Kiss of the Spider Woman

Before Brokeback Mountain there was Kiss of the Spider Woman. This film is about two men, two very different men, who probably couldn't be much more different but are stuck in the same jail cell in Spain. One is Luis Molina a flamboyant homosexual played by William Hurt in an oscar winning performance who escapes into this memories of old movies, and there is Valentin Arregui played by Raul Julia, Valentin is a gruff and tough political prisoner. The story starts slowly, but builds into a very interesting study of two men who find themselves in another person entirely opposite them. There is a gay scene, but Valentin is not gay, this is a movie about imprisonment and freedom. It is about people trapped, trapped by love, by bars, by societal expectations, who are desperately seeking a way out. There a slow moments and then ending requires some processing, but once you make it to the end you can not doubt you have seen a beautifully worthy movie. One must also note Sonia Braga's role as 3 different vital roles in the movie all expressing the entrapment of the characters until the end. A hidden gem you must see to understand.

Michael Clayton

Who would have thought during ER's prime that George Clooney would one day receive oscar nominations? Who would have thought after Batman and Robin that Clooney would have any kind of career, look at Chris O'Donnel and Alicia Silverstone. Yet after 2005 with his win for Syriana and his directorial follow-up to Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night, and Good Luck getting a Best Picture nod the world knew this was to spark recurring visits to the ceremony of all entertainment ceremonies. And then came last year, a year full of some of this decades greatest movies with unforgettable performances and movies that will sure forever change filmmaking and it was this small, initially unknown suspense drama that made it into the top 5 along with a nod for George Clooney. Michael Clayton is a movie about a man (you can probably guess his name) who is a fixer for a large and prestigious law firm and gets caught in the middle of a dangerous case. Yet for what sounds like a cliche premise this movie never loses its footing to achieve cheap thrills, but rather hope the viewer is smart enough to understand the levity and danger. Clooney plays the role with stunning precision, but is shown up by two of his supporting actors, Tilda Swinton in an oscar winning perf as a woman working for a company willing to take any means to keep the company above water and Tom Wilkinson as a seemingly crazed lawyer that strips in the middle of a deposition. It is a sharp film, and one of the few movies that looks and feels as smart as it truly is. A definite must-see for any movie buff.

Slumdog Millionaire

With a whole bunch of critic awards under it's belt and rave reviews left and right I decided that I had to see this movie that many are using such praises as "joyous," "triumphant," and "celebratory" to describe. The film trails the lives of a boy named Jamal and his brother Salim through their lives as "slumdogs" in India. Jamal has made it onto Who Wants to be A Millionaire in India and we see his life as a series of flashbacks related to answering the questions and through those flashbacks we meet Latika, the love of Jamal's life. As the last piece of plot I will give away Latika is the reason Jamal went on WWTBAM so that she would see him and be able to find him as he had no idea where she was. The story is wonderful, the performances are perfectly fitted for this movie, never once is an emotion forced out of the audience, and the whole time Director Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Trainspotting) never loses his directorial flourish. That all the pieces come together so well is one of the miracles of the movie, but the praises extend more to the overwhelming heart and joy and unrestrained passion with which the movie is pulled. It is being touted as the frontrunner of the best picture oscar winner this year and this reviewer thinks it is more than deserving.

Rosemary's Baby by Roman Polanski

We have seen many horror movies made by great directors, we have seen The Shining by Stanley Kubrick, Carrie by Brian Depalma, The Exorcist by William Friedkin, etc. And then there is Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby starring Mia Farrow as Rosemary, a woman madly in love, living in a new place and trying to start a family. Yet something darker runs beneath the surface of this new life, the old couple next door stay up late chanting and singing, her husband starts spending more time them, and when Rosemary gets pregnant everyone is only too helpful providing lockets of luck, vitamin drinks, and little cakes. Most of you probably know how the movie ends, but it isn't the surprise ending of revelation that makes the movie scary it is the inevitability with which Rosemary plummets to that final moment. She is caught in a world of conspiracy and fear and paranoia, filled to the brim with satanic cults, witchcraft, and friendly old people. We believe her beliefs and want to scream or help her escape, but it is helpless and we know it, and such is the terror Polanski invokes. It is not an easy movie to watch, but it is a scary one.

Pink Floyd's The Wall

In terms of movie musicals few will argue that the 70s and 80s really revolutionized what a musical could be with Cabaret, All That Jazz, Fame, and A Chorus Line. The Wall revolutionized that even further, though few who have seen this crazy film would call it a musical it is by all arguments and definitions a musical. Most of the time the characters aren't singing the words, and there are no elaborate dance numbers, but there is music and it directly pushes the story forward and it is in the head of the main character. The visuals are crazy and the vision is daring, and well the music is incredible but that goes without saying. Perhaps the only fault with the movie is that it would be better enjoyed with a prior listen through of The Wall the album. If you like Pink Floyd or crazy movies that are also great, check this one out! Oh, and Merry christmas!

Review: Tootsie by Syndey Pollack

A few years after his start making role in The Graduate Dustin Hoffman decided to really throw the acting world for a loop by acting as a woman. So comes Tootsie a movie about a struggling actor who takes a role on a daytime soap as a woman to raise some money and in the process makes a fool of the people he cares for most. The movie is fun and cute, but the real story is Hoffman as Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels. Hoffman has rarely had trouble being convincing as a man in any role he picks up, but the marvel is how convincingly he becomes a woman. In many films requiring men to take on woman roles there is always the annoying question in the viewers head of how none of those closest to the character recognize him. In Tootsie this is not the case. In Tootsie Dustin Hoffman fully and convincingly transforms with his character, oftentimes I thought he could be the best drag queen in history if he wanted to be. It is his performance that elevates a rather quaint story into a delightful romp, not to mention wonderful supporting roles by Bill Murray, Sydney Pollack, and Jessica Lange.

Review: Casino Royale

In the most recent installment of the James Bond franchise, Quantum of Solace, we saw a very Bournesque follow-up to the far superior 2006 film Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig and Eva Green. Casino Royale was supposed to be the reinvention of Bond, and it was for its own part. This film pulled out all the James Bond stops, the bond girl, martinis, a very obvious bad guy with a very bad guy name "Le Chiffre", and M. As I rewatched it I was amazed at how much of the genius was lost in Quantum. Royale is slick in its story, which is very minimal, it is far more about the character of Bond and how he became the man he becomes. The image above is what I feel is the pinnacle scene of the whole movie, the emotional fulcrum, the reason the ending matters. Eva Green as Vesper Lynd sits in the shower fully clothed having just taken part in the death of two men, Bond comforts her. The moment is tender, and it is short, but it could be argued that it is the reason Bond exists and in some ways almost did not exist. Casino Royale is currently the best Bond to date and pretty solid movie outside of the franchise, lets hope the next Bond is more in the vein of Casino Royale and not Quantum of Solace.

Review: Spider-man

Upon watching Spider-man today it occured to me that this was the movie that began the currently unended superhero movie race. It is with this movie, and not, sadly, with X-men, that movie producers realized "holy crap, superhero movies can draw in a box office and critical raves!" Spider-man is a well constructed movie that has bought into the mythology of Spider-man with dazzling special effects. Tobey Maquire as Peter Parker adds a delightful turn as he downplays the nerd and plays the hidden loveability of Parker. Watch as he listens to "MJ" (a sweet Kirsten Dunst) confess her love for him, inside he is a boy and a hero fighting to do what is right and it shows in Maguires boyish face. The story is a well crafted origin story with enough dramatic oomph and character to spawn a 3 movie franchise that is potentially still growing. While the second may be better, Spider-man is easily one of the best superhero movies to date that is not afraid to be about little else besides a great story.