Beowulf - *

Beowulf *

Adventure. Warner, Paramount. 2007.
D: Robert Zemeckis.
P: Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey, Jack Rapke, Steve Bing.

“The warrior Beowulf must fight and defeat the monster Grendel who is terrorizing towns, and later, Grendel’s mother, who begins killing out of revenge”.

Good as spectacle, with the director’s strong sense for visual storytelling as its best feature. As literature, it’s not nearly up to the challenge of its source. Songwritters wrote a couple of folk, ancient sounding tunes that are one of the most transporting elements of the film.

Significant production contribution: Sound (Randy Thom, Dennis Leonard), Songs (Alan Silvestri, Glen Ballard)

The Addams family - *

The Addams family *

Comedy. Paramount. 1991.
D: Barry Sonnenfeld.
P: Scott Rudin

“Con artists plan to fleece the eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long lost Uncle Fester”.

Adaptation of the TV show, with a friendlier sense of humour and emphasis on visual trickery. Its cast delivers.

Significant production contribution: Art direction (Ken Adam)

Key Largo - *

Key Largo *

Thriller. Warner. 1948.
D: John Huston.
P: Jerry Wald.

“A man visits his old friend’s hotel and finds a gangster running things. As a hurricane approaches, the two end up confronting each other”.

A worthy noir setting with a commendable direction of actors.

Significant production contribution: None.

Back to the future part II - *

Back to the future part II *

Adventure. Universal. 1989.
D: Robert Zemeckis.
P: Bob Gale, Neil Canton.

“After visiting 2015, Marty must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes to 1985… without interfering with his first trip”.

Funny and clever enough to be a worthy addition to the original’s premise. Compulsively watchable.

Significant production contribution: Screenplay (Bob Gale, Robert Zemeckis)

Meet the Fockers - *

Meet the Fockers *

Comedy. Universal, DreamWorks. 2004.
D: Jay Roach.
P: Robert DeNiro, Jane Rosenthal, Jay Roach.

“All hell breaks loose when the Byrnes family meets the Focker family for the first time”.

Its crude plot and trite humour -it even resources to many cute baby talk jokes- is overshadowed by an effective cast who delivers the comedy goods. On that basis alone is worth a watch.

Significant production contribution: Acting (Dustin Hoffmann, Barbra Streisand)

It should happen to you - *

It should happen to you *

Comedy. Columbia. 1954.
D: George Cukor.
P: Fred Kohlmar.

“Gladys Glover has just lost her modelling job when she meets filmmaker Pete Sheppard shooting a documentary in Central Park”.

Character comedy, an obvious but worthy vehicle for actress Judy Holliday, who carries the film over her shoulders with grace. Note: Jack Lemmon’s screen debut. And a good one at that.

Significant production contribution: Acting (Judy Holliday)

Hannibal - *

Hannibal *

Thriller. MGM. 2001.
D: Ridley Scott.
P: Ridley Scott, Dino de Laurentiis, Martha de Laurentiis.

“Hannibal Lecter returns to America and attempts to make contact with disgraced Agent Starling and survive a vengeful victim’s plan”.

Icy, stylish character thriller, a bit overreaching and uneven but a finally capable intelligent piece. Gore of the serial killer kind was utterly unnecesary and damaging.

Significant production contribution: Make up (Greg Cannom); Music (Hans Zimmer, Patrick Cassidy)

Bram Stoker’s Dracula - *

Bram Stoker’s Dracula *

Horror. Columbia. 1992.
D: Francis Ford Coppola.
P: Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Fuchs, Charles Mulvehill.

“The vampire comes to England to seduce a visitor’s fiance and inflict havoc in the foreign land”.

Ishioka’s costumes were a signature look for this lavish production of the famous Stoker novel. It means to take its character as serious literature, but its strong inclination for visuals and style far overshadows any gesture towards content. Some acting weaknesses (Reeves, Hopkins, Ryder) hurt even further a film that is worth, essentially, as a visual tour de force.

Significant production contribution: Costumes (Eiko Ishioka); Art direction (Thomas Sanders); Music (Wojciech Kilar); Make up (Michele Burke, Greg Cannom)

Barton Fink - *

Barton Fink *

Comedy. Working Title. 1991.
D: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen.
P: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen.

“In 1941, New York intellectual playwright Barton Fink comes to Hollywood to write a Wallace Beery wrestling picture”.

Idiosincratic black comedy, very heavy in atmosphere and style, but lacking in normal departments like coherence or plain sense. Starts strong, finishes as an empty exercise. The film’s deft craftmanship, however, cannot be denied.

Significant production contribution: Acting (Michael Lerner, John Turturro), Art direction (Dennis Gassner)

Runaway jury - *

Runaway jury *

Thriller. 20th Century Fox. 2003.
D: Gary Fleder.
P: Gary Fleder, Christopher Mankiewicz, Arnon Milchan.

“A juror on the inside, and a woman on the outside manipulate a court trial involving a major gun manufacturer”.

Decently acted and achieved standard thriller. Just a worthy divertment.

Significant production contribution: None.