d. Mike Newell

c. Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, Alfred Molina

You know how when you watch coming attractions and you see a film that looks so great in preview then you go see it and it turns out to be a piece of shit? I fall for this old editing trick more often than I care to admit and Prince of Persia proved that despite top-notch talent, great costumes and props its nothing more than a big fat el snoozo.

d. Ridley Scott

c. Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Max Von Sydow

I think the problem that the critics are having with this latest incarnation of the classic medieval tale is that it is focused on the events that shaped the character of Robin Hood before he became the stuff of legend.  

The medieval world Scott shows us is not a sanitized, colorful and romantic vision but follows the tone set by director Anthony Harvey in The Lion in Winter where the world at large is lawless, cold, dirty and dangerous. There are fearsome battles where the arrows fly like driving rain as well as scenes depicting heartwarming moments between Crowe as Robin and Blanchett as Marian.  Friar Tuck and Little John are also on hand to provide some comic relief in this otherwise stormy and disturbing tale.

Crowe’s splendid masculinity paired with Blanchett’s strange, ethereal beauty are perfect for the leads in this film and deliver sound performances in the most realistic Robin Hood ever.

An interesting side note is that most of Robin Hood was filmed on private land belonging to Queen Elizabeth II.

on DVD Pirate Radio 2009

d. Richard Curtis

c. Philip Seymore Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost

Set in 1966 in the North Sea off the coast of the U.K., Pirate Radio is a great little film brimming over with robust performances set against a backdrop of classic rock and roll music. The plot is rife with hilarious situations concocted by drug soaked and completely lovable DJ’s living on the floating radio station who bring the music to millions of clandestine listeners of all ages after a ban is imposed from playing rock and roll on British soil. Equally funny are the attempts of the British Prime Minister ( who looks like banker Milburn Drysdale reincarnate from The Beverly Hillbillies and just as inept) to put them out of business.

The songs are flawlessly integrated into the plot and reminded me of  just how great the music of that era is, as I had forgotten.

The original film was over 3 hours so the editing left noticable holes in the story. The cut scenes are thoughtfully included in the DVD extras.

Lynn Redgrave 1943-2010

Classically trained at the prestigious Central School of Music and Drama in London, Redgrave became, over time, the most accessible and interesting member of one of the worlds great acting dynasties that include her father, the late Sir Michael Redgrave, sister Vanessa, brother Corin and nieces Natasha and Jolie Richardson.

Working on the stage as well as films in both the U.K. and the U.S., she became a houshold name after her work in Georgy Girl 1966 an examination of then modern day morals by giving a delightful and endearing performance for which she was honored with an Oscar nomination, her first of 2 during a career that spanned over 40 years and included 45 films. Her other nomination was for her work in the most excellent Gods and Monsters 1998 appearing with Sir Ian McKellan and the then gorgeous Brendan Fraser. She also appeared in Shine 1996 with Jeffery Rush. Her stage credits include writing and appearing in a one woman show Shakespeare for my Father, The Constant Wife and Mrs.Warrens Profession all of which were nominated for Tony’s. Between films and stage work Redgrave turned to television, appearing on game shows, hosting her own syndicated talk show on NBC Not for Women Only and acted as spokesperson for Weight Watchers with the tag line “now this is living!” She and her sister Vanessa did a remake of the classic Whatever Happened to Baby Jane  in 1991 one of the highest rated programs of the season. Her only other appearance with Vanessa was on stage in a production of Chekhov’s The Three Sisters in London in 1990. Her most recent television work included stints on Ugly Betty, Law and Order and Desperate Housewives.

She married actor-producer-director John Clark in 1967 they spawned 3 children and established residency in the U.S. in 1974,  divorcing in 1998. Redgrave’s life was far from rosy, an indifferent and unsupporting father and family, a crazy politically skewed sister and brother, a philandering husband and a lawsuit that almost left her destitute, she never let her toubles show in her extraordinary body of work. 

Redgrave succumbed to breast cancer and is the 3rd member of her family to pass away in the last 14 months. Her brother Corin from cancer in April and Natasha Richardson from a skiing accident last year.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 2010

d. Niels Arden Opley

c. Lena Endre, Michael Nygvist, Noomi Rapace

This riveting, haunting thriller centers around the fictional, wealthy and very private Swedish Vanger family, as they hire investigators (Nygvist and Endre) to look into the 40-year-old disappearance of one of their daughters, Harriet, who they presume dead.

Together the investigators  unravel the Vanger family’s dark and appalling secrets in a story full of twists and turns that would make Hitchcock jealous. The film is long (over 2.5 hours) and it is subtitled but don’t let that deter you. The performances are exceptional.

Oceans 2010

d. Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud

Narrator. Pierce Brosnan

Instead of the movie poster I decided to use an actual image from this amazing documentary. Using the latest in underwater film technology, Oceans celebrates the rich variety of ocean life in all its awe-inspiring beauty with breathtaking scenes set to a sweeping classical score.

Oceans does have some problems. Quite a bit of the species seen in the film are left unidentified as are many of the locations. Brosnan as a narrator belongs in the “el snoozo” category. His mundane and flat voice just didn’t match the awesome subject matter. I think a woman would’ve been better like Susan Sarandon or Sigourney Weaver. It touches lightly on ecological issues but never fully explores the seriousness of the problem. Despite these shortcomings, Oceans delivers a fascinating portrait of marine life.

d. Matthew Vaughn

c. Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Nicholas Cage

Coming out of left field we have this comic book based story complete with super heroes and dastardly villains. Surprisingly entertaining with Moretz cast in the role of “Hit-Girl” an innocent looking, lethal 11-year-old girl who stops at nothing to avenge the death of her father (Cage). This girl can kick some serious ass.

Moralists are complaining that the Hit-Girl character makes a lousy role model because of her vocabulary and guilt free killing.  I guess they’ve never seen Tatum O’Neal in Paper Moon or Patty McCormick in The Bad Seed. Moretz’s realization of her character is no better or worse than the work of O’Neal (who won an Oscar) and McCormick in what are now classic films.

Although Kick-Ass suffers from a couple mediocre plot elements and turgid scenes of violence and blood, it is highly entertaining.

The Diary of Anne Frank 1959

d. George Stevens

c. Millie Perkins, Joseph Schildkraut, Shelly Winters, Richard Beymer, Lou Jacobi, Diane Baker, Ed Wynn

This wonderful film is packed with fine performances and superb art direction as it tells the well-known story of the Frank family forced into hiding in an Amsterdam attic to escape persecution from the Nazi’s.

Director Stevens had what I like to call a lyrical eye and approach to filmmaking as evidenced here. There are a couple of scenes that are long with no dialogue that are so poignant and constructed in such a way that makes them haunting and unforgettable.  One is where the 2 young people (Perkins and Beymer) are on opposite sides of a bombed out room where laundry is hung out to dry. Perkins is staring out a broken window while Beymer is playing with a paper boat in a tub of water.  She makes her way over to him by going under the laundry with her head poking up between the clothes lines on which are hung sheets. She reaches him and he is unresponsive so she goes back to her window where he  later joins her. All this played out under a lush and incredible score by Alfred Newman. This is what movies were made for.

Millie Perkins, a fragile and exquisite beauty was a successful model and cover girl when she was chosen out of thousands of hopefuls to play the lead in her first film. She took a lot of heat by critics because of her performance, who accused her of not rising to the occasion by delivering a more or less bland realization of a romantic, passionate and astute writer. But I thought she did just fine for a first effort alongside such heavyweights such as Winters, Wynn and Jacobi.  The climactic scene takes place at that broken window where Perkins and Beymer are peering out and having a heartfelt conversation when off in the distance a police car siren starts out soft and gets louder until the 2 realize the siren is  meant for them and that arrest and death were imminent. The scene ends with them in a spontaneous and passionate kiss as the police  car screeches to a halt in front of their hiding place.

This romantic and tragic tale won 3 Oscars, cinematography, art direction and a best supporting actress for Winters who later donated it to the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam.

in fond remembrance

With the exception of June Havoc everyone here although they did film are primarily known  for their television work. I have fond memories of John Forsythe and his strangely soothing voice in Bachelor Father who went on to become the central figure in the wildly popular Charlie’s Angels and Fess Parker as Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. Parker later became a world-renowned wine producer. Robert Culp in the classic I Spy also did alot of voice work and who can forget Peter Graves hilarious performance as the pilot in Airplane!.

June Havoc started out as Baby June, a top headliner in Vaudeville who was also the sister of Gypsy Rose Lee. She did some modeling and “dancing” then went on to do lead and second lead on film and despite turning in solid performances, audiences never warmed up to her. More curiosity than legend.

John Forsythe, 92     4.1.10

June Havoc , 97    3.28.10

Robert Culp, 79     3.24.10

Fess Parker, 85     3.18.10

Peter Graves . 83     3.14.10

d. Roman Polanski

c. Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrell

A thriller filled with tension and international intrigue is at times a bit confusing but has solid performances with slick direction. Cattrell gave a nice turn as an icy, bitchy mistress. Eli Wallach has a fun cameo as an old man living by the sea.

Since this is an “ensemble” effort, I say the house is the real star.