Trekkies (1999)

This cheaply done documentary looks at a selection of obsessed Star Trek fans aka Trekkies. I'll say it, as someone who once identified as a trekkie, there is something more then a little sad about these people, though at least their obsession is a largely benign one. Interesting time capsule of Trek fandom during the 1990's, which with three different Star Trek television series in production during that decade, was probably the high point of the trekkie subculture, which of course feed into the larger, and less stigmatized comic con culture of today. **

The Book Theif (2013)

I've said before that we are perhaps more then a little glutted on holocaust dramas, and that may deaden us some to the impact of those horrible events. Ironically I think that The Book Thief, the film adaptation of the 2005 novel of the same name by Markus Zusak, may work because it's not trying to overwhelm us emotionally. It tells the story of Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse) the daughter of a communist woman who is adopted by a middle aged couple in a small German town in 1938. The movie covers her growing up over the course of the second world war and contains a prolonged sequence where the family shelters a young Jewish man named Max Vandenburg (Ben Schnetzer), the son of a solder who saved the life of Liesel's adopted father (Geoffrey Rush, the films best performance) during the first world war. Eventually Max decides to leave his shelter with the Hubermann family for their own protection. After Max leaves Liesel and her father have a conversation about how they sheltered Max for so long, at great risks to themselves, now he's gone, they don't know if he will survive, so what does it all mean then? That moment of existential reflection, on the part of good hearted German gentiles, was the highlight of the film for me, and perhaps justification alone for its existence. This is a reflective film, and refreshing small scale for what is still a World War II epic of sorts. None the less it is more then a bit cliché and safe, though perhaps my biggest complaint is having actress Sophie Neilsse play the same character from around ages 12 - 19, she always looks the same and its distracting. Still the movie has a few moments of restrained poignancy. ***

Winchell (1998)

A great example of the kind of biopics HBO was putting out in the 1990's, Winchell is a broad survey course of the life of lighting rod columnist and influential radio personality Walter Winchell, which like a vigilant teacher is very focused on hitting on the all the main points of interest, if not exploring them very deeply. Held together by the duel performance of  Stanley Tucci as Winchell and Paul Giamatti as Herman Klurfeld, Walter's chief ghostwriter and later biographer (upon whose work this movie is based). The main thesis of the film is that Winchell chief fault was not so much being an asshole, but rather being an asshole who outlived his time, and whose desperation to recapture past relevance did great harm to his legacy. Winchell's an interesting man, one whose influence is still strongly felt today, in fact I can't help but think that he bears some responsibly in making the Donald Trump presidency possible, even though he died in 1972. A good enough movie, but you'd doubtless be better served reading Klurfeld's book, I also recommend watching and listing to clips of Winchell online, or even reading Philip Roth's excellent counterfactual novel The Plot Against America, in which Winchell plays a major part. **1/2

T2 Trainspotting (2017)

My first thought upon learning about the existence of this sequel to director Danny Boyle's breakout 1996 film about heroin addiction, friendship and betrayal on the mean streets of Edinburgh is that, in spite of the original films open ending, a sequel wasn't necessary. Well I was wrong, T2 is not just an excuse to get the boys back together two decades on, but works as the second half of a now complete whole. It shows the consequences of decisions made in the first film, the effects of the passage of times on the characters and the world around them, peoples natural gravity to behavioral consistency, but also their ability to change. Lighter in tone then the first film, this is more enjoyable viewing then the original,  though not as substantive, and a little less of an achievement. Yet it is still quite an achievement, this shows what the recent cinematic propensity to long bleated sequels is capable of achieving. One of the best films of the year so far. ****

Split (2016)

I'd say Split is the best M. Night Shyamalan film I've seen since The Village in 2004, though I also hear good things about his previous film The Visit (2015) which I have not yet seen. In Split one can certainly feel Shyamalan's signature style and mood, though applied to sufficiently different subject matter to impart a renewed sense of freshness. The plot concerns a man with multiple personalities ( a miniature showcase for James McAvoy's talents) who kidnaps three teenage girls from a mall parking lot and holds them in an industrial basement environment for purposes other then what you might at first think. Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, and Jessica Sula play the girls, with Taylor- Joy the lead and standout performance of the three. There is also a converging subplot concerning McAvoy's therapist played by Betty Buckley, very different from her part in The Happening.  Not perfect but still good and intriguing, and there's a pay off at the end that is worth the wait. ***1/2

Get Out (2017)

Get Out is a horror films about a black man (Daniel Kaluuya) who travels to the country with his white girlfriend (Allison Williams) to meet her wealthy parents for the first time, and that's about all the setup I feel I can give it. This race relations themed horror movie is creepy in a way I don't think I've ever encountered before, and that mood is what dominated my thinking throughout the viewing experience, I was just creeped out. However only after leaving the theater did I begin to see what a brilliant black comedy it was, along with being an unusually smart horror offering. A fitting directorial debut for funny man Jordan Peele. Worth seeing in the theater  ****

From Russia With Love (1963)

Well I finally got back on track somewhat with my plan to try and see all of the Bond movies by the end of the year. I'm only on number two chronologically but of the half dozen Bond films I've seen so far (3 Brosnan, 1 Craig, and now 2 Connery) I'd defiantly say From Russia With Love is my favorite. I really like these early Bond films, they are not so gadget centric, Bond's a more believable character then he would become, the pace is not in a hurray, and there is a supporting character who dies in this movie that I actually cared about. The teasers a misdirect and the opening music sequence probably the weakest I've seen, but after that I found it very satisfying. SPECTRE seems like a legitimate threat here, but not near godlike as in the most recent Bond movie. Daniela Bianchi may be my favorite Bond girl. I really look forward to seeing more Connery Bond. Loved this. ****