The Sting

Fun and pure entertainment, this film won not only audiences around the world with its grifts and cons, but it won the Academy over as well, taking home the Best Picture Oscar. Newman and Robert Redford are back together (after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, along with director George Roy Hill (also a Butch Cassidy alum), for some high stakes shenanigans. The duo play two small-time conmen looking for that one magic job that will move them into the “con” hall of fame and set them up for life. A clever script and great performances by all…including Robert Shaw as one of the con-ees…makes this movie one of the best in its class.

An Affair to Remember

One of the most romantic films ever put on celluloid; this film has been copied, remade, emulated, talked about and cried over since its release. The story originated as Love Affair, a 1939 film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer. Then came this 1957 film, re-directed by McCarey. Then came Sleepless in Seattle, which was a pseudo-remake, followed by 1994’s Love Affair, which was back to being a traditional remake…just updated for the latter part of the 20th Century. Why all of these retellings? Well, it’s a good story and as close to a perfect romance as you can get. There’s everything here…comedy, tragedy, high drama, passion, sex appeal, tears, etc. Out of all of the versions, this one reigns supreme. Why? Two words: Cary Grant. Not to slight Deborah Kerr. She’s excellent here, but come on. It’s Cary Grant.

Miracle at St. Anna

Not the best WWII film ever made, but all-in-all a good story and a strong ending make this film a above-average war picture. Directed by Spike Lee, all of the type around this one at the time was that this is the black WWII movie. Lee felt that war movies of recent times have claimed to be very realistic, though he never saw any black faces among the soldiers. Miracle at St. Anna was Lee’s way to rectify this. But, it is so much more than a “blacks in WWII” film. I felt that most of the story, set in Italy, has little to do with race. And that Italy part takes up most of the film…and should since it is the core of the tale. And, yes, this is a tale…it’s a fairy tale about a young boy and his “chocolate giant.” With all of the mindlessly violent and ruthless WWII movies out there, at least this one offers a little allegoric change of pace to the non-stop action of wartime. Check it out for yourself!

The Reader

I honestly didn't know what to expect here, other than Kate Winslet falls for a young boy. And that is just the tip of this one. For me, this film stayed with me for days…it lingered and I kept thinking about certain issues from the film that the main character, Michael Berg, has to contemplate. It is a movie that gets not only the brain going but it makes the audience wonder, what would I do? I kept wondering even days after seeing the film, did the character make the right decision. What would have happened if he had done this…or that? It is not a perfect film and I found parts of it a little too slow, but for the most part, The Reader is a fascinating exploration into the psyche.

Milk

A powerful film that, being a child of the mid-70s, taught me what I missed about the gay rights movement. Set in San Francisco, Milk depicts the rise of Harvey Milk, a gay local store owner in a predominately gay area of San Francisco. When laws begin to get in the way of their freedom, Harvey and his large circle of friends protest and Harvey goes as far as wanting to run for public office. It takes some times, but he does succeed. Milk features a slew of excellent performances, mostly notably by Sean Penn, who shines here like he never did before, in my opinion. No matter what your politics, see this one for the cast and the wonderful work everyone does here.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

This is a cute, fun movie that will take your mind off of your own financial problems…for 2 hours, at least. It’s not high art, but when you look at the title, if you think it might be an “art” film, slap yourself and then sit back and enjoy. Based on the books Confessions of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Brit author Sophie Kinsella, the movie, like the books, feature an excitable, screwball female named Becky Bloomwood who lives to shop and shops to live. The movie, does though, change some major points…first, in the book, Becky is a Londoner…here, Becky is a confirmed New Yorker. Secondly, the man she falls for is her boss in the movie…in the book, that is a different scenario. Do these changes alter the fun of the film over the fun of the books…no. There are plenty of stores in both London and NYC! If you need a fun, entertaining pick-me-up, see this movie!

The Lucky Ones

I am not a big fan of recent war movies…especially those about the Iraqi War. The ones I have seen have had a distorted message that messes up the story so much that it ruins the movie. But, the cast was so good here…I thought I would try it. And, it turned out to be a good, strong movie that is more about what war does to the people and less about why we are over there. The story revolves around three lost souls…who are on month leave from the Army and from the Middle East. Two of them want out of the Army…one is just confused with her life in general. But, in the end, they all find that the Army not only provides them with common ground, it is the stability they all need. Wonderful!

I’ve Loved You So Long

A touching, subtle film that unravels slowly and delicately. The story of a woman who has just been released from 15 years in prison for killing her 6-year-old son…we don’t know why or how. We don’t even find out what crime she committed until more than a half-hour into the film. It’s like a present that we unwrapped…savoring the gift inside so we keep the suspense high. Kristen Scott Thomas uses this slow, methodical storytelling to her advantage…creating one of the most complex, disturbed, misread and misunderstood characters in recent cinema. She does not push the character to be liked…or push the character to be absolved of sin. She lets the audience’s opinion unfold slowly…just like the slowness of the film. A great movie!