20170219: Drama Review--Sully

Name: Sully (2016)
IMDb: link to the Sully page

Genres: Drama.   Country of origin: USA.

Cast:
Tom Hanks as Chesley Sullenberger, Aaron Eckhart as Jeff Skiles, Valerie Mahaffey as Diane Higgins, Laura Linney as Lorraine Sullenberger, Anna Gunn as Elizabeth Davis, Autumn Reeser as Tess Soza, Holt McCallany as Mike Cleary.

Directed by: Clint Eastwood.  Written by: Todd Komarnicki (screenplay), Chesley Sullenberger (book).

Just after the crash

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux:
On January 15, 2009, Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger piloted flight US Airways 1549 out of Laguardia Airport in NYC.  Under 4 minutes later, the airplane encounters a flock of birds.  The collision disables both engines.  Sully makes a command decision to ditch in the Hudson River, rather than attempting a return to La Guardia.

Delineation of conflicts:
After the landing in the Hudson, Sully faces multiple investigations.  He'd like to get his normal life back.  Agencies and people want his time and his attention.

The airline would like to attribute the damage to the airplane to pilot error.  The NTSB is cooperative with the airline's case, knowing that the airline can recoup insurance money if the pilot is tagged with responsibility.

The squeeze on Sully is pretty intense and long lasting.  Meanwhile, Sully and Jeff Skiles are feted in the media.  It's the carrot and the stick at the same time.

Resolution: Sully convinces the NTSB that their simulation protocols are flawed.  The standard cover-up was turned into a cause for corrections.  The stupid blind trust in possibly false data received a kick in the pants.

One line summary:
Tough aftermath of a safe emergency landing.

Tom Hanks and Aaron Eckhart

Statistics:

Cinematography: 10/10 Professionally done, realistic, and smooth.

Sound: 10/10 Same description as for the cinematography.

Acting: 10/10 Director Clint Eastwood can get good performances out of just about any actor.  This film was no exception, and he had some good people to start with.

Screenplay: 7/10 I suppose it's hard to avoid all flashbacks, but I would have much preferred a narrative that was much more linear in time.  Showing the same (in time) activity from different human and geographical perspectives was great.  It was the intermix of present events with Sully flashing back in time (to his childhood, to his prime, and so on) that made me want to puke.

Final rating: 9/10

20161124: Comedy Review--Intolerable Cruelty

Name: Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
IMDb: link to Intolerable Cruelty page

Genres: Comedy.   Country of origin: USA.

Cast:
Geoffrey Rush as Donovan Donaly, Stacey Travis as Bonnie Donaly, Jack Kyle as Ollie Olerud, Cedric the Entertainer as Gus Petch.

George Clooney as Miles Massey, Edward Herrmann as Rex Rexroth, Jonathan Hadary as Heinz the Baron Krauss von Espy, Paul Adelstein as Wrigley, Tom Aldredge as Herb Myerson.

Catherine Zeta-Jones as Marylin, Richard Jenkins as Freddy Bender, Billy Bob Thornton as Howard D. Doyle, Julia Duffy as Sarah Sorkin.

Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen.  Written by: Robert Ramsey, Matthew Stone.

the trap

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux:
1. Donovan interrupts Bonnie cheating on him with Ollie.  Donovan is enraged, and takes gunshots at the cheaters.  Bonnie engages Miles to defend her.  Miles shellacs Donovan, even though Bonnie is more deeply in the wrong.

2. Marylin employs Gus Petch to get damning evidence on her real estate developer husband Rex.  It looks bad for Rex, but Miles digs up the creature who targeted Rex for Marylin.

3. Marylin marries Howard using the Massey prenup, which is supposed to be a strong wall against divorce for the sake of monetary gain.  Marylin finds a way around it.

Delineation of conflicts:
After Marylin successfully fleeces Howard, Miles is drawn to her availability since he finds a void in his life.  Marylin seems sad over Sarah's life, which seems empty despite her great wealth obtained by fleecing three husbands.

So...what will happen after they get married?  Who will prevail in this battle of the fakes?

Resolution: There are several twists and turns in this clever and deeply bitter depiction of love and marriage in Los Angeles and the USA in general.

One line summary: Feelings and money are the stakes.

Vegas

Statistics:

Cinematography: 9/10 Nicely shot.

Sound: 8/10 The dialog was easy to understand.  The parallel music was usually appropriate to the scenes.

Acting: 8/10 Clooney and Zeta-Jones were fine.  Billy Bob Thornton was fun as usual, had delivered some surprises.  I liked all the minor players.

Screenplay: 10/10 Witty, funny, irreverent.

Final rating: 9/10 Another sweet comedic effort from the Coen Brothers.

20161118: Drama Review--Burning Bodhi

Name: Burning Bodhi (2016)
IMDb: link to Burning Bodhi page

Genres: Drama   Country of origin: USA.

Cast:
Cody Horn as Ember, Landon Liboiron as Dylan.

Kaley Cuoco as Katy, Eli Vargas as Miguel, Sasha Pieterse as Aria, Virginia Madsen as Naomi, Andy Buckley as Buck, Meghann Fahey as Lauren.

Directed by: Matthew McDuffie.  Written by: Matthew McDuffie.

Dylan and Katy

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux:
Ember in New Mexico calls Dylan in Chicago to ask him to come back for Bodhi's funeral services.  Dylan has many issues surrounding Bodhi, and would rather not go.  Miguel is also in Chicago, and offers Dylan a ride to Albuquerque.

Miguel waits for Dylan...and waits, and waits.  During the waiting, he meets the very pregnant Aria, who wants to continue her trip from West Virginia to California.  Dylan decides late, and flies to New Mexico without saying a proper good-bye to his girlfriend Lauren.

Delineation of conflicts:
When arriving in Albuquerque, Dylan stays first with Ember, who takes him to meet Katy (fireworks), then his father (more fireworks).

There are many issues to resolve.  Katy and Dylan dated in high school, but Dylan left for college, then stayed away.  Katy stayed because her father messed up her financial aid.  Afterword, she has an affair and child with Bodhi.  Dylan and Katy are very far apart about this.

Dylan's mother left his father for a time for 'the pool guy' and Dylan is still very angry with his mother about this.  Dylan's father (sort of) adopted a younger son before Dylan left for college; there is still friction on that front.

Most of the characters (Ember, Katy, Dylan, Miguel) try to get clear about their feelings before the 'viewing' at a church and the fun-eral (not funeral) sponsored by Ember.

Resolution: Some issues get ironed out, others get a reset.

One line summary: Millennials discover mortality.

Ember

Statistics:

Cinematography: 10/10 Well done.

Sound: 10/10 No complaints.  Some lovely music was chosen.

Acting: 8/10 I had no particular complaints.

Screenplay: 8/10 This 93 minute film moved right along.  I found the film both funny and touching.  However, if one does not like millennials or their issues, this property might drag.  As a man with four millennials in his immediate family, I had no problem connecting with the humor and pathos.

Final Rating: 9/10

20161115: Thriller Review--Executive Decision

Name: Executive Decision (1996)
IMDb: link to Executive Decision page

Genres: Thriller   Country of origin: USA.

Cast:
Kurt Russell as Dr David Grant, Steven Seagal as Lt Colonel Austin Travis, Halle Berry as Jean, John Leguizamo as Captain Rat,  Oliver Platt as Dennis Cahill, Joe Morton as Sgt 'Cappy' Metheny, BD Wong as Sgt Louie, Whip Hubley as Sgt Baker, Len Cariou as Sec Defense Charles White, JT Walsh as Senator Mavros, Marla Maples as Nancy, Richard Riehle as Air Marshall George Edwards.

David Suchet as Nagi Hassan, Andreas Katsulas as El Sayed Jaffa, Robert Apisa as Jean-Paul Demou.

Directed by: Stuart Baird.  Written by: Jim Thomas, John Thomas (screenplay).

Cahill and wounded Cappy with bomb

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux:
Col Travis and his team lead a mission to recover a large quantity of DZ-5, a neural poison.  The mission fails.  Travis is nonplussed plus.

David Grant takes the flying lesson before his first solo flight.  He's hesitant, but his instructor talks him through it.

El Jaffa is kidnapped by agents friendly to the US.  Nagi Hassan and Jean Paul Menou execute a plot to force the West to release Jaffa.  With a half dozen or so other terrorists, they skyjack a 747 with Senator Mavros aboard.

Delineation of conflicts:
The terrorists announce their demands.  Intelligence analyst Dr Grant gets the call while at a black tie affair.  Soon he's in a situation room led by the Secretary of Defense.

The terrorists want Jaffa released.  SecDef and his experts devise a plan to use a stealth plane to insert commandos on the skyjacked 747.  Col Travis and his team volunteer as the commandos.  Dennis Cahill readies the stealth plane and the unique boarding tube.  Dr Grant gets dragooned into going with the commandos to identify Hassan.

Just to make things more interesting, the DZ-5 that Col Travis' team did not extricate is on the airliner attached to a sophisticated bomb.

Just when the plan looks like it will succeed with high likelihood, some unexpected harsh conditions break the boarding tube.  Col Travis and the stealth plane are lost.  With the smaller team, with Col Travis lost, with bomb expert Cappy severely injured, Captain Rat takes tactical command, and Dr. Grant drives the effort to learn what they need to learn to find the leader and accomplish the mission.

Flight attendant Jean is assigned by Nagi to keep the passengers as calm as possible.  The commandos made contact with her to get more information.  She manages to help the commandos and to keep the identity of the air marshall secret.

Senator Mavros thinks he can negotiate with the terrorists.  Will that work out?  The president springs El Jaffa, who asks Nagi to call off blowing up the nerve gas.  Does that go as planned?  Well, no.  The bomb with the nerve gas payload is more complicated than first expected.  Can Cappy get the bomb defused using Cahill's hands?

Resolution: Just about everything that could go wrong, does go wrong.  The decimated commando team, however, has more skill and luck than anyone might hope for.

One line summary: Well-crafted skyjacking thriller.

Statistics:

Cinematography: 9/10 Nicely shot.

Sound: 8/10 The dialog was clear, and the incidental sound was fine.  Music was not a big plus.

Acting: 10/10 I liked the big cast that had quite a number of good performances.  David Suchet was chilling as the lead villain.  Steven Seagal was just right for his unexpectedly short role.  Kurt Russell gave one of his best performances as a man who was hesitant and scared, but also intelligent, expert, and inventive.

John Leguizamo and BD Wong were excellent as the commandos determined to finish the mission despite the adversity.

Oliver Platt was great as a man delivering beyond his usual skill set and level of courage.  Len Cariou, JT Walsh, Halle Berry, and Joe Morton were solid in smaller roles.

Screenplay: 8/10 The film was 133 minutes in runtime, but did not drag.  The plot moved right along, and had no moments where writing stupidity broke through suspension of disbelief.

Final Rating: 9/10

20161115: Horror Review--Dark Shadows

Name: Dark Shadows (2012)
IMDb: link to Dark Shadows page

Genres: Horror   Country of origin: USA.

Cast:
Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard, Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, Jonny Lee Miller as Roger Collins, Helena Bonham Carter as Dr Julia Hoffman, Jackie Earle Haley as Willie Loomis, Gulliver McGrath as David Collins, Chloe Grace Moretz as Carolyn Stoddard, Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winter, Christopher Lee as Clarney.

Directed by: Tim Burton.  Written by: Seth Grahame-Smith (screenplay, story), John August (story).

Barnabas and friends

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux:
1. Young Barnabas Collins and his family leave Liverpool, England for the Americas in 1752.  Young Angelique Bouchard tries to assert a connection with Barnabas, but her mother forbids it.  The class animosity is present from the beginning.

2. Years pass, and the Collins family prospers strongly in what would become Maine.  Angelique has followed them to the new world.  Angelique seduces Barnabas, but his family would never allow them to marry.  Angelique, now skilled in magic, kills Barnabas' parents for revenge.

3. Barnabas takes over guiding the family fortunes, and Angelique continues to try to be his significant other.  Barnabas becomes enamored of Josette, and rejects Angelique, despite their history.  Angelique takes revenge by killing Josette and turning Barnabas into a vampire.  She engineers his being buried in a strong coffin bound with thick chain.

4. We jump forward in time to 1972, when Barnabas is released by a construction company.

Delineation of conflicts:
Angelique, in one of several identities that she used over the previous 200 years, runs most of the fishing business in Collinsport.  The Collins family is in decline in terms of wealth and influence.

Barnabas contacts Elizabeth, and reveals who he is.  He uses hidden assets to reassert the wealth and influence of the Collins family.  Together they refurbish Collinwood, the family estate.  They recruit fishing captains and modernise the family's cannery.

Angelique tries again to unite with Barnabas, but he will not have it.  After that, the conflict between them resumes in deadly earnest.  Victoria, David's nanny, reminds Barnabas of Josette, which enrages Angelique all the more.

Resolution: Barnabas and Angelique take their feud to extremes.  Collinsport would never be the same.

One line summary: Film version of the 1960s horror soap opera.

Statistics:

Cinematography: 10/10 Beautiful.

Sound: 10/10 I could hear the dialog clearly, and I enjoyed the musical selections, including original music by Danny Elfman.

Acting: 10/10 I loved the cast and their performances.

Screenplay: 8/10 I liked the humour very much.  I thought the plot development moved right along, as it had to in order to cover so much material.  I wish Jonny Lee Miller had gotten more time as the next to insufferable Roger Collins, and that Dr Hoffman's arc might have had more development.

Final Rating: 9/10 I followed the original soap opera, which I enjoyed quite a bit.  This presentation was much better in all aspects: better actors, better script, better performances, better production values.  It was beautiful to watch, witty to listen to, and its ending was delightful.

20160919: Comedy Review--Love and Friendship

Name: Love & Friendship (2016)
IMDb: link to Love & Friendship page

Genres: Comedy  Country of origin: USA.

Cast:
Kate Beckinsale as Lady Susan Vernon, Chloe Sevigny as Alicia Johnson, Morfydd Clark as Frederica Vernon, Tom Bennett as Sir James Martin, Jenn Murphy as Lady Lucy Manwaring, Lochlann O'Mearain as Lord Manwaring, Sophie Radermacher as Miss Maria Manwaring, Stephen Fry as Mr.

Directed by: Whit Stillman.  Written by: Jane Austen (novella Lady Susan), Whit Stillman (screenplay).

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux:
Lady Susan Vernon loses her husband at Langford.  She imposes herself on Churchill.

Delineation of conflicts:
Not everyone is delighted by Susan's presence.  Susan is a notably charming flirt, a spendthrift, as well as devious and changeable.  Sir James Martin, quite a dolt but with income, is interested in Frederica, Susan's daughter, but Frederica is not interested in him.  Susan wants Sir James to succeed with Frederica for the income, but what will Sir James get in return?

Resolution: Delightful.  Stay tuned until the end.

One line summary: Comedy based on Jane Austen novella.

Statistics:

Cinematography: 8/10 Lovely sets, good lighting, nice

Sound: 9/10 I could hear the dialog clearly, and the background music fit the period piece well.

Acting: 9/10 Kate Beckinsale was better than I've ever seen her.  Chloe Sevigny was good as Susan's friend.  Tom Bennett as fine as the blockhead Sir James Martin.

Screenplay: 10/10 Stillman's screenplay based on Austen's novella was rich in its word play, and nicely executed.  I had dozens of good laughs.

Final Rating: 9/10

20160905: Thriller Review--Silver Streak

Name: Silver Streak (1976)
IMDb: link to Silver Streak page

Genres: Action, Thriller, Crime  Country of origin: USA.

Cast:
Gene Wilder as George Caldwell, Richard Pryor as Grover Muldoon, Jill Clayburgh as Hildegard ('Hilly') Burns, Scatman Crothers as Ralston, Ned Beatty as Bob Sweet, Ray Walston as Mr Whiney, Patrick McGoohan as Roger Devereaux, Clifton James as Sheriff Chauncey, Richard Kiel as Reace.

Directed by: Arthur Hiller.  Written by: Colin Higgins.

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux:
George Caldwell (publishing) and Hilly Burns (secretary to an art historian) meet on a train trip from Los Angeles to Chicago aboard the train called the Silver Streak.  They get along swimmingly. Unfortunately, through their cabin window, George sees a dead body dropped off the train.

Delineation of conflicts:
The body was that of Hilly's boss.  When George inquires about the boss, he gets thrown off the train while it's still moving.  By luck, he catches up with the Silver Streak, and gets back on.  The rest of the film is about George trying to stay alive, to find out just what happened, and to set things right if he can.

Hilly seems to be involved.  Bob Sweet tells George about Roger Devereaux, whose 'chauffeur' Reace threw George off the train.  When George confronts Hilly and Roger about the matter, Roger has a feasible explanation.  Even better, the art professor himself shows up.  Or does he?

George gets a bit tipsy, and tells Bob Sweet about the matter.  George is confused and needs someone to talk to, after all.  So, will George be able to pass off the dead body sighting as just a drunken misperception, or will the truth win out?

Resolution: Just about the time you think you've got the film figured out, Richard Pryor's character shows up and changes everything.  The film moves to a satisfying conclusion.

One line summary: Murder mystery with Wilder & Pryor.

Statistics:

Cinematography: 9/10 Among other things, this is a travel film.  The shots of the countryside from LA to Chicago are pretty nice.  The interiors are clear, well-lit, and well-focused.

Sound: 8/10 The dialog was easy to follow.  The music was typical 1970s fare.  Some of it was a bit too florid and orchestral for my taste.  Other parts were made with those old style synthesizers which sound primitive these days.

Acting: 9/10 Gene Wilder carries the show for the first 60% or so, and did a good job as the lead.  Jill Clayburgh was good in a limited role as the secretary who knew just a bit too much.  Ned Beatty's short stint was good.  Patrick McGoohan delivered urbane menace quite well, and Ray Walston was a good grumpy henchman.  When Richard Pryor entered the fray, the afterburners kicked in.

Screenplay: 9/10 The film was engaging from beginning to end, with a few laughs thrown in.

Final Rating: 9/10 Excellent.  Nice script, good execution by the cast.

20160810: Comedy Review--Gambit

Name: Gambit (2012)
IMDb: link to the Gambit (2012) page

Genres: Comedy   Country of origin: USA

Cast:
Colin Firth as Harry Deane, Alan Rickman as Lionel Shabandar, Tom Courtenay as The Major, Cameron Diaz as PJ Puznowski, Spencer Cummins as Sgt Puznowski, Cloris Leachman as Grandma Merle Puznowski, Stanley Tucci as Zaidenweber,  Togo Igawa as Takagawa.

Directed by: Michael Hoffman.  Written by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen (screenplay); Sidney Carroll (short story).

image courtesy of TMDb

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux:
Harry Deane hates his blowhard multimillionaire boss, Shabandar, who collects art.  Harry is moderately well paid as Shabandar's art curator.  Harry's long time friend, The Major, has a fine hand at forging known works of master oil painters.

Some years back, Shabandar bested the Japanese art collector Takagawa at the auction of Monet's Haystacks in the Morning.  Shabandar would dearly love to acquire the companion piece, Haystacks in the Evening.  Evening was lost in World War II, but Harry sees an opportunity.

Delineation of conflicts:
Harry would like to sell Shabandar the fake created by the Major.  Shabandar would like to own the companion piece.  Harry would like to get rich and stay out of jail, so he plans to create a fake provenance to the target painting.

Harry travels to Texas to find the American rodeo woman PJ Pusnowski, whose grandfather, Sgt Pusnowski supposedly liberated the painting from the Germans who had swiped it earlier in the war.  Shabandar paid 11 million pounds sterling for Morning, so Harry expects to get at least 12 million for Evening.  He offers PJ a large chunk of change, and she decides to cooperate in crafting a false segment of the provenance of The Major's copy.  That is, Evening had been sitting in Texas all those years.

While schmoozing Shabandar in London with PJ, Harry's weak position leads to his firing as well Shabandar's commandeering of PJ's attentions.  Shabandar hires Zaidenweber as an alternate authenticator for the proposed Evening.  Harry hopes to reverse his fortunes, but goodness, what a feckless fool!

Takagawa is in London, ostensibly, to sell certain television rights to Shabandar.  PJ helps Shabandar deal with the Japanese contingent brought along by Takagawa.  This will cement Shabandar's standing in Japanese television.  PJ is swimming in this deal and having the time of her life.  Harry is completely shut out of this, of course.

Harry's last asset is that he has The Major's fake Evening.  Can he use this to reverse all his setbacks?

Resolution: Harry seems a dim bulb, but is he?  Throughout the film, we see him face defeat after defeat, and a mounting sense of overall embarrassment.  The film's title is a good clue to Harry's actual plans.

One line summary: Fine remake of the 1966 caper film.

Statistics:

Cinematography: 9/10 Good looking from beginning to end.

Sound: 8/10 The dialog was clear, the foley was good, and the incidental music amusing.

Acting: 9/10 Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, and Tom Courtenay were excellent.  The rest of the cast did well.

Screenplay: 9/10 The pacing of the film was wonderful.  I got several hearty laughs out of the film, and a dozen or so chuckles.  Not once did I have to strain at suspending disbelief, and the ending came as a mild surprise.

Final Rating: 9/10

20160215: Comedy Review--What's in a Name

Name: What's in a Name? (2012)
IMDb: link to What's in a Name? page

Genres: Drama   Country of origin: France.

Cast: Patrick Bruel as Vincent, Valérie Benguigui as Élisabeth, Charles Berling as Pierre, Guillaume de Tonquedec as Claude, Judith El Zein as Anna, Françoise Fabian as Françoise.

Written and directed by: Alexandre de La Patellièrre, Matthieu Delaporte.

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux:
The film starts in the 9th arrondissement in Paris.  Pierre and Élisabeth (called Babu by most) are hosting a small dinner party.  The daughter and son hopefully will stay asleep.  Babu's brother Vincent arrives, and draws interest in the name of his pre-natal son with his wife. Trombonist and long time family friend Claude joins the group.  Considerably later, Vincent's wife Anna arrives.

Delineation of conflicts:
Vincent's choice for the son's name is quite offensive, and a debate rages over it.  Much emotional heat is generated as a result; tempers warm more than a bit.

Later, Vincent admits that the announced name was a joke, but the hurt feelings remain.  Worse, the admission comes only after Vincent and Pierre have wounded each other with words.  The group continues skewering each other with sharp speech.

Resolution: Can the group resume their usual warm relationships?  Several harsh buried truths surface during the verbal fencing.

One line summary: Battle royale with words.

Statistics:

Cinematography: 9/10 Almost all the footage was of interior shots, and was especially well done.

Sound: 8/10 Well done, though a little minimalist.

Acting: 10/10 Fine all around.

Screenplay: 9/10 This film runs like a play: lots of dialog, well planned, well delivered, almost all in one room.  Dialog is the centre of the movie, and it is executed very well.

Final rating: 9/10 

20160208: Horror Review--Oculus 2013

Name: Oculus (2013)
IMDb: link to Oculus page

Genres: Drama   Country of origin: USA.

Cast: Karen Gillan as Kaylie Russell, Brenton Thwaites as Tim Russell, Katee Sackhoff as Marie Russell, Rory Cochrane as Alan Russell, Annalise Basso as young Kaylie, Garrett Ryan as young Tim, James Lafferty as Michael Dumont.

Directed by: Mike Flanagan.  Written by: Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard.

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux:
Tim is on a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane.  He discovers a method for convincing his overseer that he has embraced reality and accepted responsibility for events of the past.  So they let him go from managed care to a well-organised external support group including his sister Kaylie.

Kaylie reminds Tim to keep in mind what really happened, and that they have a task that they have agreed to complete.  The dreams and hallucinations start early on.  Kaylie has spent the years growing her experience and reputation in auctions and properties.  She retrieves what she thinks will be needed to settle the issue.  Kaylie thinks that she is sufficiently prepared.  Tim is willing to help her record any weirdness that might occur.

We flashback to the time when Tim and Kaylie lived as children with Marie and Alan, their dear parents.  The flashbacks detail Kaylie and Tim dealing with their parents descending into madness and death.

Delineation of conflicts:
Much of the action centers about an old mirror (the Lasser Glass) that Kaylie retrieves in the present, and their parents owned in the past, notably near the time when they died.  Kaylie traced its history back to 1754, and documents deaths associated with it over the centuries.

The Lasser Glass does what it will, which is to kill its owners, often by dehydration or starvation.  Kaylie intends to record its actions and figure out what really happened to Alan and Marie.  Kaylie has that in mind.  Tim has accepted deeply the more rational explanations given by his psychiatrists.

Resolution:  Which model is correct? The rational one, or the supernatural?  Kaylie's detailed plans should show something definite, unless someone interferes, of course.

One line summary: Brother and sister challenge the supernatural.

Statistics:

Cinematography: 8/10 Bright and sharp.  Most of the shots are of interiors, but quite well-done.

Sound: 8/10 The music is often foreboding, which is a nice touch for this sort of property.  The actors were well-miked.

Acting: 9/10 Sackhoff, Cochrane, Gillan, and Thwaites all did excellent jobs.

Screenplay: 9/10 During the first half of the film, the screenplay is just brilliant.  All events, past and present, are interpreted in both the rational and the supernatural models.  Neither Tim nor Kaylie can convince the other of their argument.  Both have had years to analyse and interpret the facts of the case.   During the second half, it becomes unclear whether Kaylie's rational methods to prove the supernatural will convince anyone else than herself and Tim.  It's quite a nice piece of writing.

Final rating: 9/10 

20160207: Drama Review--Bridge of Spies

Name: Bridge of Spies (2015)
IMDb: link to Bridge of Spies page

Genres: Drama   Country of origin: USA, Germany.

Cast: Tom Hanks as James B. Donovan, Mark Rylance as Rudolf Abel, Amy Ryan as Mary Donovan, Alan Alda as Thomas Watters Jr, Austin Stowell as Francis Gary Powers, Scott Shepherd as CIA agent Hoffman.

Sebastian Koch as Vogel, Mikhail Gorevoy as Ivan Schischkin, Max Mauf as Ott's secretary, Burghoff Klaussner as Harald Ott, Peter McRobbie as Allen Dulles (CIA chief). Will Rogers as Frederic Pryor, Michael Gaston as CIA agent Williams, Dakin Matthews as Judge Byers.

Directed by: Pete Riski, Alan Smithee.  Written by: Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen.

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux:
In 1957, the FBI arrests Rudolf Abel for espionage against the United States.  For propaganda reasons, not for being true to American ideals, the powers that be select James to be the council of Abel.  James tries to represent Abel well, and receives stiff resistance for his efforts.  He does establish that the US should treat its prisoners well at least for the hope that our imprisoned soldiers or agents will receive reasonable behaviour from jailors.

In 1960, the Russians shoot down the U2 reconnaissance plane flown by Francis Gary Powers over the USSR, and imprison him afterward.  Powers has a great deal of classified intelligence that might be divulged.  The Russians want Abel back; the Americans want Powers back.

Delineation of conflicts:
James is 'requested' to negotiate the swap, but is not given diplomatic recognition, and must work as a private citizen.  The East Germans detain Pryor, an economics PhD student as a spy to use as a chess piece.

James has to deal with a lot of murkiness, since none of the transactions are done officially.  He has to deal with the Russians to get Powers, and the East Germans to get Pryor.  The Russians and East Germans have their own agendas.

Resolution:
There's a lot of juggling, but it turns out relatively well.

One line summary: Cold War bargaining.

Statistics:

Cinematography: 10/10 Excellent camera work throughout.  As has been pointed out, the set design for the period was not perfect (see IMDb under 'goofs' for instance), but on the whole the look and feel for 1957-60 was rather good.

Sound: 10/10 The actors were well-miked, and the background music was well chosen and played.  Spoken languages were English, Russian, and German.  A few more subtitles would have helped.

Acting: 8/10 Excellent performances by Mark Rylance (Abel), Amy Ryan (Mary Donovan), Scott Shepherd (Hoffman), Michael Gaston (Williams), Sebastian Koch (Vogel), and Mikhail Gorevoy (Schischkin).  The actors for the smaller parts were considerably weaker.

Screenplay: 8/10 There were a number of loops that were not closed.  However, the dialog sparkled for the majority of the film.  The depictions of the abuse of power by Americans, Russians, and East Germans were a bit understated, but to the point.

Final rating: 9/10 

20160204: Comedy Review--Sleeper

Name: Sleeper (1973)
IMDb: link to Sleeper page

Genres: Comedy   Country of Origin: USA

Cast: Woody Allen as Miles Monroe, Diane Keaton as Luna Schlossel, John Back as Erno Windt.

Directed by: Woody Allen.   Written by: Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman.

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux:
In 1973, clarinetist and health food store owner Miles Monroe goes to hospital for a minor operation to repair ulcer damage.  In 2173, he is revived from cryogenic stasis by rebel physicians.

Just as his orientation starts to succeed, the police raid the health facility; his revival was illegal.

To escape, Miles disguises himself as a robotic servant.  He is delivered to the house of citizen Luna Schlossel, who assigns him tasks that illustrate life in 2173.

Delineation of conflicts:
The State, under the direction of The Leader, seeks to have everyone fully assimilated into society.  Miles kidnaps Luna to escape yet another police raid.  Luna is initially loyal to the State, but when captured and threatened with mind wipe, she converts to the rebel cause.

Miles is captured, but not before Luna escapes with his help.  Miles is assimilated by the State.  Luna finds the resistance, and becomes enamored of Enro, the resistance boss, and with his ideology.  By the time Luna and Miles meet again, their positions have reversed, and he does not remember her.

Erno tasks Luna with getting Miles to the rebel camp.  They set about restoring Miles' memory.  Erno sends Luna and Miles to stop the Aries project.  The State, of course, has other ideas.  Miles' jealousy threatens the rebel mission.

Resolution:
The showdown is about the fate of the Aries project (not sure about the spelling here; I think I auto-corrected it).

One line summary: Nebbish from 1973 fights the State in 2173.

Statistics:

Cinematography: 8/10 The scifi part of the set design was clever and well done.  The natural backdrops of the Colorado countryside complemented quite well the futuristic parts of the film.

Sound: 8/10 The Preservation Hall Jazz Band performed with Woody on clarinet for the wordless comedy action sequences.  That was fun and whimsical.  The actors were miked OK.  I could hear the dialog, but sometimes the voices seemed hollow.

Acting: 8/10 There was some great physical comedy here.  Allen's delivery of some of the lines made all the difference.  I liked Keaton and Beck.  As a side note, according to the TCM announcer, Woody kept pulling Keaton off the set of Godfather II (1974) in order complete Sleeper (1973) to his satisfaction.

Screenplay: 10/10 The comedy action sequences and one-liners were just brilliant.  Some of the futuristic 'inventions' (the Orgasmatron, the Orb, the Telescreen, the Confessor robot) were hilarious.  Apparently Woody Allen consulted the well-respected science fiction writers Isaac Asimov and Ben Bova about the feasibility of his sets.  The rebels versus State plotline was a bit weak, but is was just there for lampooning.  I especially enjoyed the historical misunderstandings of 2173 scientists shown during Miles' orientation.

Final Rating: 9/10

20160130: Drama Review--A Little Chaos

Name: A Little Chaos (2014)
IMDb: link to A Little Chaos

Genres: Drama, Romance.   Country of Origin: USA

Cast: Kate Winslet as Sabine de Barra, Alan Rickman as King Louis XIV, Stanley Tucci as Philippe Duc d'Orleans, Matthias Schoenaerts as Andre Le Notre, Helen McCrory as Madame Le Notre, Jennifer Ehle as Madame De Montespan, Steven Waddington as Duras.

Directed by: Alan Rickman.   Written by: Jeremy Brock, Alison Deegan, Alan Rickman.

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux: The film opening is set in France in 1682.  King Louis XIV commands that the gardens at Versailles be upgraded.  The master builder, Andre Le Notre, asks for proposals, of which there are many.  Andre is impressed by Madame de Barra's designs, and commissions an outdoor theatre with flowing water.

Delineation of conflicts:  Louis XIV wants a magnificent garden.  Sabine's competitors give her bad labor recommendations, which impedes her project's progress and gets her started into court intrigue.  Madame de Notre wishes Madame de Barra to fail, since she thinks Sabine is dallying with her husband.  Sabine has more than a brush with the French court.  Sabine has to deal with the years past death of her only child and her philandering husband.

Resolution: The project gets finished, and relationships change.

One line summary:  Excellent minimalist costume drama in the court of Louis XIV.

Statistics:

  a. Cinematography: 10/10 Beautifully shot.

  b. Sound: 8/10 Quiet but sufficient.

  c. Acting: 9/10 Fine acting from Rickman, Winslet, Tucci, and Schoenaerts.

  d. Screenplay: 8/10 The story is not overly complicated, but nicely executed.  For the budget the film had, a good-looking, heart-warming story was told.

Final rating: 9/10; one of the better costume dramas that I have seen.  This is one of the better small budget, low chaos films I have seen.

20160116: Drama Review--Crimes and Misdemeanors

Name: Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
IMDb: link to IMDb

Genres: Drama, Comedy.   Country of Origin: USA

Cast: Martin Landau as Judah Rosenthal, Claire Bloom as Miriam Rosenthal, Stephanie Roth as Sharon Rosenthal, Gregg Edelman as Chris, Anjelica Huston as Dolores Paley, Woody Allen as Cliff Stern, Jenny Nichols as Jenny (Cliff's niece), Joanna Gleason as Wendy Stern, Alan Alda as Lester, Sam Waterston as Ben, Zina Jasper as Carol, Delores Sutton as Judah's Secretary, Mia Farrow as Halley Reed, Caroline Aaron as Barbara (Cliff's sister), Jerry Orbach as Jack Rosenthal (Judah's brother).

Written and directed by: Woody Allen.

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux: Ophthalmologist Judah is successful and respected.  However, he's been having an affair with Dolores.  Dolores wants to bring up the matter with Judah's wife Miriam, and clear the air.  Judah would rather not.

Cliff is a maker of small films who has little success.  His wife Wendy speaks to her brother Lester, who is very successful in Hollywood.  She convinces Lester to get Cliff a job filming a biography on Lester.  Cliff takes the job in order to fund his own projects.

Delineation of conflicts:  Lester does not really want Cliff to direct his biography, but he does it as a favor to Wendy.  Cliff does not want to do the piece, since he has no respect for Lester's pomposity.  Cliff tries to connect with Halley, Lester's producer, in order to get additional funding for his documentary on Professor Levy.  Filming Lester being Lester is a grand pain for Cliff.

Judah wants to break up with Dolores, but Dolores has other ideas, which include seriously fouling up his personal and professional life.  Jack suggests a solution to Judah's problem, but Judah has qualms.  Ben, Judah's rabbi and patient, counsels him to take the higher road: let the meeting happen, let disclosure happen, keep a clear conscience.  Dolores escalates, so what does Judah do?

Resolution: Judah needs to solve his moral, financial, and personal dilemmas.  Cliff needs to find his own success, and perhaps reignite his married life.

One line summary: Great performances and script.


Statistics:

  a. Cinematography: 10/10 No problems, well done.

  b. Sound: 8/10 The actors were well miked, and the background music was good.

  c. Acting: 10/10 The great cast gave fine performances.

  d. Screenplay: 8/10 Clever and well thought out.

Final rating: 9/10

20160113: Drama Review--Hannah and Her Sisters

Name: Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
IMDb: link to IMDb

Genres: Comedy    Country of Origin: USA.

Cast: Michael Caine as Elliot, Mia Farrow as Hannah, Max von Sydow as Frederick, Barbara Hershey as Lee, Dianne Wiest as Holly, Maureen O'Sullivan as Norma, Lloyd Nolan as Evan, Sam Waterston as David, Carrie Fisher as April.

Woody Allen as Mickey, Julie Kavner as Gail, John Turturro as writer, Tony Roberts as Norman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Mary, Richard Jenkins as Doctor Wilkes, Helen Miller as Mickey's mother, Leo Postrel as Mickey's father, J. T. Walsh as Ed Smythe, Lewis Black as Paul.

Written and directed by: Woody Allen.

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux: We start with a Thanksgiving dinner gathering at Hannah and Elliot's house.  Sisters Lee and Holly are there.  Lee's husband Frederick is a bit too stand-offish for such gatherings.  Holly might start in catering, and asks Hannah for a loan to get started.  Elliot muses in the opening narration about his attraction to Lee, and how he should stifle it, but cannot.  Father Evan and mother Norma, two veteran entertainers, entertain at piano and song.

Mickey (Hannah's ex) is a hypochondriac who produces an edgy television show that is frequently in conflict with the censors.  Gail tries to keep Mickey on track as he bounces from memory to memory of his past marriage and his past partnership with Norman.  Perhaps worst of all, Mickey becomes convinced that he has a brain tumor.

Delineation of conflicts: Mickey has to fight his hypochondria, and his slowly waning binding to Hannah.  Lee and Elliot have to figure out whatever it is that is going on between them.  Holly needs to figure out where she's going in life.

Resolution:  The threads move forward more or less organically.  Nicely done.

One line summary: Three sisters' interactions with others.

Statistics:
  a. Cinematography: 10/10 Beautifully shot.  The cinematographer clearly loves the faces of women, the interiors of apartments, the riverfront, and the singular architecture in New York City.

  b. Sound: 10/10 I loved the big band music, piano tunes from days gone by, jazz singing, and even the rock music.  The harpsichord music was a bit of a surprise, but still nice.  The actors were quite well miked.

  c. Acting: 10/10 The big cast of stellar actors performed quite well with the warm script.

  d. Screenplay: 8/10 The film has four main threads (the three sisters plus Mickey) and several lesser ones, depending on how one classifies the threads.  The four main ones travel well, but many of the others seem to be dead ends.

Final rating: 9/10

20160101: Comedy Review--Radio Days

Name: Radio Days (1987)
IMDb: link IMDb

Genres: Comedy    Country of Origin: USA.

Cast: Woody Allen as Joe (the adult Narrator), Seth Green as Joe (the child), Wallace Shawn as Masked Avenger (radio character), Mia Farrow as Sally White, Tony Roberts as MC of 'Silver Dollar', Dianne Wiest as Bea (the aunt), Danny Aiello as Rocco (hit man), Jeff Daniels as Biff Baxter, Julie Kavner as Tess (Joe's mother), Michael Tucker as Martin (Joe's father), Larry David as Communist neighbor, Kenneth Mars as Rabbi Baumel, Renee Lippin as Aunt Ciel, Josh Mostel as Uncle Abe, Julie Kurnitz as Irene, David Warrilow as Roger, Joy Newman as Cousin Ruthie, Diane Keaton as New Year's radio singer ('To Come Home To').

Written and directed by: Woody Allen.

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux: This is a two-tier movie.  One layer is a blue collar story of young Joe growing up in NYC starting around 1942: his school life, home life, and time spent with the radio.  The upper layer is about the stars of the radio programs.  Sally White starts in one layer, as a cigarette girl in the nightclubs, who wants a life more like the stars she serves.

Delineation of conflicts:  Sally White has a rough start climbing to the top, but she perseveres.  Joe's family contends with strange neighbors, the coming of the war, an additional child, the national rationing programs, underemployment, and a single aunt who cannot catch a break in terms of romance.

Resolution: Time marches forward.  The story threads interact this way and that in dozens of vignettes.  This movie is more about nostalgia than about giant climaxes.  Sally's long thread comes the closest to having a big payoff circa New Year's 1944.

One line summary: Woody's childhood against the backdrop of radio programs.

Statistics:
  a. Cinematography: 10/10 Beautifully shot.

  b. Sound: 10/10 The sound is fine, and the musical accompaniment was rich and appropriate for the early1940s.  Ah, Carmen Miranda!

  c. Acting: 9/10 I loved the performances of Dianne Wiest, Mia Farrow, Michael Tucker, Julie Kavner, and Seth Green. Plus, nobody was bad.

  d. Screenplay: 9/10 Nice interplay of story threads.  I had a good 25 laughs or more.

Final rating: 9/10

20151231: Comedy Review--Curse of the Jade Scorpion

Name: Curse of the Jade Scorpion (1984)
IMDb: link to IMDb

Genres: Comedy    Country of Origin: USA.

Cast: Woody Allen as C. W. Briggs, Helen Hunt as Betty Ann Fitzgerald, David Ogden Stiers as Voltan, Dan Aykroyd as Chris Magruder, Charlize Theron as Laura Kensington, Elizabeth Berkley as Jill, John Schuck as Mize, Wallace Shawn as George Bond.

Written and directed by: Woody Allen.

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux: CW Briggs is a very successful insurance investigator who has a long track record of recovering stolen goods.  He also has betting problems, but his biggest problem is Betty Ann Fitzgerald, the new efficiency expert.  She wants to undermine his way of doing things, and would probably like him to leave the company.  By an odd circumstance, Briggs and Fitzgerald get dragooned into being subjects of hypnosis.  The hypnotist, Voltan, plants a keyword on each of them so that he can induce the trance state later.

Delineation of conflicts:  The old guard represented by CW versus the new business processes of 1940 represented by Fitzgerald.  Magruder, who runs the company, wants to be with Fitzgerald, but is wishy-washy about leaving his wife.  Voltan intends to use Briggs and Fitzgerald to leverage their interior knowledge of rich families' homes to complete major robberies on the sly.  Fitzgerald hires two private detectives to 'help' CW.

Resolution: Voltan is rather successful at first.  The private detectives and the police catch up with his efforts, but do they catch the right suspect?

One line summary: Woody as insurance investigator in 1940.

Statistics:
  a. Cinematography: 10/10 Beautifully shot.  Loved it.

  b. Sound: 10/10 The sound is fine, and the musical accompaniment was good for 1940.

  c. Acting: 9/10 Allen was in his element, and Helen Hunt was fine as his sparring partner.  I liked Stiers, Shawn, Aykroyd, and Theron quite a bit.  I saw no bad acting at all.

  d. Screenplay: 9/10 I watched the film as a comedy, and must have laughed at least 20 times.   The one-liners were sharp, the situations outrageous and funny.

Final rating: 9/10

20151230: Drama Review--Another Woman

Name: Another Woman (1988)
IMDb: link to IMDb

Genres: Drama.    Country of Origin: USA.

Cast: Gena Rowlands as Marion, Mia Farrow as Hope, Ian Holm as Ken, Gene Hackman as Larry, Blythe Danner as Lydia, Phillip Bosco as Sam, John Houseman as Marion's father, David Ogden Stiers as Marion's father (younger), Martha Plimpton as Laura, Sandy Dennis as Claire, Harris Yulin as Paul.

Written and directed by:  Woody Allen.  Cinematographer: Sven Nyqvist.

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux: Marion turned 50, and all seems well with her.  She's a philosophy professor and an author who is on sabbatical to write a new book.  She's rented a flat to allow her to concentrate on the writing.  Unfortunately, the sound of conversation drifts in through the air vent from the adjacent flat.  The introspection starts.

Delineation of conflicts:  Marion thinks her marriage is just fine, but then she discovers hanging weaknesses.  She believes her relationships with her family are OK, but then starts revisiting those relationships.  She was convinced friends and family thought highly of her, but then gets a number of reappraisals.

Resolution: Earnest discussions produce new discoveries; will these help Marion?

One line summary: Midlife crisis for a woman professor.

Statistics:
  a. Cinematography: 10/10 Technically excellent with nice sets of choices in terms of art and costume.  Watching the film was a pleasure to the eye.

  b. Sound: 8/10 I could hear the dialog, and the background music was well-chosen.  The sound seemed muted and somber as a whole, but then this was a somber tale.

  c. Acting: 10/10 Fine actors and fine performances.

  d. Screenplay: 9/10 Slow and careful.  The flashback techniques were smooth rather than jarring, as is often the case in film.  The realignment process (Marion's perceptions of herself versus others' perceptions of her) was intriguing to watch.

Final rating: 9/10

20151101: Fantasy Review--Van Helsing

Name: Van Helsing (2004)
IMDb: Van Helsing on IMDb

Genres: Fantasy  Country of Origin: USA

Cast: Hugh Jackman as Van Helsing, Kate Beckinsale as Anna Valerious, Richard Roxburgh as Count Vladislaus Dracula, David Wenham as Carl, Shuler Hensley as Frankenstein's monster, Alun Armstrong as Cardinal Jinette, Elena Anaya as Aleera, Silvia Colloca as Verona, Josie Maran as Marishka, Kevin J. O'Connor as Igor, Will Kemp as Velkan Valerious, Tom Fisher as Top Hat.

Written and directed by:  Stephen Sommers

The Three Acts:

The initial tableau: There is a lot going on in this film.  The initial context comes from four vignettes:

(1) Doctor Frankenstein has successfully brought life to his cobbled together monster.  Dracula, who funded Frankenstein, figures that his investment has borne fruit, and kills the doctor. The monster is enraged by this, and manages to escape Dracula and the mob with their torches. Dracula recruits Igor.

(2) Van Helsing confronts Mr. Hyde in Paris at the behest of a secret group operating out of the Vatican.  In doing such work, Van Helsing has become a wanted criminal of international renown.  He has no public support whatsoever, and is hated by many.

(3) At the Vatican, Van Helsing is dressed down by Cardinal Jinette.  He gets a new assignment: to protect the Valerian family (Anna and Velkan), and to help them kill Count Dracula in a fulfillment of a family oath.  The oath was that the family would not enter Heaven until Dracula was destroyed. Van Helsing meets the friar named Carl, who is both timid and talented.

(4) Velkan and Anna attempt to trap the werewolf that has been terrorising the village.  Velkan kills the werewolf, but is bitten in the process.

Delineation of conflicts:  Velkan becomes a rather powerful werewolf.  Dracula would use Velkan for his own purposes.  Van Helsing and Anna have a chewy first meeting, then agree to oppose Dracula's intentions toward Velkan.

Dracula and his trio of mates (Aleera, Verona, and Marishka) want their undead offspring to have life.  Van Helsing, Anna, and the Vatican want them to die: Van Helsing, to follow orders; Anna, to save her family from Purgatory; the Vatican, to drive the spawn of Satan from the face of the Earth.

Frankenstein's monster would like to live in peace with some degree of freedom.  Dracula wants to consume him to transfer life to his offspring.  The Vatican wants the monster dead since he's not precisely human, and his life was not given to him by God.  Carl would like to comply with the Vatican's wishes, but cannot in good conscience.

Dracula wants Van Helsing dead for strong reasons of his own.  Van Helsing, Carl, Anna, and the monster are opposed.

Resolution: Excellent, difficult, and harmonious.

One line summary: A wonderfully constructed remix of modern fantasy themes.

Statistics:
  a. Cinematography: 10/10 Beautiful natural shots plus excellent CGI.  Many of the sets were gorgeous in design and intricate in detail.

  b. Sound: 10/10 Lovely.

  c. Acting: 9/10 This is my favourite from all Hugh Jackman performances I have seen.  Richard Roxburgh was great as Dracula, Kevin J. O'Connor made a fine Igor, David Wenham was wonderful playing Carl. Kate Beckinsale, Elena Anaya, Silvia Colloca, and Josie Maran were excellent as Anna and the brides of Dracula.

  d. Screenplay: 10/10 There are several threads as described above, all woven together nicely.  Great writing, with some good dashes of comedy thrown in.  Carl's discoveries and deliveries of intelligence dovetailed nicely with the needs of the action heroes.  The culminating action sequences were gripping, and the final, parting scenes definitely pulled at the heartstrings.

Final rating: 9/10