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I AM LEGEND: Gary and I had different reactions to the post-apocalyptic mutant movie, so we’ll give you both perspectives.

Barb: I realize that it’s all totally improbable and rather silly, but every once in a while I like a good zombie movie. And if Wil Smith is the central character, so much the better. I liked seeing a beautifully buffed Smith roam the empty New York streets and didn’t spend any time puzzling about why the city still had electricity and water. The mutants were as frightening as they should be in a movie like this. The idea that a virus engineered to cure cancer could cause devastating side effects is credible, even if they rest of the movie isn’t. Wil Smith is a most engaging guy, and even alone on screen, he can hold your interest. I know he held mine. Because of Smith — GRADE B

Gary: I usually like Wil Smith, but his buff body obviously doesn’t have the impact on me that it does on Barbara. Although I am not a sci-fi enthusiast, I thought the idea of a genetically altered virus designed to cure cancer,but going horribly wrong, had promise. Even the idea of Smith as the only healthy survivor surrounded by mutated carnivorous creatures had possibilities. But I like a sliver of reality mixed into my limited fantasy flights. Grass growing up through the streets was good, but water running in the faucets and electricity still available throughout the city was more than I was willing to overlook. And what happened to the millions of bodies of those who didn’t even survive as mutants? Wil Smith is good and the film is probably worth a higher grade than I can comfortably give. GRADE C

I AM SAM: We enjoyed the performances in this movie, but we thought the script was very poor. Besides being patently manipulative, it seemed disjointed and too long. The character of Sam, the retarded father fighting for custody of his daughter, won an Oscar nomination for Sean Penn. Penn is one of our finest actors, but the writers didn't do him any favors here. He is described as both retarded and autistic, perhaps because it was felt the double whammy would give him more acting range. Instead, it made his retardation inconsistent: at times he seemed incapable of understanding simple concepts, but at other times he seemed almost astute. And there are too many holes in the script. For example, there is no way the Sam we saw in this movie could have raised such a well-adjusted child, even with the help of an agoraphobic neighbor (Diane Wiest). In their attempt to play on our emotions, the writers simply throw too much at us. Oh yes, I did dampen a few Kleenex, but I felt as manipulated as I do when I tear up at a Hallmark commercial. Moreover, there is a conflict between our sentimental desire to see a father and daughter reunited, and our common sense, which tells us that may not be the best solution. I agree with Roger Ebert who said, "Every device of the movie's art is designed to convince us Lucy must stay with Sam, but common sense makes it impossible to go the distance with the premise. You can't have heroes and villains when the wrong side is making the best sense." However, Dakaota Fanning, who plays Lucy, Sam's daughter, is the most adorable child I've ever seen. She is worth the two hours it takes to sit through this movie. Michelle Pfieffer plays the lawyer who helps Sam with his custody case, and, although she looks beautiful, her part seemed to lack focus. Sam's retarded friends are all convincingly played, and provide some good scenes. Overall, we have to give this film a GRADE C+

I CAPTURE THE CASTLE: Charming and delightful are the words that come to mind when reflecting on this story of an unorthodox family living in England in the 1930s. First of all, they live in a castle, but they haven't paid the rent in six years. The father (Bill Nighy) is a writer suffering from an extreme case of writer's block, and the stepmother (Tara Fitzgerald) has to take off her clothes every once in a while to keep from going mad. The story is told by Cassandra (Romola Garai), the 17 year-old daughter, and in the telling she demonstrates considerable writing talent herself. Garai is marvelous in her role. Cassandra's sister, Rose (Rose Byrne) is "the pretty one." Rose feels that the only way out a life that has become incredibly tedious is to marry a wealthy man. But where is she to find one? Behold two brothers, rich young Americans, arrive on the scene, and their arrival sets in motion a series of events that are engaging and entertaining. The brothers are played by Henry Thomas and Marc Blucas. We both enjoyed this film very much. It's like curling up with a good novel--plenty of romance and a good sprinkling of eccentricity. And the photography is gorgous. It is based on the novel by Dodie Smith, who also wrote 101 Dalmatians. GRADE A-

I HEART HUCKABEES: Barbara sentenced me to write this review as punishment for dragging her to a film I wanted to see, but she felt was a monumental waste of time. I confess to being seduced by the trailer, the knockout cast, and a comedy concept that seemed to hold great promise. The idea of existential detectives helping confused souls with their existential crises sounded like a winner to me. An "A" review from the New York Times might have nudged me toward the box office too. I recall being similarly mislead into buying a copy of Jean Paul Sartre’s Being And Nothingness back in my youth when I thought I could get my head around such things. What I hoped would be a quirky romp turned out to be too quirky and disjointed for my taste. Barbara and I would have exited the theater before the end if we hadn’t falsely believed the loose ends would be tied together and we would be blessed with some kind of philosophical epiphany. Alas….we weren’t. GRADE D

I agree with Gary's review. Here are a couple of quotes from other reviewers that I also agree with:

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone: Best of all is Mark Wahlberg as Tommy, an angry post-9/11 firefighter so against Big Oil that he rides to fire scenes on his bike . . .Back from the career death of Planet of the Apes, Rock Star and The Trouble With Charlie, Wahlberg gives an indelibly funny and touching performance that constitutes the film's heart.

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The movie is like an infernal machine that consumes all of the energy it generates, saving the last watt of power to turn itself off . . . This may be the first movie that can exist without an audience between the projector and the screen. It falls in its own forest, and hears itself . . .The director and co-writer is David O. Russell, who made the brilliant Three Kings and the quirky Flirting with Disaster, and now ... well, he has made this. God knows he's courageous.

I LOVE YOU, MAN: Paul Rudd has to be one of the most likeable actors on screen today. (A recent Entertainment Weekly magazine put his face on their cover saying "It’s time to get to know the most lovable movie star on the planet.") Rudd is adept at playing sweet guys who aren’t afraid to admit they like such movies as Chocolat and The Devil Wears Prada. In this film, Rudd is Peter Kalven, a real estate agent with skill but no sizzle. While planning his wedding to Zooey (Rashinda Jones), he’s also trying to sell, without much success, the Lou Ferrigno mansion. Peter has always been a guy who gets along well with girls, but Zooey worries when she realizes that he has no real male buddies. Who will be his groomsmen? So Peter sets out to find some friends. After some disappointing and downright embarrassing "man-dates," he meets Sydney (Jason Segal) who is the perfect buddy for hanging out and kicking back. All three actors are gifted comedians and they are ably assisted by J.K. Simoons and Jane Curtin as Peter’s parents, Andy Samberg as his gay brother, and John Favreau and Jamie Pressley as Zooey’s friends. Ferrigno, himself, makes two amusing appearances. As is typical of comedies these days, there are plenty of raunchy comments and not-so-subtle sexual references. We liked Segal in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, where he played a guy so sensitive he couldn’t stop crying when his girlfriend dumped him. In this film (as Manohla Dargis points out in her NY Time’s review), he is the quintessential man/boy: a would-be kid who just wants to hang out with the guys, even though most of his friends have moved on to families and careers. That makes him the perfect guy friend for the uptight Peter. Be sure to stay for the closing credits, because they include some funny scenes from the wedding reception. I’d give this enjoyable film a B. Gary laughed a bit more than I did, so he says B+ GRADE B+/B

I SPY: This is a fairly routine spy/comedy, although Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson do provide some good laughs. Most of the best lines are throw-aways, so you have to listen carefully because Murphy talks very fast. We saw an interview with director Barry Sonnenfield (Men In Black) and he said that he has learned never to put two comedians together in the same film--that you always need a straight man. The New York Times reviewer said it was interesting to watch the two comedians in this one try to upstage each other. Actually we thought they worked together quite well. Murphy is Kelly Robinson, a middleweight prizefighter who is pressed into service for some CIA-type agency. He is partnered with Wilson, who has recently been promoted from an "agent" to a "special agent." (He is quite proud of that.) Gary Cole does a funny turn as a "Super Spy," complete with an Hispanic accent and a shiny black ponytail. Betty Thomas from TV's Hill Street Blues directed. The story is a bit lame but we laughed often enough to give this movie a GRADE B-.

THE ICE HARVEST: Critics were all over the map on this film noir black-comedy thriller. Reviews ranged from grades of A- to D-. Directed by Harold Ramus, (Groundhog Day) the action takes place on a really lousy Christmas Eve in Wichita, Kansas. "As falls Wichita, so falls Wichita Falls." This bit of meaningless profundity appears as graffiti throughout the film. John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton play a couple of bumbling embezzlers who have taken two million dollars from an unforgiving crime boss played by Randy Quaid. Slapstick humor is skillfully added by the very drunk and always funny Oliver Platt. A seductive femme fatale played by Connie Nielsen adds just the right combination of sex and danger to the thin plot. If you saw Bad Santa, or the Cohen Brothers’ Blood Simple, you can use either one as a litmus test to guide you toward or away from this film. Some critics hated it, but we enjoyed it and give it a grade of B. GRADE B

IDENTITY: A terrible storm strands ten strangers in a Bates-like motel in this 21^st Century version of Ten Little Indians. One by one, they begin to die. The filmmakers drop a few clues as to the identity of the killer, but the ending will surprise most people. We were. Movies like this usually have a good setup but falter when it comes to the conclusion. This one doesn't. There's plenty of suspense and plenty of blood, and it all happens on a dark and stormy night. It kept my attention to the very end. I can't really say much about the movie without giving away the plot. John Cusak, Ray Liotta, Amanda Pete, and Rebecca De Mornay--all but unrecognizable as a brunette--are four of the stranded travelers. Gary said he felt a bit manipulated by the film, but I think that could be said of all films in this genre. I liked it well enough to give it a B, but Gary is in the C+ range. GRADE B/C+

THE ILLUSIONIST: It’s a love story with plenty of mystery, a murder, and a bit of political intrigue. Who could ask for more? The cast of characters: Eisenheim (Edward Norton) is a famous stage illusionist; Sophie (Jessica Beal), Eisenheim’s childhood sweetheart, now a duchess about to marry the haughty and evil Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell); Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti) a lackey of the Prince. The setting is Vienna at the turn of the century and the photography brings that time beautifully to life. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Norton in a film and he has been missed. He is one of our finest actors and he is splendid in this role. Beal makes Sophie more than just your standard heroine. Her Sophie is strong and independent, and she looks perfect in the period clothes. Giamatti is outstanding as a man willing to do almost anything to get ahead in the world, and Sewell makes for a perfect villain. If this all sounds like a melodramatic cliché, be assured that the movie is anything but. It is a grand illusion, and we were captivated by it. GRADE A-

IN AMERICA: The critics who don't care for this film criticize it for being overly sentimental and manipulative. It is a certified tearjerker and we recommend that you bring a good supply of Kleenex with you to the theater. But, sentimental isn't a bad word as far as we are concerned, and little Emma Bolger, who plays the younger daughter, Ariel, is so delightful that it's worth the price of admission just to watch her. Ariel, her sister Christy, and her mom, Sara (Samantha Morton), and dad, Johnny, (Paddy Considine) are present-day Irish immigrants. They enter the US from Canada and settle in Manhattan. Johnny is an actor, so the Big Apple seems the logical place for him. Dirt poor, they find a place to live in a crack-house neighborhood. Seen through the eyes of the little girls, however, it is a wonderful and interesting place to live. Sara and Johnny recently lost their son, Frankie, to a brain tumor, and they are having great difficulty handling his death. Johnny especially cannot come to grips with the loss. Christy, whose price possession is a camcorder, narrates the story. We often see footage that she has taken of the family and that adds an element of realism to the film. At first, the girls are frightened by a man living in their building. They call him "the man who screams," because he does scream--loudly. Mateo is played by Djimon Hounsou who was in Armistad. The camera loves his amazing face, and the scenes with him are some of the best in the film. Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot) directed the film and wrote it with the help of his two daughters. It is not strictly speaking autobiographical (the real Frankie was Sheridan's brother), but it is obviously very close to his heart. For us, the film didn't have quite the emotional power to make it an A" film, but we think it is a solid B+ movie. GRADE B+

IN BRUGES: Martin McDonagh is an award-winning playwright and one of the key innovators of a new genre of theater that has become known as "In Your Face" Theatre. It’s function is to present the audience with vulgar, shocking, and confrontational material on the stage. We’ve seen a couple of his plays, and I think of him as the Quentin Tarrantino of the theatre. McDonagh is the writer and director of In Bruges, his first full-length feature film. It is representative of his bloody but funny plays. Two hit men, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brenden Gleeson), are hiding out in Bruges, Belgium. They are awaiting instructions from Harry (Ralph Finnes) their boss. To pass the time, Ken is enjoying the sights of the quaint medieval town. Ray isn’t enjoying much of anything. It’s hard to categorize the film because while much of the film consists of amusing conversations between Ray and Ken, there is also the violence. . . and the blood. . . and the dwarf. Comedy and violence is an unusual combination but, in this case, it’s very entertaining. Farrell and Gleeson are outstanding. Roger Ebert wrote that in the film "there are times of great sadness and poignancy, times of abandon, times of goofiness, and that kind of humor that is really funny because it grows out of character and close observation." And, like Ebert, the movie really made us want to visit Bruges! We suggest you take a chance on this one. GRADE A-

IN GOOD COMPANY: Dennis Quaid could certainly qualify as America’s favorite movie dad. In this film, he is Dan Foreman, an ad sales executive for a sports magazine who is demoted when the magazine is bought by a global conglomerate. What’s worse, his new boss—the man who took over his old job—is only 26 years old. Carter Duryea (Topher Grace) is Dan’s new boss and a rising star with the conglomerate. Dan is father to two teenage daughters. His older daughter, Alex (Scarlett Johansson) is attracted to her dad’s boss, and this causes Dan great consternation. However, the relationship between the young people is not central to the movie. It is the growing father/son relationship between Dan and his young boss that is at the heart of the movie. This is another example of a film that puts most of the funny stuff in the trailer. The preview makes viewers think the movie is an outright comedy, but, although it has plenty of funny moments, it also strikes a more serious note. It’s about family, loyalty, and the heartlessness of corporate America. The script is better than average, and the acting is uniformly fine. Quaid is always good and we really liked Grace. We never watched his TV show, but we think he is a very appealing actor who is adept at comedy and the more serious moments. Marg Helgenberger (TV’s C.S.I.) is Quaid’s wife and David Payner is featured in a small, but significant role. Grandson Nathan agrees with a grade of B. GRADE B

IN HER SHOES: This is the story of two sisters so different yet so connected. The wonderful Toni Collette is Rose, the older sister. She is a lawyer, bright, driven to be the hardest-working associate in her law firm, and insecure about her looks. Cameron Diaz is Maggie, the younger sister. She is gorgeous, stacked, supremely confident in her appeal and unable to keep a job for more than a few weeks. Rose has alternated between wanting to protect and care for Maggie and wanting to strangle her. When Maggie discovers that she has a grandmother, Ella (Shirley MacLaine), living in a retirement community for active adults in Florida, she travels there hoping to wheedle some money from the old lady. However, Grandma proves to be no pushover. I liked the fact that the the residents of the retirement community are real people, not caricatures. Ella’s friend, Mrs. Lefkowitz (Francine Beers) is particularly amusing. Living with her Grandmother proves to be the best thing that ever happened to Maggie, and the elderly gentlemen think that Maggie, especially in her bikini, is the best thing that ever happened to them. MacLaine is perfect as Ella—I can‘t imagine anyone else doing the part. Mark Fuerstein is very good as Rose’s fiancé and Norman Lloyd has a small but pivotal role. The script is well-written, and director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys) proves he is euqally adept at lighter fare. The movie is funny and touching, and we laughed and wept and loved it. Of course, some critics are lukewarm in their reviews because of the movie’s sentimentality, but we liked the movie because of it‘s heart. We give it an A-. GRADE: A-

IN THE BEDROOM: As we left the theater, Gary said, "That was almost unbearably realistic." Ruth (Sissy Spacek) and Matt Fowler (Tom Wilkinson) are a long married couple whose only child is killed. Their son, Frank, had been seeing an almost divorced woman (Marisa Tomei) whose soon-to-be ex husband explodes in violence. The movie is based on a story by the late Andre Dubus who worked with Tod Field, the director, on the adaptation. There are many scenes with little or no dialogue, but the emotion is visible in every scene. Ruth and Matt are unable to comfort each other in the aftermath of the tragedy. Although each of them feels terrible grief, they are incapable of talking about it. I doubt you could find two actors any better at revealing emotions non-verbally. As Roger Ebert said in his review, "They are masters of the hidden struggle beneath the surface." The pace is sometimes painfully slow, but it fits the material. In The Bedroom has some of the most touching moments I have ever seen. When, after the funeral, Matt smoothes the pillow that still bears the indent of Frank's head, even a stone would feel something. Marisa Tomei is at her best as Natalie Strout, the "older woman" in love with a boy. Nick Stahl is Frank, a college student who is infatuated with Natalie, but not sure it's more than a summer romance. We especially want to mention William Mapother who is Richard Strout, Natalie's husband. Maopther brings just the right blend of nastiness and humanity to the role. This is definitely an A movie, but so emtionally wrenching that I don't think we could see it a second time. GRADE A

IN THE LAND OF WOMEN: We thoroughly enjoyed this film! Critics who didn’t like it called it "lame," and said it had "fakey-cute dialogue." We definitely do not agree. The movie is character-driven and we liked all the characters. The pace is slow and nothing particularly dramatic happens, but Carter (Adam Brody) deals with being dumped by his girlfriend and with his Grandmother’s (Olympis Dukakis) deteriorating health; Sarah (Meg Ryan) deals with a serious health issue; and Sarah’s daughter, Lucy (Kristen Stewart) deals with typical teenage angst. I liked Brody on the TV series, The O.C. He has an easy, natural charm and comes across as sincere and extremely likeable. He also has excellent comic timing and can throw away a line with the best of them. Kristen Stewart (she played Jodie Foster’s daughter in The Panic Room), is believable as a teen who has issues with her mother. We thought Meg Ryan was very good. And she looked good, too. OK, she probably had a bit too much filler put in her lips, and it’s sad to see that adorable girl from When Harry Met Sally playing the mother of a teenager, but life goes on. A very pleasant way to spend an afternoon out of the Phoenix heat. GRADE B.

IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH: Paul Haggis has some impressive writing credits both for TV and film. He made a name for himself as a director with 2004’s Oscar-winning Crash. Here he is both director and screenwriter and does well on both counts. The story-telling is straightforward and cerebral. It doesn’t rely on overwrought emotion or on explosions and car crashes. It is cast perfectly with Tommy Lee Jones playing an ex-Military policeman investigating the disappearance of his son who recently returned from a combat stint in Iraq. Jones doesn’t have to do much to totally inhabit his character, and you can read volumes in his quiet care-worn face. Charlize Theron is a local police detective who gets involved in the investigation. She is equally good at projecting thoughtful emotion without ever over-doing. Watching these two at work is like going to an acting class. Haggis has given his two main characters depth by showing glimpses of what makes them tick. Jones, with clean white shirts and military corners on his motel bed, seems always ready to come to attention. Theron’s character, a single mother with a young son, is hassled by her colleagues who accuse her of sleeping her way into the job. Susan Sarandon is effective in a couple of scenes as the mother of the missing soldier. The movie plays like a police procedural, but it also has a lot to say about what was called "battle fatigue" in WWII and "post-traumatic stress syndrome" these days. While we won’t remember this film as one of the great ones, it is well-worth seeing. GRADE B.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH: This film is, arguably, the most important film you will have the opportunity to see in your lifetime. Many people who voted against Gore in the 2000 presidential election will find reasons to not see this brilliant documentary about the consequences of global warming, and, I suspect, so will many who did vote for him. A film of Al Gore lecturing us about a global disaster in the making doesn‘t sound very entertaining, but, surprisingly it is both entertaining and informative. Gore comes off as far more relaxed and warm than he did during his presidential bid. Director Davis Guggenheim does an excellent job of bringing to life what is essentially a slide show presentation—a very polished and persuasive slide show presentation. Global warming is, indeed, an "inconvenient truth." Even though the consequences of ignoring the problem are unthinkable, it will be ignored by most. Or worse, minimized by people who would like to think the jury is still out on global warming. As a retired educator, I was deeply impressed by the quality of this film. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival where it received a standing ovation. If you see only one film this year, I hope you will make it An Inconvenient Truth. GRADE A

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL: We didn’t expect this to be as good as the first one, and it isn’t. But I suppose we aren’t as good as we were 24 years ago either. We did like the actors—it was great to see Karen Allen again, and Harrison Ford was amusing as an aging Jones. We also liked Shia LeBoeuf as a younger version of Jones. The time period is 1957, and LeBoeuf makes his entrance on a motorcycle looking exactly like Marlon Brando in The Wild One. Cate Blanchett is Irina Spalco, a villainous Russian scientist forcing Jones to help her find the crystal skull. Don’t ask me why she wants it—it’s very convoluted. (Apparently the Russian Communists aren’t happy with this film, and plan to ban it.) The film is as well made as the first two, but we were not engaged by the story or the action. Actually, we found it rather boring. Oh, there were a few good moments and a couple of exciting close calls, but not enough to make this a good movie for us. I thought it deserved a C, but Gary thinks we should add a + because Spielberg does know how to make an action movie. (But it isn’t nearly as good as Iron Man.) GRADE C+

THE INCREDIBLES: I must say up front that we don’t care for most animated features. We saw this one because it got such good reviews, but I can see why people like the movie. It’s very funny. My favorite bit was seeing Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) and his wife, Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), arguing about which freeway exit to take on their way to saving the city from destruction. The idea of all the world’s superheros being put in witness protection and prevented from using their super powers is a clever one. Living a normal life as an insurance adjuster, husband, and father of three budding superheroes, Mr. Incredible puts on weight and is bored to distration. He goes out secretly at night with his buddy, Frozone (Samual L. Jackson), to save citizens in trouble. The animation is terrific and so are the characters. It has all the elements of a James Bond movie, but Gary thought it was more fun. He liked it much better than he expected to. We both were especially amused by Edna "E: Mode, the superhero’s costume designer. I don’t think this movie is a good as Shrek, but I enjoyed it. GRADE B

INFAMOUS: This is another version of the Truman Capote/In Cold Blood story, and we think it is every bit as good as the 2005 film, Capote, with Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Different, but equally engrossing and, I think, more accessible because British actor Toby Jones injects more humor into his interpretation of Capote. He is excellent and has the advantage of looking and sounding very much like the real thing. Here we see more of Capote interacting with his society friends: Babe Paley (Sigourney Weaver), Slim Keith (Hope Davis), and Diana Vreeland (Juliet Stevenson). Their conversations demonstrate why the flamboyant Capote was such a popular dinner guest. Also, I was more taken with the growing friendship between the writer and the killer, Perry Smith. Daniel Craig (the new James Bond) gives a powerful and memorable performance as Smith. The scenes between the two men are tense, sometimes violent, and quite moving. Sandra Bullock plays Nelle Harper Lee and proves once again what a good actress she is when she’s not appearing in films like Miss Congeniality. Gwyneth Paltrow has a cameo appearance as Peggy Lee. In the opening scene she sings "What Is This Thing Called Love," and manages to capture the essence of the celebrated singer. Jeff Daniels has a nice turn as Alvin Dewey, the Sheriff of Holcomb, Kansas. The cast is uniformly wonderful. It isn’t often that we are able to see two exceptional films on the same subject, and we recommend both of them. They are based on different books, which may account for most of their differences. Infamous is based on George Plimpton's book and Capote was based on a book by Gerald Clarke. GRADE B+

THE INFORMANT: Matt Damon gives an outstanding performance as a corporate informer and is the major reason to see this film.The additional 30 pounds and the goofy hairdo only add to his believability as Mark Whitacre. Damon narrates throughout, and his narration was a highlight for me. Mark Whitacre was an executive in the agricultural company Archer Daniels Midland, a.k.a. A.D.M. In 1992, while the FBI was investigating a baseless case of corporate espionage against ADM, Whitacre told them that he and other executives were involved in a multinational conspiracy to control the price of corn-based lysine, an amino acid that is a necessary building block for all protein in the body. Subsequently, Whitacre became an FBI mole at ADM. He wore a wire to meetings and even convinced ADM’s foreign collaborators to hold their price-fixing meetings in the U.S., where the FBI could video the proceedings. As a result of Whitacre’s coorporation, ADM had to ultimately settle for more than $100 million, and several of the company’s executives spent three years in jail. Unfortunately, the informant was also a thief. He was stealing millions at the same time he was acting as an informant. Whitacre, the man who made the biggest antitrust case the FBI had prosecuted up to that time possible, was convicted of fraud. He was sentenced to over nine years in prison—three times longer than the price-fixing executives’ sentences. Whitacre was released a little early after FBI agents called him "an American hero" and is now an executive in a high-tech start-up in California. The film is based on a serious book, but director Steven Soderberg adds some needed humor to the story along with sound track that some might find as nutty as Whitacre. Gary enjoyed this one a bit more than I did and gives it a B+. I say B. GRADE B+/B

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS: This WWII movie has that blend of humor and bloody violence we’ve come it expect from Quentin Tarantino. Brad Pitt supplies both as Lt. Aldo Raine, the leader of a small group of Jewish/American soldiers who, disguised as civilians, go behind enemy lines in France. They have one task: to kill as many Nazi’s as they can. That’s their business, and, as Raine says, "Business is booming." The’re called "The Basterds." As usual, Tarantino weaves several stories together. In addition to "The Basterds," he tells the story of Col. Hans Landa, a German officer who has the job of locating and killing all the Jews in France. Landa, known as "The Hangman," is also very good at his job. The Col. is introduced in the first tension-filled scene of the film. I should point out that none of the stories is true. They are all products of Tarantino's fertile imagination. Col. Landa is played by an Austrian actor named Christoph Waltz who steals every scene he’s in. He walked away with the best-actor win at the Cannes festival this year for his Inglourious Basterds role. Diane Kruger appears as a German movie star who is also a British agent, and Mélanie Laurent is lovely as a young woman who escapes from Col. Landa and lives to get her revenge. Tarantino loves to pepper his films with film references, and that’s always fun. His biggest problem is a lack of restraint. The film’s running time is 2 hours and 32 minutes, and some scenes, although interesting, seem too long. Our local reviewer put it this way: "And Tarantino‘s) typical lack of restraint bears the usual inconsistent results." We won’t remember this as one of our favorite Tarantino films, but, unless you have a problem with graphic violence, we think it’s worth seeing for the performances of Pitt (Loved his accent) and Waltz. Gary says B-; I say B. GRADE B/B-

INNOCENCE: This Australian film has a very unusual story and two fine performances. Claire (Julia Blake) and Andreas (Charles "Bud" Tingwell) were lovers when they were young, but events separated them. Now, 48 years later, they become reacquainted and the love and passion they once shared is rekindled. Andreas is a widower, but Claire is married. Theirs is a very real and passionate love affair--something we are not used to seeing in people of a "certain age." The director effectively uses flashback scenes to contrast the youthful and aging passion. Ebert loved this film calling it "the most passionate and tender love story in many years, so touching because it is not about a story, not about stars, not about a plot, not about sex, not about nudity, but about love itself. True, timeless, undefeated love." We, too, wanted to love this movie, but instead we merely liked it. The film will probably not have wide release--it was only in one theater in all of Phoenix. It might be one that you will want to put on your video list. GRADE B

INSIDE MAN: This is the most beautifully-crafted and entertaining heist movie we’ve seen in years. With a cast headlined by Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodi Foster, and Christopher Plummer, you expect quality acting, and you get it—in spades. The surprise is a clever script that keeps you guessing every step of the way. It’s a heist movie with interesting characters, sharp dialogue, and a uniquely satisfying conclusion. The big three—Washington, Owen & Foster—are first rate, but the supporting characters are also excellent. I won’t get into plot details because that would spoil it for you. It’s enough to know that Owen is a most unusual bank robber, Washington is the hostage negotiator, Plummer is the head of the Wall Street bank conglomerate, and Foster is the woman he hires to make sure that certain secrets are not revealed. Foster’s role is a beaut and she fires up the screen every time she appears. Spike Lee paces the film perfectly, photographs it beautifully, and then stands back and lets his actors do their thing. Here’s what our local reviewer said:

Spike Lee's ‘Inside Man’ takes one of the most familiar film premises and turns it into something dazzling. This rattling bank-heist thriller is urgent, witty and unpredictable. It's about as much fun as a movie can be.

We couldn’t agree more. GRADE A-

INSOMNIA: It's worth going to this film just to see Al Pacino's remarkable face, ravaged by age, sleeplessness and his personal demons. He is a study in what fine acting is all about. Pacino's character, Will Dormer, is a celebrated Los Angeles detective who has come to Nightmute, Alaska, to assist in a murder investigation. Back in L.A. he is facing the specter of an Internal Affairs investigation that could turn up irregularities in some of his cases. Nightmute is in the "land of the midnight sun," and Dormer finds it impossible to sleep in the half-light of an Alaskan summer night. (It's summer, but everyone still wears down jackets!) It would spoil it for you if I gave you an outline of the plot, so I'll just say that there are some exiting moments and you won't have any trouble staying awake for this one. Robin Williams is effective as a murderous creep, and Hilary Swank is very good as an eager young detective thrilled to be working with the legendary Dormer. Martin Donovan is Hap, Dormer's partner, and Maura Tierney has an incidental role. Christopher Nolan, who two years ago directed Momento, gives Insomnia a bleak and distinctive style. GRADE B+

THE INTERNATIONAL: This old-fashioned thriller doesn’t rely entirely on special effects. Clive Owen and Naomi Watts spend considerable time trying to figure out why an International bank would be buying and selling missiles. Interesting that in today’s world, banks and bankers qualify as super-villains. As in most thrillers, there are some events that could never happen in real life. The shoot-out at the Guggenheim is one example. There must have been hundreds of bullets fired and remarkably few found their mark. It is a spectacular scene, though. The ramps of the Guggenheim provide a terrific set for the gun battle. Not to worry, though. You won’t see any bullet holes in the real museum. The scene was shot on an enormous interior set. Owen is believable as an Interpol agent determined to bring down the bank, and he and Watts make a good team. Armin Mueller-Stahl, who usually plays a good guy, is consummately evil in this movie, and Brian F. O'Byrne, from TV’s The Brotherhood, is very cool as a killer-consultant. The plot is fairly easy to follow and the ending is, I suspect, very close to reality. For me, the real star of the film is the architecture. The bank’s Luxembourg headquarters is beautiful and the Italian arms company that appears in one scene is spectacular. And then, of course, there’s the Guggenheim. We also get a scene in Istanbul at a gorgeous mosque. We are both Clive Owen fans ever since we first saw him in The Croupier, so we enjoyed watching him go after a villainous bank. GRADE B

THE INTERPRETER: For the first 2/3 of this film we thought it was a taut, well-written and well-acted thriller, but then it fell apart. We thought the ending was especially implausible. Nicole Kidman is Silvia Broome, an American born woman who has lived most of her life in Africa. She is an interpreter at the United Nations. One night, returning late to retrieve some personal items, she overhears a death threat against an African head of state, spoken in a rare dialect few people other than Silvia can understand. Sean Penn is the Secret Service agent assigned to protect foreign dignitaries. Catherine Keener is his assistant. Penn must determine if the threat is credible. To do so, he must investigate Silvia’s background. The threatened leader, Zuwanie, is intended to represent Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, also once hailed as a liberator, now using starvation as a political tool. Pollack effectively uses fast cuts and overlapping scenes to maintain the tension. Because, for us, the film didn’t hold up all the way to the end, we give this one a B-. GRADE B-.

INTOLERABLE CRUELTY: "Those Coen brothers have a weird sense of humor." That was Gary's comment after a hilarious scene involving an asthmatic hit man. He's right. The brothers also have cornered the market on quirky. This film is very quirky and, at times, weirdly funny. My problem with Intolerable Cruelty is that there are no sympathetic characters. George Clooney is Miles Massey, a barracuda of a divorce lawyer. Catherine Zeta-Jones, looking very beautiful, is Marylin Rexroth, a gold-digger who has carried marrying for money to an art form. As you might expect, they meet when Marylin is divorcing her rich husband (Edward Hermann) who is represented by Miles. Miles is instantly smitten with Marylin, and falling in love changes him dramatically. Naturally, being a Coen brothers' movie, the course of love is anything but smooth. Cedric The Entertainer, Geoffrey Rush and Billy Bob Thornton also appear. The movie is based on a story by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone and they collaborated with Ethan and Joel Coen on the screenplay. Maybe that's the problem. I think I like the movies that the brothers write all by themselves better than this one. I can't go higher than B-, but Gary liked it a well enough to give it a B. GRADE B/B-

THE INVENTION OF LYING: Ricky Gervais has created a world in which everyone tells the truth. Well, they don’t actually have a word for truth, every one just says what is; and they seem compelled to say what ever is on their minds as well. Gervais is a screen writer for films that consist of people sitting in a chair and reading real stories from history—stories that everyone knows. He has been assigned the 13th Century, and since the Black Plague doesn’t make for exciting reading, he‘s losing his job. He’s also finally got a date with a girl (Jennifer Garner) he’s long had a crush on, but she informs him that he’s way out of her league and she wouldn’t consider having children with him because they’d all be chubby with pug noses. On top of all that, his mother is in a old folks home. Life is not very good until Mark discovers a talent that no one else on earth seems to have: He can tell lies, and everyone believes him. He comforts his dying mother by inventing a happy afterlife and becomes rich and successful by inventing a story that becomes the best film ever made. The funniest scenes in the film are when Mark invents "the man in the sky", but I suspect those scenes will bother some people. Gervais, Garner, and a host of familiar faces are all very good and we both thought the concept was wonderfully creative. Gary liked parts of the film, but other parts left him uninvolved, so he doesn’t grade the film as high as I do. Gervais makes me laugh and I stayed involved throughout. GRADE B/C

INVINCIBLE: This movie is a combination of Rocky, The Rookie, and Rudy. The title doesn’t start with an "R," but it has the same plot line: an unlikely person triumphs. It’s set in Philadelphia (Rocky); The hero is too old to be starting a sports career (The Rookie); and it’s about football (Rudy). It isn’t the best football movie ever made, but it is about football, so of course I liked it. Plus, it’s a true story, which adds to its appeal. When Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) took over the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1976, they hadn’t had a winning season in years. He started by holding unprecedented open tryouts. Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg) was a part-time school teacher, part-time bartender and full-time Eagles fan. He had played only high school football, but was persuaded by friends to go the tryouts. He wound up playing for the Eagles for three years. (Actually, Papale had played two years in the World Football League, but that isn’t mentioned in the movie.) The film shows us the brutality and the excitement of professional football. Wahlberg plays the part in his characteristic understated way. Kinnear, in spite of a shaggy 70’s hairpiece, is convincing as Vermeil, who, according to the photos I’ve seen, had a rather shaggy do himself in the 70s. We very much liked Elizabeth Banks as Papale’s girlfriend. This is a perfect movie for football season. GRADE B+

IRIS: Watching a brilliant and vibrant woman succumb to the horror of Alzheimer's disease is not my idea of a pleasant afternoon's entertainment. However, in IRIS, the emphasis is on the love story between Iris Murdoch and her husband, literary critic John Bayley. The strong performances from Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent as the older couple, and Kate Winslett and Hugh Bonneville as the younger Iris and John make the movie much more than a maudlin tearjerker. Talking about the movie, Dench said, "You don't come away thinking about the disease. It's the love affair people will remember, the extraordinary uniqueness of these two people." She's right. John Bayley wrote the screenplay, based on his two books, "Iris and Her Friends: A Memoir of Memory and Desire" and "Elegy for Iris," which related their life together and Murdoch's gradual dissolution into Alzheimer's disease. Both Dench and Broadbent have been nominated for Oscars. Roger Ebert disliked the movie, not for itself, but because "Alzheimer's is so sad that perhaps I simply refused to accept a film about it." He also said that this was a film he did not want to see about Iris Murdoch, a writer he greatly admired. We thought the movie was very sad, but extremely well done. The past and present are beautifully interwoven and clearly present a film that was made with great affection for the characters. GRADE B+

IRON MAN: This is the kind of superhero movie I like. It has a terrific actor in the lead role, the script has clever dialogue and a healthy dash of humor, and the technology & special effects are impressive. A buff Robert Downey, Jr. stars as Peter Stark, a weapons inventor & manufacturer who develops a conscience when he discovers that the weapons he has built to protect his country are being used against it. We especially enjoyed the first 3/4 of the film, as Stark invents his way out of an Afghanistan cave/prison and takes the technology back to his fabulous Malibu home to develop it for good. Jeff Bridges, almost unrecognizable with a bald head and heavy beard, makes for a great villain. Gwyneth Paltrow provides some nice sexual tension as Stark’s competent assistant, Pepper Potts. Terence Howard appears as an Air Force officer who is Stark’s best friend, although he isn’t asked to do much here. I expect we will see more of him in the inevitable Iron Man 2. I’m actually looking forward to the next one, even though I’m sure I won’t like it as much as this one. Gary and I enjoyed the film and applaud Jon Favreau for successfully pulling off his first directing foray into the superhero genre. As A.O. Scott put it in his review, Favreau "wears the genre paradigm as a light cloak rather than a suit of iron." I say A; Gary says A-. GRADE A/A-

IS ANYBODY THERE?: This is a gentle British film starring the wonderful Michael Caine, or "Sir Michael" since he was knighted by the Queen in the year 2000. Co-staring with Caine is a talented young British actor, Bill Milner, who starred in another gentle British film, Son of Rambo. Milner plays Edward, a troubled ten-year-old living with his parents who have turned their house into a retirement home filled with a variety of eccentric elderly tenants. Rosemary Harris is a delight playing one of those tenants. I’m afraid this film will not reach a wide audience since it deals with the unpopular subject of aging and death. Edward has, understandably, become obsessed with ghosts and the possible after life of residents. His life takes a turn for the better when a former magician (Caine), shows up in an aging camper painted like a circus wagon. Perhaps it is our decades of love for Michael Caine that won us over, but both Barbara and I think this film deserves an audience. GRADE B

IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY: We didn't much care for the first half of this movie, but the second half was better. We did enjoy watching the three generations of the Douglas family do their thing. We especially liked Diana Douglas, Kirk's ex-wife. She is a lovely woman and we were touched by the relationship between Evelyn and Michell Gromberg (Diana and Kirk Douglas). Bernadette Peters was interesting as Alex's (Michael Douglas) wife, and Rory Culkin, who plays the younger grandson appears to be as talented as his brothers. (Just how many of these Culkins are there?) The script verges on soap opera, but there are a couple of good scenes. Gary can't go higher than a C, but I would give it a C+. GRADEC+/C

ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS: This pleasant Danish comedy was shot in the Dogma style, which means it was shot on video, on location, and used only music available at the locations. Some Dogma films are shot only with available light, but I don't think that's true of this film. The action takes place outside of Copenhagen and introduces us to a group of people whose lives intermingle in interesting ways. Eventually, they all sign up for a course in Beginning Italian. All of them have difficulties in their lives, and they find solace in their Italian class and their classmates.. The movie ends with a group trip to Venice. We enjoyed watching these people get to know each other. The film is in Danish with English subtitles. GRADE B-

THE ITALIAN JOB: We can't resist a good crime caper movie and this is a clever one. A remake of a 1969 film that starred Michael Caine, this one kicks off the same way--with a Venice gold heist. From there, it follows the typical formula of betrayal and revenge, but it does so in a very stylish way. Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg) has learned all he knows about planning a heist from John Bridger (Donald Sutherland looking extremely good). When Bridger is killed, Charlie becomes single-minded in his pursuit of the killer. He is aided in this effort by Bridger's daughter, Stella (Charlize Theron), who has learned all she knows about safe cracking from her dad. Seth Green, Jason Statham, and rapper Mos Def round out the crew. Edward Norton also stars and he is, as always, terrific. The pace is fast, the car chases are exciting, there are some laughs along the way, and everything combines to make for an entertaining afternoon at the movies. GRADE B/B+