Moving Cloud, "Welcome: Who Are You?" (GO' Danish Folk Music, 2008)

The traditional music of Denmark is something of a melting pot, with influences not just from the Nordic countries but also from Celtic music as well. There has been enough cross-pollenation with Ireland for a session scene to take hold in Denmark, from which the band Moving Cloud emerged twenty years ago. Moving Cloud have been through a few changes in the intervening years, but their fine energetic sound makes them worthy of mention with the good Irish session-style bands from Ireland and elsewhere. (Please be advised that there was a Donegal-based band also named Moving Cloud -- the members of the two bands were evidently so fond of the same particular reel that they both named themselves after it -- that released two albums in the nineties. While I imagine they'd appeal to the same audience, they are two different bands, from different places, with different personnel.) Their newest album "Welcome: Who Are You?", produced by the venerable Dónal Lunny, came out in February.

The primary distinguishing element of Moving Cloud's sound is the heavy reliance on percussion. Svend Kjeldsen has been banging on the bodhrán and other assorted instruments for the band since their inception, and is the only person to be part of every Moving Cloud lineup to date. He provides a steady backbeat and groove to most of the pieces on the album. He is assisted on a couple of tracks by step dancer Mette Løvschal, a relative newcomer to the group. They collaborate on a unique recitation called "Anahorish... My Place of Clear Water," the most intriguing track on the album. Filling out the band's sound are long-time members John Pilkington (vocals, guitar, bouzouki) and Klavs Vester (flutes and whistles), along with the band's newest member, fiddler Christopher Davis Maack.

Outside of "Anahorish," "Welcome: Who Are You?" follows a tried and true pattern for albums of Irish session music. There are sets of jigs and reels, there are slower pieces, and Pilkington throws in a few songs for good measure. A lot of bands follow the same general approach, but Moving Cloud should still get noticed in the crowd because they play particularly well, with a healthy amount of energy and spirit. Now, I could understand it if somebody with a thousand or two Celtic albums might be more demanding than I am, but I actually haven't listened to a whole lot of new Irish-style CD's lately, and I found "Welcome: Who Are You?" to be a breath of fresh air.

Overall grade: B

reviewed by Scott

Reprinted with permission from The Green Man Review
Copyright 2008 The Green Man Review

Majestrum - Matthew Hughes (2006)

Majestrum, subtitled "A Tale of Henghis Hapthorn," is the first book in a series of tales featuring "the foremost freelance discriminator" of a far future "Old Earth." The setting is at a point where technology is about to enter a period of decline and magic is about to return to ascendancy, part of a cycle which has been repeated numerous times we are told. Hapthorn is a detective in the classic vein with more than a simple nod to Sherlock Holmes, although less than a full pastiche.

The plot, as one would expect, revolves around the tension between the "highly calibrated mind" of a scientific detective faced with the possibility of magic involved in a case. The ground covered here is something of an inversion of the idea covered by quite a few authors over the years - "The Magic Goes Away" by Niven comes to mind - and a look at the cycle coming back around to magic is refreshing. Hapthorn has, in a backstory which is never fully explained, faced a thaumaturge with the result that his intuitive faculty has been split off into a separate sort of consciousness sharing his head. The adventure also caused his "integrator,"a sort of programmed hardware/software agent and AI, to turn into a familiar which serves the same function.

The story is essentially a mystery, which means that it can not be too fully explicated without giving away the solution. Hapthorn is drawn into a complicated plot when an aristocrat, Lord Afre, hires him for what seems like a straightforward investigation into his daughter's suitor. Afre fears that the suitor is a gold-digger and wishes him investigated. Hughes starts from this well-trodden ground and develops a complicated and devious plot. Some of the twists and turns will be no surprise to those familiar with the mystery genre, but they are handled deftly enough.

Hughes style is consciously artificial; it reads like someone writing in a mock Victorian style, which is part of the reason why there is a Holmesian feel. It is affected, but works well with the plot and setting. The first chapter or so took a little getting used to, but then it settled down and was actually quite delightful. Hughes handles his characters moderately well, although to be fair, the only ones who truly matter are Hapthorn himself, his "other self" and his integrator/familiar. All the others are mere supporting characters, sketched in sufficiently for the short time they are present in the narrative.

The book, thus, is concerned almost exclusively with Hapthorn as articulated in Hughes' style. Readers who are not engaged by Hapthorn will find little else to distract them; although the plot is sturdy enough, the true meat is Hapthorn and his inner conflicts. Fortunately, that's enough.

Overall Grade: B

The Ditty Bops, Summer Rains (The Green Witch Society, 2008)

The Ditty Bops, comprised of lovers Amanda Barrett (vocals, mandolin, ukulele) and Abby DeWald (vocals, guitar), are making an excellent musical career for themselves despite, or perhaps because of, their consistent defiance of expectations and any easy categorization. Their combination of century-old musical styles, quirky but clever lyrics, fiendishly catchy melodies, and gorgeous harmonies earned their second album Moon Over the Freeway the #1 spot on my top 10 albums of 2006. With their new effort Summer Rains, The Ditty Bops continue to move to the beat of their own drum, and they have another great assortment of songs to show for it.

While a bit more laid back than its predecessors, Summer Rains follows the same general approach to what The Ditty Bops have done in the past. Most of the top-notch supporting cast has returned, including co-producer/keyboardist Mitchell Froom, ace ragtime pianist Greg Rutledge, and drummer Pete Thomas from Elvis Costello's Attractions and Impostors. The one significant addition to the sessions for the new album is guest vocalist Jesca Hoop, who adds a third part to the harmonies on two songs. About half of Summer Rains consists of love songs written in the style of old (i.e., Jazz Age if not earlier) pop standards, but with the rest of the album Barrett and DeWald take on a number of different topics with their lyrics. "Skinny Bones" is a rousing celebration, in the spirit of the hot club jazz of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli, of being under-endowed. The bluesy "What Happened to the Radio" is pretty self-explanatory (although Pete Thomas has played on at least one better song covering the same topic). The Ditty Bops go country on "Because We Do," a sarcastic song about passively accepting things as they are. The folksy "I Feel from the Outside In" deals with being misunderstood, and "The Weeds Are Winning" is a satirical assessment of the rat race and the lifestyle that goes with it. And on the poignant closing song "Sugar and Spice," Barrett and DeWald wonder what little girls are really made of.

Having said that, the real strength of Summer Rains comes from The Ditty Bops' superior sense of song craftsmanship, even as their style generally evokes a distant past. All the songs are melodic and eminently singable (try not singing along to the chorus of "All Over You," and see how far you get), and feature Barrett and DeWald's trademark harmonies. It wouldn't be to hard to envision songs like "When's She Coming Home" or the deviously romantic single "I Stole Your Wishes" being popular hits from a bygone age, at least if you imagine they are being sung from a man's perspective. But that's the essence of The Ditty Bops' music -- they can be completely charming and boldly subversive at the same time.

In an idealized world where pop music actually required melody, catchiness, and clever lyrics, The Ditty Bops would be considered elite pop artists. As it stands, they're somewhere to the left of alternative. While I suppose that's too bad, their music is there for everybody who wants to hear it. And Summer Rains, like its two predecessors, is well worth hearing.

(The album is currently available, to the best of my knowledge, only on The Ditty Bops' website. You can purchase downloads of the songs, or buy the CD. The CD booklet comes with some pop-up art, although whether or not you think the extra pictures and artwork are worth the money will most likely ultimately depend on how highly you value frontal nudity on the inside of a CD booklet.)

Overall grade: A

reviewed by Scott

THE FORBIDDEN KINDGOM

Time for some high-flying, gravity-defying kung-fu fighting! The Forbidden Kindgom is a fun, light movie where martial arts legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li battle countless minions (and yes, each other) to save a kingdom.

This story starts off in South Boston, where awkward teen Jason Tripitkas (Michael Angarano) loves kung-fu movies, has no luck with the local girls, and gets bullied by some one-dimensional teenage thugs. After a botched robbery and quick chase at Jason's favorite store, he finds himself transported back to ancient China, holding the mysterious staff from that store.

In short order Jason meets Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), a traveling martial artist and heavy drinker; he also claims to be one of the legendary immortals. Lu provides the story behind the staff. At a gathering of immortals, the mischievous Monkey King (played by Jet Li) was tricked and betrayed by the Jade Warlord (Collin Chou), who turned the Monkey King to stone. Before being petrified, the Monkey King sent the staff away, and legends say when it is returned by a seeker the Monkey King will be free.

Jason also meets up with the Silent Monk (also played by Jet Li) who, after fighting with Lu, decides to join them. Rounding out the makeshift party of heroes is Sparrow (Liu Yifei), a beautiful young woman and skilled warrior whose family and village were slaughtered by the troops of the Jade Warlord. She has a weapon which can slay an immortal, and she seeks revenge on the Jade Warlord.

The villains aren't as diverse as the heroes. The Jade Warlord is a ruthless leader, skilled and fighting and ruthless in command. There's a deadly assassin named Ni Chang (Li Bingbing), a white-haired killer who is equally skilled with a whip, a bow, or her enchanted hair. Otherwise, the bad guys have hordes of heavily armored sword-wielding troops who know enough martial arts to fight the heroes but not enough to do anything but get their butts handed to them every time.

The Forbidden Kingdom is enjoyable fluff. The fight scenes are impressive, and it's nice to see Jackie Chan reprising his drunken master style of fighting again. Even though the action uses as much special effects and wire tricks as combat, Chan and Li still manage to put on a great show of martial arts. (The other actors are no slouches either.) The story is as much comedy as excitement, and there are no surprises along the journey: We know who's going to find themselves, who's doomed, and what will happen in the end. The Forbidden Kingdom is a good diversion, a movie that's an entertaining way to spend an afternoon.

Overall Grade: B

Reviewed by James Lynch

Conspiracy (2008)

So what do we end up with when we put Val Kilmer into the role of a discharged Marine with some issues, and call the film Conspiracy? Well, direct to video is never the hallmark of high quality cinema, but at least this time it's more watchable than most.

Kilmer is MacPherson, a special forces Marine that was discharged from the Gulf War (it's anyone's guess if it was part one or two) after sustaining an injury. While he's happy to live a completely hedonistic lifestyle on his disability pay, a war buddy encourages begs him to come out to New Mexico where he needs some help on his ranch. After some "hoo-ra's" and "semper fi's" he agrees to make the cross country journey by bus to the border town. However, as he enters a booming town that appears like a gold rush just started, he can't find a trace of his buddy whose his house (we later learn) is burned to the ground. On top of that, some Halliburton type of contractor appears to be controlling the whole place, and have the police in their back pocket.

Now we've got a majorly ruffled Marine asking all the wrong questions as the local law enforcement attempts to escort MacPherson back to the bus depot for a one way trip back to where he came from. Soon, this turns into some type of poor man's Rambo remake, but it is not as nearly engaging as the original as first blood is drawn. As the film progresses, the score gets settled, and we learn what is really going on in the town.

In a medical aside, there's a mistake in the film. In one scene, it's clearly seen that MacPherson has a leg prosthesis on his right leg for an above knee amputation. However, later in the film, he somehow manages to drive a car using his right foot. Despite the latest prosthesis, this simply wouldn't occur, and makes no sense to me.

Medical nitpicks aside, all I can say is that this wasn't too terrible a film, but it wasn't that good of one either. Those looking for some kind of Rambo Lite will think the film Conspiracy is ok.

Overall Grade: B-/C+

Reviewed by Jonas

A Baronial Household of the Thirteenth Century - Margaret Wade Labarge (1965)

I am a fan of "daily living" style history books (see Daily Living in the 12th Century and Scotland Under Mary Stuart) and this book is a solid entry in this category. Working from surviving household rolls of Eleanor de Montfort, augmented by similiar sources, Margaret Labarge attempts to paint a picture of the mechanics involved in administering a large noble household with a reasonable degree of success.

The book is well laid out, discussing first the castle as a dwelling, then the position of noblewomen in household management. From there she proceeds to questions of provisioning, cooking, clothing and so on, addressing costs, the household organization to monitor and provide the goods or services and so forth, with the result that the reader does get a certain Upper Management view of the time. The conclusions that Labarge draws from the scanty information in the rolls is correlated with and supported by other documentation so that she offers an interpretation of a specific point, one feels fairly confident in accepting it.

The book is particularly useful if one is interested in the economics of the time since it contains quite a bit of information on pricing, something which is missing from many books of this type. On the other hand, unless one is interested in it, the discussions of, for instance, why the wheat prices are higher in one location than another and how much may leave one cold.

A Baronial Household ... is perhaps not as accessible as, for instance, the Gies'books, being aimed less at the casual reader and more at the reader with an interest in medieval history, but that is no crime. It is fine addition to any collection of "Daily Life" books.

Overall Grade: B

Premonition (2007)

I've had the Premonition disc sitting around for months, and simply didn't get around to watching it. After I did, I was glad that I finally got to it.

Sandra Bullock plays Linda Hanson, a suburban housewife with a husband and two young daughters. Her life is pretty much average, until one day she awakens to the reality that her husband is dead. However, she keeps getting premonitions (hence the title) of other adverse events that are going to happen affecting herself and family. As the tale gets told, in a series of nonconsecutive days of the week, we learn about marital difficulties with her husband, her relationship with her mother, the daughter's accident that she can't remember, and a psychiatrist that thinks she's psychotic works on getting her committed.

Premonition reminded me of another film that runs out of order, Memento. In that film, the story is told backwards to simulate the memory disorder where the main character has no short term memory. In Premonition, we're a lot more jumbled as there's no true order, but characters and subplots keep getting revealed in bite size pieces for easy digestion. While it sounds like it is very confusing, I'd say that it's only mildly so, and makes us identify with our protagonists unsettling feeling of each time she wakes up to start a new day, she's not sure if her husband is alive or dead.

Overall, I enjoyed Premonition. It's an interesting drama, that attempts to break new ground in the sequence of storytelling. Also, don't miss the DVD's featurette that shows the story sequence chronologically after you see the film to get some insight on how the whole thing fits together.

Overall Grade: B+

Reviewed by Jonas

Habib Koité and Bamada, Afriki (Cumbancha, 2007)

Malian singer/guitarist Habib Koité is one of the most respected performers of Western African music. Together with his backing band Bamada, Koité has earned his reputation by combining superior musicianship with a strong sense of melody. While Koité and Bamada have built and maintained a sizable international following over the last few years with steady touring, Afriki is actually their first album in six years.

The best and worst thing that can be said of Afriki is that it's pretty much exactly what anybody familiar with Koité's music would expect it to be. Koité churns out his usual assortment of mellow guitar grooves, set to the traditional rhythms of his homeland. Yes it's a bit predictable, but Koité's playing remains superb, and the music is generally quite pleasant. The one track which deviates from Koité's basic formula is called "Nta Dima," in which Koité takes the concept of a horn section quite literally -- the "horns" used in the song are antelope horns. Their tone doesn't quite match the tone of the guitar, resulting in a slight dissonance that's a bit jarring at first, but after a few listens it became the most compelling track on the album for me.

Fans of Habib Koité and Bamada will find plenty to their liking on Afriki, which ably reinforces Koité's status as an elite guitarist and a solid all-around performer. People who like laid-back guitar music do not need to have a particular affinity for African music to enjoy the quality of this recording as well.

Overall grade: B+

reviewed by Scott

Rendition (2007)

Rendition is a drama that looks at the unfair, and questionably legal, practices involving the detainees at Guatanamo Bay. It stars Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Omar Metwally.

Isabella (Witherspoon) and Anwar (Metwally) are the typical American family with one child. One day, Anwar doesn't return from his business trip in "North Africa" (more on that in a bit). Next thing we know, Anwar is unofficially "lost," the U.S. Government knows nothing of his whereabouts, and his wife figures out that he got on the plane, but never off (sounds like some luggage). She turns to some government contacts for help. In the meantime, much of the film shows the torture tactics that undoubtedly go on at Gitmo, much of it performed by a junior agent, Douglas Freeman (Gyllenhaal).

At least to this reviewer, Rendition had much potential but really just fizzles like last year's pop rocks. Rather than an intelligent thriller that asks the question of why does our government treat people like this, and could this not happen to any of us, we end up with a front row seat for too much torture and not enough thought. While any good horror director knows that the suggestion of the monster has far more impact than some guy running around with fake blood and a rubber knife, this lesson could have been learned here: We simply see too much of the torture, and it starts to lose its impact. On top of that, I felt like it was being dumbed down every time they flashed "North Africa" as a setting on the bottom of the screen like it was the sister country to South Africa. Seriously, were we in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia or Morocco? Or were we more interested in international ticket sales than making a good film for American audiences?

On top of all of this, we end on a flat, and less than settled, note. It's never completely clear if Anwar is a terrorist or not, and therefore the film loses its impact. If the point of the film is that there are many atrocities inflicted on innocent folks at Gitmo (which I think it is), then we should have made it clear that the guy is not a terrorist rather than having us wonder if maybe with just a little more "encouragement" he would have cracked and given us the phone number to Osama Bin Laden's condo cave. As it stands, I just didn't enjoy this rendition of Rendition, despite a more mature role for Reese Witherspoon.

Overall Grade: C

Reviewed by Jonas

Margot at the Wedding (2007)

So, just this week, fellow Armchair Critic Jim asks me about my grading system, and what constitutes the different letter grades. I go through what they are in my mind, and he feels a little differently about the "mediocre" category. Hey, to each their own, and that's fine by me. Then, he asks me if I truly disliked Apocalypto so much, and couldn't even get through watching the DVD, why wasn't it just an F, and not an F+. I replied that because it had some visual interest at some points, it wasn't totally bad, and I'd reserve an F for those totally dismal films that failed in every department. While I can't find this type of film too often, after all, it's on the other end of the bell curve and an A+ review is a rarity around here, I'll tell you that Margot at the Wedding is such a truly awful film.

How can a film featuring such veteran actors as Nicole Kidman, not to mention Jack Black be so dismal? Imagine a film based around some estranged friends and family gathering around a wedding that few think should be taking place. The house guests are all thrown together, and all they do is gossip about each other. they keep mentioning characters that are nearly impossible to keep straight. They throw in random sexual scenes, like the neighbors in the backyard in the buff, that serve no purpose other than shock value, and don't even make any sense given the minimal plot. The thing drudges along at the speed of a full dumptruck, stuck in reverse, going uphill, and running out of gas. Unfortunately, after wasting an hour of my life on this, I realized "who cares" and I ejected the disc to a feeling of relief. Don't waste any time on Margot at the Wedding, as it is a waste of two veteran actors who have done far better work elsewhere. I can understand Jack Black getting involved with this, but seriously, Nicole Kidman? What was she thinking?

Overall Grade: F

Reviewed by Jonas

THE ORPHANAGE

The past is never far behind in the Spanish horror drama The Orphanage (El Orfanato), a creepy movie that mixes horror with personal drama.

As a child, Laura was raised at a seaside orphanage before being adopted and removed from her friends. Now an adult, Laura (Belén Rueda) wants to reopen the orphanage as a place where she and her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) can help some special needs children. Laura also wants to raise her young son Simón (Roger Princep). Unknown to Simón, he is adopted and HIV-positive, secrets Laura keeps from him.

Simón has a large number of imaginary friends; and some of them may not be so imaginary. After a visit to a nearby cave, Simón talks about his friend and leaves behind a trail of shells to lead him to their home; that night, Laura finds the shells piled up on their doorstep. And while entertaining the families and children for the new home with a party with masks, one silent child appears wearing a sack on his head. Then Simón vanished without a trace.

The Orphanage has plenty of horror elements -- creaking and moving items in the house, figures that seem to vanish -- but it's more about Laura's need for her child. She pursues every avenue available to find Simón, from the police to parapsychologists. Her pursuit leads her to the past, and to recreating the history she left behind at the orphanage.

Relying more on tension and atmosphere than gore and violence, The Orphanage is an effective movie. Rueda shines as the parent facing her worst nightmare and willing to do anything to get her son back. The rest of the cast is solid, but they are present to react to Laura, from husband Carlos' understandable desire to move on and concern for his wife's sanity to the psychic medium fearful of providing too much hope. The Orphanage may not be a typical horror movie, but it's a film worth seeing.

Overall grade: B

Reviewed by James Lynch

ARKHAM TALES: LEGENDS OF THE HAUNTED CITY

H.P. Lovecraft's fictional city of Arkham has become a staple of Lovecraftian fiction. It has a history of the supernatural, it contains the New England people and architecture so beloved by Lovecraft, and it is nearby such significant locales as Miskatonic University, Innsmouth, and Dunwich. The anthology Arkham Tales: Legends of the Haunted City uses the city as the focal point for its horror tales. Alas, it doesn't deliver stories worthy of the Arkham name.

The stories here range from the 1920s and 1930s (when Lovecraft wrote) to the present day. There are numerous elements from Lovecraft's work, from evil tomes to Professor Wilmarth. Unfortunately, the stories don't deliver the horrors or creativity of Lovecraft or other authors who have ventures into his mythos. There is little of the universal horror that lingers after the reader has finished a story. Repeated references to the Pinkerton detectie agency seemed to promote the Call of Cthulhu card game more than add to the history.

These stories aren't awful, but they aren't inspired either. (The sole exception is "Disconnected," whose deliberately chronologically-jumping story provides a chilling result at the end.) I'd recommend fans of Lovecraft read the originals, or take a look at one of the other numerous Lovecraftian anthologies out there.

Overall grade: C-

Reviewed by James Lynch

Accelerate by R.E.M.

R.E.M. is back and rockin'! After the mediocre album Around the Sun, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills return in full force with volume, energy, and an album that is incredible: Accelerate.

The opening guitar riff of "Living Well is the Best Revenge" lets us know that we're in for a treat; and when Michael Stipe's singing joins in, everything comes together. The band remains political -- especially on "Until the Day is Done" -- but they cover a wide variety of topics, from teen angst ("Supernatural Superserious") to homesickness and nostalgia ("Houston") to just wanting to party ("I'm Gonna DJ"). They only slow down on "Houston" and "Sing for the Submarine"; the rest of the album comes at you like a rocket.

Accelerate doesn't replace Automatic for the People as my favorite R.E.M. album, but it is a thoroughly impressive, extremely consistent album. Pick it up and crank it up!

Overall grade: A

Reviewed by James Lynch

THE MIST

While the unknown often contains great horrors, the known can prove even more dangerous. This is one of the themes of The Mist, an excellent adaption of a Stephen King story by veteran King director Frank Darabont.

At the start of The Mist, the residents of a town in Maine are recovering from a massive storm. Professional artist David Drayton (Thomas Jane) is heading into town for supplies, bringing along his young son Billy (Nathan Gamble) and also Brent Norton (Andre Braugher), a contentious vacationing New York lawyer who has sued David in the past. David's wife Stephanie (Kelly Collins Lintz) stays behind to work on the damage to their home.

The supermarket in town is filled with people stocking up after the storm. It quickly becomes a sanctuary as an impenetrable mist comes out of nowhere and doesn't go away. When Dan Munn (Jeffrey DeMunn) runs into the store screaming "There's something in the mist!" he's not exaggerating: The townspeople are soon besieged by a wide variety of creatures, from a giant tentacle to unearthly insects.

The horrors outside are matched by what's inside. It takes almost no time for divisions in the townspeople to become tense. Some poorer locals accuse David of acting like he's better than them. Brent doesn't believe any of the events are supernatural and instead accuses the locals of trying to make the vacationers look like fools. And the fanatically religious Mrs. Camody (Marcia Gay Harden) is convinced that this is the end of days -- a proclamation that seems ridiculous at first but draws more converts as the body count grows and no relief or explanations are in sight.


While The Mist has very effective elements of a "typical" horror movie -- only giving glimpses of the creatures, creating an atmosphere (literally and figuratively) of unknown danger -- its real strength is the human drama of the situation. The supermarket become a cross-section of humanity, with concerned parents, tough bikers, elderly townsfolk, and more joined together -- but more at odds with each other than helping one another. The large ensemble cast doesn't allow for any many individuals to stand out (except for Marcia Gay Harden, who does an excellent job as the harmful zealot who uses the people's fears under the guise of spreading God's love) but they all do an excellent job as ordinary people driven by fear of the unknown -- and each other.

Director Frank Darabont keeps the tension high through realism, having the people acting and reacting as normal people under stress and forced confinement together. He also explains that he envisioned The Mist as a 1960s-style black and white monster movie -- and thanks to the two-disc deluxe edition, he gets his wish! In addition to behind-the-scenes features and interviews with cast and crew, the deluxe edition of The Mist contains the entire movie shot in black and white. I won't say which is better, but including both is an excellent option for the horror fan to choose from.

Creepy, effective, thoughtful, and shocking at the end, The Mist delivers what a fan of intelligent horror wants -- and the black and white version gives them a lot more.

Overall grade: A-

Reviewed by James Lynch

The Night Porter

There are many movies about World War 2, but few deal with its aftermath in such a strange way as The Night Porter. This intentionally slow drama explores the decadence and aftermath of Nazi Germany -- and its impact on two very different people.

In Vienna 1957 Max (Dirk Bogarde) has a job as a night porter at a hotel. He cleans up after people, sees to the needs of the guests, keeps after the staff, and generally behaves as a minor bureaucrat at a small job.

Max has a past, though: He was a Nazi commander at a concentration camp. Max's circle of acquaintances is made up of fellow Nazis in hiding, and they're preparing a "war crimes" trial for Max: Klaus (Phillippe Leroy) will act as prosecutor, they will present all the evidence against him -- and then destroy it. Hans (Gabriele Ferzetti) is a psychiatrist who sees this as theraupeutic, a way to leave the guilt behind. The decadent Bert (Amedeo Amodio), a Nazi ballet dancer with a crush on Max, tells him to embrace the trial. Max just wants to be left alone, but he's cautioned that not only are documents dangerous, but as little as one witness could expose him.

And such a witness appears. Lucia (Charlotte Rampling) is travelling with her husband, a conductor, and they check into Max's hotel. Lucia was a prisoner under Max, and they recognize each other immediately. However, at the concentration camp they began a sadomasochistic affair -- and after some initial trepidation on both their parts, Max and Lucia resume their affair in the present. Max fears that if the other Nazis discover Lucia;s role in his past they'll kill her, while Lucia represents a link that could expose them all.

The Night Porter is not a sensationalistic movie (despite the titillating poster) but rather an examination of the consequences of the war on people. Max went from being in command to a minor hotel employee, and resuming his affair with Lucia returns some of that power to him, despite the dangers. Lucia is haunted by what happened to her, but she is as drawn to it as she was in the past. Vienna is a bleak place, with the war present from the Nazis who create their own community while hiding to the people who don't want to get involved and risk their war pensions.

Director Liliana Cavani handles the material with a neutral touch, neither praising nor damning these characters forced together by their shared past. Dirk Bogarde makes Max a thoroughly neutral character, someone neither proud or ashamed of his past and seizing little opportunities of power where he can find them. Charlotte Rampling is excellent as a woman who doesn't question why she'd drawn back to such a destructive person, and the rest of the cast performs well.

The Night Porter may be a bit deliberate in its pacing, but this results in a drama that is original and thought provoking.

Overall grade: B+

Reviewed by James Lynch