Everything Must Go (2010)

The last of our four movies in four days, we picked a good one Saturday with this story of Nick, an alcoholic who, in the movie's first five minutes, loses his job and finds that his wife has put all his possessions on the front lawn of their Scottsdale, Arizona, home and changed the locks. Will Ferrell is terrific playing it straight as he did in Stranger Than Fiction (2006) (I listed my favorites in The Other Guys). This is a feature debut for advertising director Dan Rush, who directs and very loosely adapted the screenplay from Raymond Carver's short story Why Don't You Dance (you can read the whole thing in five minutes here). According to the production notes (best to read them after seeing the movie, go to this link and click Download Full Production Notes), Rush wrote the script on spec. 14-year-old Christopher Jordan Wallace (the son of Notorious B.I.G.), who played his father as a boy in the movie Notorious, Rebecca Hall (after I wrote about her in Please Give I saw her in The Town), and Michael Peña (see my post on The Lincoln Lawyer) are also great as Nick's only friends. Mention must be made of Stephen Root (briefly mentioned in Cedar Rapids) as a skeezy neighbor.

Unlike some reviewers (spoiler alert), I liked the score by David Torn (Lars and the Real Girl (2007), The Wackness, more, plus a long career with lots of respected musicians), but you will probably leave humming The Band's "I Shall Be Released" (it's not actually the first track on Music From Big Pink) and other chestnuts from Nick's vinyl collection. I don't see a soundtrack list available online. The critics have rated this 76% on rottentomatoes and audiences only 69%. We liked it a lot.

POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011)

The irrepressible Morgan Spurlock scores again with this documentary about product placement in movies and Jack and I loved it. Spurlock takes us into meetings and phone calls with the sponsors he hopes will entirely finance the movie, wins the support he wants, and his lawyer makes sure everything goes according to plan. We know from the title that POM Wonderful, the maker of pomegranate juice, will agree to become to "above-the-title" sponsor, and if you look at this poster, you can learn who else signed on (but we didn't look in advance!). Including interviews with Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky, other directors such as Peter Berg (Hancock (2008), more), Brett Ratner (Rush Hour (1998, 2001, 2007), more), and (uncredited) John Wells (The Company Men) (all of them have produced as well), and more, Spurlock (starting out as a production assistant, he burst into view with Super Size Me (2004), then Where in the World is Osama bin Laden (2008) (!), The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3-D! On Ice! (2010) which I didn't see but I'm betting Jack, who has seen every Simpsons episode, has, and Freakonomics) uses his inherent charm, humor, and his skill at making it all understandable and we root for him each step of the way as he walks us through. His co-writer/co-producer Jeremy Chilnick has worked on all of the above but we never see him.

The band OK Go agreed to write "The Greatest Song I Ever Heard" just for the movie, which you can hear on this link. But no music credits are listed on imdb nor in the press kit, which is otherwise interesting (one guy's credit is "Minister of Sound"). Read it here. Also do stay for the credits, because there's a cute thing with the music. Highly recommended with one caveat. See below.

After an hour I realized that the movie was making me nauseated. Not Mel Gibson nauseated, but Motion Picture Motion Sickness (MPMS) nauseated, so we moved back three rows and then I was fine. But this goes on the MPMS list for its use of the (un)steadicam.

The Beaver (2011)

Despite our disgust for Mel Gibson, Jack and I were curious about Jodie Foster's casting him as a man who, after a breakdown, can communicate only via a beaver hand puppet. We were surprisingly impressed. Gibson clearly can still act, Foster definitely can direct and act, and Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence are wonderful as their son Porter and his schoolmate Norah, respectively. Gibson is reprehensible in real life (this link doesn't include the anti-Semitic part, only the misogynistic part) (if I had seen the link before the movie we might not have gone) but we like Foster and the movie really holds together. A crazy man can play a crazy man in this case. I liked his old work (Gallipoli (1981), The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), Mrs. Soffel (1984), the Lethal Weapon series (1987, 89, 92, 98--crazy there, too), Braveheart (1995) which won him Director and Best Picture Oscars, What Women Want (2000)), oh, and I went to the same chiropractor as he did in Studio City and later Sherman Oaks (that guy was a jerk, too--go figure--so I switched to another person in the practice). Anyway, let's hope his profits go to a good cause, such as battered women. Not that there are likely to be many residuals. When we saw it Wednesday, it had four or five screenings per day at only one theatre. Starting the next day, it's now down to one morning show per day at that same place. Apparently Gibson wasn't her first choice. Imdb reports that both Jim Carrey and Steve Carell were attached, and that the movie had been "shelved" due to Gibson's alleged assault of his ex-girlfriend. Oy, I'm beginning to feel sick.

On to Foster (Oscar nominations for Taxi Driver (1976) when she was 14 and Nell (1994) which she considers her best role, and Oscars for The Accused (1988) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991)--I also really liked The Hotel New Hampshire (1984), Five Corners (1987), Contact (1997), Panic Room (2002), The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002), Inside Man (2006), as well as her previous directing work Little Man Tate (1991) and Home for the Holidays (1995)) whose acting part as the loyal but frazzled wife is small but mighty. Screenwriter Kyle Killen, in his feature debut after writing the TV series Lone Star, has crafted a wonderfully conflicted role for Yelchin (I wrote about him in Star Trek), the angry Porter. His curly hair shorn to a buzzcut, Yelchin gives us bitterness, hope, intelligence, and redemption in his relationships with his father and Norah, played by the lovely and intense Lawrence (deservingly Oscar-nominated for Winter's Bone). Also worth mentioning is adorable little Riley Thomas Stewart as little brother Henry. His lines and actions are well written and performed.

Perhaps the best path would be for you to see it free somewhere so Gibson doesn't profit. Your choice, as always. But Foster has made a good movie here, which also includes a rare sighting of the face of radio interviewer Terry Gross from WHYY's Fresh Air.

Meek's Cutoff (2010)

Jack loves westerns and we both liked this story of three pioneer families lost in 1845 Oregon, told from the perspective of the women. Director Kelly Reichardt and her crew researched technology of the era, from muskets to coffee grinders to knitting needles, and shot it in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, close to 20th century TV of 4:3. When we bought our tickets, the seller warned us that the picture would not fill the screen and said, smiling, "So you don't need to come running out of the theatre telling us something is wrong." I grinned and said, "Is that because I'm the one that always does that?" He replied politely, "Oh, no, ma'am, we're telling everyone." But I am that person, sad to say. In the press packet (I recommend you read it after seeing the movie--go to this page and click Download press packet--it's fascinating) it is suggested that the reduced aspect ratio might be as much as the women could see from inside their bonnets. We liked being able to see the edges of the cinematographer's frame. Another production value is that in the long master shots, i.e. several actors all seen from head to toe during the scene, the dialogue is faint and was somewhat difficult for me to make out. Jack said he liked that, too, because it was from the women's point of view, and they can't quite hear what the men are saying over there.

Michelle Williams (after I wrote about her in Wendy and Lucy (also directed by Reichardt) she was in Shutter Island and then was Oscar-nominated for Blue Valentine) carries the movie wearing her bonnet, lots of dirt, and no apparent makeup. The other women are petite Shirley Henderson (my faves are listed in Life During Wartime) and Zoe Kazan (I covered her in Revolutionary Road and have seen her in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, Me and Orson Welles, It's Complicated, Happythankyoumoreplease, and The Exploding Girl, in which she starred), and the menfolk are Will Patton (often plays scary men, e.g. in Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), After Hours (1985), The Rapture (1991), Spitfire Grill (1996), Inventing the Abbotts (1996) (all worth seeing), and many more), Paul Dano (I wrote about him, though he had but a cameo, in Taking Woodstock), Bruce Greenwood (after I wrote about him in Dinner for Schmucks I saw him in Mao's Last Dancer and Barney's Version) as Stephen Meek, and three who are new to me: Neal Huff, Tommy Nelson, and Ron Bondreaux. We really got the desperation that these people felt in their journey across the state. Jonathan Raymond wrote this, Wendy and Lucy, and co-wrote the HBO mini-series Mildred Pierce (we loved the first two and haven't seen the rest yet). It may be slow for some (I suspect Jon will not like it) but we thought the pacing to be just right.

The soundtrack, by Jeff Grace, is ethereal and scarce, and is available from Amazon as an mp3 download or they will make you a CD on demand. Go to the album page and click Play all samples. One of the producers, Anish Savjani, won the Piaget Producers Award at the Independent Spirit Awards for this movie. There is a real Meek Cutoff in Oregon, a supposed shortcut across the Cascade Mountains. One of our local cinemas is going to have a western series this summer and Jack and I discussed it. It's not my favorite genre but he's a huge fan (if I see any you'll read about it here). He's seen all of the ones they're showing and also has seen most of the TV ones in the past and reruns on the various channels. His favorite is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) but he says the best is Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). He also really liked the ending of Meek's Cutoff, which, from the sounds we heard in the theatre on Friday, may be controversial.

The Big Uneasy (2010)

We were lucky to see one of two sold-out shows when actor/comedian/musician Harry Shearer brought to our fair city his excellent feature documentary about engineering and political malfeasance in New Orleans which makes a case that the disaster following Hurricane Katrina was anything but natural. Interviewing people who agree with him and others who don't, Shearer (probably best known as bassist Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, NPR's Le Show, and his work on 484 episodes of The Simpsons, he was also wonderful in the Christopher Guest oeuvre: Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006), as well as others of his 146 credits, which include Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) when he was 10, and the pilot of Leave it to Beaver (1957)--he and his parents decided he should not continue (as Eddie Haskell!) so he could have a normal childhood) plays it serious here as director/writer/narrator, except for four words printed at the end of the credits and a few questions posed here and there by John Goodman.

Jazz pianist David Torkanowsky is credited with the music and, once again, I can't find tracks for you, but he plays in this video in which Shearer asks him about his experiences during the disaster. You may also like to see this interview with the editor Tom Roche. Shearer lives part-time in New Orleans and loves his adopted city but was willing to make this tour to promote his movie and do Q&A here, there, and everywhere. This is not on netflix's radar, probably because it doesn't have a real Hollywood distributor. I imagine it will be available on iTunes or something of the sort. For more info, see the official website.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)

This documentary is awesome in the original sense of the word. Director Werner Herzog got rare access to a cave in southern France with paintings that have been determined to be over 30,000 years old. Using 3D cameras specially made for this project, Herzog, a native of Germany, narrates in English (his accent, to my untrained ear, matches that of Christoph Waltz in Water for Elephants) and mixes in interviews and some computer imaging. After my unsatisfactory experience with 3D at Thor, this is a revelation. In fact one blogger calls it "the best use of 3D" he has yet seen. The computer imaging is a natural for the 3D, and when we are in the cave, the sides of the walls really seem to stick out around us. Herzog's (I wrote about him in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans) choice of himself to narrate is inspired. We get the filmmaker's unique perspective (pun intended) when, for example, he tells us that there are no places for the crew to hide to get out of the shot. He had not previously been a fan of 3D, but was won over, and Jack and I were blown away. One of the things that makes the Cave de Chauvet Pont d'Arc special is that it was almost completely closed off due to a landslide, which preserved the cave painting, stalactites, stalagmites, bones, etc. inside.

The music, which includes choral singing and chanting, is spot on, save for one moment when the crew is instructed to be quiet and listen to the cave (I wanted to listen more to the cave when the music started up at that point). In fact, Manohla Dargis in the New York Times disliked all of Ernst Reijseger's music, but I thought it was good (I can't locate a track from this movie for you, but here is one from Herzog's last feature, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2009)). Subtitle-phobes may celebrate: this is all in English. Even the French scientists' comments are translated in voiceover. Make every effort to see this in 3D if possible.

Potiche (2010)

Charmante! Jack and I loved this tale of a woman finding her power in 1977 France when she takes over from her chauvinist husband the umbrella factory founded by her father. Potiche means trophy wife in French. Catherine Deneuve (at 67 years of age she has 111 credits; my faves are Belle de Jour (1967), The Last Metro (1980), Indochine (1992) for which she was Oscar-nominated, and 8 Women (8 Femmes - 2002), among many) has aged beautifully. It must have been a little strange for her to play her current age in a piece set in a period in which she flourished as a young beauty. Back in Los Angeles in the 90s, I had occasion to sit across a room from Kate Walsh, before she became famous for playing Addison Montgomery on Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. I was convinced that Walsh was Deneuve's relative (compare this photo with this and see if you agree) but never got around to asking her. In an episode of Grey's, someone flirting with Addison asked her the very question. No, both times. But I digress, as usual. Deneuve's character, Suzanne, has class and warmth, even when she doesn't (and you'll just have to see the movie to find out what I'm talking about). Much has been written about Gérard Depardieu (just two months younger than Deneuve, he has 187 credits--I can barely read through them all, much less name my favorites, but I did love Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (Préparez vos mouchoirs - 1978) and Jean de Florette (1986), among many) co-starring again with Deneuve as he did in The Last Metro and a number of others, and much has been written about how big he is now. Yep, he's big! His Maurice Babin is a reasonable man whom Suzanne pushes, just as she pushes her husband Robert, played by Fabrice Lucchini (I wrote about him in Paris). Suzanne and Robert's grown children are played by Judith Godrèche (was in the fabulous Ridicule (1996) and L'auberge espagnole (2002), to name a few) and Jérémie Renier (I wrote about him in Summer Hours), with co-starring roles by Godrèche's Farrah Fawcett haircut and the disco wardrobe on both of them (costume design by Pascaline Chavanne, designer on Under the Sand (2000), 8 Women, Swimming Pool (2003), Ricky, all by the same director as this one, François Ozon, and lots more).

Which brings me to Ozon, whose past work I covered in my post on Ricky. His timing is impeccable and the production values are high--not only the hair and wardrobe but also the sets--and he adapted the play by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Grédy on which this movie is based (I believe he has written or adapted the screenplays of all of his features). Ozon added the twists in the third act.

Ozon's regular composer Philippe Rombi once again does the honors, supplemented by pop songs of the period (here's a complete list with a window from which you can play two tracks). Sergi Lopez, one of the stars of Ricky, has a cameo driving a camion (French for truck). And fans of The Sopranos will appreciate the name of the strip club, Badaboum. You don't need to have lived through the dawn of women's liberation (or remember when Jane Fonda instructed us to purse our lips to show that we were breathing while exercising) to love it, but having done so added a certain je ne sais quoi. Rated R for a couple of sex scenes with no actual nudity and highly recommended for all except subtitle-phobes.

Happythankyoumoreplease (2010) redux

I'm linking this to my September post, as Josh Radnor's movie was released to the general public this spring. I've added a teeny bit to the original.

Bridesmaids (2011)

Sally, Mike, Jack, and I laughed long and hard with the rest of the audience at this raunchy story of Annie, a woman on the edge who will be maid of honor at her best friend's wedding. Co-writer/co-producer/star Kristen Wiig has it goin' on with a fully developed character and a script that keeps on giving, co-written by co-producer Annie Mumolo (her feature screenwriting debut, after one episode of In the Motherhood, which I loved). Mumolo has acted a little, and has a cameo in this as a frightened airplane passenger. After I wrote about Wiig in Whip It she was in Date Night, How to Train Your Dragon, and All Good Things, and is fast becoming a big star. The bride Lillian is played by Maya Rudolph (I wrote about her in Away We Go) and the motley crew of bridesmaids is Melissa McCarthy (first came to my attention as Christina Applegate's friend in Samantha Who?, she also stars in the series Mike & Molly, and here's a photo of her in this, looking very different from her usual cuddly self), Rose Byrne (best known for the series Damages, she was also good in Marie Antoinette (2006), 28 Weeks Later (2007), Adam, and Get Him to the Greek), Ellie Kemper (Erin in The Office), and Wendi McLendon-Covey (new to me, she was in the Groundlings comedy troupe and more). McCarthy is outstanding, but they're all great, though I wish Kemper had had more to do. Don Draper, er, Jon Hamm is funny as Annie's sonofabitch f---buddy, and declined to take a credit, perhaps because he doesn't need to. Chris O'Dowd (played Simon, the guy whom January Jones (speaking of Don Draper) (this is a second Mad Men reference, for those keeping score) married in Pirate Radio, and the blind swordsman in Dinner for Schmucks) continues to be adorable as Officer Rhodes, whose Irish accent is never fully explained. That's Franklyn Ajaye (stand-up comedian, writer on Politically Incorrect and In Living Color, more) in the braids as Lillian's dad. Jill Clayburgh (I wrote about her in Love and Other Drugs) plays Annie's mom, someone who helps everyone but her own daughter. Clayburgh died of leukemia in November 2010 at age 66, and she looks pretty frail here. Trivia: the actor playing the guy McCarthy sits next to on the plane is her real-life husband Ben Falcone.

Most every reviewer talks about co-producer Judd Apatow (I wrote about him in Funny People) and compares this to The Hangover, but credit has to go to director Paul Feig (writer on every episode of Freaks and Geeks, director on many episodes of Arrested Development (2004-05), Nurse Jackie (2009-11), The Office (2005-11), and more).

Although the talented composer Michael Andrews (Donnie Darko (2001), Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) (here's a track), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Cyrus, more) did the soundtrack, what you're likely to come away with is the songs, some of which are on the soundtrack (this link has the list and clips from the album and this one has all the songs). Sally had asked if I wanted to see some chick flicks: this and Something Borrowed. Because this was rated in the high 80s on rottentomatoes and the latter at a woeful 15%, plus we decided to bring our dates, Bridesmaids was an easy choice. Jack's favorite scene is Wiig and Byrne squabbling over the microphone. You will have several, I predict.

No Woman, No Cry (2010)

Last month we saw and enjoyed this moving documentary about at-risk pregnancies in four countries. Narrated and directed (her debut) by former super-model Christy Turlington Burns, she starts with the story of her own pregnancy problems and then moves into stories of other women and the people who help them. She lives in New York City with her husband, director/writer/actor Edward Burns (who is almost as pretty as she) and their two kids. She talks with and shows women in New York, Florida, Tanzania, Bangladesh, and Guatemala.

It is streaming on youtube on the Oprah Winfrey channel right now (following an ad at the beginning and every time youf ast forward), but will be withdrawn May 16. The music is sparse but good, too, composed by Paul Brill (Freakonomics, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, others) and Martha Wainwright (sister of Rufus, daughter of Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III), who provides the vocals, including a cover version of the Bob Marley song after which the movie is named, and is not credited on imdb. I played the youtube video on my computer while writing and paused it to reread the credits, which came after a conversation between Christy and Edward, talking about her inspiration for the movie, among other things. Here are some random songs by Martha, Rufus, Loudon, and Kate, who died last year, with her sister Anna. Sorry about the ads.

Anyway, the movie's good and inspiring. We were delighted to have Ms. Burns show up at the university to introduce it and take questions afterwards. It will be released on DVD, but no date has yet been announced.

Thor (2011)

At the opening day matinee the two dozen or so in the audience were mostly Gen-X males, the target demographic for this Marvel-Comic-based action movie about the Nordic god cast down to earth, where he meets some mortals and protects them when trouble follows him here. Jack and I liked it, but we've seen better in the genre, and we most assuredly enjoy many of this kind (the X-Men series, especially Silver Surfer (2007), Spider-Man series (2002, 2004, 2007), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2, more) even though we don't fit the profile. One reviewer said the real star is production designer Bo Welch (nominated for art direction Oscars for the very different The Color Purple (1985), A Little Princess (1995), The Birdcage (1996), and Men in Black (1997), won a BAFTA award for designing Edward Scissorhands (1990), and also designed Beetle Juice (1988), Grand Canyon (1991), Batman Returns (1992), Men in Black II (2002), and one of my personal favorites, Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), among others) and I agree that the world of Asgard is eye-poppingly beautiful, especially that gateway set.

Chris Hemsworth (Captain Kirk's father in a flashback in Star Trek) plays the title character as appropriately arrogant and has the beefcake to back it up. Natalie Portman (after I wrote about her in Black Swan which won her an Oscar she was in No Strings Attached--we didn't see the one after that) has second billing but she is only in some of the earth scenes, about half the movie, as a dedicated scientist who just might believe that Thor comes from another world. Her colleagues are played by Stellan Skarsgård (I wrote about him at the end of the last paragraph of Angels & Demons), whose character Erik grew up with the Norse legends, and the adorable Kat Dennings (Charlie Bartlett (2007), Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist), who has some of the comic relief lines. There is humor here and there, and our audience, ourselves included, went crazy during the scene at the crater when Stan Lee, creator of Marvel Comics, makes his mandatory cameo, this time driving a white pick-up truck in a gag inspired by Animal House (1978). We couldn't hear his line because we were laughing too hard--he says, "Did it work?" Someone has made a reel of Stan Lee cameos, ending with The Incredible Hulk, and here's a list of all the Marvel Comics made into movies. I'm not sure if Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson is supposed to be funny but he makes me laugh because of his roles (more details in Choke). Up in the world of Asgard there is little humor. Anthony Hopkins' (see my post on You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger) Odin is a wise king who lashes out when provoked. In the beginning we see many reaction shots of Thor's brother Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston (new to me) but his part grows with time to a predictable finish. Handsome Idris Elba (seven episodes of The Office in 2009 and four of The Big C, among others) is the gatekeeper with yellow eyes, and Thor's mom is played in a cameo by Rene Russo, who hasn't had a hit since The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) (I liked her in and liked Get Shorty (1995)). Kenneth Branagh (Oscar nominations for acting and directing Henry V (1989) and for the screenplay of Hamlet (1996), has directed three other Shakespeare adaptations--Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Love's Labours Lost (2000), and As You Like It (2006)--among others) tries to bring Shakespearean gravity to this, but it's a popcorn movie, with the possible exception of Sir Hopkins.

Jack can't see 3D, and I usually can, but I had problems with this one, even after moving back several rows. I kept lifting the glasses and trying to keep my head still but I couldn't focus when the action was moving, and I don't know if it was my eyes, the projection system, the print, or the production. You probably don't need to pay the extra to see it in 3D. I heard one guy (in the target demographic) say he thought it was great in 2D. Critics are behind this one on rottentomatoes, with 79% and audiences scoring it at 83%, plus it was number one at the box office last weekend, thanks in part to us. Just about everyone stayed in the theatre with us to the end of the credits, when we were rewarded with a preview of next year's The Avengers, in which many of these actors will reprise their roles.

Water for Elephants (2011)

Amy, Jack, and I enjoyed this adaptation of the best-selling novel by Sara Gruen, about Jacob, a young man who joins the circus in 1931 and finds his purpose among those that work there, including a wonderful trained elephant. Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz are great and I didn't hate Robert Pattinson, though I expected to. Witherspoon (my faves: her Oscar-winning Walk the Line (2005), as well as Pleasantville (1998), Legally Blonde (2001), Vanity Fair (2004), and most of all Election (1999)) gives us plenty to think about as Marlena, the woman in the triangle between Jacob and her husband August, the circus ringleader. So far, on this side of the Atlantic, German-born Waltz has been brilliant playing awful guys (in Inglourious Basterds, which won him an Oscar, and a small part in The Green Hornet) and his mercurial August is no exception. It's probably unfair that I predicted I'd dislike Pattinson, since I haven't seen any of the Twilight movies, but I just don't find him appealing, as do legions of young girls. He does carry the movie, regardless, and that's saying something for the 25 year old, though he has a lot of help from the rest, including Rosie the elephant, played by Tai the elephant. This creature is amazing. I also liked the circus stunts, especially the twirling thing Witherspoon (or her double) does on the door of the big top. Apparently Witherspoon actually did at least one stunt herself, riding two horses with one foot on each, but it was cut. One fun bit of trivia is that Pattinson shot a scene in Vanity Fair, playing the son of Witherspoon's Becky Sharp, but it, too, was edited out.

This is the third feature for director Francis Lawrence (his career was in music videos; I liked his I Am Legend (2007), in which a dog co-starred with Will Smith) and his pacing is good. Richard LaGravenese (Oscar-nominated for the outstanding The Fisher King (1991), also co-wrote The Ref (1994) and adapted The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Unstrung Heroes (1995), and The Horse Whisperer (1998)) obviously helped with the pacing when he adapted Gruen's novel.

I added the novel to my online list of read books in August of 2008 (it was published in 2006), when I started adding, and don't have a strong recollection of it (Amy read it after I did and Jack has not), but I do remember that, like the movie, it begins with Jacob as an old man, and Hal Holbrook is perfect for that part. The movie is bookended (chapters in the beginning and end) by old Jacob telling his stories to a young man from the present day, played by Paul Schneider (Lars and the Real Girl (2007), Bright Star).

The music (here's a suite--a series of clips edited together, or go to this link and follow down the OST (original soundtrack) items) by the prolific James Newton Howard (after I wrote about him in Salt he scored The Green Hornet) is appropriately grand and right for 1930's America. Photography by Rodrigo Prieto (see Broken Embraces for my faves; he also shot Biutiful) is gorgeous. And I wouldn't be at all surprised to see costume designer Jacqueline West get an Oscar nod for this, as she did for Quills (2000) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (she also designed The Banger Sisters (2002), State of Play, and The Social Network, among others).

Amy had asked that we save this and African Cats for her short visit home, and we're all glad we saw them. We are firmly with audiences on rottentomatoes, who scored it 82% vs. the critics' 58%.

African Cats (2011)

This wonderful documentary about cheetahs and lions in Kenya is almost as spectacular as Earth and Oceans, its predecessors from Disneynature. Once again opening on Earth Day, Disney is putting its vast resources to good use with eye-popping closeups of the eyes and fur of these creatures, their predators, and their prey. The director of Earth (and next year's release, Chimpanzees) Alastair Fothergill shares duties with zoologist Keith Scholey, who makes his big screen directing debut here (and uses stills from this movie as his imdb profile pix). Samuel L. Jackson (I listed my favorites in Iron Man 2) narrates, as he did in Inglourious Basterds, though he received no credit for the latter. The stars are the cats, primarily Sita the cheetah, and the lions Layla, Fang, Mara, Kali, and Kali's sons, the arrogant posse.

It's appropriate that Amy, Jack, and I saw this on Mothers' Day, as Sita and Layla are mothers devoted to their kids, er, cubs. Despite plenty of hunting and a little killing and eating, the camera ducks away from the gore--the 5-year-old girl sitting in front of us was not at all disturbed. In an interview, Scholey tells a little about the technology used and how the story came to be. Composer Nicholas Hooper's music is great, too, but I can't find any clips for you (you can listen to his work on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), among many others, as well as in the trailer for this one, if that's his music). Here are some more production notes. Don't run right out of the theatre when it's over because there are some sight gags with shots from the movie (my personal favorite: "production runner"). Rated G for GOOD!

Queen to Play (Joueuse - 2009)

Jack and I enjoyed this story of Hélène, a hotel chambermaid who takes up chess after seeing a couple playing on the balcony of their room. It's clearly sexy to the couple, and Hélène becomes passionate about the game, buying a set for her husband and practicing on her own. Set on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Corsica (until now I thought it was Italian, but it's French) there are some magnificent vistas that, unfortunately, we couldn't appreciate, since what we saw in the theatre, three weeks after its New York premiere and in its first (and only) week here, was a crappy pixelated video. This is no problem for you, dear readers, as you can wait for the May 31 DVD release in this country, or buy it now in Europe or Canada.

Delicate and intense Sandrine Bonnaire (so familiar, but none of her titles rings a bell) is terrific as Hélène. Jennifer Beals, with a sly smile, is half of the American chess-playing couple, and Kevin Kline plays it straight as a professor (named Kröger--why the umlaut? I have no idea. His accent is clearly American) whose house Hélène cleans. This is Kline's second role speaking French, although in French Kiss (1995) his accent was intentionally laughable (imdb and some reviewers are saying it's his first. Again, I'm baffled as to why) (I have so many Kline favorites, and choose, in addition to French Kiss, A Fish Called Wanda (1988), which won him his Oscar, as well as his debut Sophie's Choice (1982), The Big Chill (1983), Grand Canyon (1991), Dave (1993), The Ice Storm (1997), In & Out (1997), Life as a House (2001), The Anniversary Party (2001), De-Lovely (2004) as Cole Porter, and he lent his trademark humor to No Strings Attached). Mention must be made of the good performances of Francis Renaud and Alexandra Gentil as Hélène's husband and teenage daughter.

This is the feature directorial debut of Caroline Bottaro who adapted Bertina Henrichs’s novel The Chess Player, despite not much familiarity with the game (she consulted some experts). I know almost nothing about chess either but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. With locations in the Red Rocks in the Piana region in South Corsica and original music by Nicola Piovani (many credits, including Oscar winner for Life is Beautiful) this will be a lovely diversion for you in your home next month.

I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007)

This story of a single mother and her young teenage daughter finding love made Jack and me laugh out loud many times. I got it from netflix because it stars Saoirse Ronan, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Paul Rudd, and was written and directed by Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Look Who's Talking (1989), Clueless (1995), more). While researching Ronan for my post on Hanna, this one, Ronan's first, was recommended. In these credits she's named Sookie Ronan and she is adorable, strong, and multi-faceted as Izzie. I wrote about Pfeiffer in Chéri, which has in common with this one that she is an older woman (40) having a relationship with a younger man. Here she is Rosie, a loving and intuitive mother, frustrated divorcée, and successful writer/producer on a TV series called "You Go, Girl," which stars twenty-somethings as high-schoolers, and the age disparity theme pops up everywhere in the first rate script, including with Jon Lovitz (Casino Jack) as Pfeiffer's ex-husband Nathan who won't act or mate in his own age range. The always reliable Paul Rudd (read Dinner for Schmucks) is great at the physical comedy from his very first appearance (you'll see it on the DVD menu screen) and his ear-to-ear grin won over Jack and me. We also appreciated Tracey Ullman (Woody Allen's Small Time Crooks (2000), and several of her own comedy shows) as Mother Nature, Fred Willard (such a hard working guy, he's got 225 acting credits and was last seen in these pages in Youth in Revolt) as a TV executive, and Sarah Alexander as Jeannie, the assistant from Hell, among others.

Okay, now I know why I hadn't heard of this. It pretty much went straight to video and never played here and no one has written why (the title could be better, in my opinion). Some interesting trivia: the first actor to be auditioned in one scene is named Neil Israel and I turned to Jack and said, "I know that name." That's because Israel is a director, writer, and Heckerling's ex-husband. Also, both Pfeiffer and Rudd were seven years older than their characters when they shot this movie, but both can carry it off. Stacey Dash (Dionne in Clueless), who plays Brianna, the star of "You Go, Girl," was 40, and the character Brianna plays is in high school, but that works in this story. There is a nice mix of 31 pop songs from many different decades (but the list is really hard to read--we couldn't at all in the living room, despite pausing it and walking right up to the TV, and I barely can here on my computer), 9 of which are listed on imdb. Rated PG-13, this is something parents could watch with their kids, probably as young as 10. Fun, lightweight entertainment, not just for girls.

Casino Jack (2010)

Not to be confused with the documentary Casino Jack and the United States of Money (2010), this would be funny if not for the fact that it's based on the true exploits of the greedy shysters Abramoff and his partner Michael Scanlon. Kevin Spacey and Barry Pepper are narcissistic perfection as Jack and Michael respectively. I loved Spacey's Oscar-winning work in The Usual Suspects (1995) and American Beauty (1999), as well as Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), The Ref (1994), L.A. Confidential (1997), Pay It Forward (2000), The United States of Leland (2003), Superman Returns (2006), 21 (2008), and my personal favorite, as a mean Hollywood producer in Swimming with Sharks (1994), plus he had a small part in The Men Who Stare at Goats, and was the voice of the HAL-like computer in Moon. I was afraid to see Saving Private Ryan (1998) and forgot to see the TV movie 61* (2001), but apparently Pepper was great in those as Private Jackson and Roger Maris (nominated for Emmy, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice awards for the latter). I did see, and liked Pepper in The Green Mile (1999), The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005), and, of course True Grit, in which he played Lucky Ned Pepper. The supporting cast brings much to the table, including Jon Lovitz (best known for Saturday Night Live (1985-92), he's done lots of other work, including part of the ensemble in Happiness (1998)) as a crooked client, Kelly Preston (best known as Mrs. John Travolta, she was nominated for Razzies for Worst Supporting Actress on The Cat in the Hat (2003) which WAS awful, and for Old Dogs (2009) (we avoided it) and won for Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000)) as Mrs. Abramoff, Graham Greene (115 roles, including his Oscar nomination for Dances with Wolves (1990)), and Rachelle Lefevre (the redhead wife in Barney's Version).

Director George Hickenlooper (Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apolcalypse (1991), Mayor of the Sunset Strip (2003), more) unfortunately died at age 47, seven weeks before the December 2010 release of this movie. Probably just as well, because it was poorly received--36% from critics and 37% from audiences on rottentomatoes--unlike its brother documentary which earned 84% and 80%. We didn't hate this, and laughed a number of times, although it is a bit long and many factual details are left out, perhaps because the filmmakers thought we should know them. We saw it in a limited release on a big screen, and it's now out on DVD, with, according to one reviewer, a photo diary from the director and more insight into the great talent of Kevin Spacey.

Of Gods and Men (Des hommes et des dieux - 2010)

This beautifully photographed drama about some real French monks in 1990s Algeria (during civil unrest) has garnered beaucoup awards and nominations. Everything I've read about it is filled with spoilers, so I won't link to any articles. Co-written (with Etienne Comar) and directed by Xavier Beauvois, it is sad but lovely, with long lingering shots of the anguished men. Cinematographer Caroline Champetier (87 credits, all French, none that I've seen) was nominated for a European Film Award for her work on this. The soundtrack, attributed to lead actor Lambert Wilson (many credits both here and in France) consists mostly of the monks' singing hymns a cappella. I was hoping to hear the excerpt from Beethoven's Symphony 7 that we enjoyed each time we saw the trailer, but, in the movie they used part of Swan Lake instead, which we had just heard in Black Swan.

The critics on rottentomatoes have given this 91%, with audiences weighing in at 78%. We found it slow but soulful.

Bill Cunningham New York (2010)

Jack and I loved this documentary about the fashion photographer several weeks ago. Now it's scheduled for our suburban theatre and you should know about it. Regular readers of the Sunday New York Times are familiar with Cunningham's columns, "Evening Hours" and "On the Street." Now 82, he has been photographing Manhattan people and their outfits for decades. Shots of him in his younger days are mixed with current footage. He and the movie are a study in contrasts: in black and white and glorious color, he is cheerful yet opinionated, elfin yet tall, gregarious (with a patrician accent not unlike Spalding Gray's) yet private, he is obsessed with fashion but wears only utilitarian clothes himself. He rides his bicycle around the city, sometimes with a reflective vest over his Mao jacket, and hunkers down over a sandwich before attending a lavish banquet. His Spartan lifestyle reminded me of my father Warren, who preferred a mattress on a plank to a pillowtop bed and raw vegetables to fine dining, and, like Cunningham, was extremely intelligent and judgemental.

Cunningham's apartment in Carnegie Hall is another fascinating part of the picture and I won't give away the details in case you don't know them. The movie is dotted with celebrities and colorful characters talking about themselves, their clothes, and Cunningham. We liked the music that accompanies the movie, but my memory of it has fallen victim to the ravages of April, and there's no list online of the songs, so you'll have to take my word for it. Directed and shot by Richard Press in his feature debut (additional photography by Tony Cenicola, also his debut), this is highly entertaining and fully recommended.