Image copyright © by Marcus Trahan

The Poseidon Adventure

(1972)

The granddaddy of disaster films, and one I still remember fondly.

Run, Fatboy, Run

(2007)

Simon Pegg was the writer and star of one of my favorite comedies, Shaun of the Dead, and also the wildly crazy Hot Fuzz. This one is not quite on that level, but it’s funny as hell. He plays a man, Dennis, who has run away from his wedding to a woman who is pregnant with his child. Now he wants to win her back, but she’s found a new ... Read more »

Rosalie

(1937)

Sometimes in a musical you get it all. Good story, good acting, terrific music, wonderful dancing. This has happened more often lately than in the early days: West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, The Phantom of the Opera. But it’s happened before, too: Singin’ in the Rain, An American in Paris. More often—and the earlier the movie, the more ... Read more »

Ponyo

(Gake no ue no Ponyo, Japan, 2008)

First, there can be no denying that Hayao Miyazaki is a genius, one of the best animators who ever lived. Before this one I’ve only seen Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, both masterpieces. I think I’ll see more.

Second, as I’ve said elsewhere, I doubt I will never be a fan of the Japanese anime style. It’s just a prejudice of ... Read more »

The Polar Express

(2004)

The minute I heard there was an IMAX version of The Polar Express, I knew that’s how I wanted to see it. Of course, it’s also available in 3D so I wanted to see that, too. I found a list of 70 theaters showing it in that format. We made a special trip up to the nearest one, at the museum in San Jose, paid our $11 each, and took our seats.

And it wasn’t in ... Read more »

Rumor Has It …

(2005)

The reviews really sucked, but the idea was so good we had to see for ourselves … to our sorrow.

Premise: A woman begins to suspect that her family is the Robinsons from the movie The Graduate. She’s right. The places you could go from there are almost endless, and this movie manages to pick only the stupid ones. Elaine is dead. Read more »

Ruby Sparks

(2012)

Calvin (Paul Dano: Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood) is a 29-year-old boy prodigy who wrote his generation’s The Catcher in the Rye ten years ago, and hasn’t been able to write anything since. He’s got tons of money, lives in the Hollywood Hills, and is desperately unhappy. He begins to dream of a woman (Zoe Kazan, ... Read more »

Please Give

(2010)

Here’s one of those movies that drive me a little crazy. It is well-written by Nicole Holofcener, wonderfully acted by Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Amanda Peet, and Rebecca Hall. It is funny, and sad, and emotionally complex. And I couldn’t connect with it. I wanted to like it, I almost feel guilty that I didn’t, much. Know what I mean? I liked parts of it very much. Maybe it’s a New ... Read more »

Platinum Blonde

(1931)

I thought I’d seen all of Frank Capra’s films, but this one must have slipped through the cracks. It was made before he got big and started winning awards, and patented his brand of “Capracorn,” which some condemn as too sweet and sentimental, but I’ve always loved.

There’s a real tragedy involved in this movie. I’ll get to it in a moment. It was supposed to be a Loretta Young ... Read more »

Rubber

(France, Angola, 2010)

Out in the desert, a car pulls up from a long ways off. The trunk opens and a man in a sheriff’s suit get out and starts lecturing us about movies. A bus pulls up and a lot of people get out, then sit in chairs, bitching about various things. This will be the “audience.” Finally, an old tire out in the sand shivers and stands upright. It crushes various things, comes to a coke bottle it ... Read more »