Home on the Range

What a surprise. This seemingly forgotten film turns out to be a delight, a genuinely funny movie with a nicely skewed sense of humor and a tight, consistent story. The sense of humor derives largely from the inspired casting of Roseanne Barr as the lead character; her unique persona gives much of the bite to the jokes. The rest of the cast performs good work, too, in a variety of roles. And the songs, though a bit sparse for a true musical, work really well where they fit in, with good melodies and witty lyrics. (Having contributions from k.d. lang and Bonnie Raitt helped the quality quotient in a big way.) All in all, this one stands out as a very good movie that got a bit lost in the shuffle upon first release. Thank goodness there are such robust secondary sources for films these days; otherwise this one might have unfairly disappeared completely. Do yourself a favor and watch this flick if you’re one of those who missed out on its original run.

Belfast

The strength of this film lies in the way director Kenneth Branagh is able to utilize the performance of young Jude Hill--portraying the proto version of himself--to convey all the wonder, fear, confusion and delight that his 10-year-old self felt in his last days in his hometown. The recreation of that milieu is meticulous, with the setting of this story--really, an almost docudrama style witnessing of a clearly defined period in a life--almost serving itself as a character in the tale, a presence that brings the thoughts, feelings, conflicts, and dilemmas of simple, day to day existence in a difficult time and place vividly to life. The cast embodies the director’s family, friends, neighbors and enemies extraordinarily well, delivering performances that bring the dilemma surrounding the fundamental question--stay or go?--right into the forefront of the viewer's mind. One shrewd choice must also be acknowledged: using Van Morrison songs throughout the film, which not only provides a fittingly soulful vibe to the proceedings but also delivers a certain amount of borrowed artistry to the work; you get the sense that Branagh hedged with the music, so that if the audience liked nothing else about the movie, the songs would carry them through. He needn’t have worried; there is more than enough charm, drama, and thoughtful reflection included in this work to resonate with audiences in a most deeply personal way. Undoubtedly, most of us can relate to the life and times depicted here, to some lesser or greater extent, and that connective tissue makes this not just a story of one man's childhood, but a memory that many of us share ourselves, in some small way. Perhaps we all can go home again.

J. Edgar

An oddly sympathetic portrait of a personage who had, by the time this film was made, largely become a punchline to various jokes and a symbol of some of the problems of his period of American history. The factuality of this account is destined to remain outside of true knowledge; this is mostly about looking through a prism, and what you see is more about who you are rather than any quantity of legitimate truth. What is undeniable is Leonardo DiCaprio's chameleon-like ability to fill whatever role he pleases, and to do so with such a natural-seeming ease that he remains, perhaps, under appreciated for his talent, even with a career full of plaudits behind him. This is his show, and his almost peerless ability as an actor makes this film worth the viewer's time.

Notes on a Scandal

I can imagine many viewers seeing this film and thinking its story is almost unbelievable. Hardly. The strength of this movie is its keen perception of the nature of the human animal--we do what we can do, and not in a good, first-responder "we're doing all we can" way. The animal does what it can get away with, mostly, and this story is largely about that, presenting that fact in a way that's searingly honest throughout. The screenplay is smart if not exceptional, and Dench and Blanchett present the kinds of performances you expect as routine from two such fine actresses, while most of the rest of the cast is good but fairly standard. I wouldn't say this is an all-time great, but it's certainly worth a look as a good film, and as a portrait of human nature.

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

A mystery that has long since been solved is no mystery at all. Hence, if you're making a remake of a mystery movie--especially if it is perhaps the most famous mystery of all time--then obviously that film has to be about something more than solving the case. So it is here, where the heart of the exercise comes in the form of style and personality. Director and lead Branagh comes through in both aspects, delivering a visually sumptuous film while also crafting a lively and fun version of Hercule Poirot. The rest of the cast acquits themselves well, too. The only real issue lies in the writer, believe it or not. Christie's plot and solution, seen through the perspective of a lack of surprise, is frankly absurd and something of a cheat. But, again, this outing is not really about the solution anyway. Go ahead and board the train; you'll have a good enough trip for your ticket price.

GoldenEye

This movie began the weird Bond-series tradition of changing some players while retaining others. The old Q is still banging around here, but Judi Dench steps in as the new M, and of course Brosnan quickly secures the role of Bond as his very own. The six-year layoff between films was, apparently, good for everyone; the production is back to its usual standards, Russia plays prominently once again (as a post-Cold War venue, but it still had some of the old juice), and the gadgetry--sorely missing in the last two films--returns to its usual role. Most noticeably, there’s fun to be had here, the lack of which was a major deficiency in the Dalton movies. No wonder a tottering enterprise was able to save itself, not just to continue but to achieve future excellence.

Quantum of Solace

Strange: I never posted a review the first time I watched this movie. I must not have been all that impressed. Truth be told, that’s understandable, if this film is watched in isolation. This entry in the series is so closely tied to its predecessor that, if viewed without immediate reference to the prior film, a lot of what’s going on here gets lost. Having re-watched this film back-to-back with Casino Royale immediately preceding, this one becomes a much better film: what seems like muddled storytelling coalesces into an easier to follow plot when the antecedent information is fresh in the mind. The one weakness is the relationship between Craig’s Bond and Dench’s M; is she on his side, or not? There’s too much doubt attributed to her character in this two-film sequence, particularly given her appearance in prior films in the same role. In retrospect, there should have been a new M on hand once they took Bond back to the beginning (contractual obligations, perhaps, made for the mistake). Beyond those major matters, the production remains top notch, the performances are fine, and the action is impressive. Overall, this seems destined to bear a legacy as the weakest of the Craig/Bond movies, but that hardly means it’s bad--just not quite what it could have been.

Philomena

Wow, and I thought I hated nuns before seeing this movie. You might feel the same way after watching this tragic tale, which is disheartening but not so heavy that it can't walk the thin line between too much truth and entertainment. Steve Coogan holds his own against an acting mainstay like Judy Dench (who both give excellent performances), and gets major kudos for also co-producing the film and co-writing the sharp, insightful screenplay. When it's all put together, you get a film worthy of its Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) and well worth your time.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

The strength here lies in the actors and the characters they bring alive for the viewer. Dench, Nighy, and Wilkinson shine as the most compelling members of the very far from home retiree group; the audience’s bond with those three characters serves to pull the movie through to a status almost as lofty as its exalted title. Otherwise, the local cast contributes little to the proceedings, and the vaguely formulaic climax would hardly serve a less accomplished troupe of actors. But the charm and talent win out in the end, both for the characters and the viewers, making the trip ultimately worth the inconveniences.

The Shipping News

When people think about a good time at the movies, the word "somber" rarely comes to mind. You get plenty of that here. The story's thesis--that there's a place where everyone belongs--is not so bad, and it is gratifying when Kevin Spacey's hapless schlub finds some measure of redemption in the end. But that's not enough to lift this movie high enough for most viewers.

Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown

What have I learned from the movies? That every single queen in the history of England has looked exactly like Judi Dench. As for this movie, the notable performance comes from Billy Connolly, who brings much fire, energy and depth to the role of Victoria's deeply loved Scottish servant, John Brown. He's bang up, and the film's message--that compassion and caring know no bounds of propriety--is ever welcome.

Henry V (1989)

The Branagh film--basically his coming-out party. It's undeniably a classic, though I must admit that there are some flaws here. For me the whole Falstaff back-story scenes seem flat, though whether the fault lies with this production or the source material (!) is debatable. What stands without question is that when Branagh's Henry is on screen, this movie is electrifying; no wonder everyone was so impressed.

Chocolat

Cute, mostly. It gets devalued some for indecision about what it wants to be (specifically, some awkward transitions from comedy to drama), but I don't want to fall into the trap of damning due to high expectations. This is, succinctly, a good movie, and that should be enough. But not worthy of a Best Picture nominee; it must have been a slow year. (NOTE: this is the Juliette Binoche/Johnny Depp/Judi Dench movie; there's another Chocolat out there, some movie about a chick returning to Africa. That other Chocolat is boring as hell. Don't be hoodwinked.)