The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)

This much belated movie sequel to one of the more iconic series to come out of the 1990's, eschews much of the dense conspiratorial mythology that developed over the course of the show, and in its place offers us something akin to the programs more accessible ‘stand-alone’ episodes. After years in hiding former FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) is allowed to clear his name of old trumped up charges, in exchange for helping his former employer investigate the mysterious disappearance of another FBI agent. With the help of old partner and current flame Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and a small core of agents lead by Amanda Peet, the team enters into an awkward alliance with Father Jake (Billy Connolly), a former pedophile priest who may be having visions of the missing agent. Such an arraignment has definite possibilities for dramatic tension but here they are executed only mediumly well. A lot of the plot feels like it could easily be rewritten as a non X-Files piece, a more traditional thriller, but I was still there with it in 3-out-of-5- land for most of the picture. Unfortunately what was intended to be the films shocking twist ended up simply seeming ridiculous, bad horror movie type stuff that squanders the good will generated by seeing two old favorites reteamed. Submitting to the impulse for a far to easy pun ‘I wanted to Believe’ in this X-Files movie, but I wouldn’t have respected this from an episode of the show and thus can’t countenance it from a theatrical film. Still I hope it succeeds well enough to justify a third film, because despite a paucity of evidence I have faith that a good movie is still out there. Two out of Five.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Sophia Coppla’s much anticipated, not horribly well received directorial follow up to Lost in Translation. A sympathetic portrait of the much reviled Austrian born queen of France, who is most remembered for a quote she did not make ("Let them eat cake"), and being beheaded. Coppla in effect rehabilitates Antoinette, here perfectly incarnated by Kirsten Dunst, who brings all the right qualities to the role, showing the queen as a kind of naive innocent, a victim of circumstance, limited perspective, and even loneliness. At 15 she must give up everything she’s every known for an arraigned marriage to the French heir (well played by Jason Schwartzman), who possibly a homosexual takes several years before he feels comfortable copulating with her (this finally occurs after Louie receives some sexual advice from his brother-in-law the Emperor of Austria). The goings on of royal courts might seem stodgy to modern audiances, but Coppla successfully revitalizes the proceedings via a youthful perceptive, and the clever musical juxtaposition of retro pop, to enlightenment era circumstance. While not Lost in Translation, it’s a unique bit of fresh air, although the film just sort of ends and I didn’t feel like I picked up on everything I was suppose to have in the last twenty minutes or so. Not perfect, but it certainly makes me eager to see what Sophia will do next. 4 out of 5.

Red Planet Mars (1952)

Early cold war fable about transmissions from Mars. When American scientists using technology developed by a brilliant Nazi succeed at translating messages from the red planet, the Earth is thrown into panic by the revelations. At first the messages seem to come from an advanced civilization whose technological advancements are somehow interpreted as a threat to democracy and capitalism, this part of the film was not done that well and never made much sense to me. However in time the messages change to those of a spiritual nature, prompting a Christian revolution overthrowing the Soviet state, and putting the Russian Orthodox Patriarch in charge of the country. However could it be possible that one or both of these sets of messages were actually a con perpetuated by the previously referenced brilliant Nazi? This being the kind of period film it is, you can rest assured that only the atheistic sounding transmission came from the Nazi, God sent the good Christian message that the pious American President gets to read to the nation. A few neat ideas, but corny, and Andrea King, who plays the Peter Graves characters wife, is more then a bit over the top in her deep held commitments. Fun enough as a curio, but for a better period execution of a similar concept see instead The Next Voice You Hear. Two and a half out of Five.

John Adams (2008)

Lavishly produced HBO mini-series based on David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize winning biography of the revolutionary leader and America’s second President. Despite his central role in the founding of the Republic, Adams has largely failed to achieve the mythic statues of Washington, Franklin and Jefferson, this mini-series, like McCullough’s book is something of a corrective to that oversight. Seven parts ranging from about an hour to ninety minutes each, cover the major events in the lives of John and Abigail Adams between 1770 and the priors death July 4th, 1826. It is truly an epic tale, Adams was involved in so many important and fascinating events in his long life that I hesitate to even attempt a summery. He was a farmer, lawyer, revolutionary, congressman, diplomat, statesman, vice-president, President, and father to a president. All of the political, military, and what we generally consider ‘historical’ events are masterfully well conveyed, fit for high schools minus all of twenty seconds of nudity (and one other scene of strongly implied sexuality). However it is the family dynamics that ratchet this production up to even grander statues. The relationship between John and Abigail Adams is one of America’s great love stories, they were equals in every sense of the word, and their 54 year union stood through tests that would have shattered lesser couples. However despite his greatness Adams was a surly flawed human being with a temper, stubborn, holder of grudges, often cranky, perfectionist, and a God like terror to his children, who both revered and feared the man. The humanity of Adams is wonderfully well portrayed by Paul Giamatti who renders him both complicated and righteous. Laura Linny revels Abigail to be a women well ahead of her time, and David Morse, Stephen Dillane, and Tom Wilkinson may all well be giving the definitive portraits of respective founding fathers Washington, Jefferson and Franklin. This is stupefyingly good story telling, perhaps the best thing I’ve seen all year (The Dark Knight included). Five of Five.

Also Including is Painting With Words, an enjoyably engaging, roughly forty minute documentary on author David McCullough, which I give 4 out of 5.

Here is a good sample scene with Adams, Franklin, and Jefferson looking over the first draft of the Decleration of Independence.

Here is the excellent title sequence.

Man of the Year (2006)

Satire about Jon Stewart like televison comedian Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams) who is apparently elected President of the United States. In keeping with Director Barry Levinson’s mixed bag of a career, the movie is uneven. There is a critically much remarked upon tonal shift as the film transitions from mere Williams comedy vehicle, into something with broader aspirations and conspiratorial elements. Now I didn’t think this shift as glaring as that in say Hancock, but its there and brings some awkwardness to the transition, with the Laura Linney breakdown scene veering close to the uncomfortable and seeming as though from another film. I must also point out how the whole ‘Tom Dobbs addressed Congress as George Washington’ scene evokes the wisely cut ‘Henry Fonda Addresses the Convention as Abraham Lincoln’ sequence that got Frank Capra booted off the production of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man. Despite its flaws I found I couldn’t help but like this film, its ironically Capraesque sentiments are well taken and better adapted to the times then many such attempts. I found I particularly liked the idea of Dobb’s little group of friends and associates, they seemed good humored and good natured individuals of honest intent, the kind we oh so wish really constituted the average presidents clique. I only wish more of Williams jokes worked. Three out of Five.

I'm Not There (2007)

Director Todd Hayne’s film is a collage of Bob Dylan. It’s not standard biography, in fact its highly interpretive and fictionalized, but endeavors to capture the essence of the man and his music, or more specifically of the many roles Dylan played in his life, and the many lenses through which he can be interpreted. Marcus Carl Franklin plays Dylan as a young black boy of about eleven who calls himself Woody Guthrie, and even though its 1959 talks as though it’s the depression, this is the artist as Fake. Ben Whishaw is Arthur The Poet. Christian Bale is Jack The Prophet, a one time Greenwich village folk idol who later in life becomes a Pentecostal preacher, we see all this through the lense of an early 1980's documentary with Haynes favorite Julian Moore one of the prominent talking heads. Heath Ledger is Robbie ‘The Electric’ a popular actor with a strained marriage who got his start playing Jack The Prophet in a mid 60's movie. Richard Gere is The Outlaw, literally a middle aged Billy the Kid living on the down low in rural Riddle, Missouri. Finally in the films most famous bit of casting Cate Blanchett is Jude The Ghost, not a spirt but the amorphous Dylan of the middle 60's. A unique tapestry of a film that may have taken me a little while to get used to but which ultimately I enjoyed. The funeral dirge version of ‘Going Down to Aacapulco’ during the Richard Gere sequence is the most powerful moment in the film. Four out of Five.

Sin City (2005)

Based on the comic book series by Frank Miller, Sin City is Robert Rodriguez’s highly stylize owed to Pulp Fiction, both Tarantino and film noir. Multiple stories and characters interlock to varying degrees in a tapestry of artful language and violence. It’s highly refined exploitive trash, throughly addicting stuff. At the beginning of the film the names of the many name performers to be featured there in flash across the screen, you spend the next two hours getting to joyfully watch as they show up, several in the most unexcepted of performances (Elijah Wood as a serial killer?). I just had a ball. 4 ½ out of 5.

Penelope (2006)

Certainly a unique movie, this ‘contemporary fairy tale’ features Cristina Ricci as a women born with a pig noise do to an ancient family curse. Her wealthy family attempts to find for her a fellow blue blood to marry, as that is how they interpret the cryptic cure left by a witch five generations prior. I’m going to spoil this for you now, but marrying the blue blood is not the solution to Penelope’s piggly predicament, instead she just needs to learn to love her self, and later she gets to marry non blue blood James MacAvoy (he’s in everything isn’t he). Reese Witherspoon produced this movie, and appears in a kind of odd bit part. Ultimately however I couldn’t figure out who the intended audience for this film was supposed to be, not to mention that the whole enterprise felt stretched out and all kinds awkward in its translation. Kudos for being something different, only to bad even Ricci’s enduringly played lead performance couldn’t provid sufficient direction to this rather befuddled feeling film. Held back from release for two years! Two out of Five.

The Dark Knight (2008)

I don’t know how to start this review except to say wow, this may be the best film of the year. While Christopher Nolan’s first Batman film, Batman Begins, was certainly an accomplishment, The Dark Knight is a film of an entirely greater caliber. It transcends the superhero genera, surpassing even Spider Man II, which until this morning (July 18th) I held as the most accomplished of comic book inspired films. No as Richard Roeper pointed out The Dark Night is more akin to crime epics such as The Departed or Heat, a gritty ensemble piece, then to mere tights prancing heroics. The cast is uniformly excellent, with the late Heath Ledger's much heralded performance the standout you heard it was, though Aaron Eckhearts never been better as well. The film feels surprisingly real, and plunges into Kubreckian darkness and Coppala worthy moral complexity with aplomb. Here the art film and summer blockbuster have been effectively bridged. I will see this again in the theater. Five out of Five.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

The first Hellboy was a movie that I almost liked, I thought it was interestingly off center and I enjoyed the slower pace of its first half, but thought the second half sold out to uninspired superhero movie conventionality. The second Hellboy I enjoyed, though similar weaknesses lie only slightly beneath its surface. Director Del Terro has an almost unmatched visual sensablity, but as a story teller I kind of find him mediocre. This film seemed more consistent then the original, especially in its pace, and I didn’t even mind the Jeffery Tambour character the way I did in the first one (his characters presence is here less central). The movie sure does contain a lot of setup for Hellboy III. 3 out of 5.

The Break-Up (2006)

I feel ashamed that this movie has proved such a challenge for me to rate. I’ve been going back and forth as to wether or not I actually liked this film, ultimately I must say I did not, though it did surprise me in a couple of ways. The best thing this movie has going for it is of course Vince Vaughn, who salvages large portions of the film from being unbearable, though Jennifer Aniston honestly gives the best performance I’ve ever seen from her, and probably the best of which she is capable. The movie’s gimmick is that these two long time live-ins break up, but continue to attempt to share their expensive Chicago condo for some weeks there afterwards, getting increasingly on each other nerves (wasn’t this recently re-made as What Happens in Vegas?). Sharing the screen is a wide verity of quirky friends and co-workers, some of who work (I really like Vincent D'Onofrio as Vaughn's twitchy brother, I can buy those two as relatives) and others do not (Justin Long, and Judy Davis who is such a capable actress but so often seems to play the same sort of bitchy roles).

As mentioned this is a gimmick comedy and I have a strong desire to dismiss it as such, though the character arc was much better set up then in most films of this sort. There is a point at which both the Aniston and Vaughn characters come to a certain realization about their relationship and suddenly ‘change places’ as it were. While I didn’t fully buy the way this transition was handled, the after effects of the change on the characters were impressively realized, and the resolution violated a cardinal rule of the throw-away romantic comedy, the leads don’t end up together. I was very impressed and surprised by this, I always want to see a movie of this sort take that risk and I have to applaud and acknowledge the film makers for this, however ultimately it was to little to late, and the comedy just not that funny. So 2 1/2 out of 5.

Gigi (1958)

Oscar winning musical is not to be confused with Gigli (2003), the Afflick/Lopez film of much reputed awfulness. This is a pleasant film, its got a bouncy and energy to it the raises it (if only slightly) above the typical musical fair of its time. I found it made an enjoyable source of background noise while I read from The Nation and composed a letter. That is to say there is little to the plot so I was free to multi-task. From what I picked up from the film Gigi (Leslie Caron) is a young women being raised to be some kind of high class call girl, though this is never made overly explicate it seems to be implied. A young diplomat (Louis Jourdan) falls in love with her and surprise, at the end they get engaged. The songs are pretty good though (The Night They Invented Champaign, Thank Heaven for Little Girls) , plus Maurice Chevalier is here as a kind of narrator, and he’s freaking awesome (the cartoon skunk Pepé Le Pew was based on him you know). Three out Five. Delbert Mann’s Separate Tables would have been a better choice for best picture that year.

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

The mystery here is delightfully constructed by Agatha Christie, and boasts an unconventional ending with at least two great surprsies. The procedings are made all the more enjoyable by the all star cast and Albert Finney doubtlessly having a ball as the Belgin detective Hercule Poirot. I loved the mood of this film and that it rejoiced in being an old fashoned murder mystery fit for an evening of 'To host a muder', and in fact its not all that different from the one 'To host a murder' evening I actully participated in. Four 1/2 out of Five. I want to clone Sir. John Gielgud and have him be my butler.

The Sound of Music (1965)

Somehow up until now I have managed to avoid seeing this movie, surely an anomaly for a white bread Mormon boy like me. I was completely taken by this film, it’s a joy and indisputably one of the best musicals ever made. The music of course is good, but it’s the way its sold and packaged that lift this production. Filming on location in Austria as opposed to in a studio like so many musicals, gives the thing a sense of scope and lets it breath, it could surely be filmed in no other way. Andrews is winning, and Plummer surprising, and the children all that they could be, which could be said for this movie in generally. So 5 out 5, just about perfect.

Lions For Lambs (2007)

A rare engaging movie that’s mostly talking. You have professor Robert Redford talking to a promising student about his lack of engagement in the classroom. You have veteran reporter Meryl Streep interviewing rising star Republican Senator Tom Cruse (who does a good job by the way). You also have the story of two minority solders shot down in Afghanistan, to give you a little action and a little more movement. All these stories do tie together in there ways, but mostly its refreshing to hear real issues talked about in a contemporary American film with actors of such high profile. No new ground is broken in the conversations but they’re well thought out and each side is cognitley articulated, the movie mostly lets you make the call. Three and a half out of Five.

Bee Movie (2007)

Jerry Sienfield’s CG kid’s movie is pun heavy but the story is unconventional enough to be amusing. Sienfield is Barry B. Benson a young Bee just out of college who can’t decide which honey related job he wants to do for the rest of his life. Barry ventures outside the hive in search of new experience and perhaps some meaning, where he befriends a florist who saves him from being squashed (Renée Zellweger). The two teach each other about there respective worlds, and when Barry learns that human corporations are exploiting Bee’s for their honey, he sues in court for the return of all the sweet nectar, this of course upsets the balance of nature and Berry must endeavor to set everything straight in the end. Likable. Three out of Five.

Across the Universe (2007)

Conceptually gimmicky musical strings popular songs of The Beatles together to tell a love story populated largely by period stock characters. One has to wait about an hour before getting to the trademark Julie Taymor visuals for which I rented the thing, but there defiantly worth seeing, particularly the Army induction number. Also the songs are better integrated into the narrative then they might have been which helps, and while the cast is sufficiently likable the only stand out is Jim Sturges as Jude. I don’t see why we needed the Prudence character at all. Perhaps the best realized treatment of the operatic overtones of the 1960's, still its dramatic value is limited and I felt I was getting only high school level insights on the era. Two out of Five.

Similarly topical and over-earnest mini-series to avoid: The 60's.

Directed by William Wyler (1986)

Documentary on the life and films of William Wyler, one of the greatest and most honored directors of Hollywood’s golden era. Interestingly Wyler died just three days after completing his interviews for the film. Numerous other talking heads provide keen insight on this most talented filmmaker and his work. Notable among these is Billy Wilder (who makes the funniest remark in the doc) and who mentions that the similarities in the two’s name’s worked to his advantage when he just staring out as a director, apparently it would confuse some people who would then accord the novice the respect and service do the master. Lot’s of good Wyler movie clips and I also learned something I had not known, that Wyler lost about 3/4th’s of his hearing in WWII, and still managed to produce about half his output (including name pictures such as The Best Years of Our Lives and Ben Hur) despite this impairment. This documentary’s enjoyable for those who know the directors work, but its not as well produced as similar doc’s on Wyler’s Liberty Films partners Frank Capra and George Stevens. Three out Five.

Vantage Point (2008)

Vantage Point takes an assassination attempt on the American President and shows us the related events from the perspectives of various participants and witnesses. Thusly we see a lot of the same events repeated from different angles as the film routinely flashes us back after each major (if any event in the film can be called major) revelation, this all becomes kind of frustrating. This 'hook' is basically just a device used to stretch the rather thin plot and give us some supposed character sketches, however none of these are either original or all that interesting. Denis Quaid gets to have one pretty good car chase but that’s really about all this movie has to offer. On par with last years The Sentinel. 1 ½ out of 5.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

This comedy has the simple but true premise that all bio-pics of musical artists are essentially the same, both in overall life story arc (substance abuse, troubled marriages) and the contrivances by which they are presented in film (flash backs, lots of name dropping). The movie does a pretty spot on job of making fun of all that, though honestly the DVD bonus feature ‘The True Story of Dewey Cox’ captures the essence of the whole enterprise as well or better. However upon reflection I find myself liking this movie more and more, it's a wink and a smile on Walk The Line and the music is simply fantastic, I've become espeically fond of 'Black Sheep' in its display of an artist going off the narcissistic self-anaylzing deep end. Mostly I just like it whenever John C. Reilly gets to anchor a picture because it just shouldn’t happen under traditional Hollywood logic, truly he is the Karl Malden of comedy. This film really did make laugh and enertain me throughout, despite being uneven at times and a little crude. So 4 out of 5.

Hancock (2008)

The psycho frantic nature of this film was probably foreshadowed with an oddity of the adverting. I first became aware of the film from a poster featuring a close up shoot of a scruffy Will Smith wearing shads and what I guess is a winter hat, he is almost unrecognizable in this. Then I saw the first trailer, now this sold me on the quirky revisionist conceit of a drunken superhero in need of a P R consultant, plus the paring of Smith and Jason Batemen seemed promising (and in fact they do work quite well together in the movie). However a second trailer reveling the presence of Charlize Theronin the film through me for a loop. Why wasn’t she in any of the other advertising I saw?* Why does this second trailer convey what seems to be such a different, darker movie then the first? Well having now seen the movie (for free courtesy of promotional tickets supplied by Joe and Kami and 96.9 The Eagle) I understand why, this film can’t decide what it wants to be and in turn is two movies.

Now the first movie I liked, it was the movie of the first trailer, it was what I expected and was enjoyable in the way you want a Will Smith movie to be. Then probably a little more then half way through the film there is a surprise twist, one that really caught me unexcepted because I thought they had been building things in another direction. I have to compliment the film makers on sneaking up on me so unexceptedly like that, especially in a popcorn movie such as this, but ultimately once the twist was explained it left me unsatisfied. In addition it introduced a jarring and major tonal shift in the picture from which it never recovered, with the second half feeling rushed and overcrowded, with a villain that seemed almost like an afterthought. In the end what was supposed to be a moving climax felt emotionally and logistically contorted, plus the "physics" of the thing that should have set this up for us never really felt consistent. Lastly when Batemen lets lose that scream towards the end of the picture, it felt like the audiences last remaining link to the first movie had surrendered to the second movie and I had given up on the movie all together. Now major tonal shifts can work in some movies with Sullivans Travels and They Drive By Night being prime if older examples, but that shift simply crashed this movie and I can't recommend it. No not even as summer fodder, and to emphasize this point I give it a lowly Two out of Five.

For another awkward film about a PR consultant see Bruce Willis in The Kid (2000).

* Having now reviewed that origninal trailor you can see Theron, but only briefly and she dosen't speak any dialouge.

Aw, Don S. Davis Died.