The Artist

“The Artist” is one of the most exciting and interesting film endeavors to be viewed in a long long time. The movie casts French film stars Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo with more recognizable celebrities such as Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm MacDowell and John Goodman in this almost silent film (in black and white) depicting events in the industry in Hollywood from approximately 1920 until the advent of the talkies in 1932. Written and directed by Michael Hazenavicius, perhaps much of the credit should go to music director Ludovic Bource whose incredible score during this almost 100 minutes of film without sound (other than the music) is the reason the project works. As you view this “silent movie” one realizes how our fathers and grandfathers in the first 30 years of the 20th century could sit and simply watch but not hear actors "talking" on the screen. Suddenly one realizes that the unsung stars of all of these silent emporiums were the organ players or musicians who not only played beautiful music but did it in sync and in total coordination with what was happening on the screen. Mr. Bource and his score accomplishes that and then some. It is difficult to even imagine the film working (as it does) without hearing the music which supports and, indeed, is the true co-star of the film. Remember, too, that all of this is being viewed by an audience born and bred in the era of talking pictures so to achieve such a wonderful result is a testament to the acting, writing, directing, musical scoring and editing of this fine film. Although the story is “hokey’ and reminiscent of the “A Star is Born” genre, the movie takes us into the world of silent films and the trials and tribulations of those who can and cannot make the transition to the new medium. Yes, I confess that I did look at my watch twice but only to make sure and satisfy myself that the film had more to go and wasn’t ending when I thought it might. My wishes were granted and I was able to see a wonderful product taken to its proper completion. I give this film four stars and urge, no, insist, that those who enjoy great filmmaking not miss this extraordinary film experience.

Moneyball

“Moneyball” stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the General Manager of the Oakland A’s baseball team, whose exploits were originally recited in the non-fiction book “Moneyball, the Art of Winning in an Unfair Game” written by Michael Lewis. Taken with the story Brad Pitt, in the role as Producer, sought the services of his friend, Steven Soderbergh (with whom he worked in “Ocean’s Eleven”) and began production in conjunction with Sony Pictures. Differences later arose between the studio and Soderbergh who then left the film. Just as A’s General Manager Beane was forced to regroup and create a new team when his stars left to go to higher paying clubs, so did Pitt, in a real life dramatization of the Beane character’s problems, seek and get Scott Rudin to join Pitt, Michael DeLuca and Rachel Horvitz as one of the film’s producers. Rudin’s prior association with Aaron Sorkin (“The Social Network”) brought Sorkin on board to work on Steve Zaillian’s script and thus create the finished product.. Also, like the story of Beane, Pitt got a new director, Bennett Miller (known for low budget films (“Capote”). Again the similarity between life and art is striking (no pun intended). This is a movie rich with the tradition of the sport and an insight as to how high financed clubs can dominate league play. More importantly, it represents how a new approach, dictated by economic needs and lack of funds, can alter conventional attitudes and bring about the unthinkable i.e.a team with a 39 million dollar budget outperforming those having four or five times that sum. Joining Pitt as the maverick general manager is Jonah Hill who portrays what some believe is Paul Podesta, an ivy league economics major who helps the Pitt character look at statistics in a whole new light. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the field manager This is a Cinderella story which sees the team win an unprecedented 20 games in a row, the first time this ever occurred in the 103 year history of the sport.. More importantly, it is the story of resilience, confidence and focus and is all the more meaningful because it really happened. Of course a love of baseball is an added plus for any viewer of the film but the writing and directing are of such a high quality that even those unfamiliar with the sport will enjoy the story and its message. I give the film 3 and ½ stars with special kudos to Mr. Pitt who showed that in baseball and in show business, tenacity and dedication can still get big “hits”.

Contagion

“Contagion” stars Lawrence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow in this 105 minute film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Z. Burns. This is a poorly written and directed film with skimpy production values and characters who are two dimensional.. Faced with so many named stars, one would expect a film that might support such a cast. Instead, it is a letdown. The viewer simply has a "who cares" attidue about each of them.The character played by Jude Law is more an intrusion into the film than any positive addition. One can only try to figure out the meaning of the film’s title as one can try to understand the casting of Elliot Gould as one of the world’s leading biology researchers. As the line in the film goes “If Sussman (Gould’s character) doesn’t get it…no one will” In this instance the writer is right…no one gets it. Touted as the great dethroner to box office leader “The Help” I would tell the producers of “Help” that if good taste and quality filmmaking still prevail, they needn’t worry. I give the film 2 stars and am probably being overly generous in doing that.

The Debt

“The Debt” is the story of three Israeli Mossad agents and the events that took place 30 years ago, what takes place years later and how the two time spans interact into their personal, political and professional lives. The film stars Tom Wilkinson, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain and Helen Mirren in this intended cold war thriller. This is a remake of a 2007 Israeli film entitled “Ha Hov” (i.e. “The Debt” in Hebrew). Directed by John Madden (“Shakespeare In Love”) and co-written by Mathew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan, the film is, supposedly based on actual occurrences. On paper, at least, it has all the ingredients for an adventure film with a great plot. Unfortunately, the movie moves rather slowly and is tedious at times as it gets a little too involved in the personal lives of the Mossad agents while not going deep enough into the world of significant political events taking place around them. In fairness to the performances and certain segments of the screenplay, the film does manage to hold the audience’s interest in spite of its almost 2 hour duration which, quite honestly, seemed longer than that. I give the film 2 and ½ stars with a concern that its title may be the precursor for the amount appearing on Miramax’ balance sheet after the grosses are computed.

The Guard

“The Guard” is an interesting comedy-drama starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. Written and directed by John Michael McDonagh (“In Bruges”), he attains a level of subtlety in the humor that pervades the film and especially in the chemistry and communications between Messrs. Gleeson and Cheadle. Located and filmed in the County of Galway in Ireland, this film will make you laugh since the characters and story do not take themselves too seriously. Nevertheless you are able to view a thriller with as much action as you might find in any non-comedic movie but with the added attraction of these two male stars who draw you into their escapades with vigor and interest. I give the film an 80 rating and applaud the efforts of all involved. I had a good time watching it.

The Help

“The Help” is a 137 minute film version of the best selling novel by Kathryn Stockett who, with Tate Taylor, gets the screen credit. Directed by Mr. Taylor, this is the story of the Black housekeepers/maids/nannies who raised the white children of their employers set in the mid l960’s at the apex of the civil rights movement in the Southl Filled with many stereotypes, the movie nevertheless gives the viewer an insight into the lives, aspirations and sadness of these true ladies of the South as they leave each day to become the chattels of their white property owners. Prior to seeing the film I had watched and read a few interviews with young and scholarly black journalists who felt the film did an injustice to the true plight of these domestic workers and the entire Black experience during that time. I was surprised to find that the film did more than just whitewash the era (no pun intended) but, instead, gave those in the audience an awareness of what life was like for these people and the indignities and injustices they were forced to suffer and endure. Emma Stone gives a better than average acting performance but enough cannot be said for the efforts of both Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer who, as Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson, respectively, make the movie their own as they dominate every scene and fill the screen with dignity and meaning. Watch for Oscar nominations for these two when voting time comes around. I give the film 3 and 1/2 stars and recommend it highly. It’s a pleasure to see this kind of quality film released in the summer when the demographics of the “home from school” audience might have dictated otherwise.

Bride's Flight

“Bride’s Flight” is the story of 3 Dutch war brides taking a KLM flight in 1953 to New Zealand in order to meet their new husbands and escape from war torn Holland. Filmed in Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand, the picture was directed by Ben Sombogaart and written by Marieke van der Pol. Not exactly household names. The three women are played by Anna Dryver, Elise Schaap and Karina Smuldlers who will likewise be unfamiliar to American audiences but nevertheless quite captivating in their performances. This is a well written, well edited and equally well directed film as the paths of those on the plane cross at various times in their respective lives and impact upon them and those in their families. I give this film 3 stars and suggest that you try to see it asap since it has been around for some time and is slowly (or not so slowly) being phased out of most of the small theaters where it opened originally.