The new home for the information on this page is at this site:

www.mindtools.net/MindFilms/filmhome.shtml

You will be redirected to the above site in 5 seconds.

Post a Message
Help Support this Site: Check our Film and Book Resources!
Films and Popular Culture Main Page

Recently Seen

• Anything Goes. GTA's local production of the 1934 Cole Porter classic. Excellent! One of GTA's best efforts. See it.
• Radio. The Middle Ages had morality plays. We have (occassionally) simple, heart-felt films that accomplish the same thing. This is one of them. Beautiful, touching, without being overly sentimental. Based on a true story. Expert crafting demonstrates many techniques listed in "What Works and What Doesn't" on these pages. Example: when Coach Jones tries to get Radio to rat on one of the boys who played a cruel trick, the Coach says: "you're a better man than I am." Radio's response: simply adjusting the collar on the Coach's coat. This simple gesture captures more than any possible dialogue. One misguided critic said this was just another film demonstrating our need for overly-sentimental stories about racial healing. This film has nothing to do with race -- but it does have a lot to do with healing. Excellent for families. See it.
• Lost in Translation. No. Highly rated. Another mystery as to why critics and audiences are praising this film. Utterly predictable (not in itself a deadly fault), but without flair, imagination, visual impact, poetry, nuance, surprise, tension, drama, complexity, or innovation. See Ebert's review for another opinion.
• Swimming Pool. Reasons to see this film: 1)Seeing a "murder mystery" film that involves no mystery and no murder; 2)Seeing Charlotte Rampling totally naked; 3)Seeing Charlotte Rampling shovel yogurt into her face with a huge spoon; 4)Having yet another opportunity to try to understand the French. Reasons not to see this film: see above list.
• Sunset Boulevard, 1950. Gloria Swanson in the role of a lifetime. Deserves to be number 12 on the AFI list. Perhaps Hollywood's best film about itself. Available at Gainesville Public Library.
• The Quiet American. Release delayed due to 9-11. It was felt that since the film is critical of American involvement in Viet Nam, audiences would reject it. Perplexing. One of the few films in which the protagonist is not punished for a profoundly immoral act. Forget current politics. The fate of the protagonist is a good enough reason to reject it (from the Platonic standpoint). There are very few films that do not attempt to fulfill our expectations of justice for protagonists who commit egregious sins. Other examples: Damage and Crimes and Misdemeanors. Both are better, more disturbing, films.
• Winged Migration. Transporting! (pun) Beautiful. A must-see.
• American Splendor. This film is another exercise in postmodernism. Man decides to make a comic book about his life. Crumb illustrates it. Now a film tells his story, and features the real-life character as well as an actor playing him flitting in and out of the story. Crumb was a better film about a dysfunctional person, but this one has its own merits. Particularly interesting are the sequences with David Letterman, featuring both real and fabricated renditions of his TV show. High on bizarre intrigue but relatively low on entertainment value. Still worth it for film addicts.
• Spy Kids 3-D. Great for families. Much better than the first film in this series. Refreshingly direct in about its spiritual message of forgiveness. Shades of The Wizard of OZ: Playfully asserts that the imagined 3-D realm of video games is more real than the every-day world. All the scenes in which the characters are "lost" inside a video game are 3-D.
• Bend it Like Bekham. Politically correct, totally predicable. Unable to explain the success of this film.
• Open Range. Finely crafted, engrossing story, beautiful cinematography, well-acted. A quieter, gentler Western that replays every character archetype and dramatic situation found in classic Westerns in a new key. Not Fire Creek, Bend of the River, Cimarron, The Big Trail, or any of the all-time greats, but deals with precisely the same American problem: maintaining the rule of law and the values of the hearth necessary for civilization while simultaneously maintaining the values of maximum individual freedom. (This is not the same dilemma, needless to say, that the East perceives as the essential problem of politics. cf. Hegel.) Libertarians will love this film. Nice touches: Cowboys can't get their fingers into tiny tea cups. It is not yet "time" to become civilized. The teacups seem ridiculous and out of place. They are replaced by cowboy mugs. Yet, in his last will and testament, the Cowboy wishes that a tea service be restored. Best use of symbolic foreshadowing: before entering The Town, Cowboys methodically check their weapons. BEST POLITICAL RESONANCE FOR CURRENT FOREIGN POLICY: even women agree that violence is sometimes necessary to overthrow a ruthless dictator. Best parallel to continuing "open range" issues: Microsoft and the establishment vs. free software Linux libertarian democrats. Subtext: does God have any role in the generation of political values and overseeing a justice that supersedes the law?

  Some will find this film overly sentimental. Music is often intrusive and "tells" you how to feel at any particular moment. Well...it is a Touchstone (Disney) production, so what do you expect? Roger Ebert feels the romance story in this film is flawed, even unnecessary. See his perceptive review. But many viewers will disagree. In my opinion, the romance is necessary for there to be the transformation of character that drives the film. See it.

• Whale Rider. Now here is a film worthy of a long essay on problems faced by postmoderism, globalization, and political correctness. Thematic plot structure: the disenfranchised Other needs to return to its cultural roots in order to restore its community. The only problem is that the cultural roots involve a pagan, male-dominated religion that relies on the threat of violence and magical thinking for its effectiveness. Hardly a recipe for a progressive, educated, society that can thrive in the 21st century. No problem. Just correct the flaw of male domination and leave the paganism and magical thinking intact. Then you have a saleable cultural commodity that meets the standard of political correctness. This thematic structure pervades the film -- and unfortunately it is not rescued by much in the way of aesthetic, interpretive, or reflective distance. The political message is loud and clear. Major interest for this theme: last few shots show that globalization and integration, symbolized by a pregnancy, is in the future of this Other. Question: is this credible? All these intellectual (perhaps over-intellectual!) considerations aside, many will find this film rewarding despite its completely predictable outcome. This film does have a heart: the relationship between the heroine and her grandfather rings true and there is a deeply moving scene, involving, of all things, a school award ceremony. Bring your handkerchief. And take notes too.
• Pirates of the Caribbean. Staring Johnny Depp. Promises tongue-in-cheek campy fun with sexy stars in high-action format. Writers Elliot and Russio have Shrek to their credit. Does not deliver on promise. Writers need to go back to school. Illogical plot points and discontinuities ruin what otherwise could have been a fun escape movie. Children will not be able to follow it and will be bored.
• Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. Cartoon. Featuring voice of Brad Pitt and script by John Logan (The Time Machine, 2002). Not seen.
• Finding Nemo. Great family fun. Totally harmless and greatly amusing. Small children can follow the utterly simple plot line. Does not compare to Disney's great art pieces, such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Reason: Computer-generated art has no room for the free-flowing instincts of the visual artist's hand. Everything in pixelated animation is "an object" that can only be manipulated in a finite number of ways. Nearly all the work must be done by script, voice, and plot. Actual artists' animation is to "painting" as computer-generated animation is to "cave painting."

Comment on Cartoons: (This comment "needs work" - may be revised or trashed later.)
Cartoons, as schematic encapsulations of fundamental cultural structures, have little room for the expression of personal vision through plot or character. Films aspire to "art" and require a "vision" (e.g. through screen persona, the play of darkness and shadow, dialectical oppositions of thought and image, etc.) that must nevertheless conform to these same cultural structures. The opportunity for learning, however, need not be better in one genre versus another. And which particular example of entertainment is a "better" experience is not always an easy question to answer. An undergraduate classroom exercise in Aesthetics demonstrates the nature of this question and its importance in understanding cultural norms through art: if asked whether a good episode of The Simpsons is better than a bad production of the opera Carmen, students will nearly always choose the Simpsons. But this is not because (I would assert) students do not understand opera. In such a case, The Simpsons really is a better choice. The search for quality entertainment goes on! -- while the public suffers from various delusions about what forms of entertainment must be good or bad, and confusion abounds about the role of "credible" narratives in a postmodern world.

• The Hours. Available on video/DVD. One of the better "adult" films of 2002, and a favorite of critics. Good. Worth seeing. A great example of how film achieves it effects through the efforts of many artists (not just the director -- see criticisms of the auteur theory on these pages.) In this case, the compelling score by Philip Glas does a great deal of the work. Themes include sanity/madness and interior/exterior views of reality. Best scene: Virginia Wolfe explains how the individual has an ultimate claim to the veracity of a private/interior view of reality. The film suffers, however, from a weakness in one of the key elements in successful narrative structures: the principal characters must be involved in credible human relationships with universal appeal. In this film, concern with abnormal sexual repression substitutes for relationships that would have more universal appeal. This is an approach that may work for some viewers -- thus supporting the view attributed to Virginia Wolfe that perception is all. It fails to convince in my view, but...see for yourself. See What Works and What Doesn't in these pages.
• Hulk. No. Did these reviewers see the same film? Just because it was directed by Ang Lee, some reviewers may feel obliged acknowledge his innovation and "genius." A good example, in my view, of how the Myth of the Auteur Theory contaminates criticism. That said, see Roger Ebert's review for his comments about techniques, particularly the multiframe technique, employed by Ang Lee. I disagree completely that Ang Lee's multiframe technique was "successful," but his use of it may cause others to imitate it nonetheless.
• Adaptation. Available on video. Here's an idea: why don't I just put everything I am considering writing about this film as the comments themselves? Rather than just saying the film is good or bad, worth watching or not, I could turn my comments themselves into the subject of my comments. Of course, in a certain sense, you could say that is what I -- or anybody else -- does with everything they write. No, I better not do that, it would be too self conscious. How about this? I'll just say up front that the film is too clever to be enjoyed in the way say, Lord of the Rings can be enjoyed, and that it is a perfect example of postmodern thought and Brecht's concept of theater of alienation. If the message of film can be said to be structured (in part) by the Stanislovskian/Brechtian dichotomy, this is a film that is out of balance because it is nearly all Brecht. Maybe I should also mention that this is the first film ever in which a fictional screenwriter (who also stars in the film) has been nominated for an academy award? But if I mentioned those things, I think the reaction would be: "So what? Should I see this film or not? Is it a good film?" I suppose that is what most people want to know. Maybe I should say that the entire film is just like the comments you are now reading? No, I guess I should just say that if you are looking for entertainment, this is not the film for you, but if you are a student of film it is a must see.
• Matrix Reloaded. The preposterous "sci-fi" thesis of the original: More energy can be derived from human body heat than is already present in food. So...in defiance of Laws of Thermodynamics: if you put a person into a coma, and "feed" that person intravenously, you can turn the person into a "battery" that produces "energy" in the form of body heat. The story thesis of the original: Neo is Christ. Question: Can RELOADED follow up on the story thesis? Answer: Yes. And it does much more. Forget thermodynamics and sci-fi. This is a must see film! The new theme builds on the old, extending it to include the mystery of creation and the presence of free will in a universe ruled by strict physical causality. Not to be limited by simplistic dichotomies, the new story is an essay in Hegelian metaphysics: it posits that the matrix itself contains the seeds of its own destruction, using the concrete manifestation of the "anomaly" of free will to fulfill its historical destiny. Also forget the claims by the cast that "8 hours of training every day" resulted in the choreographed Kung-Fu sequences. The sequences are so fully balletic in nature and lacking in any sort of plausible threat to "real" bodily injury that they become more like modern dance or visual essays in abstract motion that traditional fight sequences. If anyone spent time "training" for these sequences, they wasted their time, since the line between animation, trick photography, and actual motion is invisible. Although mesmerizing, they are by far the most boring parts of the film. Suspense, intrigue, and discovery occur through the marvelous plot twists and new characters introduced into to the story. Best new character: French Lord of the Underworld. Best new revelation: near the end of the film we discover Neo's power has increased in a stunning new way (similar to the increase in power that occurs for the man/messiah/hero of Dune, the great 1984 sci-fi film by David Lynch and Frank Herbert. Matrix Reloaded is oscar bound. It will set the stage for a new wave of imitators.
• Cats. Commemorative Edition, 1998. Available on Video and DVD. Not for everyone. Problems: Filmed in London on a specially designed set, but with no audience. Sound track does not capture live stage performance. Lip synched throughout. Gives the appearance of a music video. VHS version wants to escape from confines of screen, since it was shot in wide-screen format. Many lyrics unintelligible. Best Features: Outstanding performances by all-star cast. 90-piece orchestra backs up production with superlative sound not equaled in live productions. Remarks: Good old-fashioned transcendentalism tells primeval Christian story of "acceptance of the other." Many scenes are both touching and beautiful. The reason this production has so many both good and bad features stems (I think) from the fundamental problem of film: there is no possibility of it simply "recording" reality. (See excerpt from Thomas Mann, elsewhere in these pages.) Here, the problem was to "record" a stage production without it seeming too much like just a home video on the one hand, or slipping into a carefully composed and edited film on the other hand. A difficult task. For first-time viewers: read the lyrics first (widely available on the Internet).
• Holes. Magic realism, family style. A writer's film. How the present is almost an echo of a past that seems more real and more potent -- and how fate, luck, and personal choices are interwoven into our universe. Best use of cinematic metaphor and visual poetry (see discussion of this elsewhere on these pages): young heroes feel that the universe has become "cool" and everything is right with the world: this is represented by a magnificent image of the desert against the star-light sky. Probably best family fare currently in theaters. Minimal violence; no foul language. Other reviews have complained the story "makes no sense" or is hard to follow. Nonsense. Although young children will not understand everything, everyone can understand the "looking for buried treasure" part. See it. Philosophical footnote: redefines American recipe for happiness as "hard work" in Aristotelian terms: hard work plus luck.
• Manor House. Currently showing on PBS. Step aside Survivor! Undoubtedly the best "reality" show currently available. A group of 12 volunteers occupy an Edwardian Manor for three months, fulfilling every role from maid, to butler, to master of the manor. Remarkably, the entire cast appears to have been born for their roles. A stunning experiment proving that structures can (in part) create personalities. Best Character: the butler. Best insight: the butler discovers the value of truth in a civil society -- and why the Edwardian ideal could not survive.
• Galaxy Quest.. Stars Tim Allen. Available on video -- and much better than most other "family" fare. Great Example of "B" Kid flick with a mind. Themes: Pop culture and values. Faith and cynicism. The power of narratives and the nature of truth in narratives. The Good for film students who want to see how strong values and interesting issues can be interwoven into a script designed for mass consumption. Tim Allen at his best. Maintains light-hearted humor throughout.
• Civilization. Huge series (approx. 13 hours!) produced by BBC. Available at libraries and at Amazon as 5 VHS tapes. Sir Kenneth Clark traces the history of Western Civilization as embodied in its art and architecture. They don't make 'em like this anymore. This series could not be produced in today's cynical, politically-correct environment. Today, histories of the West will invariably begin with a apology for the idea that Western Civilization and Art is worthy of study as a distinct category. Moreover, Clark would be denounced as a pompous intellectual, incapable of understanding or accepting other cultures. These are precisely the reasons you should see this awe-inspiring series! Clark's broad, sweeping vision, coupled with his aphoristic style and confidence, are wonders to behold. Hailed by many reviewers at Amazon as one of the finest art history series ever. Best segments: Hours 11, 12, and 13, take us from Romanticism to approximately 1960.
• PIANO RECITAL: ANTHONY NEWTON..How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, Practice, Practice. On April 23, Internationally and nationally known, Pianist Anthony Newton performed works from 3 different centuries at Brenau University Recital Hall in the Burd Center. A great performance despite the lack of attendance.
• Proposals. GTA's current production, now playing at Gainesville College, April 14-27, 2003. See it. A throughly enjoyable evening of theater. Outstanding performances by both professional and student actors. Wynter Cook, a student at Gainesville college is outstanding in her role as a Clemma Diggins, maid to the Hines family. Best scene: Clemma Diggins gets an unexpected visit from her wayward husband, Lewis (played by to perfection by multi-talented veteran actor Leslie Riley). A sentimental comedy with many hilarious moments propelled by the "son-of-a-mobster" character Vinnie Barasi (played by Derrick Ledbetter). "Convergence" story structure is a standard (story of four couples and their intertwined lives converge in dramatic/thematic resolution).
• The Pianist. See it. Best seen in a theater. It will be out on video soon. Although not a truly great film, undoubtedly one of the best of 2002. Best scene: a Nazi commander discovers The Pianist hiding in a deserted building. The Pianist is ordered to play. The message: Even Nazis can be reminded of their humanity through the power of music. Worth seeing for this scene alone. Compare to one of the greatest classic films on this subject matter:The Shop on Main Street.
• The Dresser. Available on video. 1983 film adaptation of Broadway production. Albert Finney (Tom Jones) stars. The principal effect of this film is that it makes you long to see Albert Finney on stage performing Shakespeare. Finney's voice, intonation, diction, nuance, is astounding. This is a film about the mission (or curse) of actors...their duties, their vision, their hopes, and their inspiration. See it if you love theater, great acting, or Shakespeare. As a film, however, this is another example of what does not work (see my What Works and What Doesn't in these pages). The film lacks an emotional center and has a minimal arc (transformation to knowledge -- see Notes on Aristotle in these pages) because the primary relationship (The Actor and his Dresser) as well as the conflict (will the show go on?) fail to be engaging. For a better adaptation of Shakespeare that comprehends how film can simultaneously tell a story, reflect on the nature of the medium itself, and bring us close both to actors and the characters they represent, see Al Pacino's remarkable Looking for Richard. See search functions on Videos page.
• Middlemarch. Masterpiece Theater production, 1994. Available on video and DVD. These sorts of things are not for everybody, but -- I am tempted to say -- they should be. Middlemarch is one of the greatest novels every written, so no film can do justice to Eliot's penetrating meditation on the meaning of Christianity, but this marathon (three LONG VHS tapes) of precise British film making is a rare gem. Convincing in every respect. Each character seems so alive you almost feel, by the end, that you have known them personally. Greatest moment/finest use of cinematic technique: Subjective Camera as we approach Dorothea at emotional climax of film. If not sure British melodrama is for you, warm up with shorter BBC adaptations of literature (if you can find them) or Remains of the Day (actually better as a film and, quite possibly, Anthony Hopkins finest performance).
• Brenau Dance Ensemble in Concert. March 28, at Hosch Theater, Brenau University.. From classical ballet to tap to experimental. A beautiful evening of dance. Something for everybody. Jolie Long's haunting and beautiful "Window to a Woman's Soul" showed how expressive contemporary dance can be. Ingenious dances featured music from Philip Glas, Arvo Part, Sting, Indigo Spirit, and Peter Gabriel (music from Last Temptation of Christ).
• Heading West: Voices of the American Frontier. Current production of Gainesville Theater Alliance, now touring area high schools. An excellent educational production. About 45 minutes, this is a dramatization of real events, as chronicled in the journals of settlers who traversed America's plains across the Oregon trail. Refers to the spirit of adventure and hope that made this country great, but also vividly demonstrates the closeness of death that was part of American life on the frontier. Several touching and effective dramatic moments: a pregnant woman's husband dies; a small child dies and is buried near a tree that later bears an emblem of his life. Presentation would have benefited from historical introduction and mention of the fact that everything was based on real events. Your kids are seeing this for free. Be appreciative of it. [Note: GTA will perform Heading West and Dragon Flights at 7:00 PM Saturday, March 29, in Pearce Auditorium at Brenau University. Free and open to the public. Limited seating.]
• Blood on the Sun. Rare, but may be available on video through mass marketers or through libraries. 1945 propaganda film featuring James Cagney as a reporter who uncovers Japan's design for world conquest before Pearl Harbor. Japanese characters are so "evil" and cartoon-like they are unintentionally funny, but Cagney, Sylvia Sidney, and other cast are excellent, and plot is actually complex and intriguing enough to be entertaining. Probably only worth seeing for students of propaganda films and die-hard Cagney fans. However, one scene redeems all: Cagney is asked by his Japanese enemy "You have a saying in your country...forgive your enemies, no?" Cagney's response: "Yeah, but first get even."
• Gods and Generals. Jaw dropping. Astounding. If you manage to sit through this film, you will learn: a) that Black slaves really loved their masters; b) that the South enjoyed the highest state of refinement and culture imaginable, which was recklessly and shamefully destroyed by the unthinking North; c) that Slavery really had nothing to do with the Civil War -- it was all about the pig-headed North trying to invade the South with an army of 70,000 in order to force them to accept the supremacy of the Federal, rather than state governments; d) that Stone Wall Jackson was a Saint; e)that Southern generals really enjoyed lip-synched sing-alongs with Engelbert Humperdincks of the 1860s. See it if you would like to be enlightened these topics -- and many more relating to the Southern perspective of the Civil War. O.K., I'm exaggerating -- a little. The film does tell you something about the Civil War, but much of it is preposterous. Important Note: Civil War buffs WILL admire this film despite (because?) of this perspective. And, the film does raise the important, current (!) issue of how religious convictions enter into wars (certainly a factor in the U.S./Iraq war). Just as other "historical" films (Pavilion of Women, see below), this film attempts to demonstrate the Postmodern thesis that there is no such thing as an unbiased depiction of history -- therefore, tell it from your view and let truth and balance take care of itself. The second film (actually completed first, and now available on DVD) in the proposed saga of three films, Gettysburg, was done by the same crew. It is excellent. By attending to the Northern perspective, it restores some balance. Some scenes in it are among the most inspiring I have seen in a war film.
• Time Changer. Limited theater engagements (see www.timechangermovie.com for locations). Christian fundamentalist film, but that does not mean only fundamentalists will appreciate or understand it. Very clever script, excellent production values, and extremely well-acted. Story: a professor at a small bible college in 1890 is transported to the year 2000. You can imagine his reaction to our promiscuous, secular society. Favorite lines: "Secular entertainment is Satan's greatest triumph." "I think we just missed the Rapture." Favorite scene: expression on hero's face when he discovers how to use the TV in his hotel room -- then understands what "secular entertainment" really is. Film's critical view of contemporary mores never strays from perspective of extreme Christian Right -- but, surprisingly, nothing escapes this critical understanding, not even established, present-day Christianity as practiced in thousands of churches across the country. A "sermon" delivered to an archetype of today's complacent congregations is a stunning, beautiful, and revealing cinema verite production in itself. Film students might find this scene alone worth the price of admission. Fundamentals of Metaphysical Morality: this film correctly states the dilemma of our Post Modern age: without God, as Dostoevsky said, anything is possible. (Secular version: without the center, as Yates observed, civilization crumbles.) It is the "solution" presented by the film that most viewers will find unacceptable for life in a free, democratic society. For another film inspired by Christianity, see The Rapture.
• Catch Me If You Can. See it. Certainly among the top 10 of 2002. Not a chase/adventure film for young adults. Another frame story (see examples below). Spielberg continues to mature, delicately weaving a romantic, sentimental, and ultimately sad theme of the deterioration of what were once known as "family values." Compare to Quiz Show for a related critique of moral deterioration. Unobtrusive cinematography. Scene stealer: Martin Sheen as father-in-law to be. A must-see scene. Often humorous and self-aware: e.g., Kitch opening recalls cheap 60s spy thrillers.
• Pavilion of Women. Available on video. Add-on ending makes this film one of the best examples of offensive apologetics for the communist revolution in China. Historical/psychological thesis: the old Mandarin/Confucian order encouraged sick forms of promiscuous sexuality (true), and Communism -- miraculously compatible with Christian virtues in this absurd propaganda film -- is the cure. Despite this, there is a central love story that actually has emotional impact and is somewhat daring (from the point of view of conservative Marxist sexual "theory"): wife of a Chinese nobleman falls in love with a Catholic Priest. Subplot: nobleman's son realizes his father's failings, joins the Communist party, and falls in love with his father's second wife. Although Willem Dafoe walks through his role, the central story of love, transgression, and redemption (based on a novel by Pearl Buck) is quite good. Bad dubbing, but a film worth watching for Foreign film lovers and for students of the uses and abuses of propaganda in the history of Films and Communism.
• Italian for Beginners. Available on DVD. Sensitive, intimate, moving, and quietly beautiful. Shades of Babbette's Feast. Three levels of love explored through character archetypes living in small Danish village. Abandonment, death, mature love, and Christianity explored in context of touching story of three couples who find each other through community-sponsored lessons in Italian. Best scene: hair dresser's tears fall like gentle rain on face of abandoned, angry man. Poses and answers philosophical and religious question: is God an abstraction or is God a living presence? See it.
• Jackie Mason Comedy Trilogy. Available on DVD. Documentary of Mason's life with added special features. Includes Mason's address to Oxford University. Terrific example of classic standup comedy. Most humor relatively clean and suitable for young adults.
• Brotherhood of the Wolf. Available on DVD. A hoot, with a underlying theme of reason vs. superstition and the church in French history. Best line: "Is this really the age of reason?" Opening scene is a must-see for preposterous tongue-in-cheek anachronism: Kung Fu as practiced in 17th Century France. Interview with director shows film was made with a mixture of fun and intellectual pretense, but also shows disregard for the intelligence of audience and need for plot continuity. So very French! Horror fans and students of film history will like this film. Not for children.
<\a>
• Lord of the Rings II: The Two Towers. Spectacular, full of life and poetry. Best film experience of the year. Exhausting (more than 3 hours, with trailers) and thrilling. As Professor L. says: "I feel like I killed 90 Orcs myself." Do not go if you are not familiar with the story. Historical/Cultural resonance: Tolkien turned his life experiences (in the trenches during WW I) and religious convictions about the nature of evil into a master narrative about its intractability in human nature. Would Tolkien have been surprised by Sept. 11? Not at all. Rings has been repeated over and over, from Hitler, Stalin, and their minions to Bin Laden's brainwashed homicide bombers. In our present historical context, it is perfectly rational to see one facet of the crystal of Rings as a retelling of the defence Eastern Europe made against Islam for nearly 500 years -- for which it received no thanks from the rest of the civilized world. But that is not what the film is about; it is, rather, the allure and power of evil and how to defend against it. As one radio commentator recently pointed out, the fact that it deals directly with this theme is the reason for its popularity. Most interesting character: Gollum. Best Scene: Theodin's transformation. Some scenes are very quiet, dream-like and meditative, so go to the best (largest and quietest) theater you can find. See my video order page for quick order info for this title and more film lists.
• Chicago. Moulin Rouge for 2002, film noir version. Best Scenes: Dancer and viewers lost in a dream of death as hanging commences. Lawyer tosses a cross over his shoulder as he sings "Razzle Dazzle." Music fans will love the jazz score by Danny Elfman (music for original Batman).
• Gangs of New York. See it. Almost a certain Oscar for Daniel Day-Lewis, whose stunning character drives the film. Every bit derivative of techniques developed by Shakespeare: historical fact and fiction interwoven in the backdrop of crucial national events (Civil War in this case). But by far the most moving and important message is delivered at the very end of the film: a beautiful visual/aural poem to the spirit of New York and America. As graves turn to ashes, the city moves through time from 1862 to the present. This CONTINUES THROUGH THE CREDITS in their entirety, as music vanishes and is replaced with contemporary street sounds of New York.
• Harry Potter 2. Sigmund Freud would love this film. Girl's bathroom is psychic center, where boys and young girls (one dead, one living) hatch plot. Toilet is a key fixture in opening to another world, featuring something that is....well, enough said. Adults might be caught up in story, but will enjoy multiple themes: anti-racist, pro-60s, honor and respect for (some) elders, fantasy life of children, etc. Not Lord of the Rings, but Rowling's characters are profound archetypes and her story line complex. Child actors bring their "art" to near new lows, but the film, thankfully, is not about them. Too complicated for very young children and way too long (2:41). OK for students of film/story structure, as understood in these pages. See it, as long as you know what you are getting into.
• Mulholland Drive. Momento meets The Sixth Sense. Thanks to a good friend of mine, I was able to see this overlooked gem of 2001! David Lynch fans must see this. Existential mystery/suspense borrows many themes form other movies, including The Player (perhaps a better film -- but not David Lynch!). Lynch's tribute to the sinister underbelly of Hollywood. Best scene: meeting of Hollywood producers, lawyers and director. Priceless. "Flaw:" Lynch's story cannot be emotionally compelling to most viewers because while the fundamental human relationship is utilizes as story vehicle is universal, its embodiment is not. See it.
• The Man Who Cried. Available on video. A study in pathos. Terrific Operatic score. For students of film and adults. Subdued, intelligent performances by Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci.
• Jezabel. The IMDB review tag line for this film is "a watered down version of Gone With the Wind." Don't believe it. Filmed in black and white, directed by William Wyler, and some say this is Bette Davis's finest performance. Co-star is Henry Fonda, with that brooding "Abraham Lincoln" look. A stellar film, by any measure. Has it all: poetic dialog (borrows phrases from the Bible), visual poetry (darkness and light reflect, powerful themes (pride, lust, sexuality, commitment to country, history of race relations in this country), complex plot. (See What Works and What Doesn't in these pages.)
• Monsoon Wedding. See it. Surely, one of the best from the extremely lean pickin's in popular cinema for 2002. Shakespeare would love this plot. Postmodern mix of cultures, accentuated by cascading mix of English and Bengali (?), brings both happiness and moral and emotional conflict to arranged marriage. Many beautiful, poignant scenes capture essence of family life. Terrific sound track features traditional Indian folk songs and contemporary Indian dance music. Unexpected moment creeps into texture of film like the sudden onslaught of the monsoon season itself. A metaphysical/moral meditation on the transience of life/love/happiness and the often sudden, impetuous decisions that can make the difference. Structural note: nearly every character makes an important decision in this film. Many moments show masterful use of dialogue. First scene sets up subtext of East/West cultural conflict within India.
• Heavenly Creatures. Do not waste your time with this film. Despite some critical acclaim and even (apparently) the interest by some philosophers in this film (it is a topic in a journal on philosophy and film) the only reason to see this film would be for film students to be reminded about basic principles of story telling. This film has nothing to say. It is, like Pollack, another example of why films based on fact about deranged people lack interest. What is lacking in these stories? There is NO MORAL ANTAGONIST. What happens is entirely driven by something that is essentially inexplicable (disease, psychosis), rather than moral choice. Such stories lack interest because they fail to present a protagonist that can reasonably be expected to be SIMILAR ENOUGH TO THE VIEWER that they can serve as a vehicle for both EMOTIONAL catharsis and COGNITIVE revelation.
• My Big Fat Greek Wedding. What is amazing about this film is that it exists. The popularity of this film deserves a long essay (perhaps even a book) on popular culture. When I went to see it the theater was packed -- with FAMILIES. This must be the only safe "family film" in America. Here is the Bible Belt what other choice is there? See it if you are interested in why and how media continues to promote an ideology about ethnic identity and the definition of terms like "family" and "religion." If it were about virtually any other ethnic group, I suspect that this film would be greeted with howls of protest (stereotyping an ethnic group, etc.). However, it is worth noting that a great many people (Greek extraction included) apparently do not find the film offensive at all. For the huge range of reactions, go to www.IMDB.com and check out user comments on this film. I confess it is a mystery to me why this film is a popular as it is.
• Mildred Pierce (1945). Joan Crawford, directed by Michael Curtiz, music by Max Steiner. How can you go wrong? Beautiful, classic, film noir. A must-see for fans of this genre. Readily available for rent or purchase.
• Mystery Science Fiction Theater 3000 - The Pod People. A MUST SEE FOR ALL 3000 FANS. A preposterously bad film. A shameless rip-off of E.T. (released the year before this monument to bad film making), this film is truly worthy of relentless mockery. Features the original cast of 3000 in rare form with some of their funniest lines ever. Available at Blockbuster on Video. (You can do a lot worse with your money at Blockbuster).
• All Quiet on the Western Front. Available on video. Academy Award for Best Picture of 1930 is a must-see for all students of film. Makes contemporary anti-war films pale by comparison. Excellent use of intrashot montage (in this case, views through windows to scenes beyond), suggestion, montage sequences -- and many other techniques still present in best films today. Best scenes: nationalist speech clears the class room while soldiers march in huge windows to the outside; "tale of the boots" (montage sequence); hero's conversation with a dead man in a shell crater. Directed by Lewis Milestone, whose filmography is one of the most enviable in the history of cinema and includes many other Academy Award winners. Sound quality is defective in parts; look for restored version of print.
• Gosford Park. Available on video. Excellent. Combines spoof of classic who done it with powerful critique of British social class system.
• K-19: The Widow Maker. More complex, morally, than The Road to Perdition. Another example (see Hurricane, below) of a script "inspired" by actual events. More importantly, the film is a parable of the entire Cold War: America "watches" (photographs) the Soviet Union while it crumbles from an uncontained nuclear reaction that eventually causes "contamination" (new values) to "poison" the captain and crew. The "poisonous" new ideas transform the crew from obedient slaves to willing, patriotic, volunteers for hazardous duties. This is the central level at which the film works, leaving correspondence to actual events as a minor side issue. The script includes: tension between the two captains of K-19, a man jumping ship (literally), a mutiny, American involvement, religious imagery in a significant sub-plot about cowardice and redemption, and a stirring a-political, very AMERICAN/UNIVERSAL, ENDING. None of these story elements are part of the actual events. See National Geographic's site for details of actual events. Anyone who grew up in Eastern Europe should see this film. It should do well internationally -- despite Soviet protestations that the film has nothing to do with the actual events -- because it depends upon Cold War nationalism for its dramatic effect (beautifully supported by a stirring musical score that includes performances by a Russian orchestra). In addition to Cold War themes, the film deals with deep and abiding moral issues, among them:
  What is the price of unbridled nationalism?
  What are our (Kantian) duties?
  When should loyalty to a crew or a mission be abandoned in order to save lives? BEST SCENES: (1) crew witnesses propaganda film about American injustice; (2)the captains give the crew a choice, rather than ordering them; (3)reunion of captains and crew after the fall of communism.
• The Road to Perdition. Certain to win multiple Academy Awards. Unparalleled acting, beautifully filmed, with meticulous detail. Good example of classic "frame story" in which outcome and of story and eventual fate of all principal characters is known from the beginning.
• Minority Report. Spielberg seems to think this is better than AI. As his confidence grows, he is willing to take chances. Part murder mystery, part sci-fi, part cloying sentimentality on a classic metaphysical theme: if events the universe is entirely determined by immutable physical laws, are not all human actions/choices equally determined? At one point our hero, rolls a ball down a ramp -- exactly as Galileo did to prove the law of equal acceleration for all physical bodies -- as a demonstration of what is meant by predestination of events. The hero's foil (who holds a partially opposing* metaphysical view, that human knowledge and is finite and fallible) is an ex-seminarian no less. If you had any doubts, Spielberg packs his anti-technological message into the last image. High in entertainment value, fast action, and great plot twist, for those who enjoy that sort of thing.
  NOTE: * To hold a completely opposing view, he would have to add that free choice is a "given." This character does not seem to emphasize this view much, though others in the film do. There are some other interesting philosophic themes in the film too, such as "what constitutes the nature of proof in a scientific hypothesis?"
• Shipping News. Used to be a "rule" that when skilled directors got assignments by the studios to do popular fluff that they really were not interested in, they would put all their effort into the first 5 or 10 minutes of the film, then walk through the motions for the rest of it. Visually, at any rate, this one fits that mold. The first few minutes, until the hero's first wife dies is great! After that, we know exactly where the film is going....which is why (among other reasons) that I stopped watching after less than half the film...
• It Happened One Night. 1933 classic has it all, including VISUAL POETRY: moonlight caresses the body of a young girl in love. See WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T on these pages.
• Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones. The best one of the entire series since Episode IV. See it (but see note below). Interesting characters, action, complex plot, political intrigue, fantastic landscape of an alternate reality -- what more can you ask for? Well, OK -- it's not The Man Who Wasn't There, but for popular narrative that capitalizes on eternal themes of love, revenge, lust for power, and the conflict between good and evil, it will be difficult to beat this year. Other reviewers have found it less appealing, citing such factors as unconvincing love interest, more mindless light saber action, abandonment of the camp/tongue-in-cheek tonality of Episode IV, and so on. See for example, Daniel Baig's thoughtful (but overlong) review concerning characters and bad acting at countingdown.com (reports that acting is so bad and scenes so unconvincing that they cause audiences to guffaw). For what must be the most absurd opinions about this film see the Detroit News article on "racism" in the film. There are some very weak scenes, but the principal weakness is the muddled political plot line, which makes some motivations unclear. To be fair, however, judgment on this issue should be suspended until Episode III is released, when all will be revealed. In the meantime, this episode makes clearer than ever that just as in Paradise Lost, the most interesting character of the entire series is the one in whom the conflict between good and evil is most manifest: Anakin/Darth Vader. NOTE: to fix the plot line problem, educate yourself on the background of the political situation by visiting www.starwars.com.
• Hollywood Ending. What's up with Woody Allen? Is this the same person who gave us Sweet and Low Down and Deconstructing Harry? See this and explain Woody Allen to me.
• Pollack. For art students only. Others will find nothing but a senseless poitrail of a man who senselessly destroyed himself. Willing suspension of disbelief relies on the (in my view, false) suppositions that (1)the world of 20th century art and art criticism is not a sham; and (2)great artists are actually psychotics.
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Disney Animation. Available on video. Animation as it should be. Beautiful. Just as in The Little Mermaid, the original ending of this tale (the literary ending) is altered to conform to expectations of formula. (If either of these animations remained true to the text, children could not watch them.) Taps into powerful imagery of psycho-sexual unconscious, just as in all Disney's greatest animations.
• Antigone. Greek Production, 1961, B/W, in Greek with English subtitles. Beautifully filmed. Combines feeling of immediacy in time and place with abstract qualities of theater. Available on video.
• Gattaca. Considered by some to be one of the best SciFi films -- in a league with Blade Runner. I don't see how it can be considered in the same league at all. Another film for Ethics 101. See if you have time and simply must see science fiction films. Available on video.
• Spider Man.The Comics Code comes to life. Read about the old Hays Code (Motion Picture Code of 1930) elsewhere on these pages. The subsequent Comic Book Code was based on this. Hence, two of the dicta of comics: evil shall never prevail; power shall not be used irresponsibly. High point: our hero confesses his love though a speech intended to disguise (thinly) both his feelings and identity. One of the best descriptions the conflicting feelings of adolescent love in any film (not necessarily one of the best depictions).
• Hurricane. A study piece for film students. Topic: Does Hollywood have a moral agenda? Procedure: Watch the film. Note your reactions. Then research the Carter case. Surprised? To what extent is it incumbent upon Hollywood to deal with the nuances of stories based on fact and marketed as "factual"? Despite Denzel Washington's performance, probably not a film you would want to see other than for study purposes. Would have made a much better film if it had been true to every side of the case -- but then it would be a thought piece rather than a formula piece.
• Changing Lanes. Light fare. Possible dark/disturbing/interesting ending spoiled by politically correct formula. May be useful, however, as a first assignment in Ethics 101: Utilitarianism vs. Kantianism. The film can work on the abstract level (where character and theory conflict matter, and race and social position do not). There is one extremely funny, thematically poignant, scene in which a young lawyer describes his vision of the purpose of the law (to avoid chaos of the type pervading the film). However, you should put these entries in your Notebook of Political Correctness: 1. Tiger Woods is not "black." 2. Liberal causes are probably not helped by showing a black person beating up white people after he engages in racial insults. 3. Liberal causes are probably not helped by showing rich white people "bail out" everyone else -- rather, this exacerbates problems by perpetuating narratives of dependency.
• Death to Smoochie. Dark vision, warm heart. Very funny in parts. Normal people tend to hate Barney the Dinosaur. This movie tells you why. Remember Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman)? Scene stealer: Michael Rispoli (Sopranos) turns in captivating performance as punch-drunk boxer. Politically-appropriate moral message pits need for retribution against forgiveness and understanding with interesting results. Not a must see, but an enjoyable one. Worth it.
• Dancer in the Dark. Available on video. Odd, but also strangely compelling. Worth a look. Takes "making a musical" in which "nothing bad ever happens" to a whole new planet. May be interpreted as a stinging indictment of the health care system in this country -- if not the entire "American" way of life, where money counts for everything, the death penalty thrives, anti-communism is a religion, and mutual care is virtually non-existent. But then, the writer is not an American...so what does he know about the American way of life? Might belong in my Films and Communism list, since it seems to be so actively pro-communist or pro-European. Here is what the IMDB says about the writer: "With Dancer in the Dark (2000), Lars von Trier made a melodrama about an east European woman, who sacrifices everything, literally, to save her son from getting the same eye-illness as she herself suffers from, and thereby going blind. The film was one of the first motion pictures in the world to be filmed with entirely digital equipment. Icelandic singer-superstar Björk, who also made all the music, starred as Selma, the principal character. Dancer in the Dark won the 2000 Palm D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival."
• Fight Club. Available on video. Excellent. Works on multiple levels. Postmodernism/alienation/male identity/personal identity/fanaticism/violence. Even touches of Zen and the possibility of redemption. Last scene could never have been made after 9/11.
• Vanilla Sky. Surprisingly good. Cartesian/Freudian. Additional comments about this and similar films elsewhere on these pages. See it.
• The Man Who Wasn't There. The Stranger meets Barton Fink. The Cohen brothers strike again with their special brand of grotesque existential genius. Visual poetry combines with a stunning script to create a deeply disturbing mood. The jail scene, in which a lawyer explains the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, is bound to regarded as a classic moment in film history. See it.
• 
  

  Home Page
  Introduction	Mental Images	General Philosophy	Universalism