There's a lot to see and hear in BIRDMAN, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's 2014 comedy/drama destined to win multiple Academy Awards tonight. Michael Keaton stars as actor Riggan Thompson. Riggan is most famous for having starred in the hugely successful superhero movie series Birdman back in the 90's. Keaton brings true weight to the role as the star of Tim Burton's "Batman" and "Batman Returns", a role he walked away from after the first two films, while the series moved on and remained huge without him. Riggan has invested every dollar and every speck of creativity, passion and artistic credibility he has on a stage adaption of a Raymond Carver novel. Birdman chronicles the tumultuous weeks before the play opens on Broadway. Edward Norton is terrific as Mike, a star brought in at the last minute that can help sell seats but comes carrying a huge ego with him. His clashes with Riggan are epic and hilarious. Emma Stone plays Riggan's daughter, fresh out of rehab and playing assistant to the production while wrestling with a lot of family issues. Stone is one of the best things in the film, harsh, tough and real. Naomi Watts, Zach Galifianakis and Amy Ryan are all very strong as well in supporting roles. The entire movie is brilliantly staged, with a camera that never stops moving in ten+ minute chunks of long takes, in which the actors all performed everything in sequence as you see it live, no cuts, no editing. It was a demanding shoot driven by Inarritu's vision and it adds real power to the film. Michael Keaton soars above everything in a great performance that should win the Best Actor Academy Award tonight. As Riggan steps in and out of reality and we experience his doubts and the voices in his head along with him, Keaton grounds the film in a vanity free, powerful performance. So....all those praises having been said. Did I enjoy the movie? Tough to say. The music score, which is 90% just a jazz drummer riffing through the scenes, is horribly annoying. I admired the craft and choreography of the camera, the performances by the entire cast and the way that Riggan's surreal visions kept merging with reality. But while there is plenty to see and hear in the film, I didn't find there was much to truly FEEL. I admired it to be sure, but for me, BIRDMAN never really leaves the ground. It left me cold. I'll give it a B-.

One of our late daughter's favorite movies, we watched BILLY MADISON countless times in the late nineties. The perfect example of Adam Sandler's early, childlike goofy humor, it's the perfect blend of stupid and relentless that makes us laugh over & over. Sandler is the lazy son of wealthy hotel magnate Darren McGavin (The Night Stalker), whose about to hand off his empire to ruthless kiss ass Eric (LOL Bradley Whitford from "The West Wing"). In the kind of convoluted challenge that only works in comedies, Billy must complete and graduate grades 1-12 in only two weeks per grade to win command of the hotel chain. It's just a clever set up to hang a hundred small comedy scenes on and many of them still land today. Chris Farley's demented Bus Driver is dark genius, Theresa Merritt (TV's "That's My Mama") slays as Billy's horny live in maid, Josh Mostel is a lusty principal with a secret past and Norm McDonald is Billy's completely aimless best friend. Classic lines abound. "If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis!" "Shampoo is better, NO conditioner is better!" "Shaaaadddupppp!" "T-T-Today Junior!" We all laughed our butts off, then and watching it again this week. Sandler has come a long way as an actor in he 25 years+ since his big screen debut. Somehow he makes his innocent, childlike humor work becuase he's just so damn likable ad-libbing his way to big laughs. Sandler has said in interviews that Billy was the closest he ever came to playing himself, maybe that's why it works so well. BILLY MADISON throws everything at the wall for ninety minutes, with everything from a fantasy musical sequence, flaming bags of dog poop and an evil giant penguin that can be found at least once holding a martini. Steve Buscemi even shows up as a twisted serial killer....twice! It shouldn't work it's so damn dumb, but it's also SO damn funny! BILLY graduates with a solid B. Sandler went on to make Happy Gilmore as his next giant hit. I wish Farley would have made a whole movie about the Bus Driver, that would have been something....

Overlooked upon its release in 1991 (including by me) the film adaption of EL Doctorow's BILLY BATHGATE is a first class gangster drama. Dustin Hoffman is Dutch Shultz, the hair-trigger mob boss of several NYC neighborhoods. Young Billy (Loren Dean) is fascinated with Dutch's reputation and finds a way into his organization. He watches as trusted partners like Bo (Bruce Willis) rise and fall and new partners like Lucky Luciano (Stanley Tucci, terrific) circle Dutch. Billy meets young women like Drew Preston (Nicole Kidman) who seem a thousand times more worldly than he could ever be. As the body count piles up, Dutch heads to a small town to await trial, surrounded by his loyal advisor Otto (Steven Hill in a scene stealing role) and henchman Irving (Steve Buscemi). The film starts out a bit slow, but grows on you as it unfolds in a smart screenplay by Tom Stoppard (Empire of the Sun, Brazil). Director Robert Benton only made 12 films in the chair, including "Places in the Heart" and "Kramer vs Kramer" and this certainly deserves a place beside them both. Dustin Hoffman is excellent throughout, with one of the most explosive tempers I can remember him portraying on film. It's a great performance and he oozes danger. If you love gangster dramas and haven't seen BILLY BATHGATE, add it to your must watch list. It gets a bullet ridden B.

The BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB has two infamous distinctions when you look at 2018 film history. The first is that it was the only major film release to feature shunned actor Kevin Spacey after his fall from grace. The second is that it had the most dismal box office of any major release in 2018 and perhaps all time, earning $128 nationwide in its opening day in theatres. Whether that's because it's haunted by Spacey's presence or the fact its not very good is up for interpretation. A great young cast is wasted. Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver) is fine as Joe Hunt, an ambitious young accountant who hitches his wagon to school chum Dean, who plays on a very dark side of the line. Taron Egerton (The Kingsmen) is fine as Dean as well, luring Joe into some major crimes. When they meet wealthy, mysterious and flamboyant hustler Ron Levin (Spacey) they are pulled into a much bigger and darker hustle that pulls in most of the young wealth in Hollywood. Like a very poor imitation of "The Wolf of Wall Street", it flashes through characters and events, but never draws us into the debauchery like that film did. I knew the story from a 2 hour Dateline NBC special on these young men and Ron Levin, where it was told with more clarity and suspense than writer/director James Cox can muster. Characters come and go, violence explodes and good actors like Bokeem Woodbine and Cary Elwes go wasted. Filmed in 2015, this stinker sat on the shelf for three years. The mold is apparent. BBC gets a D.

Comic Kumail Nanjiani has created something really special, funny and heartwarming with his first feature film, THE BIG SICK. You've seen a million comedies with what Roger Ebert used to call the "meet cute". Two people from opposite backgrounds meet by chance and then the story takes them down a familiar road of new love, conflict and happily ever after. The brilliance of this film is that once the meet cute happens, everything else takes a decidedly different path that feels all too real, perhaps because it is. Based on the true story of Pakistan born comedian Nanjiani and written by Kumail and his real-life wife Emily Gordon, we watch as Kumail and Emily meet at one of his comedy gigs and fall into bed. As their relationship blossoms, we meet Kamail's extended family, all of whom are played by gifted comic actors. His mother tries to fix him up at every Sunday family dinner "Oh look who just happened to drop by!" and his father prides himself on the power of traditional arranged marriage. His brother is a hilarious mix of Pakistani and American passions and gets some of the biggest laughs in the film. When Emily is suddenly rushed to the hospital and falls into a health crisis that leaves her teetering on death, Kumail meets her family, who know far more about him that he can imagine. Holly Hunter (Broadcast News, Always) is excellent as Beth, Emily's mother. Fiercely protective of Emily, she wants to push Kumail out of the picture. Her husband Terry (perfectly played in a funny but strong dramatic performance by Ray Romano) opens the door a bit, feeling sorry for Kumail. From there, the story propels forward, with NONE of the stereotypical scenes you think you'll see. These families are real, and they're tragic and hilarious in equal measure. There's not a weak spot in the cast. Zoe Kazan is terrific as Emily. Her desire for commitment as Kumail struggles with family expectations sets up what follows perfectly. Nanjiani is a funny comic, but like Romano, he proves himself equally adept at drama. Director Michael Showalter surprised me last time out with the unexpected pleasures of Sally Field's "My Name is Doris" and he does the same here, bringing his fresh eye and style to another non-traditional romantic comedy. There's great pleasure in watching a story unfold where everything feels real, including the dialogue. The surrounding families bring huge laughs and quiet reflection and Nanjiani & Gordon's screenplay is as good as it gets, surely to be nominated for an Oscar next year. With an ending that surprises you in its perfection, THE BIG SICK is one of the greatest pleasures of the year and gets an A.

If you think a film about the near financial market collapse of 2007/2008 would have to be a dry, boring, numbers filled tutorial, you are in for a pleasant (yet disturbing) ride with THE BIG SHORT. Christian Bale plays against type as Michael Burry, a brilliant & eccentric hedge fund manager that sees numbers in the housing market that signal an almost sure collapse. He begins investing heavily against the market, setting up a vast financial reward for his investors and retirees IF the housing market collapses. At the same time, Jared Vennett at Deutschebank discovers what Burry is doing and begins looking for rich partners to jump in with him to also bet on a disaster. Vennett is played with venomous smarm by Ryan Gosling, who also serves as our story's narrator, dripping sarcasm and greed. One of Vennett's calls goes to a wrong number, where Mark Baum (Steve Carrell) and his team jump on what is said on the mis-dialed incoming call and begin to look at the opportunity themselves. Baum hates the system, feels betrayed by it, but is starving for an opportunity to benefit from its crash. Carrell is great here in a dramatic role, wrestling with his desire for revenge and the ultimate impact on millions of families if he is proven right. Brad Pitt stars as an ostracized financial wizard helping two young investors and is very good. Several guest stars like Anthony Bourdain and Margot Robbie take a moment throughout the film to explain complicated financial terms and activities in layman's terms. If you have to understand the complexities of the banking world, having Margot lay it our for you while drinking champagne in a bubble bath is NOT a horrible way to learn. There are plenty of clever storytelling techniques like that sprinkled through the film, very well directed by Adam McKay, who graduates from fun comedy films like "Stepbrothers" and "Anchorman" to a terrific dramatic turn at bat. Funny, sad, powerful and sobering, THE BIG SHORT marks the second time producer Brad Pitt has brought a seemingly "unfilmable" novel to the screen, matching "Moneyball" a few years ago. As the film unlocks fact after fact about the banking collapse, it becomes clear that the government and the banks are equally responsible. The most sobering moments occur as the film wraps and you realize that we are bound to repeat our mistakes. This is a smart, exciting and important film. THE BIG SHORT is long on talent and profits with a well deserved A.

Anytime the wife and I stay up on a Friday night until 3am binge-watching an entire series, you KNOW you've got our attention. I was thinking this was going to be a "chick-flick" but I couldn't have been more wrong. A very clever murder mystery that manages to not even tell you who got KILLED until the final 15 minutes of its 6 hour running time, BIG LITTLE LIES is a great story, well told. Reese Witherspoon is Madeline, a wealthy involved Mom who appears to have the perfect life in Malibu. Nicole Kidman is her friend Celeste, with two flawless blonde twins and the perfect wealthy husband Perry (Alexander Skarsgard). Shalene Woodley is Jane, a new Mom in town with her little boy, running from her former life and nowhere in the same economic stratosphere as the other women. Laura Dern has her best role in years as the meddling Renata, always taking a stand against the other women. Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) is excellent as Madeline's quiet, web developer husband as is Zoe Kravitz (Mad Max Fury Road) as Madeline's ex's new young, bohemian wife. All of these perfect lives are far from it. Everyone has secrets, many of which are violent, brutal truths that wouldn't fit with the perfect beach side homes. David E. Kelley (Boston Legal) adapted every minute of the series from Liane Moriarty's bestseller and he shows the same humor, shocking drama and violence he's brought to his landmark shows. Since it's HBO, there is no filter on the sexuality, nudity and profanity the characters often unleash behind closed doors. Witherspoon is terrific and so is Woodley, but Nicole Kidman is amazing. She is fearless in portraying a woman whose world is coming undone and in allowing the camera to see her frankly naked, both physically and emotionally. Kidman deserves every award she'll get for her performance. Director Jean-Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyers Club, Wild) stylizes the entire look of the film to capture the beauty of Carmel and the horror of some of these lives. Terrific music choices throughout that are cleverly woven into the story. We couldn't take our eyes off of it for six straight hours. It's bold, sexual, adult, brutal, smart and suspenseful as you try to decipher who killed who and exactly how these characters will survive the dark side of their transparently flawless lives. BIG LITTLE LIES is a huge triumph and gets an A.

I love discovering great films. Seeing The Coen brothers brilliant 1998 hit THE BIG LEBOWSKI for the first time last week was one of the best movie experiences I’ve had in a long time, generating more laughs per frame than any comedy in recent memory. Jeff Bridges is at his best as “The Dude” Lebowski, who gets mistaken for a much wealthier Lebowski and is pulled into a kidnapping plot. Bridges is as good as it gets and his stoned one liners throughout are so perfectly delivered that you cant imagine anyone else in the role. Luckily for us (but not so much for The Dude) he’s surrounded by an eccentric group of friends. John Goodman is fall over funny as fellow bowler and hair-trigger Vietnam vet and Jewish convert (Not on the Sabbath!) Walter Sobchak. His constant shouts of “STFU DONNIE!” to Theodore Donald Kerabatsos (the stunningly deadpan Steve Buscemi) get funnier every time you hear them. Goodman’s rants at a diner “Lady, I got buddies who died face down in the muck so that you and I could enjoy this family restaurant!” kill me. If anger management had a poster child, it would be Walter. As the Dude meets the very wealthy Big Lebowski (David Huddleston), he is drawn into a complicated plot involving a hilariously uptight Philip Seymour Hoffman as Big’s personal assistant, Julianne Moore as Big’s eccentric artist ex-wife Maude, Big’s current young wife Bunny (Tara Reid) and a motley crew of kidnapping nihilists including Peter Stormare (Fargo) and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Consider that one of the best characters, Jesus Quintana (“You got a date Wednesday, baby!”) is so fully formed and hilariously played by John Turturro that its hard to believe he only has about two minutes of screen time. I’ve seen hundreds of movies where the lead character isn’t as interesting as the purple jumpsuit clad Jesus. Sam Elliot shows up as a Cowboy narrator with virtually no desire to assemble all the brilliant parts of this puzzle for you. Thankfully, we are all on our own to figure it out. The Coen Brothers are genius at word play, stunning visuals and colliding every weird character type you can imagine with purpose. When The Dude started having visions of himself flying through the air and landing in a bowling lane made of beautiful ladies, I was laughing out loud at the sheer audacity the Coens have to conjure this mix out of sheer air and create one of the most consistently funny and entertaining movies of the last twenty years. The soundtrack rocks, with plenty of CCR and Dylan and some classical music sprinkled in. When The Dude meets the Big, he shares this intro of himself: “Let me explain something to you. Um, I am not "Mr. Lebowski". You're Mr. Lebowski. I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.” Bridges delivers this so well that you sit back knowing you are in for a couple hours of brilliance. Hilarious, relentlessly profane, clever and riddled with dialogue that seems penned by Aaron Sorkin blended with Tarantino and a dash of Monty Python, The Coen Brothers masterpiece is one of my all time TOP 10 films. I can’t wait to watch this again. The Dude gets an A+. That rug really did tie the room together, did it not?

I constantly underestimate Disney Animation. Why I do so after "Up" and "Wreck It Ralph" is beyond me, but I feel like an idiot for not seeing BIG HERO 6 in 3D on the big screen. Disney is not just making these visual spectacles for kids anymore, and BIG HERO is one of their best. In the future city of San Fransokyo, imagined as a spectacular blend of San Fran and Tokyo, brilliant young inventor Hiro is wasting his time until he visits his older brother Tadashi's university. Once seeing the incredible inventions the students are working on, the boy genius joins the school and creates a powerful new invention that could change the world. Meanwhile, Tadashi's invention is Baymax, a harmless, inflatable robot that serves as an in-home medical assistant that can scan you at an instant and fix your ailments. When tragedy strikes the school, Hiro realizes that it might have been driven by greed and he links up with Baymax and his five best student friends to battle a worthy adversary bent on destroying the city. The digital animation is spectacular. Every bit of the film's $165 million budget is right there on the screen. When Hiro upgrades Baymax's programming for some very different capabilities and they take a flight over and through the city, its visually one of the best sequences in animation history. These are talented folks and the ability to create photo realistic action and settings and then propel you through them makes for a great film. Baymax is a terrific character and damned if that inflatable dude doesn't generate a lot of laughs and choke you up once or twice as well. It's a great film for the entire family to enjoy together and a fantastic set up for future adventures. The music score by Henry Jackman is terrific. If this is what comes out of Disney buying Marvel, then keep it coming. Big Hero 6 is a visual feast from beginning to end, one of the best films of the year and gets an A. If you love Marvel films, this one is going to rock you.

A film classic that defines BIG film making in every way, 1958's THE BIG COUNTRY is a superb drama with a lot to say and a powerful way of saying it. Gregory Peck stars as James McKay, a New England sea captain arriving in the old west to meet his fiance Pat (Carroll Baker) and her father, rich land owner Major Henry Terrell (Charles Bickford). Almost immediately, the gentlemanly McKay is challenged by the macho bravado of the west, where your reputation is everything and what folks think of you defines your social status. McKay is challenged not only by local bad boys the Hannassey brothers, but also by the Terrell's ranch hand Steve Leech (Charlton Heston). Caught in the middle of a decades long feud between the Terrells and the Hannasseys, McKay stands the middle ground. As his integrity is questioned again and again because he won't take the bait to fight in front of a crowd, take part in violence against the Hannassey's or "throw down" at the drop of a cowboy hat, McKay continues to stand his ground. He proves himself (to those smart enough to observe his true actions) and is challenged to examine everything that he came west to pursue. Chuck Conners is pure evil as Buck, the worst of the dastardly brothers, Jean Simmons is 100% movie star as Julie, the owner of the Big Muddy, a watering hole between the feuding clan's herds that both want to control and Burl Ives is excellent as Rufus Hannassey, father of the brothers and leader of the clan, who may have more depth to his morality than one first suspects. Peck and Heston are at the top of their game, playing two very different types of men, with their eye on the same woman and very different views of what makes a man in the west. Director William Wyler (Ben Hur, The Best Years of Our Lives) keeps this three-hour film moving and stages everything beautifully on an epic scale. The music score by Jerome Moross is a classic. Even if you don't think you know film music, you will recognize this score. Its legendary and one of film's all time best. Everything about the film is BIG, the performances, the landscapes, the emotions, the feuds. This is a powerful film classic and an enjoyable A. Thank you to my friend Rob for leading me to discover this movie!

This quirky little documentary about an everyday Joe obsessed with a failed 60's Disneyland like bible park is fascinating, weightless and interesting as hell. Speaking of hell, One of the rides at Bible Storyland was going to be a boat ride to Hell, but I digress. Art dealer Harvey Jordan discovers some original sketches by a Disney designer that capture a failed construction project in California for a theme park to rival Disneyland. Called Bible Storyland, its a big concept, a big dream and obviously never gets built. Harvey becomes obsessed with uncovering the details and you discover them along with him as a camera crew follows his quest. After awhile, his wife is furious that all he does is chase information about the park all day while she works and takes care of the house. It's a surprisingly open portrait, following them as lead after lead dies, people he can't wait to talk to know absolutely nothing and some of the interviews he does get on camera are from some hilariously eccentric folks as his marriage sinks lower and lower. This is not a religious movie, its a documentary about Harvey's obsession and features fascinating behind the scenes peeks at early Disneyland, sixties California history and a grand but ultimately failed vision. Winner of Best Documentary at several film festivals,it's a fun movie told with lots of vintage photos and footage, animated sequences and a long sequence of Harvey being forced to pick up all the pot belly pig poop in the backyard. And that's a lot funnier (and more tragic) than it sounds. Well done and entertaining, I swear on Bible Storyland! We'll give it a B.

In the history of film sequels, they don't sink much lower than BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. Schlocky producer Irwin Allen had followed his big hits the original Poseidon and his one great film, The Towering Inferno with the stinker The Swarm. Inexplicably, Michael Caine decided to follow up that cinematic mega-bomb with this horrible movie about a group of folks sailing up and claiming salvage on the overturned ship. Caine is a tugboat captain, Karl Malden is is loyal old shipmate (think a waterlogged skipper and Gilligan) and Sally Field is aboard with them for reasons never explained. Anyone that "really, really likes Sally" should see this performance, its whiny, unfunny, and BEYOND annoying. Granted she is given nothing to work with, but she did take the part....rent must have been overdue... Now toss in a second salvage team headed by Telly Savalas, who chooses to wear an all white ensemble to climb through a wreckage and a new group of survivors including Peter Boyle as a New Jersey dude that screams at everyone, Jack Warden as a blind guy, Slim Pickens as a rich Texan (cleverly named Tex) and Mark Harmon as a young passenger and you have this boring, suspense-free, cheap, dumb movie. Couple questions....where are all the other rescue ships, navy, helicopters, news coverage? About 16 hours after a huge luxury liner capsizes, there's a tug boat and a yacht? hmmmm. What nice things could I say about this box office disaster? Nice poster! The movie gets an eye rolling F.