Charlotte's Web

Believe it or not, when I was trying to get my children’s book manuscript published oh-so-many years ago, I kept running into a mindset that said that no one publishes “talking animal” stories anymore. They were—and perhaps still are—deemed passé, and regressive, and possibly even reactionary. There is perhaps no greater example of how astonishingly stupid that notion is than this movie, even with it being almost twenty years old as of this viewing. This seems like a simple story, but in fact it examines eternal truths, in a way that is accessible to all. The miracle of White’s work, which shines through in this adaptation, lies in using the form of a fable—a genre as old as stories themselves—to illustrate eternal truths about life and the world, both our human lives and our place in that world of other lives, including our animal cousins, and what this existence means for all of us, in all of its beauty, joy and sadness. This production captures that essence wonderfully, with a script that remains true to the original book, visual effects that are flawlessly executed, a tempered hand when it comes to the “updating” and “comic relief”—the jive talking characters and stunt casting are kept to a minimum—and an emotional tone that resonates without overstepping into something overwrought. I’m tempted to give this film Best of All status, but even without such accolades, this movie is must-see material. “Terrific” and “Radiant" hardly cover it. 

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

The devotion to scene-setting shown here is so meticulous and focused that one must conclude that it was the entire point of the exercise. For sure, given the context set up by all that lovingly-crafted detail-fetishing, it will be very exciting once this film decides to start telling an actual story—you know, with a plot and all that. The viewer may have to wait a few years past the closing credits for that; perhaps Tarantino will get around to that on a 10th anniversary special edition, on whatever medium is popular and profitable then. Which is to say, there’s really not much in the way of a story here, just a train of character-connected scenes that pay homage to a bygone time and place, with an ominous backdrop to give the whole pastiche a vibe of historical import. None of this is to say these scenes aren’t a lot of fun—for sure they are, particularly Pitt’s ass-kicking encounters. Indeed, all the principals do well in moments here. But the indulgence comes at a cost, conveying a sense —not for the first time in his career—that Q could have achieved something truly transcendent with a little more discipline. Overall, this flick is good, and fun, and worthy of appreciation—but also maddeningly incomplete.

War Of The Worlds

I knock Spielberg around sometimes, but I can't deny credit where it's due: the strength of this movie, the action set pieces, are phenomenal works of direction. The chaos of the alien attacks is realized to an astounding degree, creating scenes that are emotionally gripping and downright scary. It helps that the alien tripods (a bit of throwback fidelity to Wells's original story) are genuinely alien and creepy. So visually, the film is most impressive. On the down side, the character relationships are just about unbelievable (no kids, no matter how alienated from their father, would be that snotty when all that shit was going down), and there's at least one major story discontinuity. But this one really isn't a thinking movie; it's there to be seen, and you get what you want in that regard.

The Cat In The Hat

Occasionally, the creative joy of Dr. Seuss's work shines through. Occasionally, you get an inspired moment of Mike Myers doing his comedic thing. Unfortunately, occasionally is not nearly enough. Much of the storyline has nothing to do with the book--admittedly, a thin volume as a screenplay basis--and does not hold up to the original's 'vision' of inspired, crazy fun. Dump this kitty with the litter.

Man on Fire

There's great temptation to chalk this up as a waste of some fine actors. Certainly, the movie suffers from an all-too-familiar ailment: a director who's way too in love with himself to pull back from the visual shenanigans. Then again, there is a lot of visceral pleasure in watching Denzel's washed up badass violently go to town on the meanies. If you're in an angry mood, you might find this appealing.

I Am Sam

This movie has its flaws: a little maudlin, and there are some egregious and grotesque product placements--but the heart is in the right place throughout. If we all had a shred of the sensitivity shown by Sean Penn's performance in this film, this would be a better world. Add to that Dakota Fanning playing the reigning World Champion in Adorable and the overall impact is overwhelmingly positive.