Les Misérables / ***½ (PG-13)

Jean Valjean: Hugh Jackman

Javert: Russell Crowe

Marius: Eddie Redmayne

Fantine: Anne Hathaway

Cosette: Amanda Seyfried

Thénardier: Sacha Baron Cohen

Madam Thénardier: Helena Bonham Carter

Enjolras: Aaron Tveit

Éponine: Samantha Barks

Young Cosette: Isabelle Allen

Gavroche: Daniel Huttlestone

Universal Pictures presents a film directed by Tom Hooper. Written by William Nicholson and Claude-Michel Schönberg & Alain Boublil with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Based on the musical by Schönberg & Boublil and the novel by Victor Hugo. Running time: 157 min. Rated PG-13 (for suggestive and sexual material, violence and thematic elements).

I think perhaps it may be necessary to contextualize myself to fully understand my thoughts on the new film version of “Les Misérables”. I was a theater major in college. I was a unique theater specimen, as I didn’t really like watching theatrical productions. It seemed to be an unstated requirement, and a reasonable one, of the theater major to hold some degree of obsession over current theatrical trends. Growing up in the 80’s made the musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel about the volatile times in France between revolutions, “Les Misérables”, one of the biggest obsessions among my contemporaries. I read the book but had little interest in seeing the musical. I never did see it. I think I might be the type of audience for which the film version exists.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—Oslo, August 31 (2012) ***½

NR, 95 min.

Director: Joachim Trier

Writers: Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt, Pierre Drieu la Rochelle (novel “Le feu follet”)

Starring: Anders Danielsen Lie, Hans Olav Brenner, Ingrid Olava, Malin Crépin, Emil Lund, Kjærsti Odden Skjeldal, Øystein Røger, Renate Reisve

“Oslo, August 31” doesn’t really have as much to do with the city as it does with a troubled man and his addiction. I’m not even sure his addiction is so much his problem as it is a symptom of it. I suppose that’s the case with many addicts. The movie follows this man on a day leave from an intensive rehabilitation facility. He begins his day by filling his coat pockets with rocks and walking into a lake. Not a good sign for his progress.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—Time Bandits (1981) ***½

PG, 116 min.

Director: Terry Gilliam

Writers: Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam

Starring: Craig Warnock, David Rappaport, Kenny Baker, Malcolm Dixon, Mike Edmonds, Jack Purvis, Tiny Ross, David Warner, David Daker, Shelia Fearn, Jim Broadbent, Michael Palin, Shelley Duvall, Sean Connery, Ian Holm, John Cleese, Peter Vaughan, Katherine Helmond, Ralph Richardson

“I have a hard time with British humor.” — The Wife, while introducing our children to “Time Bandits”.

Not that she isn’t a fan of the film. She was just as excited as the kids about it, but British humor does run a little dry. The kids didn’t seem to care. They loved this adventure about a boy falling in with a time traveling band of dwarf thieves. The film features a who’s who of British comedians from the 70s; many of whom were frequently featured on the BBC sketch comedy show “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—Hope Springs (2012) ***

PG-13, 100 min

Director: David Frankel

Writer: Vanessa Taylor

Starring: Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell

The greatest strength of “Hope Springs”, beyond the monumental talents of Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones that is, is that its plot is never distracted by the typical Hollywood screenplay 101 junk. That’s not to say it doesn’t follow a formula. That would be too much to ask its target audience to endure. However, it doesn’t bother with all the superfluous junk that’s usually found in a Hollywood formula. There are no subplots, no extraneous characters, no false conflicts, no stupid misunderstandings. This movie is about one problem, and it concentrates on that problem with the same ferocity that solving that problem really takes.

Django Unchained / **** (R)

Django: Jamie Foxx

Dr. King Schultz: Christoph Waltz

Calvin Candie: Leonardo DiCaprio

Broomhilda: Kerry Washington

Stephen: Samuel L. Jackson

Billy Crash: Walton Goggins

Big Daddy: Don Johnson

The Weintsein Company and Columbia Pictures present a film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Running time: 165 min. Rated R (for graphic violence throughout, a vicious fight, language and some nudity).

In many ways, the cinema of Quentin Tarantino is a cinema of manners. Often he deals in the manners of criminals. He also deals in the manners of filmmaking. His characters have to function with the proper manners to survive. They must manipulate the manners of others, and they must know when manners matter no more. This process also describes Tarantino’s filmmaking approach. He knows the rules better than anyone. He studies the rules established by other films. He uses those rules to tell his stories. He manipulates those rules and he breaks them to make the most original and entertaining films to be consistently produced by one filmmaker.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—Lethal Weapon (1987) ****

R, 110 min.

Director: Richard Donner

Writer: Shane Black

Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitch Ryan, Tom Atkins, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Jackie Swanson, Damon Hines, Ebonie Smith

OK. Since I’m posting this after Christmas, I’m going to steer away from the Christmas tradition of this movie and look at a much smaller detail that has been starting to bother me about it in recent years.

We’re all aware of Mel Gibson’s recent issues of anti-Semitism and his publicly released drunken phone calls to his girlfriend and altercations with the police. All this seems to have developed later in Gibson’s career. It may have nothing to do with some of my issues in “Lethal Weapon”. They might lie squarely on the screenwriter Shane Black. I really don’t know. But, having seen the film as many times as I have, I’ve come to notice there seems to be an anti-gay sentiment behind the Martin Riggs character played by Gibson. I may just be reading into his lines more than I should, which is bound to happen after you’ve seen a movie some 30 plus times. Nor have I studied the sequels for such evidence in the character, but he seems fairly homophobic.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) ****

NR, 130 min.

Director: Frank Capra

Writers: Frances Goodwrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra, Jo Swerling, Philip Van Doren Stern

Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, Gloria Grahame, H.B. Warner, Frank Albertson, Todd Karns, Samuel S. Hinds, Mary Treen, Virginia Patton, Charles Williams, Sara Edwards, William Edmunds, Lillian Randolph

I’ve watched Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” every year at Christmas since I was 14-years-old. This year I flipped that number. At 41 years of age, I’ve now seen the movie more than 27 times (including a few years in which I watched it twice between Thanksgiving and Christmas).

Penny Thoughts ‘12—Christmas Vacation (1989) ****

PG-13, 97 min.

Director: Jeremiah Chechik

Writer: John Hughes

Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, John Randolph, Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, Randy Quaid, Miriam Flynn, Cody Burger, Ellen Hamilton Latzen, William Hickey, Mae Questel, Sam McMurray, Nicholas Guest, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Nicolette Scorsese, Brian Doyle-Murray

While “A Christmas Story” was a whole new experience this year, our screening of National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation” was something more typical. Two days before Christmas. We haven’t wrapped any gifts, so throw on a movie that we know and love, and lets crank these things out.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—A Christmas Story (1983) ****

PG, 94 min.

Director: Bob Clark

Writers: Jean Shepherd (also novel “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash”), Leigh Brown, Bob Clark

Narrator: Jean Shepherd

Starring: Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon, Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, Tedde Moore, R.D. Robb, Zack Ward, Yano Anaya, Jeff Gillen

I can’t remember the last Christmas that went by without watching this Christmas classic. I know “A Christmas Story” as well as any movie I’ve ever known. Watching it has become routine. Yet, it’s one of those routines that is cherished, like the way you’ll eat your favorite ice cream sundae in exactly the same way every time.

This is 40 / *** (R)

Pete: Paul Rudd

Debbie: Leslie Man

Sadie: Maude Apatow

Charlotte: Iris Apatow

Jason: Jason Segel

Barry: Robert Smigel

Desi: Megan Fox

Ronnie: Chris O’Dowd

Larry: Albert Brooks

Oliver: John Lithgow

Graham Parker: Graham Parker

Universal Pictures presents a film written and directed by Judd Apatow. Running time: 134 min. Rated R (for sexual content, crude humor, pervasive language, and some drug material).

WARNING! This review contains adult language. If you have a problem with that, feel free to criticize me, but don't say you weren't warned.

“This is 40” is a far from perfect movie, and in many ways that is just perfect. I just ran the 40 gauntlet myself, which means I just turned 41. It’s hard not to break down and just say, “Fuck!” when I think about that. I’m sorry about the language. I usually make it a point not to use foul language in my reviews; but if you can’t handle that one, the hundreds of F-bombs dropped during this movie will come as a shock.

In many ways, that “F”-it attitude is what this movie is. It gives into those inhibitions that people normally carry around but can no longer, because they realize half their life has slipped away while they were busy making other plans. Thank you very much, John Lennon. Most of the time this approach works for this film; sometimes it doesn’t.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—White Christmas (1954) ****

NR, 120 min.

Director: Michael Curtiz

Writers: Norman Krasna, Norman Panama, Melvin Frank, Irving Berlin (songs)

Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes, Anne Whitfield

Well, I guess since the end of the world didn’t happen, we should get back to some Christmas movies.

Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” is one of those movies that is on many annual Christmas watching lists. It isn’t on mine, which makes it all the more special when I do watch it. This year was only the second time I’ve seen the movie, and it may just get added to the regular rotation.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—Apocalypto (2006) ***

R, 139 min.

Director: Mel Gibson

Writers: Mel Gibson, Farhad Safinia

Starring: Rudy Youngblood, Dalia Hernández, Jonathan Brewer, Morris Birdyellowhead, Carlos Emilio Báez, María Isabel Díaz, Raoul Trujillo, Gerardo Taracena, Rodolfo Palacios, Ariel Galvan

“The end is nigh!”  — Crazy person holding a sign on the streets of New York City.

I’m sure many other people said that throughout history, not the least of which being the Mayans. How frustrating it must be for an entire culture to be misrepresented in such a way, but such is the case when your civilization is responsible for a calendar that ends in the age of Facebook. Never the less, I feel obligated to give in to popular trends and submit a Penny Thoughts on a film that takes place within that former culture that made the date 12-21-12 such a trending topic.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945) ***

UR, 126 min.

Director: Leo McCarey

Writers: Dudley Nichols, Leo McCarey

Starring: Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Henry Travers, Martha Sleeper, Joan Carroll, William Gargan, Rhys Williams, Dickie Tyler

As a movie buff, I often don’t think I’ve seen enough older films. So in an effort to gain more knowledge of the classics, I decided to watch what is often noted as a “holiday classic,” but isn’t exactly a holiday movie or a classic. By that, I mean it isn’t one of Bing Crosby’s best, and it’s far from one of Ingird Bergman’s best. But, “The Bells of St. Mary’s” is good and is very appropriate for the holiday season.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—The Backwater Gospel (2011) ***½

NR, 9 min.

Director: Bo Mathorn

Voices: Lucien Dodge, Zebulon Whatley, Phillip Sacramento, Laura Post

I’m sure I’ve expressed this before, but what a wonderful gift the Internet has been for the short film. YouTube and various other web outlets have opened up the world of short films to the eager consuming public. Thousands of short films that would surely never have been seen by more than a handful of people are now available for the all-consuming public thanks to online streaming. And so many wonderful cinematic gifts can now be passed on.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—Blackadder’s Christmas Carol (1988) ***

NR, 43 min.

Director: Richard Boden

Writers: Richard Curtis, Ben Elton

Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Robbie Coltrane, Miriam Margolyes, Jim Broadbent

As every BBC fan prepares for the 2012 “Doctor Who” Christmas Special, and considering the network’s history of Christmas Specials, like the “Downton Abbey” Christmas Special, and the “Sherlock” Christmas Special, and the “Luther” Christmas Special. OK, I might’ve made two of those up. Needless to say, the BBC has a long tradition of Christmas Specials for their popular programming. I decided to go back in time and check an older one out.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—Sin Nombre (2009) ****

R, 96 min.

Director/Writer: Cary Fukunaga

Starring: Edgar Flores, Paulina Gaitan, Kristian Ferrer, Giovanni Florido, Diana García, Gerardo Taracena, Fernando Manzano, Guillermo Villegas

“Sin Nombre” is a devastating film about two lives that intersect in one’s attempt to cross the Mexican boarder to the U.S. She is a teenage Honduran whose father has been deported from a family she doesn’t know in America. Her father is determined to bring her and his brother back to the States with him. The other is a Guatemalan gang member who may not be made for the life he’s chosen. We meet him as he recruits a young boy into the gang whose initiation involves a brutal beating by the other members of the gang.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey/ **** (PG-13)

Bilbo Baggins: Martin Freeman

Gandalf: Ian McKellen

Thorin: Richard Armitage

Balin: Ken Scott

Dwalin: Graham McTavish

Bofur: James Nesbitt

Bombur: Stephen Hunter

Fili: Dean O’Gorman

Kili: Aidan Turner

Radagast: Sylvester McCoy

Great Goblin: Barry Humphries

Old Bilbo: Ian Holm

Frodo: Elijah Wood

Elrond: Hugo Weaving

Galadriel: Cate Blanchett

Saruman: Christopher Lee

Gollum: Andy Serkis

New Line Cinema and MGM Studios present a film directed by Peter Jackson. Written by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo Del Toro. Based on the novel “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien. Running time: 169 min. Rated PG-13 (for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence and frightening images).

What is it that makes a great filmmaker? While range of subject matter and the ability to present different visions with skill can be a measure of greatness in this art, more often a filmmaker’s greatness lies within his ability to present one particular style with originality and power. The same can be said for great authors. There is no denying that the creator of Middle Earth, J.R.R. Tolkien, was a great writer and storyteller. Even more so he showed an incredible skill to construct an entire world and mythology unique unto itself. Filmmaker Peter Jackson found his particular specialty in Tolkien’s Middle Earth as well. Jackson seems destined to be the visual chronicler of Tolkien’s creation. He does it with the same skill and artistry as Tolkien did himself.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—Pina (2011) ****

PG, 104 min.

Director/Writer: Wim Wenders

Starring: Pina Bausch, Tanztheater Wuppertal Dance Company

I’m pretty sure that, in the event of an apocalyptic event where survival will be determined by the fittest among us, dancers will rise as the ruling class. These people are more than athletes. They are more than artists. They use everything there is of their physical instrument to express in an art form that a relatively small amount of people really pay much attention to.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—Your Sister’s Sister (2012) ***½

R, 90 min.

Director/Writer: Lynn Shelton

Starring: Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mike Birbiglia

Lynn Shelton’s “Your Sister’s Sister” is one of those pleasant little gems that can often be found in the independent cinema scene. It has a plot the could almost be something like a Nancy Meyers rom com, but with younger actors and one little detail that just doesn’t fit into mainstream ideas. It’s charming and heartfelt, and I would recommend it ahead of 95% of Hollywood’s rom coms.

Penny Thoughts ‘12—Eight Crazy Nights (2002) zero stars

PG-13, 76 min.

Director: Seth Kearsley

Writers: Brooks Arthur, Allen Covert, Brad Isaacs, Adam Sandler

Voices: Adam Sandler, Jackie Titone, Austin Stout, Kevin Nealon, Rob Schneider, Norm Crosby, Jon Lovitz

Here we are in the middle of the annual Chanukah celebration of the Jewish faith and after seeing Adam Sandler’s “Eight Crazy Nights”, I can see why some Jewish people might feel unfairly represented during the holiday season. Not only is their belief system even older than the Christians and yet they still play second fiddle to Christmas during the winter solstice, but they also have this atrocity to bear. Sandler felt it necessary to soil the Chanukah celebration with some of the most inappropriate humor of his film career, and that’s a bar he set pretty high for himself.