6 Souls / Shelter (R) 6.0

6 Souls (2010): A female forensic psychiatrist discovers that all of one of her patient's multiple personalities are murder victims. She will have to find out what's happening before her time is finished. (6.0)

Directors: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein
Writer: Michael Cooney
Stars: Julianne Moore, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jeffrey DeMunn

(I believe this movie was shown in the theaters as Shelter, but was released in DVD as 6 Souls.) I fell for the description of this movie written as a psychological thriller. It even started out as such with what looked to be a lot of promise; then it degenerated into some of a religious and/or cult (is there a difference?) supernatural crap. Look, if I want such fantasy and horror movies, I will seek out and watch them. But when it is mislabeled as something else, it really is irritating. In the first half, the lead characters did quite a good job acting-wise. When the story turns to silliness, I lost the interest in the plot and the acting, so excuse me if I didn't pay that much attention in the latter part. The locations, camera angles, lighting etc were quite good. It is the storytelling (the most important part in a movie, at least for me) that is lacking. My Rating: 6.0

The Scapegoat (R) 7.0

The Scapegoat (2012): Set in 1952, as England prepares for the coronation, The Scapegoat tells the story of two very different men who have one thing in common - a face. (7.0)

Director: Charles Sturridge
Writers: Daphne Du Maurier (story), Charles Sturridge
Stars: Matthew Rhys, Eileen Atkins, Anton Lesser

The premise of the movie, which is given at the very beginning so this is not a spoiler, that two people are so much alike that most people can't tell the difference, is quite far fetched. But the good part of the story lies at the back end as it requires quite a bit of set-up. Granted that the story is about a strict aristocratic British family but just go with it and the end, I think, justifies the initial pain of gritting through that silliness. It is a human story (whatever that means to you) but does contain a few thrilling sequences. Acting, specially by Matthew Rhys is pretty good. Perhaps, it spends too much time getting to the point, but that much is required to set everyone up as there are quite a few characters tied to the lead. Period costumes and props are done quite nicely. My Rating: 7.0

Thomas Jefferson (TV) 7.5

Thomas Jefferson (1997): A biographical film about The United States' influential and profoundly enigmatic Founding Father. (7.1)

Director: Ken Burns
Writer: Geoffrey C. Ward
Stars: Blythe Danner, Ossie Davis, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Waterston


Ken Burns, in his unique style, portrays the life and the legacy of one of the founding fathers of the United States. In the process, he talks to many historians, and presents facts, figures, theories, fables from various corners. At he age of 33, Thomas Jefferson was the youngest to member of the Continental Congress yet he wrote the major articles that have shaped this country. This documentary looks at the complexities of the man on the outside--he was a farmer, a writer, an architect, a scientist, a musician and a reluctant politician. But more importantly, it also looks at the inherent contradictions of his actions with this written words--he chose not to free the slaves he inherited from his wife's father while many other landowners in Virginia at the time were freeing theirs; yet wrote the now immortal words "All men are created equal." This depiction of the former President doesn't shy away from the Sally Hemmings controversy either. Yet what is lacking is a non-American perspective. Jefferson was a diplomat and spent a considerable time in Europe. There are current European historians who may have other views of the man. We here nothing from non-American historians. My Rating: 7.5

Lincoln (PG-13) 8.5

Lincoln (2012): As the Civil War continues to rage, America's president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield and as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves. (7.5)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Tony Kushner (screenplay), Doris Kearns Goodwin (book)
Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn

There is so much written about President Lincoln and the civil war. Perhaps this movie, which takes very narrow slice of his life, will be looked at as the definitive portrayal of the Lincoln Presidency. I am told that Daniel Day-Lewis is somewhere in this movie, but I failed to notice him; all I saw was Abe Lincoln. The conversations, some of which sound not too far from today's usage, is spot-on and we the audience feel like a fly on the wall in a decisive moment of history. "With malice towards none..." is an often quoted segment from Lincoln's second inaugural address. This story (or real-life account) shows that quote reflected on himself. He was fighting his own inner demons, his own cabinet, and making use of the loopholes in the laws, all in order to do the right thing as he saw fit. In today's political climate, most people are fighting for favors for themselves and their own corporations. In stark contrast, Lincoln corralled the members of the Congress, delayed others, and did what's necessary in order to do right by all of the people. And, all that from an imperfect, complex man. I love this movie. My Rating: 8.5

The Dead Zone (R) 7.5

The Dead Zone (1983): A man awakens from a coma to discover he has a psychic detective ability. (7.2)

Director: David Cronenberg
Writers: Jeffrey Boam (screenplay), Stephen King (novel)
Stars: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt

At the heart of the movie is the simple question (and probably in some song lyrics too) if you could see into the future would you take any drastic action to change it? But this story is a lot more than that. The circumstances surrounding it are poignant and heartbreaking. The depiction of the young man who falls into the coma and wakes up with the unusual ability makes the audience think about what you'd do under the same situations. Walken and Adams are superb in the leading roles. Kind of funny in the evolution of character portrayal that Martin Sheen plays the Senator who wants to be the President here and ends up playing the good-hearted President in the West Wing later on. As any good story, this movie stays in your mind afterwards. My Rating: 7.5

John Hodgman: Ragnarok (TV) 6.0

John Hodgman: Ragnarok (2013): The deranged millionaire John Hodgman plays his last Ragnarok stand-up comedy show on the last day of human history: December 21, 2012. (6.3)

Director: Lance Bangs
Writer: John Hodgman
Stars: Scott Adsit, John Hodgman, Cynthia J. Hopkins

Ok, having seen his acts and deranged rants on the Daily Show my expectations were a bit high for this special, given that it is for the "end of the world."  It is quite humorous, and funny at times but not a barrel full of monkeys. They did a few things about the world ending and all that, but nothing memorable for me to remember a few weeks later. A good way to kill some time, and not a complete waste of time either (what with the world not ending, I did have all that time to kill anyway). My Rating: 6.0

Waking the Dead (R) 7.0

Waking the Dead (2000): A congressional candidate questions his sanity after seeing the love of his life, presumed dead, suddenly emerge. (6.5)

Director: Keith Gordon
Writers: Scott Spencer (novel), Robert Dillon (screenplay)
Stars: Billy Crudup, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Hipp

Two people who have opposite leanings in their political thinking fall for each other. But the important parts of the story are told as flashbacks. Perhaps that is a mistake in the storytelling. We get interrupted quite frequently just when emotions of the flashback scenes build up. Maybe the intention was to create a doubt about the death, but that takes away the flow of the movie. Connelly and Crudup are perfect for the roles and they do have a nice chemistry. The low budget nature of the film shows in some scenes when the main actors are almost alone and there are no extras in the background. The story is good. The audience should have been allowed more time to make connections with the characters. My Rating: 7.0

The English Patient (R) 8.0

The English Patient (1996): At the close of WWII, a young nurse tends to a badly-burned plane crash victim. His past is shown in flashbacks, revealing an involvement in a fateful love affair. (7.3)

Director: Anthony Minghella
Writers: Michael Ondaatje (novel), Anthony Minghella (screenplay)
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas, Naveen Andrews

This epic scale movie contains a couple of complex stories of love, lust, trust, betrayal, fear and caring. Set in the backdrop of a major historical event, the story (or, I should say stories, as there are two major relationship dramas unfolding, one in real time and one in flashbacks) depicts the human side of wants, desires and consequences. The storytelling is slow at times, but that gives the viewer the necessary space to understand the complexities and appreciate the acting. Speaking of acting, all of the major players and even the supporting cast members are just superb. The cinematography alone is worth the price of admission. But at the end, it is the emotions portrayed by the characters that tug at your heart strings. This is one of those movies you'd want to watch over and over because it is that good. My Rating: 8.0

Jesus Henry Christ (PG-13) 6.5

Jesus Henry Christ (2012): At the age of ten, Henry James Hermin, a boy who was conceived in a petri-dish and raised by his feminist mother, follows a string of Post-It notes in hopes of finding his biological father. (6.1)

Director: Dennis Lee
Writers: Dennis Lee
Stars: Jason Spevack, Toni Collette, Michael Sheen

If you come to this movie with a preconceived notion about a "that kind of story" you will hate it. It is a flowing story with many tangents and way too many quirky cutting remarks and jabs. Most of them are probably not laugh out loud jokes but quite amusing. Besides, there's a story to be told and a mystery to be solved. All the major characters have various flaws and that's the great thing about this story. The ending seems to be a bit too sweet and sappy, but hey, it could have gone totally dark and given that I prefer this side. Just have to enjoy the moments and silliness of them. The acting by the two young kids is brilliant, given that they had to portray two quirky characters. My Rating: 6.5

Sound of Noise (R) 7.0

Sound of Noise (2010): A tone-deaf cop works to track down a group of guerilla percussionists whose anarchic public performances are terrorizing the city. (7.1)

Directors: Ola Simonsson, Johannes Stjärne Nilsson
Writers: Jim Birmant (story), Ola Simonsson (screenplay)
Stars: Bengt Nilsson, Sanna Persson, Magnus Börjeson
Language: Swedish

I'm not quite sure if this is a comedy of errors or a comedy of the music. Whatever it is, the movie starts out as a normal story, gets a bit silly, and then goes from crazy to ridiculous. But the music itself and the various back-stories keep the viewer fully interested. The plot is nicely laid out in that the "crime" here is making music, so you end up pulling for both the cops and the musicians at the same time. I fully enjoyed this somewhat weird storyline; but there's not much you remember afterwards. My Rating: 7.0

Last Life in the Universe (R) 6.5

Last Life in the Universe (2003): A suicidal, obsessively compulsive Japanese librarian is forced to lie low in Thailand with a pot-smoking woman coping with the recent loss of her sister. (7.5)

Director: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
Writers: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, Prabda Yoon
Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Sinitta Boonyasak, Takashi Miike

Um, okay so it starts out quite strong like it actually has some story. That was my first mistake; thinking that this movie has a story. Well, it sort of does have two strands of stories but that's about it. I'm not quite sure what the hell it is; and after watching you are feeling like 'well that was some good two hours spent looking for something and found nothing.' I guess, if I'm high like one of the characters, this might-just might-make some sense. Some of the jokes were funny, but they were few and far in between. My Rating: 6.5

Reservoir Dogs (R) 8.0

Reservoir Dogs (1992): After a simple jewelery heist goes terribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant. (8.4)

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writers: Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary
Stars: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen

I finally got around to watching this one. It is one of those movies that defines the genre. The total disregard to human life by pretty much everyone at various situations is perfectly displayed. Yeah, Tarantino and violence go hand in hand, but I think it is used for a purpose in this case. The casting is perfect. Every actor fits nicely to the role and the character. I can't add much to what's already been said about this cult-classic. My Rating: 8.0

A Royal Affair (R) 7.5

A Royal Affair (2012): A young queen, who is married to an insane king, falls secretly in love with her physician - and together they start a revolution that changes a nation forever. (7.5)

Director: Nikolaj Arcel
Writers: Bodil Steensen-Leth (novel), Rasmus Heisterberg (screenplay)
Stars: Alicia Vikander, Mads Mikkelsen, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard

I have a slight aversion to watching pompous and arrogant European royalties on screen. However, this
movie is not that. It tells the story of a king trapped within himself, a queen trapped in the system, a love affair despite themselves, and how they were able to do a tiny bit of good despite the circumstances. The casting, the acting, the period costumes and sets, all are brilliant. The acting is so good that sometimes you are not sure if this is a movie or a filmed live documentary. The way the story is told, from the perspective of the queen's hindsight, is the correct way. It actually humanizes, just by a tiny bit, the whole bloody nonsense of idea of the European monarchy. If you like period dramas, just watch it. My Rating: 7.5

The Man from Earth (PG) 8.0

The Man from Earth (2007): An impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a mysterious interrogation after the retiring scholar reveals to his colleagues he never ages and has walked the earth for 14,000 years. (7.9)

Director: Richard Schenkman
Writer: Jerome Bixby
Stars: David Lee Smith, Tony Todd, John Billingsley

My fourth time seeing it--I keep watching this movie because it is so good. It is listed as a Sci-Fi, but has no special effects, no aliens, no creepy horror scenes, etc. Once you buy into the premise, it becomes a very intriguing thought experiment. The story keeps forcing you to think about the implications of the historical narrative--specially the one that is largely accepted as true in the Western religious circles. It asks you to set aside your own belief systems and try an equally compelling story. Remember to bring an open mind. You also need to pay attention to various facts, theories and hypotheses that come at you really fast. (Perhaps you can find the script elsewhere on the net after watching the movie.) The casting is pretty good; but there are a couple places where the acting becomes a bit stiff. The story is powerful enough to smooth it over, though. My Rating: 8.0

Empire of the Air

Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991): Jason Robards narrates this journey to pre-television days where viewers meet the titans of the airwaves: David Sarnoff, Lee de Forest and Edwin Howard Armstrong. See how radio served as the medium that informed and entertained Americans during much of the 20th century. (7.4)

Director: Ken Burns
Writers: Ken Burns (additional), Tom Lewis (book)
Stars: Jason Robards, Red Barber, Erik Barnouw

It is quite interesting to learn about the radio pioneers in the Americas and their ideological and personal feuds. As his style, Ken Burns has done quite a lot of research, has talked to many people who know the subject and then relies on historians on camera to tell the story. At the same time, he seems to forget the fact that he is talking about a technical matter and not just history. Where is the engineering background? Where is Tesla? Also, a problem Ken Burns has with most of his documentaries is that he seems to forget that there is a world outside of the United States. He only makes passing references to non-Americans who did major work in the radio world. Still, a good documentary for those who like that sort of stuff (myself included). My Rating: 7.0

American Psycho (R) 7.5

American Psycho: A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he escalates deeper into his illogical, gratuitous fantasies. (7.7)

Director: Mary Harron
Writers: Bret Easton Ellis (novel), Mary Harron (screenplay)
Stars: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas

If you are going to watch this movie, don't read about it; just watch it. Then make up your own mind. It is just brilliant. If you are still reading this, then I guess, you've seen it. Yes, there are lots of posts all over the net about the ending of this movie. It is left open, so you are invited to think about it and make up your own mind. I tend to be on the camp that thinks that it was all in his head. I loved the way they used the 80's music as punch lines throughout movie. It is dark humor at its best--looking at the materialistic world and laughing at it. This is exactly what's wrong with our culture today. No matter how dark and psychotic people are on the inside, as long as they are prim and sugar-coated on the outside, we take them to be the good guys. My Rating: 7.5

Rapt (R) 7.0

Rapt (2009): A rich industrialist is brutally kidnapped. While he physically and mentally degenerates in imprisonment, the kidnappers, police and the board of the company of which he is director negotiate about the ransom of 50 million euro. (6.7)

Director: Lucas Belvaux
Writer: Lucas Belvaux
Stars: Yvan Attal, Anne Consigny, André Marcon
Language: French (w/ English subtitles)

Yes, this is a kidnap-and-ransom movie but there are quite a lot of lives, back-stories, interests, and perspectives involved in the telling of the tale. What captures you right from the start is the nice camera/editing work, specially used to quickly establish our aristocratic power broker's baseline life. The bigger story, and the message, is how various people look at this life of the "innocent" guy who got kidnapped, after all the stories of his excesses come out. You almost feel sorry for him and start to empathize but then the at the end we truly see who he really is and always was. A nicely delivered thriller. My Rating: 7.0

Get Low (PG-13) 6.5

Get Low (2009): A movie spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life legend about the mysterious, 1930s Tennessee hermit who famously threw his own rollicking funeral party... while he was still alive. (7.0)

Director: Aaron Schneider
Writers: Chris Provenzano, C. Gaby Mitchell
Stars: Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Bill Murray

The story is funny and folksy at the same time, keeps you interested by hinting at a nugget of hidden gold somewhere. The performance by the established trio of actors is superb. A lot of effort has been put into the production of the sets, the locations, etc. The name of the movie, and frankly the trailers and such give the wrong impression of what the story is really about, and that sets the wrong expectation in the viewer. I wanted to hear a story about an old-timer who has a good time hearing good and bad, funny and sad stories from people ... things they'd have said after his death. That is precisely what I didn't get in this story. Instead, it is a story about an old hermit, and why he is that way. For me, I'm not sure the reason revealed at the end justifies the whole round-about journey to get there. After the movie, I felt like I'd just peeled and onion; there's nothing in it. That isn't to say there isn't something. There certainly is, but the failure is in the storytelling. My Rating: 6.5

The Ledge (R) 8.0

The Ledge (2011): A police officer looks to talk down a young man lured by his lover's husband to the ledge of a high rise, where he has one hour to contemplate a fateful decision. (6.4)

Director: Matthew Chapman
Writer: Matthew Chapman
Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Terrence Howard, Liv Tyler

I decided to watch this movie again. Looking back at what I wrote the first time, I don't think  I can improve on it. So, here is that same review:  The story here is not what it seems on the surface. (My initial interest in this movie was because that "being on the ledge" is one of my 14 selected {ahem} "methods," but this movie isn't a suicidal rant.) It brings out quite a few very intelligent conversations about what it means to be evangelical, atheist, gay, straight, addict, faithful, loyal, family, etc. Each character brings out very complex situations and evokes varying emotions. The acting is a bit weak at some places, but I can get past that because the themes are very strong. Yes, I know, lots of "god-fearing Americans" (whatever that may means to you) may not like the story. But this movie will question what your faith really is. This is a thinking-man's movie. I highly recommend it, but be sure to bring your open mind. My Rating: 8.0

The Sessions (R) 8.0

The Sessions (2012): A man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity contacts a professional sex surrogate with the help of his therapist and priest. (7.2)

Director: Ben Lewin
Writers: Ben Lewin (written for the screen by), Mark O'Brien (article)
Stars: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy

This is a serious and grown-up movie for people who like intellectually challenging and sensitive subject matter. The story is about what happens to a person who has a sound and critically thinking mind but whose body is less than ideal. If you let it, this movie will talk to you; it will force you to think about what you'd do in a situation like Mark O'Brien is in; it will make you re-think about what is right and who among us should decide what that is. At the same time, it will make you laugh at times too. The three stars listed above give outstanding performances. Each of them has a role that is quite different from what I've seen them in previously, and each one is quite absorbed in his or her role. Remembering that this movie is based on a real life story, what would you have done in each of the leading roles? Yes, this is a thinking man's movie. My Rating: 8.0