What I've been watching lately...

Anyone who knows me knows that during the first few months of the year, I seldom go to the cinema. In fact, the last time I went to the theater was Christmas night to see "Sherlock Holmes". But let's face reality here, January through March is usually the weakest of the year for movies. The selection is mediocre at best and the chilly, crappy winter weather doesn't help matters much either. Ask yourself this: even if you could get in for free, would you go out in twenty degree weather to drive to a crowded theater to see the likes of a "Lovely Bones", "Spy Next Door" or "Youth in Revolt"? I didn't think so.

Do I stay away from theaters completely? Hell no. If there is a film that is getting raves across the board (like Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon") or something I am genuinely interested in seeing, such as the upcoming "Edge of Darkness", "Shutter Island" and "The Wolfman", I'll only be more than happy to get my ass out in the New England cold to get to a screening. More often than not though, I will opt to just stay indoors and watch stuff at home.

So what have I been watching since December 26th? Well, read on to find out.

"John Adams": David McCullough's best-selling novel was turned into a seven-part HBO miniseries two years ago, with Paul Giamatti in the starring role as the man who would become the second President of the United States. The supporting cast, including Laura Linney as John's wife Abigail, Tom Wilkinson as Benjamin Franklin and Danny Huston as John's cousin -and future beer bottle dude- Sam, help director Tom Hooper make this miniseries shine. My only real complaint is the use of odd angles throughout the series, making it feel more like an episode of the Adam West "Batman" television series than it did a serious-minded historical drama. Nonetheless, the subject matter is as gripping and fascinating as you would expect, and you will find yourself addicted to the series in a matter of no time.

"Ferris Bueller's Day Off": With filmmaker John Hughes passing away last year, I've been feeling the need to go back and watch two of my favorite films from the late director, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (which I always watch during Thanksgiving week) and his best film, this wistful 1986 comedy starring Matthew Broderick in his trademark role (at least to this writer). Despite being a product of its time, the film still holds up remarkably well. If you haven't seen it in a while, give it a spin. You'll be surprised how much you still laugh at it and how it good it still makes you feel.

"RocknRolla": After seeing the enjoyable "Sherlock Holmes", I wanted to give Guy Ritchie's previous British crime film a spin. I got through about an hour of it before I gave up. Once again, a motley group of criminals and gangsters are running around London swearing, scheming, shooting and looting. Now, this was fine for Ritchie's debut "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and his follow up, "Snatch", which featured a hilarious turn by Brad Pitt. But after a while, you have to move on. Ritchie tried and failed with a remake of "Swept Away" starring his then-wife (are they still married?) Madonna. Fortunately, his second attempt at something different, "Holmes", was more of a success. Here's hoping this prevents Ritchie from returning to the criminal underworld, because there is absolutely no life left in it for him.

"Howards End": At the absolutely opposite end of the Brit spectrum from "RocknRolla" is this 1992 Merchant/Ivory adaptation of the E.M. Forster novel, which has been given a beautiful high-definition release from the Criterion Collection company. Leisurely-paced but very well-told and acted by its first-rate ensemble cast that includes Emma Thompson (in her Oscar-winning role), Anthony Hopkins and Helena-Bonham-Carter, I've always preferred this class-struggle in turn-of-the-century England to "A Room With A View", which has not held up very well over the past two decades.

"Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side": I'm a fan of the raunchy animated Fox comedy, and I really enjoyed the first "Star Wars" spoof done by Seth MacFarlane, "Blue Harvest". The straight-to-home video release of the "Empire Strikes Back" spoof, "Something, Something, Something Dark Side", is also somewhat amusing, but nowhere near as good as "Harvest". Your level of enjoyment out of the short will depend on two things: 1) how well you know the 1980 "Star Wars" sequel and 2) how well you know "Family Guy". The first doesn't matter as much as the second, given the reaction one of my friends had to a viewing of the special the day after Christmas. He certainly knows the movie, but isn't all that familiar with "Family Guy". The stretches of silence from him during the show were deafening.

"District 9": A smart mix of social commentary and science-fiction, last year's surprise box office smash, and one of 2009's best films, translates just fine to the small screen. The biggest benefit of the home video release of "District 9" may be with its documentary-style cinematography that makes up the first half of the film. In the theater, it suffered the same issues that "Public Enemies" did: the high-def cameras made the movie look downright ugly. On home video, the picture is as clear as glass. The supplemental material is quite interesting, but one wishes that the original short film "Alive in Joburg" were also included. Oh well, I guess that is what YouTube is for.

"Dances With Wolves" (theatrical cut) : With all my rambling over the past month that "Avatar" is "Dances With Wolves" in outer space, I thought I would give Kevin Costner's 1990 award-winning drama a spin to see not only if my gripes were valid, but also to see how well the film holds up. I was correct with the similarities (my main gripe wasn't lack of originality. It was Cameron's inability to do anything fresh with the story) and was impressed at how well Costner's directorial debut held up. The film is not available on blu-ray in North America yet, but region-free copies (like the one I got from the UK) are available for import.

"Paris, Texas": I am currently going through Criterion's January 26th blu-ray release of Wim Wenders' 1984 family drama, but what I have seen so far of the disc chalks up yet another winner from the folks at Criterion, a must-own for fans of the film. As for the movie itself, Wenders' drama is still as heartbreaking and involving as it was when I first saw it a quarter of a century ago (!). Like "Wings of Desire", Wenders' follow up film, "Paris, Texas" takes its time to reach its destination, which may prove to be a bit of a chore for those of an impatient nature. But trust me, it's worth the trip.

(500) Days of Summer: Ahhh, Zooey Deschanel in high definition. And, um, the film is pretty funny as well.