From Scent of a Woman to Harold and Maude.

Scent of A Woman (Universal) – Al Pacino is a great actor, but like his peer Robert De Niro, he is prone to showboating and screeching out his lines. He finally received an Oscar for this movie, which showcases the Al we are all used to, shouting out his lines and full of HOO-HAH moments. Despite Pacino’s moments of self-reference, he gives a wonderful performance as Lt Colonel Frank Slade, a former aide to Lyndon Johnson who went blind from an accident. Charlie Simms (Chris O Donnell) is a poor scholarship student who looks after Frank for the Thanksgiving weekend. The two go on a trip to New York where Slade gets to have one last great weekend before killing himself. It’s the quieter moments between the two men that redeem the film, such as Frank enjoys a test drive in a Ferrari or the poignant scene where Charlie watches Frank charm a woman to dance the tango with him. The film looks for nuances and shades of character with the two men, Pacino is excellent in the final portion of the film and O Donnell holds his own against the fiery old man.

Venus (Miramax)– Those cool steely eyes of Peter O Toole that beheld the rough desert in Lawrence of Arabia, now ogle at young women in this excellent British film. Maurice (O Toole) and Ian (Leslie Philips) two aging thespians of the Royal Shakespearian Company now reduced to playing corpses and bit roles. A breath of fresh air comes in the form of Ian’s new caretaker his niece Jessie (Jodie Whitaker). Jessie, a common young woman proves to be a useless help for Ian, but Maurice, the aging lothario, takes her under his wing and takes her to museums and plays, and a subtle romance develops. The film is a wonderful look at intergenerational relationships and aging.  In one hilarious scene, Maurice and Ian compare the many pills they have to take at their local café. O Toole and Philips have a crackling camaraderie together, and they both give great performances as they come to terms with the end of their lives. The romance between Maurice and Jessie is very interesting, as the pair bloom into better people, especially in a lovely scene where Jessie allows him to kiss her neck and shoulders, but she draws the line when Maurice fumbles across her breasts. Audiences may balk at this odd love story, but the two actors imbue such love and passion, that it is hard not to be swept away by their love. The film earned O Toole an Oscar nod at the age 80, it is a lovely performance from the veteran actor, capable of being the roguish charmer he was in his breakout role.

Tuesdays With Morrie (Harpo Productions) – Based on Mitch Albom’s bestseller book, and produced by Oprah Winfrey, this film shares an affinity with Harold & Maude. The title character Morrie (Jack Lemmon) like Maude, is a zestful life loving man, even though he is dying of Lou Gehrig’s disease. Mitch (Hank Azaria) lives a fast paced life as a sports journalist, always on deadline, which leaves him little time for his long-suffering girlfriend. On one busy night, he spots his old professor on TV and decides to pay him a visit. A touching relationship redevelops between the two men, and Morrie is determined to break down Mitch’s barriers to allow him to enjoy his life. Mitch starts recording Morrie’s advice and musings on life, which lead him to revaluate his hectic lifestyle. Jack Lemmon gives a nuanced and spirited performance as the joyful Morrie, though he may he spout out many cheesy lines, the films heart is in the right place. A definite must watch.

UP (Disney/Pixar) – The Oscar winner proves once again that Pixar is a studio that takes great risks and comes out with enchanting stories. Be it the silent bot in Wall-E, or the cantankerous old man Carl Fredrickson, Pixar crafts wonderful creations that appeal to both children and adults. The film boasts of a fantastic montage that is pure cinematic magic as it goes through the years of Carl and Ellie’s marriage. After this montage, we meet Carl, a cranky septuagenarian in a dispute with a redevelopment company that wants to demolish his home. A court orders Carl to go into a retirement home, but Carl instead attaches hundreds of helium balloons to his house and floats away to his destination of Paradise Falls. However, he finds he has a stowaway Russell, a precocious little Boy Scout. The directors never lose touch of their audience, children would be charmed by the sight gags and slapstick, while adults will love the filmic references (Carl at one point pulls his house across the jungle ala Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo) and its genuine heart. In a lovely scene, Carl looks at Ellie’s scrapbook and realizes she didn’t see their life together as a failure, in spite of it not turning out the way she’d hoped. Flicking through her old photo album, he learns to appreciate what they had. UP is a lovely film by Pixar that harkens back to the good old days of Disney, a good story, and dynamic visuals.

Harold & Maude (Paramount) – Hal Ashby’s charming, funny and quirky film is definitely the father of all the Wes Anderson films and indie filmmaking to come. Harold & Maude has earned cult status for purely being a film that speaks to everyone, with its wise new age slogans from the irrepressible 79 year old Maude (Ruth Gordon) or the hilariously morbid suicide attempts of Harold (Bud Cort). The film holds its special appeal to this day, simply for the love story between this odd couple. Death obsessed Harold finds compassion and understanding, and Maude finds a man who loves her for who she is. The film is full of poignant moments: Harold waiting anxiously in a hospital waiting, Maude coming from a funeral with her yellow umbrella, Harold sticking his head of the window and letting the wind run through his hair. It is the smaller moments like these, that pull audiences in, and of course, fabulous shot where Harold breaks the fourth wall, one of the most gratifying camera addressing shots in all of cinema. With an amazing soundtrack by Cat Stevens, and a zesty performance by Ruth Gordon, there’s nothing phony about Harold & Maude. We watch as these quirky people charm and take our hearts with them on a beautiful journey of life and death.