Terrence Malick's latest "Knight of Cups" is just like Terrence Malick's last: an exercise of inner torment without any substance

Another pretentious, self-indulgent philosophical work from Terrence Malick, whose schtick is getting old real fast.  The whole movie feels like a long boner pill commercial, with the characters just silently walking around, looking pretty, and thinking out loud in poetic mumbo-jumbo, masquerading as high art.  Malick started going in this abstract direction halfway through the Tree of Life, thoroughly in To the Wonder, and here he pretty much kills the whole art form to the point of driving the audience to mental exhaustion.  Christian Bale is way too talented an actor to be walking around - albeit while bedding the most beautiful women on the planet, but still - all the while looking internally tormented with personal family issues, as his brother and father have some skeletons in the closet themselves, and yet he hardly has a line of dialogue/monologue in the entire 118 minutes.  For the life of me I could not understand what Malick is trying to say with this film (and I consider myself an art house movie snob - go figure!), as it feels like a continuation of his last movie, and that's not saying much.  I can't see this movie being a financial success in the least, which is probably a good thing, since he will (probably, or at least I hope) stop making his college philosophy theses into celluloid and might hopefully try to make something a bit more mainstream next time around, because he's clearly lost his audience.  Being a good filmmaker does not mean making movies that only you as a director can understand; Malick - and the once-upon-a-time auteur Paul Thomas Anderson - have clearly lost touch with reality as of late, and whereas their movie releases were a cause for celebration once upon a time, today they are just exercises we must endure.  Such a shame it is indeed.
D+

The quiet, subtle drama is completely character driven, yet intense and observant like the best of them

A quiet, subtle portrayal of a rich, powerful man wanting to control and tame that which can not be. Clint Eastwood has never quite been so egocentric and pompous, yet in a way, here he's always playing a slightly arrogant version of himself: a man who thinks he should be able to commit the ultimate sin of killing an endangered species, just because he can. The movie is methodical and character driven, yet it is never boring. A young Jeff Fahey is really good here as a screenwriter who's conflicted and torn in different directions: his loyalties lie to his job and the studio that he's writing for, but also to this egomaniac whose charm he can not resist. Clint Eastwood has made many, many movies in his life, and I can honestly say that, after "Unforgiven", this might be his second best. That's saying something.
A

"Sisters" puts SNL alumns Fey & Poehler together again, and the result is a grown-up party romp in the style of John Hughes

I've always liked Tina Fey. She possesses some sort of funny/dorky/smart sexiness that isn't present in all of Hollywood's comedic ladies. And of all the movies she's made so far, this one is definitely the best: it's very funny, touching and vulgar in all the right ways. Amy Poehler is very underrated, and here she shines as Fey's sister who's younger and perhaps a bit less risque at first sight, but is just as willing to throw caution to the wind. Supporting cast is also hilarious (John Leguizamo, James Brolin and the legendary Dianne Wiest, who has the movie's best line: "I'm cuntingly disappointed in you!"), as is the third and fourth rate cast. The script is fresh, and not afraid to take chances; not a moment feels dull or melodramatic. This is THE movie of the last three or four years by former SNL alums, and that's saying something. I could watch it again tomorrow.
B+

The loneliest Hotel in Da Nang...

Have you heard of the loneliest Hotel in Da Nang, the PoMu Hotel?  It is situated right off Duong Hoang Sa Road, major street that runs alongside Da Nang's coast.  PoMu is very thin, almost resembles a Domino block if you were to stand it sideways, and nowhere near it can any other building or house be seen.  With the exception of an old boat, which stands about 20 or 30 meters in the foreground, resting on the barely green grass adjacent to the sand, PoMu Hotel is a lonely building indeed, cursed to endure its solitude amidst this ever growing city.  How long has it been there?  Are there any guests staying inside its forlorn rooms?  A fellow traveler might stop inside and inquire, but perhaps all such buildings, appearing to stick out high above the ocean they so sadly observe, would prefer their solitude over company.

Idiosyncrasies of Vietnam...

Sidewalks are not for walking, they are for parking of motorbikes and street food stands.

There is no coin currency; everything is in paper bills.

Ho Chi Minh's face is on every single currency bill in Vietnam.  He is this country's Mao Zedong.

In Vietnam, all the natives are afraid of the sun.  They cover themselves up from head to toe, in thick clothing (sweaters, vests, jackets, etc) even on very hot and humid days.  They even cover their faces completely, sometimes to the point of resembling bank robbers of the American Wild West.

Motorbikes are EVERYWHERE.  I honestly believe that they outnumber people here in Vietnam at least 3 to 1, perhaps even more.

Most business in Vietnam - restaurants, stores, etc - shut down relatively early.  Some at 9pm, and at around 10pm, every town is a ghost town.  It's surreal.

For a country that is so hot and sunny all year round, it's surprising that there is no local company that makes sunblock.  As a result, all the sunblock is imported from the West, and is therefore quite expensive.  A bottle can run anywhere from $15 to even more, and we're talking about a SMALL bottle. Crazy.

If you're at a Vietnamese beach, you're stuck with sand on your feet, on your hands, in your hair, shorts, etc. long after you leave it. There are no outdoor shower faucets, or even faucets to wash one's feet.  For a country that has such a long coastline, this is mind boggling, if you consider how many tourists visit it annually.

If you're alone in a restaurant or a bar, and you order a beer, the server will always ask you "how many?", as if you're the kind of person who will order several at ones, and down them like an Irishman on St. Patrick's Day.

(to be continued...)

Maggie Smith is a wonder in the wildly amusing "The Lady in the Van"

A very unusual movie (and an overlooked one at the Oscars, if you ask me) about a woman living in her van in a driveway of a lonely writer in London for some 15 years. Maggie Smith is simply amazing in the title role as a woman who is too old, too bitter and too rude to be sociable at any level: her entire existence consists of sleeping and painting her numerous vehicles yellow. Alex Jennings is also good (in a dual role) as the playwright who is the only person to show this old wretch any kindness; one wonders had he not, would she have even lived as long as she had. It really is a wonder to behold Smith at her 81 years of age, and how she commands both compassion and resentment in every single scene she's in. Her character is so complex and marvelous to behold that it's a crime that not only the Academy failed to nominate her, but looking back at all the nominees now, she flat out should have WON! Ah, such is life. For the true fans of fine cinema - and even better acting - this movie should not be forgotten any time soon.
B+

Galifianakis' new show is anything but funny, dramatic or interesting: in other words, it's kinda lame

Way, way below par. With Galifianakis in the lead role, my expectations were a bit high, but unfortunately, this show isn't funny enough to keep us entertained, nor dramatic enough to keep us tuning in every week. As a character, Chip Baskets reminds me a lot of that Danny McBride character, Kenny Powers, in "East Bound and Down": both characters are too rude, stupid and unlikable to be able to sustain the audience's interest for more than 90 seconds. Sadly, we're supposed to identify with this Baskets dupe for 10 episodes each year. I was barely able to get through the first 6, and I doubt I'll be tuning in any further. Instead of raising the standard for what a good TV comedy is, this show has actually lowered it. And all that with not one but two Galifianakises on the screen. Shame.
C-