Category: Movies You Might Have Missed

Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (short review)

stanley kubrick a life in pictures If you are a fan of director Stanley Kubrick, check out the documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001). Although the film does not feature interviews with the notoriously reclusive Kubrick, the late director’s voice comes through clips of his movies and through many people who knew and worked with Kubrick.

I recently re-watched one of Kubrick’s early films, Paths of Glory (1957), the outstanding WWI film starring Kirk Douglas. Seeing it for the second time, I noticed many of the Kubrick touches in the camera angles and story themes and fell even deeper in love with the great film. I have always been a fan of Kubrick’s films, but watching Paths of Glory made me want to know more about the director, so I rented A Life in Pictures on Netflix.

At 2 hours and 22 minutes, director Jan Harlan’s A Life in Pictures is not a lightweight overview of Kubrick’s career, but covers all of his movies with comments from many who worked with the director such as Jack Nicholson, Nicole Kidman, Malcolm McDowell, Steven Spielberg, and Tom Cruise, who narrates the film. Martin Scorsese, a director who is knowledgeable about film history, provides additional insight, as does Kubrick’s widow (who had a small but important role in Paths of Glory).

The documentary covers films such as The Killing (1956), Spartacus (1960), Dr. Strangelove (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987), and Eyes Wide Shut (1999). I particularly enjoyed the insight and behind-the-scenes stories about the underrated and misunderstood Eyes Wide Shut. While A Life in Pictures may not change your views of the films or tell you exactly who Stanley Kubrick was, the documentary helps peel back a few layers to give you a greater appreciation of Kubrick’s works.

Conclusion? Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures is an entertaining documentary about one of the great American directors that is worth your time if you have any interest in film history or in Kubrick’s films.

What is your favorite Stanley Kubrick film? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Missed Movies Roundup: Contrasting East vs. West Edition

    Below are some good reviews of some good movies that we liked that you might have missed. Both of these movies, which are very different, are available on Blu-Ray and DVD.

    How Do You Know Reese Witherspoon How Do You Know (2010) seemed to fly mostly under the radar as just another romantic comedy, perhaps partly because of the generic-sounding name. It bombed with critics and bombed at the box office, perhaps partly due to poor marketing, as explained in The Washington Post. But How Do You Know was written and directed by James L. Brooks, who also directed and co-wrote screenplays for As Good As it Gets (1997) and Terms of Endearment (1983). And like those two movies, How Do You Know features Jack Nicholson, although in a smaller role than the previous films. While How Do You Know does not live up to those predecessors, it does have a touch of the Brooks magic in that it is not a predictable romp with two-dimensional characters like so many modern romantic comedies. The film features nice performances by Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, and Paul Rudd. If you have high expectations, though, you might agree with Manohla Dargis at The New York Times that it is “an airless, sometimes distressingly mirthless comedy.” Okay, the reviews are pretty much horrible (except this one from Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald). At the beginning of the film, I felt like something was missing, but as it went on, it was entertaining. It is not great, but if you are looking for a decent romantic comedy and go into it with modest expectations, you might be pleasantly surprised by this film.

    Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2003) has critics and audience ratings of 90+% on the Rotten Tomatoes website. I do not think everyone will love it, and suspect that the high rating among audience members is because the people who would see this movie are the ones who would like it. Among others, Movie Habit gives the movie a good review. The South Korean film starts off with a boy being raised by a monk in an isolated area, and it follows the boy as he grows into a man. The movie has dialogue, but not a lot, so it is almost like watching a silent movie in a beautiful setting full of symbolism. I am still trying to decide how much I like it, but unlike How Do You Know, I will remember this one for a long time.

    {Missed Movies is our continuing series on good films you might have missed because they did not receive the recognition they deserved when released.}

    What did you think of How Do You Know and of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Missed Movies: Project Nim (short review)

    project nim nim chomsky documentary

    Project Nim (2011) is a fascinating documentary that follows the life of Nim, a chimpanzee who was part of an experiment in teaching chimps to communicate. Nim Chimpsky, named with a humorous nod to linguist Noam Chomsky, became famous for his ability to use sign language as part of a study by Herbert Terrace, a Columbia University behavioral psychologist. The documentary shows the ups and downs of Nim’s life where he is repeatedly removed from his environment in the name of science. The film asks questions about the role of communication and our human relationships to animals.

    Although the movie shows Nim repeatedly abandoned, it also features several people who cared very much about the chimp. Ultimately, it’s the human stories in the film that make the movie compelling. While Nim’s behavior is interesting to the scientists because it tells us about chimps, the behavior of the people in Nim’s life is what makes the film interesting. Because it tells us more about us.



    Bonus Review (Because why should you trust me?)    : Ethicist Peter Singer wrote an interesting essay about the film, the science about animals’ use of language, and the ethics of scientific experiments on primates in the New York Times Review of Books.

    What did you think of Project Nim? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Missed Movies: Another Earth

    Another Earth Another Earth (2011) is one of those movies like The Man from Earth (2007) that uses science fiction elements with little or no special effects to reveal some understanding of human existence. While Another Earth, now available on Blu-ray/DVD, will be seen by many fewer people than Transformers 3, it is the former movie that is more likely to linger in your memory.

    The film, directed by Mike Cahill, follows Rhoda Williams (played by Brit Marling, who also co-wrote the story), who causes a car accident with a family out for a drive. The accident kills the mother and child, but the father (played by William Mapother) survives. Around the same time as the car accident, scientists discover “another earth,” a planet that looks like earth that can support life and that is approaching our own earth. The film follows Rhoda’s grief at the harm she caused and her later encounters with the surviving father, while at the same time, more is revealed about the other earth, including the fact that it may contain another version of everyone on earth too. The film focuses on Rhoda, so that stories about the other earth come over television or the radio at various times in the background, but the two stories also intersect at several points, including when Rhoda enters a contest to be the first to go to the other planet. Through these stories and the possibility of meeting our doppelgangers, the movie raises questions about how our lives are created out of lost chances and choices made.

    The film divided critics and viewers, with some loving it and some hating it. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 64% critics rating and a 69% audience rating. I can see why some would not like it, as the movie deals with depressing themes, and the movie moves a little slower than one would expect going to see a film with science fiction elements.

    Still, without spoiling anything, there are striking moments. And if you go into the relatively short 1-hour-and-32-minute movie with modest expectations like I did, you probably will be pleasantly surprised that the thoughtful meditation on life stays with you. An early scene in the movie shows The Foundation Trilogy books by Isaac Asimov, one of my favorite science fiction series of books that like Another Earth, makes one think about possibilities.

    Conclusion? Another Earth has little action and is far from perfect, but if you are in the mood for a subtle contemplative film about grief and loss and possible second chances, with just a touch of science fiction, you might enjoy Another Earth.

    {Missed Movies is our continuing series on good films you might have missed because they did not receive the recognition they deserved when released.}


    Other Reviews Because Why Should You Believe Me?    : Roger Ebert liked the movie and gave it 3 1/2 stars. TribecaFilm.Com interviewed the director and praised the ending without spoiling it. Some critics, like Colin Covert at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, criticized the movie’s lack of science and plausibility. If you have seen the film and are looking for an explanation about some aspects of the movie, check out this discussion with the movie’s director and star on 109.com. Meanwhile, in science news, The Economist speculates whether there is a real another earth.

    Bonus Movie Music Links: If you enjoyed the music played on the musical saw in the film, it is entitled “Another Earth” and was written by Scott Munson and recorded by Natalia Paruz. Check out Paruz playing the Star Trek theme on the musical saw too.

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    Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop . . . Being a Jerk?

    Conan O'Brien We generally think of Conan O’Brien as the nerdy guy who was a writer for The Simpsons before getting his break as the awkward replacement for David Letterman’s late night show on NBC. We enjoyed rooting for him as his talents developed, leading him to take over the coveted Tonight Show. Then, during NBC’s decision to effectively push O’Brien out of the Tonight Show time slot after its failed experiment with Jay Leno in prime time, we were on the side of the underdog with Team Coco. The documentary, Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop (2011), which follows O’Brien on his post-NBC tour of the U.S. and Canada, shows another side of O’Brien, as a star who is kind of a jerk.

    The documentary, now available on DVD and Blue-ray, gives an insider’s look at O’Brien during the tour he put together to keep himself busy during the time where he was prohibited by his NBC settlement from appearing on TV. The movie shows the somewhat slapdash nature of the tour, where the idea was followed by selling tickets before actually putting together a show. Of course, O’Brien and his crew knew he had the talent to put it all together, and the film shows a successful tour that allowed O’Brien to connect with fans from around the country.

    The film also shows O’Brien behind the scenes, where in candid discussions, often while he is exhausted, he reveals that underneath the way he ended The Tonight Show in a positive way, he was understandably bitter about the way NBC treated him. O’Brien is also conflicted about his feelings, recognizing that he has been given opportunities and money way above what most people can even dream about, but his feelings are nevertheless honest.

    Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop also reveals O’Brien as something besides the happy-go-lucky man portrayed on late night television. He often dishes out barbs and good-natured punches to the people who work with him, knowing that they have to take it all as part of their job without complaint. We also see another side of him as he whines about his exhausting schedule throughout.

    To say he is a “jerk” might be too harsh, as the movie really just shows he is human, perhaps with an understandably larger ego than a non-celebrity but probably a lesser ego than most celebrities. There are shining moments, not the least of which is the fact that O’Brien must have approved everything in the film, and he does not hide his warts, which is refreshing. He could have made a glossy movie that only made him look good, but he went for something more honest instead.

    O’Brien seems self-aware about the circus that surrounds him, as well as his good fortune. In one scene, apparently in his kitchen at home, he honestly talks about how he uses humor sometimes as a way of criticizing others. We also see that he has genuine relationships with several people besides his family. He never seems condescending to his on-screen pal Andy Richter, and the two genuinely seem to respect each other. Also, his main assistant who is featured in much of the film is a woman who enjoys the exchanges with O’Brien and seems to be one of the few who can stand up to O’Brien.

    Conclusion? Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop is an entertaining documentary about a celebrity, revealing a another side of O’Brien’s life and a human side of the man. I’m still on Team Coco.


    What did you think of Conan O’Brien in Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop? Leave a comment.

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