Haywire (2011)

I really enjoyed this movie, but it's not perfect.  I suspect people are not used to seeing a female kick ass like Gina Carano does in this film.  And she's really good at it, plus she is a natural on screen.  She is far better at delivering lines in a realistic manner than 90% of the action stars out there. 

This is a Steven Soderbergh film, so the craft is first rate.  Great fight scenes, great camera work, awesome art direction.  I did think the editing was a bit odd.  The camera stayed far too long on some shots that added no value, and then were not edited out.  I found that this stuttered the pace of the film.  Also, the music in this movie was extremely similar to the music in the Ocean's Eleven series.  At times I got confused. 

I watched this twice, though, which means I liked it a lot.  The cast includes Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender and Channing Tatum (playing a dunderhead who gets his ass kicked).  It's a great cast.  The last shot (Antonio) is great.

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

This movie is freakin' amazing.  It's an Ang Lee film, and I like it when he gives us a nice story like this.  Everything isn't roses in this movie, and it doesn't end up where you think it is going to, but that's fine with me.  In Taipei, three grown daughters are living at home with their famous chef father.  They are not necessarily happy with this situation, nor is the father, but that's the way it is.  And then things start to come unhinged, bit by bit, and in a good way. 

This is one of the great food movies of all time (think Big Night and Babette's Feast).  The cooking scenes are amazing.  I think it's one of my fav films. 

Drive (2011)

I have now watched this a couple more times.  The violence is so brutal and so palpable that it is hard to see this as an intelligent movie.  But it is.  There is no needless sex, the violence leads nowhere, and the perpetrators don't end up well.  And it is beautifully shot without the handheld jumping around.  Pick it up if you want something different from the action / crime genre.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

OK, this movie is not perfect.  However, my big fear - that it would slip into treacly sweetness - was not realized!  I was psyched.  The ending was too neat - of course.  But here's the main thing to note about this film:  The cast is incredible (British A list), and they do a wonderful job.  They have a wonderful time.  This dialog might have faltered in lesser hands, but there's no worry about that with this crew.  The scenery is gorgeous, the cast is a joy to watch, Dev Patel is a natural.

I will probably buy this film.  If you like it, rent Enchanted April also.

Changyang (2000)

OK, I hated this movie at first.  A rich young man (about 15), Mongryong, sees and immediately falls in love with Chunhyang.  She is the daughter of a courtesan, and as such she has no rights.  She has no right to expect marriage, and she has to submit to men of a higher class.

Nevertheless, she does resist Mongryong, but he marries her, and they fall in love.  Then things fall to shit.  When her husband has to leave town (long story), Chunhyang is left exposed to the advances of the new governor. I didn't enjoy watching two 15 year old kids roll around in the sack (I'm hoping they were played by actors that just looked young), but the soap opera twist to the story, as well as the conclusion, are the stuff of great fables.  In addition, the narrator of the movie is a traditional Korean singer.  It's a very interesting technique.

This wasn't my fav, but it was an enjoyable 2 hours.

Dark Shadows (2012)

OK, here's the quick and dirty. The ending is not right, there is at least one extraneous character, there is stuff that doesn't make sense. There is also Johnny Depp and Eva Green attacking and licking each other, arguing and burning up the town. They are awesome together. They are awesome separately. Johnny has found another fantastic character.

Michelle Pfeiffer is way cool, and man does she look good. I wish Jackie Earle Haley worked more; he's great. The art direction and costumes are insane.

There is a blatant sequel waiting to happen; I hope it does!

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963)

I cannot believe I finally saw this movie! This is a definitive Sophia Loren movie, and the epitome of her work with Marcello Mastroianni. The two are fantastic together. He is hilarious, particularly in the third episode. She, of course, is incomparable, and the show is hers. But watching them have fun together is a special joy.

This is filmed with the two stars playing three different couples in three different Italian cities. In the first, they are a young married couple in Naples. They have no money, but that is not an issue. Keeping Sophia out of jail is the issue. It's pretty cool.

In the second she is a super-rich socialite in Milan who picks up Marcello as a toy, then literally discards him on the side of the road in favor of the next guy.

The third is the icing on the cake. Sophia is a high class prostitute in Rome and Marcello is a customer who adores her. This is the movie with the famous strip-tease by Sophia while Marcello crouches on the bed and howls at her like a dog. It's gorgeous.

There are movies that do NOT hold up at all. This one does - why? I don't know. The strength of the leads, I guess. The timelessness of the characters? The authentic glimpse of Italian life? Just watch it!