Life offers so little grace… and so, we must savor it when we can… taste it and hold it in our memories, like the cold, sticky sweetness of a popsicle on the coldest day of the.  Feel this moment of the summer movie season… dote on it… enjoy it in real time… because it won’t be the same when we look back next year or the year after or ten years hence… we are receiving little gifts of shadow and light that mean nothing, but which are everything. 

On the other side of the world – the same side of the world that some of you are in – people are killing each other over sand and rocks and the desperate human need to possess a god whose very nature is to evaporate into meaninglessness if all you seek is ownership. 

As a critic, people ask me all the time about what’s good and then want to fight about what “good” means.  It’s more than a blowjob interlocutory.   Good at the movies is all about equivocation.  If I am very lucky, one of every ten movies I see actually is “good.”  One in fifty or sixty may actually be “great.”

So, when Fox and DreamWorks team up to put out two movies in a month which qualify as very, very good and may even be great, it is cause for celebration.  And they are not alone in a place of honor.  Anyone who made light of Stacey Snider at Universal has to take a look at last summer’s sequel and genre smashes and then take a look at this summer, where she has delivered small, quality film after small, quality film. 

I think I may have cracked the Undercover Brother conundrum… the people who hate it may approach it with the assumption that stupid people made it… you know, the same people who have made so many hideous teen comedies.  Coming at it with the assumption that smart people made it, you might look at the stereotype of white people liking mayonnaise and of black people liking hot sauce and realize that the core of the joke is the absurdity of anyone fearing mayonnaise enough to design a watch that covers it in hot sauce to make it bearable.  But I digress…

If you want to attack Clones, please do.  But as unsatisfying as some elements of the film might be, there is some work of genius going on there that deserves appreciation.  Spider-Man is a solid recreation of a solid comic book.  We’ve gotten to see Diane Lane screwed silly and Richard Gere cuckolded.  And Baltimore got one more chance at rebuilding the harbor. 

That said, let me answer the question that will sent the most parents to their children’s rooms to look at the dictionary that they haven’t picked up in a decade.  “Perdition” means, according to Webster, “utter destruction” or “eternal damnation.”  Ironically, in the edition I have, it is right below “per diem,” which is one of Hollywood’s favorite rest stops on that road. 

The Road to Perdition is, indeed, paved with good intentions.  But unlike the road some of us walk in life, the movie does not lead to our damnation.  It leads to the joy of having experienced a good yarn, well told.  It leads to reflection on our own lives and all of our own crimes and misdemeanors.  And it leads to that wonderful feeling that comes after a full meal, well cooked, well served and surprisingly healthy.

If Sam Mendes’ film is a five-course gourmet meal, Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report is the best barbecue you’ve had all year and the best you are likely to have until Gangs of New York in December or The Matrix-im next summer. 

From the very first frames of Minority Report, it is clear that Steven Spielberg has achieved what he failed to achieve last summer with A.I.  His newest film is the perfect balance between the work of Stanley Kubrick’s vision and his own vision of film storytelling.  Much of the movie is not recognizably “Spielbergian.”  He’s moving the camera differently, simplifying, roughing up his edges.  The production design, which is remarkable in its own right, also has the distinct icy precision of Kubrick.  And then there is the John Williams score, which references classical music instead of the usual John Williams bravado.

That is, all things are Kubrickian until the film starts morphing into some pure and true Spielberg in the second act.  The result is a more classic form of filmmaking, more and more story driven as the film progresses.  And the strokes are wonderful.  But it leaves Stanley’s ghost behind.  And with that ghost goes some of the depth that might have made Minority Report a true classic of American cinema.  The core moral issues of pre-crime and emotional loss become story points – again, really good story points.  But one has to wonder how Kubrick would have hit the notes that would have made “Pre-Cog” rights more of an issue or balanced the monolithic federal government of this film with more complex ambiguities than the ones we get to see. 

One of the film’s highlights is Lois Smith as Dr. Hineman.  After seeing the film a second time, it occurred to me that that character could easily be seen as an homage to Kubrick.  Dr. Hineman is an unmitigated genius that has chosen, after giving something singular and powerful to the world, to hide out in a hyper-botanical cottage.  When she sees a human for the first time in what we can assume is a long time, she says, “I don’t have visitors.”  Of course, Kubrick’s isolationism was a bit overstated by the press.  But the idea of the genius in repose, still knowing more than the rest, still the smartest one at the dance… very Kubrick. 

Back on The Road, there is another aging actor stealing scenes.  Paul Newman has played moral equivocators his entire career, whether they were good guys or bad.  Here, he is a man who faces a dilemma made of his own moral structure… does he support his blood son, aka The Fredo or his found son, aka The Michael?  As he says at one point in the film, “We are all murderers in this room.” 

DreamWorks has done a wonderful and brilliant thing in selling this film so far.  They have sold the first act and left the rest of the story for you to experience in the theater.  Some have read the script and more have read the graphic novel, but based on the marketing, I didn’t know what was going to happen.  I had some idea of the relationships and how they might go wrong, but the details are surprising in an understated way and always built solidly on the character motivations.  One of the things that I liked most about this film is that, like the marketing, it doesn’t answer every question that you have as an audience member.  Even in the climactic next-to-last scene, there are questions just floating out there… questions that unanswered, force you to really think about what happened and how you feel about it all.

There isn’t a bad performance in The Road to Perdition.   Mendes selected a lot of unknown actors to fill small roles when he could have had better-known faces.   Hanks’ character’s eldest son is perfect casting.  Tyler Hoechlin gives a solid performance.  Stanley Tucci, as real-life mob man Frank Nitti, gives one his most subtle performances ever.   Dylan Baker gets just a handful of lines, but manages to create a distinct, fresh character.  An Irish actor named Ciaran Hinds is also memorable in a very brief role… keep an eye out for him. 

But there are two supporting performances that really stick with me.  Daniel Craig as Newman’s son… his piercing blue eyes prove the biology, but his somewhat imperfect looks stand as a perfect explanation as to why he feels like the world has brought him up short.  He plays his role close to the vest, though you can feel his pain and rage in every shot.  And there is a brief conversational speech by an actress named Peggy Roeder, playing Farmer Virginia… really beautiful, wondrous little moment. 

The supporting performers in Minority Report are excellent.  I wasn’t too thrilled to see celebrity cameos by Catherine Keener and Lucy Liu (if it really was them… was it?).  The appearance of Cameron Crowe was actually made more important by the addition of Cameron Diaz.  They appear as two passengers on a subway as Cruise’s character starts his journey down the rabbit hole and one could easily argue that the Vanilla Sky duo represent the feeling that he is in some sort of horrible nightmare, a reflection of the story in their film.  The most subtle celebrity hire was Jessica Harper, who is a great veteran actress and the wife of Fox studio chief Tom Rothman.  This is her first film role in five years.  Her scenes as Anne Lively – and this is why I think she was hired, not out of nepotism – are curiously reflective of Dario Argento’s Suspiria, in which she starred.

Max Von Sydow is still one of the greats.  Peter Stormare and Caroline Lagerfelt team up for Spielberg’s most brilliantly odd sequence since the subtle (and apologized for) fetishism of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.  Tim Blake Nelson is creepy and realistic, even in a role that pushes right to the edge of the cartoony style of Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall (for which Minority Report was originally destined to be the sequel).  Daniel London as the caretaker of the Pre-Cogs is just perfect.  And Jason Antoon, who has a small part in Minority Report and will be in the upcoming Sandra Bullock/Hugh Grant film (credits not contractual), is unforgettable as a scumbag cyber parlor owner, one of whose customer happens to be screenwriter Scott Frank, who is being told, “You the man” by a cyber cadre of people. 

Colin Farrell, however, was an iffy choice.  It’s no fault of his.  He does have, in my opinion, what is necessary to be a movie star.   However, he needs to play the roles that a younger Kevin Costner played.  He is missing the kind of edge that was necessary to hit a home run with what was a slightly underwritten role.  Some of his character development could be on the cutting room floor.  He plays a guy who is a political threat to Cruise and the whole Pre-Crime project.  But he’s not enough younger than Cruise for there to be a generational conflict and he lacks the angry edge as an actor to make him feel inherently dangerous.  It’s not that he can’t play anger.  But he seems like the kind of guy who gets it out… who plays it straight.  This role needs a snake.  A young James Woods, the dangerous-seeming Vin Diesel, even a moody Heath Ledger.  In any case, while not a liability, Farrell doesn’t offer the star turn that would add a few points to the film on the grading scale.

Technically, the film about the past and the film about the future are both masterful.  On Minority Report, cinematographer Janusz Kaminski does wonderful work in conjunction with a vast array of locations, all of which have wildly different demands.  Production Designer Alex McDowell, whose ass is probably still warm from the well-deserved kissing it took for his work on Fight Club and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, probably owns the Oscar right now.  His work is simply perfection.  Costume Designer Deborah Scott doesn’t overdo the futurism, spurning the “look how different” mistakes of decades of futurist movies.  And editor Michael Kahn keeps is all moving.

The beginning and end of both Sam Mendes movies is cinematographer Conrad Hall… there is, simply, none better.  His work here supercedes even his work on American Beauty.   You can feel Mendes’ hand on the tiller more this time out.  But Hall’s paint strokes of light are often breathtaking.  Editor Jill Billcock has rapidly become one of Hollywood’s hottest cutters.  Romeo + Juliet, Elizabeth, The Dish, Moulin Rouge and now this.  Dennis Gassner’s production design and Nancy Haigh’s set decoration are both subtle and complete.  Albert Wolsky, one of Hollywood’s legendary costume designers and one hell of a nice guy, added harsh reality to classic style to make his work stand out.  And let’s not forget Kathryn Blondell, who is probably responsible for Jude Law’s hair… see it for yourself.

The reason that I mixed these reviews together is not only their studio parentage, but their inherent kinship.  They are two sides of a very similar coin.  They are the two finest films of the year to date.  But The Road To Perdition is weighty and stays light on its feet, thanks to Jude Law’s wonderful character creation and Mendes’ fairly relentless second and third act pacing.  Minority Report is as taut and clever as any sci-fi entertainment you’ll find, but has some weight, with underlying themes of morality. 

Oscar’s name has been bandied about around both films.  This is what I think… no, not really.  Two great summer movies… Perdition would be a major contender if released in December, but unless the fall season comes up short a candidate, the movie will be remembered as a high-quality genre film that audiences really liked.  But that’s not usually great Oscar bait.  On the other hand, I don’t think that it would do as much box office in the fall as it will do this summer, even though it really is a fall film… so DreamWorks wins there.  There will be tech nominations and Conrad Hall should be nominated once again.  Production Design is a near lock.  And the screenplay should get an Adapted Screenplay nod.  Hanks always has a shot, but as good as he is here, it’s not a showy turn.  That may be it.

Minority Report will be all over the technical nods.  You won’t see better production design this year.  The sound was spectacular… the footsteps on the hood of a car as Cruise jumps from vehicle to vehicle… great stuff.   Some of the visual effects are not necessarily as cutting edge as, say, Attack of the Clones, but they are so smart that attention must be paid. 

And then, there is Samantha Morton, who gives a performance with a depth of emotion that just floors the viewer… and brings out Cruise’s emotionalism better than any co-star he’s had in years. It would be a great challenge to overstate the complexity of the performance Morton gives, when she is limited to screaming, being “comatose” and shivering a lot.  But she is absolutely stunning.   The only actress I’ve seen this decade capable of reaching Morton’s ethereal heights is Cate Blanchett.  And that’s high praise from me, indeed. 

I’ve seen Minority Report twice.  I’ll probably see it again.  I’ve only seen Perdition once… I’m sure that I will see it again.  Go and do likewise, gents.  Go and do likewise.   Let them come into your life and know the joy that movies can bring.

READER OF THE DAY:  Smate writes:  “SCOOBY DOO and MINORITY REPORT open up against each other this Thursday in Australia.  I saw both yesterday and they represent the extreme opposites of film-making.

SCOOBY DOO's 90 or so minutes seemed twice as long as the 147 minutes of MINORITY REPORT. SCOOBY is simply the most boring movie I have watched all year.

MINORITY REPORT is a thrilling eye-opening rush of a movie that surprise, surprise, in this era of entertaining but mindless SPIDER-MAN type action, leaves you thinking.  The three mermaids (OK 1 mermaid and 2 mermen) or future-seeing John Edwards trio are a fabulously low-tech idea tricked out to look hi-tech and futuristic. Their guardian is so fabulously sleazy and un PC.  Spielberg even controls his sentimentality and audience manipulation to a minimum. There is still the scene where Cruise looks at the hologram of his son, but it is an essential part of the script.  The craft that took the police from the lab to Ayre Gross's street looked like very dodgy CGI.

And I want to know where those large numbers of vehicles were going in the scene where Cruise jumps from one to another. They were going up and down the walls of an apartment building. Where to? MINORITY REPORT surprised me like no other blockbuster has done this season.

And WINDTALKERS is much better than Mel's awful ONCE WERE SOLDIERS. I feel you are a little harsh. The film is about Windtalkers the soldiers, not windtalkers sending messages. We only really needed to seem them send messages once to know that they could do it.”

E ME:  What will the kids do in the 45 minutes of time that it takes for Minority Report to end after Lilo & Stitch has already let out?