Hyde Park on Hudson

2012

Directed by: Roger Michell
Written by: Richard Nelson
Cast: Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Williams, Eleanor Bron, Samuel West, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Wilson
MPAA Rating: Rated R for brief sexuality

Synopsis (by Google):

In June 1939, the reigning British king (Samuel West) and queen (Olivia Colman) visit President (Bill Murray) and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt (Olivia Williams) at their New York home. War with Germany looms on the horizon, and England desperately needs the president's support. An unforgettable weekend unfolds as FDR tries to juggle international affairs with the complexities of his domestic arrangement, as seen through the eyes of the president's intimate confidant (Laura Linney).

My Thoughts:

Not great, but it had Bill Murray and that's enough reason for me to watch. I thought Samuel West made a very good George VI; likewise Olivia Colman as the Queen Mum. In fact, the entire cast was excellent and the whole film was quite enjoyable.

My IMDb Rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10

Dead Souls

2012

USA

Directed by: Colin Theys
Written by: John Doolan (screenplay), Michael Laimo (novel)
Cast: Jesse James, Magda Apanowicz, Bill Moseley, Geraldine Hughes, Noah Fleiss, Jaiden Kaine
Rating: not rated

Lots of creepy atmosphere and texture in this one, but lots of confusion, too.

On his 18th birthday, Johnny Petrie (Jesse James) learns he's adopted and that he's inherited a farm in Maine. Eager to get away from the hideously circumscribed existence he's led with the aunt who raised him, he strikes out for Maine intending to make the farm his new home. When he gets there, though, he finds the place in very bad shape after being uninhabited for nearly twenty years -- since the deaths of his natural family at the hands of his (I think) grandfather, Reverend Benjamin Conroy. He also finds some locals who are less than thrilled to have him around, and a young homeless woman (Magda Apanowicz) who's been staying in the abandoned farm house.

The town's former sheriff (who is now also the town's drunk) eventually shows up to provide a little background about what exactly has been going on. I could have used a lot more help in that area.  I'm still not really sure what the heck it all meant. There was something about Johnny's brother Daniel protecting him when the rest of the family was killed. And something else about conducting a seance to contact Daniel's spirit so he could go on protecting him from evil spirits in the house. At least I think that's how it went. I never really understood why the family was killed, or why the local bully was so pissed off about it all, or why Johnny didn't just say no way am I living in that obviously haunted house. And I'm really not happy about the way they treated that dog.

My IMDb rating: 3 stars out of a possible 10

To Rome with Love

2012

USA
(Watched the DVD from Netflix)

Written and Directed by Woody Allen
Cinematography by Darius Khondji
Cast: Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Judy Davis, Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Ornella Muti
MPAA Rating: R for some sexual references

Story (from Sony Classics):

To Rome with Love is a kaleidoscopic comedy movie set in one of the world's most enchanting cities. The film brings us into contact with a well-known American architect reliving his youth; an average middle-class Roman who suddenly finds himself Rome's biggest celebrity; a young provincial couple drawn into separate romantic encounters; and an American opera director endeavoring to put a singing mortician on stage.

My Thoughts:
For me, To Rome with Love had a couple of strikes against it right from the start.  First, even though I do love foreign films, I have to be really interested in a film if I'm going to spend more than a few minutes reading subtitles. I used to have more patience for that sort of thing, but the older I get, the more irritating I find them.  And since I lost interest in this movie after about the first ten minutes, the subtitles made it even less likely I'd enjoy it.  Also, I'm not a Fellini fan, and this is something of an homage to the Italian director.  I have to admit, Allen does a fantastic Fellini imitation here -- right down to the annoying Nino Rota-style background music permeating almost every scene.  But if I'm going to have to watch Fellini, I'd rather just see the real thing.

But the city was certainly beautiful, and there were one or two rewarding moments -- several bits of slapstick were very funny.  And Alec Baldwin and Penelope Cruz were very watchable, as always.  But in the end, the characters and stories were uninteresting and forgettable.  Not one of Woody's better efforts.

My IMDb rating: Two stars out of a possible Ten.