Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009)

I had wanted to see this ever since it was nominated for the Gotham Award of Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You two years ago. Sorry to say, it wasn't really worth the wait, despite some nice music and dancing. Though it's artfully shot in grainy black and white, the story is confusing and the acting is pretty blah. At one point one actress accidentally said her own name ("I'm Sandha, er, Elena") and it was left in, even though the director/writer, Damien Chazelle, was the editor! I get low budget, but that's just silly. Typical for low budget, independent films, the sound mix was sub-par, and no captions were available on the DVD. I was glad I had not seen this on a big screen, because the hand-held camera work was nauseating to this sensitive viewer, causing motion picture motion sickness (MPMS), even in my living room. Now I know why, when I told Melissa back in 2009 that I was eager to see this, her reaction was tepid. If you loved it, please let me know why.

Horrible Bosses (2011)

This slapstick comedy about harassed workers conspiring to kill their bosses made Jack and me laugh, despite its obvious title (just like Bad Teacher). The star power is strong, with Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Aniston (I wrote about her in The Switch), with bangs and darker hair color than usual, has never been more gorgeous as the sexual predator dentist who torments her poor hygienist Dale (Day). By contrast, Farrell (my favorites are listed in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, after which I mentioned him and his remarkable versatility in Ondine), as Bobby, is made up to look as unattractive as Tom Cruise did in Tropic Thunder, with a comb-over and a belly. His beleaguered employee is Kurt, played by Sudeikis (Saturday Night Live (2003-11) and a series arc on 30 Rock as Liz Lemon's boyfriend Floyd). Spacey (details in Casino Jack) is fairly versatile himself, and played almost exactly the same character as this (Dave) in Swimming With Sharks (1994), and Bateman (also covered in The Switch) is always entertaining, but, so far, has been typecast as a harried, nervous, sensible guy, just like Nick in this one (we'll see if he gets to stretch in The Change-Up later this summer). Jamie Foxx's (details in The Soloist) role is small but mighty. All seven of these actors fill out roles that have been well written for the silly farce that this is.

The writers are Michael Markowitz, who also is credited with the story, in his feature debut, after some TV shows, only one of which is familiar to me; Jonathan M. Goldstein (also a feature debut); and John Francis Daley (best known as Sam Weir on Freaks and Geeks when he was 14), who has a cameo as Carter. Director Seth Gordon (I wrote about him in Freakonomics) also has a cameo, as Ralph Peterberg, but we both missed it.

The soundtrack has both songs (list and streaming available here) plus a kick ass score by Christopher Lennertz (from his long list of credits I have seen only one other of the movies he has scored: Adam, which I liked a lot but apparently didn't feel moved to mention the music) with some special guests (to listen to clips, go to the amazon page and click "play all samples").

#3 at the box office last weekend in its third week, with 82% from audiences (69% critics) on rottentomatoes, this is perfectly good, albeit crude, entertainment for adults.

Larry Crowne (2011)

Despite dismal reviews Jack and I enjoyed this sweet story of a man rebounding from setbacks, directed by and starring Tom Hanks in the title role and Julia Roberts as the love interest. Larry is charming, resourceful, humble, and makes friends easily in the script by Hanks and Nia Vardalos (star and writer of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)--which earned her an Oscar nomination for the original screenplay--and others less popular that I haven't seen). I wrote about Hanks in Angels & Demons, but failed to mention The Terminal (2004) and especially his feature directorial/writing debut That Thing You Do! (1996). Roberts (after I wrote about her in Duplicity she was in Eat Pray Love) gets to both scowl and laugh as Larry's community college teacher Mercedes. The fine supporting cast includes Cedric the Entertainer (Barbershop (2002), Cadillac Records, more) and Taraji P. Henson (terrific in Hustle & Flow (2005) which Jack and I saw together the night Mary Ellen fixed us up, Talk to Me (2007), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which earned her an Oscar nomination, Date Night, and The Karate Kid) as Larry's funny neighbors, the radiant Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Talia, his new best friend from school, Wilmer Valderrama (Fez in That 70's Show, one of Macauley Culkin's friends in Party Monster (2003), and one of the illegal immigrants in Fast Food Nation (2006), among others) as Talia's boyfriend, Grace Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter and sister of Mamie Gummer, who was in Off the Map on ABC) as the lacrosse classmate, Bryan Cranston (Malcom in the Middle's dad, the main reason for Greg Kinnear's road trip in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), the multiple-Emmy-winning chemistry-teacher-turned-cancer-patient-meth-cooker Walt in Breaking Bad, and a small part in The Lincoln Lawyer, and more) as Mercedes' husband, and Rita Wilson (covered in The Art of Getting By), Hanks' wife, in a funny cameo as the bank officer with the platinum hair. Apparently Wilson, whose mother is Greek, was instrumental in getting Hanks to produce My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which is now the top-earning independent movie of all time--over $200 million. Vardalos provides the voice of the Map Genie.

James Newton Howard's (written up in Salt, also scored The Green Hornet, among his 129 scoring credits) music won't be particularly remembered (here's a track), as the soundtrack album is mostly songs (see the track list and listen to clips here and, if you care to, stream the whole Tyler Hilton song, Faithful, here).

One of the complaints reviewers (36% on rottentomatoes, 51% from audiences) have is that it's not hard enough for Larry. If you want to see people hit harder economically, there's The Company Men or the superior Everything Must Go. This, however is a classic example of negative reviews dominating the internet, while plenty of people are loving it--it was #6 at the box office last weekend in its fourth week. Entertaining and easy-going, not a bad way to spend your time on a hot summer day, and you can take your teenage kids or younger (see this for the reasons it's PG-13 and not PG).

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Jack, Ann, Michael, and I saw this prequel before the fireworks two weeks ago and had fun, though I remember little from the others in the series (2000, '03, '06, '09). Big and splashy, lots of great special effects, a huge cast, a dramatic orchestral score by Henry Jackman, and a hilarious cameo by Hugh Jackman (no relation) round out the experience. The leads are James McAvoy (I wrote about him in The Last Station) as Professor Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender (a few comments in Fish Tank) as Erik/Magneto, who bring the requisite gentle intelligence and simmering anger, respectively, to their roles. Erik at 12 is played by Bill Milner who was so terrific in Son of Rambow and Is Anybody There? Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone which earned her an Oscar nomination and The Beaver) plays Raven/Mystique (the blue girl) as a person and not just a mutant, as does Nicholas Hoult (covered in A Single Man) as Hank/Beast. Rose Byrne (covered in Bridesmaids) and Kevin Bacon (favorites: Diner (1982), Footloose (1984), Flatliners (1990), He Said, She Said (1991), A Few Good Men (1992), The River Wild (1994), Sleepers (1996), Mystic River (2003), The Woodsman (2004), Where the Truth Lies (2005)--I love that title, and small parts in Frost/Nixon and My One and Only) are the most-seen humans in the ensemble. According to the long list of trivia, many actresses were considered for the role of Emma Frost, but January Jones (Pirate Radio, Unknown) finally won the role, playing a different kind of 60s woman than Betty Draper in Mad Men and she has a wonderful sexy wardrobe, all in white. Yes, this is a period movie, beginning in the Holocaust and moving into the 60s, with some songs of those eras sprinkled in among the original score. To listen to said score, do as I did and play this, then advance as youtube suggests, one by one.

British director Matthew Vaughn (I wrote about him in Kick-Ass) was also not the first choice but reviewers and audiences have loved this, with its screenplay credited to Vaughn, Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz (Miller and Stentz are among the writers of Thor), and Jane Goldman (co-wrote Kick-Ass and Vaughn's other movies), with story by Bryan Singer (who directed and had a story credit on the first two X-Men) and Sheldon Turner (The Longest Yard (2005), Up in the Air). Rottentomatoes' critics have rated it 86% and audiences 89%. If you're a fan, you've already seen it. If you're not, but you like action and science fiction, you'll probably like it.

Buck (2011)

This documentary about the "horse whisperer" who inspired the 1995 Nicholas Evans novel delighted Jack and me and so many others that it was #22 at the box office last weekend in its 5th week of release. Buck Brannaman doesn't just help "people with horse problems, but...[helps] horses with people problems." With a voice sounding a lot like actor Chris Cooper, Brannaman is candid about his abusive late father and doesn't have to say that he's broken the chain when he treats his family and his four-legged charges with love, sensitivity, and respect. Now living in Wyoming, Brannaman travels the world giving workshops and making new friends and fans wherever he goes (see his website). He worked as a consultant on Robert Redford's 1998 adaptation of the Evans book and Redford appears in this movie, as do Brannaman's daughter, wife, and many of his clients. Notably missing is his brother, Smokie Brannaman, who has his own site advertising books, DVDs, and equine services based in Wisconsin. Smokie and Buck are shown as children in vintage video (where we learn that Buck's real name is Dan) performing rope tricks. Although Buck resembles Ben Kingsley in the poster, the 50-year-old really doesn't.

Horsewoman and former painter and couture designer Cindy Meehl (I looked for photos of her clothes but was unsuccessful--her two lines were called Sasha, Cindy and Phil and Cindy Hughes Designs) makes her directing debut with this project, which has occupied her since 2008. She has another one in the works.

The original music by David Robbins (actor Tim Robbins' brother and composer on, among others, King of California (2007) and movies that Tim has directed, e.g. Bob Roberts (1992), Dead Man Walking (1995), Cradle Will Rock (1999)) and the songs (scroll down on this link to read the list) add flavor and entertainment.

Not a rider myself (I decided as a teenager that a few hours of horseback riding wasn't worth the sore legs I would have the following day plus I'm a little afraid of animals that big) but I like to watch. Watch this!

Super 8 (2011)

This is a hoot. We laughed at the awesome explosions (best train crash ever!) and saw producer Steven Spielberg's fingerprints all over director/writer J.J. Abrams' sci-fi thriller of 1979 movie-making teenagers uncovering a mystery in a fictitious western Ohio town (filming locations were actually in West Virginia and L.A.). Some examples of Spielbergisms: kids on BMX bikes, kids making movies, lights shining into the camera lens (often the beams extended with use of filters), caves, and many other parallels of his work (my favorites among the 50 he directed are, in order, The Color Purple (1985) (I have a special fondness for this one because of the book and because I worked at the office next door and got to meet some of the principals when it was in pre-production), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Schindler's List (1993), E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Terminal (2004), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Jurassic Park (1993), and more on down the list) (he has been listed as producer on 130 titles, including 19 from 2011 forward, and writer on 21). Abrams, who makes no secret of his idolatry of Spielberg, is best known as the co-creator of the TV series Lost, wrote the Mike Nichols-directed Regarding Henry (1991), and directed Mission Impossible III (2006), which was the most expensive movie by a first time director, as well as Star Trek, and I would say he's getting the hang of it. He named the town Lillian after his grandmother and the prominently placed Kelvin gas station after his grandfather.

The young actors do a great job. There's Joel Courtney (now 15) in his debut as Joe, Elle Fanning (now 13, she's been acting since the age of 11 months in I Am Sam (2001), and I also quite liked The Door in the Floor (2004), Babel (2006), Deja Vu (2006), I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With,  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Somewhere) who brings a great deal of maturity to Alice, Riley Griffiths (14) in his feature debut as the movie-within-a movie's director Charles, Ryan Lee (14, has been acting since 2006 but I haven't seen any of it) as Cary the kid with braces, and Gabriel Basso (age not listed, looks 16+, and plays the son in the excellent Showtime series The Big C) as excitable Martin, who wears glasses. I haven't seen the series Friday night Lights, so am not familiar with Kyle Chandler, who plays Joe's deputy father here, but he's fine, as is Ron Eldard (was in some truly wonderful movies: the black comedy The Last Supper (1995), Barry Levinson's Sleepers (1996), Black Hawk Down (2001), and House of Sand and Fog (2003)) as Alice's dad.

On to the music. Composer Michael Giacchino, composer on 90 titles, including every episode of Lost, Mission Impossible III, Star Trek, Ratatouille (for which he was Oscar-nominated), Up (for which he won an Oscar), and more, channels Spielberg's regular collaborator John Williams in the soundtrack (for tracks from the movie listen here, here, here, and here, or go to the itunes page for clips--release date August 2), supplemented by songs from the era, listed here with videos. Giacchino also has a cameo as Deputy Crawford.

There are a number of anachronisms, listed here (I'm not worried about the one named as a spoiler), but we didn't notice because they were mostly off by only a year or two.

You shouldn't be tempted to leave before the credits because the completed zombie movie that the kids make is shown immediately after the end of the real movie. Rottentomatoes' critics rated this 81% and audiences 80%. It's good fun for a couple of air-conditioned hours.

Beginners (2010)

So good! With a moving story, fine acting, wonderful music, and interesting sets and locations, this story of a man, Oliver, dealing with his mother's death, his father's subsequent coming out at 75, and a new relationship of his own greatly entertained Jack and me (and a roomful of others) last Saturday. Ewan McGregor (after I wrote about my favorites in The Men Who Stare at Goats he starred as The Ghost Writer) beautifully carries the movie as the melancholy Oliver, Christopher Plummer (I wrote about him in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and then he was Oscar-nominated for The Last Station) is ebullient as Oliver's father Hal (we both loved the scene in the trailer where Hal goes to his note pad to write down "house music"), and Mélanie Laurent (Paris, Inglourious Basterds) is great as Anna, the mysterious woman that Oliver meets at the coolest costume party ever (well, it takes place in L.A. and they are both cool people, though they don't think so, which is even cooler). The most important supporting players are Goran Visnjic (best known for ER, he was also great in Practical Magic (1998) and The Deep End (2001), among others, and will be seen along with Plummer in the American remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo later this year) as Andy, Hal's younger lover; Mary Page Keller (a lot of TV roles) as Oliver's mother in flashbacks; and a Jack Russell terrier named Cosmo (see this featurette--no spoilers) as Arthur, Hal's dog. I have found a list of Jack Russell movies/dog movies, but it includes a detail about Beginners that could be a spoiler, so perhaps you should wait until you see the movie to click through to read it.

Director/writer Mike Mills' feature debut Thumbsucker (2005) was really good and was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. His own father came out at age 75 and Mills is also a graphic designer and CD cover artist like Oliver; in fact he himself did the drawings featured in the movie. With a resumé like his I'm sure he's been to plenty of über-cool Hollywood parties himself, and now that I've seen his blog (check out the videos!) I know just how awesome he is. For those familiar with Los Angeles here's a little something about the locations, too (I was right that that was Dodger Stadium in the background in one or two shots). Even better is Mills' own photo essay on the locations.

From this link you can stream the excellent soundtrack (until it's removed, as I suspect it will be, because the soundtrack is for sale) and read about the influences that prompted Mills to pick and inspire the tracks with composers Roger Neill, Dave Palmer, and Brian Reitzell. Do see this. If you don't trust Jack's and my recommendation, know that imdb viewers have given it 7.5 out of 10 and rottentomatoes' critics 83% and their audiences 81%.