The Devil's Own - 4 stars out of 10

The Devil's Own - 4 stars out of 10

"The Devil's Own" is a slightly-below-average action film.  The couple of action sequences are pretty cool and Brad Pitt’s Irish accent  is reason enough to watch this film, but the story is just kind of "eh..." and the characters just aren't that likeable, earning a shoulder shrug at the emotional conclusion.  Anyways, back to Pitt's accent.  If you had never seen him in anything else, you would totally believe that he is Irish.  The accent is spot on and this is included in my evidence to prove that he has much more talent than he often gets credit for.  Unfortunately, that's really the end of my compliments for this film.  The characters just don't develop and the story does not inspire any sort of personal support or opposition for the Irish Republican Army.  Realistically, I would only recommend this film to someone who is a huge Brad Pitt fan or who watches so many movies that they've already checked all of the "Great" and "Good" action films off of their list.

Death in Venice (1971) - 4 stars out of 10

Death in Venice (1971) - 4 stars out of 10

I just couldn't get into "Death in Venice."  Maybe I couldn't relate to the main character, or maybe I just couldn’t get over the “creepy factor," but Luchino Viconti's visually stunning film was lost on me.  It wasn't just that the story was weird, but that it moved at a snail's pace.  I understand that this story needs time to simmer so that the main character's obsession can slowly build, but in the end I kept thinking "there was about 15 minutes of actual story during the past 130 minutes."  Visconti‘s scenic shots paint a picture of Italian life and the pairing of this imagery creates a beautiful experience when paired with Mahler’s incredible symphonic music, but in the end I can’t get over the fact that nothing really happens over the course of these 2+ hours.  My favorite imagery is a progression throughout the film, found in the contrast between the bustling beach at the beginning and the nearly empty beach at the end.  The Cholera epidemic is such a cool backdrop, but there are thousands of interesting stories that could have been told in this setting.  For any fans of Gustav Mahler, it is interesting to observe the film's direct parallels to the composer.  This character isn't meant to be Mahler (particularly because Mahler was not a homosexual), but his physical resemblance and first name (“Gustav”) are not a mere coincidence.  Historically, we know that Thomas Mann (author of the original novel) was a huge Mahler fan, sending him a copy of one of his novels after being present at the premiere of Mahler's 8th Symphony.  Mahler had left such a strong impression on the author that his death inspired Mann to include him in his story in this way.  Visconti enhanced this parallel to Mahler by using his 3rd and 5th symphonies extensively in the film score.  "Death in Venice" is like a painting that is filled with beautiful colors that make it difficult to look away but fails to create an emotional attachment.  It was not until watching the not-so-subtle reference to this film in Ken Russell’s 1974 “Mahler” that I realized the impression that the film had made on me.  Perhaps it was just the use of the beautiful “Adagietto” from Mahler’s 5th Symphony, but this reenactment gave me warm fuzzies and a smile as I watched the innocence of this scene develop again.  Maybe there’s something to this film and I’ll get it next time.

Funny Face (1957) - 7 stars out of 10

Funny Face (1957) - 7 stars out of 10

Audrey Hepburn in Paris?  Who could ask for anything more!  (Oops, wrong Gershwin song)  Although the plot is completely different from the original Broadway musical, the Gershwin brothers' music comes to life in this visually appealing love story.  Just thinking about this film sends "He Loves and She Loves" and "S'Wonderful" through my mind.  The writers did a pretty nice job of writing this new story around the songs from the original musical.  George Gershwin is one of my favorite composers and I love "How Long Has This Been Going On," but I must admit that my favorite song from the movie is "Bonjour, Paris!"  Then again, I have constantly Paris fever and this song is a wonderful way to relive the sights of Paris in 5 minutes.  Audrey Hepburn is lovely as always; the only problem with casting her in these “transformative roles” is that she is so charming running around Paris with a ponytail that the transformation doesn’t do much.  Fred Astaire is alright but he is overshadowed by Hepburn and Kay Thompson.  The film has it's moments of cheesiness and disbelief, but that's what makes 1950's musical films so great!  There are better musicals out there, but "Funny Face" will make you smile at Audrey Hepburn's adorable disposition over and over again.

Eye for an Eye (1996) - 6 stars out of 10

Eye for an Eye (1996) - 6 stars out of 10

"Eye for an Eye" was crushed by the critics but I think that it is a quality film.  I wouldn't nominate it for any Oscars but there are aspects of this film that really struck a chord with me.  First, the principle of the film is unique in that we know who committed the crime, the victims know who committed the crime, the cops know who committed the crime, the COURT knows who committed the crime, and yet nothing can be done because of a technicality with the evidence.  Kiefer Sutherland is the perfect choice for this murderer/rapist, portraying a creepy aggression that would make any person uncomfortable.  The script effectively makes him completely despicable, particularly when he seeks out the young girl at her elementary school.  Sally Field has wonderful emotion as this heroine and I still can't understand why the critics did not like this kick-butt (literally) performance.  Emotions are instantly engaged with a traumatic opening sequence and the film continues to toy with them until the very end.  The critics may hate this film but I would definitely watch it again for its intense performances and gripping storyline.

Quartet (2013) - 8 stars out of 10

Quartet (2013) - 8 stars out of 10

"Quartet" is a simple story with great acting and a fantastic musical selection.  Based on a real-life place, the story takes place in a nursing home for retired musicians.  This movie will be funny to the average viewer but hilarious to a musician as many of the stereotypes of the music industry are exaggerated, particularly the egos of the opera singers.  The casting is very smart, filling the screen with actual retired musicians who are heard performing throughout the film.  It is so easy for movies featuring old people to be boring, but "Quartet" takes its cues from "Grumpy Old Men" by delivering the sassy, argumentative old geezers that we love to watch.  Maggie Smith shows that she can still command the screen at age 78.  She slowly reveals her stubbornness to be sadness and regret, while Tom Courtenay and Billy Connolly add support.  Pauline Collins is great as Cecily, portraying senility in a way that creates drama and comic relief at the same time.  Add Michael Gambon as the uptight show producer and it becomes difficult to look away from the screen.  "Quartet" is a quick quality comedy that pokes fun at the music industry until we have to acknowledge its accuracy.

Cool World - 1 star out of 10

Cool World - 1 star out of 10

“Sexy Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (a.k.a. "Cool World") is a mess.  Riding on the coattails of the Disney film, this gritty approach to live-action-meets-animation took a promising idea and destroyed it.  This movie is way too tame to be taken seriously.  In order to succeed, it needed to be a lot more risqué so that the shock value would eliminate the "cartoon" aspect and turn the animation into an artistic device; unfortunately, the nearly pornographic main character was already way too much.  Additionally, the mood is entirely off.  Is this supposed to be a goofy comedy or a serious crime drama?  Every potentially poignant moment is spoiled by some dumb cartoon antic.  The movie is very confused and without any brand-name cartoon characters that we recognize, there is absolutely no draw.  And another thing that has been bothering me: if this entire world was designed by one cartoonist, why are half of the characters sultry women and the other half goofball cartoon animals having anvils dropped on them?  If you told me "Gritty Crime Film in an Animated World," I would be excited to watch, but that description does not line up with "Cool World.  Outside of its conceptional failure, the acting is beyond bad in this film.  It is a definitive low point in Brad Pitt’s career.  Moreover, I’m still trying to figure out how Kim Basinger’s career ever recovered from this.  It only takes 2 minutes out of the cartoon realm to realize that she is about to deliver one of the worst performances in history and needs to turn back into a cartoon immediately.  I usually think that the Golden Raspberries are mean and unnecessary but hers was very, very well-deserved.  I'm pretty sure that watching this film is included in one of Dante's Nine Circle's of Hell.  The only compliment that I can pay to this film is a single moment when the guys sitting around the poker table are transformed into the dogs from C.M. Coolidge’s “Waterloo.”  That moment made me laugh out loud but every other moment of the film is so awful that I didn't have the heart to laugh at it.  "Cool World" is too tame to succeed but raunchy enough that it fails.