J. Edgar - 2 and 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Clint Eastwood may not have done his best work directing this film.Released in 2011 and running a very long 137 minutes,I was bored and confused but I wanted to k now so much about the man,J Edgar Hoover who just might have been the most powerful man alive in his day.Yet what we get is a so/so back and forth confusing rehash of some very questionable parts of his life.Thats why I took 2 1/2 star off.Perhaps the issue is the final cut and editing,I don't know,but I wanted so much and got little.I thought everything was was done acting and film wise except the total story and concept of how it was done.So i recommend only for serious government geeks who want to know who Hoover was ( head of the FBI for 48 years and 8 presidents) as there is no other film about him.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.

Biopic of J. Edgar Hoover told by Hoover as he recalls his career for a biography. Early in his career, Hoover fixated on Communists, anarchists and any other revolutionary taking action against the U.S. government. He slowly builds the agency's reputation, becoming the sole arbiter of who gets hired and fired. One of his hires is Clyde Tolson who is quickly promoted to Assistant Director and would be Hoover's confidant and companion for the rest of Hoover's life. Hoover's memories have him playing a greater role in the many high profile cases the FBI was involved in - the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the arrest of bank robbers like John Dillinger - and also show him to be quite adept at manipulating the various politicians he's worked with over his career, thanks in large part to his secret files. Written by garykmcd 

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1849990169/

What's Your Number? - 4 stars out of 5 stars

OK we know all about how comedy is personal,yadda,yadda,and I always be lov'in me some Anna Faris,whom sadly makes some lousy movies that no one would see if not for her,but be warned,this is full of VERY ADULT content.Only she could pull off the off color jokes and situations and you still love her for that shred of innocence that is always there just below her characters surface.While the rest of the cast has talent and you've seen most of them before,this film relies on her and her alone.Released in 2011 and running but 106 minutes,I took the one star off for the STRONG sexual innuendoes but hey,so many OTHER comedies are full of drug innuendos,I rather prefer sex,just me.I'll tell you this,her "number"is shocking,but only she can pull it off without seeming to be a slut.Oh,by the way,a girls number is "how many guys she slept with."My number is…….,MUCH less than her's,ha,ha.
Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.

A woman looks back at the past twenty men she's had relationships with in her life and wonders if one of them might be her one true love.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2886245657/

Live ( 2007) - 5 stars out of 5 stars

There are a few film with this title so it may be hard to find but worth looking for."Black Comedy"done well is very hard as politically correctness always seems to get in the way.Not in this film.It's "The Onion"meats "The Deer Hunter".Bill Guttentag's fine effort starts as a simple Onion spoof of the absurd overtaking of network television by silly self absorbed money hungry producers and 15 minutes of fame TV wanna bee common folk.However slowly and sometimes painfully,it turns into the Deer Hunter.Quick reminder here,Deer Hunter was about the violence of war,not being enough,had to include a suicide game of Russian Roulette for money and fun by soldiers driven half mad by war.
Mr. Guttentag may or may not have intended to draw any comparisons between the films but if you have seen both,its hard not to.Even to the fact of the film character of the producer is killed in the end.So for those looking for "light"entertainment,look elsewhere.For those who want to be shocked and warned that we continue to climb a slippery slope,HOLD ON before we all slip.
Oh,the film is about the ultimate quiz/reality TV show of Russian Roulette by 6 people with 5 getting 5 million dollars apiece and one,well……….
Meanwhile the producer of the TV show herself is the subject of a documentary being filmed in real time.
It's well acted and cast although I'm not really sure Eva Mendes nailed her character of Katy,the TV shows producer.Started as a sexy money grabbing bimbo and then seemed to feel the pressure of what she started to the point of her own death.Or maybe she really did,and I didn't "get"it ? In a film like this,its hard to always feel the "texture"of the moments.I  felt Jeffrey Dean Morgan and David Krumholtz in defining their roles,were OUTSTANDING and Monet Mazur had a movie scene stealing moment.Must see movie.
Released in 2007 it runs  only 96 minutes.Trailer URL follows the pix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNGlRH1nQac

The Linda McCartney Story - 3 stars out of 5 stars

This was a CBS TV movie released in 2000 and running 90 minutes.I found parts of it very interesting but it really told the story of Linda's marriage to Paul basically but with a few interesting sidelights and omissions.Thus I took 2 stars off and recommend only for really Paul fans as you are led to believe his life would have been in ruin after the Beatle breakup if not for Linda.Still the film has some fine moments as its told in a back and forward framed timeline, as Linda is fighting cancer which finally she died from in 1998 after 30 years with Paul and being talked into playing in his new follow up band"Wings".They had 3 kids together and seemed to love each other though both were very experienced before they met.See she was a photographer for Rolling Stone and had affairs with Mick Jagger and  Jim Morrison and already had a daughter from a prior marriage.So if you want to see actors portraying Rock Stars when they are still alive,its another reason to see the film.Most of the cast are "b" list but work well in their rolls and Elizabeth Mitchell is a better actor than I thought. Notably absent is the heavy drug use though Paul's 9 days in jail in Japan for possession is touched on.So its worth a view for the specialized audience I mentioned.Trailer URL follows the pix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q3heAE40Qo

Spaceballs - 4 stars out of 5 stars

OK again I admit to being a butt boy,in this case,Mel Brooks.I've already reviewed "The Producers"and"Blazing Saddles".This film is different in that it is direct satire of others films.In Blazing Saddles it was a broad satire of a film genre,in this case,its individual films.The main target is "Star Wars"and thats maybe 75+% of the jokes,but there are shots at "Alien",Jaws",Rambo",Lawrence of Arabia","Planet of the Apes","The Wizard of Oz"and even Star Trek.There are also healthy servings of yiddish humor and good music throughout.Brooks was the best of his day and perhaps today he's not as relevant in this politically correct climate but judge that for yourself.It was released in 1987 and runs only 96 minutes.I took 1 star off for the relevance of satire to these older films for todays audiences.However there is a funny "transformers"reference scene which points to just how popular those old cartoons were.For those younger fans,there would be NO transformers movies if there were no cartoons first.My favorite lines are still the jewish/yiddish jokes.Nice "nose"joke,"princess"ect.Even a funny line about seeing seeing you again in the sequel,the search for more money…………
Trailer URL follows the pix and the cast is great headed by Brooks himself and the late John Candy and many others.MUST SEE for movie to comedy parody fans.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4171498777/

Soul Food ( 1997 ) - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Not in the class of Spike Lee's "Crooklyn" which I reviewed previously,but ok anyway.There is another film with the same name but I haven't seen it so I don't know what if anything,it has in common with this one.Released in 1997 and running 115 minutes,this films strength is also it's weakness,thats why I take 2 stars off.The issues in this film,though seen thru black eyes,could be just as easily white issues.Thats the problem as well.In"Crooklyn"disaster was always around the corner.In"Soul Food"you get the feeling they put themselves in their own problem positions and would figure away out,or else,so be it.That most certainly is NOT the case in Crooklyn.Anyway,back to this film.Brandon Hammond is outstanding as a the young lad who is telling his families story while trying to keep it together after his grandma's death.HE is the main reason to see this film.The rest of the cast is ok,with some just ok music by"Babyface"If you want to see a black film,its JUST ok.There are better,but few better performances than the ending by young Brandon.Trailer URL follows pix and a IMDB summary below.

Matriarch Mama Joe has held her family together for 40 years around a Sunday dinner of soul food. When diabetes hospitalizes her, the dinners stop and tensions among her three daughters start to break the family apart. Two of the sisters feud continuously: Teri is jealous of Maxine's marriage and irritated that everyone assumes her corporate salary is open to the rest of the family's uses. Maxine resents Teri's bossiness and insensitivity to family tradition. Bird, the youngest, newly married to an ex-con, accepts a favor from an old lover that leads to her husband's arrest. Mama Joe's grandson Ahmad cooks up a scheme to bring the family together, back to the table. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4286841113/

Conan the Barbarian (1982) - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Before Conan Arnold Schwarzenegger was a virtual unknown but he not only became a star he also revived the "sword and sorcery"as I call it,genre of films  including a sequel.There is also a remake that I have to see.However this is about this 1982 film that runs 129 minutes.The film stands up well over these years but its not for children.Sexual content.It is for those who like the tradition good vs evil storyline.Here is good,Conan,with a questionable past,vs pure evil in the form of James Earl Jones as Thulsa Doom  whom is not in that much of the film,but he sure commands it when he's in it, even as a really bad guy.The rest of the cast is good but i loved the small role by William Smith as Conan's Father. A veteran character actor that I like a lot.Also for fans who like to spot athletics in film roles,I give you Oakland Raider Ben Davidson as Rexor. Type casting?? Now some may say its a little corny,well,it is,thats why I took 1 star off.However its still a classic and a must see for film historical reference points,and just plain fun !!!! Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below

The epic tale of child sold into slavery who grows into a man who seeks revenge against the warlord who massacred his tribe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1XmZ9_ckdw

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ( 2009 ) - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Not since Federico Fellini's films,as a young man n the 70's,  have I seen a Swedish film and the ONLY reason I saw this one was to see why it was remade in 2011 in the US and I have since reviewed.I rate them both 4 stars and take the one star of for the dark subject matter.The big plus is that both films are pretty much the same with only two major differences.The US film seem to be star driven and the accent in on the performance while here it has a more dark,dare I say Fellini, story overtone.Finally the ending goes in different directions and one would have to see the swedish sequel and await a US one to see if that matters much.Bottom line I recommend both for the story line and contrived plot line.Must for mystery who done it fans.It has a few shock scenes but not quite as graphic as the US version,close however.
Trailer URL follows the pix and the IMDB summary below.Remember there are 3 books written in this series,this is but the first and all 3 have been filmed already in Sweden.I have only seen this first one which the original swedish name is Män som hatar kvinnor.

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, ruthless computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from almost forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves. Written by Music Box Films

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2735866905/ 

Man on the Moon - 5 stars out of 5 stars

Andy Kaufman was a acquired taste and not for everyone.He was made for the 70's and will always be remembered both fondly by some, and as a "pet rock"craze by others.I have a family connection from Great Neck LI,though I never met him,and choose to remember him as something like a comet,Here as a big flash,and then gone.This film was released in 1999 and runs 118 minutes and Andy died in 1984 so ,many people from his career appear as themselves,but not all.Four actors must be singled out.Danny DeVito as George Shapiro his manager.Courtney Love as Lynne Marguiles ,Andy's girl.Paul Giamatti as Bob Zmuda his writer.Finally Jim Carrey as Andy, nails his quirks as close as another can.Andy was "different"in the way he put YOU on and you had to laugh for falling for it.His only real great mainstream act was a dead on Elvis impression,but then even THAT was a put on in the sense that who can't do a great Elvis if they had a shred of talent?? See the film "3000 miles to Graceland"which I reviewed to prove that point.
     No Andy's thing was the put on.What finally polarized the public on him was wrestling.First he wrestled women in the most chauvinistic ways.Then a real male wrestler with a fake injury and threat of lawsuits for credibility.But as he was dying and desperately trying any cure for Cancer he could find,he traveled to the Philippines for"Physic  surgery"and had to laugh when he witnessed that it was a fake and thus a "joke"on him.
Till his death,many though cancer was another joke on THEM.
Andy had to be remembered and this film is as fair as can be to show what he was and then you can decide was he a talent or a fake.Trailer URL follows the pix.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi497811737/

13 Rue Madeleine - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Ok,ok,I admit I'm a James Cagney but-boy but this old chestnut from 1947 running but 95 minutes is as good as it gets before FX and cold war Bond or Bourne flicks.This is WW11 and the beginning of the secret wars still being fought till today.Yes its shot in b&w and might seem silly sometimes by todays standards BUT look closely and you see what we have become and how important getting "intel"can be.I took 1 star off for being dated but its a classic and if secret agent films are your thing its a MUST see.A very young Richard Conte makes a good"Bad"guy and we sometimes forget how good a actor Sam Jaffe was.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary is below.Oh and yes in bit parts that was future stars E.G. Marshall,Karl Malden and Red Buttons.

Documentary-style prologue follows training of O.S.S. agents for WWII work behind enemy lines. One of the group is a German "mole;" leaders Gibson and Sharkey are aware of this and scheme to feed him false info about the invasion of Europe, while the real agents go to France to find a secret V-2 rocket depot. But the German spy outsmarts them and rejoins his people knowing too much; Bob Sharkey takes the risk of going in after him. Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

13 Rue Madeleine - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Contagion - 3 stars out of 5 stars

OK for realism of what might happen if you have a outbreak of some unknown contagion,but,no real plot or adventure.See its almost like a documentary of life during the outbreak to the cure for the survivors.Not really entertainment but more informational about what systems we have in place and their shortcomings.So thats why I took 2 stars off.Oh for all you Gwyneth Paltrow haters,she dies early and painfully.No actors really stand out but maybe Jude Law  as a blogger.Still a good interesting cast and for a 2011 film release running 106 minutes its ok for kids but you'll have to do some explaining during and after.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary,such as can be,is below.

Soon after her return from a business trip to Hong Kong, Beth Emhoff dies from what is a flu or some other type of infection. Her young son dies later the same day. Her husband Mitch however seems immune. Thus begins the spread of a deadly infection. For doctors and administrators at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, several days pass before anyone realizes the extent or gravity of this new infection. They must first identify the type of virus in question and then find a means of combating it, a process that will likely take several months. As the contagion spreads to millions of people worldwide, societal order begins to break down as people panic. Written by garykmcd

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3924270105/