Joe Pass unleashes his mind-blowing technique, meticulous improvisation, harmonic counterpoint, and beautifully sensitive phrasing on the world in this set of standards unaccompanied on acoustic guitar. Aptly named, this incredibly musical and very accessible album provides interesting interpretations of familiar old tunes. Every tune on this classic satisfies completely.

Grade: A.

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Mel Gibson leads a talented cast in a based-on-a-true-story picture depicting the Battle of Ia Drang, the first major battle between the US Army Air Cavalry and the North Vietnamese Army. With very realistic action and decent acting performances, this is a exciting, satisfying war drama.

Grade: A.

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Tom Hanks stars in this superlative World War II epic, directed by Steven Spielberg. This picture features some of the most astonishing World War II battle sequences ever filmed. The gritty realism and powerful acting performances of this stunning virtuosic achievement set a very high standard for subsequent war movies.

Grade: A++.

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Niki Caro directs this emotional, infuriating story of the harrassment endured by women in an iron mine in Northern Minnesota. Charlize Theron leads a talented cast that brings the drama to the screen with a remarkable sensitivity, showing the experiences of people who never deserved the horrifying cruelty they endured.

Grade: A-.

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Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, and William Hurt star in this story of a small town diner owner who once had a secret life as a mob hitman. The acting performances were clunky and much of the violence seemed gratuitous. Squandered heroic sympathy and miscast characters blow this flop.

Grade: C-.

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Terence Howard stars in an Oscar-nominated performance as a small-time pimp in North Memphis who gets an old high school buddy to help him out with a rap demo. With a talented cast, real characters, and a gritty story, this picture never glorifies the underworld characters it depicts.

Grade: B.

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Björk stars as a poor Eastern European immigrant in this avant-garde musical shot with handheld cameras and without incidental music. Some of the plot themes are sentimental and seem manipulative. Clearly influenced by old musicals and grainy cinema verité, this film features musical numbers that are strictly for Björk’s fans.

Grade: B-.

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The idea that “winners never quit and quitters never win” is completely false, as Seth Godin demonstrates in this short book. His examples are full of truth and real-world examples of how to determine what to go for and what to quit. This humorous book was a fun read.

Grade: A-.

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This Oscar-nominated Finnish film shows the story of an amnesia-afflicted man living in a homeless encampment in Helsinki. The pacing of the story is quite slow, the atmosphere quiet and reflective, and the dialog minimal yet humorous. Solid acting performances make this an enjoyable excursion into something different.

Grade: B-.

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Embeth Davidtz stars in this very slow-paced and sometimes hard-to-watch yet quaint story of an art gallery owner meeting a prospective artist and her new husband’s rural North Carolina family. Amy Adams shines in an Oscar-winning supporting role as a very enthusiastic pregnant sister-in-law.

Grade: B.

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