Film Clips

Million Dollar Baby (PG-13) — Clint Eastwood’s bittersweet tale is not so much about the brutality and beauty of boxing as it is the brutality and beauty in life. Eastwood guides his characters — including his own — through their journey together with great tenderness and respect, to a deeply affecting and haunting conclusion. Its power remains long after leaving the theater. (Reviewed Jan. 7)

Beyond the Sea (PG-13) — In the spirit of the classic Hollywood film musicals, Kevin Spacey has designed his Bobby Darin biography as an entertainment, its revelations coming more often from the power of its music than its dramatic moments. Spacey’s portrayal of Darin, in his own singing voice and mannerisms, is studied and deft. Rather than impersonating Darin, Spacey inhabits him. It’s a mythology building piece that Darin himself would probably love. (Reviewed Dec. 31)

The Life Aquatic (R) — Proposing to follow the exploits of a Jacques Cousteau-esque oceanographer and documentarian named Steve Zissou (Bill Murray), that synopsis won’t fully explain this film or its menagerie of strange characters. In retrospect, the secret to appreciating the film is to abandon any expectation of consistent narrative, plot point, or payoff. It just is what it is, a movie that is always going somewhere and yet arrives nowhere. (Reviewed Dec. 24)

The Aviator (PG-13) — Leonardo DiCaprio is an interesting choice to fill the role of eccentric industrialist Howard Hughes, but director Martin Scorsese supplies more questions than answers about the enigmatic Hughes. Ultimately the film reads as a variation on the great American tragedy. Cate Blanchett gives a remarkable performance as Katharine Hepburn, while Kate Beckinsale manages to recover some of her acting credibility as the sensual Ava Gardner. (Reviewed Dec. 24)

The Incredibles (PG) — Pixar excels in the animation field simply because they stick with a successful formula: there’s genius in the simplest of ideas. “The Incredibles” works where Dreamworks’ “Shark Tale,” falls hopelessly short. It is its sincerity that gives its humor more depth. At 121 minutes, “The Incredibles” probably isn’t appropriate for children with limited attention spans. (Reviewed Nov. 5)