Act of Valor - 2 1/2 smiles

It’s hard to be too critical of “Act of Valor,” which uses Navy SEALs in lead roles, but it does come across as an elaborate recruiting film. Directors Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh have enlisted real SEALs to play themselves in a movie that’s pure Hollywood fiction. The action, involving Chechen rebels, Mexican drug cartels and assorted terrorists, is staged, but it does prove that SEALs can stay cool under fire and have faultless aim. Initiated in a Pentagon PR office and starring a half-dozen SEALs identified only by the first name and rank – Lieutenant Commander Rorke, Special Warfare Operative Chief Dave, SPO First Class Ajay and others called Weimy, Sonny and Mikey – establishes that these proud warriors are also fierce friends, devoted husbands and, well, rather stiff actors.

And there are any number of clichés that are intended to provide character insight, such as one SEAL carries his grandfather’s American flag in his uniform pocket and is expecting his first child, another has five kids. Where the directors get it right is with the complex planning and execution of battle scenes, including night parachuting, maneuvering silently under swamp water and creeping unseen toward an enemy compound. Fighting is a learned skill and these SEALs are exceptional. Where they stumble is when they’re expected to deliver impassioned lines of script. But it’s possible to be so impressed with their other skills that you’ll forgive them their stilted delivery. These guys are the real deal and they deserve any hero worship given to them. 2/24/12

The Secret World of Arrietty - 3 1/2 smiles

“The Secret World of Arrietty,” from Japan’s fabled Studio Ghibli and distributed by Disney, is a beautifully animated re-telling of a beloved children’s classic about a family of very tiny humans. Based on Mary Norton’s 1952 novel, The Borrowers, the movie keeps the original English setting, but adds some Japanese touches and uses an American voice cast. Arrietty (voiced by Bridgit Mendler) is a spirited 10-year-old who lives with her resourceful father and nervous mother (Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the walls of an English country house. She and her family are among the last of a race of ‘Borrowers,’ who lead a secret existence that depends on pilfered items that fill-size humans won’t miss and avoiding dangers such as the house cat or a determined crow. But one day, during a foraging expedition with her father, Arrietty discovers that an ailing boy named Shawn (David Henrie) has come to stay in the mostly vacant house. Shawn eventually notices Arrietty and they become friends. When Shawn’s involvement with Arrietty alerts his cranky Japanese housekeeper (voiced by Carol Burnett) to the presence of the Borrowers, they’re forced to relocate.

Studio Ghibli is at the forefront of keeping traditional hand-drawn animation alive and its use is very effective here. Most of the movie is from the perspective of the Borrowers and the various scenes take on a splendor as the familiar is seen through different eyes. Normal rooms become massive chambers; pill bugs roll up to become balls for play; postage stamps become wall hangings; a drop of water holds the equivalent of buckets and a cube of sugar is similar to a 5-pound bag. “The Secret World of Arrietty” will engage adults as well as children, providing a wonderfully imaginative visit an enchanting world. 2/19/12

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - 1 smile

I like Nicholas Cage. Too bad he can’t reject some of the bad scripts that come his way. But, fortunately, Cage’s ability to embrace the ridiculous adds an element of fun to a mediocre movie. With his over-the-top delivery and comical facial expressions, he certainly adds that ‘je ne sais quoi’ element to “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.” Still, there’s so little substance to this movie with no character development and minimal plot. Essentially, Cage is Johnny Blaze, a tormented soul living a dual existence. Johnny is Ghost Rider, a fiery demon compelled to destroy any evil he can find. His mission this time is to save a 13-year-old boy who turns out to be the son of Roarke (Ciarán Hinds), the Devil. The rest of the movie has Johnny, the boy and his mother running from the Devil and his minions. Wisely the filmmakers rely heavily on humor and Cage is perfect. There’s no movie without him. But, then, it’s hardly a movie although there are a lot of special effects. 2/23/12

Undefeated - 4 smiles

The Oscar-winning documentary “Undefeated,” chronicling a championship season, is a moving testament to resilience and determination amid staggering odds. Directors Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin provide an intimate look at a group of underprivileged African-American high school football players in north Memphis. Early in the film, former NFL player Aaron Hayden asks how many of the players have two parents who graduated from college. No hands are raised. But when he asks how many have had a close relative in jail, nearly every hand goes up. “You’ve got to think outside your circumstances,” Hayden tells them. “It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.” This is what volunteer coach Bill Courtney firmly believes. “Young men of character and discipline and commitment end up winning in life. Football doesn’t build character. Football reveals character,” Coach Bill says again and again.

Some of the players make powerful impressions. There’s O.C., the hulking left tackle, an easygoing senior who lives in a tiny house with his grandmother and sees football as a way out of Memphis. He’s received recruitment letters from various colleges, but his grades are low. Montrall, aka Money, plays right tackle. His father, who died when he was 13, emphasized education. And Money, who has a 3.8 GPA, is aware that although he’s usually outmanned physically on the football field and that he’s too small to play college ball, he’s tough mentally. Later in the season, Chavis Daniels joins the team, fresh from a year in juvenile prison. Chavis, who played as a freshman, wants to rejoin the team, but his anger problems has him lashing out at his teammates for trivial reasons. Coach Bill intercedes as mediator, therapist and sometimes enforcer. The directors deftly balance the students’ stories with that of the coach, who’s white. You quickly realize that what Courtney’s players care about, what makes them so fiercely loyal to him, is that this gruff, demanding, often foul-mouthed man, is a true teacher and mentor, one who really cares and is driven by a passion to make his players the best they can be, not only athletically but academically. By the end of the season, the players have revealed their depth of character. It’s impossible not to be moved by their struggles and accomplishments detailed in “Undefeated.”

This Means War - 3 smiles

Because I’m a Reese Witherspoon fan, I like everything she’s in and “This Means War” is no exception. Plus you’ve got Chris Pine and Tom Hardy, so what’s not to like? Pine and Hardy play CIA pals, FDR and Tuck, respectively, who always get their man and when they both meet Lauren (Witherspoon), they’re each determined to get the girl. And they call on all their spycraft to be successful, which results in some humorous goings-on. Tuck is a single dad who’s separated from his little boy’s mother, shy enough to be attractive to online date Lauren, who works as a product tester for a marketing company. By contrast, FDR is a smooth operator with a ready line for any woman he encounters, which doesn’t work when he first meets Lauren. Since these guys are good friends, they establish rules for courting Lauren – Don’t tell her that they know about the other, stay out of each other’s way, and no hanky panky.

This action-packed romantic comedy was directed by McG, who handles the shifts in tone well. One minute the guys are shooting it out with villain (Til Schweiger) and his henchmen, the next day they’re employing every Agency gadget and invasion of privacy tool in their battle to win Lauren. Their various CIA assistants are not necessarily in on why they’re employing wiretaps and spy satellites to keep tabs on this woman, however. The bromance between Tuck and FDR results in more fully developed characters, with Hardy in particular showing a softer side. Witherspoon’s character isn’t as well developed, but she plays Lauren with charm and confidence. Chelsea Handler, who plays Lauren’s married best friend, Trish, brings her potty mouth and, frankly, it’s jarring. “This Means War” follows the rom-com formula and throws in some brisk action scenes. What’s not to like? 3/18/12

Rampart - 1 1/2 smiles

Critics like “Rampart,” starring Woody Harrelson, but I didn’t. Harrelson dominates the picture, but the story is full of holes and improbabilities and becomes increasingly unrealistic and uninteresting as it moves to its unsatisfying conclusion. Co-written by James Ellroy and Oren Moverman and directed by Moverman, the movie has nothing much to do with the LAPD Rampart scandal of the 1990s although it hovers in the background. Rather it focuses on one dirty cop in 1999. With his cigarettes, aviators, racist talk and ready pistol, Harrelson’s Officer Dave Brown is contemptible with a heart as black as his soul. Each sequence, scenes of him boozing and picking up women in bars, beating up handcuffed suspects and shaking down pharmacists for drugs, adds more evidence to Brown’s growing list of sins, but as if that’s not enough, Moverman adds hunks of verbose dialogue to further reinforce our understanding that Brown is a despicable man.

Moverman has assembled a talented supporting cast that includes Cynthia Nixon and Anne Heche as sisters Brown serially married; a handicapped street misfit (Ben Foster); a randy lawyer (Robin Wright); a retired cop (Ned Beatty); a police brass attorney (Sigourney Weaver) and an Internal Affairs cop (Ice Cube). They add some luster to the story, but they don't really help all of the plot points that dead end or the issues that appear and then disappear. Harrelson has thrown himself into the role, but the sheer repetitiveness of his evil tends to be wearying rather than refreshing and instead of providing any understanding, “Rampart” only gives us questions. Do you really care? I say no. 2/19/12

Woman in Black - 2 1/2 smiles

“The Woman in Black” is your typical ghost story with all of the ghost story elements: an isolated mansion, mysterious deaths, a spooky graveyard, a woman in black whose appearance coincides with tragedies, frightened villagers, long-buried secrets. The story takes place in Victorian England, the house is haunted and the ghost is definitely unfriendly. Director James Watkins gets maximum atmosphere from his sets and there are plenty of ‘boo!’ moments. Daniel Radcliff plays Arthur Kipps, a London-based solicitor with a four-year old son whose career has been in a tailspin since the death of his wife in childbirth. His firm has given him a last chance – travel to the estate of the late Mrs. Alice Drablow, Eel March House, and settle her affairs. In the nearby town, Arthur in met with open suspicion and hostility. The only friendly couple is Sam and Elizabeth Daily (Ciarán Hinds and Janet McTeer), who greet Arthur with warmth and offer help. Upon arriving at Eel March House, Arthur’s beliefs in what is possible are challenged in a series of supernatural occurrences, whispers in the dark, music boxes that play, rocking chairs that rock, and the creepy Woman in Black.

Although Daniel Radcliff manages to do a creditable job, he seems too young for the role and his screen presence is less imposing than that of his co-stars, Ciarán Hinds and Janet McTeer, both of whom seem more at ease in front of the camera. And while the ending isn’t a conventional happy ending (which really wouldn’t fit with the previous dark and brooding 90 minutes), it ends in a way that’s lighter and offers a sense of closure. “The Woman in Black” will certainly provide some genuine scares if that’s what you’re after. For me, this genre isn’t my cup of tea. 2/12/12

Safe House - 3 smiles

“Safe House,” starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, is a better than average actioner with a hectic plot, a huge body count and two charismatic actors. Washington and Reynolds have terrific chemistry as two men linked by their CIA affiliation. Matt Weston (Reynolds), a low-level CIA ‘housekeeper’ in Cape Town, South Africa, in charge of a safe house where suspects are taken to be interrogated. Tobin Frost (Washington) is the agency’s most notorious traitor. Washington’s top-notch performance suggests deep reserves of knowledge and his character comes off as world-weary and cynical. As the idealistic Weston, Reynolds is perfect. He goes from bored rookie to anxious operative in way over his head and trying desperately to keep up. He even gets beaten up realistically.

Weston and Frost’s paths cross when Frost turns up in Cape Town after years of eluding the authorities. After concealing an all-important computer file just under his skin and escaping a horde of assassins, he turns himself in at the US Embassy. From there, Frost is brought to the house managed by Weston. When the house comes under brutal attack, only Weston and Frost survive. Determined to keep Frost in custody and turn him over to the CIA brass, Weston evades pursuers via high-speed chases and shootouts. Although Frost is an expert manipulator, the story becomes one of mentor and protégé. Director Daniel Espinosa keeps the suspense consistently high up to the climax, which, unfortunately, is predictable. “Safe House,” a familiar tale of conspiracy and corruption with double and triple crosses, is told with energy and style made all the more watchable because of its lead performances. 2/11/12

A Separation - 4 smiles

The Oscar nominated film, “A Separation,” moves beyond one couple’s crumbling marriage to reveal growing rifts between generations, ideologies, religious beliefs, genders and classes in modern-day Iran. The film starts with a couple, Simin (Leila Hatami) and her husband, Nader (Peyman Maadi) who sit uneasily side by side, with Simin explaining to a judge why she wants a divorce. Simin wants to leave Tehran with their preteen daughter for a life of greater opportunity in the West. Nader insists on remaining because he has a senile father to take care of. Each has a clear, logical position and each is angry with the other for not understanding. After the courthouse opening, writer/director Asghar Farhadi’s excellent film follows Simin and Nader through a series of misunderstandings, leading to totally unexpected consequences.

As the story progresses, we meet new characters, who have their own agendas. Since Nader can’t stay home to tend his father and since Simin has moved out, Nader hastily hires a fundamentalist Muslim woman Razieh (Sareh Bayat), as a combination housekeeper/caregiver. To the secular Nader, the job is clear, but for Razieh, there are many theological issues, such as looking after a man, one she doesn’t know, who can’t use the toilet or bathe himself. While Razieh is devout and well meaning, she’s not above keeping secrets from her employer and her husband, a hot-tempered religious hardliner. Nader soon finds Razieh negligent, which leads to a squabble over payment, which leads to disastrous collateral damage, and courtroom proceedings far more serious than divorce. “A Separation” is a story where no one is without guilt and will provide fodder for conversations long after you’ve left the theater. It is certainly deserves to win the Best Foreign Language Academy Award. Subtitles. 2/9/12

2012 Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts

“Penticost” is set in Ireland in the late 70s. Damian, who doesn’t really want to be an alter boy, dreams of being a football (soccer) player. When he is forced to serve as an alter boy for an important visitor, he agrees, but not without putting an original twist to the finish of the sermon. There’s some humor throughout the story, especially when a priest gives a pep talk to all of the alter boys that’s reminiscent of a coach’s half time encouragement. This is short, sweet and, perhaps, safe…too safe. 2 ½ smiles

“Raju” is about a good looking German couple, Jan and Sarah, who travel to India to adopt Raju, a young orphan boy. When Sarah becomes ill, Jan takes Raju out for the day and promptly loses him. After a frantic search, Jan discovers that he and Sarah have paid for a kidnapped child. Jan now faces a decision – take Raju back to Germany to live as a happy family or return him to his family. This is a compelling story that pulls you in right to the end. 3 ½ smiles

“The Shore” is the longest and most polished of the entries at 31 minutes. It’s about friendship, forgiveness and healing. The drama stars Ciarán Hinds as Jim, who’s returning home to Northern Ireland for the first time in 25 years. The reasons he left and his reluctance to reunite with his childhood best friend, Paddy, pique the interest of his daughter, who has accompanied him. The story is beautifully filmed and heartfelt. 3 ½ smiles

“Time Freak” with its choppy editing, feels more like a clever student project, something my high school students would have fun making although the special effects are pretty good. This is about Stillman, who has invented a time machine. But instead of going back to visit ancient Rome or the Civil War, Stillman gets stuck in reliving yesterday, a very mundane day. At 11 minutes, it’s either too short or too long. 2 smiles

“Tuba Atlantic” from Norway, is full of dark humor. It’s about Oskar who has just found out that he has six days to live. Ingar, an ‘Angel of Death’ sent by ‘The Jesus Club’ to help him face his last few days, becomes his companion. Oskar is an old curmudgeon of a man, stubborn enough to face death his way, which includes shooting seagulls and reaching out to his estranged brother in New Jersey. To contact his brother, Oskar needs a westerly wind and the giant tuba he and his brother built when they were boys. The end is delightfully clever. Not sure about killing all those innocent seagulls, however. 3 smiles

2012 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts

“Dimanche/Sunday” This is a typical Sunday in the life of a little boy as he’s called from playing in the yard to, first, go to church and then to go to his grandparents for dinner. The animation is sparse and full of earth tones. Told from the boy’s perspective, there’s very little of interest for him unless he imagines it. There’s little dialogue and not much happens. It’s unclear why this short from Canada was included. 2 smiles

“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” This is a poignant and visually effective tale that has a certain Pixar-like quality. One day, a Wizard-of-Oz-like storm transports Mr. Lessmore to a magical place wehre books come to life, as do the people who read then. Books fly and dance and feel joy and sorrow. The flipbook way Humpty Dumpty animates is inspired. It’s a powerful tribute to the magic of reading and the power of the written word. It’s inventive, original, sentimental and meaningful. 4 smiles

“La Luna” This is Pixar’s only entry for the 2012 Academy Awards since their Cars 2 was shut out. This is a short 7-minute tale of a young boy who learns what the family business is one night when he accompanies his father and grandfather. Once they row out to sea, they stop and wait. A big surprise awaits the boy (and us). A charming fairytale-like story full of wonder and magic. 3 ½ smiles

“A Morning Stroll” I think this short attempts to answer the question, ‘Why did the chicken knock on the apartment door?’ Not that you asked it, but…… It’s 1959, in black and white and drawn with simple lines, and a man catches a glimpse of a chicken walking down the street, knocking on a door and being let in. Jump to 2009 and the same thing happens, only the animation has changed to color with a more complete drawing. Then it’s 2059 and fully textured zombies rule the Earth and, of course, one zombie sees the chicken. This showcases different animation styles, but I didn’t get it. 2 ½ smiles

“Wild Life” It’s 1909 and a young Brit sets out for the wilds of Alberta, Canada, seeking adventure. After a year, he finds only loneliness and desolation although his letters home tell a different story. There are some cards that pop up occasionally that compare our hero’s fate to that of a comet. Not compelling or interesting. 2 smiles

Pina 3D - 1 1/2 smiles

If you like modern dance, you’ll enjoy “Pina,” a documentary about the career and work of avant-garde German choreographer Pina Bausch. However, for the general audience, there’s no way a film can capture the immediacy and personal connection of live dance. Plus much of Pina’s personal story is missing. You get a sense of what’s missing when you listen to the voiceover contributions of Pina’s dancers, who often describe her influence on their lives in terms of their personal transformation. That they loved her is obvious, but you don’t leave the theater feeling you know much about Pina, the person.

Director Wim Winders uses the 3D cameras to capture some of her dance pieces, augmented by commentary from members of her troupe. What’s off-putting is Winder’s presumption that the audience should be happy with his ‘just presenting’ some of her dances. And he uses a distracting technique of cutting back and forth from dance to talking heads. But the talking heads don’t talk. They just stare at the camera as their narration floats in voiceover. “Pina” has received critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary. I have to wonder why. 2/4/12

Big Miracle - 3 smiles

“Big Miracle,” starring Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski, is an engaging and often quite funny family film inspired by the real-life 1988 rescue of three gray whales tapped in ice near Alaska’s northernmost point. It’s also a romantic comedy as well as a surprisingly sharp satire about environmental politics and the media. At the center of the story is Drew Barrymore as the fictionalized version of Greenpeace activist Cindy Lowry (renamed Rachel Kramer). Rachel’s ex-boyfriend (Kransinski), a local TV reporter from Anchorage, breaks the news that local Inuits have discovered the family of migrating whales stranded in a tiny ice hole five miles from the ocean. As an army of reporters descends on tiny Port Barrow, Rachel goes to work recruiting an unlikely army of rescuers, many of whom, like an oil mogul (Ted Dansen), an Alaska National Guard pilot (Dermot Mulroney) and a Reagan administration official (Vinessa Shaw), are actually not concerned about the fate of the whales. What they are concerned about is public image, garnering votes and/or drilling contracts. Added to the mix is an ambitious young LA reporter (Kristen bell) who double-crosses her own anchorman in pursuit of a whale scoop.

With all of this going on, director Ken Kwapis never loses focus on the increasingly desperate recue efforts as the weather worsens and options to free the whales run out. In the end, it’s up to President Reagan to decide whether to call in a Soviet destroyer in a last ditch effort to unblock the whales’ last obstacle to the sea. There’s terrific chemistry between Barrymore and Kransinski and Ahmaogak Sweeney is good as an Inuit teen who serves as the film’s narrator.“ Big Miracle” also has a mix of terrific archival news footage that includes Dan Rather, Connie Chung, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw. And if you stick around for the closing credits, you’ll catch a clip of a former Alaska TV weather girl who went onto bigger and better things. 2/3/12

Albert Nobbs - 2 smiles

The main problem with “Albert Nobbs,” starring Oscar-nominated Glenn Close, is the script (by Close and John Banville), which only skims the surface of Albert Nobbs and never provides a deeper analysis of this pinched, unrealized human being. And you really want to know more about a woman passing herself off as a man in Late Victorian-era Dublin. Nobbs (Close) works at Morrison’s Hotel where he’s known to his fellow workers as a fastidious, polite, impeccably correct gentleman who says little, and during his off-hours, keeps to himself in a drab upstairs room where he keeps his earnings under the floorboards. When the proprietress Mrs. Baker (Pauline Collins) tells Nobbs that he’ll have to share his room (and bed) for a night with Hubert Page (Janet McTeer), a painter doing some work at the hotel, Nobbs gives every excuse as to why this is impossible. But before the night is over, Nobbs’ secret is exposed – he’s actually a she. However, much to Nobbs’ shock, this man who always dresses in bulky jackets and sweaters and is always smoking, suddenly flashes Nobbs with the sight of two pendulous breasts. We discover that Hubert is much more easy-going than the terminally repressed Nobbs and she not only passes for a man but is married to a woman. Needless to say, Nobbs begins to hope that there might be more to her life than what she has.

And this is where the script heads in a wrong direction. Instead of following Nobbs in the expansion of her life and world, of learning how to live within the restraints she has imposed on herself, the story shifts to Helen (the always effective Mia Wasikowska), the prettiest member of the hotel staff who’s involved with Joe (Aaron Johnson), a handsome, but troubled young man set on going to America. Nobbs decides ‘he’ wants to marry Helen, so even though Helen is seeing Joe, and with Joe’s urging, Helen goes out with Nobbs. Helen is supposed to get Nobbs to spend money on her and the implication is that Helen and Joe will rob Nobbs and run off to America. This doesn’t happen, but this Helen/Joe interlude doesn’t seem to fit. And because we never come to understand Nobbs, Nobbs’ character is eclipsed by the Hubert Page character, which has traveled much further down the road to living a full, if still compromised, life. And McTeer goes at her role with real gusto, giving energy to the scenes she’s in that is largely absent elsewhere. 2/2/12