Coda

In this case, title case, not upper case. This is not a review of the Oscar winner from a few years ago; it's about a film with a similar title from a few years before that. With this movie, the title is perhaps more relevant, since the term refers to the end of a musical piece, and this story is about the tail end of a fictional musical master’s career. The plot summary for this flick could simply read, “talented old man struggles with himself”—and, as you might imagine, there are reasons why that would be a difficult sell for the majority of viewers. Luckily, the old man in question here is the exceptional Patrick Stewart, who gives a convincing performance as Henry, a legendary pianist who has had to deal with a bit too much and isn’t entirely convinced that he can take any more. Along the way Katie Holmes reminds us of how talented and charming she is, while Giancarlo Esposito provides more than able support as Henry’s agent and confidant. Further support comes from the music that is woven in throughout the story, brilliant and beautiful pieces that reflect Henry in his inner turmoil and in his moments of achieved calm and acceptance. No doubt, this film is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you are in a contemplative mood, and open to some quiet, deep storytelling, this work will work for you. 

Batman Begins

Not your typical comic book movie--and that's a good thing here. Director Christopher Nolan left the standard issue Batman camp in the vault, choosing instead to play it straight and serious, and the results are damn near spectacular. Everything feels very real: a terrific, entertaining story, well-presented and well-acted by Christian Bale, Michael Caine and others (including a tragic reminder that the now-trainwrecked Katie Holmes had a real career ahead of her). This film owes a lot not just to Frank Miller, but also Nolan's previous work (the very uncampy Memento and Insomnia), and even the '90s movie version of The Shadow (though this is a much better work than that). This franchise has been played out before, but if they want to have another go with this team, I'd be up for it.

Pieces Of April

Not your typical holiday movie, but that's a good thing. A lot of its humor flies below the radar, and the climax is a little too pat, but there are plenty of subtle and smart laughs to be had here. And, if that's not enough for you--and you're very eye-candy conscious--please note that no matter how tarted up she may be, Katie Holmes is still Katie Holmes.

Go

Horrible people living horrible lives. It might have worked if it had reached its sought-after Tarantino territory, but this is no Pulp Fiction; there isn't enough humor and wit to redeem it.

The Gift

A run-of-the-mill mystery thriller, with a little horror thrown in. Not as good as A Simple Plan, the other Sam Raimi-Billy Bob Thornton collaboration (in this case, B.B. merely wrote the thing). It does reaffirm my position that I will never move to the "deep" South.

Wonder Boys

Solid, and surprisingly funny. Good work by Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire. ETA: sorry, I know that's thin, but I saw this movie way over a decade ago--I can't say anything at this remove other than I liked it.