Grand Hotel

** out of ****

In a studio system dependent on its stars to generate bucks at the box office, MGM assembled the cream of the crop for an ensemble cast-driven melodrama called "Grand Hotel." The 1932 Oscar-winner for Best Picture (with, curiously, no other nominations) was likely rewarded more for its scale than for any other reason. Although some of the stars do hold their own―namely Greta Garbo as the tired Russian ballerina who becomes reinvigorated by love (and who utters one of the most famous lines in film history, "I want to be alone"), Lionel Barrymore as the adorable, jovial Kringelein, who decides to live his last days with style because he is terminally ill, and a young Joan Crawford as Flaemmchen, the objectified stenographer with sass―most of the action is boring and the dialogue is excessively chatty. Lewis Stone's line, "Grand Hotel. People come, people go... Nothing ever happens," is supposed to be ironic since a supposedly complex series of interconnected stories transpires, but, boy, was he right! 1932, 112 mins.

Alien³

** ½ out of ****

Following in the footsteps of Ridley Scott's "Alien" and James Cameron's "Aliens," David Fincher's "Alien³" shows promise with one of the most fascinating credit sequences I have ever seen and an astounding vision that belies Fincher's status as a "newbie" director. One particular scene―the cremation/alien birth scene―is beautifully constructed by crosscutting and visually engages the nihilistic tones that underlie the film. However, the film ends up falling apart near its run-of-the-mill conclusion, where the story returns to old formulas from the preceding films and even takes on point-of-view shots from the alien itself. (Huh!? First rule of horror films: The monster is scarier when you cannot see it, not when it is seeing you!) Even worse, the visual effects look so fake that even the effects from "Alien" thirteen years before look more perfect (No wonder this film's sole Oscar nomination for Visual Effects was trumped by "Death Becomes Her"). Unfortunately, I am also less impressed with Sigourney Weaver's performance as Ripley in "Alien³" than in the other films in the quadrilogy (blame it on the screenwriters?), though I am taken aback at how powerful and fascinating the character of Dillon (Charles S. Dutton) and his ethics are. 1992, 114 mins.

Alien

*** out of ****

The science-fiction/horror film that propelled director Ridley Scott to acclaim, "Alien" takes its cues from Kubrick and Lucas to the point of nearly copycatting at times. The film's deliberately slow pacing at the beginning and its atonal, Ligeti-like score mimic "2001" (though it lacks the innate grace), while its action and some of its shots, notably the low angle shots of the ship's immense hull, recall "Star Wars" (but more overdone). Even if the direction comes off a bit amateur, it is still potent, and this intense story of the commercial towing spaceship crew who (quite insipidly) reawakens an alien species is really a story all its own. Even if you want to hate how dumb the crew members are, you cannot deny the badass-ness of the toughest woman on film, Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, her first leading role (and a solid one, at that). Obviously, you know how this film has to end since several sequels exist, but the film does throw in a few surprises along the way to make things more complex (for example, the character of Ash, played by Ian Holm). Also, let us not forget just how terrifying the alien itself is―the visual effects won an Oscar. 1979, 119 mins.

To Catch a Thief

*** out of ****

A sexy Hitchcock cat burglar caper (in VistaVision!) set on the handsome French Riviera. Cary Grant stars as John Robie, a former burglar known as "the Cat" and the ubiquitously Hitchcockian man mistaken for the crimes. Grace Kelly, in her last performance for Hitchcock, is the pretty, rich American girl secretly seeking a thrill as Robie's "assistant," though he is simply trying to figure out the identity of the real burglar. "To Catch a Thief" features another solid screenplay and electric dialogue from Hitchcock's '50s screenwriter, John Michael Hayes. The film is no masterpiece like "Vertigo," but it is immensely enjoyable, nonetheless. The innuendo-laden fireworks scene is unforgettable. The film won one Oscar for Robert Burks' cinematography. 1955, 106 mins.

Evita

** out of ****

Save for Madonna’s jewel of a performance as Argentinean idol, Eva Duarte de Perón (for which she received voice lessons and ultimately won a Golden Globe for “Best Actress – Musical/Comedy”), Alan Parker‘s grand scale film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s and Tim Rice’s 1978 musical, “Evita,” is largely underwhelming. Do not get me wrong—I love musicals—but the film’s wall-to-wall songs subvert the power of the narrative. Take a cue from Fosse, please. Most of the songs are forgettable (that might be the songwriters’ faults), but a few are little gems: the delightfully amusing “Goodnight and Thank You,” the unforgettable “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina,” and the heartbreaking ballad, “You Must Love Me” (Oscar winner for “Best Original Song”). Of note, the exquisitely crafted costumes made the Guinness Book of World Records; Madonna, who was pregnant during filming, changed costumes a record eighty-five times. 1996, 136 mins.

A Place in the Sun

** out of ****

Moody George Eastman (talk, dark, handsome, and pre-alcoholic Montgomery Clift) is in love with neophyte socialite Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor), but he cannot be with her until he gets rid of his pregnant “baby mama,” working class Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters, in a splendid performance). A mostly dull film with many stagnant sequences, “A Place in the Sun” becomes exciting only at the boating scene. The tender shots of Clift and Taylor in each others’ arms are also memorable images. George Stevens’ direction deserved the nod for the Oscar, perhaps the only redeeming quality to the whole film, which is based on Theodore Dreiser’s “An American Tragedy.” 1951, 121 mins.

Sordid Lives

*** ½ out of ****

The LGBT cult classic “Sordid Lives” finds it biggest fanbase in the South because it is basically “the spittin’ image” of life there—from the clothes to the hair to the speech—all accurately depicted by writer/director Del Shores. Even the substandard camera work (in comparison to glossy Hollywood production, that is) offers a peculiar realism to this film, Shores’ “sordid” tale of a family coming to terms with its skeletons in the closet. As a gay boy from the South, I can say that I have met almost everyone in the film at some point in my life: Ty (Kirk Geiger), a homosexual actor who “passes” lest anyone find out his true sexuality, G.W. (Beau Bridges), a wooden-legged, red-blooded heterosexual who is unabashedly committing adultery, Latrelle (Bonnie Bedelia), the high-strung, holier-than-thou Southern Baptist mother of Ty, and Sissy (Beth Grant), a gossipy, menopausal woman (amusingly) trying to quit smoking. The real star of the show, though, is petite Leslie Jordan as “Brother Boy,” a gay Tammy Wynette-impersonator, locked up in an asylum that is trying to “de-homosexualize” him. “Sordid Lives” bears the tagline, “A black comedy about white trash,” and, indeed, this film is pregnant with laugh-out-loud quotes, situations, and characters. With its tightly-woven, unique screenplay, “Sordid Lives” is one of the best independent LGBT-related pictures I have seen. 2001, 111 mins.

Big Fish

*** out of ****

An enchanting fairy tale filled with unique characters, “Big Fish,” though based on the novel of the same name, could only be from the mind of Tim Burton. Will Bloom (Billy Crudup) is tired of his father’s stories, which are so farfetched that he feels he actually knows nothing about him. However, he eventually learns that his father (Ewan McGregor as young Ed Bloom, Albert Finney as the senior version) may, indeed, be truly larger than life. Charming and enticing, “Big Fish” will capture your imagination (and your heartstrings) and never let go. Finney is perfect in his role, one that deserved at least an Oscar nomination. 2003, 125 mins.

Funny Girl

**** out of ****

“Funny Girl” is one of my favorite films, and not simply because it stars Barbra Streisand. Okay, maybe so, but her endearing (and Oscar-winning) performance as ebullient Fanny Brice unquestionably carries the film from start to finish. Throw in a little of William Wyler (1942 Best Director, “Mrs. Miniver”; 1946, “The Best Years of Our Lives”; 1959, “Ben-Hur”) for direction and you have a showstopper semi-biography of the early 20th century Ziegfeld comedienne on your hands. “Funny Girl” is probably most recommended for fans of “Bahbra” (especially for the musical numbers, including the legendary “People”), but it is still comical entertainment for all. Best shot: Barbra on the steamboat by the Statue of Liberty, belting out “Don’t Rain on My Parade” right before the intermission. 1968, 151 Mins.

The People vs. Larry Flynt

** ½ out of ****

Clearly, screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski must have enjoyed the courtroom antics of “Hustler” magazine publisher, Larry Flynt. Indeed, the historic 1988 Supreme Court case “Hustler Magazine vs. Falwell,” which occurs at the end of the film, makes a worthy climax. However, their admiration for the court appearances of Flynt, around which the film “The People vs. Larry Flynt” is seemingly built, weakens the rest of the film, making all other scenes seem like filler space. Nevertheless, the film, despite its obvious flaws, is thankfully carried along by superior performances from Oscar-nominee Woody Harrelson as the uncouth, eccentric “Hustler” publisher and a surprisingly solid debut performance from rock singer Courtney Love as the street-smart love of his life, Althea. This film is significantly weaker than director Miloš Forman’s other efforts (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Amadeus”), but he still scored another Oscar nomination (somehow). In addition, the film itself made it to the top of several critics’ 1996 end-of-the-year Top Ten lists (somehow). 1996, 129 mins.

Fargo

**** out of ****

1996’s “Fargo” is perhaps the recently rewarded Coen Brothers’ (2007’s big Oscar winner, “No Country for Old Men”) masterpiece, a violent black comedy about one man’s thirst for money and respect at the expense of his wife, whom he hires a pair of killers to kidnap for a reward from which he will collect half. William H. Macy delivers his best performance on film as the whimpering husband, Jerry Lundegaard, but Frances McDormand steals the show as the clever, moral, and very pregnant policewoman, Marge Gunderson, who begins investigating the case when the killers become sloppy. The Coen Brothers’ intelligent screenplay (for which they won an Oscar) features a story that adeptly analyzes the complex human psychology. Add it to the aforementioned sublime performances and an unprecedented utilization of “Minnesota nice,” and “Fargo” becomes one of the best films of our time. 1996, 98 mins.

Truth or Dare

**** out of ****

At the top of the world in 1990 on her “Blonde Ambition Tour,” Madonna allowed Alek Keshishian metaphorically into her bed (but mostly backstage) for his documentary, “Truth or Dare.” One of the best and most enthralling documentaries I have ever seen, Keshishian films the backstage scenes of his Madonna glorification in black-and-white and the provocative concert footage in color. This balance is perhaps why the film is so effective—the black-and-white contributes a certain grit, i.e. realism, to Madonna’s “private” backstage personality that makes her seem more candid. On the other hand, the color brings out Madonna’s spirited on-stage performances and augments the vibrant personality Madonna has conceived as an entertainer. In any case, this documentary is fascinating from beginning to end and worth watching, although the most appreciation will come, obviously, from fans of “the Queen of Pop.” 1991, 122 mins.