The Last Station

Boring account of people fighting over the rights to Leo Tolstoy’s literary legacy during his final year.  On the one side we have his wife, Sofya, who feels they should be bequeathed to his family.  On the other, we’re given Vladimir Chertkova, a staunch disciple of the author‘s beliefs, who wants them as the property of the Russian people.  Somewhere in the middle is Valentin Bulgakov, a naive private secretary.  What should have been a fascinating subject, namely a biography of Leo Tolstoy, instead becomes  a tedious discussion of how the copyrights of his novels should be entrusted.  Although none of the characters are particularly interesting, director Michael Hoffman has unwisely made Valentin the focus of his film.  Regrettably his spiritual awakening at Tolstoy’s vast country estate, is the real subject of this bland coming of age drama.

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Thrilling epic about British prisoners during World War II who are ordered to build a bridge to accommodate the Burma-Siam railway.  Director David Lean has wisely focused not on the overall conflict, but on the individuals involved and in doing so, has fashioned a perfect fable.  Set in a Japanese  POW camp, this landmark story features the now classic battle of wills between camp commander Colonel Saito and prisoner Colonel Nicholson.  Sessue Hayakawa and Alec Guinness bring a brilliant subtlety to their respective parts.  Their characterizations are transcendent: fully formed characters that are noble in their determination, yet critically flawed.  The ethical conundrum it raises is just one of the many plot points that makes this drama so mesmerizing.  Every 161 minutes of this film just flies by, and I don’t say that often.

Four Christmases

After their flight is canceled, a happily unmarried couple is forced to spend Christmas with each of their four parents, all in one day.  Mayhem ensues.  The story has some humorous moments here and there, but this material is way below the best work of actors Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight and Mary Steenburgen who play the respective parents.  Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon are a funny couple, however, and they make the most of the episodic script.  Enough laughs to make this a mildly diverting holiday movie.

Crazy Heart

Poignant character study of Bad Blake, an aging country singer whose existence is something of a mess, until, that is, he meets a young female reporter. Actor Jeff Bridges embraces the personality of the ragged, seen it all country singer so convincingly it doesn’t even feel like a performance, it feels like real life. He even sings his own music. It is a brilliantly restrained achievement, a portrait long remembered even after the story fades from memory. Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, almost 30 years his junior, supports him nicely as the woman who gives his life new meaning.

Passing Strange

Flashy filmed performance of a Broadway stage play.  Set in the late 1970s, a young black musician rebels against his church-going, middle-class, South Central roots by traveling the world in an effort to experience something “real” in life.  Los Angeles performance artist Stew narrates what is essentially a concert trip through a dizzying number of musical styles that touch upon gospel, punk, blues, jazz, and rock.  The  ubiquitous score is excellent, but it’s surrounded by an incredibly stagy artifice with a noticeable lack of sets, that feels overly avant-garde.  We’re constantly reminded that this is a filmed play.  Even the acting is affected and unnatural.  The passion felt by those who were in attendance in that theater is not the same emotion felt as a viewer watching it on a screen.  Brilliantly catchy songs include: “Love Like That”, “Amsterdam” and “We Just Had Sex”.

Moon

Psychological science fiction about an astronaut harvesting precious Helium-3 on the moon alone….or so he thinks. Thought provoking drama owes a definite debt to 2001: A Space Odyssey.  While this drama suffers in the comparison to that science fiction classic, it still presents some interesting ideas.  The isolated mood is tense and it begins well.  Unfortunately halfway through, the action starts to drag as it becomes more of a cerebral exercise than an entertaining film.  Nice production design is visually engaging and nicely complements the action.  Kevin Spacey’s instantly recognizable voice as a robotic assistant named GERTY, is a distraction that feels like a poor imitation of HAL 9000.

The Young Victoria

Opulent romantic drama set during the 1830s about Queen Victoria, her accession to the throne and her relationship with Prince Albert.  The machinations of the court of England are captured in all their back-stabbing glory.  We as the audience feel an intimate look behind the scenes.  Emily Blunt has a commanding presence as the youthful ruler that draws you into her world.  She’s matched by a first rate cast that support her skillfully, particularly Rupert Friend as her suitor.  Their chemistry is a romance of the highest order.  Music, costumes, and sets are transcendent in recreating the look of the period, perfectly complementing the action.  Stately and well crafted, but never fussy.  This biography has life.

All That Jazz

Vulgar, decadent, autobiographical musical about Bob Fosse.  Interestingly, the portrait is not flattering despite being written, directed, even choreographed by Fosse himself.  There is real self -loathing here as the film challenges the viewer to care for the main character.  He’s morally repellent and downright unpleasant.  Joe Gideon’s constant daily routine is Vivaldi, Visine, Alka-Seltzer, Dexedrine and sex.  He juggles multiple women, including a wife and  girlfriend as his health deteriorates.  Overly affected and self indulgent, fantasy sequences in which he flirts with the angel of death are intercut with graphic scenes of real open heart surgery.  Even the dance numbers feel overwrought.  AirRotica, one of his most flamboyant, tries to be so aggressively erotic, it’s actually humorous.  Shockingly overrated, it was nominated for Nine Academy Awards.  Roy Scheider has a real presence in the leading role.  As for the rest?  I just didn’t  get it.

Fame

Ambitious musical drama follows a group of students through their four years at the New York High School of Performing Arts, as they take music, theater and dance.  Raw and profane, this bears little resemblance to the hit TV series that followed.  Nevertheless, this is a heartfelt and emotionally involving slice of life.  Rarely has a film so beautifully shown how people of diverse backgrounds can come together and get along in an effort to be the best.  But Christopher Gore’s Oscar nominated script isn’t cloying or saccharine.  This is gritty stuff and he’s masterful in juggling multiple characters and storylines.  Their lives feel authentic and sincere.  A brilliant ensemble film.

The Lovely Bones

Interesting drama about a young girl who watches from heaven as her family attempts to find out her murderer.  Feelings of loss and mourning is the theme explored here.  However, Peter Jackson’s surprisingly restrained adaptation of Alice Sebold’s best-selling novel works best as a “Will they or wont they catch her killer?”.   Gorgeously crafted fantasy sequences (those massive ships within glass bottles is a stunner) is a style device also used in his earlier film Heavenly Creatures.  Unfortunately, the film suffers from some basic storytelling issues. Several plot threads, as well as the ending, are unsatisfactorily resolved during the film‘s final 20 minutes.  At any rate, an intriguing film for the most part.  Actress Saoirse Ronan gives a mature, understated performances as the main character.