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Based on 1/3 of John Irving’s novel A WIDOW FOR ONE YEAR, this film chronicles the turbulent marriage of Ted (Jeff Bridges, THE BIG LEBOWSKI) and Marion Cole (Kim Basinger, 8 MILE) after their two sons die in an accident.

Ted is an author and illustrator of children’s books, who has hired an assistant for the summer from the private school where he and Marion teach. Eddie O’Hare (Jon Foster, LIFE AS A HOUSE) is a wanna-be writer who finds it a privilege to be working for Mr. Cole. However, he quickly discovers that he has been hired mainly to cart Ted around. Ted and Marion are trying a separation where the couple trade off staying in their house and an apartment in town. Eddie soon develops a crush on Marion, which turns into an affair.

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So what is this documentary about? Its subtitle makes it pretty clear — A Mediation to the Possibility of Romantic Love in the South During an Era of Nuclear Weapons Proliferation. Director Ross McElwee (BRIGHT LEAVES) received a grant to make a film about General Sherman’s march of destruction through the South during the Civil War. But then his girlfriend dumps him and the film transforms into a mediation on love and death.

If you think the movie is going to be pretentious or artsy, you’d be totally wrong. It’s hilarious from start to finish. McElwee’s dry wit is what influenced Michael Moore. The film’s subjects are as wacky as anyone in documentaries like GATES OF HEAVEN or VERNON, FLORIDA. It’s like VERNON combined with 20 DATES. Throughout the film, McElwee is either hooked up with women or meets them as he tracks Sherman’s march.

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Anyone who has listened or read coverage of the Iraq war in any depth has at least heard of Al Jazeera – the Arab CNN. You’ve probably heard U.S. Secretary of Defense call it pro-terrorist, anti-American and as he does in this documentary “willing to lie to the world to make their case.” This film is a pretty objective, fly-on-wall look at the channel and its reporters.

At varying times, the station at best looks more objective and dedicated to journalistic integrity than anything on in the U.S., and at worst looks as biased as Fox News. To some comparing Al Jazeera to Fox News might be like calling them twisted propagandists, but in reality, Fox News is just slanted to its audience, which hold a patriotic, conservative view of America and Al Jazeera does the same, only its target audience is Arabs. Due to the fact that I have never seen Al Jazeera, I cannot comment on their reporting practices. The film actually shows very little footage of the station, which I would have liked to see.

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What can I say – I am in awe of Alfred Hitchcock. In adapting Patrick Hamilton’s play for the screen, Hitchcock experimented with the unbroken shot look. Due to the technological constraints of his time, he was not able to film the entire film in one long shot, but used six shots that look like one long shot. I’m sure Hitchcock would have been impressed with films like TIMECODE and THE RUSSIAN ARK.

The film opens with Brandon Shaw (John Dall, SPARTACUS) and Phillip Morgan (Farley Granger, THEY LIVE BY NIGHT) strangling to death David Kentley (Dick Hogan). The murder was done just to do it. Brandon is a cold intellectual, who believes that a person of superior intelligence isn’t held back by the traditional moral constraints. Phillip is a nervous young man who follows Brandon as a way to fit in. In a twisted play on Brandon’s sick game, he throws a party to follow the murder with David’s body in a trunk in the middle of the room. Brandon invites David’s father (Cedric Hardwicke, 1937’s KING SOLOMON’S MINE), who brings his visiting sister Mrs. Atwater (Constance Collier, REBECCA), their school friend Kenneth Lawrence (Douglas Dick, 1951’s THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE), Kenneth’s ex and David’s current girlfriend Janet (Joan Chandler, HUMORESQUE) and former dorm supervisor and intellectual Rupert Cadell (James Stewart, REAR WINDOW).

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This is the best heist movie I have ever seen. A true test of a classic is one that can still retain its power and freshness after years of being imitated and copied.

Tony the Stephanois (Jean Servais, LA ROUE) has just been released from prison for a robbery. His former partner Jo le Suedois (Carl Mohner, HE WHO MUST DIE) feels indebted to him for not ratting him out. Their old friend Mario Farrati (Robert Manuel, THE RAZOR’S EDGE) has a plan to rob a jewelry store and knows the perfect safe cracker Cesar le Milanais (Jules Dassin, director of the film). Tony discovers that his old flame Mado (Marie Sabouret, THE TOY WIFE) is now going with a nightclub owner named Pierre Grutter (Marcel Lupovici), who has a drug-addicted brother named Louis (Pierre Grasset).

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I absolutely love THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. Sergio Leone was a skilled filmmaker who had guts and knew what was cool. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST was made after TGTBATU became an international hit. I think the extra cash for this picture gave Leone a little too much freedom. The film’s length and weaker characters hinders its overall success. But you have to give it to Leone to have the guts to not reveal the main plot details until about two hours into the movie.

The first 2/3s of the film is about mood and iconic showdowns and meetings. The film begins with a stranger arriving in town, which everyone refers to as Harmonica (Charles Bronson, DEATH WISH), because of his choice of instruments. Brett McBain (Frank Wolff, THE DEMON) is preparing for the arrival of his new wife Jill (Claudia Cardinale, THE PINK PANTHER) when hired gun Frank (Henry Fonda, THE GRAPES OF WRATH) murders him and the rest of his family by orders of crippled railroad baron Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti, THE NIGHT PORTER). The characters’ lives all interweave including that of notorious desperado Cheyenne (Jason Robards, MAGNOLIA).

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I am an avid fan of director Billy Wilder’s work. THE APARTMENT is my favorite, but his other films include DOUBLE INDEMNITY, SUNSET BLVD., STALAG 17, SABRINA, THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH, WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION and SOME LIKE IT HOT. That’s a resume any filmmaker should be jealous of. I have never disliked a film of his that I’ve seen. Now I can add Wilder’s first Oscar winning feature to my list of favorites from him. And to think that Paramount had no faith in the film to the degree that it wasn’t planning on releasing it. The film gained new life when it received praise through private home screenings around Hollywood.

The story takes place over one weekend. Wanna-be writer Don Birnam (Ray Milland, THE UNINVITED) and his brother Wick (Phillip Terry, BATAAN) are planning a long weekend at a cabin. Don has stopped drinking for 10 days, but tries to sneak a bottle into his bag. Don’s girlfriend, Helen St. James (Jane Wyman, ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS), stops by and Don tries to get her and Wick to go to a concert so that he can “rest.” This starts the manipulative and destructive spiral that Don takes during a weekend of binging.

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This film was Elvis Presley’s third. Director Richard Thorpe was hired because he was known in Hollywood as the fastest director. For all intents and purposes, the film is just a vehicle for Elvis to sing and dance on the silver screen. The story isn’t special and the film isn’t trying to be great cinema. However, it works as strictly entertainment.

Presley is a captivating performer and I could name dozens of singers turned actors that have given far worse performances. Presley plays Vince Everett, a blue collar worker who gets sent to prison after accidentally killing a man in a bar fight. In jail, Everett learns to play the guitar from his cellmate Hunk Houghton (Mickey Shaughnessy, HOW THE WEST WAS WON), a former small time Country & Western singer. Everett is a born performer and Hunk knows it, signing him to a 50/50 contract. Once out of jail, Everett meets recorder promoter Peggy Van Alden (Judy Tyler, BOP GIRL GOES CALYPSO) and the rest is history as they say.

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The only word to describe this film is preposterous. Now I’ve seen three American films from director John Woo and let me tell you I’m not all that impressed. The films are just a bit better than something Michael Bay would make. Style without substance.

Sean Archer (John Travolta, Woo’s BROKEN ARROW) is a veteran FBI agent whose son was killed by terrorist-for-hire Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage, THE ROCK). Six years afterward Archer is doggedly seeking to capture or kill Castor. Early in the film Archer succeeds, however, Castor is in a coma and his brother Pollux Troy (Alessandro Nivola, JURASSIC PARK III) is the only person who knows the location of the dirty bomb Castor planted.

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This film is a total adrenaline rush for 94 minutes. It develops its three main heroes quickly than thrusts them into a rollercoaster of a ride.

Jessica Martin (Kim Basinger, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL) is a high school Science teacher who lives in Brentwood, California. After dropping her son Ricky (Adam Taylor Gordon, CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN) off at the bus, Jessica returns home to be kidnapped. She has no idea why. Lead kidnapper Ethan (Jason Statham, SNATCH) puts Jessica in the attic of his hideout and smashes the phone that is mounted to the wall. Once left alone, Jessica uses her science skills to dial a random number on the broken phone.

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