I'm Not There: DVD Review (2008)

“I’m Not There”

Last year was a good year for Cate Blanchett even if the movies in which she appeared weren't very good themselves. The first film she lifted was “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” and then came Todd Haynes' bizarre biopic "I'm Not There,” each of which benefited enormously from her Academy Award-nominated performances.   

Here, the actress co-stars as Jude, one of several characters meant to recall a fraction of the personality of the famously complicated musician Bob Dylan. She is an intriguing choice of casting, and the good news is that Blanchett pulls off the gender-bending just as seamlessly as you would expect.

Along with Dylan's music, which is interlaced throughout, Blanchett is the best part of the movie. If you decide to see it, she's the reason to see it. Unfortunately, the trouble with "I'm Not There" is that the movie itself isn't there. None of it adds up. The movie is a gimmicky, frustrating bear that’s a struggle to sit through.

The film's conceit is that it features six actors portraying different sides of Dylan's persona at different points in the musician's life.

Beyond Blanchett, who nails the singer's cagey rhythms, those actors include a very good Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, Ben Whishaw and Marcus Carl Franklin, the latter of whom joins Blanchett in being the most unusual choice to play a version of Dylan since the actor is, after all, 13 years old and black.

While Haynes' intent is obvious--he believes that Dylan is so difficult to peg, several actors, regardless of gender, age or race, could portray him--the follow-through doesn’t work. This fractured jumble of vignettes is so self-aware and dull, you wonder what's the point of Haynes being experimental if his experiment doesn't yield something that's compelling or, at the very least, entertaining. Insight might have been a goal, but there's no insight here. Instead, too much of the movie feels like a strained, artsy con.

Read the full, unedited review here.

Grade: C-

View the trailer here:

Youth Without Youth: DVD, Blu-ray Review (2008)

“Youth Without Youth” DVD, Blu-ray

Leave the movie, take the wine.  

Francis Ford Coppola’s first film in 10 years turns out to be occasionally brilliant and sometimes involving, but mostly so dense and convoluted, it spoils whatever enjoyment might have been had in the process.

Set during World War II, the film is a pretentious grind based on Mircea Eliade’s novella.

It stars Tim Roth as Dominic, an elderly, suicidal linguist electrocuted by lightning who starts to age backwards in a new infusion of youth. For a whole host of bizarre reasons, this causes its share of problems, not the least of which is the involvement of the Third Reich as well as what occurs to the love of his life (Alexandra Maria Lava), who is--you guessed it--struck by another bolt of lightning that ages her.

Tack this onto all sorts of muddled rhetoric about language and consciousness, and what you have is a movie that should be watched after finishing a bottle of one of Coppola’s popular wines.

Rated R. Grade: C-

View the trailer here:

The Great Debaters: DVD Review (2008)

“The Great Debaters”

From Denzel Washington, a movie about finding the courage to raise your voice in the face of great hatred, opposition and fear.  

The film fictionalizes the true story of the all-black Wiley College debate team which, in 1935 Marshall, Texas, did what nobody had done before it.

In the segregated Jim Crow South, where lynching was common, they found power in words and their own voices by debating at mostly white schools. Their coach was Melvin B. Tolson (Washington), the well-known poet, professor and activist who many believed was a Communist.

Washington is very good here, but the young actors portraying Tolson’s gifted students (Nate Parker, Jermaine Williams, Jurnee Smollett and Denzel Whitaker) are remarkable, offering a necessary counterweight to the otherwise formulaic script.

Read the full, unedited review here.

Rated PG-13. Grade: B+

View the trailer here:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: DVD Review (2008)

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”

Cocooned.

Julian Schnabel’s moving, real-life story follows Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Almaric), who, at 43, suffered a massive stroke that left him with something called "locked-in syndrome.”

Though Bauby’s mind returned to full capacity upon waking from the coma induced by the stroke, his body was paralyzed. The only exception was his left eye, which he was able to use, and which became his only tool for communication.

The film is based on Bauby’s own memoir, published days before his 1997 death.

If it’s the fact that Bauby was able to write a book at all that makes the movie such a testament to the human spirit, then it’s his sometimes sarcastic, other times deeply regretful internal monologue that makes the movie so powerfully complex.

Read the full, unedited review here.

Rated PG-13. Grade: A

The Adventures of Mimi: Blu-ray, DVD Review (2008)

“The Adventures of Mimi” Blu-ray

Piercing, but in a good way.

Mariah Carey might have a new CD out in “E=MC2,” but it pales in comparison to her previous album, 2005’s Grammy Award-winning “The Emancipation of Mimi,” which was the focus of her successful 2006 worldwide tour.

Each was responsible for sending the singer back into the orbit she enjoyed during her hey-day in the 1990s.

If this enjoyable concert proves anything, it’s that once Carey finds her groove and connects with her “lambs,” she can be an excellent live performer, particularly when she actually sings melodies instead of huffing and puffing through the chaotic hip-hop jams that never have suited her voice.

Since that’s mostly the case here, “The Adventures of Mimi” soars more often than not.

Grade: B+

Beverly Hills 90210: Fourth Season

“Beverly Hills 90210: Fourth Season”

Takes humanity to new lows via the amusing wrecking ball that is Shannen Doherty's Brenda Walsh. Too bad her off-screen antics led to her being fired from the show at the end of this season.

Still, while she is here, there’s no question that she’s the star.

With high school out of the way and everyone now at college, more turmoil is allowed to boil in Beverly Hills. This is the season, after all, in which one character starts popping pills, others steal away for a secret wedding, and another is accused of date rape.

In between, there’s more gossip to fill a week’s worth of posts at PerezHilton.com, which is just how fans want it. On those terms, this fourth season succeeds.

Grade: B

Bewitched: Complete Sixth Season (2008)

"Bewitched: Complete Sixth Season"

Out with the old, in with the new--Darrin, that is.

With Dick York out, Dick Sergeant took over as Darrin in this sixth season of “Bewitched” and applied the necessary grease to smooth over what was a difficult transition.

For the most part, it worked, likely because this season also saw the distraction of Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) giving birth to their new son, Adam.

The rest is just what you expect--Endora (Agnes Moorehead), Uncle Arthur (Paul Lynde), Dr. Bombay (Bernard Fox), Tabitha (Diane Murphy) and Serena (Montgomery) creating their share of entertaining bombast.

Grade: B+

The Romance Collection: DVD Review (2008)

“The Romance Collection”

From the BBC via A&E, an impressive, 14-disc collection designed to make an Anglophile faint.

The set includes eight films, not the least of which is the heated, 1996 version of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” with Colin Firth as Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth.

Also included are Nigel Hawthorn, Jonathan Pryce, Diana Rigg and Sir Peter Ustinov in 2001’s “Victoria & Albert”; Kate Beckinsale reminding us she can act in 1997’s “Emma”; Ciaran Hinds and Deborah Findlay in 1997’s “Jane Eyre”; and Max Beesley and Samantha Morton in the very good 1998 product of “Tom Jones.”

Hinds appears again in “Ivanhoe”; Richard E. Grant and Elizabeth McGovern star in “The Scarlet Pimpernel”; and challenging “Prejudice” as the best film in the lot is the 2001 production of “Lorna Doon,” with Martin Clunes, Richard Coyle, Aidan Gillen and Amelia Warner.

It doesn’t win, but it comes close.

Grade: A-

The Hottie & the Nottie: DVD Review (2008)

“The Hottie and the Nottie”

What fresh hell is this? Why is Paris Hilton back to haunt another movie? Are people hungry for more of her low-wattage acting onscreen? Can’t they just go and smell one of her perfumes, think nice thoughts about her and call it a day?

That’s probably too many questions to ask, but the reason Hilton has existed so long in pop culture at least deserves some answers. I don’t have any. Maybe you do. This movie sure as hell doesn’t.

In “The Hottie & the Nottie,” Hilton is Christabel, the glam “hottie” of the title who long has been lusted after by Nate (Joel David Moore). When they reconnect in Los Angeles, plain Nate tries to score with Christabel again, only to learn that she won’t hear of having a boyfriend until her ugly girlfriend June (Christine Lakin) has one, too.

What ensues doesn’t feel as if it was directed by a living human being, but by the sleeping pill, Ambien. The movie lulls you into a hypnotic state of gross-out horror, with Hilton’s canned acting front and center.

The only reason this movie isn’t being smacked down with an F is because of Lakin, who movies beyond her warts and monobrow to eventually prove she has some appeal.

Rated PG-13. Grade: D-

Behold the greatness that is Paris Hilton here:

The Golden Compass: DVD, Blu-ray Review (2008)

“The Golden Compass”

Chris Weitz's "The Golden Compass" is undeniably a great-looking movie. A very good Nicole Kidman, for instance, is a golden vision of cinematic perfection, slinking with menace through an otherwise imperfect film stymied by a dense script and a chafe, baited ending that offers more disappointment than satisfaction.

Weitz based his script on the first book in Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, and he used his $180 million budget to create a world that hovers somewhere between the sterility of science fiction and the richness of fantasy. As a result, the movie can be beautiful and harrowing, but too often, also canned and derivative.

In many ways, "Compass" will remind viewers of 2005's "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe," a superior film that grabbed audiences from the start with its well-rounded characters and the seamless incorporation of its special effects, which were among that year's best.

Though "Compass" follows "Narnia" in that it created something of a stir within the restless Catholic League, which condemned the movie for what it views as atheist undertones, it otherwise is nowhere on par with "Narnia."

What's missing isn't just a sense of magic to the production and a clear idea of all the evil working to undo young Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards), who is in possession of the golden compass of the title, an alethiometer used to mine the truth in all things asked of it. What's critically missing is soul, momentum and a lasting element of danger, all of which would have helped "Compass" match "Narnia's" operatic tone.

About the compass of the title. Lyra receives it from her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig, wasted), who instructs her to keep it hidden from Kidman's Mrs. Coulter, a glam tour-de-force who represents the Magisterium (or the Catholic Church--you decide), and who is all about crushing free will in children.

Helping Lyra fight Coulter and the Magisterium is the warrior polar bear Iorek Byrnison (Ian McKellen)--whose battle with Ragnar (Ian McShane) allows the movie its much-needed slice of action--as well as the Gyptians, scores of witches and even Sam Elliott as a gun-toting cowboy. And there’s more--too much more, really--with the movie eventually collapsing beneath the weight of all its unanswered questions.

Grade: C+

Beverly Hills 90210: Fourth Season DVD Review (2008)

“Beverly Hills 90210: Fourth Season”

Takes humanity to new lows via the amusing wrecking ball that is Shannen Doherty's Brenda Walsh.

Too bad her off-screen antics led to her being fired from the show at the end of this season. Still, while she is here, there’s no question that she’s the star.

With high school out of the way and everyone now at college, more turmoil is allowed to boil in Beverly Hills in one overflowing, poisonous froth.

This is the season, after all, in which one character starts popping pills, others steal away for a secret wedding, and another is accused of date rape. In between, there’s more gossip to fill a week’s worth of posts at PerezHilton.com, which is just how fans wanted it.

On those terms, this fourth season succeeds.

Grade: B

Intelligence: Season One DVD Review (2008)

“Intelligence: Season One”

This accomplished Canadian police drama boasts that “information is the most addictive drug of all.”

And the series is determined to prove it, too, in episodes that mainline a combination of sex, crime bosses, sleazy thugs, Russian pole dancers, cocaine-addicted mothers and corrupt officials all creating havoc in the shallow end of Vancouver’s gene pool.

The series’ key players are Ian Tracey’s Jimmy Reardon, a loving father and devoted drug smuggler, and Klea Scott’s ambitious Mary Spalding, who leads Vancouver’s Organized Crime Unit but who longs to be much more than that.

Together, these two join forces in dangerous ways meant to advance their careers, but at what cost? In this case, it’s worth finding out.

Grade: B

The Private Life of a Masterpiece: Complete Seasons 1-5 DVD Review (2008)

“The Private Life of a Masterpiece: Complete Seasons 1-5”

A fascinating series that roams the world to study and explore 20 famous pieces of art, from such Renaissance masterpieces as Piero della Francesca’s “The Resurrection” and Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” to such Impressionist works as Van Gogh’s “The Sunflowers” and Auguste Renoir’s “Dance at the Moulin de la Galette.”

Also in this award-winning set are revealing observations of Edouard Manet’s “Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe,” Whistler’s iconic painting of his mother in the then-controversial “Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist’s Mother,” and Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.”

The value of this collection is evident at the start: In spite of how well known these works are, the art historians assembled to discus them nevertheless manage to build drama through insight, such as when they explore “Michelangelo’s David” or Rodin’s “The Kiss.”

In doing so, “The Private Life of a Masterpiece” neatly skirts the pitfalls of mainstream familiarity to offer the surprise of something new, a fresh angle we might not have considered, and the richness that rests within.

Grade: A

The Shirley Temple Collection, Vol. 6 DVD Review (2008)

“The Shirley Temple Collection, Vol. 6”

Sinking ship.

The set includes three films--the 1936 musical “Stowaway,” in which Temple’s “Ching-Ching” leaves Shanghai to work her magic in keeping Robert Young and Alice Faye together; John Ford’s 1937 movie “Wee Willie Winkie,” a so-so retelling of Rudyard Kipling’s story that finds Temple’s Priscilla Williams fighting the good fight in Colonial India; and 1940’s “Young People,” which was Temple’s final film with Fox.

After making dozens of films with Temple, the studio decided that at the tender age of 12, she was too long in the tooth to play the roles that had made her a star.

And so, for viewers armed with this knowledge, it’s now something of a curiosity to watch Temple launch into the title song’s telling lyrics: “We’re not little babies anymore! We don’t play with dollies on the floor! We know how to act our age! We have passed the infant stage! That’s why we are in a rage! We think children are a bore!”

Poor Shirley. The suits at Fox knew they were finished with her long before they hung her out to dry with this movie and that song.

Grade: C

The Waltons: Complete Seventh Season DVD Review (2008)

“The Waltons: Complete Seventh Season”

Set mostly in Depression-era Virginia, this genial drama follows the Waltons through yet another season of hardships, the most notable of which is the fact that Will Greer (Grandpa) died during the hiatus between seasons six and seven.

Instead of offering a replacement, the show shrewdly begins with Grandpa quite dead and the Waltons grieving his loss.

With Richard Thomas’ John Boy also out of the picture (the actor had moved on), the show is left to grapple with other elements tugging at its plot strings, not the least of which is the bombing of Pearl Harbor, where Curt is stationed.

Troublesome tattoos, bouts of tuberculosis and time spent in sanitariums also spark the drama.

In the end, though, the show remains an acquired taste. It’s little more than an antiseptic balm of family highs and woes.

Grade: C

Charlie Wilson's War: DVD Review (2008)

"Charlie Wilson’s War"

A war movie with winks.

Set in 1980, just after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, Mike Nichols’ film follows Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), the Democratic congressman from Texas who finds himself being urged to help the Afghani people by one Joanna Herring (Julia Roberts), a right-wing Houston socialite whose claim to fame, at least at the time, is that she was the sixth richest person in Texas and Charlie’s part-time lover.

Given those complications, Charlie agrees to her request to supply the Mujahedeen with the guns they need to eliminate the Russians from Afghanistan.

With the help of his assistant Bonnie (Amy Adams) and CIA agent Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman, a fantastic mess), Wilson raised more than $1 billion in secret CIA funding to help shut the Soviets down.

Of course, history tells us that by doing so, Wilson essentially supported those who formed al-Qaida, but what did he know? He was just working for the woman and doing what he believed was right.

In Nichols’ capable hands, he does so in a movie that’s as comfortable dropping bombs at swank cocktail parties as it is in dodging others tossed overseas.

Read the full, unedited review here.

Rated R. Grade: B+

View the trailer below:

Cloverfield: DVD Review (2008)

“Cloverfield”

Shot on a hand-held camera, this frenetic, jittery movie follows characters running for their lives from a towering monster destroying Manhattan as if it were a house of cards.

For those who can stomach the jerky madness that ensues, they might find that the film’s first-person point-of-view actually amplifies the action. For those who can’t, motion sickness and headaches likely will take hold.

The movie begins with a surprise going-away party thrown for popular Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who has just been named vice president for an unnamed company in Japan (birthplace of Godzilla, natch).

But when an explosion rocks Manhattan and the film’s towering, vicious version of Godzilla is unleashed, "Cloverfield" starts to amp up the heat with mounting tension.

A scene that involves hundreds of people caught on the Brooklyn Bridge is the movie at its harrowing best. At its scripted worst, the film’s shaky premise can steal you out of the moment.

Still, since the whole movie is a stretch, it’s best not to look for logic and just go with it. "Cloverfield" offers scenes of gripping terror--and a few nice moments of surprise.

Read the full-length, unedited review here.

Rated PG-13. Grade: B

View the trailer below:

David Attenborough: Wildlife Specials DVD Review (2008)

“David Attenborough: Wildlife Specials”

A terrific collection of six wildlife specials from the BBC, with Sir David Attenborough narrating each with his typical reservoirs of controlled wonderment.

Whether weaving audiences through the ocean deep in ways that raise questions (and awe) about how the filmmakers captured certain shots of the humpback whale in its natural habitat, or laying low with leopards and crocodiles in their own habitats, Attenborough and his team reveal just how little we still know about the wild and its inhabitants.

The photography is crisp, often stunning. After seeing this, for instance, it’s unlikely that viewers ever will look at polar bears or the Arctic the same way again.

Grade: A

Melrose Place: Fourth Season DVD Review (2008)

“Melrose Place: Fourth Season”

Strife! Sex! Postmortem madness!

This fourth season of the popular, long-running series has nothing but ugliness in mind for the glossy residents of Melrose Place--which is just how fans want it, particularly after Kimberly (Marcia Cross) decided to blow up everyone (with mixed success) at the end of the third season.

The show offers just what you want from a nighttime soap opera--backbiting, infighting, greed, recklessness--and it does it well, at least as these things go, with one of the brighter high points being Heather Locklear’s conniving Amanda Woodward.

It's tough to go wrong with Locklear, who rarely disappoints, and it's fun to revisit Cross before she became Bee on "Desperate Housewives” and Kristen Davis before she switched gears and became sweet Charlotte on “Sex and the City.”

As a bonus for those who dig the D-list crowd, this season includes guest appearances by Chuck Woolery, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Priscilla Presley and Loni Anderson.

So, tart yourself up and go slumming.

Grade: B-

One Missed Call: DVD, Blu-ray Review (2008)

“One Missed Call” DVD, Blu-ray

One seriously wrong number.

This bum remake of Takashi Miike’s 2004 Japanese thriller “Chakushin Ari” finds Ed Burns playing detective to Shannyn Sossamon’s Beth, whose friends have the worst sort of cell phone luck--and we’re not talking just dealing with outrageous roaming fees.

In this movie of so many illogical twists and turns, one doomed character wraps up the convoluted plot with street aplomb: “Girl, it’s like you get a voice mail, you hear your death, and then you die."

What you want to text to her is this: “Girl, you and your friends just need to answer your damn phones so we can finish this bust and get on to a better movie.”

But why bother? In spite of countless warnings not to answer, they always do answer, with the film’s predictable rhythms leading to predictably disastrous results.

Rated PG-13. Grade: D