Last of the Year

Here is a list of the movies that I enjoyed watching the most in 2010, which is not really a list of the best movies released in 2010. Since I watch movies at home, my viewings are too delayed to make a 2010 list until the next year is half over. The ratings I give on this blog are on my own number system explained previously in this blog. Those watched via Netflix instant view, include “Streamed” after the numeric rating.

Letters to Juliet – 2010. (3.3) The love of Romeo & Juliet brings us to Verona and a romantic and fun story of a search for a lost past love that may not be too late, and young lovers whose star crossing may turn out to be fortuitous. Good cast, nice story well told and beautiful Tuscan scenery provide quite pleasant enjoyment.

Temple Grandin – 2010. (3.3) Claire Danes does a good job impersonating an autistic woman who was first diagnosed in the 1960s when doctors told her parents she should be institutionalized, but who instead was encouraged by her family to pursue her education and ended up getting a master’s degree and becoming a college professor. Temple used her autism in her animal studies to help her understand what animals experience and how that experience can be applied by man in dealing with animals. Special effects in the movie were quite good at showing how the autistic mind interprets experience. Time constraints limit what bio pics can show, but leaving Temple’s father and her siblings out completely left me feeling I missed something of value. If this had been streamed, special features showing the real Temple would have been omitted, and the opportunity to see how well Claire captured her would have been missed.

You Don’t Know Jack – 2009. (3.3) The physician assisted suicide issue has been around for decades, but Dr. Jack Kevorkian is the man who brought it to the forefront in America. Though his involvement with the issue was in the news for years, the title of this HBO movie was very accurate for me – I knew practically nothing about the man himself. This film provides much of the missing information on this fascinating man. Al Pacino does a great job of playing the title role, with an excellent supporting cast and able direction by Barry Levinson. Be sure to watch the brief special feature to see the real Dr. Jack, who reminds us we are all going to die and go to the nothingness, from which we came, then comforts us with the rhetorical question, “Was that so terrible?”

Mademoiselle Chambon -2007. (3.0) Streamed. This movie says a lot without so many words, but rather with context and drawing the personal experience of the viewer into the characters themselves. A female substitute teacher, new in town, and a construction worker father of a student, are each socially awkward and not particularly attractive, but still somehow make a connection, as awkward as the couple themselves. This is one of those films that leaves you feeling you understood, while at the same time making you wonder if you really did – kind of like our own life fels sometimes.

The Pillars of the Earth – 2010. (2.9) Streamed. Based on a Ken Follett book, this miniseries tells about the political intrigue and fighting for power in 12th century England, centering on the building of a new cathedral. Tons of plot and characters, good production values and competent direction and acting, with practically no attempt to use the language of the time, which, though English, we would not recognize.

Adventureland – 2008. (2.8) Recent college grad James planned a European summer with his buddies before heading to journalism grad school at Columbia, but hard times in 1987 hit his family and he had to stay home in Pittsburgh and work as a game carnie at Adventureland. He made some new friends, had some new experiences and learned some things they don’t teach in college. Tastefully done, a sort of college kid comes of age movie. Netflix calls it a comedy, but it is more of a light drama.

Prodigal Sons – 2008. (2.8) Streamed. This very personal documentary starts covering the story of the filmmaker, the popular high school quarterback, returning to Montana for the school reunion after having become a woman, then it expands to cover relationship problems with the older, adopted brother who suffers mental problems resulting from accidental brain trauma. As the brother struggles with his medical and mental problems, he also has issues about his adoption and curiosity about his biological family, which adds an inyeresting twist. This material may have been better handled as two separate films.

The Cake Eaters – 2007. (2.8) Streamed. This directorial debut of Mary Stuart Masterson shows good skill, and the cast did a generally good job, but the story did not effectively grab attention or maintain a focus. Trying to cover too many people in a short movie did not allow time to get to know any of them well enough by the end of the movie. Much of the back story was presented via dialogue, whereas showing the back story directly or by flash backs would have been more effective. Budget constraints probably limited the length of the film and dictated the use of dialogue for back story.

How About You – 2007. (2.8) Streamed. I watched this to see if young Hayley Atwell, whom I find quite appealing, is a good actress, and was pleased to find she is, holding her own with an ensemble cast of cranky nursing home residents, in this enjoyably simple story, which is more a light drama than a comedy.

No Reservations – 2007. (2.8) About the time this movie came out, I watched the German film, Mostly Martha, of which this is a remake. I gave Martha 4 stars and remember it as being both touching and encouraging about overcoming grief and emotional pain. The remake didn’t come very close to my recall of the original, having less emotional impact and seeming more contrived. Maybe some of that is due to inflated memory of the original (though I did give it 4 stars at the time), and maybe some is due to less impact the second time, since I already knew the story.

Steal a Pencil for Me – 2007. (2.8) Streamed. Archival footage and contemporary interviews tell the story of a Dutch Jewish couple who conducted a courtship by letters during their time in concentration camps in WWII, and recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

Invincible – 2006. (2.8) A true story of a 30 year old Philadelphia Eagles fan who in 1976 responded to an open tryout stunt by the long suffering team, and ended up becoming a three year special team player, this drama, though fairly well done, was not that dramatic, not just because we know what is going to happen, but also because there was little other tension in the script. Maybe a documentary would have been better.

Bill Maher: But I’m Not Wrong – 2010. (2.7) Nothing much new here except maybe more foul mouthed, Maher’s progressive libertarian point of view is well known and a little stuck in the past, with just a trickle of commentary on President Obama.

Italian Fascism in Color – 2007. (2.7) Using archival footage, some colorized, and some unimpressive reenactments, this documentary pedantically tells the about the politics and failed strategies of Mussolini. I did learn a few things, but probably could have done it quicker using Wikipedia.

Sabah: A Love Story – 2005. (2.7) Streamed. After building up an interesting case of a Syrian Muslim family in Toronto, headed by a strictly chauvinistic older brother, and concentrating on the dutiful daughter stuck taking care of her widowed mother, while starting a clandestine relationship with a non-Muslim Canadian, this film disappoints by ending with the proverbial whimper instead of a bang.

Group of Twelve

Here is what I have watched on DVD since I posted my last list. The ratings I give are on my own number system explained previously in this blog. Those watched via Netflix instant view, include “Streamed” after the numeric rating.

Here are a dozen more, of which five were streamed via Netflix. This group includes an original and a remake, three documentaries, only two foreign films and eight from this century. Half are probably worth watching for most readers and half are only worth viewing if they have particular appeal to you.

The Shop around the Corner – 1940. (3.5) From the play of the same name, remade in 1999 as “You’ve Got Mail”, this is Lubitsch flawlessly directing a wonderful MGM ensemble in a very enjoyable story. Though older even than me, the film does not appear that dated, and in spite of the limitations of its theatrical origins, it does not feel too stage bound. This was an early lead role for Jimmy Stewart, whose career had been encouraged by his co-star, Margaret Sullavan, a Broadway actress of considerable talent who hated Hollywood and only made a dozen or so films there, of which Netflix has only three, this being the best.

Kissing Jessica Stein – 2002. (3.2) A personal film written by and starring two young New York actresses, exploring the meaning of sexuality, friendship and happiness, this gentle and humorous movie prompts reflection on being open to life. A male blind date, concerned he might be coming across as boastful, delivers this fun line, “I’m usually more self-defecating”.

Everlasting Moments – 2008. (3.1) Streamed.  The best early films of Jan Troell are not available on DVD, but this visually appealing movie from the Swedish director might prompt consideration of making them available. A WWI era wife bears a parade of children to her boorish husband, and while struggling with the decision to leave him, finds an unexpected muse who encourages her to pursue photography. The images are better than the story, but they are reason enough to watch.

The Ritchie Boys – 2004. (3.1) Streamed. The Ritchie Boys were young Jewish men of an intellectual bent, mostly immigrants who fled Nazi Germany for the US before WWII, who were trained at Fort Ritchie, Maryland for intelligence and psych op work as members of the US Army. Ten of these men are interviewed in this documentary, accompanied by archival footage. Their stories are quite interesting and the movie allows them to be told fairly straightforward. At the end of the film we learn what the men did with the rest of their careers.

Cherry Blossoms – 2008. (3.0) Streamed. Another spin on the what to do with the rest of your life after being diagnosed with a terminal illness question, this German film adds in a twist and also touches on the choice between rooted stability and traveling adventure, and the disappointment of non-pursued exotic dreams.  

The Family Stone – 2005. (3.0) Streamed. Good ensemble in a film directed by its writer, again with a secretively terminal parent, with adult children assembled for Christmas and engaging in sibling dynamics mostly at the expense of the newcomer girlfriend of the oldest son. Shifts in romantic allegiance are predictable and not that convincingly portrayed, but the overall family feeling remains interesting.

Glass: Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts – 2007. (2.8) Streamed. The composer and this film about him were actually more interesting to me than his music, but if you really like his music then you may be more interested in this film. There was much about the man personally and we saw him in a variety of situations, but I can’t say I actually learned much about his music.

You’ve Got Mail – 1998. (2.8) I always figured this would be a little too cute for me, but decided to watch it after watching its original source, The Shop around the Corner. Like many remakes of classics, this one pales by comparison. Much of the charm of the original was the workplace dynamics in the shop where all the characters worked, but that is totally scrapped in this remake. The interplay between the leads in the new version never rises to the level of the original, and the extra half hour of running time makes the whole piece feel puffy, in contrast to the original, which was a tightly scripted cohesive whole. It is interesting to recall how just twelve years ago the idea of an intimate connection via e-mail was considered so fresh and exciting. And are we being told that a chain supermarket of books is better than a venerable little book shop?

Catherine Cookson’s The Girl – 1996. (2.8) Probably the last of the Cookson stories that I will be watching, this movie is a little subpar for the course. The heroine here is not particularly likeable, nor for that matter is the supposed hero. The morality that prevails is open to question. It may hold your interest if you like stories of mid 19^th century English women from questionable backgrounds who are given an opportunity to rise a little in life and then encounter a set back with which they cope in a questionable manner.

Noel – 2004. (2.7) Streamed. In spite of a couple brief moments of touching Christmas outreach, there’s no reason to add this movie about lonely people on Christmas Eve to your list of Christmas favorites. The ensemble never assembled and the story never grabbed, but because of the absence of half stars at Netflix, I’ll have to give a 2 ½ star so so movie a Flix 3, that I liked it, because I’m not enough of a Grinch to give it a 2 and say I didn’t.

Hubert Selby, Jr.; It’ll Be Better Tomorrow – 2006. (2.7) Streamed. Those who made this documentary were so in awe of the subject author that they produced a film which comes across as a collection of interviews of choir members singing the praises of their pastor. I’m not familiar with Selby and this barely piqued my interest. If you know his writing, you may be more interested, but will probably not learn much more about his writing than you already know.

Any Friend of Nicholas Nickleby [etc] – 1982. (2.0) Jennifer H at Netflix hit the nail on the head: “This a low-budget made-for-TV film that just isn’t polished or creative enough to be of much interest today. The acting, music score, editing and camera work are amatuerish. Gwynne was the only decent actor in the bunch. The movie lies somewhere between an episode of the Waltens and a public service film. It’s categorized under Children & Family but most kids would be terribly bored by this film. The only adults that might be interested are literary buffs or Bradbury fans...or older folks who like squeaky-clean sentimental dramas and don’t care about outdated/low production value.