Tina's February 2013 Movies

February was Oscar month, and I took movie watching to heart by seeing 16 of them.  Movies marked with an * are the ones I had not seen previously, and numbering picks up from the previous month.  They are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna, 5 being the highest accolade. Here is what I saw:

12.  Shampoo (1975) – Poor George (Warren Beatty).  All he wants to do is open up his own hair salon, so he can do the hair of all the beautiful women of Beverly Hills.  But all of the beautiful women of Beverly Hills want to do him.  Life is complicated by his current girlfriend Jill (Goldie Hawn); Felicia, his not-so-secret, married woman on the side (Lee Grant); and his ex (Julie Christie), who currently is with Felicia’s husband (Jack Weston).  Jumping on his motorcycle and armed with his hair dryer, George aims to please, because, as he admits, “It makes me feel like I could live forever.”  The action takes place as the 1968 election unfolds, and the movie skewers the right and the left for the meaningless of it all.  All George can say is, “You look great,” because when he is looking at their hair and their faces and knowing what happens next, that brings meaning to that moment.  Beatty and Christie represent the beautiful people of Hollywood at that time.  Beatty co-wrote and produced the movie and rocks his leather jacket with aplomb.  4 cans.
13.  The Electric Horseman (1979) – Washed up cowboy Sonny Steele (Robert Redford) makes his living by hawking breakfast cereal for a conglomerate.  Decked out in a cowboy outfit with electric lights that no cowboy alive would wear, one day he steals the beautiful horse he is supposed to trot around a stage in a Vegas hotel and proceeds out the door, his outfit nearly matching the illumination of the Strip.  TV reporter Allie Martin (Jane Fonda) worms some information out of one of Sonny’s cowboy friends and takes off in hot pursuit of Steele and his steed, learning that Sonny’s plan is to set the multi-million dollar horse free somewhere in Utah.  Sparks of every kind fly between them as Sonny doggedly stands by his horse.  The scenery is beautiful – and so is Redford.  But the most memorable line goes to Willie Nelson in a small role when he says he’s after a drink and a woman “who can suck the chrome off a trailer hitch.”  My heroes have always been cowboys – or at least in this film.  3½ cans.
14.  The Queen of Versailles* (2012) – Contrary to what you might think, this movie is not an historical drama.  Instead, it is a contemporary documentary about David and Jackie Segal, a billionaire couple so filthy rich that they are building their own Palace of Versailles in Orlando, Florida, because they “need” a bigger home – one complete with pools, bowling alleys, two grand staircases and millions of dollars worth of tile, marble and antiques – and because, as David says, “we can.”  Except that even billionaires didn’t escape the economic woes of 2008, and the Segals and their 7 children are forced into a life of “frugality.”  Versailles, with its 27 bathrooms and 10 – that’s right, 10 – kitchens lies half completed, with $50 million invested, a $100 million value and no takers.  Frugality for the Segals means flying commercial for the first time: One of the kids inquires, “Why are there other people on our plane?”  When Jackie – who manages to eek out funding for her botox injections – rents a car, she asks the guy at the rental counter for the name of her driver, and she takes shopping trips through Wal-Mart.  You almost feel sorry for David as he strategizes how to hold onto his company, Westgate Resorts, the largest time-share company in the world, as his world crumbles around him and he rails at the family about leaving lights on in the house.  But the opulence of his previous lifestyle, complete with an assembling of all Miss America candidates for a party in his home, reminds you of how far from reality rich people live.  He ultimately loses the unfinished palace and his Las Vegas property and you wonder if his marriage to a much younger Jackie will survive.  I was glad to finally catch this movie as part of a film series shown at the Princeton Library, and found it worth the wait.  4 carat gold cans.
15.  Side Effects* (2013) – Emily (Mara Rooney) is depressed – profoundly depressed – despite the fact that her husband (Channing Tatum) had just been released from prison for insider trading and they are starting to rebuild their lives.  But the medication prescribed to her to combat her depression has side effects – side effects far beyond dry mouth and occasional constipation.  This engrossing tale unfolds as Emily is treated by a psychiatrist (Jude Law) who is determined to help her and it twists its way through unexpected turns.  To say more about the plot would be wrong, but I will say it reminded me a bit of “Fracture” with Ryan Gosling and Anthony Hopkins because, like that movie, the viewer doesn’t see what’s coming.  Or at least I sure didn’t.  Highly recommended.  4 cans.
16.  Friendly Persuasion* (1956) – This film about the lives of Quakers in Indiana during the Civil War is the antithesis of any action movie ever made.  Nothing blows up, nothing derails, and nothing much happens – except for a battle scene – as Gary Cooper and Dorothy Maguire stick faithfully to their Quaker ways, complete with dialog stuffed with “thees” and “thous.”  Aside from the battle scene, the rowdiest scene takes place at the county fair, somewhere between the quilting exhibit and the man who swallows swords.  Meant to be heartwarming, the movie is so leisurely that it borders on the boring.  It is considered a 4-star effort by director William Wyler, but I found it – at almost 60 years old – too slow and well past its prime.  2½ cans.
17.  Quartet* (2013) – This movie is a perfectly pleasant paean to the realities of growing old and the joys of doing it with a circle of friends.  Director Dustin Hoffman guides a stable of veteran performers – Maggie Smith is first among equals, but also starring Pauline Collins, Tom Courteney and Billy Connolly – living in a home for retired musicians in England.  Connolly is a randy old man and incorrigible flirt, Collins is sweetly ditzy and prone to memory lapses, and Courteney is a singer once married to the newly-arrived star Smith.  Maggie looks less the dowager here than in “Downton Abbey” but she still gets to deliver the zingiest lines.  The plot is simple: Can the vets persuade Smith to join them in performing the quartet from Riggoletto in their annual gala performance?  While there is music aplenty in this movie, we never get to hear any singing by the principals, a sure sign that none of them is up to the standard set by their characters.  This is the perfect little movie for those of us who would rather skip car chases and explosions, other worldly locales and general movie madness.  Not great, but a good way to pass the time.  3½ cans.
18.  Boys Town* (1938) – Spencer Tracy won an Oscar for his portrayal of kindly Father Flanagan, the founder of Omaha’s Boys Town.  Flanagan believes there is no such thing as a bad boy, and he takes in boys who are abused, abandoned and neglected and who might otherwise become career criminals.  Mickey Rooney (no relation to Mara Rooney, above) plays a feisty young punk named Whitey whose criminal brother prevails on Father Flanagan to take Whitey in.  He rebels against the rules and the other boys, but it is pre-ordained in this movie that the good father will prevail.  This is a harmless movie meant to be inspiring because of the good works done by Father Flanagan, but I couldn’t help but wonder in looking through a 2013 lens how this effort would be perceived today.  Would there be state and local legislation affecting or preventing Flanagan’s approach?  Would he be carefully vetted to make sure he himself had no record of abuse against boys?  We live in a sad time when a movie as well-intentioned as this one could conjure up such skepticism.  3 cans.
19.  Top Hat* (1935) – So this is what “Dancing With the Stars” is supposed to be like!  I must admit that my exposure to the legendary Fred Astaire has been limited to clips of his great dancing that appeared in the various “That’s Entertainment” compilations.  So here there is an actual story, but it matters less than merely serving as a vehicle for Astaire and the wondrous Ginger Rogers to dance across the screen.  Astaire is all arms and legs, his exuberant dancing propelling the story with grace and charm.  And Rogers is no slouch herself, doing, as they say, everything Fred does but backwards, and while wearing high heels.  The plot here centers around mistaken identity, but there’s no mistaking the chemistry and charisma of the principals as they glide around to the tunes “Top Hat” and “Dancing Cheek to Cheek.”  And who, I ask you, can wear a top hat and tails better than Fred Astaire?  Case closed.  3½ cans.
20.  Identity Thief* (2013) – Let me go on the record and admit that I am a fan of Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman, whose career I have followed since “Silver Spoons.”  In this comedy, McCarthy gets to play the over-the-top character who steals Bateman’s identity, going on a wild spending spree and ruining his credit by using his gender neutral name: Sandy Patterson.  When law enforcement refuses to help the real Sandy, he decides to track down his identity thief and drag her back to Denver to confess.  Borrowing generously from “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” “Midnight Run,” and even from “The Three Stooges,” the road trip includes sexual encounters, preposterous car crashes, bounty hunters and fights, but, in the tradition of Wily Coyote, everyone survives – even walks away – unharmed.  Bateman is a terrific straight man, and McCarthy, I suspect, made the most of a skimpy script.  This movie has way too much slapstick for me and an unbelievable plot (why would she agree to go with him, for example?), but the performances show that Bateman and McCarthy would be great with better material (though, judging by the preview of the next McCarthy movie – with Sandra Bullock – she is in danger of becoming a one-note, broad comedy badass comedian).  Walk, don’t run, to see this movie, or wait until it is free on cable, and you’ll find it modestly amusing.  3 cans.
21.  The Americanization of Emily* (1964) – It’s hard to be a hero when you are a coward, and Naval Commander Charlie Madison (James Garner) relishes his cowardice.  He doesn’t believe in glorifying war, but he is very good at his job of procuring needed supplies for the admiral to whom he reports.  He can find Hershey Bars, liquor and even designer dresses for the women he supplies to the officers.  When he meets war widow Emily (Julie Andrews), she turns out to be as resilient as he is, and they are smitten with each other.  When his slight irrational admiral assigns him to make a movie about the upcoming D-Day Invasion, he figures a way out of that, too – almost.  This clever satire, written by Paddy Chavefsky, takes on the military in the same way he took on TV networks (“Network”) and hospitals (“Hospital”), here reminding us that in war men die for no good reason.  This movie is billed as a comedy, but its reality of war is more cheeky than comedic.  Garner is so handsome, and Andrews is no Mary Poppins in this movie.  4 cans.
22.  Beyoncé: Life Is But a Dream* (2013) – Beyoncé is as much a force of nature as an entertainer, a woman fiercely asserting her independence (she fired her father as her manager) while professing her love for her husband (Jay Z), characterizing herself as an artist yet sensuously cavorting around on stage in thigh-high attire even while pregnant.  Her elaborate stage shows (pieces of which are shown in this documentary but which I have never seen in person) are a highly entertaining assault on the senses, complete with troops of background musicians and a plethora of stomping dancers, strobe lights, sparkly and revealing outfits and graphics that, if I were to see them in person, would make my head explode.  On the stage, she assures the audience that they are going to get everything she has as she exhorts them to stand up and wave their hands in the air.  You see, Beyoncé is in control – or wants to be – of everything in her world (save Jay Z, who even she realizes has power exceeding hers, simply because he is a man).  Hence her name is listed on this documentary as a writer, producer, co-director, part-time videographer and even as one of the choreographers.  Still, she manages to come across as humble, even as she asserts that she doesn’t care what people think of her any more.  She wants people to stop believing that she and other celebrities have perfect lives, and she worries that celebrities are judged not only for their talent but also for all the trappings of fame that make them celebrities.  There is something almost old-fashioned about Beyoncé, and her chance at longevity is closer to Tina Turner’s than some of her contemporaries (like Rihanna, who will, no doubt, grace the cover of People magazine when Chris Brown finally kills her).  She reveals that she had a miscarriage before giving birth to Blue Ivy Carter, her daughter, and that she considers staying current while trying to remain soulful to be the battle of her life.  Personally, I wondered if getting that weave to stay on with the wind machine blowing on her 24/7 were a bigger challenge.  I almost skipped this HBO movie, but I am glad to get a bit of Sacha Fierce in such fine form.  3½ cans.
23.  Butterfield 8* (1960) – Even if you don’t think much of Elizabeth Taylor as an actress – and bear in mind she won an Oscar for this movie – you can’t watch this film without being utterly captivated by her stunning beauty.  Those eyes, that regal bearing, those womanly curves – all contribute to her allure in this role as Gloria, a woman who uses men, choosing and discarding them at will and being well taken care of for her efforts.  The lore is that she was a highly-paid call girl, working the best parts of New York, but she refuses to take money from her latest conquest, played by Anthony Harvey, and is insulted when he leaves her a tidy sum after their initial tryst.  Instead, she steals his wife’s very expensive fur coat.  Then she commits the cardinal sin for women of her ilk – she falls for the guy (see “Pretty Woman” for a better ending).  Taylor’s then-husband, Eddie Fisher, has a small part as her long-time platonic friend, but even in his meager screen time he shows exactly how he got the part, and it wasn’t because of his acting skills.  Legend has it that Taylor won the Oscar after being passed over for “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and after suffering from life-threatening pneumonia, but really, it is tough to show your best acting chops in a melodrama such as this (you can tell it is a melodrama by the wailing sax in the soundtrack).  3½ cans, but I am glad to finally have seen this movie. 
24.  Alfie* (1966) – What it is all about is the amorous adventures of a charming philanderer.  Alfie (Michael Caine) loves women – he just doesn’t want to commit to any of them since he likes to have casual sex with so many of them.  I’ll grant you he’s right: If you aren’t ready to get married, the marriage will likely fail anyway.  So Alfie is a serial dater, going from woman to woman, occasionally falling for them, and especially falling for the baby son he has with one of them (Millicent Martin).  But the determined bachelor is not about the settle down, so we follow his various trysts as he demonstrates his love for all women.  Caine is appropriately rakish as the cad Alfie.  His paramours include Shelly Winters, who gives him up for a young man, and, in doing so, makes him realize he is aging alone.  I was amazed to see that Cher sang the title tune, not Dionne Warwick, who made it an iconic recording.  3 cans.
25.  Once* (2006) – This little gem of a movie posed a few dilemmas for me.  One, I had a great deal of difficulty understanding the dialog as spoken by Irish musician Glen Hansard and the Czech woman he meets, played by Marketa Irglova.  Second, and more important, I recorded this movie on PBS, which had so much crap at the beginning that the end of the movie was cut off.  I have no idea how close I was to the end, so it is hard to say what I may have missed.  What I did see, however, centered around an Irish street musician (singer-songwriter) in Dublin who meets a young woman who can play piano.  She turns out to have a husband back home and a small child, lives with her mother and has no adequate means of support.  He isn’t much better off economically, but he is determined to go to London and really try to make headway on a career in music.  Together they record a few beautiful songs (with the help of several additional musicians), that convey their romantic issues and potential relationship.  You could see the couple belongs together, and I hope they had a happy ending – one way or another.  The music was lovely, and I can see why this show was a hit on Broadway when it opened last year.  But since I didn’t get through the whole movie, I’ll just give it 3 cans and a guitar pick.
26.  Easy Rider (1969) – Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper get their motors running and head out on the highway in this classic about two hippies on their way to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and good times.  1969 was a time of cultural change and clashes in America, and as the two men ride their motorcycles from California, they encounter some people seeking free expression and others who not only don’t want the times to be a changin’, but who will casually prevent it.  Jack Nicholson is a lawyer they meet along the way, as he bridges the cultural divide between the old ways of getting high through drinking and the perpetually stoned hippies.  Just seeing him explain alien invasions around a fire to Fonda and Hopper as they get him stoned for the first time is worth the price of admission.  Born to be wild, I guess.  You have to hand it to Hopper, who directed the movie, for starring in this classic as well as the iconic “Hoosiers,” one of the best sports movies ever made.  3½ cans.
27.  The Graduate (1967) – Since this movie is my all-time favorite (and a great way to end Oscar month), I have reviewed it previously and won’t go into much detail here.  It is widely considered by critics whose opinions carry more weight than mine to be one of the best comedies of all time.  Cerebral director Mike Nichols gives us plenty of interesting images and much to consider in this critique of conventional mores.  Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman in his film debut), a disaffected recent college graduate, has no idea what to do with his future.  He is lured into an apathetic affair with Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft, who was only seven years older than Hoffman), the much older wife of his father’s business partner.  Their affair is no more passionate than “just shaking hands,” as he ultimately explains to the much offended Mr. Robinson (Murray Hamilton), but that’s not enough for anyone, including their daughter Elaine (Katherine Ross), who Benjamin dates once before she, too, discovers the truth.  His zeal to win her over, amid the displeasure of her parents, is the rest of the movie.  Filled with memorable lines (“I have one word for you, Ben:  Plastics.  Enough said.”) and a Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack, this movie had me at “Hello darkness, my old friend.”  My devotion to this movie came at a time of my life when I was young and also questioning my future.  I saw it seven times in a theater in the first year or so and I have seen it countless times since.  5 cans and a big smile from the back of the bus.

Fleeting Thoughts for February

If my washer, when set on "Delicates," can turn my pants inside out, it must beat the hell out of my clothes when it is set on "Heavy Duty."

Does anyone really know the words to "Louie, Louie?"  Sure, people swear they do, but I'm skeptical.  It has been 50 years after it was released, and I doubt even the Kingsmen remember the actual words by now.

The chance of the delivery guy or repairman arriving within the pre-established window increases if you are late or not at home. Conversely, if you stay home waiting, they show up late or not at all.

Ever since I started on Weight Watchers I have been afraid to cook or order pasta for fear that I will eat too much.  We now refer to this as "Pastaphobia," and I'd start a support group for it but I'm afraid the meetings would take place in an Italian restaurant.

My idea of an "adult movie" these days is anything I see in the Montgomery Cinema, where the average age of the audience is about 75, and which either has subtitles or stars Maggie Smith and comes from Harvey Weinstein.

Is it just me, or does everyone driving in the dark see mailboxes on the side of the road and think they are deer bending over?

Please explain why socks are sold on little tiny hangers.  It's not like I plan to hang them up when I get them home, because what could that tiny hanger fit on except the display rack?  Why not collect them at the checkout counter so they can be used again? 

I know we grouse about the Post Office, but I am still amazed that you can drop something in the mail for less than a dollar and it gets somewhere in a couple of days.  Of course, soon Saturday delivery is scheduled to stop.  Someone please tell People magazine to get it to me by Friday so I can take the 10 minutes I need to read it over the weekend and share it with my sister.  Tradition!

Why does the battery in the smoke alarm always start chirping during the night?  It never seems to happen during the day, when you are wide awake and don't mind climbing a ladder to replace it.
 
What do you do when a letter on your keyboard fails repeatedly?  In my case, it is the X, and you don't know how hard I had to hit it just to tell you about its failure.  And why X of all letters?  It's not like I use X all of the time.  There must be some really big crumb under that letter that is causing this problem, which is not easy (virtually impossible) to solve with a laptop keyboard.  Exhausting!

Have you noticed that regular packages keep getting smaller?  My box of Nabisco Snack Well's Cookies now offers five 100-calorie packs instead of six.  My Caress Soap has been downsized, and if I don't use the "megaroll," I'll be changing the toilet paper much more often.  The converse of this situation is with soft drinks or movie popcorn, where small has become huge, medium is enormous, and large, well, that's probably family size.

What are the mathematical odds on running out of tissues in two boxes within 24 hours?  It's not like I use equal amounts from each, yet this has happened before.  I find this phenomenon also includes changing light bulbs on several lamps or overhead lights, and batteries, where the remotes and clocks seem to run out of juice at the same time.

I wonder if the presidents we celebrate in February had any idea their birthdays would be marked by mattress sales.

Really, is there any good/safe place to live in this country?  The West has fires and earthquakes, the East has snow storms and  hurricanes, the South has dust storms and hurricanes and the Midwest has snow and tornadoes.  I hear it's pretty quiet on the moon, though it's more than a little dusty.

Lately I have been noticing that drivers (including ME) treat stop signs as mere suggestions, barely slowing down at a corner where one appears.  I think we stop more at a yield sign.  And turn signals seem to have become almost passé.  I'll just try to figure out that you are turning in front of me, even though you can't be bothered putting on your directional.  What's next?  No more hands in the 2 and 10 positions?  What's this world coming to anyway?

The older I get, the more light I need to see anything in the house.  It's not just me, right?

I just received a postcard from the Society for Financial Awareness regarding upcoming workshops on Medicare and Social Security.  I'm not going, but I am entranced by an organization which calls itself "SOFA."  Lots of lying around on that job, huh?

That reminds me about a commercial parody I saw once (for SNL or some similar show) that promoted a furniture store called "Sofa King."  Go ahead, say it fast, and you'll get the joke.

You know you're getting old (as if this fact was ever in doubt) when you watch the Grammy Awards and realize that not only do you not own any of the "albums" (or whatever they call them these days), but that you haven't even heard of them or the artists.   If you're lucky, you've heard the songs on the radio but can't identify who sings them.  Unless the song is from the 60's, of course.  Those I know!

OK, Taylor Swift.  I believe you when you say "we are never, never, ever getting back together," but to tell you the truth, I wasn't so crazy about you in the first place. 

When you were growing up, did you have the "good" towels, the "good" knife and the "good" scissors?  I remember my mother not allowing us use the "good" towels, which we had to save for company -- until they got to be threadbare, when it was fine for us to use them.  As for the "good" knife, that was something to avoid at all costs, and the "good" scissors were the ones I had to retrieve from their special place in Mom's sewing box whenever we needed a pair that could actually cut something. 

Every year my sister and I have the same conversation about how, in February, we can see that the daylight lasts a little longer.  We have this conversation as if it were a surprise, just as the conversation we have in October/November, when we note that the days are getting shorter.  We are two really boring people, but we are observant.  You should hear our exchange after the clocks are set ahead or back:  "What time did you get up?"  "You mean old time or new time?"

Speaking of conversations, I spoke to my best friend for an hour recently before we realized that the entire conversation was about health issues.  Good grief, remember when we used to have fun?  This getting old is a DRAG.

And speaking of getting old, I can't help noticing that men's ear lobes get longer as they age.  I saw some guy on TV the other day whose lobes were so long he looked like Dumbo.  And let's not even discuss his bushy eyebrows.

Finally, I am still wondering why the Macy’s 1-Day sale takes place on two days.

Tina's January 2013 Movies

 Here we go again, movie lovers.  So far this year I have seen 11 movies.  Movies marked with an * are the ones I had not seen previously.  They are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna, 5 being the highest accolade.  With February being Oscar month, I am looking forward to TCM's showing of some of the classics.

1.  Camelot (1967) – “By law there’s simply not a more congenial spot,” as the song says, and Camelot does seem like a wonderful world in which to live.  But then kindly King Arthur (Richard Harris) finds himself the odd man out in the love triangle between his beloved wife Guinevere (Vanessa Redgrave) and his loyal Lancelot (Franco Nero) and faces an insurrection by the Knights of the Roundtable.  So much for Camelot.  When I was a kid, the debate raged among my friends of the merits of this musical versus fellow Broadway show “West Side Story.”  Both had love stories, great music and memorable characters.  I preferred WSS and still do, and, while this movie is good, it probably would have been better with Richard Burton as the star, as he was on Broadway.  3½ cans.

2.  Mona Lisa Smile (2003) – Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) shows up at Wellesley College in 1953 full of her own ideas on how to educate her students about art history.  These young women are overachievers, but their focus is more about earning an MRS than a BA, and the “unconventional” young teacher often clashes with what she considers their limited aspirations.  Miss Watson thinks she came to Wellesley to train leaders, not leaders’ wives.  Julia Stiles and Kirsten Dunst are among the students whose path to enlightenment under Watson takes time and inspiration.  I liked this movie more this time around than when I first watched it.  3½ cans.

3.  The Pixar Story* (2007) – Shakespeare said, “The play’s the thing,” and the immensely talented animators at Pixar Studios play by his rule.  The creative force behind such movies as “Toy Story,” the Pixar crew succeeds first and foremost by developing stories that capture the imagination of children and adults like, populated by characters that come to life on the screen thanks to visual techniques pioneered by the masters of animation at Pixar.  Most of the Pixar people either started with or were inspired by the classic animation of Walt Disney Studios.  The “star” of this documentary is John Lassiter, the director of “Toy Story,” who decided as a youth that animation would be his career and who even worked in the Disney Parks.  Not only did the producers, directors and writer have to dream up their stories, but the computer wiz folks there had to invent new ways of putting in on the screen.  Nearly everything they did was done for the first time at Pixar.  This is an interesting account that pays homage to the men and women whose creativity combines storytelling and science in a most entertaining form.  3½ cans.

4.  Five Easy Pieces (1970) – No one was hotter around this time than Jack Nicholson, who here deftly portrays an antihero.  Bobby works on oil rigs, eschewing his background as the scion of a rich family and his training as a talented musician.  He lives with his girlfriend, Rayette (Karen Black), a waitress whom he barely tolerates and never compliments.  When he hears that his elderly father is sick, he travels home, leaving Rayette in a motel along the way, to spend time with his family.  Always restless and never satisfied, he hits on his boring brother’s girlfriend Catherine (Susan Ansbach) and doesn’t respect any boundaries.  I won’t reveal the ending, but it is completely in character for this raffish man who lacks respect for anyone, including himself.  4 cans.

5.  Les Miserables (1935) – With all the fuss and bother about the recently released musical version of the classic Victor Hugo story, I thought it was a good time to see the original, non-musical version, starring Frederick March as Jean Val Jean and Charles Laughton as Inspector Jauvert.  Val Jean has served time for stealing a piece of bread to feed his sister’s children, and Jauvert is one of the guards at his prison.  Their paths continue to cross, as Val Jean is released, changes his name and violates his parole.  He becomes a successful man with a great heart, while Jauvert remains a dogmatic pursuer, determined to recapture him.  March and Laughton are perfectly cast as prey and captor, each with opportunities to assist the other in ways not anticipated.  I didn’t miss the music because the story remains compelling as the characters’ lives intertwine.  4 cans.

6.  Sweet Liberty (1986) – Alan Alda wrote, directed and stars in this comedy about a sleepy college town that becomes the setting of a Hollywood production based on the historical novel written by his character, history professor Michael Burgess.  The entire town is steeped in Revolutionary War history, relishing its accurate reenactment of local battles while garbed in full regalia.  So when the film’s director (Saul Rubinek) takes a liberal interpretation of events – changing things like the color of the soldiers’ uniforms and having the main characters (Michael Caine and Michelle Pfeiffer) fall in love – the townfolk, led by the good professor, go a little crazy.  Not as crazy as Burgess’s dotty mom (Lillian Gish), but crazy enough to try to sabotage the big fight scene.  Meanwhile, the stars romance the locals and portray every stereotype connected with Hollywood.  Alda is his usual smug, self-righteous character (much as he was in “The Four Seasons”) and try as he might to make himself and the movie charming, it comes across as inauthentic as the battle scenes are to the locals.  Nice try, Hawkeye, but you were so much better in the Korean War.  3 cans.

7.  Continental Divide (1981) – Hard-nosed reporter Ernie Soucek (John Belushi) is a hero in Chicago for his stinging coverage of graft in local politics, but when the bad guys threaten him, his editor sends him away on an assignment clearly out of his range – to the Rocky Mountains to cover a renowned ornithologist (Blair Brown) researching bald eagles.  This fish-out-of-water tale develops as you would likely predict, with the two characters first barely tolerating each other and then falling in love.  Belushi is restrained and believable as the tough-guy reporter, but less so as a wilderness tolerator, shall we say, adapting better than he should – but I guess love changes everything.  There is beautiful scenery and Brown is appealing as the girl-next-door who lives in the wild.  This is a sweet story with a happy ending, but it fails to soar like an eagle.  3 cans. 

8.  All the King’s Men* (2006) – Sean Penn gives an impassioned performance as Willie Stark, who starts his career in politics as someone fed up with the system and ends up every bit as corrupt as the men he decries.  When Stark goes up against the powers who built a defective Louisiana school and wins in the court of public opinion, he is wooed to run for governor to be a patsy for the powerful.  Jude Law as a newspaper reporter covering the election and aide Sadie (Patricia Clarkson) make him understand that he is being played, and Stark turns the tables, appealing directly to the people and winning the election.  Once in office, he will do anything to defeat those whose opinions differ from his and doesn’t care about the fallout.  This film noir is a remake of the 1940s film about the rise and fall of real-life Louisiana Governor Huey Long, and it is gripping.  The stellar cast (including Mark Ruffalo, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, Jackie Earle Haley and Kathy Baker) does the script justice, but it is Penn who commands attention on the screen.  They say that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  This film just confirms that adage with its explosive characterization of a power-hungry politician.  4 cans.

9.  Dead Man Walking (1995) – Sean Penn gives another powerful performance as badass Death Row inmate Matthew Poncelet, murderer of a young couple in Louisiana.  He reaches out to get support from a nun, Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon, who won the Oscar for her performance; Penn also received an Oscar nomination).  The nun is conflicted about helping Matthew and reconciling her faith.  She tries to bring him comfort through religion while also reaching out to the parents of the murdered young people.  Is killing anyone, whether as an act of murder or a government-sanctioned death, ever acceptable?  Sarandon brings poignancy to the good sister, while Penn brings fury and cowardice to the inmate as they warily forge a bond.  Directed by Tim Robbins.  4 cans.

10.  Get Bruce!* (1999) – If you think you don’t know Bruce Villanch, think again.  If you have seen Billy Crystal host the Oscars, or watched Robin Williams do stand-up, or heard Bette Midler’s bawdy Sophie Tucker act, you are familiar with the loony, creative and occasionally crass mind of comedy writer extraordinaire Villanch.  With looks like a troll and a razor sharp wit, Villanch collaborates with many of the leading comedic talents around.  He is best known for working with musical director Marc Shaiman on those hilarious musical recaps of Oscar-nominated films that start Crystal’s Oscar gigs.  In this doting documentary, we get to see the process by which he captures the voice, develops the concepts and partners with the people who embellish his words and ideas into the riotous material they deliver.  I declare right now I am a fan, because this guy is as comical as he is topical.   3½ cans of tuna and a big belly laugh.

11.  Guys & Dolls (1955) – Colorful characters abound in this movie version of the Broadway musical about New York gamblers looking for action.  Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra), the proprietor of the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York, Sky Masterson (a seriously miscast Marlon Brando), a high roller who will bet on anything, Sergeant Sarah Brown, the missionary who tries to save their souls, and Vivian Blaine as Nathan’s long-suffering “fiancé” head the cast.  Legend has it that Sinatra wanted the lead part of Masterson, but he got his revenge for letting Brando sing “Luck Be A Lady Tonight,” by recording it as his own signature song.  This musical has its moments, but I suspect it was better as a live show, and I swear the Somerville High School 1967 (?) version with John Hanriot, Elaine Logeston and Dennis Devlin was better.  3 cans.