Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

With 3 Oscar nominations and 1 win, you'd think I might like this movie better. With the likes of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alan Rickman, all of whom I usually love, you'd think I find some pleasure in the acting. Toss in Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat himself, and you'd think the comic relief impact would be good enough to lighten even Tim Burton's darkest vision. Not so in any of the cases above.

I found the story without any redeeming value. I found the acting so over-the-top that I was not sure when to laugh and when to cry. It was easy enough to know when to look away. Okay, so this exposes me as a horror film wimp. I don't see the point, and freely admit it. I do love a thriller, and this was far more the thriller than horror story. But as a thriller, it was to predictable.

Even if you don't read the DVD jacket, it becomes obvious what the barber will do, and how he will dispose to the bodies. Even if you have not seen the Broadway production, you should figure out fairly soon who proves to be the barber's undoing.

Please don't get me wrong, I did not dislike ALL the movie. The music was great. Stephen Sondheim is wonderful. From West Side Story to this, he has proven the master of setting complex dialogue set to music.

Having said ALL this, let me add some caveats. If you usually like Tim Burton's work, you will most likely "get" this movie. You may even love it.

I suggest watch it with someone who gets, or even loves, you.

PU-235 : The Half Life of Timofey Berezin

While this movie is at times painful to watch, with sad themes, sad realities, and truly bad people, it is one of the smarter movies I've seen in a long time. You don't need to know much about the old Soviet regime to understand the plot, but it helps. The dialogue is in English, but the accents are very strong. I recommend the subtitles.

There is enough comic relief at the appropriate times to keep the audience from getting totally depressed by what is happening to the main character. I don't usually bond with characters quickly as I did with "Timofey". His plight is so real so fast, and is so totally believable that I was taken with him within minutes. Paddy Considine does an absolutely amazing job with this role. He is a total pro. His character goes from devoted nuclear technician and family man to corporate terrorist AND devoted family man. His progressively zombie-like state would make any of Hollywood undead a little nervous.

I don't want to spoil the ending for you, but I found it very satisfying. While it was a surprise, and not exactly what on might want, it ties things up nicely, and is not rushed.

Watch this movie with someone who like butterflies. No kidding.

The Kite Runner

Unless you are a foreign cinema aficionado, you most likely not recognize any names or faces in this movie. If that kept you from seeing this in the theaters, please let it be your motivation for seeing in now. This cast is spectacular. You forget you've not seen them before and they feel as familiar and part of the cinematic experience as your usual favorites.

You long-time readers know I am big on redemption movies. This is a great story of personal evolution and redemption. I hope audiences cheered in the theaters towards the end. I'm sure more than a few wept. And no doubt several were touched deeply and personally by this story.

Because it is set in California, Afghanistan and Pakistan prior to September 11, 2001, it takes us to a place very few of us knew anything about. The themes are universally felt. They cross cultural, national, and religious boundaries. In one way or another, I'm sure we have all been in similar circumstances to one of the main characters. We can relate to their drama and their plight. We all have families, and this is first and foremost a movie about family.

Please don't misunderstand. This is not a family movie. There are some very adult themes to wrap your mind around, and they are presented perfectly. There is nothing gratuitous about this movie. Every scene; every line; every frame has a purpose.

This is a great story, very well told.

Watch it with someone who will appreciate the great writing and acting by total strangers.

Awake

Lena Olin has always been on my list. You know the list I'm talking about. Her performance in this movie, while key, is only a supporting one. Just the same, I still have my baby crush on her.

Heyden Christensen appears to be growing into his voice. His character while anesthetics is very interesting. Not so much the rest of the time. That may be by design, but I'm not so sure.

Jessica Alba as a villain rather than the heroine was a pleasant surprise. This is pretty much all the good surprises though from her.

You know how much I like Terrence Howard. You also know I think his delivery does not change from character to character. That works for me so far. Keep it up Mr. Howard.

Bottom line, this is a movie you can skip.

Revolver

To say that Guy Ritchie does odd stories in an odd way would be an understatement. To say that nobody tells a story quite like him is a bit more like it. If you have seen his other 2 landmark films, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, you know a bit of what this movie might be like. However, this goes beyond the others with mixed animation and much better sound.

I like Jason Statham generally speaking. He usually plays pretty much the same character in most his work. Just the story changes. His persona and delivery don't. In this movie however, he branches out into some real acting. He plays his usual quiet tough guy, but he also plays his alter-ego. That little voice in his head has some real emotions even if the character does not. Very interesting stuff. And, there is some serious psychology to go along with this story. You have to be very patient or watch it a time or two to totally get it.

Ray Liotta has become a caricature of himself, and I love it. Because he has been type cast so many times, what choice does he have but to make fun of those casting choices. He is brilliant as the flawed bad guy in this movie. His final scene is Oscar worthy but I doubt anyone in the academy stayed long enough to see it. It's amazing acting and appears to have been done in one take. Mr. Liotta WAS ready for his close-up.

André Benjamin is one smooth character. I liked him in Four Brothers, and I like him more after watching this film. He has a unique look, a silky voice, and timing that speaks of far more work than his resume shows.

Okay, now I'll stop gushing about this movie and tell you a few more things. It's a very violent, gory, skin-filled, foul-mouthed script. And now the Guy Ritchie fans can all say in unison: "#$^*#$ **+#%%## #$&((%^%& right" and they are correct in doing so.

Watch this movie with someone who has a strong stomach for this sort of thing.

Young Frankenstein

How have I gone this far without telling you, or reminding you, about this great piece of film work. This classic is one of my all-time favorites. If you have not seen it, I recommend a rental. If it's been 35 years, refresh your memory the fun way.

Just before the end of 1974, this movie came out. I remember seeing it in one of the big old movie houses, balcony and all. I think I remember laughing so hard... well I don't need to finish that story.

Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder are comedic geniuses s in their own right. When they got together to write and direct this piece. The DVD special features tells the crazy story about how the script was written.

Marty Feldman may not be well-known to most of today's movie audiences. No modern comic side-kick comes even close. He has he look, the voice, and the timing. He set the bar very high, and in my opinion, all others just limbo under it.

Cloris Leachman has served well in almost every Mel Brooks film. In this one, she is just stone cold funny. Peter Boyle was perfect as the "monster". Teri Garr was stunning in her first role in a real movie. And see if you can recognize Gene Hackman without checking the credits first. Most audiences at the time did not.

How many of these names are familiar to you? These names were a solid part of the movies I grew up with. Some have left us. The rest eventually will. But they will all be remembered for how they helped us to see the funny side of every day life.

Now, back to this classic movie. Horror movie spooks are pretty popular these days. Few if any come as close to retelling the story while doing a fantastic parody. If you look closely you may recognize the equipment from the original Frankenstein movies. Yes, the same prop-master was used. Who goes to those extremes in today CG world?

Watch this movie with someone who will appreciate all the great gags, one-liners, and all the fourth wall breaches.

Atonement

Perhaps this should have been called "An Attempted Atonement", or something like that. It did not quite get there for me. But I don't want to give anything away.

If this were a true story, I'd say it is yet another example of good things happen to bad people. I hate when that happens. And, it happens all too often in reality, so why would someone write it into a story and call it fiction? But I don't want to give anything away here.

But please, don't get the wrong idea here. I liked this movie. I just didn't like how it ends. It is very well written, directed, and acted. This is like an old Masterpiece Theatre story told in MTV terms. It is a period piece with modern dialogue, and modern editing.

It was nominated for several Oscars, but won only for Best Original Score. That does not mean the academy agrees with me, it just means there were other things to vote for.

Keira Knightley plays the daughter of a wealthy British family who has her life torn apart by the lies of her younger sister. James McAvoy plays her love interest who is sent off to prison and eventually World War I by those same lies.

The atonement expected is that the little girl will somehow set things aright. I'll leave it to you to decide if she does or does not.

I get it - movies don't always have happy endings. Sometimes the good guys lose. Sometimes bad guys get away with their crimes. The boy does not always get the girl. People don't always live happily ever after. But in this case, I think the title is misleading and the title character fools herself and the audience into thinking everything IS okay in the end. For me, it's not. But I don't want to give anything away.

Watch this movie with someone with a balanced sense of fair play.

What An Interesting Bunch We Are

Seven months into it now and some very interesting numbers are beginning to show. And YOU are part of it.

26 different countries & 21 different languages

While most our visitors are from the USA we also have as many from "Russia" as from Canada; as many from Australia as from Germany; as many from France as from Brazil.

Thank you all. I'll keep writing. You keep reading and commenting. We'll all keep watching.

Cheers!

Letters From Iwo Jima

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing, but it won only for Best Sound Editing. But, then again, when was the last time a foreign language film won any of the other Oscars? Clint Eastwood did a magnificent job of telling one story from two totally different points of view (despite what Spike Lee says).

If you have not see this or it's companion piece "Flags of Our Fathers", I highly recommend it. Yes, they are classic WWII films. But, they are done so well, and told is a very different way, that film-lovers everywhere should see these movies. If for no other reason than their unique spin on the story.

It is always good to see some of one's traditional history from someone else's traditional point-of-view. This half of the duo will make you laugh and cry. It will give you insights into Japanese culture and history. Please keep an open mind. Are the soldiers of our country really so different from the young soldiers of other countries? To quote of the of main characters of this story: "Son, have you ever met one?"

Ken Watanabe does another masterful job of making his kinsmen proud of their heritage. Unless you are a huge fan of Japanese cinema, I doubt you will recognize many other names or faces however.

Watch this movie with someone who appreciates a good story well-told, especially retelling of such a hugely historic story as this one.

August Rush

Bring your tissues. Bring extra hankies. Bring a towel. If this movie does not make you at least a little teary then I will hang up my keyboard and turn in my remote.

This is first and foremost a fairy tale. Don't be guiled into thinking its a slice-of-life piece, or based on something vaguely similar to a true story. It's a fantasy. No doubt its a very good one. Screen-writer Nick Castle does some great stuff (see Hook).

This story is borderline inspirational and some of the deeper, most meaningful points are placed like familiar themes in the overture of a great work. For example, and perhaps the best one at that: Music is God's little reminder that there is something else besides us in the universe - a harmonic connection between all living things - every where - even the stars. I think "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" made the same point, but I digress.

The sound track is diverse and very satisfying. Add it to your collection.

Freddie Highmore plays the son of two musicians who don't know he is even alive. He grows up in an orphanage and dreams of learning to play music so he can call out to his parents. Highmore has played some very beefy roles for his age. Pray he does not turn into Macaulay Culkin.

His parents are played by Keri Russell, who is still a face in search of talent as far as I'm concerned, and Jonathan Rhyse Meyers who has both Elvis and King Henry VIII under his young belt. They are the story, but far from making the show.

Robin Williams steals the show. Completely. His Bono-esque character is so real and so spot-on-perfect you forget it's Mork. I love this character as I have loved every "bad guy" Williams plays.

Be prepared to suspend belief for just a little while, and watch this movie with someone whom you are not embarassed to shed tears with.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

More of the same. A little Da Vinci Code. A little Indiana Jones. A little bit predictable.

But, I have to admit it was fun to watch. Nicolas Cage has this role down. His timing is perfect. Jon Voight could be a great actor, or he could be just playing himself. I can't tell. The great surprise in this movie was Helen Mirren as the academic Mom. She is one of my top 10 favorite actresses.

Nevermind the whole premise is whacked, and many of the best funny bits are not even remotely possible. This is a fun watch and a great date movie. Bring lots of popcorn.