SKYFALL
Hard to believe it’s been 50 years since the first Bond movie opened. This 23rd entry in the series raises the bar for this remarkable film franchise that shows no signs of letting up. Brace yourself for the crazy opening action sequence that segues into a story that not only tests Bond’s loyalty to Judi Dench’s M (her past returns to haunt her) when M16 comes under attack. Now Bond must confront perhaps the best Bond villain in the persona of Jarvier Bardem’s diabolical cyber bully. Post-modern existential melancholy tints the derring-do and reminds us of our collective electronic and digital vulnerability. Daniel Craig excels as our last hope of freedom and director Sam Mendes understands what it’s all about in both the reel and real world. SKYFALL is both intelligent and visceral. How rare is that? A must see. Opens November 8.
STARLET
This modest art house entry is a mismatched-friends drama set in a dreary part of the San Fernando Valley. I like the washed out look that reflects the empty lives seeking validation in a seemingly meaningless world. Dree Hemingway is dope-smoking Jane, a skinny 21 year old who finds $10 grand rolled up in a thermos she buys in a yard sale. But when Jane is overcome with guilt and tries to return the dough to Sadie (Besedka Johnson), the old lady who sold the thermos, Sadie says, “No refunds!” before Jane can even finish her sentence. A tentative relationship ensues and secrets are revealed. Starlet is Jane’s Chihuahua. November 9.
LINCOLN
Steven Spielberg dons his serious director hat for this chilly, visually dark talkfest that explores Lincoln’s personal agony in finding a way to end the civil war, reunite the country and abolish slavery. Daniel Day-Lewis plays Lincoln’s last months with all the self-importance and nuance of a divine doomed figure come to earth for a special purpose. Lincoln noir? Is there a winter audience for this when vampires are nowhere in sight? Spielberg’s bid for a third Best Director Oscar© opens November 16.
ANNA KERENINA
Joe Wright directs Keira Knightley (their third pairing) in this audacious Tom Stoppard adaptation of Tolstoy’s beloved novel. Playwright Stoppard’s daring vision is to let the story unfold as a play on a stage that has a curtain, backstage and audience but magically opens up to vast exterior vistas that beguile with their lush density and detail. Knightley is just fine as the spirited, emotional Anna and the sweep of the achingly tragic romantic novel, with all it’s twists and turns, remains in tact. This lush eye candy opens November 16.
LIFE OF PI
Yann Martel’s international bestseller about Pi, a zookeeper’s son who finds himself in the company of a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and Bengal tiger on a harrowing ocean adventure after a shipwreck might seem like an impossibility to put on the big screen. However, director Ang Lee’s adaptation – at it’s best in Imax 3D – is a display of state-of-the-art filmmaking that here remains in service to the story. And that’s a rare thing these days. Eye-popping is restrained praise for this stunning movie that’s as much about storytelling as it is about the epic adventure. That we are all connected cannot be an over-stated theme in our time. But make no mistake, you will be awe-struck. And isn’t awe the drug that movies best deliver? Opens November 21.
HITCHCOCK
At its dark heart, this is a love story that attempts to explore the psyches of two people linked by a strange pathology as well as a profession. Like WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF that takes place during a booze-filled night, HITCHCOCK takes place during the filming of Hitch’s classic 1960 film PSYCHO. Anthony Hopkin’s plays the hefty, acerbic director and is voice perfect (but in sometimes dodgy make-up). Helen Mirren is the director’s put-upon wife and astute creative partner Alma Reville, Scarlett Johansson is a wonderfully and bemused and abused Janet Leigh and Jessica Biel plays a no nonsense Vera Miles. Relative newcomer Sacha Gervais directs. The Motion Picture Academy loves movies about movies, but they prefer a positive spin like ARGO and THE ARTIST. The jury’s still out on this one, but the want-see factor remains high. The screenplay is based on Stephen Rebello’s 1990 book “Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho.” Opens November 23. Comments? RobinESimmons@aol.com
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