My Holiday Movie Viewer’s Guide...

December 2007/January 2008

Three new movies worth your money this holiday season.

No Country for Old Men -

Joel and Ethan Coen’s latest epic follows the trail of a black briefcase filled with ill-gotten drug proceeds, and the ensuing wrath that object causes in the lives of those with whom it makes contact.

Discovered by local hunter Llewellen Moss (a surprisingly effective, macho Josh Brolin) amidst a carnival of corpses and cars in the desert- the result of a drug transaction gone horribly wrong - the $2 million dollars is too tempting to refuse. Once in his possession, the money will become a curse, and a deadly catalyst.

In a film loaded with great performances, mega-bad guy Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardim) stands out for both his intellectual cunning and complete, sociopathic indifference to the suffering of others. On an obsessive mission to retrieve the missing cash, Bardim cuts a wide, indiscriminate swath of violence across the bleak, windswept Texas landscape.

Bardim’s Anton is best described by Woody Harrelson, in a well-written bit as a former Army colonel also in search of the treasure, who says of him, incredulously “How dangerous is he? Compared to what, bubonic plague?”

Craggy-faced Tommy Lee Jones, still one of our finest American actors, offers a glorious turn as one local sheriff pursuing Llewellen, the money and a murderous Chigurh.

Jones’ philosophical nature offers a sort of Greek chorus to compliment the tragic events, which he seems to constantly be only steps behind.

No Country is rather like the mirror opposite of the Coen’s Academy Award winning Fargo, albeit replacing the foreboding deep snows and biting cold of the Upper Midwest with the relentless heat and desolate brown and orange tones of rural southern Texas.

A blazing accomplishment from two brilliant American filmmakers.

Before the Devil Knows Your Dead - Another classic American filmmaker, Sidney Lumet (Serpico, The Verdict) returns to form with this tale of an ordinary American family - at least to external appearances - about to unravel in an unsavory robbery attempt.

Eldest son Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) fresh off his Oscarwinning portrayal of author/celebrity Truman Capote, provides another performance worthy of a Best Actor nomination, portraying an externally - slick real estate executive whose hidden secrets and desperate needs drive the story to it’s entirely plausible, trainwreck conclusion.

After luring his weak, feckless loser younger sibling Hank (Ethan Hawke) into a particularly dubious scheme, Hoffman’s character watches helplessly as it wrenches out of control, driven by a sort of worst-case-imaginable domino sequence. His manipulative nature eventually dissipates, shattered by the results of this nefarious planning. By that time, it’s too late, and everyone involved suffers a cataclysmic meltdown.

And yes, it’s worth mentioning that the film contains - actually openswith as graphic and sensual a sex scene as you will find in mainstream cinema.

Some might argue it’s gratuitous, but we found Hoffman’s gymnastic antics with the simply spectacular Marisa Tomei help establish eventual motivations for his later behavior. Tomei herself, aging better than perhaps any actress of her generation, channels a sort of Sophia Loren-esque sultry, compelling sexuality as Hoffman’s how-did-he-get-her younger wife.

Beowulf - The long-awaited combination of live action and CGI animation from director Robert Zumeckis (Back to the Future) takes its cues from the classic Danish poem, while still allowing enough creative license to jazz up the storyline for modern audiences.

The tale is a simple one, where the Great Hall of the King of Denmark (Anthony Hopkins) is repeatedly besieged by a malignant, troll-like monster called Grendel.

Until one day a hero arrives from across the frigid northern seas.

That Norseman, Beowulf (Ray Winstone) dispatches the twenty-foot monster during a complex, beautifully choreographed battle sequence, which we imagine must be utterly spectacular on the screen of the Atlantic City’s local IMAX T h e a t e r.

But that’s really just the sendup for this updated, twenty-first century retelling. Grendel’s mother (a snakelike Angelina Jolie) slithers into the Great Hall, casually slaughtering all but one of Beowulf’s remaining companions.

The Serpentine Lady - in a bodysuit rivaled only by Rebecca Romijn’s outfit from the X-Men franchise - is tracked to the depths of an underground cave by Beowulf. Rather than exacting his revenge upon her, they strike a sort of deal, which temporarily at least, buys the kingdom - which Beowulf has come to rule - a time of peace.

Telling you more might spoil the movie’s surprises, but either way, we’re sure you’ll enjoy the sophisticated visual imagery. As for the film’s extended, gory violence and bawdy underpinnings, we wouldn’t recommend Beowulf for those under ten years of age.

(The trio of teenagers in our party all were fine with these more mature themes.)

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Our Philadelphia restaurant spies report that world-renowned New York City chef Eric Ripert plans to open a new venture on-site at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Broad Street in Center City. The project is part of an ambitious expansion by the famed hoteliers, who are simultaneously building a mixed-use residential/commercial tower next door to their existing facility.

Ripert, considered by many to be the world’s finest chef, and a true seafood genius, is a regular guest judge on the Bravo channels successful Top Chef series, about to enter its fourth season on the network.

The youthful French native also operates critically lauded Le Bernardin in New York, earning a coveted trio of Michelin stars from the world’s oldest restaurant-ratings service. The arrival of Ripert - as universally acknowledged a chef as exists in the entire world - helps solidify Philadelphia’s claim as one our nation’s premier dining destinations. Paraphrasing the Temple University ads, “He could have gone anywhere, and he chose Philadelphia.”

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A (Sort of) Holiday Story With a Happy Ending: At the tail end of a splendid recent weekend spent in Washington D.C., I did something really, incredibly stupid.

Losing my wallet at an I95 Rest Stop called the Maryland House, midway between Baltimore and the Delaware state line, produced a wave of cold, clammy initial panic comparable to cardiac arrest.

Compounding this dilemma, I didn’t discover it missing until reaching the New Jersey state line, close to fifty miles away My wife and I, having already suffered through an identity-theft incident at our former bank, were distraught at the idea of my debit and credit cards, plus a plethora of other personal information, in the hands of a stranger.

After some directory service legwork we located a phone number for the facility, and then held our collective breaths waiting to see if by some fortuitous freak of nature, it had turned up.

Imagine my relief and delight when the first person we spoke to described a “thick brown leather case” that had been submitted to their lost and found department within the hour.

Not surprisingly, the forty or so dollars left from our journey had been removed, a trivial loss at best. In fact, we considered it a more-than-fair reward for its return.

But back to the fine folks in northeastern Maryland. Not only did they find my precious possession, but also they sent it back, via DHL Express air, within three days!

I cannot tell you how thankful, appreciative and totally impressed I was with their helpful attitude, and professionalism. It’s also a lesson for those of us in Atlantic City.

Kind behavior towards strangers, especially in a tourist dependent economy such as ours, brings unexpected cosmic and tangible, physical rewards.

Happy holidays to all, and to all a good night.

Frank Gabriel may be reached at Thaibasil@AOL.com