The Good Shepherd (R) 8.0

The Good Shepherd (2006): The tumultuous early history of the Central Intelligence Agency is viewed through the prism of one man's life. (6.8)

Director: Robert De Niro
Writer: Eric Roth
Stars: Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and Robert De Niro

The story is loosely based on several real-life characters and the early stages of the CIA. The impact of the events depicted here in the Bay of Pigs incident is disputed but the declassified documents perhaps show that it was a major snafu by the CIA. Matt Damon is superb in his role as the humor-less agent dedicated to the cause to an ultimate fault. The story is very complex and at times hard to follow, even with the subtitles on. The Wikipedia article about the movie can help but don't read it before watching the movie. While this is not a car-chase, gun-battle spy thriller, it is actually a lot more engrossing, educational, and yes, thrilling. The 1940s and 1960s scenes have been filmed to a perfection with attention to detail. My Rating: 8.0

Before the Rain (PG-13) 7.5

Before the Rain (1994): The circularity of violence seen in a story that circles on itself. In Macedonia, during war in Bosnia, Christians hunt an ethnic Albanian girl who may have murdered one of their own. A young monk who's taken a vow of silence offers her protection... (7.9)

Director: Milcho Manchevski
Writer: Milcho Manchevski
Stars: Katrin Cartlidge, Rade Serbedzija and Grégoire Colin
Languages: Macedonian, English, Albanian

Yes, "The Circle is not Round" and some events are not quite as they seem. It is a tussle between love and hate even though the opposite of love is indifference. Interesting choice of events for the "cycle of violence" (I don't want to give away the plot here; but note who commits the violence on whom). A very good story. Picturesque settings for the first segment; but at the same time the acting is bit weak in that one. Since I took the 10 minutes to do a bit more background research about the movie after watching it, I understand it a lot better. I wish I could have gotten the same understanding from the movie itself ... My Rating: 7.5

Love Actually (R) 7.0

Love Actually (2003): Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England. (7.8)

Director: Richard Curtis
Writer: Richard Curtis
Stars: Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon and Liam Neeson

Corny yet surprisingly effective set of stories make up this movie with an over the top dose of love.  Yes, as the beginning of the movie tells us, love is actually all around us; supposedly. It depicts complicated situations, and for most folks in the movie it works out at the end, ... sort of. (Then again, love is a four-letter word. Sour grapes? Nah.)  A feel-good movie, probably best viewed during the Christmas time to get into the spirit of it all. I suppose, most people like this movie because there's at least one character that speaks directly to his/her heart. My Rating: 7.0

The Burmese Harp (PG) 6.5

The Burmese Harp (1956) Biruma no tategoto (original title): In the War's closing days, when a conscience-driven Japanese soldier fails to get his countrymen to surrender to overwhelming force, he adopts the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk. (8.1)

Director: Kon Ichikawa
Writers: Michio Takeyama (novel), Natto Wada
Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Shôji Yasui and Tatsuya Mihashi
Language: Japanese (w/ English subtitles)

Maybe I missed something big here. Yes, I know that one message here is "war is hell." And, I have been able to see the inner messages of movies like Rashomon. But this one I find to be a bit too simplistic. These soldiers are trained to kill and sent into the battlefield to kill the enemy. Songs, really? A soldier hadn't seen the horrors of war until the last days? Even then, only the Japanese soldiers' deaths matter? Wearing a monk's robe, a stolen one at that, does not make him a monk. The story, as presented in the movie, is too simple-minded. The acting is melodramatic. Yeah, it has good intentions, but definitely missing the reality. My Rating: 6.5

Immortal Beloved (R) 7.0

Immortal Beloved (1994): The life and death of the legendary Ludwig van Beethoven. Beside all the work he is known for, the composer once wrote a famous love letter to a nameless beloved and the movie tries to find out who this beloved was. (7.2)

Director: Bernard Rose
Writer: Bernard Rose
Stars: Gary Oldman, Jeroen Krabbé and Isabella Rossellini

While the writer/director claims to have solved the mystery, the scholars don't agree as to the identity of the woman addressed as "Immortal Beloved."  The movie, taken as speculation, is quite intriguing.  Gary Oldman gives a wonderful performance as Beethoven, where the actor is quite easily forgotten for the character he plays; that's as powerful as it gets. We see a (quite plausible) version of Beethoven's life with his declining hearing. In the end, this is a movie about the letter and a missed opportunity. My Rating: 7.0

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (PG) 8.0

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) (風の谷のナウシカ Kaze no Tani no Naushika): Warrior/pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet. (8.1)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writers: Hayao Miyazaki (comic), Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)
Stars: Sumi Shimamoto, Mahito Tsujimura and Hisako Kyôda
Stars: Alison Lohman, Shia LaBeouf, Patrick Stewart

This is the wonderful and defining anime masterpiece that gave rise to the famous Studio Ghibli. The story, the animation, the presentation, the attention to details, etc. are perfect. This was my third or fourth time watching it, and I still find something new. My Rating: 8.0

The Iron Lady (PG-13) 6.5

The Iron Lady (2011): An elderly Margaret Thatcher talks to the imagined presence of her recently deceased husband as she struggles to come to terms with his death while scenes from her past life, from girlhood to British prime minister, intervene. (6.4)

Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Writer: Abi Morgan (screenplay)
Stars: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent and Richard E. Grant

Meryl Streep is wonderful in transforming herself into Margaret Thatcher. That is a commanding performance. The movie dwells too much in elderly and ailing MT and not enough in the "Iron Lady" mode. The actual footage used had the wrong screen proportions (stretched; annoyed me) and probably needed better explanations. I dunno, the story is a bit weak for such a strong and controversial political figure. It needed (more of) supporters' and detractors' views. My Rating: 6.5

Martha Marcy May Marlene (R) 7.0

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011): Haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, a damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult. (7.1)

Director: Sean Durkin
Writer: Sean Durkin
Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson and John Hawkes

The story is about two sisters trying to rebuild their relationship after the younger sister has had a traumatic cult experience. We find out the information in bit and pieces. Initially, the commune life seems quite normal. Then we see quite disturbing events and understand why she feels not safe even outside. Then the movie ends quite abruptly. There is a lot that is not said; the story is incomplete; the back-story is not told. I think, we are to fill in the blanks. The acting is quite good, but I can do without seeing yet another Brit as the wealthy husband (what's with that fascination of American movies, anyway?). My Rating: 7.0

Wit (TV PG-13) 8.5

Wit (2001): A renowned professor is forced to reassess her life when she is diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. (8.0)

Director: Mike Nichols
Writers: Margaret Edson (play), Emma Thompson / Mike Nichols (teleplay)
Stars: Emma Thompson, Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Atkins, Audra McDonald, Jonathan M. Woodward

A wonderful and poignant movie about death and the process of dying. Adapted from a play, they have decided to have the main character speak directly to the camera instead of using voice-over or a narrator. That works powerfully well by including the audience in the journey. The use of the current character in the current form in the past scenes, and vice versa, add to the storytelling. The topic of death is looked at in various forms and in different points of view. The use of John Donne's sonnet Death, be not proud as the central theme makes you wonder if the movie is really about the sonnet. This is also an eye opening look at the health care industrial complex in this country. Great performances by all the main actors, especially so by Emma Thompson. I very highly recommend this one. (I watched it twice in the same day because it is so witty, funny, sad, thoughtful, ... all at the same time.) My Rating: 8.5

Revolutionary Road (R) 7.5

Revolutionary Road (2008): A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates. (7.4)

Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: Justin Haythe (screenplay), Richard Yates (novel)
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Christopher Fitzgerald

A dark movie about a couple fighting their inner demons while giving a smiling face to the outsiders. The emotions of both lives talk to you on many levels. Both DiCaprio and Winslet, who have a famous chemistry of a different kind from their earlier movies, portray these very complex characters quite well. They show that they are not light-weights any longer. The initial part of the movie goes very slow; but that lays the foundation for the cerebral turmoil that is to come. Good storytelling. My Rating: 7.5