp, crisp, fast and deftly mixes humor, anger, and love—sometimes all in one sentence. Joan Allen is, simply put, huge in this film; she just keeps getting better as her career evolves. As in her other hits she plays an 'ice princess', a strong leading female character like no other actress in the business today, and few stars before her. She neither smiles nor shows emotion toward her children, except a stern disciplinary statement or two, as her character unfolds. At one point she says: "you need to watch me more closely" in reply to one of the kids challenge to her devotion to the family. Coaster is perfectly cast as a retired ball player adrift in his after baseball afterlife. He is the perfect foil to Joan Allen's anger and dialog.

The Upside of Anger opened in early March at just eight (8) screens, but could be playing at your local multi-cinema before you know it. The film is directed, written and co-stars Mike Binder a relative unknown who also plays Coaster' radio producer 'Shep' a sleazy skirt chaser. Finally, this is not a story about what happened to Terry's husband; sharp-eyed viewers will conclude shortly after the opening credits that this is a mute point.

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Lost in Translation is the story of two lost souls in a strange land half a world from home, one searching for who she will be and the other struggling with who he has become. Bob Martin [Bill Murray], a middle-aged second-rate actor, struggles with his career that's evolved to doing Japanese whiskey commercials and a marriage degenerated to discussing carpet colors with his wife. Charlotte [Scarlett Johansson], a 20-something philosophy grad, accompanies her non-communicative husband and fashion photographer to Tokyo. Charlotte searches for her future on motivational CD's and self-help books. Bob and Charlotte are drawn to one another because they're in the same hotel, have time on their hands, speak a common language and share related problems; they talk and enjoy Tokyo night life over a period of several days. Time passes and at about the 60-minute mark they have the equivalent of a father-daughter conversation. More time passes and at the 100-minute mark Bob departs for New York, after bidding Charlotte a heartfelt farewell.

Lost in Translation was lost in translation for this viewer [pardon the pun]. It was also an opportunity lost to address what most people struggle with at times in their lives; but that would require a serious screenplay, creative story line, spirited dialogue and emotional acting. Instead, it feels strangely like an earlier Murray film Ground Hogs Day [1993] all over again [pardon the pun]. This film is the story of a reporter who relives Groundhogs Day over and over in Punxsutawney PA, unable to move his life forward. In the current film the character is sleep deprived from jet lag and stumbles from day to day, separated by language from the real events around him, as his Japanese hosts drag him from one photo shoot to the next. Every cloud has a silver lining and in this film that's young actress Scarlett Johansson; she is a bright spot in contrast to the otherwise bleak background of this film. Her reward is a leading role in the artistic hit Girl With a Pearl Earring now showing at art cinemas.

Lost in Translation has received several Academy Award nominations; these may be a tip of-the-hat to film great Francis Ford Coppola, the executive producer and father of the film's director Sophia Coppola. Ms. Coppola has demonstrated her skill in directing The Virgin Suicides [1999] and will rise again. On the other hand, this movie may look to many as a candidate for the 2nd runner-up for best foreign film travelogue that was filmed in Japan [Last Samurai [2003] being the hands down winner]. There may also be autobiographical undertones with casting Bill Murray as a second rate actor whose career is on a downhill glide path. My companion wanted to leave the theater in the middle of the film but, not wanting to wake the sleeping patron beside us [no joke], we stayed until the bloody end.

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About Schmidt is a serious drama about life's big events; marriage, retirement, death and social contribution. Warren Schmidt [Jack Nicholson] has turned 65 years old and just retired; he immediately realizes [surprise, surprise] that he left his life at the office and has not a clue of what comes next. Tragedy soon strikes the Schmidt home and Warren realizes that he's got to get a life. He initially sees his daughter Jeannie [Hope Davis] as the solution, but that works only for 1-2 meals. Warren decides to jump in the RV and meanders around Nebraska and Kansas looking for the meaning of life. After what seems like an eternity only 125 minutes later] he arrives in Denver for Jeannie' wedding where he meets her future in-laws. Enter the 2002 version of TV's Adams Family led by matriarch Roberta [Kathy Bates]. Warren barely survives the wedding and, upon returning to Omaha, finds his calling in a letter from Africa. `Fini'.

About Schmidt is at best an opportunity lost and a disappointment on at last two counts. First, in an effort to attract the mass market, the previews cherry pick several humorous scenes to represent the movie as a comedy, nothing could be further from the truth. Second, and far more serious, the real themes of the movie exceed the technical reach of filmmakers. Any good film uses the cinematic tools of script, dialogue, scenes, sets, plot, story line and action [motion] to tell a story. Unable to use these tools, the message is conveyed with a voice-over narration by Schmidt himself; this runs over about 40-50% of the film. Sounds to me more like ‘books on tape' than a movie. The story line---such as it is---raises issues of substance, but these are ill developed and don't really come to closure in any meaningful way.

About Schmidt does have one bright spot after a dreary first 60+ minutes. Kathy Bates joins the story as the mother of the groom and an aging hippie somewhere between husbands two and three, but who's counting. She adds a desperately needed spark of life to the film and bares all for a lost cause, in the quintessential hot tub scene.

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Gangs of New York is a violent drama set in New York's Five Points area in 1861-62; it uses the American Civil War [more on this later] as a backdrop. This period has massive Irish Catholic immigration; their large numbers and willingness to work for less threaten the ‘native born' [mostly Protestants] and social structure in Northeast Cities like NYC. Age-old religious bigotry comes along as excess baggage and the ‘melting pot' becomes a boiling cauldron. A child, nicknamed Amsterdam, is orphaned when the native-born gang leader Bill the Butcher [Daniel Day-Lewis] kills his father. Amsterdam [Leonardo DiCaprio] returns to the scene as a man seeking calculated revenge. As young men will do, he is fascinated by Jenny [Cameron Diaz] a pickpocket by day and a ward of the Butchers by night. The story builds to a crescendo as riots erupt with institution of a draft by Lincoln to staff the Union Army.

Gangs of New York leaves much to be desired as pure entertainment. At a superficial level, this film is over the top with violence, costumes, sets and action. It looks more like a surreal Kevin Coster creative failure [Water World and The Postman come to mind] than a movie with a message. The characters are not sympathetic, although Diaz is so good in her part that she's almost unrecognizable and Day-Lewis is a legitimate villain. A major problem with this film is that five [5] minutes into the story you know exactly how it's going to end a mere 2hrs 48 min later , almost 3 hours]. The only question is how many heads get bashed in the process.

Gangs of New York is directed by film great Martin Scorsese and distributed by Miramax Films who pride themselves in picking Oscar winners; the latter point explains all the publicity hype around the film. Scorsese and Miramax wouldn't waste their resources on a period version of The Godfather or West Side Story [for you romantics]; if that's all you're expecting save your time and money. This film is open to multiple interpretations. The story is a metaphor for the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln's successful effort to save the Union and create one nation. The gangs represent the war between two peoples with a common language and homeland. Irish immigrants stepping of the boats and unknowingly enlisted in the Union army parallel Africans sold into slavery. Coffins being off-loaded from the same boats show the senselessness of slavery. The draft induced civilian riots ultimately end in destruction of the gangs, unity among the immigrants and civilian order established by Federal troops showing that the Union is saved. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

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Frida tells the extraordinary story of the great Mexican artists Diego Rivera [Alfred Molina] and wife Frida Kahlo [Selma Hayek]. Set in the bohemian culture of Mexico City between the wars [1920's and 30's] Rivera was an unabashed communist and habitual womanizer. Frida adopted the former but would not tolerate the latter; the couple was married twice. Rivera became internationally famous and traveled to `gringo landia' for exhibits, where the Rockefellers commissioned his work. The couple took NYC by storm, like King Kong and Fay Wrey. Back in Mexico City they were landlords to Leon Trotsky when he was exiled from the USSR. Frida was tormented with pain from a childhood accident and died a painful death at a young age.

Frida is a huge film that would be bigger than life, except that it is true life. The movie looks and feels like Evita [1996] the rock opera about Eva Peron and The Cradle Will Rock [1999] the story of WPA funded artists and politics in NYC during the Great Depression. Memorable scenes abound in this film. Take the one where Frida and Leon Trotsky visit the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon [outside Mexico City] and Trotsky reminisces about his murdered children, while both sit atop a pyramid. Or perhaps, John D. Rockefeller Jr. [Edward Norton] pleading with Rivera to remove a likeness of Lenin from a mural in the lobby of Rockefeller Center. Diego refuses and Rockefeller has men attack the wall with air hammers.

Frida has Academy Awards written all over it; not just one or two, but almost any category that you choose. This story is a real life epic perfectly captured by the movie; romance, love and politics. The screenplay is a period masterpiece with costumes, scenes, sets and a music score to match. The cinemagraphic interpretations and transitions are unusual and expressive. That just leaves Selma Hayek and Alfred Molina who are certain nominees for Best Actor and Best Actress. These two do not just `play' their parts; they assume the characters personas.

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Full Frontal is a day in the life of three sets of people in the theater and publishing business. Set in Los Angeles, our six main characters are invited to celebrate Gus' [David Duchovny] birthday. Lee and Carl [Catherine Keener and David Hyde Pierce, respectively], who's marriage is on the edge, both work for magazines. Catherine, a magazine writer, and Nicholas, an actor and aspiring playwright, [Julia Roberts and Blair Underwood] share a flight to LA while one interviews the other. Linda, a masseuse, and Artie, a theater director, [Mary McCormack and Enrico Colantoni] plan to consummate their Internet romance with an intimate weekend. The day doesn't go according to plan for anyone, least of all Gus who has a surprising orgasmic experience.

Full Frontal feels like an experimental cinema lab that's designed to test the audience's cognitive perceptions. The film is a movie within a movie within a movie [that's not a typographical error folks]. Director Steven Soderbergh, in retrospect, does his audience a favor by incorporating copious clues in the opening credits. The movie is designed to feel at times like a documentary with uneven cuts, grainy film, inadequate lighting and unsteady camera work. All this achieves the desired effect, and at the same time provides viewers a considerable intellectual challenge. Full Frontal has many attributes in common with Memento [2000] and Mulholland Drive [2001], other recent films with interconnecting and / or nonlinear story lines.

Full Frontal is playing at art theaters near you; blink and you'll miss it! This film helps explain the dearth of good movies in summer 2002; great actors are working quick and dirty low budget films with narrow fan appeal. That's not to say this movie's an artistic failure, viewers just need an acquired taste to enjoy it. The film's name is meant to support the whisper campaign that Julia Roberts [America's sweetheart] flashes skin for the cameras---she does not!! This is the first year in nearly a decade that Roberts, for example, didn't have a big summer release for mass viewing.

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The Good Girl is a drama of small town confinement. Justin [Jennifer Aniston] is a prisoner of her existence and serving two life sentences. She's 12 years into a clerking career at the local discount super store, the Retail Rodeo, and married 7 years to Phil [John C. Reilly] a house painter. Phil smells paint fumes by day and keeps the buzz going at night by smoking weed. Justin becomes infatuated with coworker Holden [Jake Gyllenhaal] 10 years her junior ----a college dropout, an aspiring J. D. Sallinger, and a minor alcoholic who's seen `the outside'. Justin shares more than her frustrations with Holden, who sees her as his future. One problem with small towns is that someone always knows your business. Justin must thus pay another pound of flesh to keep her secret, but she's undone by a pregnancy test just when the jailbreak is about to happen. What's a good girl to do, make a break for it, or stay and hope for early parole with good behavior?

The Good Girl is about people you know, well perhaps not personally, but you pass them every day in your upwardly mobile ascension. This film gives them names, lives and personal problems. Although the story is as common as dirt, it will have appeal to all moviegoers. It's a perfectly constructed tale and will surely draw you into the lives of the main characters. The films strength may also be it's undoing. In a sense, this is `reality cinema', not just mindless Hollywood `entertainment' for the masses, but a real story. If that were not enough, the filmmakers are actually able to make their point in the standard 90-minutes, a rarity at modern cinema.

The Good Girl is a little independent film that opened on just four[4] screens nationwide, but it's sure to be coming your way. The previews---as good as they are---are deceiving. This is more than another coming out film for a star of the TV sitcom Friends. It defines Jennifer Aniston' stature as a serious actress with a long and bright future. Her unlikely pairing with character actor John C. Reilly is exactly what the director ordered, and it works to perfection.

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Tadpole is a romantic farce set in New York City. Young Oscar `Tadpole' Grubman [Aaron Stanford] is home from boarding school to spend Thanksgiving with his dad Stanley [John Ritter] and stepmother Eve [Sigourney Weaver]. Tadpole is a ‘90's kind of guy, with a softer sensitive side, who speaks French, and loves literature and the classics----a magnet to adult women. He's also got a hand fetish, not to mention the hots for stepmother Eve. Stanley, an oblivious Columbia history professor, is a well meaning and concerned father, but he doesn't have a clue. Meanwhile, Tadpole finds a fantastic set of hands on Diane [Bebe Neuwirth], Eve's best friend and a chiropractor; he succeeds in getting her to give him the `full treatment'. Emboldened, he makes a move on the object of his affections. Will this Thanksgiving weekend end up with someone getting the bird while another gets his stuffing knocked out?

Tadpole is every teenage boy's dream---literally. That would be, seduction by an older woman and fantasies about romancing his sultry stepmother; however, the genius of this film is that it's also a kids worst nightmare. A father who doesn't relate, his second marriage headed for the rocks, you shuffled off to boarding school and have trouble coping with the coed social situation.

Tadpole is another little independent film that may have legs. It confronts a taboo issue head-on with total success and tact. This yields a very sophisticated comedy with a continual stream of laughs and several classic scenes. Casting is right on. John Ritter puts on a serious face giving the female leads and young Stanford the space they need to create a mini-hit. Sigourney Weaver finally plays a role where she can act her age and keep her cloths on. Bebe Neuwirth has received much press for her role as a cradle robber; she comes across as far more than a `black widow', although not quite a sympathetic character.

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Mostly Martha is a subtitled German import just opening in the USA. Martha [Martina Gedeck] is a gourmet chef---and control freak---with issues; her only social contact is with her shrink, whom she interacts with through culinary devices. As a consequence of a family tragedy, Martha must provide a home for Lina [Maxime Foerste] her 8-year old niece with personality traits amazingly similar to her own. Martha must confront the real life issues here-to-fore addressed only in the abstract with her shrink; conflict is inevitable. Humanity enters the two female's lives in the form of Mario [Sergio Castellitto], an Italian chef, who naturally speaks both the languages of food and love.

Mostly Martha is one of a trio of little cinema surprises this summer; the others are Tadpole and The Good Girl. This film is a refreshing story in the European style about the bittersweet relationship between a child and her aunt. Martha is a complex and mysterious character perfectly played by Gedeck; she's a joy to watch. The film really sizzles with emotion in the kitchen as the characters' shared love and passion for food overcomes their differences. This aspect of the story line has much in common with other `food movies' like Big Night [1996] and Tortilla Soup [2001]. Outside the kitchen Martha' frustration and inability to deal with her personality equal make you feel her pain.

Mostly Martha is a delightful film that will bring a smile to your face and a twinkle to your eye. It's been wowing European audiences for about four [4] months and played to an upscale full house, including families, at the showing I attended. The film runs a tad long to support the deliberate character and story development that would be more quickly finessed in an USA product. But then again, that's part of its charm.

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Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood [DSYYS] is a multi-generation story of mothers and daughters, and the lifelong friendship of four [4] Louisiana belles. Vivian, Caro, Teensy and Necie have been friends since childhood; through rain and shine, muck and mire, thick and thin----well you get the idea. Siddalee, Vivian's daughter, is a successful Broadway playwright who's mind [after 15 years of therapy] is still a prisoner of her mother's history, the secrets which she's never been told. All this hits the fan when a `tell all' magazine interview with Siddalee finds its way to bayou country. The Ya-Ya Sisterhood intervenes, transports Siddalee to the Louisiana piney woods, where her family story unfolds.

DSYYS is a story of life. Like life, the film is complex, non-linear and multi-dimensional in its telling. Initially, the film sets the context and characters with numerous flashbacks, entertaining vignettes, and uses multiple actors for each character [the story spans a long timeframe]. DSYYS cult groupies will appreciate this foreplay more than will journeyman movie fans. The story comes together at midpoint, as the film gets legs, establishes a rhythm and tells an intense, emotional and heartwarming story.

DSYYS offers some truly stellar performances, while others could have been better cast. Ellen Burstyn and Ashley Judd are better than perfect virtually morphing into one persona, as they portray [at two different ages] Vivian, the anguished mother. Sandra Bullock, on the other hand, is not the requisite sympathetic or troubled character that she portrays. Think Laura Dern or Margot Kidder in this role. Maggie Smith [who plays Caro] is a film icon and an onscreen presence; she is not a Ya-Ya girl! Her acerbic persona and age just don't fit the profile of a southern lady. Think Jane Alexander for this part.

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13 Conversations About One Thing is a series of interconnected vignettes about life. This drama plays out through four main characters whose lives have common---but not essential--- threads. An Assistant District Attorney [Matthew McConaughey], a Colombia U. Professor [John Turturro], a claims adjuster [Alan Arkin] and a maid-for hire [Clea DuVall] are the main subjects. Each views life and reacts to its events differently; yet, each is searching for the same thing. The fatalist view of life is that `as luck would have it, you either get smiled upon or laughed at'. The pragmatist, on the other hand, knows that one may influence the serendipitous events in his/her live. Which is it?

13 Conversations, in addition to being entertaining, is a thinking person's movie and this flick offers much to think about. A really good film often generates healthy conversation after you've seen it. This is a great movie, based upon that measure. A central question is the degree to which we can control or set in motion life's events and their outcomes. Enough said.

13 Conversations is a gem that's not likely to leave the art theaters, so put on your tie-died T-shirt and make the trek to the nearest screen. The marvelous cast, in addition to the above named actors, includes Amy Irving and a host of lesser stars many of whom you'll recognize. The hit of the show must be Alan Arkin. Never has an actor and his character been as perfectly matched as in this case. Catch-22 [1970], also staring Alan Arkin, does however come to mind.

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Pumpkin, a black humor movie directed at mindless college sorority life, uses disabled teenagers as the foil for the satire. Carolyn McDuffy [Christina Ricci], an antiseptically preserved bleached blond senior, hopes she and her sorority `sisters' will become the SOY [sorority of the year] for their good deeds and civic contribution. As a symbol of socially responsible behavior, they coach physically handicapped teens for an Olympic competition. Carolyn is paired with Pumpkin Romanoff [Hank Harris], an aspiring discus thrower. Pumpkin is totally inspired to compete and Carolyn learns that a mind is a terrible thing to waste as a result of their relationship.

Pumpkin is so politically incorrect that it makes Animal House [1979] look like Mother Theresa's autobiography. This is either an incredibly bad training film for the U.S. Department of Human Services [Americans with Disabilities] or the result of a Hollywood hangover gone over the edge. There is no movie rating system that can describe this film.

Pumpkin is surreal and over exagerated to the point that one doesn't know whether to laugh, cry or to be outraged. The redeeming value of the film is that, in its perverse way, it does make its point. The point is: you can't judge a book by its cover, beauty is only skin deep, and you've got to look beneath the surface.

Don't let slick one line movie reviewer quotes in the newspaper draw you into this film.

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The Bourne Identity is a foreign intrigue thriller set in Zurich and Paris. The CIA---if there's one thing it does well it's cleanup a mess---has a problem. Ted Conklin [Chris Cooper] a CIA handler in Langley has a big mess on his hands, its name is Jason Bourne [Matt Damon]. Bourne, an assassin who's MIA in the CIA, missed his `hit' on an exiled dictator, was wounded and set adrift, and has lost his memory [i.e., identity]. Bourne remembers just enough to be dangerous, turns up at the US embassy in Zurich and all hell breaks loose. Marie [Franka Potente] an itinerant German working girl lends him a hand and the chase is on. Bourne can neither hide nor rejoin the CIA, nor can he right his blown assassination attempt. This situation can end in only one way, or then again maybe two or three ways.

The Bourne Identity is vintage Robert Ludlum. There's an exotic [but not improbable] story with fast paced action, suspenseful twists and turns, unexpected bursts of violence and a hero. Best of all, you'll not have to scratch your head to unravel the plot at the end. Mat Damon is the real deal as a crafty CIA assassin with all the savvy moves and killer instincts. Among the films highlights is a car chase that would stop traffic [pardon the pun] and is reminiscent of The French Connection [1971] or even Bullitt [1968] with Steve McQueen.

The Bourne Identity is one of those rare films with perfect casting. Damon, an improbable selection, can add a page to his resume with a convincing performance; replacing Tom Cruse as an action hero won't be `mission impossible' for Damon. German-born Franka Potente adds a realistic touch as a hand-to-mouth youth drifting across Europe and always up for a thrill; she sprinted onto US art theater screens in Run Lola Run [1999]. Chris Cox [a personal favorite] is just right as a journeyman CIA operative who's in over his head without a lifeline.

Ludlum [who died in 2001], a prolific American writer with over 30 best sellers and legion of fans, was apparently not a fan of Hollywood, with only 2-3 of his books on film. See this one.

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Road to Perdition [R2P] is a 1930's period drama set in Al Capone's Chicago gangster land and environs. The context for this tale is Irish bootlegging during prohibition, but the real story is of fathers and sons, their love for one another, and sacrifices that are made. John Rooney [Paul Newman] is a local Capone boss; his natural son Connor [Daniel Craig] is disrespectful and conniving, while his `adopted' son Michael Sullivan [Ton Hanks] is devoted and honest. Rooney loves both sons. Conner and Michael are mobbed up, but Michael is committed to give his son a better life than his own. A mistake is made and Michael Jr. is put in harm's way when the mob finds out. Both Rooney and Sullivan must take the road to perdition [n. meaning ‘utter destruction or ruin'] to salvage young Michael's life. The story is told through the eyes of Michael Jr. as he spends a tumultuous 6-weeks with his father in the winter of 1931.

R2P is an artistic masterpiece and a technically perfect film [the professional reviewers got this one right]. Sam Mendes, who has a short but impressive resume to his credit [he did American Beauty [1999]] directs the film. Don't try to compare the two films. This story is both subtle and in your face, and employs parallel situations between Rooney and Sullivan. Set in the world of organized crime two fathers---who themselves are a father and son----desire to nourish and protect their own sons. The films authenticity [characters, scenes, sets, costumes, photography] immediately draws the viewer into the 1930's mob land.

R2P successfully casts the leading actors, Hanks and Newman, in uncharacteristic roles as `bad guys', but also as loving fathers. This unlikely casting is a stroke of genius. Although Hanks is excellent, it's the old master Paul Newman who shines, even with less face time. Newman's ice cold eyes sparkle with love, his stone cut face cracks just a hint of a smile, and the deep resonant voice is both warm and menacing at the same time. His character sits on the knife-edge between good and evil. There's a robust supporting cast anchored by Stanley Tucci, Jude Law, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

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Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys, an autobiographical coming of age story, is set in the 1970's. Tim and Francis [Kieran Calkin and Emile Hirsch, respectivley] are teen boys seeking outlets for their raging hormones and creative minds. This isn't likely to happen in school under the watchful eye of Father Casey [Vincent D'Onofrio] and Sister Assumpta [Jodie Foster]; structure and discipline are the watchwords at St. Agatha's. The boys, and their friends, escape reality by creating the Atomic Trinity comic book of `super hero's' living violent and sensual [sexual] adventures. Their real life antagonists [the Priest and Nun] are featured in this fantasy, and it becomes the boy's downfall when the book falls into the wrong hands. Meanwhile, in the real world Marie [Jena Malone] shares a secret with Francis; who shares it with others. The plot thickens and our teen super heroes escalate their [mis]deeds, to their own detriment.

Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys has a ton of themes and issues on its plate, only some of which are brought to closure. This is one of those movies that may suffer because it's constrained by the facts and the writers are loath to take liberties with their labor of love. The specific events, in the aggregate, may stretch your imagination unless you lived your childhood in the very fast lane. None the less, you don't have to be an alumnus of the St. Somewhere school to appreciate and be entertained by the story. The yarn could easily be a light comedy, but there's serious stuff in the air, and that's what this slice of life is really about. The filmmakers cleverly intersperse cartoon clips as windows to the boy's minds; that may may not] be your idea of clever filmmaking, but it works here.

Jody Foster produces this film and is basically its patron saint. She's also clever enough to play second chair to the young cast, particularly Hirsch and Malone, who deliver stunning and grownup performances.

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Sum of All Fears, presumably set in the 1990's, is about espionage, foreign intrigue and nuclear weapons. Intelligence Chief Cabot [Morgan Freeman] has Jack Ryan [Ben Affleck] accompany him on a Russian trip. Ryan is a CIA egghead historian and expert on the new President Nemerov. Both the Russians and Americans know three Russian nuclear scientists are missing. Mix this trio with an unexploded bomb from the Golan Heights, vacant nuclear facilities in Ukraine, the Super Bowl and Dressler [Alan Bates] a neo-Nazi with a global network, and you've got a cliffhanger. Ryan teams up with CIA operative John Clark [Live Schreiber] to cut the fuse on this explosive situation.

Sum of All Fears is a fast moving Tom Clancy cocktail with a nuclear chaser. Like most Clancy stories it's just on the other side of totally believable, allowing you imagination free reign. The previews tell us that a nuclear weapon explodes, this is not the point. The story is interesting because, although it's fiction it's not unrealistic, and illustrates how two nuclear powers react and interact when one is attacked. This offers some degree of comfort, unless you're living in Baltimore MD. The story plays out on a macro level between US President Fowler [James Cromwell] and his Russian counterpart [Cairian Hinds] and there are some tense moments. Ryan [Affleck], Chief Cabot [Freeman] and Clark [Schreiber] give the micro view of events.

Sum of All Fears offers little for the gals, now that Harrison Ford [and Alec Baldwin before him] has been replaced by Affleck as Clancy' hero Jack Ryan. Affleck fills the bill in the macho department.

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Signs is the story of faith, family and an alien invasion. Graham Hess [Mel Gibson] and his brother Merrill [Joaquim Phoenix] are corn farmers in Bucks County, PA. Graham, a former preacher, has denounced god following his wife's accidental death----he's no longer a believer. Merrill, on the other hand, leaves the big decisions to a higher being----he's a believer. Graham and his two kids Morgan and Bo [Rory Calkin and Abigail Breslin] awaken one morning to find crop circles in their cornfield. One circle leads to another and with assistance from CNN whatever], they realize aliens are invading the world, and the Hess farm is on the hit list. This turn of events causes Graham to reflect on his life, kids and wife's death. Are the crop circles a sign to Graham that he needs to reestablish his faith?

Signs has everything but a credible story line, although there's a credible plot about faith and spiritual belief that underlie this yarn. This film is technically very good; with a well-balanced mix of humor and suspense, underpinned by solid video, sound, special effects and several story twists that come together nicely in the end. To enjoy the film, you've got to ratchet down expectations and suspend your beliefs. The story assumes that: crop circles [a hoax identified by the Brits 10 years ago] are real signs of the super natural and the earth are about to be invaded by aliens. This story line marginalizes the film to cheap science fiction and leaves the viewer wondering if Bucks County farmers read the Philadelphia Inquire, or only supermarket tabloids.

Signs, dollar for dollar, is the most over-hyped film of the 2002 summer season. Written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who burst on the American film scene with the hugely successful Sixth Sense [1999], this film may ultimately prove he's got only one good movie in him. Shyamalan, not being a complete fool, hedges his bets by also casting himself in an acting role. Hollywood types have too much invested in young Shyamalan, including the pre-release hype on this film, and their reviews of the finished product may be less than objective.

Signs is also a sloppy production, showing young Shyamalan' inexperience. Bucks County PA immediately abuts Philadelphia and has over 1000 people per square mile [U.S. census 2000] not exactly `corn country'. The Hess `farm' is a house and garage but lacks barns, storage silos, trucks and farm machinery. Farmer Hess is referred to as `Father' by church members, and although he eventually wears a white collar is not a Catholic priest. Finally, Shyamalan' [from the Indian subcontinent] shamelessly casts himself as the local animal doctor, and stands out like a sore thumb. This is Hardly a Hitchcock-esque idea.

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The Cat's Meow is historical fiction set in Hollywood's Roaring 1920's. It's 1924 and William Randolph Hearst, `WR' or `Willie', [Ed Herrmann] the media tycoon of the age is throwing a birthday bash on his yacht, and you're invited. Marion Davies [Kirsten Dunst], his mistress and aspiring movie star will join the birthday boy Thomas Ince [Cary Elwes] a movie studio owner who's fallen on hard times. A score of others on board include famous actor Charlie Chaplin [Eddie Izzard], and an aspiring young gossip columnist from NYC, Louella Parsons [Jennifer Tilly]. The rule is `don't mix business with pleasure', but just maybe there'll be some exceptions. Hearst despises moviemaker Ince, and Ince needs `WR's' money to keep his studio afloat. `WR' desperately needs to make Marion a star if he is to keep her affections. Marion's mind is with `Willie', but a womanizing Charlie Chaplin has stolen her heart. A case of mistaken identity almost results in Hearst committing murder, Chaplin becoming a dead duck seagull in this case] and in any event Louella Parsons gets a lifetime sentence.

The Cat's Meow is a fun movie that makes the outrageous look commonplace. It's the Yankee version of Gosford Park [2002] combined with a dash of Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway, which incidentally also featured Jennifer Tilly. This movie has great character development and an entertaining, if a bit transparent, story line. Although there's foul play afoot, this movie is comic relief at heart. The party guests are drawn to the powerful Hearst like sharks circling a trapped whale, each wanting a piece of him. In the end he's still strong enough to save his own hide. As guests depart the yacht, it's as though the weekend never happened.

The Cat's Meow is directed by veteran Peter Bogdanovich. His landmark work The Last Picture Show [1971] chronicled the death of small town Texas and launched actress / model Cybill Shepherd's career. This current film makes some strong [but mostly tongue in cheek] statements about Hollywood's culture that apply even today. The Cat's Meow may yield three Academy Award nominations for acting. The headliners Ed Herrmann, Kristen Dunst and Jennifer Tilly are a joy to watch and deliver flawless performances. Run don't walk to see this flick at an art theater near you before it goes to the multi-cinemas.