Newsroom Movies

I like newsroom/ newspaper movies/ Journalism Movies -- some great ones are

Of course, All the Presidents Men
Broadcast News, Who's the devil?
His Girl Friday, Oldie but a goodie
Zodiac, spooky but good
Shattered Glass, answers the question What if I made it up?

What else?

The Wind that Shakes the Barley

I read great reviews of The Wind that Shakes the Barley, a drama about the struggles in Ireland, directed by Ken Loach. Even though it is essentially a war movie, not usually my cup of tea, I thought I should see it and happily was completely entranced by it -- partially because of the perspective of a small community of regular folk turned terrorists by necessity -- the brutality of the British soldiers is horrifying. The other entrancing reason to watch the film is Cillian Murphy who plays Damien O'Donovon, a doctor about to go of to London when he is pulled into the conflict. This skinny blue-eyed Irishman is worth seeing the movie for, trust me on that.

On a completely lamer note, I saw The Nanny Diaries (I'll see anthing with Laura Linney) which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be with a very cute little boy whose train wreck of New York Upper East side parents are actually kinda funny and sad in how terrible of parents they are. It's a slight film overall, however.

Juno and Once

I saw Juno in the theaters a few days ago. Before going I heard a review that described the snappy dialogue as unrealistic and annoying. But you know I found it refreshing and enjoyable. Ellen Page, who plays Juno, is adorable and precocious. She is an extremely smart 16 year old who fools people into thinking that she is more mature than she actually is and then in the end we see her as a vulnerable kid. Besides the very funny lines of Juno I really enjoyed her regular girl interests -- she has a hamburger phone and wears grungy jeans with a flannel shirt. She reminds of my friends as a girl -- she's not a girly girl.

I also saw Once which I probably had unrealistic expectations of and found it not as compelling at first as I thought it would be but then by the end really appreciated the understated performances. These two musicians really acted like real people; they responded to embarrassing or sad situations like real people and they really seemed infatuated with each other. By the end, I compared Once to Juno and found it "realer" but maybe not as fun and seductive.

The Hottest State

Based on an Ethan Hawke novel, and probably his own experiences, The Hottest State examines a doomed relationship between a young actor and a beautiful Latin singer (an actress I was trying to place from a previous movie the whole time). There are some whimsical moments but mainly the movie is actually kinda boring. After the singer breaks up with the insecure actor he goes bonkers and obsesses about her to the point of annoyance. Meanwhile he learns that all of his problems stem from the being rejected by father as a child. This one, I definitely could have passed on.

SuperBad

So I saw SuperBad -- can you believe it. I thought I was down on teen boy humor. I guess because I like Knocked Up (but thought it was sexist like Kathryn Heigel) I thought I would like SuperBad. Sure, I got the occasional chuckle but mostly found it crude and had to even fast forward over a few parts because they were painful to watch such as super gross blood on pants scene -- I will say no more.

Old Joy

I had the movie Old Joy on my queue for some time. I put in on after reading a good review even though it did have the potential for being really dull. It's about two old friends who go on a camping trip to the Cascade Mountains -- both are Oregon liberals but one is stuck in the past and a rather pathetic pot smoker and the other has a 9-5 job, with a baby on the way who listens to public radio shows about the economy and boring stuff like that. These guys reminded me of guys I know and reveals how guys grow apart when their lives take different turns. I liked peeking into a world of how guys communicate with each other. One barely talks, avoids any confrontation, and just goes along with the pot smoker dude who is kinda a blowhard and keeps trying to reaffirm that his life is not meaningless. So there is not much plot in this movie -- it's just a glance into the lives of a couple of aging hippies. One more thing, the spot they visit in the Cascade Mountains is very cool -- the movie may be worth seeing just for that.

Evening

I just saw Evening based on a book by Susan Minot. The movie received terrible reviews but has a stellar cast: Merril Streep (with a brief part) and her daughter, Vanessa Redgrave and her daughter Natasha Richardson, Toni Collette, and the super cute Hugh Dancy just to name a few. But the big draw for me is Claire Danes. Even though the movie is pretty scholcky, soap operaesque and all over the place, it is still fun to watch her. Worth seeing? Probably not -- unless you like watching great actresses in a kinda dumb movie.

Dark and Light: Away from Her and Miss Potter

Last night I saw the DVD Away From Her about a 60ish couple who lose each other due to Alzheimer's disease. The couple, Fiona and Grant, played by the beautiful Julie Christie and an actor unknown to me, Gordon Pinsent, live comfortably on a lake in Ontario when Fiona begins forgetting words for common objects and sticks a frying pan in the freezer. Grant is destroyed at the thought of losing the love of his life -- they have been married for 44 years -- and fights her wish to go to a care facility, even after she gets lost after cross-country skiing near her home. While watching the movie, I had a sick feeling in my stomach; it was painful to watch Gordon's sadness and Fiona falling into oblivion. The experience of watching this movie reminded me of watching Wit, with Emma Thompson who dies slowly and painfully from cancer. Both are not fun but are incredibly powerful and beautifully made movies.

On a much lighter note I also saw Miss Potter finally. Finally because last summer I put Miss Potter on my Netflix queue and mostly it was no. 1 but for some bizarre reason I did not get it until two weeks ago. I even called and emailed Netflix about this and was told that they only have so many copies of some movies and when they are very popular blah blah ... blah. Really, Miss Potter is a hot item in the US, seems unlikely but who am I. So anyway after all that build up, I enjoyed the movie and have always liked the real Beatrix Potter and her clever and beautifully drawn stories. While Renee Zellweger did a fine job as Miss Potter, I couldn't help wishing the wonderful Emily Watson would have played the artist instead. Instead she plays the publisher's sister. The publisher is Ewan McGregor and he is Miss Potter's suitor. The movie is cute and pretty and fun to watch but at times a little fluffy.

Across the Universe

Across the Universe surprised and pleased me. Julie Taymor, creator of the visually stunning such as The Lion King, the Broadway production, and Frida, creates another very cool looking spectacle in Across the Universe. The movie is a musical, which I usually don't like, about and with Beatles's music. The characters are named Lucy, Jude, JoJo, and Prudence and the songs with their names enter in in some very cool and sometimes funny ways. There are also some groovy cameos from Bono, Eddie Izzard, and Joe Cocker. The movie flows from scene to scene moving along the story through music and dialogue. Basically, this movie is just plain fun and made me feel awed by the music of the Beatles and the amazing Julie Taymor.

Michael Clayton

I just saw Michael Clayton, a corrupt corporation meets smart lawyer movie, and have some mixed feelings. I guess I wanted to like it more than I did. I liked individual scenes, I liked listening to the smart dialogue and watching great acting: Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, and George Clooney. I liked learning about the characters, Clayton's mixed up family, Crazy Arthur's intriguing loft. And I don't ever remember liking the acting of George Clooney so much. He exudes sadness from his doe eyes. So with all that I was surprised that quite frankly at times it bored me. Is my attention span shrinking or what? I like talky movies usually and this one is definitely dialogue filled. Who knows? Maybe, my expectations were too high going in.

Fracture

I saw Fracture with Ryan Gosling who plays a sleepy and sexy lawyer while Anthony Hopkins plays a creepy, smarmy killer. It's a murder mystery of sorts although you know who the killer is, the suspense lies in how they will pin the murder on him. Ryan Gosling, I have loved since Half Nelson and indeed he is not as captivating in this movie. Fracture is good but is more of an expanded Law and Order with a much better cast.

The TV Set

I just saw The TV Set, a behind the scenes look of making a pilot and trying to get it on the air. The movie stars David Duchovny who plays a beleaguered writer whose pilot keeps getting watered down and compromised while all the other TV biz workers compromise their own principles, except Sigourney Weaver's character who never had any principles playing the TV executive who brags about having a hit show called Slut Wars. I think if you are interested in finding out about how or why there is so much terrible TV out there and like behind the scenes-type movies, you would like this movie but it may be a little too insideree for some. I liked it and especially got a kick out of Weaver's character's denseness. The TV Set is mild and fun satire.

The Lives of Others

I just saw the DVD of The Lives of Others, a German film that one a best picture Oscar for 2006. I had had it on my queue for a while but kept moving it down the list. When do you feel like watching a movie with subtitles about the East German Stasi (secret police)? It sounds dour and bland and how can you do a crossword and pay attention at the same time. I finally decided I was up for it and well, not right away, but I became riveted and especially interested in the lead character, Gerd Weisler, played by Ulrich Muehe. This pretty nondescript looking guy who seems steely and calculating at first and, while never changing his demeanor, softens. Plus, the plot is intense and keeps you wondering what will happen next. I saw another movie about East Germany called Goodbye, Lenin which was more of a comedy but gave you an idea about what it must have been like to live during the time before the wall fell -- worth watching by the way. The Lives of Others, however, really made you feel what it was like to lose one privacy and to lose all hope in a future.

Trying it out, Once

I've read several reviews for the movie Once and really hoped I would get a chance to see it in the theaters. A. O. Scott of The New York Times describes it as, "realistic rather than fanciful, and the characters work patiently on the songs rather than bursting spontaneously into them. But its low-key affect and decidedly human scale endow “Once” with an easy, lovable charm that a flashier production could never have achieved. The formula is simple: two people, a few instruments, 88 minutes and not a single false note. " While perusing my local newspaper I was amazed to find Once showing in our neighboring town, an even-less sophisticated one than my own. I planned to see it yesterday but made sure to check on line to be sure it was still showing. I drove over the bridge, ready with microwave popcorn (less calories) and my favorite orange pop. I found the theater and was even 10 minutes early. "One for Once, please," I exclaimed. "Uh, oh yeah, that ain't showin' here no more." What? Well, I guess the paper got it wrong and the one week only showing of Once was only showing once. I drove home, dejected.

Teacher Movies

My rule of thumb about teacher movies is Feel Good Teacher Movies, bad. Edgy and Sardonic Teacher Movies, good. I mean watching some inspirational wonder transform a group of unformed disadvantaged kids into sparkling members of society, well that just wounds this teacher. I mean maybe because it's I'm in the trenches every day pushing the rock up the hill, but come on. I'm not going to inflict that upon myself. I had the opportunity to go to Freedom Writers (Hilary Swank transforms inner city kids through journaling) for free and I thought you couldn't pay me to sit through that drivel. Other especially heinous feel-good teacher movies: Mr. Holland's Opus, and Dangerous Minds. Ok, I liked the inspirational Stand and Deliver and Dead Poet's Society, even if they did leave me with a feeling of unworthiness.
Edgy and Sardonic ones? Half Nelson with Ryan Gosling. Yikes how did that guy make it through the day? Notes on a Scandal, mmm, Judy Dench's bitchy narrations about the horrible brats at school is hilarious. (Thanks Deb for reminder) And I hope a new movie just out Chalk, which looks at the world of teaching through a cynical eye, is going to be good. I found School of Rock to be worthy of this category. I enjoyed seeing a teacher use his class to further his own ambitions. I can't think of any others now, but hope to see more in the future.

Talky Movies

You know those movies where there is not a lot of action and a lot of dialogue, dialogue that doesn't necessarily advance the plot but is funny or thought-provoking etc. and some might say boring. Well call me crazy or a lover of boring things, but I like movies like that. Two favorites are Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, movies by director Richard Linklater with Ethan Hawke and the French actress Julie Delpy. Before Sunset is the sequel of sorts of Before Sunrise and both take place in the space of a day.
Julie Delpy must like these movies also because she has recently directed 2 Days in Paris about a couple on a visit to Paris starring Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg (think whiny guy who briefly roomed with Chandler in Friends). It sounds pretty talky (right up my alley) and so far I read one good review in the Minneapolis Tribune -- so I hope worth seeing.

Out in Theaters

I haven't seen many movies lately due to my new Fall schedule but am still reading about movies and anticipating movies that will be coming out in theaters. Out in theaters now or soon (not where I live, but anyhoo) is Dedication with Mandy Moore, Billy Crudup and Tom Wilkinson. Sounds pretty good but is another movie from the male angst point of view. And i'm also interested in The Hottest State based on a novel by Ethan Hawke though haven't read the reviews yet. Also, Startdust, the fantasy novel that is The Princess Bridesque movie intrigues me especially since it has one of my favorite actresses Claire Danes. Unfortunately The Nanny Diaries is getting tepid reviews so that might be a renter for me. And SuperBad is getting super reviews. Yet another movie about sex-crazed adolescents boys but I'll probably see it anyway. That's all from the movie lap top.

A Jane Austen Fanatic goes to Becoming Jane

When a Jane Austen fanatic, such as myself, goes to see a movie imagining what the real Jane Austen was like, well she enters the theater with both excitement and fear.
What will she find? How can she separate the Jane she knows and created in her own mind from the Jane played by Anne Hathaway on screen?
Well, the experience wasn't as jarring as it could have been. I was able to keep my own image of Jane safely maintained and enjoyed this movie-screen version of Jane (a totally different one than the one I know)-- way too passionate, way too pretty, and way too love-struck teenager.
Apart from this disconnect, I enjoyed the movie. I liked the lovely scenery, the snippets of scenes from Jane Austen's novels, and the sassy and sexy talking Tom LeFroy played by James McAvoy, last seen in the Last King of Scotland. He didn't seem like any kind of Jane Austen hero that I ever knew but what the hey.
Don't get me started on the implausibilities in Becoming Jane because I could go on -- about a weird parental scene at the beginning of the movie, or virulent boxing, or the cricket playing Jane, or writing Pride and Prejudice in a night on so forth. But I will spare you.
All in all, my Jane, still in tact, Anne Hathaway's Jane, cute and ultimately not that memorable.

Zodiac

I just saw Zodiac, out on DVD, a movie about a real-life serial killer, The Zodiac, who killed during the sixties and seventies in the San Francisco Bay area. Really though the movie is about a cartoonist who becomes obsessed by the case and later writes two books about it. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the cartoonist -- supporting characters of note are Mark Ruffalo as the beleaguered detective, and fellow newspaper man Robert Downey Jr. deliciously playing the role of the newspaper man gone nutty over case -- he's got some great lines in this movie. He actually becomes a completely destroyed alcoholic, which is interesting given Downey's problems with substance abuse. When I first started watching the movie I was giddy with excitement. I love movies set in a newspaper room, and I love movies where their is an intriguing problem for the actors to chew on. However, the movie kinda strays as it goes on and you start to wonder why the cartoonist is getting so obsessed, he even gets his kids in on solving the mystery of the killer's identity, but all in all Zodiac is worth watching even though it has a less than satisfying ending.

Dream Girls

So I finally saw Dream Girls. I am not much for movies with a lot of singing -- bores me -- but felt I needed to see such a much talked about movie. I liked the Effie character and was wowed by her voice, but felt the movie was kinda dumb overall and some of the break into singing/ trying to advance the plot scenes (ie the used car lot scene) were just cheese ball. Jamie Fox, who I really like in other films, just seemed to have one look, sort of a dumbfounded furrowed brow stare. He seemed personalityless. Well, I can mark viewing Dream Girls off my to do list. Phew!

David Denby's "A Fine Romance"

David Denby, movie critic for The New Yorker, wrote in the July 23rd issue about the modern romantic comedy. He compares today's romantic comedies with ones of the 30s such as It Happened one Night and The Philadelphia story where the man is the "love object" and the woman the "pursuer". He describes the modern romance film of the last 10 years such as High Fidelity, The Break Up, and Knocked Up as the slacker-striver romance: Man a good-natured slob and woman an intense career driven beauty with little spirit.
This article really struck me because I have always found this view of women in these modern films annoying where the men act like children who like being silly and having a good time and the woman are their disapproving mothers. Yuck! Why can't the woman be silly and goofy. And why would these accomplished woman want to be with these slovenly men? It seems to me that this view of men and women is depicted in many aspects of our media, commercials, Sitcoms etc. Why isn't the woman fun anymore? And if I were a man I would be offended by this view of themselves, ambitionless losers who are kinda cute but without much substance.
Perhaps this view mirrors our society where woman who work full-time, raise children, and keep a household together, seem to lose their sense of humour, while men look for escape routes from the modern expectations placed upon them.
I don't know. But I like the term "slacker-striver" -- it really hits the nail on the head, and I look for modern movies that go beyond this simplistic view of women and men.

Classic Chick Flicks

One reader commented that she wanted a list of chick flicks, so I compiled a list of classic romantic movies that I loved growing up. I saw these movie on good old regular TV -- pre-cable days. Somehow you would happen upon one of these gems. I saw all the Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy movies, and there are more really good ones. Below is a list of my favorites and you haven't seem them -- I highly recommend them!

Classic Romantic Comedies

His Girl Friday (1940) Rosalind Russel and Cary Grant
The Shop Around the Corner (1940) Maragaret Sullavan and James Stewart
Philadelphia Story (1940) Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant
hmm, apparently 1940 was a good year for making movies
Adams Rib (1949) Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy
African Queen (1951) Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart
I guess I like movies with Katherine Hepburn!
Roman Holiday (1953) Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck
Sabrina (1954) Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart
To Catch a Thief (1955) Grace Kelly and Cary Grant
High Society (1956) Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby (a remake of Philadelphia Story and not as good)

Sweetland

I saw Sweetland on DVD, finally. Being a good Minnesotan, I was sorry I did not see it in the theater and coincidentally it is having a special showing at a new theater/ stage right near here. So I think I am going to see it again. I really enjoyed it. It was sweet, as the title suggests, and the two lead characters seemed so true. I especially liked the spunky German Inge and her persistence in making a go of her life in Minnesota. Even in German or Norwegian she was funny and determined. For those of you who are not on the pulse of Minnesota movie info., Sweetland was filmed in Minnesota and is based on a Will Weaver short story in his book A Gravestone Made of Wheat, (that I would like to read now). I think it is rare now-a-days to watch a movie that is romantic and kind with a compelling story plot like Sweetland, and it is not fast-paced and there is no swearing, sex scenes, or bloody incidents. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it and I give it an A-. (The - is for occasionally cheesy bits esp. in modern scenes) So how do you like my ratings system? Would you call it academic?

Weird romance meets the G8 conference

I found another odd movie at the library. (You gotta love your local library!) It's called The Girl in the Cafe, and it is strange in that it is about a May-December romance and discussions of world poverty with the back drop of Iceland and the G8 conference. Bill Nighy, a great comedic actor who was was the aging rocker in Love Actually, plays Lawrence who works in finance for the British government and is trying to push for more aid to 3rd world countries, meanwhile he meets Gina, played by Kelly McDonald (beautiful actress who pops up in your odd British comedy now and again) in a cafe and a really odd, hesitant romance begins. It seems odd they are together and stranger still that she becomes an activist of sorts right in the middle of their tryst in Iceland. I'm glad I saw it but not necessarily worth seeing if your movie watching time is short.

I'd like to start some kind of ratings system for movies I see, but not sure how to go about it. Any thoughts, loyal readers :) All 2 or 3 of you.

Not Chick Flicks

So my brother was here this weekend so I moved up to the top of my queue a couple movies he might like: Breach and Blood Diamond. We watched Breach together and both liked it. It's about the FBI agent, Robert Hansen, who committed the worst breach of intelligence in US history. Chris Cooper, who is such an awesome actor, was Robert Hansen, and Ryan Philipe, was the underling who helped out him. It was an action movie without boring car chases and shoot outs. Worth seeing!
Blood Diamond,I saw last night and was riveted eventhough there were a lot of shoot outs and even car chases. It was about the diamond trade in Sierra Leone when the rebels or RUF were trying to overthrow the government with the help boy soldiers. Not going to be able to spell his name, Djmon Hansou? played a father trying to reunite with his family. His son was one of the seriously messed up/ drugged up boy soldiers, and Leanordo DiCaprio played a diamond smuggler with a terrible past that made him a not very nice guy. Does he help the poor father and his family? Does he get the pretty journalist played by Jennifer Connely? Does he turn into a real upstanding guy? This is for you to find out. Well worth seeing and those of the faint of heart can fast foward withEnglish subtitles. (that's what I do when it is getting too scary).

Wacky Documentaries

I was listening to humorist Joe Queenan on the radio talking about his dislike of documentaries; he finds them too educational and dry and equates them to health movies he saw when he was in Catholic school: "I would rather have my limbs yanked out of their sockets by enraged rhinos than sit through a documentary. " I protest. Documentaries are fun and weird when they profile the weird and wacky. While I sometimes feel too voyeuristic (akin to watching reality TV) I can get a huge charge out of them.

Here are three of my favorite wacky documentaries:

My Brother's Keeper (yr?)
Capturing the Friedman's (2003)
American Movie (USA 1999)

The Squid and the Whale

I can find lots of DVDs at my local Carnegie Library where I found The Squid and the Whale, one of the best movies of last year. Was it last year? This movies has one of my favorite actresses, Laura Linney. It's about couple of New York writers who are getting a divorce and get their two boys involved. Lot's of head games are played and the two boys get seriously messed up in the process. One caveat, there is a really weird scene about one of the boys displaying some really odd behavior for a boy of 11? played by Owen Kline, son of Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates. Well worth seeing, although some founded it depressing. I enjoyed the zingers.
If you are into mean and funny dialogue another movie you might enjoy is Notes of a Scandal where Judy Dench brings verve to the art of insulting someone.

Grizzly Man

Last night I watched the DVD version of Grizzly Man. I wanted to watch it -- mainly because I wanted to be in the know about weird and wackly documentaries (my favorite kind), but yet didn't want to also. I thought it might be too scary. We wouldn't actually see him get mauled by a bear would we? My friend Deb assured me that there would be no mauling and that I should watch it just to appreciate its oddities.
And indeed it was odd. I found Timothy Treadwell, the man who lived unarmed with grizzlys in Alaska for 13 summers, to be really out there and probably disturbed. His repeated use of the word "love" was particularily annoying. He loved those grizzlies, the foxes who lived near him, and even his stuffed bear that he slept with.
All in all, worth seeing if you like to watch movies for the weird factor. And, as many people say when they have nothing else to say about a movie: the scenery is beautiful.