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The Talented Mr. Ripley***/'s previews are for a different movie. Smart plot, great performances, beautiful and often innovative cinnematography. One, fine film. V+ 2000

In Talk To Her**** Almodóvar shows us his sad, sweet, gentle but intellectual side. Quirky without getting goofy about it. Bittersweet without smarm. This is a wonderful, beautiful little film with big ideas that still swirl in my brain days later. I think perhaps I should have kept it longer. I want to see it again and see how its gentle filmic magic works.

In fact, the only gripe I have is that there's this lovely, wonderful, sad song sung "on-stage" in Spanish in the middle of this wonderful, sweet romance, that obviously means a lot to the trajectory of the film, but it's not translated in the subtitles, only in the faces of its on-screen audience. Oh, and speaking of which, this fine movie contains a strangely goofy, sexy, surreal, movie in a movie that's to live for.

 

I watched all 15 hours of Taken***. I was taken by it. Swept away. Not that it's a great film. It's not. Fascinating subject — alien abductions, crossbreeding with humans to create the benign being — but treated like a soap opera. Great production values, but thick with the sticky film of soap all over it.

The bad guy and his son and his son's daughter are all evil bad nasty mean. Thing about soaps. Not much in between. Too much of all or nothing. I saw 9 hours, then regrouped, but had to see the rest. Like an addiction. Shootin' up soap.

Flick goes on 15 hours but never gets anywhere. Lots of intriguing stuff between beginning and end, not much — but still too much — hardware sci, some intriguing ideas. Sound and fury aplenty. But signifying mostly nothing.

 

I think I've seen Almodovar's Talk To Her**** before. I guess The Universe decided I needed to see it again. The cinne's (shortening that word to cinnematog was not short enough, only chopping off the raphy). This strange and gentle film is clear, sharp, richly colorful and dense with affecting characters and a marvelous, lilting story that involves love and women in comas — life, love and obsession, and friendship. 2002

Tank Girl *** offers an odd mix of film and comix imagery. Entirely goofy plot, but pleasant, fun. 1996

Tape*** is a post-Mammet Oleanna rip with not nearly the punch or punch line. It's two guys and a girl remembering a sexual encouter/rape with very different eyes. 2002

From the opening credits, Tarnation**** almost looks like fiction with unknown stars and weird SFX. It is constructed from remarkably perceptive but often bizarre (either dreadfully lighted or strangely digitized — visually reminiscent of Julien Donkey Boy) footage shot over many years by the son of a family who has to rank as one of the most dysfunctional of all time. Poignant, horrifying, unsettling, beautiful, nerve-wracking, offbeat, way beyond wacky. When the promo said you've never seen anything like it, they weren't kidding.

Tea with Mussolini*** was weepy with sentimentality, and the lead actress, Joan Plowright, was superb. Anti-Nazi story of elerly ladies trapped in Italy during WWII. Very pleasant. NS 1999

Seems like I saw The Terminal*** and Maria Full of Grace*** at about the same time. Both the Tom Hanks character whose country temporarily goes out of existence, stranding him in the airport in New York City and Maria, who'd swallowed big caps of cocaine in Columbia, spent a lot of time in airports. Maria, the movie, has a lot more going for it. Hanks is smarmily maudlin, and I didn't care for him until the end, by which time he'd won over everyone in the airport, even the broadly overplayed villain airport manager. I cared about Maria almost from the beginning, and her villains were much more believably evil. Hers was the more important of the two movies, but neither has all that much going for them.

I liked T1 and T2, because they had ideas as well as adventure and massive quantities of senseless violence, but Terminator Three** is mostly just stupid. And now I know I won't ever have to see T4.

That Old Feeling*/ is a really stupid, hollywood movie with some laughs, terrible acting, stupid premise, and stupid dialog. 1997

That Thing That You Do *** harkens back to a time when America still had its innocense. Goofy, not worth much, mostly meaningless. But I liked it. 1996

Theramin **** is a superb documentary on the weird pioneer genius of electronic music. This is what a documentary should be. What Ann Frank couldn't be. Outstanding. 1996

Thieves*** is oddly compelling. Many questions; few answers. Complex story about thieves of several sorts, told in disjunctive time, gradually revealing truths. Pretty European flick with memorable characters. 1997

You know something is amiss when the first thing I mention in a DVD review is that the user interface is high, techily intuitive. I love time travel movies, even the terrible ones. And I'd see any flick with Jeremy Irons in it, so I saw the latest take on HG Wells' classic Time Machine***, which is obvious and mostly dreadful almost from the get go. Although still fun enough, and I love the spinning machine itself and the time-lapse fantasy sequences. It's just the actors and the acting and the story and the characterizations and the monsters and the plot that are seriously amiss. 2002

The Thin Red Line**** is one of those movies that bowl me over with their strength and simplicity, all in a new way of seeing and understanding. It's about fear and courage, loyalty, the myriad stupidities of war, humanity and inhumanity. No Sex, but lots of usually played-down violence. It's a gorgeous, usually calm, almost quiet film, full of surreal moments and superb cinematography. Wow! 1999

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This is the third time I've seen The Third Man**** and the first time I've understood what was going on. Not sure why I missed it before, but this truly is one fantastic movie, despite it being mired in postwar clarities and absurd black and white. Amazing everything. 1946

After so many three or three-plus asterisk movies running, it's really a blessing to come upon a genuine four-star, er... asterisk movie again. Grittily filmed in grainy overblown colors, The Third Miracle***/ is a minor miracle of good filming, story and damned little sentimentality. Fine acting by Ed Harris, wonderful characterization by Anne Heche and others combine to a meaningful, almost religious experience as a doubting priest defends an American saint. 2000

I was draft age, in college and scared when JFK stared down the Ruskies in Cuba back in 1963, so I was fascinated to watch Thirteen Days***/ on the big screen. Fine movie, powerful concepts. Only flaw that struck me was that it inexplicably shifted into black & white and back to color for no reason I could discern, but I'm really tired of that technique anyway.

The Thirteenth Floor**** is one great movie. Dark, moody, truly sci-fi noir. Superb sets, great costumes. Fine acting and more than a few comparisons to Blade Runner pop to mind. Maybe a copout ending, but just beautiful overall. 1999

The Thomas Crown Affair*** seemed, while watching, to be glossy and beautiful and oh, so smart. Later, I had to wonder why anyone who went to so much hassle and expense to rip off a world-famous painting would put it back a couple days later, but watching Pierce Bronston — and whatsername was a real joy. Lots of nice, different cinnematic angles, some beautiful scenes. Nice. 1999

Somewhere between Lonesome Dove and The Cremation of Sam McGee, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada***/ seems long, sometimes brutal, often ironic and eventually darkly hilarious on several competing levels. It's about friendship and a last wish and a long trip and that word again, redemption. Heavy on redemption. Oh, and an aging Tommy Lee Jones. 2006

Three Kings***/ is a non-stop heist romp that turns humane and remains intelligent throughout. It's the only movie I can remember that makes violence look like the evil it truly is. This time it's army guys running around out to steal Saddam's gold after the Gulf War, but the characters learn as the plot flies. A little violent, but a fast-paced, high adventure with great heart. 1999

3000 Miles from Graceland* was bleeding awful, and I had to force myself to sit through the whole thing. 2001

I realize it's like missing the point even before there is a point, but I rented Thumbsucker***/, because Vincent D'onofrio is in it, and I'd see anything with him. I loved him as the tweaker who'd snorted his nose off in The Salton Sea and I can still stand him in Criminal Intent on TV sometimes, though I used to love that program, fascinated by the guy's intense characterizations and effective know-it-all-isms.

I'd forgot that was the reason this movie kept jumping up my Netflix queue. Here, he plays an out of touch dad who's still not sure he wants to be called that, and his son's about to go off to college. And of course a lot more, too. Intense, twisting little movie. I may have to see it again.

Enough preamble. This is a sweet little movie about coming to know oneself by, of course, becoming what this one's self isn't really; the relative ease of mothers and sons and the comparative difficulties of fathers and sons. With Polyphonic Spree schlocking up the soundtrack at the most inopportune moments, and everybody if not exactly living happily ever after, at least making minute adjustments into a possible future. Lilting, with a lot of truth, some pat answers about not having answers, and a gentle but realistic screenplay.

Thunder Road***/, however, was fine to see again after 43 years. I saw this independent film written, produced and directed by 50s bad guy actor Robert Mitchum, when it debuted, and parts of it have stayed with me all my life. Nice, too, to see Keely Smith as his love interest, singing without Louie Prima. It was grand to reacquaint myself with this revenuers adventure and discover that It stands up very well over time. "The law they swore they'd get him, but the devil got him first." 1957

The Tick**/ looks but does not sound quite like a Brit Comedy about superheroes. It is funny in a stupid kind of way, but I've seen enough episodes, I don't need to see any more. I get it. It has its charm and charms, but enough is already a little too much in a too little kind of way.

Time Code***/ sounds like more sci-fi, and in a way, it is. The title says it all. It's about time code, the measure of film footage as it clicks through a camera. In this case, they did everything four times, once for each quadrant of the movie screen. At least 3/4 of it is intriguing and interesting. Overblown, of course, but it is Hollywood. The technique is fascinating. And watching up to four somewhat distinct lines of the story simultaneously is absorbing. It's new and different, and since this is the first iteration, the production gets away with more than any who dare follow. The next iteration will have to be much more interesting, but there's always hope. 2000

For an awfully long time, I thought Time Out***/ would never end. It's long, painfully slow, emotionally excruciating. A man loses his job, hides out in his car, tries a scam on friends and family, loses faith, joins with a smuggler. Finally, painfully, he goes back to his two wives and families. Beautiful filming. Rich colors, no trickery. 2003

A Time to Kill **** is smart, taut and chilling. A little light in law, but heavy on justice. An excellent flick. 1996

Titan AE*** is an interesting sci-fi experiment. Exquisite, soaring 3-D animation scenes mixed with truly mediocre 2-D, thin story line, not at all like Star Wars, despite Ebert's comparisons, and sudden character developments. Visually, it's often fantastic. But when you think about it, you've already forgot it. 2000

Okay, Titanic*** has made a gazillion dollars, but does that really mean we need more slopping wet flicks like Deep Rising, Hard Rain and Phantoms? Not to even mention Amistad and Sphere... 1998

There's at least a dozen good reasons why The Bard's Titus***/ is performed so seldomly. This production is lurid, surreal, vengeful, extremely violent and filled with deceitful, mean-spirited, evil, ragingly disloyal characters. Meanwhile, it is visually, stunningly beautiful, even sumptuous, amazingly acted and overlong. V+ 2000

Tom Dowd and the Language of Music***/ is about a recording engineer who literally changed the course of human history by introducing technology into recording many the great musicians of the last half of the last century. Or something like that. Fascinating yet kind of tedious at about the same time.

Alfred Hitchcock's Topaz*, which was so bad they had Leonard Maltin come on as a speciat feature to tell us the movie really wasn't so bad, even if it didn't have any stars in it. But that was a lie. 1969

Topper Returns*/ was essentially dreadful, a bad period piece. What I really wanted to see again was Topper, the TV show I grew up with, not this abomination.

Topsy Turvy*** about Gilbert & Sullivan's rise to fame follows the Mikado from creative glint to full-blown production. Lots of strum und drang, but little real import. It's historically interesting, but as a movie, oh, ho-hum. 2000

Touch* is lame, inept, naive, loose. Every time a rhythm gets going, it stops dead in its tracks. Johnny Depp look-alike in a Johnny Depp role Depp woulda made a lot better. If it weren't a healer flick, it'd beeen utterly awful. 1997

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I waited two weeks while NetFlix lost, then found, then finally delivered the new DVD of the newly re-edited and re-dubbed version of Orson Welles' more or less classic, Touch of Evil***. But I'm not entirely sure it was worth the hassle. Visually, the film is a delicious treat with full noir treatment — sharp angles, great lighting, shadows and dark masses, and lots of fabulous chiaroscuro all over the place. Superb cinematography. All in glorious black and white.

The acting and characters are solid, varied and utterly fascinating. But the story is a drunken wreck. Maybe exciting, certainly inspiring, probably even innovative in 1958. Now, however, it's a sore thumb that sticks out in time — a major anachronism. Hard to imagine these plots twists and lurid, unglamorous filmic anomolies or dark leather gang scenes were ever seen as subtle, intelligent or effective. The sensational screenplay was so Reefer Madness cheap and exageratedly comic book goofy that I had to stop it in the middle, and go watch TV to get my bearings. But I came back.

The bad guys are over the top bad. The good guys are crisp and immaculate. Great cast, though, including a young, elegant Zsa Zsa Gabor cameo, a hideously overly-made-up Marlene Dietrich as a Mexican madame, a startlingly un-credibly innocent Janet Leigh, a young, dark, famous Mexican drug cop Charlton Heston, and a marvelously sniveling Dennis Weaver as a gutless motel clerk. Best of all, of course, is director / star Welles as the fat slob bad detective. He's as sleazily evil as the cheesy, hand-drawn typeface used for the title in the theatric trailer.
  

Ebert called Traffic*** "a masterpiece," but it's more of a mess — a confusing mellange of conflicting notions, thrown together in a visually complex gumbo. I knew that different cities were to be filtered in differing colors, but the technique still confused me and mildly repulsed me. It's ugly and stupid. Mexico always looks like Mexico, and who cares what different cities in the U.S. look like? And leaving the theater, I heard several people trying to explain who were the bad guys and who weren't. Interesting but not fascinating in tedious detail. Racistly enough, a black guy and an Hispanic provide most of the movie's comedic relief. And it goes on and on and on. In fact, it never really ends, it just stops eventually.

Trainspotting ****/ is Naked Lunch surreality with dismal, grisly heroin addict action. Well crafted characters. 1996

Transamerica*** is a buddy pic, a road pic and a transsexual journey, although I never believed the man about to become a woman (played by a woman) was ready to transgenerize. Half the plot depends on her not telling the kid (who is an obviously fatherless and parent-less wild child) she's his father. She has a terrible mom, whom they visit on the way trans America, so she/he never had a good role model to peg her new femininity on, and she doesn't do it well, ever. But the movie never gets maudlin, and there's no real character development, just acceptance. So the movie is real on several levels, just never enough.

Travelers*** — Almost likable Irish gypsies on the road get in over their heads. Interesting characters, extreme violence just when I didn't expect it. But it was, I suppose, inevitable, predictable. Odd duck of a film. 1997

Tree's Lounge*** sounds a lot more depressing than it really is. Our hero is a miserable failure of a human being, very much in the mode of Harvey Pekar and worst. Lost, grabbing hold of any iffy line through the storm, each step slippery and dangerous and always knowing he's going to make the worst possible choice. Every evening back at the bar, drinking and making more stupid mistakes. And yet... Steve Buscemi as star and director and life force lends a certain interest, a certain need to know more. He's very good at both, and I need to see his next flick, too. He wraps us around The Loser in a fascinating way that goes beyond character development.

I've just watched The Clinton Years (a joint project of TV's NightLine and Firing Line) to learn more than I wanted about the failings of whom might Otherwise have been A Great President, and now I'm in the thick of The Trials of Henry Kissinger***, who was never really tried, but either he (or the raft of Presidents who employed him) should have been impeached for High Treason.

The Triplets of Belleville***, while not really the best of any category, including annimation, in any given year, is entertaining and pleasant with some interesting visual ideas. The song video is the best part.

It's too bad the name Clueless was made so popular recently. It would have been perfect for Emily Watson's detective debut in Trixie***/. Not entirely unlike the Stupid And Stupider flicks of recent years, this one is a major goof that toys with any sincere sense of reality as the eponymous private eye bumbles her way through the investigation of the murder of an unpopular, uh... singer. Trixie's malaprops are fascinating but so is all the dialog and constantly unexpected action in this quirkily intelligent flick about stupidity. I've been a major fan of Ms. Watson since her superb performance in Breaking The Waves three years ago. It was a joy to get to watch her act wonderfully again, often in large close-ups. I still think she may be the best actress alive. 2000

True Crime***/ is gritty and cool. There's sharp jibes in almost every scene. So it's simultaneously sardonically funny and serious. A down and almost out alcoholic investigates a murder on the night of the murdurer's execution. Good story, plot, characters, a decent car chase, good tension. The end is obvious and after that, it's stupid, but so what? 1999

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The Truman Show presents a new reality that Hollywood will copy over and over in the coming new Century. Jim Carrey in the best role of his life — one that lets his true talents shine through. Much better, deeper and more American than Liar Liar 1998

The Truman Show**** is superb. Carrey actually acts, instead of just acting stupid. He's good. The story is solid. The filming is beautiful and sharp. A lot of the acting is purposefully over-the-edge. 1998

The Truth About Charlie** is a truly stupid name for a goofy, mixed up movie with some charm, a lot of style, but not much intelligence, that I nevertheless enjoyed some of the times. But it never made much sense, and it was so busy being convuluted and full of swtich-back, hairpin turns of identity that it never slowed down to tell any truths — unlike the original, Charade****, which is included on the flip side of the DVD, but I didn't want to see that faithful charmer till I got this retro retard out of my head. 2003

Tuck Everlasting** started out a interesting little fantasy romp, nice characters, sorta interesting plot. Then, about half way through, it lost all grasp on story or intelligence and just flew off into utter stupidity, when all anyone woulda had to do was tell the truth. But no, we can't do that in a movie, we gotta have a jail break and yet another slow "fast getaway," and lost in all that stupid shuffle was not a single bit of the whole supposed concept of living forever. Nobody in this movie is ever shown doing that. What a waste.

Tumbleweeds*** is mother and daughter on the road and finally settling somewhere as they work our their demons. 2000

Turtles Can Fly***/ is a joint Iran Iraq production about and starring children in war just before the toppling of Saddam. In films, we often know what's about to happen. In this one, every time we have filmic knowledge that something awful is about to happen and tell ourselves, oh, no, that can't possibly happen in a film about children, it does. In that way, this is tragedy and sad and strange. In other ways, however, we see the resilience of children, their wisdom and their dogged insistence on going on. 2005

Twenty-Four Seven**/ is a dark, violent, psychological black & white character study starring Bob Hoskins as a bloke who starts a boxing club for boys to channel their violent impulses but can't quite tame his own. 1998

21 Grams***/ is long and confusing because of the shred editing so popular now and because of the complexity of inter relationships, despite strong characterizations and probably good acting, too. But I tend to suspend disbelief early and concentrate on the stories and try to figure out who's who.

Twice in a Lifetime*** sounded like sci-fi so attracted my attention. It wasn't sci but it had fi in spades. Bobbing up and down my Netflix queue for months till I finally let it pop to the top. It's a long, painful descent from unhappily married to unhappily divorced the guy, and from bored wife to a real, 3D person with just a lilt of pain.

Twin Falls Idaho**** is the eeriely spooky story of co-joined twins. It's a dark and beautiful film that gradually finds its own light. It's about the strong and the weak twin, their unique bond and the woman the strong one loves. Poignant story and strong characters, flawless screenwriting and unpredictable, this is a fascinating film. 1999

Twister ***/ is a stupid movie with great special effects. Funny. Evil storm-chasers is goofy concept. Want to see it again and again. 1996

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U

I didn't expect great depth from U-571***, and I wasn't disappointed, except when the stupid soundtrack translated adequate sequences into Hollywoodian syrup. Lots of excitement, not nearly as much intelligence, but a good flick romp, if you're not too discerning. 2000

Ulee's Gold****
Sweet, mostly gentle, beautiful, sometimes sad Hollywood movie with European pacing. I was hoping Peter Fonda would finally be great in a movie after so many duds in the thirty years since he was Capt. America. Here, slowed and deliberate, he is superb. These are real people living believable lives. The heroism isn't flashy or false. Nothing's out of place. 1997

In The Unbearable Lightness of Being, the unrestrained hedonist slowly traps himself in true love. From the joy of Prague Spring, through the inevitable communist crackdown, it's a fascinating story, well told, in often inexplicable actions and remarkably beautiful filmic nuances.

Movie prevues are such an elusive art form. How to speak the truth about a visual event in quick-cut snips without giving the plot or ending away, while, all the while substantiating mood and flow and other insubstantial elements. Nonetheless, I knew, when I saw the preevs for Unbreakable that I had to see it. Despite his mind-numbingly conservative politics, Bruce Willis is the god of adventure acting. 12 Monkeys is my all-time favorite flick, Sixth Sense is awesome. I even loved Fifth Element and look forward to yet another Die Hard.

Still, I wasn't prepared for Unbreakable.**** Thanks to the previews, I was way off on the plot, couldn't have been more wrong about the treatment. Never guessed it was going to be the greatest ever comic book brought to film.

I didn't expect to be seeing Unbreakable**** so soon after watching it on the big screen where it utterly fascinated me. But when I heard the DVD release had two disks, including many previously unseen scenes, I jumped at an overnight rental. Well, the new scenes were not in the movie, they were on the B side with too much other clutter. The flick is still fabulous. I understood and appreciated even more with this second watching, and I still think it's the best comic book ever movied. The special clutter is interesting enough — especially the writer / director introducing the deleted scenes. The movie's just so much better.

True, it was dark black noir. So slow paced even Europeans might get nervous. Deep. Elegant. Inspired. Subtle. And amazing. Our hero is Joe Everyman learning and growing in his special talents and sanity while the very real people around him are going the other direction.

Quite a feat. A startling visual treat with a slender, subtle thread that vivifies comic book heroes and villians without leaving the earthly plane. Darkman meets Sixth Sense. X-Men on intellectual sterioids. Too smart for its own popularity. Superb. Sublime. Walking out of the theater I knew I'd been movied. 2000

  
Unforgettable ****/ combines murder mystery, sci fi, romance into a complicated plot, all of which makes sense and all of which is brought to conclusion. Very intelligent and fast paced. Beautiful, too. 1996

Unprecedented*** was direct documentarianism, up close and personal, about how a Third World Nation's president's brother threw a national election.

Urbania*** deftly mixes urban legends — keep your eye out for the lady, the poodle and the microwave — with a surrealist flashback sequenced blend of the real and the unreal. Gradually, it becomes a gay love-lost story of revenge, violence and unhollywoodian ressurection. Odd but sweet, starring Judging Amy's brother Peter, sharp dialog, and lust-worthy gay love scenes at long last. I mean, they actually touch each other. 2000

U.S. Marshalls**/ — regardless of its Fugitive copy-cat plot, was good action adventure. 1998

The U.S. vs. John Lennon*** is a good movie about a fascinating character whom Nixon feared might turn the tide against him and the war. One of many such people, of course. Some of the best-known of whom speak in this film. The music, performances and historic film clips are wonderful and the revelations would be startling, if I didn't live through that period of official paranoia and catch my own little bits of it, myself.

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