The Tale of Despereaux

A beautifully made movie, with plenty of visual and directorial artistry. It seems to diverge quite a bit from the book--it's been forever since I read the original--but in this case that may not be a bad thing. Like all animation today, this one suffers from "familiar voice syndrome," but not as much as other animated movies. (There's no Chris Rock doing a jive-turkey routine here.) And there's enough quirky, individualistic charm to overcome any flaws. All in all, a satisfying viewing experience.

The Graduate

Back in the day (1967), contemporary audiences would have "gotten it" right away. But now, if you don't have a thorough knowledge of the times--and most viewers today don't--the interactions between the characters will seem very odd. That cross-decade dissonance contributes to a sense of slow pace and flat, hit-or-miss humor. This really is a good movie, and I suspect discerning viewers will appreciate it, but I have reservations about recommending such a dated film.

Finding Neverland

No, not a "Best Picture" movie. That doesn't mean it's bad. Quite the contrary; I found this to be an effecting movie--well-made, well-acted, and worth the price of admission. Of course, I have a particular interest, being an enormous fan of Barrie's "Peter Pan" (in its book form, at least), so the story held special significance for me. However, there are a few "not quite" elements here--some clunky exposition of Barrie's symbolism, trite interactions between characters--that pull the quality down just enough to keep me from raving. It's not "top of the mountain" great, but it's certainly good enough.

Marathon Man

More than anything else, I took from watching this movie a perspective on the stylistic differences between movie-making today and movie-making of the past (in this case, from 1976). If filmed today, this movie would probably have been hyperkinetic and obvious, with more explosions and a booming soundtrack--and it would have been much worse. As it stands, it's a tidy thriller (though the plot threads take their sweet time in coming together). And the satisfying yet not-exactly-happy ending, within today's context, comes across as unconventional and provocative. Oh, yeah--it has torturing Nazis, too. What more could you want?