Argo (2012)

Academy Awards, USA 2013

Won Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Grant Heslov Ben Affleck George Clooney
	Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay Chris Terrio
	Best Achievement in Film Editing William Goldenberg
Nominated Oscar	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Alan Arkin
	Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score Alexandre Desplat
	Best Achievement in Sound Mixing John T. Reitz Gregg Rudloff José Antonio García
	Best Achievement in Sound Editing Erik Aadahl Ethan Van der Ryn

Warner Bros.
Directed by Ben Affleck
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Warner Bros.)

Ben Affleck is a CIA agent who comes up with an audacious idea to rescue 6 Americans hiding out in the Canadian embassy in Tehran during the hostage crisis of 1979. A fake movie is created as a cover story, the Americans given Canadian passports and try to pass themselves off as the film crew on a location scout. Affleck must convince the skeptical Americans, the politicians in Washington and, most of all, the Iranian guards at the airport. Tension builds to the breaking point, but, unfortunately, the pay off is typical Hollywood: an impossible last second escape all dressed up in CGI. Based on a true story, so I'm not sure how much liberty was taken with the airport scenes, but I'd be surprised if police cars were feet away from the wheels of a jet during take-off.

Prisoner of the Mountains (1996)

Academy Awards, USA 1997

Nominated Oscar

Best Foreign Language Film Russia.

Orion Classics
Directed by Sergey Bodrov
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, MGM)

Two Russian soldiers are taken prisoner by rebels in a remote mountain village. They are held by a man hoping to exchange them for his own son held prisoner by the Russian military. The two men, of vastly different temperaments, are chained together. One is a seasoned soldier constantly looking for a way out and the other a young private just hoping to survive. They befriend a young girl, the daughter of their captor, who brings them food and other favors. The Russians are unwilling to cooperate with an exchange and the village elders are getting restless. One of them forces the issue leading to tragedy. Good location photography in what is today Dagestan, but the plot, based on a Tolstoy short story, is very slow and ultimately too simplistic to make much of an impression.

Ulysses (1967)

Academy Awards, USA 1968

Nominated Oscar

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Joseph Strick Fred Haines

British Lion Film Corporation
Directed by Joseph Strick
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Image Entertainment)

Milo O'Shea wanders around Dublin, deals with antisemitism, encounters many drunk men and faces the demons of his own past, mostly women. There are lots of fancy words and talk about God, but really little is said. He ends up in bed with his wife while she rambles on for over 30 minutes with a voice over narration that includes graphic descriptions of sex. James Joyce's novel was a curious choice to bring to the screen, and the end result shows just why.

Second Chorus (1940)

Academy Awards, USA 1941

Nominated Oscar	Best Music, Original Song Artie Shaw (music) Johnny Mercer (lyrics) For the song "Love of My Life"
	Best Music, Score Artie Shaw

Paramount Pictures
Directed by H.C. Potter
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, HD Cinema Classics)

Fred Astaire and Burgess Meredith are perennial college students who purposely fail in order to play in their big band. When they both fall for pretty Paulette Goddard, each tries to sabotage the other in not only their pursuit of Goddard, but in their pursuit of fame and fortune as musicians. Their juvenile antics get in the way of some fine musical numbers, as well as a memorable dance number with Astaire and Goddard. However, the big finale falls flat with Astaire unsuccessfully combining dancing with orchestra conducting. Artie Shaw has a prominent role, but his acting is nowhere near as good as his skills on the clarinet.

A Serious Man (2009)

Academy Awards, USA 2010

Nominated Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Joel Coen Ethan Coen
	Best Writing, Original Screenplay Joel Coen Ethan Coen

Focus Features
Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Universal)

A Jewish physics professor's life slowly falls apart in suburban Minneapolis in 1967. His wife wants a divorce so she can marry a family friend. He is being blackmailed for a passing grade by a Korean student. An uncle living with him is being pursued by the police. He seeks help from various rabbis, though they are only interested in vague philosophy. His son, a stoner, prepares for his Bar Mitzvah, when not complaining about the TV reception. Idiosyncratic to a fault, the Cohen brothers relive their youth in the 60s through a combined haze of pot smoke and Jewish culture. Highly unusual, to say the least, but if you are sober and a goy (non Jewish), this can be difficult to relate to, but is, nonetheless, completely mesmerizing.

The Virgin Queen (1955)

Academy Awards, USA 1956

Nominated Oscar

Best Costume Design, Color Charles Le Maire Mary Wills

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Henry Koster
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Fox)

Irishman Walter Raleigh tangles with Queen Elizabeth over his plans to sail to the new world. She is more interested in becoming romantically involved, but he has his sights set on court maiden Joan Collins. When they marry in secret, Elizabeth becomes enraged by jealousy and sentences him to death. A handsomely produced royal melodrama with a couple of good sword fights. It ends abruptly with Raleigh finally getting his sailing orders, but I guess that is for another film.

American History X (1998)

Academy Awards, USA 1999

Nominated Oscar

Best Actor in a Leading Role Edward Norton

New Line Cinema
Directed by Tony Kaye
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, New Line)

Edward Norton is a hate-spewing racist skinhead in southern California. One night he catches a group of black youths trying to steal his car and kills them all. In the state penitentiary, he is befriended by a black coworker in the laundry while rejected by the whites supposedly protecting him. Released after serving his sentence, he tries to save his younger brother from his same fate, but his old life catches up with him. Well-meaning but dramatically obvious, just try watching that early basketball scene with cringing, and I'm not so sure that this doesn't end up glorifying the kind of racism it is supposedly exposing.

Born Into Brothels (2004)

Academy Awards, USA 2005

Won Oscar

Best Documentary, Features Ross Kauffman Zana Briski

HBO/Cinemax Documentary
Directed by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Lions Gate)

Photographer Zana Briski visits a red light district of Calcutta intent on capturing images of the women who work there. However, she finds it difficult if not impossible to gain access. She comes up with the idea to give cameras to the children who roam the streets and let them take the pictures. They provide the access she was denied, but it leads to so much more. Realizing that without education their futures are doomed, Briski does the hard work required to get them admitted to boarding schools. When one of the kids shows a natural talent for photography, she gets him selected for a show in Amsterdam, though she has to work through the red tape of getting him a passport first. However, her efforts are not always appreciated by the families, some of whom actually withdraw the kids from the schools she worked so hard to get them into. Briski successfully integrates photos taken by the kids into her emotional story.

Scottsboro: An American Tragedy (2000)

Academy Awards, USA 2001

Nominated Oscar

Best Documentary, Features Barak Goodman Daniel Anker

PBS
Directed by Barak Goodman and Daniel Anker
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, PBS)

Thorough account of the arrest and conviction of 9 black teenagers in Alabama for the rape of two white women in the racially charged atmosphere of the Depression Era. Convicted by an all-white jury with only the victim's account as evidence and an inexperienced lawyer to defend them, the verdict is overruled. National exposure leads to the involvement of the Communist Party in New York City, who sends its own lawyer to defend them in the second trial. However, they are found guilty again, mainly due to southern resentment towards the involvement of northerners they see as outsiders. However, the verdict is overturned again, this time by the Supreme Court, who rule the all-white jury did not provide a fair trial. Alabama finally begins to see the light by the time of the third trial, but by that time the accused have already spent nearly a decade in jail. It was not until the 1970s that they were all pardoned and the state admitted they were innocent. Obvious parallels still exist today, I was reminded of the Trayvon Martin case in Florida, which is a sad commentary on how little progress has been made.

The Crime of Father Amaro (2002)

Academy Awards, USA 2003

Nominated Oscar

Best Foreign Language Film Mexico.

Samuel Goldwyn Films
Directed by Carlos Carrera
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Columbia TriStar)

A newly ordained young priest is sent to a small village in Mexico for his first assignment. He soon finds out it is corrupt from bottom to top: the head priest has a mistress, the mayor takes bribes from drug a lord, another priest works with guerrillas, even the old ladies in church steal from the collection plate. When he finds himself attracted to a young girl he finds that he cannot resist and they are soon meeting in backrooms for sex. After some soul searching they decide to get an abortion, leading to the inevitable tragedy. What starts as a condemnation of Christian hypocrisy unravels in the second half as a predictable abortion melodrama.

My Architect (2003)

Academy Awards, USA 2004

Nominated Oscar

Best Documentary, Features Nathaniel Kahn Susan Rose Behr

New Yorker Films
Directed by Nathaniel Kahn
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, New Yorker)

The son of noted American architect Louis Kahn tries to understand his father nearly 20 years after his death by visiting his buildings and interviewing people who knew him. His travels take him across the country, from Philadelphia, where he grew up and was virtually ignored, to California, where the Salk Institute embraced his breathtaking designs. It's not all about architecture, though, this is a very personal journey in which the director seeks to understand his past. There are a handful of truly moving encounters, such as the director of the "music boat" who remembered seeing him at his father's funeral and an architect in Bangladesh moved to tears by his father's sacrifices to get the capitol built, and some not so interesting interviews, such as a belligerent Philadelphian who disagreed with his father's philosophy and a witness to his father's death who really did not have much to say. In the end, it's not a particularly flattering portrait of his personal life, a married man with numerous women, and children, on the side, but as the wise man in Bangladesh notes, men of great vision sometimes don't see what is closest to them.

The Reader (2008)

Academy Awards, USA 2009

Won Oscar	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Kate Winslet
Nominated Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Anthony Minghella Sydney Pollack Donna Gigliotti Redmond Morris The nominations for Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack were posthumously.
	Best Achievement in Directing Stephen Daldry
	Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay David Hare
	Best Achievement in Cinematography Chris Menges Roger Deakins

The Weinstein Company
Directed by Stephen Daldry
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Genius Products)

Teenager David Kross gets involved with the much older Kate Winslet after a chance encounter. The love affair ends when she abruptly moves out of her apartment with no explanation. Years pass, the boy is now a law student, and while watching the trial of former Nazi guards accused of murder is horrified to recognize his old lover as one of the defendants. She takes the fall for the women on trial and is sentenced to life in prison. Twenty years later, she is eligible for parole, but her only hope for a life outside of prison rests with her now middle-aged former lover. An uneven film that can't decide if it wants to titillate, Kate spends most of the first half nude, or tackle the harder questions of post-WWII Germany. More time spent on the latter would have made a better film, but the story is so well told, and Winslet's performance so convincing, that one can almost overlook the sexual indulgences.

Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

Academy Awards, USA 2001

Nominated Oscar	Best Actor in a Supporting Role Willem Dafoe
	Best Makeup Ann Buchanan Amber Sibley

Lions Gate Films
Directed by E. Elias Merhige
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Universal)

John Malkovich plays F.W. Murnau, the German director, on the set of his famous silent film Nosferatu. The production team travels to a remote crumbling castle in Czechoslovakia where they meet the man playing the star of the film for the first time. He stays in character at all times: sleeping in the castle, drinking blood and stalking the crew. Murnau struggles to retain control over his film, threatened both by his eccentric star, who may or may not actually be a vampire, and rampant drug use, including his own addiction. It is an homage to the art of film making in general and Murnau's original film in particular. Dafoe is brilliant as the vampire, practically unrecognizable in heavy makeup, but Malkovich tends to go overboard in his depiction of the director. Exquisitely filmed on locations in Luxembourg in natural lighting. 

Ship of Fools (1965)

Academy Awards, USA 1966

Won Oscar	Best Cinematography, Black-and-White Ernest Laszlo
	Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White Robert Clatworthy Joseph Kish
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Stanley Kramer
	Best Actor in a Leading Role Oskar Werner
	Best Actress in a Leading Role Simone Signoret
	Best Actor in a Supporting Role Michael Dunn
	Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Abby Mann
	Best Costume Design, Black-and-White Bill Thomas Jean Louis

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Stanley Kramer
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Mill Creek)

An ocean voyage from Mexico to Germany in 1933 provides the opportunity for its passengers to examine their relationships, prejudices and places in society. Although the cast is large, most of the screen time is dedicated to two couples. Artist George Segal and his girlfriend Elizabeth Ashley struggle to overcome their differences, mainly due to his selfishness. Meanwhile, ship's doctor Oskar Werner falls in love with divorcee Simone Signoret, both middle-aged, unhappy and with uncertain futures. The most interesting of the other numerous minor players is Lee Marvin as a southern racist and frustrated baseball player. It's long, talky and dated, with only the occasional insight to keep it afloat.

My Family (1995)

Academy Awards, USA 1996

Nominated Oscar

Best Makeup Ken Diaz Mark Sanchez

New Line Cinema
Directed by Gregory Nava
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, New Line)

A man narrates the history of his family from Mexico, where his father left home, to east LA, where he raised several generations of children. It is told in three time periods: the 20s/30s when his father scraped out a living during the Depression; the 50s when one of his brothers becomes a gang member; and the 80s, when another brother loses his wife and struggles to relate to their child. The handsome production design is wasted on an episodic story that resembles the Mexican soap operas his mother likes to watch on TV. Characters are too often broad stereotypes that come and go before you know them at all. Cute kids pop up constantly, none more annoying than the last one who speaks with a lisp and ruins every scene. Gregory Nava also directed the similarly themed El Norte about 10 years earlier, an infinitely better and more realistic film.

The Field (1990)

Academy Awards, USA 1991

Nominated Oscar

Best Actor in a Leading Role Richard Harris

Avenue Pictures
Directed by Jim Sheridan
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Artisan)

Elderly farmer Richard Harris has deep roots to his plot of land in the Irish countryside. When the owner decides to sell, he fully expects to be the only bidder. However, outsider Tom Berenger is an American entrepreneur with different ideas. When Berenger refuses to back down, Harris resorts to violence to get his way and his land. Even worse, he puts the blame for his act on his son and faithful friend. When they turn on him, he drives his cattle off a cliff in a final act of madness. Harris overdoes it in a story that is already heavy handed. In the key scene between Harris and Berenger, it's so overacted as to be almost comical. Throw in some Irish folk dancing, simulated acts of animal cruelty and a romantic subplot between Harris' son and a "bad girl", it becomes impossible to take seriously. However, it is nicely photographed on Irish locations by Jack Conroy.

Seven Beauties (1975)

Academy Awards, USA 1977

Nominated Oscar	Best Actor in a Leading Role Giancarlo Giannini
	Best Director Lina Wertmüller Lina Wertmüller becomes the first woman to be nominated for Best Director.
	Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Lina Wertmüller
	Best Foreign Language Film Italy

Medusa Distribuzione (Italy)
Directed by Lina Wertmüller
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Koch Lorber)

Two men wander in the woods of Germany during WWII. They witness a mass execution of Jews. One of the men recounts the events of his life in Italy prior to the war through flashbacks. He murders the lover of one of his sisters in a rage of jealousy and is eventually arrested. He pleads insanity, though he is completely sane, and is sent to an asylum. His friendly doctor manages to get him released but he must join the army. In a German concentration camp, he again demonstrates that he is willing to go to any length necessary to survive. As harrowing a portrait of the horrors of WWII that has ever been put on film. Its disgusting imagery and debase morality will likely never leave you, which perhaps is the point of it all.

Don't Tell (2005)

Academy Awards, USA 2006

Nominated Oscar

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year Italy.

01 Distribution (Italy)
Directed by Cristina Comencini
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Lions Gate)

Plagued by nightmares she can't explain, a young Italian wife travels to America to seek answers from her brother. While she is away, her husband has an affair with a younger woman and her two best friends start a lesbian relationship. Her brother is able to explain her nightmares, since he himself has had psychological problems stemming from being sexually abused by their father as children. Back in Italy, she struggles to reconcile her revelations with her old life. The theme among these various relationships seems to be "secrets", and how they are both destructive and essential. However, that is not always obvious and the subplots tend to go on too long with no real purpose.

The Artist (2011)

Academy Awards, USA 2012

Won Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Thomas Langmann
	Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Jean Dujardin
	Best Achievement in Directing Michel Hazanavicius
	Best Achievement in Costume Design Mark Bridges
	Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score Ludovic Bource
Nominated Oscar	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Bérénice Bejo
	Best Writing, Original Screenplay Michel Hazanavicius
	Best Achievement in Cinematography Guillaume Schiffman
	Best Achievement in Film Editing Anne-Sophie Bion Michel Hazanavicius
	Best Achievement in Art Direction Laurence Bennett (production designer) Robert Gould (set decorator)

The Weinstein Company
Directed by Michel Hazanavicius
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Sony)

A silent film icon has trouble adapting to talkies and spirals into bankruptcy and depression. His wife divorces him and his comeback film is a failure. He spends his time alone drinking or watching his old films. One day he decides to burn them and sets his house on fire, only surviving because of his quick thinking faithful dog. Meanwhile, a girl he once helped get her first job becomes a Hollywood sensation in the sound era. After the fire, she takes him into her mansion to recover, but he is too proud to accept and walks out. Eventually she finds a role for him in one of her movies that he can accept. A breezy, easy-to-take homage to Hollywood's golden age, almost spoiled by the pathetic figure of Jean Dujardin's "George Valentin", who goes from egotistical star to self-loathing has-been over the course of the film.

Evil (2003)

Academy Awards, USA 2004

Nominated Oscar

Best Foreign Language Film Sweden.

Columbia TriStar (Sweden)
Directed by Mikael Håfström
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Magnolia Pictures)

A misfit is juggled from school to school for fighting, a result of his abuse at home at the hands, and whips, of his brutal father. At his latest boarding school, seniors relentlessly torment the younger students. It goes far beyond the usual hazing to include grotesque acts, forced labor and finally rigged fist fights when all else fails. The new boy makes waves by winning the school swimming championship and refusing to bow to the demands of the seniors. They use his romance with a kitchen girl to get him expelled, but that is not the end of it. One has to wonder where are all the teachers as this is happening? They are occasionally glimpsed eating together at a table, but even when a student is beaten to a pulp right next to them they seem unmoved. Only the swimming coach seems to have any clue as to what is happening. Anyway, violence seems to be the only thing anyone understands, leading to a rather bleak and depressing film.

Drive (2011)

Academy Awards, USA 2012

Nominated Oscar

Best Achievement in Sound Editing Lon Bender Victor Ray Ennis

FilmDistrict
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Sony)

Ryan Gosling is "the driver", a strong, silent type who works as a movie stuntman and garage mechanic by day, driver for thieves or anyone else willing to pay for a getaway car. He strikes up a friendship with next door neighbor Carey Mulligan and her little boy, leading to "the happiest days of his life". When her husband is releases from prison and returns home, he is blackmailed to help in a robbery. "The driver" offers to help since the girl and kid are also threatened. The robbery turns out to be a set up and he is relentlessly pursued by criminals who will stop at nothing to get their money. A moody thriller that deceptively draws you into its story, only to shock with outbursts of extremely graphic violence. Tarantino did the same thing nearly 20 years earlier with Reservoir Dogs, but this ups the violence up several notches. I did not see a single credit for computer graphics, instead a mile long list of stunt drivers, and it shows in the final product that is refreshingly free of cartoon gimmicks.

Character (1997)

Academy Awards, USA 1998

Won Oscar

Best Foreign Language Film The Netherlands.

Sony Pictures Classics
Directed by Mike van Diem
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Columbia TriStar)

A man accused of murder tells the story of his life through flashbacks while being held by the police. It's a long, sordid tale of being raised by a single mother who never speaks to him while being stalked by a father he never knew. As a teenager he gets a job in a bustling law office because of his knowledge of English. After hours he spends studying for his own eventual law degree. A hateful court bailiff lends him money then tries to bankrupt him at every opportunity for no apparent reason. He falls in love with an office girl but fails to act upon it, losing her forever. Motivations and identities get revealed in the unsatisfactory conclusion.

Blockade (1938)

Academy Awards, USA 1939

Nominated Oscar	Best Writing, Original Story John Howard Lawson
	Best Music, Original Score Werner Janssen

United Artists
Directed by William Dieterle
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Image Entertainment)

Poor Spanish farmer Henry Fonda becomes a hero after convincing the peasants to stand up against an invading army and fight instead of running away. As an officer, he is assigned the job of rooting out spies, leading to the killing of a man who also happens to be the father of the girl he loves. They survive a bombing together in a bomb shelter, but she turns traitor and becomes a spy for the other side. A blockade of the city causes mass starvation and she decides to turn herself in to save it. Badly dated propaganda meant to convince Americans of the moral necessity of joining Europe in the fight against Hitler. Fonda's final plea directly into the camera is cringe worthy.

Back Street (1941)

Academy Awards, USA 1942

Nominated Oscar

Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture Frank Skinner

Universal Pictures
Directed by Robert Stevenson
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, TCM/Universal)

Married banker Charles Boyer falls in love with store clerk Margaret Sullavan while on a business trip. Their romance probably would have ended in marriage if not for a misunderstanding due mainly to chance. Years pass and they meet each other again, picking up their affair where it left off. She becomes a "kept woman", living under a false name in an apartment while he goes home to his wife and children. She passes up a chance at true happiness with another man for a lifetime of misery with the selfish one. It leads to an inevitable downbeat ending in their old age.

David and Lisa (1962)

Academy Awards, USA 1963

Nominated Oscar	Best Director Frank Perry
	Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Eleanor Perry

Continental Distributing
Directed by Frank Perry
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Home Vision Entertainment)

David is sent to a "home" for teenagers suffering from various psychological problems. His own phobia is about being touched, which sends him into a screaming rage. Lisa is another "resident" who has two personalities, one of which speaks only in rhymes. When David plays along and speaks in rhyme, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Ultimately their trust in each other leads to a breakthrough. A friendly psychologist helps them along. Some of their outbursts teeter perilously close to overacting and the psychology is dated, but Keir Dullea and Janet Margolin are both good in early roles.

Iraq in Fragments (2006)

Academy Awards, USA 2007

Nominated Oscar

Best Documentary, Features James Longley John Sinno

Typecast Releasing
Directed by James Longley
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Typecast Releasing)

The three primary divisions in Iraqi society are explained by the Iraqis themselves: Sunni, Shia and Kurds. Sunnis living in abject poverty in Baghdad struggle to make their daily living. A fatherless boy works in a filthy garage for his "boss", who beats him and questions the value of  his schooling. In southern Iraq, the Shia are fundamentalist Muslims who use the American invasion as a reason to organize politically. They vow non-violent resistance at meetings, yet are shown beating and arresting vendors selling alcohol at a local market. Finally, the Kurds living in the northern part of the country herd sheep and make bricks in gigantic ovens. They crave and independent state which will allow them to live in peace. All of these people share a common religion and a distrust, even hatred, of the Americans, who are portrayed as invaders and tyrants worse than Saddam. The film presents the Iraqi side of the story without commentary, which turns out to be both an asset and a liability: it sometimes feels more like a travelogue, prompting many questions but few answers.

Moulin Rouge (1952)

Academy Awards, USA 1953

Won Oscar	Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color Paul Sheriff Marcel Vertès
	Best Costume Design, Color Marcel Vertès
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture John Huston
	Best Actor in a Leading Role José Ferrer
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role Colette Marchand
	Best Director John Huston
	Best Film Editing Ralph Kemplen

United Artists
Directed by John Huston
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, MGM)

Jose Ferrer plays the Parisian artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, whose legs stopped growing after a childhood accident. As an adult, he hangs out in the famous Paris nightclub sketching the floor show dancers while downing bottles of cognac. He falls in love with a prostitute, but his culture and her crudeness doom it. He turns to his art and to alcohol to dull the pain, even refusing the love of another woman. Ferrer gives a memorable performance, with camera angles and other tricks convincingly portraying his lack of stature. A sad, melancholy story, vividly recreating the atmosphere of late 19th century Paris, with many of the characters from Toulouse-Lautrec's paintings coming to life.

The Secret of Kells (2009)

Academy Awards, USA 2010

Nominated Oscar

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year Tomm Moore

Gkids
Directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, New Video/Flatiron Film)

In an Irish medieval town, a boy is raised by his stern uncle, the abbot. The boy helps the town scribes at their work in making books, while his uncle tries to complete a wall which will keep out invaders. One day a scribe from a neighboring town arrives with a book which mesmerizes everyone except the abbot. A special ink is needed to complete it, and the boy sneaks off into the forest to gather the necessary raw ingredients, getting plenty of help from a friendly female forest fairy. His uncle locks him in a tower to prevent him from venturing into the forest again, but he does anyway, this time to bring back a crystal needed to complete the book. Meanwhile, Vikings destroy the town and threaten to take away the book. Vivid, stylized animation  that is steeped in Irish mythology. Soundtrack by Irish group Kila is superb, including the haunting "Aisling's Song" devoted to a cat named Pangur Ban.

Face to Face (1976)

Academy Awards, USA 1977

Nominated Oscar	Best Actress in a Leading Role Liv Ullmann
	Best Director Ingmar Bergman

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Olive Films)

Psychiatrist Liv Ullmann, already facing a separation from her husband, is raped, sending her spiraling into a suicide attempt. As she recovers in the hospital, the reasons for her breakdown are revealed by dreams and confessions to her friend and doctor in the hospital room. It turns out the rape was merely the trigger, her childhood was filled with every imaginable horror and trauma. Ullman gives a harrowing performance, often with no make up, totally exposed. An emotionally draining experience, though Bergman struggles to reign it all in and often overindulges.

With a Song in My Heart (1952)

Academy Awards, USA 1953

Won Oscar	Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture Alfred Newman
Nominated Oscar	Best Actress in a Leading Role Susan Hayward
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role Thelma Ritter
	Best Costume Design, Color Charles Le Maire
	Best Sound, Recording Thomas T. Moulton (20th Century-Fox Sound Department)

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Walter Lang
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Fox)

Susan Hayward plays Jane Froman, an aspiring nightclub singer who becomes a national sensation, only to be seriously injured in a plane crash and have to fight her way back to recovery and stardom. Along the way she has romantic complications involving her manager-husband and the pilot of the plane which crashed. Hayward's acting is fine but she overcompensates for her lip synching numbers, of which there are very, very many. It also gets bogged down in patriotic flag waving during her USO stint which takes up nearly the last half of the film.

Twister (1996)

Academy Awards, USA 1997

Nominated Oscar	Best Sound Steve Maslow Gregg Landaker Kevin O'Connell Geoffrey Patterson
	Best Effects, Visual Effects Stefen Fangmeier John Frazier Habib Zargarpour Henry LaBounta

Warner Bros.
Directed by Jan de Bont
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Warner Bros.)

Fast moving story of a group of storm chasers lead by Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. Their scientific goal is to place sensors in the path of a tornado which will be picked up into the storm and radio back valuable data. It also gives them an opportunity to rekindle their romance, much to the consternation of his new fiance who thinks they are all crazy. As a movie, it's undeniably entertaining and fun, however it has almost no relation to reality. Had these been real storm chasers, they would have been killed a dozen times over due to their reckless actions.

The Angel Levine (1970)

United Artists
Directed by Jan Kadar
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

An aging Zero Mostel taking care of his bedridden wife in their small New York City apartment finds a black man in his kitchen claiming to be an angel. His shock and alarm eventually turn to skepticism, especially when the man curses, drinks and brings over his old girlfriend. Nonetheless, his wife's condition takes a turn for the worse when he is booted out, and gets miraculously better when he is around. Intriguing storyline is not at all the typical Hollywood fantasy. Instead, it is a deeply moving character study about life, love, faith and everything in between. There are no easy answers and the ending is open to many interpretations. Mostel, Ida Kaminska as his wife and Harry Belafonte as the angel are perfectly cast and give fine performances.

Cliffhanger (1993)

Academy Awards, USA 1994

Nominated Oscar	Best Sound Michael Minkler Bob Beemer Tim Cooney
	Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing Wylie Stateman Gregg Baxter
	Best Effects, Visual Effects Neil Krepela John Richardson John Bruno Pamela Easley

TriStar Pictures
Directed by Renny Harlin
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(HDnet Movies)

Sly and friends are rescue workers in the Rockies. Their rock climbing skills are hijacked by John Lithgow and his cronies, who are searching for suitcases filled with cash lost after a botched robbery from the Denver mint. Spectacular scenery and stunts are wasted on inane dialogue, stereotyped characters, action cliches and sadistic violence.

Guns for San Sebastian (1968)

MGM
Directed by Henri Verneuil
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Outlaw Anthony Quinn assumes the identity of a priest who dies after giving him sanctuary in his church then leading him across the desert to an abandoned village. Indians have laid waste to the town and the people are living in the hills, but they put their faith in Quinn to rebuild it. Charles Bronson is a half breed ruling over the townspeople with an iron hand while sympathizing with the Indians. When Quinn's attempt at a peaceful resolution fails, it leads to a long, violent showdown. Its spaghetti western tendencies are overcome by an interesting character arc for Quinn, who goes from outlaw to hero. However, an unsatisfying resolution contradicts his newly adopted anti-violence attitude, relying on a special-effects driven mass murder to drive home its point.

The Learning Tree (1969)

Warner Bros.
Directed by Gordon Parks
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Black teenager Kyle Johnson grows up in a small 1920s Kansas town. Racism is rampant among the police, school system and general population. Friends and acquaintances are routinely harassed, intimidated and even murdered. One day he witnesses the killing of a white farmer by a black man. Initially afraid to tell what he knows, his conscious gets the better of him and he ends up testifying in the ensuing trial. Gordon Parks' autobiographical story is wildly uneven: there is a tornado, a rape and pregnancy, first love, fist fights, a freak show, a whorehouse, and more. It occasionally hits the mark, particularly during the court trial, but more often than is episodic and melodramatic.

The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)

Warner Bros.
Directed by Peter Godfrey
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Painter Humphrey Bogart falls in love with his young model Barbara Stanwyck while on vacation in the country. He forgets to tell her about his wife and daughter, but she dies so it doesn't matter anyway. They marry and years pass, but when Bogie falls for a rich socialite the pattern seems to repeat. Barbara figures out that Bogie is actually a psychopathic killer, leading to a dramatic confrontation. Bogie's wide-eyed portrayal of a killer is never convincing, and Stanwyck's accent mysteriously disappears after the first few scenes, but it is entertaining, if derivative of Hitchcock.

X, Y and Zee (1972)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Brian G. Hutton
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Liz and Caine do their best Liz and Dick impression as a constantly arguing married couple in London. Caine starts an affair with the young and beautiful Susannah York, eventually falling in love with her. Liz will not give up Caine easily, following them around town, dropping in on their bedroom and eventually attempting suicide as a means of getting attention. It almost works, but when York and Caine move in together, Liz has one more trick up her sleeve. Liz revels in her deliciously nasty role, spitting out vile one liners, with Caine's return volleys just as effective. It's also an effective commentary on the morals of the sexual revolution of the late 60s and early 70s, though not quite up to the level of Virginia Woolf.

The Adventures of Gerard (1970)

United Artists
Directed by Jerzy Skolimowksi
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(MGMHD)

A bumbling member of the French army is selected by Napoleon to deliver a message to the opposition in Spain. He is expected to fail in his assignment, but much to the consternation of Napoleon overcomes all obstacles to succeed. He engages in occasional duels with a British soldier, which are foiled by various interruptions, chief among them the lovely Claudia Cardinale. She is a feisty Spanish patriot who stands up to both the French and English invaders. The comedy is strained at best, relying on silly fast motion or slapstick to no avail. The best scene takes place in a torture dungeon, where Skolimowski indulges in some of his more surrealistic tendencies.

Romance on the High Seas (1948)

Academy Awards, USA 1949

Nominated Oscar	Best Music, Original Song Jule Styne (music) Sammy Cahn (lyrics) For the song "It's Magic"
	Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture Ray Heindorf

Warner Bros.
Directed by Michael Curtiz, Busby Berkeley
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

New York socialite Janis Paige hires nightclub singer Doris Day to impersonate her on a cruise to South America. Paige suspects her husband of fooling around with his pretty secretary, while her husband suspects she is doing the same on the cruise ship. He hires private detective Jack Carson to follow his wife on the cruise. Carson falls in love with Day, thinking she is really married; Day falls in love with him but doesn't reveal her real identity until the ending. The contrived plot is further complicated by her piano player, but his main purpose is to crack unfunny one liners. It's dated, sexist and has an overblown Busby Berkeley set piece for the big finale.

Naughty Marietta (1935)

Academy Awards, USA 1936

Won Oscar	Best Sound, Recording Douglas Shearer (sound director)
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture

MGM
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard, W.S. Van Dyke
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

French princess Jeanette MacDonald takes a ship to Louisiana to avoid a forced marriage. She switches identities with a maid and joins a group of girls desperate to find husbands in the new world. Their ship is attacked by pirates but they are saved by mercenaries in the French army, headed by Nelson Eddy. In New Orleans, Jeanette gives away all of her money and joins a marionette troupe. Eddy constantly romances her despite her objections, but they are united by their singing. The French royalty eventually catches up to her, but Jeanette and Eddy find a way to stay together. Predictable operetta spiced up a bit with early New Orleans atmosphere, but Eddy singing opera wearing deer skin is a bit much to ask.

The Informer (1935)

Academy Awards, USA 1936

Won Oscar	Best Actor in a Leading Role Victor McLaglen
	Best Director John Ford
	Best Writing, Screenplay Dudley Nichols Refused to accept his award because of the antagonism between several industry guilds and the ... More
	Best Music, Score Max Steiner (head of departmment) Score by Max Steiner.
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture
	Best Film Editing George Hively

Radio Pictures
Directed by John Ford
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Simple-minded brute Victor McLaglen turns in his friend to the police, wanted for murder, in order to get the reward money and use it to escape the dreary poverty of Dublin and start over with his girlfriend in America. Racked by guilt, he blows the money on alcohol, treating most of the neighborhood to drinks and food, or simply giving it away to strangers. The IRA comes looking for him since both he and his friend are members, and they don't take kindly to informers. It is moodily photographed on dimly lit, fog-enshrouded streets by Joseph H. August. The powerhouse performance by McLaglen is richly deserving of an Oscar.

Madame Curie (1943)

Academy Awards, USA 1944

Nominated Oscar	Best Picture
	Best Actor in a Leading Role Walter Pidgeon
	Best Actress in a Leading Role Greer Garson
	Best Cinematography, Black-and-White Joseph Ruttenberg
	Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White Cedric Gibbons Paul Groesse Edwin B. Willis Hugh Hunt
	Best Sound, Recording Douglas Shearer (M-G-M SSD)
	Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture Herbert Stothart

MGM
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Socially inept scientist Walter Pidgeon reluctantly accepts a new student into his laboratory, a Polish girl studying for her degree in physics and math, played by Greer Garson. Despite his initial misgivings, she turns out to be a brilliant scientist. He awkwardly proposes to her one day in what sounds more like a research proposal. She accepts anyway, and they embark on a long, arduous project that eventually leads to the discovery of the new element they call Radium. They are recognized for their work with a Nobel Prize and new laboratory, but a tragedy occurs before they can enjoy it. Although the ending is something of a downer, it does accurately portray the backbreaking work of real science and the sacrifices it requires.

Green Dolphin Street (1947)

Academy Awards, USA 1948

Won Oscar	Best Effects, Special Effects A. Arnold Gillespie (visual) Warren Newcombe (visual) Douglas Shearer (audible) Michael Steinore (audible)
Nominated Oscar	Best Cinematography, Black-and-White George J. Folsey
	Best Sound, Recording Douglas Shearer (M-G-M SSD)
	Best Film Editing George White

MGM
Directed by Victor Saville
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Wealthy sisters Donna Reed and Lana Turner both fall in love with the bad boy next door. He secretly falls for Donna, but their budding relationship is interrupted when he joins the navy and sails to China. He goes AWOL after a drunken night out and ends up in New Zealand as a deserter. As luck would have it, his old friend Van Heflin is there and they operate a successful timber business together. He writes a letter to home asking his old flame Donna to marry him, but mixes up the name with the sister. When she arrives he reluctantly marries the wrong girl and they spend the next several years unhappily married. Tedious romantic drama is padded with contrived situations such as an earthquake, Maori rebellion and Donna's conversion to a nun.