when you see a filmmaker getting too fancy... you can bet he's worried either about his story or his ability to tell it

This may be it for a while; I may have had enough. Time to get back on the treadmill and the bike, and do some other things that have been in the 'pending' pile while I watched a whole lot of movies in the last few months. Here, though, is a small group of quirky picks.

Love Story (1970) - "A boy and a girl from different backgrounds fall in love regardless of their upbringing - and then tragedy strikes."
I watched it because: I knew the song from the days when I played the piano (badly and highly repetitively), but I hadn't read the book or seen the movie. I thought I knew what it was about.
story: 3/5
visuals: 3/5
acting: 3/5--standout: Ryan O'Neal (Oliver Barrett)
intangibles: 3/5
Academy Award winner: Best Music, Original Score
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture
• Best Leading Actor--O'Neal
• Best Leading Actress--Ali MacGraw
• Best Supporting Actor--John Marley
• Best Best Director
• Best Writing, Based on Material Not Previously Published--Erich Segal
overall: 3/5

Jane Eyre (1997) - "Charlotte Bronte's classic novel is filmed yet again. The story of the Yorkshire orphan who becomes a governess to a young French girl and finds love with the brooding lord of the manor is given a standard romantic flare...."
I watched it because: I've neither read the book nor seen any version of the film, and it was suggested as fine Valentine's Day week fare on Amazon Prime.
story: 3.5/5--what can I say about classic lit that I haven't read?
visuals: 4/5
acting: 3/5--standout: Samantha Morton is a longtime favorite, and she's terrific as the title character.
intangibles: 2/5--the actor portraying Mr. Rochester, Ciarán Hinds, is mesmerizing and extremely strange. The chemistry between him and Jane is palpable, but also palpably odd.
overall: 3.125/5

Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005) - "A widowed man's life turns upside down when he embarks on a journey to find a dying man's long lost love."
I watched it because: it was a Valentine's Day recommendation on Amazon Prime, and it looked neither as overtly depressing nor as happily schmoopy as most of what they were pushing
story: 4/5
visuals: 4/5
acting: 5/5--standouts: this cast is extraordinary. Robert Carlyle is a revelation as Frank Keane, and Mary Steenburgen puts depth into the role of Marienne Hotchkiss.
intangibles: 4/5--loved it!
overall: 4.25/5

Priceless (a.k.a. Hors de Prix) (2006) - "Through a set of wacky circumstances, a young gold digger mistakenly woos a mild-mannered bartender, thinking he's a wealthy suitor." (French with English subtitles.)
I watched it because: it was an Amazon Prime recommendation, I really liked Audrey Tautou in Amélie, and it seemed like a nice sort of silly 'European caper' film to watch on a Friday night.
story: 2.5/5--it is, in essence, a less-funny or -romantic Pretty Woman, only with both Julia Roberts and Richard Gere as whores. Prehaps there is some breakdown in translation?
visuals: 5/5--undeniably visually stunning. Tautou (Irène) is one of the most beautiful women in the world, and co-star Gad Elmaleh (Jean) is gorgeous, and the movie was filmed in Biarritz, Nice, and Monaco in some incredibly impressive buildings and other locations
acting: 4/5--standouts: Tautou and Elmaleh are a joy to watch, even in these romantic yet strangely unsympathetic roles. Jacques Spiesser's Gilles was pitch perfect.
intangibles: 2/5--the film made me cranky. I wanted to like it, but the story was just so...base. And every character smoked like a f'ing chimney. (This clearly reveals my provincial American intolerance, I know.)
overall: 3.375/5

Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) - "A U.S. sub commander, obsessed with sinking a certain Japanese ship, butts heads with his first officer and crew."
I watched it because: I was looking for a war movie to cleanse my palate after all the romantic films lately. WWII movies are the best, of course - though I haven't seen too many submarine films. And I have a ridiculous crush on Clark Gable, who looks a whole lot like my animal-brain attorney from the Flatland.
story: 3.5/5
visuals: 4/5--the sub stuff is really well done, and must have been remarkable for its day. The scenes of debris and deceased sailors bobbing in the sea were particularly realistic and chilling.
acting: 4/5--standouts: in another all-star cast, it is hard to choose just one or two. However, I particularly admired Jack Warden as Yeoman 1st Class 'Kraut' Mueller and Burt Lancaster's Lt. Jim Bledsoe.
intangibles: 3/5
overall: 3.625/5

[the title quotation is by Walter Dean Myers, from Monster]