Cowboys & Aliens - Another Summer Hit?

I think not so much.  In the words of my daughter, I liked this movie....medium.  It had its moments but I found myself checking my phone, watching the people getting up to get food and wishing I could help the little girl looking for her sweater in the row behind me.

"Cowboys & Aliens" directed by Jon Favreau ("Elf" "Iron Man") and starring Daniel Craig ("Road To Perdition" "Casino Royale"), Harrison Ford (everyone knows his movies) and Olivia Wilde ("House" "Tron" "The Next Three Days").  Paul Dano (the angsty brother from "Little Miss Sunshine" and the young preacher from "There Will Be Blood") has a small role that, in another film, could have seemed brilliant.  Instead, stuck here in this film, it is wasted.  As are Sam Rockwell ("Frost/Nixon" "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind") and the young boy, Noah Ringer.  There's even a dog who brings more life to the film than the main characters.  The aliens are fun and the juxtaposition between the wild west and the ultra-modern spacecraft was inspired.  However, this film comes across as confused as to what it is.  My feeling is that they should have either played it as complete camp or played it straight.

My recommendation is to wait to watch it at home - even with the spaceships and explosions.  A semi-large screen is good enough for this film.  It is probably better in fact.  No regrets over your $10.

"Tree of Life" - A Trippy Experience

This film is very hard to review.  It was like nothing I have ever seen before.  When I sat down to watch, I was under the impression that this was a film about life, death and our concepts of the ever-after.  I also assumed that these ideas would be presented like they are in most films, through dialogue and the storyline.  Well, it was...kind of.  However, the ideas were also presented in the form of poetry read over images of water, space, constellations, cells, and all sorts of other things that I believe represent the universe as a whole.  "Tree of Life" was written and directed by Terence Malick ("Badlands" "Days of Heaven" "The Thin Red Line") and stars Brad Pitt ("Babel" "Inglorious Basterds"), Jessica Chastain ("Jolene" "Stolen"), Sean Penn ("Mystic River" "Milk") who gets second billing even though he is literally in about 10 minutes of the 2 and half hours of film, and young Hunter McCracken making an incredible film debut.  One synopsis I read of the film is this:  "The story centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence."  He also witnesses verbal abuse and paternal rejection.  The film opens with what appears to me to be a funeral for the middle son who has died in combat at the age of 19.  Now, do not quote me on that.  He has definitely died but the way in which he died is only inferred by the telegram that his mother receives.  Jessica Chastain as the mother who has to deal with the death of her child is luminous in her grief.  It pours out of her and seems to make her glow with sorrow and pain.  The film then goes to Sean Pean, the older brother, but it is many years later and he is working in a high rise but is clearly still deeply affected by the death of his brother.  From there we spend the next 30 minutes or so viewing the images I described earlier interspersed with various readings and thoughts from Jessica Chastain.  I have to say I was becoming bored after about 20 minutes but it finally ended and then the real story of this 50's family was presented.  And boy, was it worth waiting for.  The images of the mid-West in the 50's are still etched in my mind.  Terence Malick captures a family in crisis beautifully by setting a mood that is lonely, stark and almost scary.  There is too much structure and precision expected from the father (as played by Brad Pitt in another fine performance) and not enough from the mother (played by the beautiful and moving Jessica Chastain.)  There are wonderful scenes of the boys at play and the birth of each child is perfectly rendered.  The first born is cherished and adored, the second is also cherished but it is much harder as now there are two children to contend with and all the jealousy that develops in the first child.  The third boy is almost over-looked when he is presented to the family, as if he is an afterthought.  From there, as they grow, their predicaments and roles within the family become clear.  


This is a beautifully filmed story and is well worth the price of admission.  However, I am still unclear as to what Terence Malick was actually trying to say but I would venture to say that he was trying to say many things and those things are going to have different meanings for each viewer.  Please comment back if you have seen this film.  I am very interested in hearing your thoughts.  

"Super 8" - A Great Summer Film

Summer is always the best time for action films and this summer is no exception.  So far we have had "Green Lantern" "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" "Thor" and "Super 8."  I have to admit that I have not seen the first three films on that list but I did see "Super 8."  Twice, in fact.  This is the kind of film that encompasses everything: mystery, humor, family, friendship, an amazing train wreck, aliens, young love, and redemption.  It also features some of the best special effects I have seen all year and the best dialogue. "Super 8" was written and directed by J.J. Abrams (the brilliant executive producer of "Alias" "Lost" "Fringe"), and was co-produced by Steven Spielberg.  The story is a basic one.  A group of young teenagers are spending their summer vacation making a zombie film and they unwittingly film a train wreck that involves aliens and a military cover-up.  The kids are pulled into many dangerous situations, along with their respective parents, but in the end, they triumph.  I'm not giving anything away here.  Most alien films end like that but it's the journey to that triumph that is the joy in viewing these films.  The young actors (Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee and Gabriel Basso) who play the teenagers are revelatory.  They play each part exactly as they should and with such ease you feel as if you know them.  You will find yourself rooting for them and just waiting for the next scene to see how they play it.  Elle Fanning is the lone girl in the group and she is also wonderful.  The best part is she actually looks like a 14 year old girl.  That is so refreshing.  Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor from one of the best shows to ever be on television, "Friday Night Lights") is perfect as one of the boy's father and the Sheriff's deputy who has to take over during the crisis when the Sheriff is killed in a very dramatic way.  Ron Eldard ("ER" "Men Behaving Badly") is the other father who features prominently and he is also very good.  

"Super 8" is the perfect summer film - it's fun, it's exciting, it's well-acted and well-written.  I highly recommend it for the entire family.  ***Be sure to stay for the credits - there's a surprise!***

Another Forgotten Actress - Ann Harding

Ann Harding 1901-1981

Take a close look at that face.  Within those eyes, there is an intelligence and a warmth that comes across on screen with such grace and wholeheartedness that I could not stop watching her.  I had barely heard of Ann Harding, again my mom mentioned her in passing over the years of our talking about movies, but I had never seen her films.  Therefore, I was very pleased to learn that my class last Thursday was going to be devoted to her and her acting career.  My professor is in love with 30's actresses but he especially loves ones like Ann Harding, who seem so real and glowing on screen.  The film we watched was "The Animal Kingdom" directed by Edward H. Griffith and also starring Leslie Howard and Myrna Loy (in the marvelous role of a temptress and villain which I had never seen her do before.)  This film was based upon the play of the same name written by Philip Barry, who also co-wrote the screenplay.  Ann Harding plays Daisy, a woman who has a relationship with the wealthy Tom (Leslie Howard) for a number of years but is reluctant to marry.  Tom meets Cecelia (Myrna Loy) who uses all of her guile and sex appeal to win him and he agrees to marry her, breaking Daisy's heart.  The film centers around Tom's slow realization of Cecelia's true character, or lack of, and that his heart and soul truly reside with Daisy.  Ann Harding gives Daisy such an earthy and again, intelligent, feel that how could anyone not love her and want her in their life.  She exudes a calm beautiful nature that was probably not far from her true personality.  Watching her on screen I fell into her eyes and hung on her every word.  She had this beautiful deep voice that was soothing and magical.  We also saw a clip from a film called "When Ladies Meet" from 1933 that also showed this quality.  Again, Ann is playing opposite Myrna Loy as the woman wronged.  Ann and Myrna are discussing infidelity and as the conversation progresses, Ann slowly realizes that Myrna is having an affair with her husband.  Ann uses no gimmicks or mannerisms to show her emotions, it is purely in her face and especially in her eyes.  Many of her films were banned after the Code hit Hollywood because of their frank view of relationships but luckily for us they are available now.  I highly recommend both of these films and Ann Harding.  The Pre-Code films of women like Ann Harding are so real and allowed them to play roles with such life and depth, I am always surprised at their honesty.  

An Original - Katharine Hepburn

If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun.
Katharine Hepburn 1907-2003

Katharine Hepburn has never been one of my favorite actresses but I have always admired her spirit.  She was truly an original and in some ways, ahead of her time.  Her manner of dress and outspoken personality on screen made her someone to look up to and in some ways, fear.  For me, she was far better later in her life in such roles as Eleanor of Aquitaine in "A Lion in Winter" and as Christina Drayton in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"  However, in my class last week we were shown the 1937 film "Stage Door," which was one of her earlier films.  It also starred Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou, Lucille Ball, Eve Arden and Jack Carson.  It is the story of a boarding house for aspiring young actresses in New York and has some of the craziest dialogue (especially between Ginger Rogers, Eve Arden and Lucille Ball.)  The story is a simple one about actresses trying to make it on Broadway and Katharine Hepburn joins the house as a wealthy socialite who is irritating and brutally honest thus not making many friends.  She receives a role on Broadway that was coveted by one of the quieter girls in the house with dire consequences.  This is not a great film but it is a very good film that shows her style and appeal.  She delivers her lines with a quickness that bites but when the unthinkable happens to one of her fellow actresses, she shows us a soft, kind heart and a loyalty to her friends that surprises everyone.  I have a feeling that the real Katharine Hepburn was probably very much like this character - strong, outspoken, original, warm, kind and loyal - someone you would want to know and have in your life.  

Other films to watch to know the young Katharine better:

"Morning Glory"

"Bill of Divorcement"

"Alice Adams"

"A Woman Rebels"

For the older Katharine, do not miss:

"The African Queen"

"Lion in Winter"

"On Golden Pond"

"The Conspirator"

"The Conspirator" starring Robin Wright ("The Princess Bride" "Forrest Gump" "White Oleander"), James McAvoy ("The Last King of Scotland" "Atonement"), Tom Wilkinson (who seems to be in everything!) and directed by the iconic Robert Redford, is a good solid film that could have been great.  "The Conspirator" tells the story of Mary Surratt, a boardinghouse owner who was tried and convicted as a co-conspirator in the assassination plot to kill President Abraham Lincoln, Vice-President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward.  She became the first woman to be executed in the United States.  She was hung on July 7, 1865.  Robin Wright is excellent as Mary Surratt.  She plays the role with such subtlety and intensity that you feel her anguish and confusion as a visceral kind of pain.  Robin Wright has always been a tremendously talented actress who has not been given starring roles and I hope that this turn as Mary Surratt wakes up Hollywood to her true talent.  James McAvoy is also very good as the young lawyer, Frederick Aiken, who is called upon to defend Mary despite his belief that she is guilty.  As the trial unfolds, Frederick discovers that there is another conspiracy at work and that is to convict and execute Mary Surratt in place of her son, the real co-conspirator, who has disappeared. Frederick becomes personally involved and does his very best to provide a defense for Mary but he soon realizes that he is fighting a corrupt prosecutor (played by the great character actor, Danny Huston) and a government that is looking to bring a swift end to the tragedy of Abraham Lincoln's death.  Robert Redford shows us what life may have looked like in 1865 by shooting scenes in semi-darkness and through filtered lenses to make the atmosphere look dusty and sepia-toned.  The costumes of the day are very well done and overall, the film seems a true representation of its time period.  However, there is something missing.  I am not sure if it is just too cold of a film, or if it is that the actors do not quite gel together, but I came out of the theatre slightly disappointed.  I also have not thought about the film much since I saw it Mother's Day weekend and that is always a true test for me.  If a film does not stay with me and cause me to think about it, then for me it missed the mark on an emotional level, whether those emotions are happiness, sadness, hilarity, joy or fright.  I do recommend it, though, as a glimpse into an event in our history that has been swept aside.  It's not a pretty representation of our government at work but it is a true story that should be told.  

Ingrid Bergman

"I can do everything with ease on the stage, whereas in real life I feel too big and clumsy. 

So I didn't choose acting. It chose me." 

Ingrid Bergman  1915-1982

Who would have thought that someone as beautiful and talented as Ingrid Bergman would feel like that? It does my heart good to know that even those who seem to have everything and who are adored by so many still feel as we in the audience so often feel.  To me, Ingrid Bergman was one of the most easily accessible actresses of her time.  Her beauty had an attainable quality to it, unlike other actresses from the 40's such as Lana Turner, Vivien Leigh or Ava Gardner.  She looked like she could live next door and be a dear friend.  She was born in Sweden, both of her parents died early in her life and she made her first film in 1935.  Her second film, "Intermezzo" filmed in Sweden, caught the attention of David O. Selnick.  He immediately signed her to a contract in Hollywood, remade "Intermezzo" and she was a sensation.  Ingrid went on to become one of the most intelligent, sought-after and award-winning actresses ever.  

The film we watched in class, the 1941 version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" also starring Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner and Donald Crisp, while not one of her most famous roles as my professor likes to show us films we probably have not seen before, it is an excellent example of just how extraordinary she was.  Spencer Tracy is wonderful in the lead role(s), of course, but Ingrid Bergman takes the role of Ivy Peterson (the barmaid who Mr. Hyde imprisons) and makes her unforgettable.  When the film was being shot, the gossip in Hollywood was that Lana Turner would play the part of Ivy Peterson and Ingrid would play Dr. Jekyll's very kind and simple girlfriend, Beatrix Emery, as that part seemed to suit her based upon her past roles.  However, Ingrid insisted that she play Ivy and, boy, did she.  Her scenes with Mr. Hyde in the apartment where he imprisons her are works of art and there is not a minute during those scenes that you take your eyes off of her.  The depth of her anguish and pain are apparent on her face and you can hear it in her voice.  Her friends come by to help but her terror that Mr. Hyde will find her no matter where she goes is heartbreaking.  She goes to see Dr. Jekyll to ask for help and she shows him the welts on her back that Mr. Hyde has inflicted.  She breaks down and weeps with a passion that seems so real.  Dr. Jekyll sees what he as Mr. Hyde has done to this poor girl so he promises he will never let Mr. Hyde near her again.  She believes him and goes home to celebrate, but her celebration is cut short by a knock at the door that turns out to be Mr. Hyde.  He confronts her, they quarrel and she slowly realizes that he is going to kill her.  Her dear sweet face shows such fear and utter helplessness that I was brought to tears.  Mr. Hyde attacks, slowly strangles her and she disappears out of the camera's view, leaving you devastated.  The rest of the film seemed colorless and flat after Ingrid's demise.  She lit up the screen and drew you a picture of a young woman caught in something she could never understand.  Ingrid Bergman gave her heart and soul to her roles but also brought a tenderness that other actresses could not.  She was a true film actress who took each role further than anyone thought possible and breathed life into them.  She was truly one of a kind.