Mary's List

My Week with Marylin

2012-01-28T20:54:00.001-08:00

Michelle Williams is amazing. She embodies Marylin Monroe in this film that explores a week in the making of the movie The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), a somewhat cheesy film with Laurence Olivier and Marylin Monroe. The story is told from the perspective of a recent Oxford grad Colin Clark, played by Eddie Redmayne. He’s gaga for Marylin even though she is boozy and airy and seems barely able to feed herself, much less act much to the aggravation of her fellow actor and director Laurence Olivier played by Kenneth Branagh. Seeing Williams in this role is worth the price of admission in my opinion. My movie companions, on the other hand, found the movie a little boring and were tired of the infatuated Colin drooling every time Marylin came into the room. So there’s that perspective too.

My Week with Marylin

2012-01-22T20:40:00.000-08:00

Michelle Williams is amazing. She embodies Marylin Monroe in this film that explores a week in the making of the movie The Prince and the Showgirl, a somewhat cheesy film with Laurence Olivier and Marylin Monroe. The story is told from the perspective of a recent Oxford grad, Colin Clark, played by Eddie Redmayne. He’s gaga for Marylin even though she is boozy and airy and seems barely able to feed herself much less act much to the aggravation of her fellow actor and director Laurence Olivier played by Kenneth Branagh. Seeing Williams in this role is worth the price of admission in my opinion. My movie companions, on the other hand, found the movie slight and were tired of the infatuated Colin drooling every time Marylin came into the room. So there’s that perspective too.

The Names of Love

2012-01-14T19:50:00.000-08:00

I liked the concept of the film The Names of Love (the French title is Le Nom des Gens, The Name of People): a very French romantic comedy where the heroine is passionate about politics and her endeavor is to convert fascist men, or her view of a fascist man, by seducing one at a time. She even has a scrap book detailing her conversions. No Hollywood film would mix romantic comedy with a bit of fascism. Right away, though, she mistakes an old-fashioned man named Arthur Martin for a conservative – he’s actually a socialist (I don’t Hollywood even allows socialists to be in films). Anyway, a very screwball romantic comedy ensues. In some ways it is formulaic comedy but in many ways it isn’t at all. I liked it.

Beginners

2012-01-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

I thought Beginners was going to be funny, light and bright – the interviews and promos emphasized the humor --, but in truth it is a really sad movie. I thought it was going to be primarily about the relationship between the newly out father and his son (Ewan MacGregor and Christopher Plummer) but it actually centers around the relationship between the son with a new woman (French actress Melanie Laurent) who tries to help him deal with the grief over losing his father. ( It was nice to see a film explore the grief over the death of a parent – I can’t think when I have seen an adult child mourning over a parent in a film before) The only humor in the film comes in the form of a Jack Russel Terrier the son inherits after his father’s death. Even though I am not really a dog person, I often enjoy pets in films (see Young Victoria ) Anyway the son carries on witty conversations with the dog and the dog leans in and listens intently – it’s cute. Again, this is the only light moment in the movie.

The movie is based on Mike Mills’ own story which I heard him describe in a Fresh Air interview and it is really quite fascinating. His academic father came out after the death of his mother. He tried to help his father negotiate the modern world and accept his father’s new young boyfriends. However, the story that Mike Mills told in the interview is more interesting than the story he told in the film. I think the way the film is set up which is all in flashbacks and centers more on his new relationship with a damaged woman than to me the more interesting relationship between the father and the son. Ewan MacGregor, Christopher Plummer, and Melanie Laurent are great in the main roles, but I think I still didn’t enjoy this movie very much. Maybe it is a case of Beginners not living up to my expectations.

The Descendants

2011-12-18T15:40:00.000-08:00

Ennh. I didn’t like it so much. It’s another movie that does not live up to its advertising. It has some good moments – the girls are great! The boyfriend is hilarious and there should have been more of him. It has all the elements for a great movie, but it just sort of limped along. My most persistent thought throughout the movie was, I want to go to Hawaii! Beee-u-TEE -ful!

Young Adult

2011-12-13T19:51:00.000-08:00

Charlize Theron is great as Mavis, a depressed, narcissistic beauty who thinks she can cure her loneliness by returning to the small town she grew up and hook up with her old high school boyfriend. The boyfriend, unfortunately for her, is happily married and a new father. Once back in town she runs into another high school alum Matt, played by Patton Oswald, who is an equally big loser but in a very different way. The two, form a strange duo with Patton’s character acting as advisor to the willowy, stupid Mavis. There’s a feeling of unease that descended upon me as the movie moved toward its ending. Surely one of those cringe worthy painfully embarrassing moments was lurking around the corner. Some people can’t stand this movie recipe: lots of character study, only a dash of plot, a soupcon of humor, and some naked realism. I am not one of those people. I liked the mixture.

Two Movies in one Day

2011-12-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

Today I went to Ides of March and was told that with my ticket I could also go to Moneyball for free. It seems excessive to go to two movies in the theater in one day I know, but what the heck. And I must say I enjoyed myself a lot. Both movies are good.

Ides of March has everything I like in a movie: politics, character-driven drama, and, of course, Ryan Gosling. And it is also unpredictable. In the beginning Ryan Gosling’s character is idealistic claiming he has to believe in the candidate he’s working for. Gosling’s character Stephen Meyers, is working for presidential candidate is the seemingly virtuous Governor Mike Morris played by George Clooney. The outcome, I thought, will be obvious: something will happen to shake his belief in the governor - - he will betray him (et Brutus, anyone?) and then come out the other side scathed but repentant having learned a valuable lesson. But, happily, the end came as a surprise when our dear campaign worker takes an unexpected turn, and it’s fascinating to watch. The movie is a bit too long, but overall a great story with great acting.

Moneyball, the movie I was not intending to watch (It’s rarely my first choice to watch a sports’ movie), was unexpectedly charming and equally as compelling – and too long in parts too! Why are movies these days always too long? Anyway that’s another topic. I liked Brad Pitt in this movie – He plays the general manager of the Oakland As who employs a nerdy statistician from Yale to help him hire unappreciated but potentially valuable players. The movie has its sports clichés for sure – underdogs get beat up but triumph against all odds, blah, blah … but the character that Brad Pitt plays, Billy Beane who is based on a real guy, is given more to do than give inspirational speeches and look pretty; he makes the character believable and real.

On a side note, the commonality between the two movies, besides being two well acted realistic dramas, is Philip Seymour Hoffman. In Ides of March he plays the campaign manager who’s jaded but has integrity and in Moneyball he plays the constantly pissed off manager of the As who’s made to look like a jerk. He’s good in both and his presence always a good sign in a movie, I think.

Catch Up

2011-11-11T19:17:00.000-08:00

What? Is it November already? School started and I became engulfed by work, work, work. I hardly got a chance to go to any movies or see any at home. Poor me. I thought about abandoning this List altogether – I mean really what’s the point? But, I guess there must some point because here I go with a few brief thoughts about the movies I saw in the past few months.
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold: This Morgan Spurlock documentary examines the pervasiveness of advertising in our world today. Even though this is a topic that has always interested me, I did think the movie revealed anything that new or interesting.
Everything Must Go: Will Ferrel plays a sad sack kicked out of his house and living in his front yard. There’s a cute kid a beautiful woman (the lovely Rebecca Hall) and a meager plot and yet I liked it, but not wowed.
Barney’s Version: life story of an unlikeable guy (Paul Giamatti) doing unlikeable things, blah.
The Conspirator: I like historical fiction and historical movies. The tale of one woman who was associated with the assassination of Lincoln sounds pretty good, eh? Despite having super cute James McAvoy, this movie too, is kinda blah.
I also watched Dexter season 4 (creepy), Treme, Season 1 (Not the Wire, but good), Lark Rise to Candleford (BBC miniseries, schlocky)

A Serious Man

2011-09-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

A Serious Man, the Cohen brother’s forage into a 1960s Minneapolis Jewish community, is serious! And the movie asks some serious questions about a man’s worth. Larry Gopnick is put through the mill while facing moral dilemmas like should he pay for your wife’s boyfriend’s funeral, change a student’s grade for money, lust after his neighbor’s wife. He lets everyone kick him around throughout the movie until, it seems, after he gives advice to his even more hapless brother and says, “Sometimes you have to help yourself.” I said yes, Larry, help yourself! So towards the end of the movie he seems to gain a little more strength, but since it’s a Cohen Brother’s movie, he keeps getting slapped around. A Serious Man gives a lot of food for thought while being mostly drudgery to sit through.

The Help

2011-08-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

I’m back in the big city (actually the smallish city) where I have more moving going opportunities. Today I saw The Help which I have wanted to see after having read the book even though I didn’t think the book was the greatest or anything, but it was a good and fast read. I enjoyed the glimpse into the early 60s of socialites and the beleaguered maids who serve them. The movie, while sentimental and a bit manipulative, was I think better than the book. I think it was better probably because of some good acting especially the maids who play Aibileen and Minny (Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer) and Emma Stone was cute and perky and likable as she was in Crazy Stupid Love, but the highlight for me was the beautifully vicious Hilly played by Bryce Dallas Howard. She was a joy to hate. The movie was too long, as many movies are nowadays, but worth seeing, especially if you read the book.

2011 Foreign Language Oscar movies Update

2011-08-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

I am still slowly working on seeing all five 2011 Best Foreign language film nominated for an Oscar. I saw and previously wrote about I am Love (see below) and this summer I have also seen Biutiful, the Mexican nominee, even though it takes place in Barcelona. Javier Bardem plays a father who is dying and tries to figure out a way to help his children after he is gone. This movie is wrenching. It takes you into the underbelly of Barcelona where foreign workers are treated like animals and making it through life involves despair and anguish. I can see why it was so acclaimed when it came out, but it is really hard to watch.

The Concert -- I also saw The Concert which was nominated for a Golden Globe. When a former Russian conductor, who is now working as a janitor, decides to get the old crew together for a concert in Paris, he is met with many difficulties. He was fired many years earlier because he hired Jewish musicians. While there are moments of sweetness in this movie, overall it fails because it becomes too ridiculous, full of slapstick moments and some bad acting.

I am Love
is the Italian nominated film with Tilda Swinton, speaking Italian. It’s a doozy! It begins with a formal family dinner with the mega-rich Reccci family where cracks in the beautiful family demeanor become apparent. The cracks become chasms as the film progresses. The way the movie is filmed is interesting. Long, languorous shots of empty rooms or bees buzzing over flowers, for example. It also a lot about passion and love as the title suggests, but it all seems very chaste, until whoza, a very revealing sex scene, which seemed out of place, I thought. It’s a pretty fascinating film, overall, and it’s good to watch a movie that pushes the boundaries of what you think film should do.

A few more Ryan Gosling Movies

2011-08-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

I watch a lot of movies because this or that actor is in it. Of course, I have my favorites (criteria for a favorite has to do with my belief that this actor is a very talented and he or she has some quality, some je ne sais quoi quality that makes him so captivating on screen – this list does not include my favorite comedians btw) Here are some of my favorite dramatic actors, in no particular order:

Carey Mulligan: a new favorite, great in An Education
Claire Danes: I’ve always loved her starting with My So Called Life
Colin Firth: the best Darcy ever! Need I say more
James Franco: my love for him is waning, but 127 Hours, great – I even saw him in Howl
Keira Knightly: thought she was great in Atonement
Clive Owen: he made apocalyptic cinema great in Children of Men
Mark Ruffalo: ever since You Can Count on Me, I’ve been smitten
Viggo Mortenson: kinda scary sometimes, I even suffered through A History of Violence to see him
Laura Linney: so great in so many things, but first loved her in You Can Count on Me
James McAvoy: Last King of Scotland, adorable and a great actor

However, the actor whose films I rarely miss would have to be Ryan Gosling. I haven’t seen all of his films and even I won’t go to ones that are supposed to be terrible, but I've seen most (see Ryan Gosling movies listed on the side). With that in mind I have see two of his movies recently. Both not great, but worth a look if you are a fan like me:

All Good Things All Good Things: All Good Things tells about the fascinating real life story of a wealthy New York family and a creepy murder. It is based on a real story of Robert Durst. Ryan Gosling plays the put upon son and Kristen Dunst his hapless wife. Here's a fascinating link to a New York Times article about the real-life murders.

Crazy Stupid Love – This ensemble romantic comedy was, as my friend said when we came out of the theater, pretty stupid. But I got a lot of laughs out of Ryan Goslings’ gigolo character and guess what, the actor who can do it all can also be really funny. Emma Stone I thought was pretty good in it too.

Summer Update

2011-08-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

My gosh, is it August already? I have not written one blog entry this whole summer! What’s wrong with me? It’s paradoxical that I am more productive during the school year than my work free days in the summer, but sometimes the lazy days of summer get away from me and I find it’s almost dinner time and all I did for the day was pick raspberries and go on a walk (oh and other trivial activities like that). Or watch movies which I have been doing. Here are comments about some of the movies I’ve seen since the end of May.

Midnight in Paris – I really enjoyed Midnight in Paris especially after having just visited Paris. Woody Allen depicts a beautiful world of artists and writers amid romantic nostalgic Paris. How could I, Parisophile/ Francophile that I am, not like immersing myself in this romantic world of intellectual Paris?

Bridesmaids – I wanted to say so much about this movie – I had a whole diatribe rehearsed in my head, but sadly I did not get it written down. Because of its novelty, a female buddy comedy movie, I was excited to see it and while it’s hilarious in parts and original in other ways, I think they really botched it in the area of female friends. The long standing cliché about women is that they’re catty back biters who sabotage other women for self-serving reasons – usually having to do with a guy. And sure there were some nice friend moments that seemed real in Bridesmaids, though mostly I didn’t recognize these childish women. I love comedy, I love women comedians, but I didn’t love where they took this movie. Can’t women be funny and act like grownups at the same time?

Never Let me Go – based on a Kazuo Ishiguro novel, a stark look at a world where children are raised to be organ donors. It’s disturbing and very well acted especially by Carey Mulligan.

The Tillman Story – great documentary about professional football player and soldier Pat Tilman and his mysterious death in Afghanistan. This movie, like Fair Game which tells the story of Valerie Plame, makes you seriously question the integrity of our national government. Can there be that much subterfuge and hypocrisy in Washington and in our military? I don’t like to believe it, but this movie makes you wonder.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) – This movie definitely belongs in my list of quirky documentaries (see below because I just added it to the list). It’s about two middle aged guys who pursue a Donkey Kong high score. It’s weirdly wonderful and takes me back to my days of having the high score on the Donkey Kong game at the Bayfield arcade (it’s true!)

Super 8 – Kyle Chandler and references to Stand by Me got me to see this movie and while it wasn’t entirely what I expected nor my “type” of movie, I’m glad I went. The cute earnest kid ensemble was great and the nostalgic take on the late 70s made the movie worth seeing, oh and Kyle Chandler.

The Yellow Handkerchief – forgot it -- does that mean it is forgettable? Maybe it was good?

The Switch – another stupid romantic comedy by Jennifer Anniston. I like Justin Bateman so I thought, well maybe, but no, maybe not.

2011 Foreign Language Oscar movies Update

2011-06-10T05:34:00.000-07:00

This year I had in mind to watch the entire cadre of Oscar nominated foreign language films. Admittedly, I have only seen one so far. I have had them on my Netflix queue for months but keep pushing the down in the order. Watching a foreign language film takes a little more of my brain power than I have lately, especially after a long day of hanging out with middle school students. I thought I was going to get the original Upstairs, Downstairs, but for some crazy reason, there is a long wait for that. Really America? People are going nuts for Upstairs, Downstairs these days – and not even the new one. Anyway, I finally ended up with I am Love, the Italian nominated film with Tilda Swinton, speaking Italian. It’s a doozy! It begins with a formal family dinner with the mega-rich Reccci family where cracks in the beautiful family demeanor become apparent. The cracks become chasms as the film progresses. The way the movie is filmed is interesting. Long, languorous shots of empty rooms or bees buzzing over flowers, for example. It also a lot about passion and love as the title suggests, but it all seems very chaste, until whoza, a very revealing sex scene, which seemed out of place, I thought. It’s a pretty fascinating film, overall, and it’s good to watch a movie that pushes the boundaries of what you think film should do. So, I’ll get working on the rest of the list (see below) I believe Biutiful is next.

2011 Oscar Nominees for best Foreign Language Film

I am Love, Italy
Dogtooth, Greece
Biutiful, Mexico
In A Better World, Denmark
Incendies, Canada,
Outside the Law, Algeria

Cyrus

2011-06-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

For at least the first ½ hour of Cyrus, I had a frozen grimace on my face. Embarrassing and disgusting things kept happening. Would the big goofy depressed John (John C. Riley) win over the beautiful Molly (Marissa Tomei)? Yes, inexplicably. Would he then be able to win over Molly’s strange man-child son, Cyrus (Johan Hill)? Well, not sure. A lot of things don’t seem to make sense in this movie. Least of all why Jaime (Catherine Keener) continues to support and listen to John’s paranoid ranting even while she is planning for her wedding. I know it sounds like I didn’t like this movie, and sure there were parts I found unlikeable, but it definitely held my interest and had moments of sweetness. Yeah, and that grimace, it reappeared on and off throughout the movie.

More Travel Viewing

2011-05-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

In flight viewing:
Long flights mean lots of strange viewing of movies and TV shows that you may never get a chance to see otherwise. I tried a French, Little House on the Prairie style TV show, and a Curb Your Enthusiasm-like show – BUT much less funny. And the following films:

Another Year – I never even finished this movie because the plane landed, but I wanted to finish it! I’m going to wait until it’s on Netflix instant play. Another Year is a Mike Leigh film, the director known for having his actors improvise the dialogue after months of studying the character. This film is about a British couple whose house is the center of the social life for friends and family, and they are some dysfunctional friends for sure, especially Mary played by Leslie Manville who is flighty and ridiculous and lonely. The movie is in four episodes – one in each season of the year. As I am writing about this I am even more curious to find out what happens in the last scene but worried after I read, “The last scene is quite devastating.” Yikes, what could that be about?

Inception – probably not the best film to watch on an airplane, especially when there are many distractions surrounding me, the food cart, the dude next to me buying duty free big bottles of alcohol etc. Anyway, I tried my best to figure out what Leonardo was doing as he was flying around different dimensions or what cute Ellen Page was doing as she was falling to the ground in slow motion in a smart white parka outfit. I know people say that the LOOVE this movie but I didn’t get it. It seemed like it had one trick that they kept replaying, but as I said, I was distracted.

Post Travel Viewing
My Life in Ruins – A friend from work recommended this movie --another romantic comedy from Nia Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding fame. And since I just visited Greece and am in love with all things Greek (the Parthenon, feta cheese, tziki sauce, priests with high hats) she suggested My Life in Ruins. I really enjoyed the tourist element of this movie – it is obviously filmed right at the amazingly beautiful ancient ruins in Greece, and there were some funny moments in the film but the romance is a little dull. I definitely recommend it for those who just got back from Greece though. It was full of all the wonderful things I liked about Greece.

Tamera Drew – British movie about a writer’s colony and the village surrounding it. Very underwhelming.

A High Wind in Jamaica/ A Travel Movie

2011-05-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

When I travel, I like to go to the movies. I know some say, why go into a dark movie theater in another country – you may just as well be at home? But I think being at the movie theater in another country or state is a cultural experience. I remember being in Kingston, Jamaica and listening to the loud Jamaicans caterwauling throughout the film (of course, I can’t remember what movie it was). Or being in an outdoor theater in Germany with my sister in my Mom watching West Side Story dubbed in German – that was an unforgettable experience.

Lucky for me, I was just in Paris visiting my nephew who is studying there this year and of course I wanted to go to a movie. Nick, my nephew, has been enjoying some old classic American films this year which are surprisingly ubiquitous in Paris – the Parisians, I learned, love archetypal American movies, the more iconic the better: John Wayne, westerns etc. Nick and I found A High Wind in Jamaica at the La Filmoteque Quartier Latin. This film from 1965 (the year of my birth!) has Anthony Quinn as a pirate accidentally kidnapping a passel full of children – these children turn out to be bloodless heathens and the pirates end up being the dupes. It was entertaining but kinda hokey.

There were only a smattering of moviegoers at La Filmoteque Quartier Latin, a basement theater with the smell of thousands of movie goers, musty upholstered seats, and some other odor I couldn’t quite place. Nick said Parisians don’t eat and drink in the movies (How un-American!) – so we snuck in some French cookies, some petite buerres avec chocolate or some such thing – and sunk into the familiar yet different transporting world of being in a foreign movie theater – that’s my kind of travel!

Jane Eyre

2011-04-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

According to Wikipedia, there have been 15 movie versions of Jane Eyre before the latest take on this classic Charlotte Bronte novel. There really didn't seem to be a need for another version but this addition with Mia Wasikowska as Jane and Michael Fassbender as Rochester manages to make this well known tale fresh. I love Mia Wasikowska (she was especially brilliant as Sophie, the tormented teenager in In Treatment)and she makes a great Jane, waifish with a direct and intense gaze. Fassbender as Rochester is good too, even funny in parts although a little too handsome for the part. This Jane Eyre seems scary and suspensful too -- there are moments when you start -- I even let out a gasp at one point. And, my least favorite part of the novel, when Jane is at Lowood School is happily short. So the 16th Jane Eyre is a worthy addition.

Four Movie Update

2011-03-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

I’ve seen a lot of movies in the past month and have been delinquent about blogging about them. So here goes. I will start with the best and and with the least best.

Blue Valentine
When you hear about the premise of Blue Valentine, a depiction of the decline of a marriage, you think that does not sound fun. Of course, I wanted to see this movie from the start because it has Ryan Gosling, a great actor, but also, I kept hearing about how amazing this movie was. And it is amazing. The director switches back and forth between two marriages: the new and promising beginning and the ugly reality of a marriage beginning to fray. Gosling and Michelle Williams play Dean and Cindy, a married couple with a little girl of about 5 years old. Older Dean seems like he is desperately trying to hang onto his marriage while also having a playful and tender side to him – it’s hard to understand at first why his wife is seeming to sour on him. Cindy seems like the together one who reveals her intolerance of the goofy Dean and her deep insecurities. As the movie flashes back to the incipient stages of their life together a lot of what you first think about them begins to change. This director takes viewer on such an interesting journey – it’s hard to describe, especially without giving away some important plot points – but it’s a journey very much worth going on. Although Blue Valentine leaves you feeling depressed, it’s absolutely worth seeing. You can look at this movie from many different angles and see the characters from each of their points of view. I think it’s a remarkable little gem.

127 Hours
With a strategic bathroom break, I managed to get through 127 hours and actually enjoyed it – if enjoyed it is the word? With the –oh --so anticipated arm-lopping scene missed, I was able relish the great acting by James Franco and be amazed by the man he portrays, Aron Ralston. It’s hard to believe that a movie about a guy stuck in a canyon can be as compelling as 127 Hours, but it really is. I think a combination of the incredible story, the acting, and the amazing scenery makes this movie well worth watching. That desert in Utah seems like a pretty cool place to visit too.

True Grit
The best part of True Grit is Matt Damon who plays LaBoeuf, a doltish Texas Ranger. His character is the most surprising and interesting. Jeff Bridges plays Rooster Cogburn and he’s pretty funny, but often hard to understand. The spunky Mattie is played by Hailee Steinfeld who is very charming and fun to watch. True Grit is more violent than I thought it would be (I guess I should have figured since it is a Coen Brothers flick) but I still enjoyed it.

The Fighter
I resisted going to The Fighter because let’s face it, I don’t like to watch fight scenes. But after watching Melissa Leo at the Oscars and hearing about her memorable stint as the hard-edged but hilarious mother Alice, I had to know what this movie is all about. Alice, the mother of the two fighters, is a definitely a wack job; older brother Mickey is a drug-addled freak show, and younger brother Dickey is seriously deluded. Don’t even get me started on the nutty sisters. It is kind of like watching a movie that is not intended to be a comedy, but is very comic. I don’t think it’s a great movie, but it’s certainly something to see.

Somewhere
Sophia Coppola makes another paralysis inducing film that has us spying on a mundanity of a movie star as he sleep walks through fancy hotels. Her other film of this type is, of course, Lost in Translation which I liked. But this movie was really hard to sit through. (My reaction may have something to do with my friend I was with who though she tried her best to sit patiently through this movie, she did have the demeanor of someone who was being tortured). So if you’re up for some slow going – maybe you need to practice some meditation techniques, who knows, -- then you could try Somewhere. But you probably don’t want to.

Babies and Knight and Day

2011-02-22T17:54:00.000-08:00

Babies – ooh those cute little babies with their cute little gurgles and cute little tootsies. A French film maker peeps into the world of four babies from four different countries. Two are from rural developing countries and two are from cities. The movie has no narration – rather a pleasant and friendly camera tells the story of these four beautiful babies. Pleasant, really is the word for this movie.

Knight and Day—forgettable. I saw it a few weeks ago, and I forgot about it – I had to check my Netflix account to remember what movie I saw. I think Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were it in though.

The King's Speech and Oscar Best Pic Check

2011-01-30T15:50:00.001-08:00

Despite being a bit slow in parts, I really liked The King’s Speech. I’ve been listening to some talk about how some critics don’t think it’s worthy of being nominated for best picture – some find it a bland biopic and not edgy enough to be cool. It is probably one of the safer choices for best picture, but I think it’s a worthy choice. The King’s Speech portrays King George VI (Colin Firth) whose brother abdicated to marry his love, the divorcee Wallis Simpson. The King, or Bertie, as he is called, suffers from a stuttering problem and his wife (known as the Queen Mum or Queen Elizabeth’s mother) searches for a new answer to his speech problems encountering Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist, who challenges the king by not only making him recite tongue twisters but by forcing him to face some of his past childhood indignities. I liked Geoffrey Rush’s Logue, but I though Colin Firth is so moving in this story. The scene where he breaks down in front of his wife is heartbreaking.

Oscar season is upon on us and while the Oscars is very imperfect awards show, I, dork that I am, assiduously follow all the buzz surrounding it. I think it’s dumb that there are now TEN nominated Oscar Best Pictures, but that doesn’t make me want to see ALL or most of them any less. The winner is usually a Best a serious film with big emotions and big stories. – we do big things – I must be channeling Obama. Anyway . . . Here’s my quick look at the other nominated pictures:

Black Swan – saw it, thought it was trying too hard
The Fighter – hope to see
Inception – action flick – so don’t want to see but maybe should get over it
The King’s Speech (see above)
The Kids Are All Right – saw it, loved it, don’t think it will win best picture, a little too snappy and cutsey (in parts)
127 Hours – want to see it, but yikes, do I really want to watch a guy getting his arm severed for two hours?
The Social Network – saw it, liked it a lot, best picture material? Not sure- I think it’s too snappy like Kids Are All Right but more serious
Toy Story 3 – won’t see it, heard it’s great, but animation is not my thing
True Grit – want to see it
Winter’s Bone – saw it, liked it for the great acting by the young new star Jennifer Lawrence and a spooky John Hawkes

Cairo Time and Howl

2011-01-30T08:29:00.000-08:00

Cairo Time
A story about a woman (Patricia Clarkson) who travels to Cairo to visit her husband who works for the UN. When she gets there, he is in the Gaza Strip, so she tries to visit this ancient city on her own and then with the help of her husband's friend (Alexander Siddig) an Egyptian. I liked visiting the city by watching this movie, and I liked the portrayal of the woman alone in a foreign, challenging, city. But the movie moved so slowly that it took some effort to pay attention to.

Howl
James Franco is so interesting to watch that he makes this documentary-like film watchable. And this topic is interesting: the case against Lawrence Ferlinghetti's publishing of Allen Ginsberg's controversial poem "Howl". All of the dialogue, trial transcripts, letters, etc. from the film come from real life. In addition, the whole of "Howl" is read throughout the film. So if you want a literary dip into history, you might enjoy Howl.

Three movies: the good, the really bad, and the so-so

2011-01-11T20:07:00.000-08:00

The Special Relationship

The Special Relationship is about the relationship between Tony Blair and Bill Clinton from when Blair started his campaign to when after Clinton left office. The two leaders interact through phone calls, dinners with the wives, and cabinet meetings. Dennis Quaid plays Clinton and not for the first time Michael Sheen plays Tony Blair. (He also played Blair in The Queen). These two 90s power brokers have a brotherly relationship where Clinton acts as big brother who feels free to hang on up on his little bro mid-sentence after offering some sage advice. When Blair rebels in the media and takes Clinton to task about the US’s involvement in Kosovo, the relationship becomes less trusting but does not seem to completely sever. The portrayal of the wives is also interesting --Hope Davis as Hilary gives a thoughtful performance. This political movie examines a key moment in history. It's interesting and well acted.

Robin Hood

Robin Hood has an original start with a realistic take on the Robin Hood myth. It even has a cute romantic relationship with Cate Blanchet as Maid Marian and Russell Crowe who have to marry for convenience—the two of them making a very smart and good looking couple. But somehow it went awry about half way through the movie. It seemed like the second half of the movie was one big extended vicious battle. Robin Hood should be more about clever comrades who are amazing marksmen having jovial fun in the woods, but this Robin Hood seemed like it was trying too hard to be different by showing the “real” Robin Hood. I think it just got too big for its britches.

Sex and the City II

As a fan of the TV show and since I kinda liked Sex and the City I, I wanted to see this movie but knew it was going to be dumb – but, believe me it was dumber than I could have imagined. Dumb dialogue with bad puns (esp. from Samantha – she actually said, “Laurence of my labia” ehhh. Ridiculous outfits. Cliched Arabs. Just dumb. It makes you wonder how some smart people ended up making a movie that dreadful.

Fair Game and Black Swan

2011-01-02T10:46:00.001-08:00

Fair Game

Fair Game tells the story of Valarie Plame (Naomi Watts) and her husband Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn) – she, a CIA agent and he a former ambassador and expert about the country of Niger where the Bush administration is claiming Iraq is getting uranium from. After Wilson writes a letter to the New York Times’ claiming that the Bush administration is beefing up the facts surrounding the weapons of mass destruction claim in Iraq, his wife is then outed as a CIA agent – a fact that some of her family members had no idea about and, according to the movie, put some Iraqis working for her at risk of not being able to safely escape Iraq. Of course, one can question the veracity of the events in this movie which, of course, is always a problem when movies are based on real events. But judged solely as a movie, I found Fair Game to be very compelling. I came away from the movie feeling indignant about the way the presidency used its power to ruin reputations and distort reality – I guess, Duh, but it is a reminder of what can happen when one, “speaks truth to power.” If you like political movies, like I do, I think you would enjoy Fair Game.

Black Swan

Another cringe worthy movie for 2010. Luckily I had a friend who could fill me in on what was happening when I blocked the screen with my hand. Black Swan tells about a mentally disturbed ballerina Nina played by Natalie Portman who prepares to dance the lead in Swan Lake. Her director Thomas (a dance dictator and the most “fun” of the movie) wants Nina to get in touch with her bad side, the black swan side. Nina needs no help with this since she’s nutty already, as is her mother, by the way. This movie had some interesting plot twists and some cool scenes (especially some of the ending’s dance sequences), but its downfall for me was the movie’s pure humorlessness. Portman’s character is mousy and dour in the beginning of the movie all the way through to the end. She’s just not a very complex or interesting character – other than being just plain balmy.

Love and Other Drugs, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series

2010-12-13T17:42:00.000-08:00

Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal fall in love, get nude A LOT, try to cure one of them of Parkinson’s, break up, YOU CAN’T HANDLE MY ILLNESS, and then … well, you know what happens. The unexpected thing about this movie, and no it’s not the Parkinson’s, is the fact that this movie is getting pretty ok reviews and some critics are even touting it as a substantial movie rather than a mediocre romantic comedy, which it is – in my opinion.

I finally saw the last of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movies. I only read the first book, so I think that made me enjoy no. 2 and 3 more. The first two I saw on Netflix instant play, ok, but the quality was only so-so. I saw the third one in the theater and, as with all movies, that made the experience so much better. The Lisbeth is great in these movies and the stories are intriguing. I’m not a Steig Larson nut, like a lot of people, I know. I’m not really a mystery nut either, so that may explain why I not crazy about these movies, but I believe these movies are worthy versions of the books which is no small feat.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl who Played with Fire
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

Morning Glory

2010-11-20T21:09:00.000-08:00

You can’t help but compare Morning Glory to Broadcast News, the latest newsroom movie with Rachel MacAdams and Harrison Ford. Of course, this movie does quite live up to Broadcast News which was about serious news, but focused on Holly Hunter’s character, Jane. But the juxtaposition between serious news and fluff is still at work in Morning Glory, a movie about a slight morning show that rivals the Today show that is losing in the ratings. Rachel McAdams’ character Becky Fuller is given the task of raising the ratings of this silly show. Her co-anchors are played by Dianne Keaton (always funny!) and Harrison Ford, who she persuades to join morning TV even though he has only ever done serious news. The conflict between perky Becky and grave Ford’s character, Mike Pomeroy is one of the funniest things about the movie. Also, I loved the way McAdams bounced through movie with a cheerleader’s glee. I think she’s great in this movie and is what makes the movie worth watching. The downer of the movie is that fluff wins – the movie seems to celebrate the truly stupid of TV. Anyway, Morning Glory’s no Broadcast News, but pretty fun. Will it get added to some of my all time favorite newsroom movies (see sidebar?), probably not.
Favorite Newsroom Movies:
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?

Waiting for Superman

2010-11-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

I had to mull over David Guggenhiem’s (the Inconvenient Truth guy) Waiting for Superman for a while. Waiting for Superman is about our nation’s failing public school system and while it asserts that charter schools are not THE answer, they may be an answer for some. And the other answer is better teachers -- it heavily puts the burden on teacher performance as a way to save our nation’s schools.

As a documentary intended to capture the audience’s attention and persuade them into a point of view, it definitely did that – it really makes you think, argue, wonder but also fear that you are being strongly manipulated. Guggenheim even uses cute, worthy, poor children to create the central dramatic tension of the movie. The resolution of the movie is when we find out if these kids get into some of the successful charter schools and are not forced to return to their squalid, worthless schools.

But is Waiting for Superman a credible source for information about the state of our educational system? I’m not so sure. Yes, there are some terrible schools in a lot of our major cities, and yes, a lot of teachers should be fired who aren’t because of the power of teacher’s unions, but is that alone going to fix the schools? And what percentage of schools need fixing?
Diane Ravitch in the New York Times wrote a scathing article slapping around Waiting for Superman and taking offence at the burden that teachers were given for fixing the problem of schools. Instead, she points out that poverty and other ills are more to blame:

“…research shows that nonschool factors matter even more than teachers. According to University of Washington economist Dan Goldhaber, about 60 percent of achievement is explained by nonschool factors, such as family income. So while teachers are the most important factor within schools, their effects pale in comparison with those of students’ backgrounds, families, and other factors beyond the control of schools and teachers. Teachers can have a profound effect on students, but it would be foolish to believe that teachers alone can undo the damage caused by poverty and its associated burdens.”

Hear, hear! Even as a teacher at a charter school, I feel the weight pressing upon me as if I alone am in charge of fixing all that ails schools. Believe me, we get this pressure enough of the time at school – now we are getting it in the media. And indeed the prevailing mantra about fixing schools is better teachers, better teachers! What’s wrong with those darn teachers? It’s enough to give one heart palpitations.

The Up Series

2010-10-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

In 1964, British filmmaker Michael Apted chose an assorted group of English 7-year-olds to film and chronicles their lives every 7 years. Now, those "kids" are 49 years old. I had seen some of these “episodes” many years ago but had never saw the 1964 version and certainly hadn’t seen 49 and UP. So over the last month or so I watched all the whole 7 and Up series. And, believe me, it is fascinating. You can’t wait to put in the next DVD and find out they are doing at 21 or 42. It’s reality TV at its finest. I think Apted had some preconceived ideas what he would reveal about England and the class system when he started the series, and while many of his hypothesis held true (like the upper crust will follow a plan laid out for them with private schools etc. and the East enders will never make it out of dead end jobs), the most fascinating revelations were those “kids” who broke out their mold.
The most successful lives were the ones who possessed a mixture of practicality and drive. And I am defining successful as those who had good marriages or raised happy children or were satisfied with their lives. One of my favorites was this scrappy little ruffian, Tony, who at 21 one said that all that mattered, “was mom and dad and love.” And I don’t want to give away what happens to all of them because that’s where the suspense comes in but Tony was an example of someone who has amazing resources and ambitions and a lot of love. Tony isn’t the only captivating character of the bunch. There’s feisty fellow East Ender Jackie, sad-eyed Paul, compassionate Bruce, and the future physicist Nick who ends up in Madison Wisconsin of all places. And the most, I don’t know the word, maybe heartbreaking or thoughtful, or unpredictable of all the kids is Neil, who at 7 skips across the street with glee.
One thing that is kind of annoying is the repeat of the earlier footage at each stage. I did some skipping of that when I watched it on DVD. I watched the last bit on Netflix instant play, so I was not able to skip ahead. Also, sure, Apted is a manipulative film maker, he presents the “kids” as he sees them, but I like how he occasionally gets called to task by one of his subjects. Jackie really gives him an earful in 49 and Up.
So if you’ve got some time on your hands and want to watch one of the most fascinating documentaries that I’ve ever watched, give The Up series a shot.

The Social Network

2010-10-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

After reading great reviews about the Facebook movie, The Social Network, I was eager to see it. Even though I had also read a New Yorker profile of Mark Zuckerberg that claims that the movie distorted some of the facts about Facebook’s inception, I was still persuaded to see the movie. And It was really good.

I liked seeing the world of Harvard and the amazing gifted and privileged students at Harvard and how these youngsters, future leaders of the world, create amazing start up companies in their dorm rooms. It makes you feel old and not so smart, but it is definitely something to see.

I also enjoyed the Winklevoss brothers (two of Zuckerberg’s “victims”)– the young wealthy twins who row crew and act as if there right out of Brideshead Revisited. Plus, Zuckerberg’s friend, Eduardo, who is Facebook’s co-founder, is another reason to see the movie – played by Andrew Garfield – he’s sweet and earnest and a good friend and the perfect contrast to Zuckerberg’s icy wit.

And of course, Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg, is great. He is downright mean but very funny throughout the movie, and it is especially pointed when he sheds some of that meanness at the end of the movie. I wondered if the real Zuckerberg is really that funny. The movie starts out as a profile of the brilliant world of Harvard with all its amazing possibilities and ends in the brighter but meaner world of California and throughout it is a great movie.

If interested, like I was, in a fact check of the movie, check out this site.

Temple Grandin and Get Low

2010-10-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

I don’t know if others have had the experience of weeping through Temple Grandin, but this movie really got to me. Besides loving Claire Danes and thinking she is amazing in this movie, I cheered on her subject, Temple Grandin, a brilliant autistic woman who overcame her fears and achieved her goals. Because of her intuitive understanding of animals, she able to make cattle lots more compassionate for the cattle. She also has been able to explain what it is like to be autistic. This movie is definitely one that tugs at your heartstrings (which normally I hate in a movie) but the combination of Claire Danes’ great acting and Temple Grandin’s remarkable life, makes this movie well worth watching and a genuinely inspirational story.

I also saw Get Low about a grizzled hermit who emerges from the woods and declares he would like to plan his funeral and attend it. Robert Duvall is the crusty old guy; Bill Murray is the potentially shady funeral director; and Sissy Spacek is the old girlfriend. Holding the movie together and giving it some perspective is the young guy named Buddy played by Lucas Black who works for Murray’s character. For me, his reactions to the events of the movie was the most interesting part. The movie had a few genuine original moments but was mostly pretty forgettable.

Winter's Bone and Georgia O'Keefe

2010-09-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

Winter’s Bone is a little movie about a group of impoverished people living in the Ozarks whose life is corrupted by a community of scary kin who cook meth. In the center of this mess is a girl whose father is missing and his failure to show up for court will lead to the family losing their land. Ree (played by previously unknown to me, Jennifer Lawrence) is responsible for her younger brother and sister and her mute and sketchy mother. This amazing girl, Ree, stomps through the treeless winter hills with a stubborn purpose while encountering some seriously freaky people, one of whom is her own uncle, her father’s brother. At first it is hard to tell whose side her uncle(played by John Hawkes from Deadwood), strangely named teardrop, is on. But Ree unflinchingly carries on – trying to figure out what has become of her father. I liked this movie for a couple of reasons: Ree is interesting to watch and it not obvious where this movie is heading– happily no Hollywood blueprint to follow.

I also recently saw the Lifetime TV movie, Georgia O’Keefe. You’d think a movie starring two heavy hitters like Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen would be impressive, but it was actually kind of bland. Still, I enjoyed learning about the artist and her older lover, the photographer, Aurthur Stieglitz, who according to this movie was kind of a jerk. Despite interesting fodder for a movie, Georgia O’Keefe fell flat.

The Kids Are All Right

2010-09-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

I was surprised by how much I liked this movie. I had read that The Kids Are All Right was trying to be too hip for its own good, and, yes, there is some of that. But, it is also funny, thought-provoking, and at times sweet about how hard it is to be married and raise a family. The family stability begins to unravel when the lesbian couple's (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) two teenage children go searching for their mothers’ sperm donor, and, Voila, they find none other than the super sexy Mark Ruffalo. Paul, Ruffalo’s character, causes all kinds of disruption, some good and some bad, but most interesting is that his impact on the family is complicated and the director leaves room for ambiguity. The kids, Joni and Laser, (Mia Wosikowska and Josh Hutcherson) seem like real kids with real teen age insecurities and interests unlike so many TV shows and movies these days where the kids are over sexualized and behave like adults. With great actors like Bening and Moore, you know you are going to get some great performances, and they do not disappoint. The Kids Are All Right is more than just allright.

Motorcycle Diaries vs. Eat, Pray, Love

2010-08-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

I just rewatched Motorcycle Diaries and then went to Eat, Pray, Love the next day. One can’t help but make comparisons between these two movies, both about a member of the privileged class who goes on a “spiritual” (I’m using that word even though I think it is kinda meaningless) and an actual journey. Motorcycle Diaries is about journey of the young Che Guevara and his good friend from one end of South America to the other, through amazing scenery where the young Che learns to see this landscape through the eyes of the poor and helpless. You actually see his character changing as he becomes impassioned about his quest to unite the underclass of South America. Now, Eat, Pray, Love, on the other hand, is about a woman who left her husband without any real reason that the audience can tell (I didn’t read the book, by the way) and she is so distraught and apparently has enough money to say my only way to make myself whole again is to go to Italy, India, and Bali. Liz, played by the gorgeous how-can-life-be-tough-for-someone-that-beautiful Julia Roberts, mopes throughout the movie and then *poof* is happy again, in part when she crashes into the sexy Javier Bardem. Che was on a they, they, they trip while Liz is on a me, me, me trip. Of course, Eat, Pray, Love may be worth seeing for some beautiful scenery and some good bits by Javier Bardem and Richard Jenkins. And Motorcycle Diaries is definitely worth seeing.

Ghostwriter

2010-08-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

Roman Polanski resurfaces with this Hitchcockian drama about a Tony Blair-like politician who’s writing his memoirs with a ghostwriter while on Martha’s Vineyard. Pierce Brosan plays the former prime minister and Euan McGregor plays the ghost writer. Now, I always like a movie with Euan McGregor, and in this film he is again witty and debonair while he tries to find his way in a world where he is in way over his head. Right as the ghostwriter begins working with Brosnan’s character he is accused of war crimes and the ghostwriter while happens upon some unsavory details about his subject. Overall, I found Ghostwriter to be an intriguing little mystery with good acting.

Summer Movies 2010

2010-07-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

Because I've been having too much time for fun like going to the beach and having margaritas with the visitors, I haven't been posting much lately. Of course, I have been watching some movies:

Alice in Wonderland: meandering fantasy with a few visually delightful moments but overall, yawn
The Last Station: this movie is a very enjoyable story about the followers of Leo Tolstoy during his waning years. It’s about the struggle between his wife and the Tolstoyans over his legacy. Tolstoyans are pretty interesting. They are devoted followers of Tolstoy with some strange rules thrown in like being celibate and refraining from killing bugs or some such things like that. There is a very sweet romance between two Tolstoyans, one played by the cute James McAvoy.
Whip It: Whip it is a fun coming of age drama with the likable Ellen Page. Her character, Bliss, defies her controlling mother to skate with some tough chicks in the Roller Derby.
Broken Embraces: the latest from Pedro Almodovar with the evervescant Penelope Cruz. The plot is hard to explain, but unfolds in the form of a memory from a blind film maker who tells of his love affair with Lena or the beautiful Penelope Cruz. Interesting but not as good as Volver.

Please Give

2010-07-12T17:25:00.001-07:00

I’ve thought a lot about Please Give since I saw it. Am I one of those people? By one of those people I mean liberal, socially conscious, but down deep caught up in meaningless grasps for stuff: property, furniture,decorative items, spray tans etc. (Well, I know I am not interested in spray tans!) The movie revolves around a married couple who buy and sell used furniture, waiting for old folks to die and then visiting their New York apartments looking for treasures. Meanwhile the couple played by Elizabeth Keener and Oliver Platt hope to expand their New York apartment after a cranky old lady next door dies. Perhaps, the one genuinely giving person in the movie is one of the old lady’s granddaughters, Rebecca played by Rebecca Hall (you may recall her from her great role in Vicky Christina Barcelona) who cares for her grandmother despite having to listen to her demeaning comments every time she visits. All in all, Please Give is a very thought-provoking movie.

Young Victoria

2010-06-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

Young Victoria covers about 5 years of Queen Victoria of England’s life when she becomes queen and meets and marries Prince Albert. If you like movies about the English monarchy (and I really do!), you will like Young Victoria. Not only is the romance very sweet, but also learning about the insular and rare world that Victoria managed to thrive in is fascinating.

The Messenger

2010-06-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

Why wasn’t Ben Foster nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Messenger? Woody Harrelson, who was nominated for best supporting actor, is good too, but wow, Ben Foster is amazing. The Messenger is a story about two soldiers whose job it is to notify family members about the death of their loved one in war. It’s just a story about two extremely messed up guys who have a very messed up job. Simple and well worth watching.

The Time Traveler's Wife

2010-05-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

I had read bad reviews of this movie but still wanted to see it since I read the book. The Time Traveler’s Wife manages to take the exciting concept of time travel and make it boring. Even the ever radiant and cute Rachel McAdams, the time traveler’s wife, is not very interesting. In the book, the relationship between the wife and the traveler played by Eric Bana in the movie, is passionate, in the movie, enhhh. The best part of the movie comes when the cute little girl shows up, and that’s the last 20 minutes of the movie.

Adam

2010-05-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

Hugh Dancy is Adam, a man-child who has aspergers. Rose Byrne is Beth, his new neighbor who is strangely fascinated by Adam and begins an awkward romance with him. A romance that starts with lines from Adam like, Were you sexually excited last night? The movie is funny and sad. I thought more sad than funny, but worth watching, mainly to see the great acting, especially Dancy. And I think the movie makers treated the difficult to understand condition of Aspergers with sensitivity and insight.

Greenberg

2010-05-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

Noah Baumbach, maker of a The Squid in the Whale and Margot at the Wedding, gives us Greenberg, another look at and unhappy people and their ugly human qualities. While it’s not quite as funny nor is the plot as well-crafted as The Squid and the Whale, Greenberg, played by Ben Stiller, did get me thinking about aging and people’s futile grasps at meaning. Greenberg is so self-involved you want to slap him. He is house-sitting at his brother’s house while recovering from a nervous breakdown. He has nothing much to do but fills his day with meaningless tasks such as writing mundane complaint letters and making a dog house. He then decides to inflict his downer self onto Florence, his brother’s personal assistant, a victim who she allows Greenberg to verbally abuse her. Sounds fun, huh? Maybe not fun but revealing. The movie dissects a type of person who has no values, who is depressed, and lacks self-awareness, who may learn a little something at the end. If you like a character-driven movie, where the character is a jerk, then you may like Greenberg.

Movie Catch Up

2010-05-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

I've been absent from my blog for quite a while. Some of that time I was in Ecuador and did in fact watch a lot of movies. A few on the airplane and a few of the unlicensed variety. Here's the recap:

Airplane movies: captive audiences who have nothing better to do than watch one the follow ennhhh movies!
Old Dogs -- This movie was actually shown TWICE on my way down and it is TERRIBLE! If I were Robin Williams or Jon Travolta I would try strike this movie off my resume. Super dumb!
My One and Only -- Renee Zellweger as aging beauty queen with two sons in the 1950s. This movie wasn't terrible but just kind of boring. I liked the sons played by Logan Lerman and Mark Rendell.
Hachiko, A Dog's Story: Richard Gere's character happens upon a cute little puppy from Japan in this heart warming tale about dog love. Right up my alley, not. But actually it wasn't that bad but it was no Marley and Me.

Movies from the streets of Quito, a.k.a pirated
The Blind Side: I can see why this movie is so popular. How can you not like that big guy Michael and root for his success?
Agora: The beautiful Rachel Weisz plays Hypatia, a Roman philosopher, astronomer, and atheist who studies at the ancient library at Alexandria. This movie was really fascinating and spurred a lot of Google searches.
The Lightning Thief: I enjoyed this "Kids" movie. Not having read the books, the teacher in me, liked the modern take on Greek mythology.
Invictus -- I forgot Invictus. The movie about a South African rugby team and Nelson Mandela. Very interesting and I enjoyed learning about what was going on in South Africa at this time. Morgan Freeman's Nelson Mandela is the price of admission. Not a great movie, I don't think but good.

Taking Woodstock and Wonderful World

2010-03-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

Taking Woodstock
It starts pretty good. Goofy Demetri Martin as the beleaguered Jewish son to two nutty parents and owner of a rundown motel desperately tries to save his parents livelihood. You ask yourself, how does this kooky family become instrumental in the making of the great music festival Woodstock? The answer to this question intrigued me enough to want to keep watching until at some point, amid star cameos and drug induced hazy scenes, you realize this movie isn’t going anywhere -- the plot had gone seriously awry. It’s too bad really. So much potential, a movie directed by the great Ang Lee and about such an interesting subject. At least the beginning is pretty good.

Wonderful World
In Wonderful World Mathew Broderick plays a cranky failed musician who is brought back to life by two Senegalese visitors to his unhappy life. Remind you of anything? If you saw the much better The Visitor, which about a crank who is revived by some musician Africans. Just see The Visitor if this plot intrigues you. Oh wait, there is one reason to see Wonderful World, and that is the small role played byMichael Kenneth Williams, also known as Omar from The Wire.

Swedish Auto and New York, I Love You

2010-03-13T20:23:00.000-08:00

Swedish Auto
What happens if you are stalking someone and then you find out someone is stalking you so then you stalk that person. Swedish Auto answers this question … lugubriously (how do you like that word? :) Lukas Haas plays a sad sack auto mechanic who is in love with a beautiful violinist so what’s a guy to do but follow her around town, meanwhile an abused waitress fancies the mechanic and hovers outside his abode. The waitress is played by the beautiful January Jones of Mad Men fame and she hardly seems like she could be a stalker. If you think this movie might be a light-hearted and wacky (as I hoped it would be) you would be wrong. Rather it’s a story about a bunch of surly down and outs who try to find moments of happiness in a dreary life. Sound fun, doesn’t it?

New York, I Love is a collection of short films directed by people like Mira Nair and Natalie Portman with a myriad of famous actors in brief pieces: Bradley Cooper, Andy Garcia, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman (acts and directs), Orlando Bloom, Ethan Hawke, Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Julie Christie, John Hurt, Shia LaBeouf , Chris Cooper, Robin Wright Penn, and Cloris Leachman. This is part two of a series. Paris, Je T’aime which I wrote about was the first film. Like that film, this movie is a hodge podge of some good and some what the heck is goin’ on here? But I think Paris, Je T’aime seemed more connected to real people’s problems. New York, I Love You, begs the question: Why do I love you, New York? You are so crude and banal.

My Oscar Picks, 2010 -- The Results

2010-03-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

2010,was not my year. I got stomped on. Congrats Deb.
Deb 15/24
Mary 9/24

Winners in Bold

X marks my picks. Possible points: 24
Deb's picks = O

Best Picture
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker X O
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow The Hurt Locker X O
James Cameron Avatar
Lee Daniels Precious
Jason Reitman Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Tarantino

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart O
George Clooney in Up in the Air
Colin Firth in A Single Man X
Morgan Freeman in Invictus
Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side O
Helen Mirren in The Last Station
Carey Mulligan in An Education
Gabourey Sidibe in Precious
Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia X

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon in Invictus
Woody Harrelson. in The Messenger
Christopher Plummer in The Last Station
Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz in Ingourious Basterds X/O

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz in Nine
Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
Mo’nique in Precious X/ O

Best Animated Feature
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up X/ O

Best Film Editing
Avatar X/O
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious

Best Cinematography
Avatar O
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker X
Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

Best Screenplay, Adapted
Neill Blomkamp and  Terri Tatchell District 9
Nick Hornby An Education
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche In the Loop
Geoffrey Fletcher Precious
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner Up in the Air X / O

Best Screenplay, Original
Mark Boal The Hurt Locker X
Quentin Tarantino Inglourious Basterds O
Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman The Messenger
Joel and Ethan Coen A Serious Man
Peter Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy Up

Best Original Song
Almost There from The Princess and the Frog
Down in New Orleans from The Princess and the Frog
Loin De Paname from Paris 36
Take it All from Nine
The Weary Kind from Crazy Heart X / O

Best Original Score
Avatar X
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hurt Locker
Sherlock Holmes
Up O

Costume Design
Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus X
Nine
The Young Victoria O

Best Foreign Language Film
Ajami - Israel
The Secret in their Eyes - Argentina
The Milk of Sorrow - Peru
A Prophet - France X
The White Ribbon - Germany O

Best Documentary Feature
Burma VJ
The Cove O
Food Inc. X
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home

Best Documentary Short
China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province O
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Music by Prudence
Rabbit a la Berlin X

Best Short Film, Live Action
The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi O
Miracle Fish X
The New Tenants

Best Short Film, Animated
French Roast X
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)
Logorama
A Matter of Loaf and Death O

Art Direction
Avatar X/ O
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

Makeup
Il Divo
Star Trek O
The Young Victoria X

Sound Editing
Avatar X/ O
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

Sound Mixing
Avatar X O
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Visual Effects
Avatar X / O
District 9
Star Trek

The September Issue and Into the Storm

2010-02-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

On the face of it, The September Issue is a documentary about the months it takes to put together Vogue’s huge September issue, but really it is a glimpse into the real scary calm rule of Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor, known to most of us nonfashion followers as the woman who Meryl Streep played in The Devil Wears Prada. I kept seeing Streep’s portrayal throughout this movie, without the over top behavior liking flopping the coat on her assistant’s desk, such as the stare of disdain. You know really, the movie isn’t just a portrayal of Wintour, the movie plays up the conflict between the decisive Wintour and the creative director, Grace Coddington, who seems to be the great talent of Vogue magazine. The two of them, women of a “certain” age, go to head to head, while never directly confronting each other. They do try to strong arm the other – of course, Wintour usually way wins, but it is definitely a battle that is fun to watch: reality drama at its finest.

I also watched Into the Storm – another portrayal of a real person: Winston Churchill. The segment of his life we see in the movie is during WWII, and it shows his strength in leading England through one if it’s most difficult times. We also see a quirky, petulant, brilliant side to Winston Churchill, a man I knew little about it before I saw this movie. It was an interesting but probably but not exciting movie for most. My dad, a big Winston Churchill fan, would probably really like it.

Funny People

2010-02-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

For starters Funny People is not funny. It is at times dismal, at times pathetic, and at times really crude. It’s about horrible unlikable people or comics, (I guess) who say horrible things to each other. It’s another one from the Judd Apatow comedy factory – you know the maker of 40-year-old Virgin, Super Bad, and so forth. In fact since 2004, he’s made more than 10 movies: a mixture of very funny ones and real duds. This one has one of his favorite actors Seth Rogen who is the only actual “real” person in this movie. Adam Sandler is the famous comic who is no longer happy with his riches and fame. He goes searching for a woman he loved. It’s so blah and unrealistic that I stopped caring about this movie somewhere during the last sentence.

The Hurt Locker and Crazy Heart

2010-02-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

It just so happened that I went to two movies in one day (I had already gone to The Hurt Locker and got an invitation to go to Crazy Heart) which forces me to compare these two movies: one intense and stressful, and one slow and drowsy.

The Hurt Locker
Before going to Hurt Locker, I had a knotted muscle in my back and believe me this movie did not help me de-stress. I was tense throughout the movie and my face held a cringe. Even though it is not the type of movie I usually see – it has all the elements I usually like to avoid: war, blood, macho men with guns – I was too intrigued to miss it, especially when it can be found at our new independent theater. In its simplest form Hurt Locker is just three guys who go from one potential deadly threat to another, diffusing the situation or in some cases creating some added drama. Their leader and the man who wears the padded bomb suit, is Will James played by Jeremy Renner, and he is a reckless adrenaline junky but incredibly skilled at what he does. He says nutty threatening things and then says, “Just kidding” in a way that makes him seem crazy – but you can’t keep your eyes off of him --he is interesting on screen except when his team member Sandborn, played by Anthony Mackie, is onscreen – he also gives an amazing presence. Do I recommend this movie? Yes, I think for the performances and the intensity, but no if you don’t want to be freaked out and make your back get even more knotted up.

Crazy Heart
Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart plays a broken down alcoholic country singer. This movie is a character study and the character, Bad Blake. His performance basically IS the movie and the movie may be worth going to if only to see his performance, I guess. But it is also pretty plotless and too slow-paced. It was like they tried to slap a pretty cliché plot structure around a great character and some good songs and performances. Giving him a love interest of the beautiful and way too young Maggie Gyllenhall seemed all wrong. Bad Blake is gross – who but a star struck drunk fan would want to kiss him? And the ending definitely falls flat. After hearing an interview on Fresh Air with T. Bone Burnet who produced and wrote some of the music for this movie I had high hopes for this movie, but maybe because my expectations were too high, I was disappointed.

Sugar

2010-01-31T17:31:00.000-08:00

Sugar is either a baseball movie about a Dominican or an immigrant movie about a guy who plays baseball. After training in the Dominican Republic, Sugar leaves his family and a simpler life to strive for his dream of playing baseball with the Yankees. I won’t tell you the ending, but it is not predictable. The movie spotlights what it must be like for a non English speaker to come to a place like Iowa (where he plays on a minor league team) and try to assimilate. The boy/ man who plays Sugar is a real Dominican played by Algenis Perez Soto, and he’s very charming and is able to show his sense of displacement with just a look. We get to experience America through his intense stares. There are moments in the movie where you almost don’t want to watch it anymore because you fear the worst for Sugar and you want the best for him, but I’m glad I made it to the end. So, baseball fans, and fans of a quality American made movies in Spanish, I think you would like this movie. By the way, the directing/writing team behind this movie were also behind the great movie Half Nelson, a favorite movie of mine.

I also saw Beauty in Trouble, a Czech movie about a troubled marriage. The fact that it was a foreign movie and was supposed to be pretty good did not make it so. Another movie that I watched so you don’t have to. 

The Answer Man

2010-01-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

I decided to see this movie because A. we were having a snow storm and I didn’t have a movie to watch so I sloooowly fired it up on Netflix watch instantly … and B. it had Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls fame and I like her and C. it was a romantic comedy and sometimes I'm just in the mood for one of those. The Answer Man, played by Jeff Daniels, is an author of self-help books with a cult following whose personal life is a mess. My findings of this so-so weirdo romantic comedy, are that it was interesting enough to hold my attention, and odd enough to be unpredictable, and an overall unique premise, good actors, but in the end kinda cheesy and kinda enhhh with no chemistry between the two leads.

In the Loop

2010-01-23T16:38:00.001-08:00

In the Loop, the sometimes hilarious British political satire, makes politicians out to be ridiculous boobs. Tom Hollander as Simon Foster is hilarious as the foot-in-his-mouth minister to the Prime Minister and his boss, played by Peter Capaldi, swears a blue streak and is mean in a very funny and belittling way. The action moves to Washington where we get a look at some boobs on the other side of the pond. They are all trying to start a war or stop a war or be neutral on the war. You definitely hope that our political system works a lot better in real life.

At times In the Loop is a little bewildering -- the British accents and the political maneuverings move around in circles -- but it is well worth seeing if for nothing else than for some good laughs.

Update on Movies I Still Want to See, and more

2010-01-10T13:52:00.001-08:00

December Movies I saw and liked:
Up in the Air: George Clooney and Vera Farmiga spend a lot of time in airports.

Me and Orson Welles: One of my favorite actresses, Claire Danes is part of this ensemble piece that is set during the 30s and directed by Richard Linklater. A period piece/character-driven movie. Now that’s right up my alley.

Still want to see but haven't yet -- from earlier list:
The Messenger: Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster are two army officers whose job it is to deliver the news to families about the death of their soldier.

Broken Embraces: Another movie from the great Spanish director Pedro Almodovar with the beautiful Penelope Cruz

Movies I am adding to my list
In the Loop: British political satire that has been around for a while, but I can't get my hands on it.

The Hurt Locker: A movie about a bomb diffusing squad in Iraq that has gotten great reviews. At first this movie seemed too violent for me -- but now after seeing it on many best movies of '09 lists, I gotta see it.

The Young Victoria: a story of the first few years of Queen Victoria's rule played by Emily Blunt. (I love stories about the English Monarchy and period pieces, so of course, I want to see this movie)

The Single Man: I heard this movie, about a gay professor in the 50s who has to hide his grief over the loss of his partner, is very sad. But I love Colin Firth and apparently this is an Oscar-worthy performance, so I want to see it.

Me and Orson Welles

2009-12-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

There is a type of movie where there is a lot talking and not a lot of plot, where the pursuit of art is valued above all else, and earnest youths try to find their purpose – usually by talking it about it . . . a lot. This type of movie could be called a Richard Linklater movie. Typical Linklater movies are Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Slackers, (less typical, but another one of his is School of Rock)
Linklater’s latest version of the talky, plotless movie is Me and Orson Welles. Beautiful young lad Zac Effron’s character Richard uses his wit and tenaciousness to get him a small part in a Orson Welles’ play Caesar. We view Orson Welles and the production of the play through his eyes. The cast of the play is filled with interesting and quirky characters. The 1930s theater life is another reason to see this movie. Also, it is fascinating to learn about Orson Welles; Christian McKay who played him did a great job. This type of talky movie is not for everyone, but I enjoyed spending an afternoon with these smart, passionate people. (I love Before Sunrise and Before Sunset) When you get a hankering for one of these type of movies, check out a Richard Linklater movie.

PS. Claire Danes is in this movie too! Bonus.

Up in the Air

2009-12-20T16:57:00.000-08:00

George Clooney stars in this character-driven movie based on a book of the same name by Walter Kirn. He plays an emotionally stunted man who basically lives on an airplane and in airports flying to different parts of the United States firing people for a job. A crack opens in his armor when he meets a fellow traveler Alex played by the beautiful Vera Farmiga. Her presence in his life seems to open him up to other humans like a career driven newbie he mentors and to his two sisters, one who is getting married. Before he meets Alex, he’s not a mean man, he just happily exists in his bubble air world existing on superficial relationships with airline employees and drinking in hotel bars. I liked this movie a lot, yet didn’t love this movie as I thought I would. Maybe I was expecting too much. Before I went to the movie I read fantastic reviews and heard a really compelling interview with the writer Kirn and the director, Jason Reitman, on Fresh Air with Terry Gross which made the movie all the more interesting. (Reitman also directed Thank You for Smoking, and Juno) Don’t get me wrong, I liked Up in the Air a lot and George Clooney and Vera Farmiga were great. I just thought I was going to be more wowed.

December Movies I want to see

2009-12-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

I haven't been going to any movies of late, but I want to! Below are a few movies that I keep looking for at my local theater. I may have to travel south to see them. All of these movies are getting good reviews while Up in the Air is getting great reviews. I predict best picture of the year at the Oscars and a best actor Oscar for George Clooney – his first, I think.

Up in the Air: George Clooney and Vera Farmiga spend a lot of time in airports.

The Messenger: Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster are two army officers whose job it is to deliver the news to families about the death of their soldier.

Broken Embraces: Another movie from the great Spanish director Pedro Almodovar with the beautiful Penelope Cruz

Me and Orson Welles: One of my favorite actresses, Claire Danes is part of this ensemble piece that is set during the 30s and directed by Richard Linklater. A period piece/character-driven movie. Now that’s right up my alley.

Cheri

2009-11-22T20:07:00.000-08:00

Cheri is about an 18th century aging French courtesan who falls in love with a pretty boy called Cheri. Michelle Pfeiffer is the aging beauty and the pretty boy is played by Rupert Friend, a fey, fair-skinned boy, who would be very attractive if not for an ugly shoulder length hair cut. (You might remember Friend as Mr. Wickham in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice) The movie is pretty ho hum with a few funny moments supplied by Kathy Bates as mother to Cheri. One scene of note takes place at the end when Pfeiffer’s character is transformed from a beauty to an old woman as she stares at the camera. It’s a cool scene.

It Might Get Loud

2009-11-15T12:12:00.000-08:00

It Might Get Loud profiles three accomplished guitarists: Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White. I went to it with my friend and her 8 and 10-year-old kids and the 10-year-old's friend. The 10-year-old is a budding guitarist, so his mom wanted him to learn from the legends. So, from the pre-teens view the movie was a little long and at times confusing. The friend thought it would be more fun if they were playing Leggo’s while listening to some of the music. The 8-year-old was aghast at Bono’s leather pants: “He must get sweaty in those pants.”

From an adult perspective, one who was wondering if she was going to be bored, I thought that overall, the film was not boring. It zipped around from guitarist to guitarist like a flung bouncy ball in a classroom, which was often jarring. And there were parts that were too guitar-wonky, snooze, but there were also some amazing scenes. At the center of this zig-zagging is the three interesting men filmed on what looks like a living room scene on a stage talking about playing the guitar and doing some jamming. What makes the movie come alive are some great moments that are captured on film: Jimmy Page playing a classic tune while Jack White and The Edge look on and beam with pleasure. And there’s fantastic concert bit of U2 playing Sunday Bloody Sunday (which I wish could have lasted longer). Plus, there were charming first guitar stories. I wanted more stories about their lives and guitars and more of them playing together. I think the film makers were trying to create a very stylized and unique documentary that looked cool, but they did the overdo on the stylishness and ended up with some good, some boring, but some amazing.

P.S. Saw this movie at the Zinema, our new independent theater. Love it! Plus, you can get free refills of popcorn! Bonus!

I almost saw Into Temptation

2009-11-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

Patrick Coyle, director and writer of Into Temptation, was in Duluth to discuss his Minnesota-made movie. The movie was at the Zinema, our town's great new independent movie theater. At the start of the movie, the director sat on the aisle steps. The movie begins with Father John listening to a parishioner in the confessional complain about her husband. Then . . . skip . . .skip . . .skip. The disc kept skipping like a bad movie night in your living room. Coyle ran out to see what was happening and then returned apologizing and saying he would pop over to his car and get another disc. A director who has an extra movie at the ready seemed handy and kinda weird. Then after a few minutes of disc 2, skip, ... skip,... No director appeared to apologize. The audience sat for about 20 more minutes before starting to file out of the theater. We got our money back but wondered what the deal was. It's too bad too since the 30-40 minutes of the movie I saw (parts from the beginning, middle, and end, by the way) was pretty good. Jeremy Sisto (of Law and Order and Six Feet Under) plays a gentle Catholic priest who tries to help a woman who has confessed that she plans to kill herself. But what actually happened at the Zinema last night? Who knows?

An Examined Life

2009-11-04T18:43:00.000-08:00

In An Examined Life 7 philosophers speak about the meaning of life while walking through a particular city scene. When I went to the movie I had no idea what it was about, and slowly came to the realization that it was a well-filmed, hour and a half philosophy class. Sound interesting? Surprisingly it was. But this unique movie going experience took some getting used to. You had to put on your student hat. Spicing up the instruction is the witty Cornell West who frames the movie by appearing three times and entertaining with his snappy though somewhat incomprehensible banter.

As an aside, I am thrilled that my smallish city has gotten a new independent movie theater called the Zinema where I saw this quirky film. Now I don't have to travel to see new off-beat movies.

An Education

2009-11-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

An Education is based on the memoir of the same name by Lynn Barber. She looks back at the early 60s when she 16 years old going to a London prep school with plans to attend Oxford. The thing that is great about the movie is the Jenny, Barber’s younger self, played by Carey Mulligan. Jenny is razor smart, skewering her buffoonish father with witty asides and speaking French to anyone who listen. When she is dazzled by the much older David, played by Peter Sarsgaard, who she later finds out is a con man, she begins to lose her way. Unfortunately she is not helped by her parents who are made to be simpletons who are duped into allowing her daughter to be taken away for weekends with David. David appears to be a big creep to the viewer but this smart girl gets taken in though she is never totally controlled by him and in some ways is smarter about a lot of things than he is. An Education is a slice of life movie about a time when girls had few choices for their lives. I think without the great acting by Mulligan the movie would not shine as well as it does, but with her it is well worth seeing.

Oh and learning about the real Lynn Barber is fascinating. Check out this article from the Telegraph.

Big Fan

2009-10-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

Big Fan tells about a crazed Giant's fan whose run in with his favorite player, QB Quantrelle Bishop, turns ugly. Paul, played by Patton Oswald, who is surprisingly good, loves his dear Giants so much that he calls into a sports’ radio talk show after each game and reads his enthusiastic thoughts about how AWESOME the Giants are while his mom yells at him from the next room. He and his equally nut-job friend watch Sunday’s game while sitting in the parking lot with a TV plugged into their car battery. The disturbing incident involving the QB, is what leads to the rest of the events of the movie, so I won’t tell them here, but suffice it to say that his reaction to the bizarre events are unexpected and squirm producing. In fact, that is one of the things I liked about this movie. It is unpredictable. You do not know what is going to happen, and I kept wondering if we were going to get a gratifying Hollywood ending. It’s no joy ride, just so you know. Paul is a sad, aggravating character whose actions defy reason. Also, there are way too many long, intense, music-filled scenes that are supposed to show us some grand theme? Emotion? Not sure, but these scenes seemed gratuitous. Despite these flaws, Big Fan makes an important statement about how our society can make idolatry into the reason for living. And that’s the really disturbing part.

Defiance

2009-10-17T09:58:00.001-07:00

Defiance tells about the four Bielski brothers who lead a group of Jews to safety in the woods from the German Soldiers during WWII. This actually happened: A group of over 1,000 Jews, mostly women and children, hid in the woods protected by some rather thuggish armed men. Of course the lead savior/Bielski brother is played by the studly Daniel Craig who makes some rather remarkable inspirational speeches to a group of beleaguered Jews. Liev Schreiber plays the brute second brother who is bent on revenge and breaks off from his older brother and fights with the Russians violently killing his way through the countryside. (There were several extremely violent parts that I had to fast forward especially when he was on screen) Besides the Bielski brothers there are some lovely women on screen, Mia Wasikowska from In Treatment (she was so good in that if you ever get a chance to see the 1st season of In In Treatement)and Alexa Davalos who seemed a little too beautiful to be covered in dirt in the woods. The movie doesn't hang together that well and there some too sentimental moments in a movie that tells about such a grim period in history and it is very violent. But, with that said, Defiance tells about such an amazing piece of history about a community that survived despite incredible odds that I am glad I saw it. And had to find out what was the “real” story of the Bielski brothers after I saw the movie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bielski_partisans

Bright Star

2009-10-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

Bright Star tells of an intense three-year romance between the Romantic poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. Beautiful Fanny’s passion is for making fashionable clothes and needlework and Keats, of course, is in love with words. Sometimes movies about great artists don’t even delve into the work that makes them great. Not so with Bright Star. The poems and the visual beauties written about are the center of the movie. Poems are recited, like parts of Endymion (“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”) and the poem about Fanny, "Bright Star". Plus, the actors (Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish) read from love letters written when they are separated. The movie is sumptuous, with each shot there is so much to look at, Fanny’s stunning dresses or a white room filled with butterflies. There is one playful scene where John and Fanny are walking behind Fanny’s sister trying to hide their affection for each other, and each time the girl turns around they stop moving, like they are playing freeze tag. Sure some may find this movie a bore, intense conversations about poetry and love in the time when a valentine was cause for a passionate yelling match between two suitors. But, I enjoyed the movie thoroughly, and am even now compelled to read some Keats:

The First Stanza Of "Endymion"

A THING of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways::
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
'Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard or read:
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.

Grand Torino

2009-10-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

Less is more, squinty Clinty. About a month ago I saw Grand Torino, a Clint Eastwood movie that had the potential to be a beautiful small movie about a clash of cultures (old crusty white guy v. Hmong family) but instead it turned into a melodrama depicting a vision of urban America as vile and violent. I really was looking forward to a rare look at Hmong in the U.S. and the movie did highlight their unique immigrant situation, but Eastwood went for big drama at the end rather than slice of life. Too bad. Another good movie gone ennh.

Departures, Guest Entry

2009-09-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

Mary asked me to write a movie review which is quite unusual, as I don't watch all that many movies, and I'm jaded enough that it takes a lot to get me to rave over one. But Saturday night I had the opportunity to see 'Departures', a Japanese film well worth watching.

Here is what one reviewer had to say:

Winner of the 2008 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film: "DEPARTURES" is an exquisite look into a man whose professional career takes an unexpected turn into the world of preparing dead bodies for funerals. The movie is a brilliant and seamless blending of several different themes: how people deal with loss and tragedy (the funeral scenes are quite moving); how the living cling to life through food, music and human contact - and how they instinctively avoid anything to do with dying until it is unavoidable, and how indeed it can be quite messy in several different ways. "moving and absorbing.

My take? One of the best movies I have seen, if not ever, then in a long,long time. The story line was interesting and, as mentioned in the above review, there are several themes addressed within a novel arena. On one hand, it is the story of a young man in the midst of traumatic and transforming career and personal change, and the way he and those he loves deal with it. But the major theme is death. The funeral scenes are sad, funny, but most of all transfixing: a look at the compassion and ceremony surrounding preparation of the dead in a culture somewhat different than our own. I left feeling warmed, hopeful, and enriched. Pretty hot stuff for a six dollar Saturday night in Zumbrota.

My one major complaint was the quality of the subtitles. They were in white lettering which often played against a light background, making some of the lines unreadable. The viewer was still able to understand what was happening, but it was distracting at times, and I would have liked a clearer, easier read.

A reviewer of this film on the website 'Spirituality and Practice' wrote: English novelist and poet D. H. Lawrence once observed: "The human soul needs beauty even more than it needs bread." When we left this film, we exclaimed, "It is just so beautiful!

by my friend Julie

The Fall, Guest Entry

2009-09-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

A description of this movie will not do it justice. It wasn't until I saw the trailer that I really wanted to watch it, so if you're in doubt, go online and see the trailer....

The setting is a hospital in 1920's Los Angeles. A wounded stuntman strikes up a friendship with an immigrant girl. He begins to tell her an epic story, which comes to life in stunning brilliance (as imagined by the girl, which makes for some funny moments.) The stuntman has been betrayed by his girlfriend and is permanently disabled, so the story gets darker and darker, and the stuntman uses the story to manipulate the little girl. The story is unlike any other; the imagery is strikingly beautiful. Get your hands on it--you won't be sorry.

by Mary's pal, Deb. Thanks Deb.

Cassandra's Dream

2009-09-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

I wasn't very enthused about Woody Allen’s latest dreary drama: a tale of two brothers who choose to become killers as a way to save themselves from financial ruin. The characters didn’t seem real or their actions plausible. I think the point was supposed to be that the lead characters were stupid and wouldn't it be funny to see them try to kill someone. But it isn’t funny. It’s just kind of painful to watch. I like seeing Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor, the brothers, in everything they do, but this flick what was a dud for me. It certainly was no, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody Allen’s prior movie. That movie was so fun and alive. Cassandra’s Dream is more blah and dead.

500 Days of Summer

2009-09-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

This off beat romantic comedy has great acting, Zoey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt, and does not follow the usual pattern of the romantic comedy. Right away a stern narrator tells us that this is not a love story. But the movie is all about romantic love and is from the perspective of the ultimate romantic, Tom, who becomes obsessed with Summer, even though she claims that she is not interested in a serious relationship and that she has never been in love. The struggle of the movie is about Tom trying not to reveal his intense longing for Summer. Levitt who plays Tom is great in this movie (remember him from 3rd Rock from the Sun?). He somehow comes off vulnerable, awkward, and sexy at the same time. He even does a song and dance routine that is one highlights of the movie; it’s a choreographed dream-like dance sequence that is joyous and funny. There were some moments in this movie that seemed too cute like the addition of the preteen little sister who advises Tom on his love life, but overall I found 500 Days of Summer to be an enjoyable summer treat!

Sunshine Cleaning

2009-08-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

Sunshine Cleaning seems like it is going for a Little Miss Sunshine vibe -- quirky regular folk who are striving to better their lives in unexpected ways – but this Sunshine movie isn’t near as charming or fun as that other one. Sunshine Cleaning even has an adorable weird kid and a curmudgeonly Alan Arkin, though he is not quite as caustic as his character in LMS. The movie definitely has great actors, besides Arkin, Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, and Steve Zahn. Adams and Blunt play two sisters who try to make some big cash by cleaning out the homes of someone who just died. It’s pretty gross. Both roles are interesting and well acted and Steve Zahn who I love! Only has a minor and not very interesting role. The movie seems like it should be really good but unfortunately it’s just so-so.

Harvey (1950)

2009-08-26T20:47:00.001-07:00

I’m sure I saw Harvey in my youth; the classic movie with Jimmy Stewart who has an imaginary friend called Harvey. But after watching it again, it seemed completely new to me. I didn’t remember it being so good! The script is so funny and complex at the same time, and it makes the presence of this unseen rabbit, well, … present. Jimmy Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd is great and so likable that you want to just sit at the bar with him and Harvey and swap stories. The other real gem of the movie is the actress Josephine Hull who plays Elwood’s aunt, Veta Louise Simmons, who I had not heard of before, but learned that she won an Oscar for role in Harvey. She is HIGHlarious while being sweet and demure at the same time – something to see. Sometimes you see a classic and realize just why it is classic. Harvey fits the bill.
As a side note: Another reason why I wanted to see this movie again (the first was because it was at the library!) was because I heard that a remake was afoot. Stephen Spielberg, of all people, is going to try to recreate this classic. After seeing it, I can’t imagine what would be the point of remaking a near perfect little gem of a movie. But who knows.

The Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

2009-08-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

After finishing season 1 of Breaking Bad, the dark TV series on AMC, I watched the extras where the creator and writer Vince Gilligan of that well-written show, said one of his favorite classics was The Sweet Smell of Success. He extolled the movies great writing and rapid fire dialogue. Sweet Smell of Success stars Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster as ruthless publicity agent and overbearing newspaper columnist. The movie’s main conflict is about Falco, Curtis, who is trying to break up Hunsecker’s, Lancaster, sister’s relationship with a guitarist in exchange for more publicity. Yeah, a guitarist, like that is sooo bad. The movie depicts a completely different world from the modern movie where women are helpless and easily manipulated, and you can be taken down by insinuating that someone smokes “reefer.” The dialogue is definitely rapid fire, it reminds of the type of writing done on The West Wing, where you miss most of it and would like to go back to pick it up. Sweet Smell of Success is definitely an interesting slice of movie history that I was not of aware of before and am glad to know about, but did I enjoy it? Enhhhh. Somewhat, I guess.

The Class

2009-08-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

I’m a middle school teacher. So watching The Class, a gritty docu-drama about a tough French class of 14 year olds in France is fascinating and sickening at the same time. The teacher, Francois Begaudeau, or M. Marin as he is called in the movie, is a handsome man who seems to truly care about his students, challenging them to become better speakers, readers, and writers of French – he doesn’t let them get by with sloppy responses and he ignores a lot of sassy remarks. He’s fascinating to watch. The students, who are actual French students, are even more mesmerizing and so like the English speaking middle school students I know. They look bored; they question everything, and they put on a brave front but at the same time seem so awkward and unsure. I watched the DVD extras and director Laurent Cantet had the kids, actual students in the school that Begaudeau taught, do an improv class, helping them to work on authentic responses, and it really worked. These kids were making me uncomfortable – I felt as if they were in my class, and I had to get them under control.
The Class or Entre les Murs (Between the Walls), also made me wonder about the differences between American and French Schools. Sure in many ways these kids seemed like American kids, but there were some aspects of this French school I found odd. The kids seemed to have a lot of power within the school. They even had student representatives sit in on disciplinary meetings about other students. The teachers sat as group and tried to come up with a point system for dealing with discipline problems and the man in charge didn’t seem to have much control of the school. And then when one troublesome boy was finally dealt with, his punishment seemed extreme.
What was I doing watching a thought provoking teacher movie so close to school resuming, I do not know. It is usually my policy to have nothing to do with students, schools, even young adult literature, during the precious summer months, but I had really wanted to see this movie. And I am glad I did. Well worth watching, even if you are not a teacher.
The Class is going on my list of the Best Edgy Teacher Movies*:
• The Class (2008)
• Half Nelson (2006)
• Notes on a Scandal (2006)
• School of Rock (2003)
• Election (1999)
*NOT feel good teacher movies, I hate those

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)

2009-08-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is based on a Charlie Kaufman screen play, so you know it’s going to be freaky. And indeed it is. Charlie Kaufman is known for oddball screenplays like Being John Malkovich, Synecdoche, New York, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Not only does Confessions of a Dangerous Mind have the weirdness of Charlie Kaufman but also depicts the life of the ultra weirdo Chuck Barris of The Gong Show fame. The movie, based on Chuck Barris’ autobiography, tries to convince us that Barris, in addition to creating a host of mod game shows (The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and the Gong Show etc.), is also a CIA agent and George Clooney (also the director of this movie) plays his bullying contact who forces him into being a gun for hire. Wikipedia says that it was never proven that Barris was a CIA agent, so who knows what to think about that. What’s also weird about this movie: strange camera angles, bizarre lighting, surreal colors, and cuts back and forth in time. Though highly stylized it’s really funny at the same time, partly because of Barris’ reaction to events and also from some star’s cameos like Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Julia Roberts (*take note of bizarre kissing scene) and a don’t miss hilarious drill sergeant played by Robert John Burke. All in all, I am glad that I got a chance to see this movie which was not on my radar. Thanks Michelle for tuning me into this movie.

Julie and Julia, Guest Entry by my Mom, Doralu

2009-08-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Julie and Julia exceeded my expectations. Meryl Streep, who I have always admired, IS Julia. I went with my two daughters and we all were engrossed from beginning to end. There are two stories to the movie: Two people from different generations, whose lives become entwined by a love of food and cooking. One story centers on Julia Child's life in France and one is about Julie Powell, the blogger who in one year attempted make all of the recipes in Child's famous French cooking book. We had read that the Amy Adams part as Julie was not as good the Streep parts of the movie. But we disagreed and found the blogger Julie played by Amy Adams to be very good in her role and her story very important to the movie as a whole. Despite that I, especially thought Julia Child's life was interesting; her husband was an American diplomat who traveled around the world in China and of course France. After Child's took a cooking class at the Cordon Blue, she became obsessed with French cooking. Her next step was collaborating with two French women on the masterpiece cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Coincidentally when we got back from the movie, we saw Meryl Streep and Nora Ephron on Charlie Rose. A nice ending to the day.

Penelope

2009-08-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

Penelope is a kids movie. I try to avoid those, especially animated ones, but wanted to see it because?..... guess. If you said James McAvoy; you would be right. Plus, I have always liked Christini Ricci's acting. Reese Witherspoon's film company produced the movie and she has a small role in it which is a bummer because she always brightens up a movie. It's a pretty slight movie overall, but a cute and kid appropriate fairy tale. It's not one of McAvoy's brightest roles or best acting turns, but he's so darn cute and just fun to look at. So now I can update my list of James McAvoy movie's seen with Penelope.

James McAvoy Movies
Wanted (20o8)
* Atonement (2007)
* Becoming Jane(2007)
Starter for 10 (2006)
*Penelope (2006)
* The Last King of Scotland (2006)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
*"Shameless" (2004)
Inside I'm Dancing (2004)
Wimbledon (2004))
Strings (2004)
* "State of Play" (5 episodes, 2003)
"Early Doors" (4 episodes, 2003)
Bright Young Things (2003)
"Children of Dune" (1 episode, 2003)
Bollywood Queen (2002)
"Foyle's War" (2002)
* White Teeth (2002) (TV)
Swimming Pool (2001)
"Band of Brothers" (1 episode, 2001)
Replacements (2001)
"Murder in Mind" (1 episode, 2001)
Teacher (2001)
* Lorna Doone (2000) (TV)
Regeneration (1997)
"The Bill"
Rent (1997)

* McAvoy movie's I've seen

2009-07-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

“Shameless” is a 2004 British TV series about 6 siblings living in a seedy housing development. Their father is a worthless drunk and the kids are cared for by their feisty and capable older sister Fiona. The show is currently in its 6th season, and I am trying to imagine how the story had enough material for that many seasons. It’s funny and the kids are good actors, especially the hard-nosed and smart Lip, but it’s a little too over the top sitcommy and unnecessarily vulgar too often, -- it just seems like it might get old after awhile. I did watch all of the first season. At first I could not remember why I rented this series. Usually I put something on my queue because of a review I read or a DVD preview I saw. But within the first 5 minutes of watching this quirky series, I knew the reason I added it: James McAvoy. He plays Steve, Fiona’s boyfriend. And like Ryan Gosling, I seem to have the goal of watching everything he's been in. Below are a list of James McAvoy movies. I put a star next to the ones I've seen. I guess I've got a few more to see.

Wanted (20o8)
* Atonement (2007)
* Becoming Jane(2007)
Starter for 10 (2006)
Penelope (2006)
* The Last King of Scotland (2006)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
*"Shameless" (2004)
Inside I'm Dancing (2004)
Wimbledon (2004))
Strings (2004)
* "State of Play" (5 episodes, 2003)
"Early Doors" (4 episodes, 2003)
Bright Young Things (2003)
"Children of Dune" (1 episode, 2003)
Bollywood Queen (2002)
"Foyle's War" (2002)
* White Teeth (2002) (TV)
Swimming Pool (2001)
"Band of Brothers" (1 episode, 2001)
Replacements (2001)
"Murder in Mind" (1 episode, 2001)
Teacher (2001)
* Lorna Doone (2000) (TV) Regeneration (1997) "The Bill"
Rent (1997) TV episode An Angel Passes By (1997) (TV) The Near Room (1995)

Two Lovers

2009-07-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

The critics loved Two Lovers, Joaquin Phoenix’s last role, but I just thought it enhhhhh. (by the way enhhhhh means so-so I guess but kinda boring, I suppose) Phoenix plays Leonard Kraditor, and he’s a great actor for sure. He’s plays an awkward man-child who is forced to live with his protective parents after he has a mental breakdown. Now, Leonard, finds himself entranced by the flakey beautiful neighbor played by Gwyneth Paltrow even as his parents push on him a more suitable Jewish woman, Sandra. The movie gets predictable in parts -- you definitely can see where it is going, but for some it would be worth seeing for the great acting. Not only are Paltrow and Phoenix good but Isabella Rosilini is great as Leonard’s mother and, unknown to me, the Israeli actor Moni Moshonov as his father.

The Proposal, Guest Entry

2009-07-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

Sandra Bullock carries the movie. Ryan Reynolds is eye candy but is a secondary presence to her luminous screen appearance. The scenes of Alaska provide a beautiful backdrop to the plot. Betty White, Mary Steenburgen and Coach aka Craig T. Nelson play Andrew's (Reynolds) family in Alaska. Betty White brings her type-casted irreverent grandmotherly character to the movie, and this mostly works -- there are a few over-the-top scenes that fall flat. Proposal has a lot of potential but didn't develop the characters enough or create believable relationships enough to make the ending satisfying. Albeit, it made for a pleasant Saturday afternoon on a rainy Minocqua afternoon. (that's northern Wisconsin) By Ruth, Mary's pal

Control

2009-07-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

Control is about Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division. Director Anton Corbijn focuses on the part of his life that leads up to his suicide. It’s an arty movie, black and white, with the Sam Riley as Curtis who mopes around the screen, decrying his epilepsy and stage fright. Despite these gloomy bits, the movie isn’t a bummer. Instead it’s pretty compelling. You don’t really figure out what makes the awkward misfit Curtis so unhappy, but it is fascinating to watch a man, that is not made to be a rock star, perform as if it is a heavy burden. Have you ever seen him dance? It is bizarre, very march-like, and Riley does it spot on. I even checked YouTube and was amazed how closely he matched Curtis’ odd march-like dancing style. The movie also made me want to download some Joy Division, which I was never a big fan of, but now want to revisit their enigmatic music.

Away We Go

2009-07-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

I was excited to see Away We Go. I was excited about the David Eggers screen play, cute John Krasinski and beautiful Maya Rudolf in the lead roles, And the previews made it seem smart. I imagined it would make witty commentary about modern societal ills. I also had hopes about the great comedic actors like Jim Gaffigan, Alison Janney, and Catherine O’Hara. Big expectations, I know. So, what usually follows big expectations is a handful of disappointment. And yes, that’s what happened. It wasn’t terrible. It had interesting characters, and it did a good job of showing two people who seemed genuinely in love, but, hmmmm, what was it missing? A plot for one. Cohesive dialogue for two. Some understatement for three. Let’s take the first complaint. The movie wandered from place to place – sure it had a thread running through, expectant parents search for a new home, (by the way it was easy to predict where they were going to end up) but that was really it. The dialogue was all over the place and seemed like it was just shooting for smart but not very meaningful. Finally, it is way over the top. Points about the way parents can be terrible were made by hitting you over the head with the absurdness. So bummer. I wish I liked it better, but maybe Eggers’ next script will hit the mark.

The Lucky Ones

2009-07-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

The Lucky Ones is road trip movie about three Iraq war soldiers from different worlds who are home on leave and are forced to rent a car and travel across the country after their flight is cancelled. Tim Robbins plays the older and wiser soldier who learns that his wife is leaving him. Michael Pena is the driven career soldier who is wounded and impotent, and Rachel McAdams plays the tough but sweet Collee who is really the most charming of the three. The movie is filled with hokey contrived plot points but is buoyed by the great acting of the three and the good chemistry they create. It also has some very funny moments – usually supplied by McAdams’ sunny character; she even makes peppy hopeful comments about TK’s impotency problems. Luckily the movie makes few political comments about the war and rather portrays three interesting soldiers’ lives.

New in Town

2009-06-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

I wanted to see New in Town, a film that depicts a Minnesota small town, and see how they made us Minnesotans look. And, big surprise, it made Minnesotans look like simple-minded, frumpy, totally out of touch goof balls, but they’re so darn nice, so that’s good. The accents are way over the top, and there is clear distinction between men and women's roles. The men hunt, ice fish, wear dorky Viking outfits while watching football, and go to the bar. While the women scrap book and make dishes to pass. Renee Zellweger is the outsider who tries to break into this foreign and harsh environment, and she is apparently dumb enough to wear spiked heels in freezing weather and snow (I’m pretty sure she would have learned a tip or two about what to wear before she came). She also rents a freezing house – because it always sooo cold in Minnesota, even indoors, according to this movie. The romance between Zellweger and Harry Connick's characters lacks chemistry and seems really beside the point. The ending kiss, I have to mention, is dumb, dumb, dumb. There is one bright spot in this movie though, Siobhan Fallon Hogan who plays Zellweger’s scrapbooking assistant, she is pretty darn funny even if she is playing a stereo type, but she does it with aplomb! So unless you enjoy seeing Minnesotans look like a bunch of stodgy rubes living in a hell hole, I would pass on New in Town. You heard it here. Ya you betcha!

I also saw Confessions of a Shopaholic and heard it was bad but think Hugh Dancy is soooo cute, that I watched. Guess what? it was el dumbo!

Milk and Last Chance Harvey

2009-06-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

I watched these two movies over a week ago and I remember watching Milk but was racking my brain trying remember the other movie I watched that same night. Last Chance Harvey did not immediately come to mind (I actually had to check my Netflix account movie history) and thus I can summarize this movie with one word: forgettable. Milk, on the other hand, was amazing for one reason, Sean Penn. If there was any doubt that he was a great actor, his sympathetic portrayal of Harvey Milk, would dispel that. I don't think it's a great movie, it leaps from event to event as many biopics do, but the time that is presented and the fascinating and inspirational life of Harvey Milk makes up for the episodic plot.

Secret Life of W. and Australia

2009-06-08T19:40:00.001-07:00

Three movies I have seen in the last week:

The Secret Life of Bees: I liked Dakota Fanning as Lily, the girl escaping her abusive father with the help of her African American housekeeper (Huck Finn, anyone?) But the movie gets too syrupy and "heartfelt". A bonus is the appearance of Paul Bettany, a great British actor as the father.

W.: too much of a caricature of George Bush -- Oliver Stone is as heavy handed as he was in JFK.

Australia: This movie could have been ended after two hours when the cattle were driven to market. A perfect ending, almost, but there was still another hour and a half! Yikes! I actually had to watch it over two evenings. I can't imagine sitting through the whole thing in the theater. There is a very cool Baz Lurman (Moulin Rouge) highly-stylized look with a dash of Gone with the Wind and Wizard of Oz thrown in. But it's a mess of a movie in the end. It could possibly be worth seeing it for the adorable aboriginal boy who is also the narrator for the story, but probably not.

The Reader

2009-05-31T09:26:00.000-07:00

I was most interested in the boy who plays Kate Winselt's lover in The Reader. David Kross is a German actor who has a baby face and plays a 16-year-old who meets up with the older jaded Winslet, so at first you are horrified when you see Winslet's Hanna and Kross' Michael naked and hungrily grasping each other. As the movie progresses, though, it seems less lascivious and more a story about a very sad woman -- I had sympathy for all the characters, even Hanna who does unexplainable horrific acts as an S.S. officer. Kate Winslet is great as a the harsh perfunctory Hanna, and watching her listening so rapturously to great literature is mesmerizing. Ralph Fiennes is the adult Michael and is of course good, as he is in everything, but I think the best part of the movie is the young David Kross. The movie is based on the book by Bernhard Schlink's book of the same name.

Twilight

2009-05-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes curiosity gets the better of me, and I feel like I have to find out why everyone is watching this movie or reading that book despite bad reviews. That's what happened with Twilight, the Stephanie Meyer vampire novel. First, I read it -- even people whose tastes I respect seemed to like this book. I have never been a fantasy reader and certainly never a vampire book lover, so I was pretty sure I wouldn't like the novel, but I wanted to get in on the conversation. I mean I just corrected a set of middle school short stories and there were three different stories with the main character named Bella. Well, long story short. I read the book-- thought it was dumb -- couldn't finish the last few chapters due to extreme annoyance. Then I saw the movie mainly because I really like Kristen Stewart ever since Speak. The movie was just like the book and dumb in the same way. Both show a vapid female lead falling in love with not very charming but overly confident vampire. Both versions of Twilight are beyond ludicrous.

2009 Summer Movies

2009-05-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

Summer always means lots of action-adventure mega movies, and this summer will be no exception with films like Angels and Demons, a new Terminator (like anyone needs that), and a "reimagining" Star Trek movie. Luckily there are some summer movies that pique my interest.

These look especially good:
Julie and Julia, loosely based on one of my sister’s favorite books about a woman who spends a year cooking recipes from Julia Child with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.
Cheri, Michelle Pfeiffer in a drama set in 1920’s Paris from director Stephen Frears
Away We Go, John Krasinksi and Maya Rudolf play a couple who are expecting their first baby and travel around the US visiting friends while looking for a place to live. The movie looks like it could be good and the fact that David Eggers wrote the screen play entices me.
Taking Woodstock, a look back at 1969 and the birth of Woodstock with Emil Hirsch, Liev Schreiber, and comic, Demetiri Martin.
Whatever Works, a Woody Allen film with Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood.
500 Days of Summer, potentially good romantic comedy with Zoey Deschanel.

Or maybe these comedies will be good?
Funny Peoples, Judd Apatow's film that stars Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman ...
Land of the Lost, with Will Ferrel
Year One, Jack Black as a cave man

Or this action pic?
Public Enemies directed by Michael Mann with Johnny Depp as John Dillinger -- looks like it could be good.

The Wrestler

2009-05-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

I never liked Mickey Rourke as an actor. He has a smarmy quality that I find makes him unpalatable to watch. I never liked him in Body Heat. I never liked him in The Pope of Greenwich Village or Rumblefish, and I especially never liked him in the creepy 91/2 weeks. So I was surprised by how good I thought he was in The Wrestler – his acting seemed authentic and understated. I actually rooted for his character Randy the Ram to make a go of it despite the fact that he is a sorry excuse for a father and looks like a grotesque freak. I hoped that he would quit his horrible job of being battered about by other professional wrestlers and live a life of ease with the always likable Marissa Tomei. The movie itself is pretty predictable, but it is something to see Rourke in this role.

State of Play, the miniseries

2009-04-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

State of Play is in theaters now with Russel Crowe, Ben Affleck, and Rachel McAdams. The movie is based on a BBC mini-series by the same name. I was very interested in this movie, loving a good newsroom story as I do, (see side bar for great newsroom movies) but thought that first I should see the miniseries. So I did. The BBC version is a 6 part series with great stalwart British actors such as Bill Nighy, and new on the scene super cute actors like James McAvoy. It tells the story of a friendship between a politician and a journalist and a murder of the politician,s lover. It’s a fast paced drama with intrigues around every corner and a team of journalists working together to solve the mystery. Kelly McDonald plays the Scottish cub reporter who is so darn cute (I can see Rachel McAdams in this part) and is great in the part. Bill Nighy as always is hilarious as the newspaper editor. This movie was pretty darn entertaining. It took a while to get used to the accents but in the end very enjoyable. I am now very curious about how they will make this 6 hour min-series into a 2 hour movie, Hollywood style. I’m sure it will not be as good, she said cynically, but I still want to see it.

Lost in Austen

2009-04-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

I was so thrilled when I learned of Lost in Austen, the BBC miniseries. I mean who more than I, a devoted Jane Austen fan, would enjoy a fantasy trip to the world of Pride and Prejudice. Oh the possibilities, you could befriend the beloved Elizabeth, or tell off some vile character like Mrs. Bennet, Lady Catherine, or Mr. Collins. And indeed the 4 part miniseries indulges many of these fantasies; it thrusts 21st century Amanda Price into the Regency world where she navigates her way around ridiculous situations and the tried and true problems of time travel.
However, somewhere along the way this fantasy trip falls flat. Maybe it is because it tries to do too much. And more importantly it lacks what is best about Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth (she’s been catapulted to the future in place of Price’s character). The story goes too far and then doesn't offer explanations for many goofy plot turns. Why, for example, is Darcy taken to the future and then back in regency England and then forgets all about it? Also, Amanda Price doesn’t seem to have a central goal in the miniseries. She tries to manipulate the events in the story based on her knowledge of the novel and puts herself into a number of circumstances for comical reasons, but she never achieves her stated goal: to try to preserve the novel’s outcomes.
And the Darcy isn’t very good. That’s always the problem with any remake of Pride and Prejudice. Who can compete with Colin Firth’s version? (although I thought Matthew MacFadyen who was just seen BBC’s Little Dorrit, was a good Darcy) . One good point of the movie was the Mr. Wickam played by Tom Riley -- I liked the twist taken with his character and the clever way it was shown that our prejudices may have been wrong about him – plus the actor was much more interesting to look at than Darcy.
Overall, I thought, bummer, I wish it could have been better. But maybe there’s hope, and BBC will put Amanda Price into Persuasion where she will interact with Anne Elliot and tell off Anne’s awful sister Elizabeth.

Sabrina

2009-04-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

An old favorite on TCM today. Gosh I love Audrey Hepburn. She has such a likable quality. What is it? She seems so genuine and angelic at the same time. She makes you root for her but not envy her. The problem always with this 1954 original version of Sabrina (it was remade in 1995 with Julia Ormond, Harrison Ford, and Greg Kinnear) is Humphrey Bogart. He and Hepburn just do not go together. An otherwise very good romantic comedy dashed because of this poor casting decision. But of course, it’s worth watching just to see the lovely Audrey Hepburn, but this movie is not as as good as say, Roman Holiday.

Doubt

2009-04-15T08:37:00.001-07:00

I finally saw Doubt after having read about it, seeing actor interviews about it, and catching the Oscar hype. etc. So of course that colors the way you see a movie. Also, I watched it with my Catholic parents, coloring the view even further. My dad's reaction was, "Is this all it is about?" My mom hated that one of her favorite actresses, Meryl Streep, played such a negative character. Besides my mom enjoying some of the music (she sang along to a favorite hymn: "Holy God, We Praise my Name") and thinking that they did show a good side to the Catholic church in the movie -- we don't see the stereotypically awful harsh world of the Catholic church that is often portrayed in the movies -- she got bored with it. Indeed it was slow. The movie seemed like a stage play that maybe should have stayed on stage. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams were also very good in the movie. Hoffman's homilies were probably some of the more interesting parts of the movie. And the part that is in doubt? Well, it seemed kind of ridiculous in the end. It seemed like a nun who is always looking for evil and when not finding proof of it, invents it.

Frozen River

2009-04-12T15:28:00.000-07:00

Frozen River is a little movie that probably nobody would have seen if it weren’t for the fact that Melissa Leo was nominated for best supporting actress for her role as Ray Eddy, a woman who is struggling to get by while trying to raise two children. To do that she makes a drastic decision to help another down on her luck character, Lila Littlewolf, smuggle people over the border between New York State and Canada by a Mohawk Indian Reservation. It’s a stark, cold splash of water on the face movie. One that you can sense from the outset is going to have a train wreck of an ending. Unpredictably, when the train wreck finally happens, it’s not as bad as you could imagine. For a movie that is about hardscrabble people with hardscrabble lives Frozen River is surprisingly uplifting. And the Oscar nominated Leo is fantastic (I remember loving her on Homicide, Life on the Street). Her son in the movie, Ray Eddy, is appealingly played by Charlie McDermott. And Misty Upham as Lila Littlewolf, is also great, deserving of a nomination as well, I thought.

Adventureland

2009-04-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

I must be getting old when the 80s is a distant memory, and I had so much enjoyment in the nostalgia trip that Adventureland took me on. The movie takes you to the summer of 1987 with mixed tapes, 80’s hair dos, and Gremlins and no cell phones to be found. Jesse Eisenberg plays James, a recent college grad whose plans of going to Europe for the summer are dashed when his family falls on hard times, and he has to save money for graduate school. He ends up in the only job a literature major can find apparently, manning the sleazy midway games at a second rate theme park, Adventureland. There, he falls for the cute Em played by Kristen Stewart who is also have some tough times, and he befriends the gawky cynic Joel (Martin Starr) who as some of the funniest lines in the movie.
I remember seeing the trailer and thinking that this movie was going to be another Superbad, only in a theme park, meaning another rambling vulgar teenage boy journey with the ubiquitous alums from Freaks and Geeks (not that Superbad didn’t have its hilarious moments). Instead with Adventureland we get a real story and main characters who have some depth. Sure there’s some extraneous vulgarity and teen age boy humor (one character likes to punch James in the nuts, don’t get it) but Adventureland is the evolved Superbad – well-worth seeing, especially if your formative years were planted in the 80s like me.
Oh and the sound track is a part of the fun with Husker Du, The Replacements, “Unsatisfied” and Lou Reed, “Satellite of Love”. Of course, the other less cool songs that are burned in my memory too.

Elegy

2009-04-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

Ben Kingsley, who I have loved in roles such as Gandhi, House of Sand and Fog, and most recently The Wackness, failed to impress me in Elegy. I found the character he plays, David Kepesh, a college professor, heartless and kind of pathetic. (Richard Jenkins in The Visitor who also plays a cynical professor, is so much more interesting to watch and easier to care about) The central relationship of the movie for the professor is with the much younger sexy temptress Consuela, played by guess who? The woman who plays a sexy temptress better than any one else, Penelope Cruz. The movie centers around this May-December romance, but I never really felt the connection between these two. I tried to think of other movies where this type of relationship seemed right so I googled May-December relationships and wouldn't you know, there is actually a Wikipedia site called List of films featuring May-December romances. From the list, both older men with younger women and older women with younger men, none of them strike me as couples with incredible chemistry. So maybe I have trouble seeing this type or romance as fodder for a good movie. Despite all this, there is something missing in Elegy; it lacks heart, I didn't really care about too much about any of the characters even though they all try to cope with tragic situations. Great actors such as Peter Sarsgaard, Dennis Hopper, and Patricia Clarkson, experience heart ache and even a heart attack, but failed to move me.

Duplicity

2009-03-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

I see the rare blockbuster in the theater but a friend wanted to see Duplicity and I thought a movie with Clive Owen couldn't be all that bad. And indeed his suave British self exudes sex appeal throughout the movie. And Julia Roberts, who plays the same role in every movie, a sassy in control vamp, is good in the same old role she always plays. Duplicity is an entertaining spy thriller full of twists and turns, and it is enjoyable if not somewhat formulaic.

I Have Loved You So Long/ Sycheadaofjwoe

2009-03-20T21:00:00.001-07:00

Guest blogger: N. Huelster
First attempt: Schenechdote(?); I was warned by a professor that this film was trying too hard to be "meta," was pretentious and not worth seeing. Giving it a try, however, proved this to be true. The name is similar to the name of the town in Upstate New York where the film takes place, but is a word meaning "a trope where a part is used to refer to its whole," which is supposed to explain the connection between the play within the film, I think, but frankly, the whole film is so messed up that I couldn't understand what the director was going for. The psyche of the main character is painful to witness from the start of the movie, and after his wife leaves him, and his health begins to deteriorate, it only becomes more and more painful to watch. Not only this, the effects of Kaufman's mixing of the fantastic with the real is lost in this flop, whereas in "Eternal Sunshine" it served the characters and the story to make a superb (and meta) film. Fastforwarded the last hour, it was my favorite part.
Second attempt: Il y'a Longtemps Que Je T'aime; French film starring English actress Kristen Scott Thomas. This was a good film, exploring the reunion of two sisters after one is released from fifteen years in prison for murdering her son. Throughout the film we learn her reason for doing it, and it turns out not to be the horrific act of violence that sustains much of the tension throughout the unfolding story- her introduction into her sister's new family, a new job, and new acquaintances on the other side of the prison wall to face (and to face her guilt). Thomas' character is bleak, and mysterious, and her relationship with her sister and her family reveals in the end what her true guilt really was. I at first liked the story for its sympathetic look at mental illness/ prison, but in the end the twist surrounding Thomas' crime gives the story a new depth. Bien!

Music Within

2009-03-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

While Music Within is a made-for-TV-like melodramatic bio pic, it tells about a very important moment in history when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed and how Richard Pimentel was instrumental in educating the public about people with disabilities. Richard Pimentel is played Ron Livingston who is a very likable actor. Pimentel's good friend Art, Michael Sheen (recently in Frost Nixon), is a man with Cerebral Palsy who teaches his friend about living with CP. I found myself drawn in by this movie and I think anyone who is interested in this topic would like this movie.

I also saw Feast of Love this weekend. Dumb ensemble piece with good actors like Greg Kinnear and Morgan Freeman (who plays the same role he always does -- wise mentor). I chose both these movies from seeing previews on a DVD. That usually does not work out so well and Feast of Love proves that.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

2009-03-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

I would describe Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist as sweet and occasionally gross. A couple of cute teenagers drive around New York City looking for their favorite band while falling in love. This movie made me nostalgic for my college days when I would drive down to Dinky Town with my pals to hear bands while listening to mix tapes. Of course, in the movie they make mixed CDs and download them onto their iPods, and they are all in high school! So it's a likable movie; however it leaves me with a few posers: In what world are teenagers allowed to go to bars, drink, and stay up all night? Why are there so many movies of late featuring Michael Cera, who plays the same lovable boy in every movie? Why does anyone want to watch someone throwing up in a movie? Or listen to it. Gross! Do some movie goers enjoy this? That's all I got, out.

Brideheads Revisited, the movie

2009-03-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

Since I loved the 1981 mini-series Brideheads Revisited based on Evelyn Waugh's novel, I was reluctant to see the 2008 version. And, as to be expected, I was disappointed by the movie which runs at 2 hours and 14 minutes, compared to the 8ish hour mini-series. The barely scratches of the surface of the complex and wonderful characters rife in Waugh's book. What happened to the lovable Sebastian? The movie offers a very superficial version of his character-- Maybe I am disappointed because I miss the wonderful Anthony Andrews Sebastian. (On a side note -- there is only a passing glance of Aloysius, Sebastian's stuffed bear) I liked Matthew Goode who plays as Charles Ryder, and I liked the Julia, Hayley Atwell. But because the movie was trying to do so much so quickly, none of the actors had a chance to delve into their characters. The filmmakers decided to amp up the gay and the catholic in the movie. Make Sebastian more flamboyant and overt in his love for Charles --not too mention the actor is so fey, thin and wispy that he seems like he is going to float away. They also oversimplified the Catholic conflicts throughout the movie, so the movie-goer never really gets why the Flytes are so tortured. Finally, the great Emma Thompson seemed wasted in this movie. She hit one note, dour Catholic mama.

So instead of watching this movie and if you happen to have 8 hours of time on your hands for great TV watching -- watch the 1981 mini-series which I re-watched last summer -- I was entranced all over again. But pass on the the latest movie version.

Check out my list of great min-series too!