FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS -- Clint Eastwood, dir.

©2006
studio: Dreamworks Video
production company:
director: Clint Eastwood
cast: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, John Benjamin Hickey, John Slattery, Barry Pepper, Jamie Bell, Paul Walker, Robert Patrick, Neal McDonough, Melanie Lynskey
screenplay: William Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis

The life stories of the six men who raised the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima, a turning point in WWII. [from imdb.com]

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A really interesting idea for a movie/documentary, but confused by too 'artistic' an interpretation. To quote a reviewer on Amazon.com: "The film, however, is weighed down in two major areas--its characterizations and its narrative framing. Sadly, these are major flaws that derail an otherwise interesting story." To this I whole-heartedly agree. The film was a confusing mess of flashback, narrative, location, and idea.

I wanted to like this film, having heard quite a bit of hype about it, but unfortunately, I came away from it totally disinterested and wishing I had my two hours back.

Not recommended.

UNDER THE LIGHTHOUSE DANCING -- Graeme Rattigan, dir

©1997
studio: Bfs Entertainment
production company:
director: Graeme Rattigan
cast: Jack Thompson, Jacqueline McKenzie, Naomi Watts, Philip Holder, Zoe Bertram, Aden Gillett, Michael Loney
screenplay: David Giles, Graeme Rattigan

The story of 6 friends who journey to an island off the coast of Australia for the weekend. Two of them (Emma and Harry) announce that they intend to get married, but have made no plans, nor do they have a proper license. Emma also announces that she is very ill, and all she wants is a wedding. The other four friends then try to find a way to make it all happen... [from imdb.com]

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A slow-moving 'chick-flick' that might have you bored to tears. The wedding and lack of preparation seemed so totally unrealistic, but made believable by the even more unrealistic fantastic party thrown by the friends.

Nice photography, good acting. I actually appreciated some of the subtler moments (such as Emma's watching the children come down the street), but over-all, it lacked a cohesiveness to keep me interested.

PAN'S LABYRINTH -- Guillermo del Toro, dir

©2006
studio: New Line Home Video
production company: Tequila Gang, Esperanto Filmoj, Estudios Picasso, OMM, Sententia Entertainment, Telecinco
director: Guillermo del Toro
cast: Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Doug jones, Ariadna Gil, Alex Angulo, Manolo Solo, Cesar Vea, Roger Casamajor, Ivan Massague, Gonzalo Uriarte, Eusebio Lazaro, Juanjo Cuclon
screenplay: Guillermo del Toro

In the fascist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world. [from IMDb.com]

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Great title. Awesome advertising. The fantasy elements look unsurpassed. Lousy movie.

I understand that the Nazis were bad. I get it that during bad times children retreat into their own fantasy worlds, but this movie couldn't decide which story to tell ... the bad Nazi story or the children's fantasy story. Other movies have done this and done it well: Chronicles of Narnia and even Bedknobs and Broomsticks come immediately to mind.

I think that this could have been a much more interesting movie if a little less time was spent showing us just how bad the Nazi captain was. Once we get it, we understand that the girl needs an escape.

Many complain about the violence. Violence in a movie doesn't bother me, but it seemed often unnecessary. Again, show us once, we get it. *SPOILER ALERT - DON'T READ BEYOND HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING* The fact that the captain kills his stepdaughter at the end, doesn't need to be set-up by constant violence. He's a Nazi, and that still bears a lot of stereotyped violence in an audience's mind.

I want to like this movie, but I can't. I keep waiting for more fantasy, and it isn't there.

MASTERS OF HORROR: JOHN LANDIS: DEER WOMAN -- John Landis, dir

©2005
studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
director: John Landis
cast: Brian Benben, Anthony Griffith, Cinthia Moura, Sonja Bennett, Julian Christopher, Don Thompson, Alex Zahara, Walter High
screenplay: Max Landis & John Landis
episode of "Masters of Horror" TV series

A harried, burned-out cop believes that a recent string of murders prove that the murderer might be a deer-like creature in the form of a beautiful woman right from a local Native America folklore legend. [from IMDb.com]

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I watched this as part of the Netflix instant movie. It was ... interesting. I'm only moderately interested in the horror film/television genre, but I appreciate Landis' work so decided to check this out.

One has to accept a great deal of fantasy to accept the premise of this ... a deer who turns into a beautiful woman and attacks men. The woman was beautiful, but I think I laughed more than shook with horror at the site of the beautiful woman with deer legs.

All in all, not bad, but perhaps more comic than horrific.

THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH -- Billy Wilder, dir

©1955
studio: 20th Century Fox
production company: Charles K. Feldman Group, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
director: Billy Wilder
cast: Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, Evelyn Keyes, Sonny Tufts, Robert Strauss, Oskar Homolka, Marguerite Chapman, Victor Moore, Dolores Rosedale, Donald MacBride, Carolyn Jones
screenplay: Billy Wilder (play by George Axelrod)

A married man's fidelity (and imagination) are put to the test as his wife and son are away on vacation and a beautiful, voluptuous woman moves in to the apartment upstairs.

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This is the movie with the famous skirt-blowing scene, but Marilyn makes the movie memorable for other reasons. Her performance is spot-on, which is a tribute to Monroe and director Wilder. She really is the perfect blend of innocence, sensuality, and flirtation.

Tom Ewell is wonderful as the imaginative editor whose fantasy/fancy gets away from him. Though the script is somewhat oddly written, with Ewell making long declarations to an empty room, we accept the convention quickly enough and move on.

Filming is interesting enough to keep even a modern day, used-to-fast-paced-movies goer engaged.

A thumbs up for this classic.