babetteflix

Warrior (2011)

2012-02-09T22:59:00.000-05:00

Jack and I watched this DVD because it got Nick Nolte a nomination in this year's geezer race (more on that later) and it's good but he doesn't have a big scene that we could pinpoint for the nomination. He plays the 1000-days-sober dad of two men who return to mixed martial arts for various reasons and have to reunite with their father and each other after long estrangements. Nolte is convincing, and perhaps the academy thought it was his time (nominated twice before for The Prince of Tides (1991) and Affliction (1997), he was also great in (here are my favorites) Heart Beat (1980), Cannery Row (1982), 48 Hrs. (1982), Down & Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Cape Fear (1991), Mulholland Falls (1996), After Glow (1997), Trixie (2000), Hulk (2003 - the Eric Bana one), and Hotel Rwanda (2004)), though I suspect Christopher Plummer will get the Oscar. I call it the geezer race because, while Jonah Hill (29) and Kenneth Branagh (51) are among the Supporting Actor nominees, the others are Nolte (71 yesterday), Plummer (82), and Max von Sydow (82). Nolte was also nominated for this role by the Screen Actors' Guild and Critics' Choice Awards.

The sons are played with much intensity by Joel Edgerton (he's been in a lot of things, most of which I haven't seen, but my favorite is the hilarious Kinky Boots (2005)) and Tom Hardy (known best in this country for Inception, plus he was in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy). Hardy is British and his American accent is a little off, but Edgerton, who's Australian, has his down pat. I also like Jennifer Morrison (Dr. Cameron in House on Fox and Emma in Once Upon a Time on ABC) who plays Edgerton's wife.

Director Gavin O'Connor (I meant to see his Tumbleweeds (1999)) worked with Cliff Dorfman (worked on some episodes of Entourage) on the story and screenplay as well as Anthony Tambakis (a writing professor and novelist, he makes his feature debut with this). O'Connor is also in a few scenes as the promotor of the big match at the end--you knew there had to be a big fight at the end, right?

The wonderful composer Mark Isham (I last covered him in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans) gives us suspenseful tunes (listen here and continue with anything with the same picture), many with a Beethoven theme, because one of the trainers believes it helps his fighters.

If you want to catch up to all the nominated movies, check this out, but be forewarned, there's fighting and blood. Rottentomatoes' critics gave it 83% and audiences 92%.

Le Havre (2011)

2012-02-08T15:30:00.000-05:00

Jack and I liked this story of an old shoe-shiner taking in a young African refugee in the French coastal town of the title. Finnish director/writer Aki Kaurismäki (I loved The Man Without a Past (2002) and would like to see more after reading this) combines droll wit and drama as 60-something Marcel, played by André Wilms (a Frenchman with 61 titles to his credit, he has worked with Kaurismäki five times before) hides ten-year-old Idrissa (Blondin Miguel, in his film debut) from the authorities. Finnish actress Kati Outinen (as soon as she spoke her first sentence I could tell that French wasn't her first language) is another Kaurismäki regular, and her deadpan delivery is quite good.

In a sly nod to French cinema, Jean-Pierre Léaud, best known as Antoine Doinel in The 400 Blows (1959) and five other movies also directed by the iconic François Truffaut, has a cameo. Since we saw this movie two and a half weeks ago, it has grown on me. As usual imdb hasn't provided any soundtrack info, nor does the press kit, but what I do remember of the music is the appearance of a blues musician named "Little Bob" (AKA Roberto Piazza), who apparently is famous around Le Havre. This was Finland's official submission for the Foreign-Language Oscars, but it didn't make it, though the National Board of Review named it one of their top five Foreign Language Films and it was nominated for a Critics' Choice Award. It has a 98% fresh rating from critics on rottentomatoes, with 75% from audiences. The DVD release isn't set yet, but it will be good for a giggle whenever you can see it.

Shame (2011)

2012-02-08T14:25:00.001-05:00

Jack and I were carded twice last week, to buy our senior tickets and again to have them torn. Plus someone was stationed outside the door to keep kids out of this well-done explicit movie about a sex addict. Michael Fassbender (most recently here in A Dangerous Method) bares all and gives a great performance as the tightly wound Brandon, trying to keep his professional life and his mania going simultaneously. When his loose-cannon sister Sissy, played by Carey Mulligan (Drive), appears unexpectedly, he begins to unwind, and not in a good way. Surprisingly snubbed by the Oscars, this has a number of noteworthy nominations (see my list here) and won Fassbender Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival last year, as well as the Spotlight Award from the National Board of Review (the latter also for his work in A Dangerous Method, Haywire, Jane Eyre, and X Men: First Class, all 2011 releases).

British director Steve McQueen, who bears zero physical resemblance to the iconic American actor, also racked up awards and nominations for his first feature, Hunger (2008), and this is his second (a third is in pre-production and it looks interesting). He wrote the script with Abi Morgan (covered in The Iron Lady).

The moody music by Harry Escott complements the moodiness onscreen (helped along by the creativity of production designer Judy Becker (Garden State (2004), Thumbsucker (2005), Brokeback Mountain (2005), I'm Not There. (2007), and The Fighter, among others) who dressed those tony apartments beautifully). Here are some tracks (one, two, three) and Mulligan actually sings her song. There's a fun bit of trivia that imdb considers a spoiler, so I won't give it away either. In my opinion, the items before have more spoilers than the last one, so read them here after seeing this movie, preferably not on a first date. And have I mentioned we were carded twice because it's rated NC-17?

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

2012-02-06T23:35:00.000-05:00

Jack and I were not entranced by this mystery of a retired MI5 agent working to uncover a mole amongst his former co-workers. We saw it almost four weeks ago and I've put off writing for a number of reasons, including my support for the place down the street that screened it. I don't read reviews in advance, because I don't like the buzzkill nor the spoilers, but perhaps I could have benefited from knowing that the clues were going to be hard to find. Then again, maybe not. Oscar-nominated for Best Actor for Gary Oldman, Best Adapted Screenplay for Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan (from the novel by John le Carré), and Best Original Score for Alberto Iglesias, as well as Best Art Direction in a Period Film for Maria Djurkovic by the Art Directors' Guild, and Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Hoyte Van Hoytema by the American Society of Cinematographers, it has much going for it, and we don't have a problem with any of the nominations except the confusing screenplay (this is the sixth feature for Straughan, including two funny ones How to Lose Friends & Alienate People and The Men Who Stare at Goats, and the serious The Debt; his wife O'Connor, who died in 2010, worked with him on only the other two). Or was it the director, Tomas Alfredson (I skipped his other hit, the horror movie Let the Right One In (2008), as well as the American remake)? I didn't read the book, or any mysteries I can name off the top of my head. On rottentomatoes 84% of critics and 68% of audiences liked it, which does make me feel slightly more validated (not that that's important to me).

Here's what we did like: the aforementioned production design is gorgeous (Djurkovic was also nominated by her peers for Billy Elliott (2000) and The Hours (2002), by the Satellite Awards for Vanity Fair (2004), and won several other awards for this project); the photography (van Hoytema also shot The Fighter, among others); the music (more on that in a moment); and the cast is outstanding. I do agree that Oldman (my favorites are Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986), Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK (1991), True Romance (1993), The Professional (1994), Basquiat (1996), The Fifth Element (1997), The Contender (2000), and Jim Gordon in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises; and I don't care about Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series) is due for some recognition. The diminutive Toby Jones (last in these pages in Creation, because I accidentally left him out of Captain America: The First Avenger and My Week with Marilyn) is very good. Ciarán Hinds (The Debt), not at all diminutive, is swarthy and scary. Benedict Cumberbatch (War Horse) looks great in his 60s wardrobe and hair, Mark Strong (The Guard) is also handsome, John Hurt (Oscar-nominated for Midnight Express (1978) and The Elephant Man (1980), and I also liked Scandal (1989), Contact (1997), and Love and Death on Long Island (1997), plus he was good in two movies I didn't like: Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993) and Melancholia) is authoritative, and everyone likes Colin Firth (The King's Speech).

Iglesias' (The Skin I Live In) music is beautiful and suspenseful, and you can listen to all of it on youtube, starting with the first track. I talked with someone today who said she didn't understand this movie but loved it. I heard someone else say it needs to be seen again to get it. You go right ahead and let me know.

Rule #13 for movies and television

2012-02-06T22:02:00.000-05:00

As an ex-smoker I can tell when someone has actually inhaled and when they're faking. And then, 19 times out of twenty, when an onscreen smoker stubs a cigarette into an ashtray, s/he doesn't finish the job, leaving it smoldering. Another reason to be grateful we don't have smell-o-vision. See the complete list of rules here.

Pariah (2011)

2012-02-06T00:36:00.000-05:00

Jack and I loved this moving coming-of-age story of a black 15 year old lesbian in Brooklyn, the feature debut of director/writer Dee Rees, whose 2007 short film of the same name and topic won six festival awards. Adepero Oduye stars as Alike (a-LEE-kay) who is trying to reconcile a home life with a beloved but clueless father, a bratty sister, and a controlling, frankly horrible mother with her nascent sexuality and her openly gay best friend. Oduye, Pernell Walker, and Sahra Mellesse transitioned from the short film to the feature as Alike, the friend Laura, and the sister Sharonda, while Charles Parnell and Kim Wayans (best known as sister to Damon, Keenen Ivory, Marlon, and all those other Wayanses) step in as the parents this time around.

The music is important, as so many teenagers love their personal soundtracks, and this movie has no composer, just songs. We counted 24 tunes in the credits, but no comprehensive list is apparently online, other than the 11 songs included on the soundtrack (for sale here, and a compilation available here).

The whole package is first rate: writing, directing, acting, cinematography (nominations listed here). We highly recommend it, with one caveat: those susceptible to Motion Picture Motion Sickness (see my running list of MPMS warnings) should sit as far back as possible, due to a lot of handheld camera work.

A Dangerous Method (2011)

2012-02-05T23:53:00.000-05:00

Beautiful and fascinating, this story of Carl Jung, Jung's first patient, and Sigmund Freud is surprisingly not Oscar-nominated, despite a steady hand from director David Cronenberg, amazing production design, luscious cinematography, and good performances from Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, and Viggo Mortensen. The "method" is the "talking cure," introduced by Freud and employed by Jung in treating Sabina Spielrein, a Russian (the characters are supposed to be speaking German, and Spielrein German with a Russian accent; all speak English, and kudos to Knightley for her Russian-accented English). Frequently young and/or attractive actresses are deemed "brave" for appearing unpretty in movies, so Knightly (her last appearance in these pages was Never Let Me Go) could have earned that with her grimaces and extra jutting of her already prodigious jaw as the literally hysterical Spielrein, but her top billing is erroneous, as it is clearly Jung's story. Fassbender (last in X-Men: First Class, next in Shame, which we saw a few days ago, and I completely forgot to mention him in Inglourious Basterds) lends Jung the requisite intelligence, passion, and inquiring mind. Mortensen (to me he'll always be the sexy Blouse Man in A Walk on the Moon (1999), but here he is, third from the right, in his first role in Witness (1985), and I liked him in 28 Days (2000), A History of Violence (2005), and Eastern Promises (2007) which did earn him an Oscar nod), aged to perfection with a balding wig and facial hair, gives us a wonderful, controlling Freud, stuck in his oral phase, as he is never without a cigar in his mouth.

I've long been a big Cronenberg fan, beginning with The Dead Zone (1983) which was in my 1980s top five list, moving on to The Fly (1986), Dead Ringers (1988), Crash (the 1996 one with James Spader and Holly Hunter, not the 2004 ensemble movie of the same name), A History of Violence, and Eastern Promises. This one has plenty of perversion, as do the others, but much less blood. Cinematographer Peter Suschitzky (shot the latter four Cronenberg pictures and many others) provides the glorious images. Christopher Hampton (I covered him in Chéri) adapted his play The Talking Cure, which was in turn adapted from John Kerr's book A Most Dangerous Method.

Jack and I admired the magnificent sailboat, the pens, gadgets, and all sorts of doo-hickeys appropriate for the first two decades of the twentieth century setting. Spielrein's and Mrs. Jung's wardrobes are also spectacular. I covered composer Howard Shore in Hugo and here is the first track of the lovely score, but I have a new anecdote. I got to speak with author Alan Zweibel, one of the original Saturday Night Live writers, recently. I mentioned his "Spud beer" spot (sorry, video isn't readily available), which he told us was his very first appearance on TV, and he was impressed that I remembered, from that same 1975 show, Howard Shore and his All-Nurse Band (they were all men, wearing nurse dresses and caps for the bit) playing the song St. James Infirmary. Jack said, "That's just what she does."

Anyway, this is definitely worth seeing, so trundle on down to your local art house and give it a look, but leave the children at home.

Milestone! This is movie number 450 summarized on the blog. And, since September 3, 2008, I have seen and written up 431 distinct pictures, an average of 10.5 per month. But who's counting?

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

2012-02-01T01:06:00.000-05:00

Extremely sad & incredibly hard to watch, this has its merits, as Thomas Horn earns his Best Young Actor Critics' Choice Award as 9-year-old Oskar, a multi-phobic boy searching for a mystery left by his father who died in the twin towers on 9/11. The movie is Oscar-nominated for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Max von Sydow, whose character doesn't speak. Horn also won two awards from the Phoenix Film Critics Society for this role. I complained in my post on War Horse that I hate war movies. I'm also disturbed by photographic reminders of 9/11, which Oskar refers to as, "The Worst Day," and am not sure I would have seen this one either had it not gotten that Best Picture nod. Tom Hanks (last in these pages in Larry Crowne) plays the departed father and Sandra Bullock (after I wrote about her in The Proposal she was in The Blind Side) the patient grieving mother. Oskar's relationship with his grandmother (Zoe Caldwell, four-time Tony winner, she played the Countess, one of the on-screen people, in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), among others) is particularly sweet--they keep walkie-talkies close at hand to communicate privately and frequently across the street from one another. Oskar meets dozens of people in his pursuit of the mystery, most notably von Sydow (Shutter Island) and Viola Davis (The Help).

Eric Roth (covered in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) adapted Jonathan Safran Foer's 2005 novel of the same name (with "and" instead of "&"). I loved the 2005 movie made from his 2002 novel Everything is Illuminated (I haven't read either book). This plot is quite rich, although Jack and I and others I've talked with wanted it to go on just a little longer to answer one question.

The score by the prolific Alexandre Desplat (last in Carnage) has been posted on youtube for our enjoyment. Jack was with me when I saw it last Friday, but we mostly talked about what we didn't like, and he's long asleep now, so I can't vouch for him. Bring your hankies. I first needed mine when Oskar began shouting all the things that scared him. As one who was born in New York, as were a number of my relatives, I had a hard time reliving the horror of The Worst Day, but I guess I'm glad I saw it.

Albert Nobbs (2011)

2012-01-29T23:44:00.000-05:00

I loved this story of an inhibited cross-dressing woman working as a hotel waiter in 1890s Dublin and Jack liked it, too. Glenn Close obtained the rights to the story after starring in it onstage in 1982, and she not only gives the performance of a lifetime and produces, she co-wrote the screenplay and the lyrics to a song sung over the end credits by Sinead O'Connor. Close has been nominated for six Oscars: The World According to Garp (1982), The Big Chill (1983), The Natural (1984), Fatal Attraction (1987), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), and now this, for which she lost the SAG, Critics' Choice, and Golden Globe Awards (her song lost the Globe to Madonna's and the Best Makeup Oscar (watch this featurette) will probably not be won here, but by The Iron Lady). Here is a link to my list of movie awards and nominations sorted by title. In addition to her Oscar-nominated work, I also liked Close a lot in Jagged Edge (1990), Reversal of Fortune (1990), The Paper (1994), 101 Dalmatians (1996), Cookie's Fortune (1999), The Safety of Objects (2001), and Nine Lives (2005), the latter of which shares a director, Rodrigo García, with Albert Nobbs. I covered García in detail in Mother and Child, but didn't realize at the time that he is the son of Colombian author Gabriel García Marquez.

6'1" Janet McTeer's (I quite liked her in Songcatcher (2000)) performance is also amazing and is nominated for a Supporting Actress Oscar. Fine support is provided by Mia Wasikowska (last seen in these pages as Annabel in Restless), Pauline Collins (Cristal in You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger), Maria Doyle Kennedy (from The Commitments (1991) to Dexter), Brendan Gleeson (Gerry Doyle in The Guard), and Aaron Johnson (John Lennon in Nowhere Boy), among others.

On a timely note, because I wanted to watch the SAG Awards tonight before writing this, just in case Close won, I remembered to check my DVR at 8:15 and, because it hates me and once again didn't follow my instructions, I manually started the recording then. I'm going to have to find a recording later of the "I am an actor" speeches.

The music, by Irish composer Brian Byrne, is lovely. You can listen to this soundtrack compilation, or go to this link, click open in iTunes, and hear longer samples by clicking them one at a time.

Our local freelance newspaper critic trashed this movie, and rottentomatoes agrees, with critics weighing in at 51% and audiences even lower at 46%. This time I'll include metacritic, which gives it 57% critics and 51 from audiences. We don't concur. We think it's good and you should see it.

War Horse (2011)

2012-01-29T20:37:00.000-05:00

It's puzzling that this is nominated for a Best Picture Oscar when its other five nominations don't include any acting, directing, or writing. So see this story of a boy and his pet horse fighting in World War I for the cinematography, music, and animal handling (the latter is not a category). Sitting in the theatre I groused, "I hate war! And I hate war movies!" The mass horror of watching soldiers run to their slaughter disturbs me on a level far greater than individual dramas of murder or molestation. But I do like to see the cinematography nominees on the big screen. And Steven Spielberg's usual cinematographer Janusz Kaminski's (won Oscars for the Spielberg-directed war movies Schindler's List (1993--I dragged myself to it and thought it was good) and Saving Private Ryan (1998--I skipped it), also nominated for Amistad (1997--I missed it) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007--I loved it), he also shot Jerry Maguire (1996), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Terminal (2004), War of the Worlds (2005--not a real war movie), Munich (2005), and many more) images are spectacular. I haven't covered Spielberg yet in these pages, so here are my favorites chronologically: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Color Purple (1985), Jurassic Park (1993), Catch Me If You Can, and The Terminal.

The real star of the movie is the horse Joey, played by 14 different equine actors (no horses were harmed, blah blah), including Finder, who played the titular Seabiscuit (2003). The second mammal most on screen is now-21-year-old Jeremy Irvine, who was in a British TV series, and that's all, before being cast as Albert Narracott. Irvine was ebullient on a Letterman appearance recently, and, before the clip was shown, said that the horse was funny. No one in the audience laughed, but I got it--the horse rubbed people with his head like a cat. Supporting cast includes Peter Mullan (I always think of him as Joe from My Name is Joe (1998)) and Emily Watson (I missed her Oscar-nominated performances in Breaking the Waves (1996) and Hilary and Jackie (1998), but I did like Angela's Ashes (1999), Trixie (2000), Gosford Park (2001), Wah-Wah (2005), Miss Potter (2006), and Cold Souls) as Albert's parents, David Thewlis (last mentioned in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) as their landlord, Tom Hiddleston (in Midnight in Paris as Scott Fitzgerald) and Benedict Cumberbatch (I'll write soon about Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as the soldiers who first take Joey to war, and Niels Arestrup (the scary guy in A Prophet) as the loving French grandfather.

We saw the Tony-award-winning play (adapted from a children's book of the same name by Michael Morpurgo, whose cameo at the auction, standing next to Thewlis, we missed) at Lincoln Center in September. The staging, with life-size puppets, was fabulous (here's a video to give you an idea). Jack, Don, and I thought the story was corny (Lisal loved all of it). And this is the same story. So I can't really recommend it one way or another. Yes, the photography is gorgeous. The music, also Oscar-nominated, is pretty corny, too (listen here and, with a few hitches to reload the pages, the tracks will advance if you click back onto the page if you're doing something else). I'd be very surprised if it wins Best Picture in February.

Carnage (2011)

2012-01-25T22:47:00.000-05:00

Jack and I saw The God of Carnage (about two couples discussing a playground incident between their 11-year-old sons) on Broadway in 2009 and liked it a lot. We agree this movie adaptation is a fine one. Here we have superstars Jodie Foster playing Marcia Gay Harden's part, John C. Reilly in for James Gandolfini, Kate Winslet for Hope Davis, and Christoph Waltz for Jeff Daniels. Not obvious choices, but quite wonderful, under the direction of Roman Polanski (covered in The Ghost Writer). Because Polanski would be arrested for his past crime if he were to set foot on American soil, Carnage was shot in Paris, almost completely in a magnificent apartment (standing in for Brooklyn) that Jack commented was too nice considering what the characters who live there do for work. We missed the director's cameo, as the neighbor who peeks his head out of the apartment next door. Polanski collaborated with playwright Yasmina Reza on the screenplay.

Foster (I wrote about her in The Beaver, which Ricky Gervais called "Jodie Foster's Beaver" in the Golden Globes--yes, we finally got to watch that show last week) is so appropriately tightly wound as the intellectual Penelope it's hard for me to remember Harden in the part. Reilly (last in these pages in Terri), as her husband Michael, can channel Gandolfini's volatility in the second half as well as the easy-going manner required for the first. Winslet (my favorites are listed in Contagion) is great as Nancy, the conciliatory mother of the offending boy, as is Christoph Waltz (see Water for Elephants) as Alan, her husband with the non-stop cell phone. Waltz, born in Vienna, has now adopted an American accent as good as Winslet's (a Brit). The actual playground is shown as bookends (scenes at the beginning and end of the movie) shot from far away with no dialogue. Polanski's son Elvis, himself going on 14, plays the offending boy.

Prolific composer Alexandre Desplat (last heard in The Ides of March) provides the score, which is not for sale and hasn't been posted anywhere that I can find. You'll have to take my word for it that it's good. Or just see the movie. It's very short (80 minutes) and will make you cringe and laugh. If you don't have time to see it on the big screen, its expected DVD release is March 20. Of the four movies waiting in draft mode for me to complete, this is the one I liked the best.

2012 Oscar nominations

2012-01-24T15:22:00.001-05:00

Announced this morning, they didn't have many big surprises (this article from the LA Times about who got snubbed is interesting). See the complete list of nominations here if you haven't already and check out my running list of nominations and wins sorted by title.

The Iron Lady (2011)

2012-01-24T00:01:00.002-05:00

Ah, that magnificent chameleon, Meryl Streep! Many have complained that the movie concentrates too much on Margaret Thatcher's dementia and not enough on her power, but no one complained about Streep's Golden Globe-winning performance as the Prime Minister in mid-life and old age. And I predict a makeup Oscar nomination tomorrow for the flawless aging, the wigs, and the dental prostheses, complemented by Streep's (last in these pages in It's Complicated) flawless body language. The superb Jim Broadbent (Another Year) plays Denis Thatcher, and Alexandra Roach and Harry Lloyd are wonderful as the couple in younger days.The thought crossed my mind that it would have been nice for one of Streep's own daughters to play her as a younger woman, but Roach gets it just right (plus her teeth match) and Lloyd (the handsome great-great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens) is delightful as the captivated young Denis (here's a photo of them from the movie and an interview with Lloyd).

This is the third feature for former theatre director Phyllida Lloyd (her first was the treacly Mamma Mia!). Not to be confused with Emma Thompson's mother Phyllida Law, Lloyd has gotten it right with this one, helped by a screenplay by Abi Morgan (I liked the TV series she's written that I've seen--Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006) and The Hour (2011)--we tried to see Shame on Saturday but technical problems kept us away).

Tracks from the lovely soundtrack by the prolific Thomas Newman can be found on youtube. Of the four movies I have seen but not summarized, this is the one most likely to be honored at tomorrow morning's Oscar nomination announcements.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)

2012-01-23T23:08:00.003-05:00

A "popcorn flick," more suitable for a summer day than Oscar season, this low-brow, action- and violence-filled romp delivers for everyone who can handle the shootings and danger inherent in this TV- series-turned-movie-franchise. Tom Cruise apparently did many of his own stunts, including swinging around near the top of the Burj Khalifa building in Dubai, the tallest building in the world. David Denby says, in the New Yorker capsule description, "The plot is utterly trivial: the world is about to be blown up by a 'nuclear extremist.' (As opposed to a 'nuclear moderate'?)" and I agree, but he, Jack, and I liked it. I covered Cruise in Valkyrie, his co-stars Jeremy Renner last in The Town, Simon Pegg last in Star Trek, Paul Patton in Precious, Michael Nyqvist in the original Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and its second and third installments. I did have to ask Jack what IMF means: Impossible Mission Force. Duh.

The opening credits are stupendous. We saw it in IMAX a few weeks ago, and wondered why were given special glasses. I kept moving them off and on, and couldn't tell the difference, other than their cheap tinted lenses made the screen darker. The locations are spectacular: they did shoot in Dubai, but substituted Bangalore for Mumbai and Prague for Budapest.

Directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles (2004), Ratatouille) in his live-action directing debut, it is indeed cartoony. The screenplay is by Josh Applebaum and André Nemec in their feature film debut. Bird used his Ratatouille composer, Michael Giacchino (after I wrote about him in Super 8, he scored 50/50) to exciting effect. As usual, someone has posted the tracks on youtube. You will want to start with #2, which contains the theme, and move around from there. There is some great singing in the score, which I have dubbed the Moscow Gay Men's Chorus.

Good fun for lovers of the genre, this fourth chapter in the feature series still has a 93% rating on rottentomatoes, making it the ninth highest rated movie in the top 50, and still #8 at the box office last weekend in its fifth week of release.

The Artist (2011)

2012-01-15T22:25:00.000-05:00

Not subtle and quite entertaining, this is a 99% silent movie about a male star in 1927 about to be cast aside by the new technology of "talkies" while his starlet friend (both with 1,000 watt smiles) is rocketing to the top. Much loved at festivals and by critics, it's definitely worth your time and money. Oh, and as in Beginners, there's an adorable Jack Russell terrier (details on this one, named Uggie). Although it's a production of France and Belgium, the dialogue cards (and mouthed words) are in English (this compulsive proofreader noticed the spaces always put before question marks, exclamation points, and ellipses). French stars Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo may be unknown here in America now, but not for long (babetteflix trivia: I raved about Dujardin's wife Alexandra Lamy in Ricky). Supporting cast includes Americans John Goodman (my favorites: True Stories (1986), Raising Arizona (1987), Roseanne (1988-97), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000), and Evan Almighty) (he has slimmed down considerably) as the producer, James Cromwell (he was Oscar-nominated for Babe (1995), and my faves include L.A. Confidential (1997), The Green Mile (1999), 27 episodes of Six Feet Under (2003-05), The Queen (2006), and W.) as the chauffer Clifton, Penelope Ann Miller (I liked her in The Freshman (1990) as well as Chaplin (1992), another period piece) looking severe in dark lipstick as the wife, Joel Murray (plays Eddie, Sheila's husband, on Shameless) as a cop, and Andy Milder (Dean Hodes in Weeds) as a director in knickers, among many. Director/writer Michel Hazanavicius is no stranger to filmmaking, having directed/written two other features, directed a third, and written four more, but I've heard of none of them. Perhaps by the end of this evening, when the Golden Globes are over (of course they're recording on my DVR and I'll watch when I'm done here), we'll all learn how to pronounce his name. To see a long trailer go here.

The music, by Ludovic Bource, has received its fair share of nominations and wins so far (here's my running total of nominations and awards, sorted by film title--you should know that the American Society of Cinematographers also nominated cinematographer Guillaume Schiffman for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography, a great honor to be nominated by one's peers). To hear the soundtrack, go to this link and proceed from there. News flash: Bource won the Golden Globe for Best Score about an hour and a half ago.

I have three other movies to summarize (watch these pages for two raves and one "meh") but wanted to get this posted so you will see it right away! Instead of my usual writing until the wee hours, I want to quit and go watch Ricky Gervais insult people (update--my DVR did not record the show, but I can tell you this movie won Best Picture, Musical or Comedy and Dujardin won Best Actor, Musical or Comedy). One last thing about the 1% that's not silent. I insist on no spoilers, so, instead, will reference Mel Brooks' Silent Movie (1976), in which one word is spoken: mime Marcel Marceau utters, "Non!"

The Infidel (2010)

2012-01-02T14:49:00.001-05:00

Having missed this at our Jewish Film Festival Jack and I streamed it on netflix a few months later and laughed a lot at the story of a not-very-observant Muslim in London who discovers in his late mother's papers that he is adopted and was actually born Jewish. Omid Djalili, a British-Iranian comedian, is hilarious as the lead Mahmud, as is Richard Schiff (I wrote about him in Made in Dagenham) as his dissolute Jewish neighbor Lenny, thanks to the script by David Baddiel (born here, raised in the UK, Jewish atheist (if you don't understand, ask me), he's also a comedian, actor, novelist, documentarian, and TV and radio writer and performer) and direction by Josh Appignanesi (Jewish on his mother's side, he directed one other feature, set in Israel). Another draw for me is Archie Panjabi (best known now as the sneaky and sexy Kalinda on The Good Wife, she played the sister in Bend it Like Beckham (2002) and a confidante in a Mighty Heart (2007), among other roles) demonstrating comic timing as Mahmud's suspicious wife.

All sorts of farcical complications ensue, inspired by writer Baddiel's affinity for "life-swap comedy (Big, Trading Places, etc.)" and his desire to make people laugh about their fears when it comes to the interactions between Muslims and Jews. This is quite funny and is in English with British accents and only a few subtitles, now playing on your computer with a netflix streaming subscription.

We Bought a Zoo (2011)

2012-01-02T00:36:00.000-05:00

Amy, Jack, and I chose this for our Christmas day movie and we liked it a lot. A family reeling from the death of the wife and mother makes a new start in a country property that just happens to house a zoo in need of revitalizing. Matt Damon (last discussed in these pages in Contagion) is good as the dad Benjamin (it doesn't hurt that I've seen him talking on late night shows about being a regular dad of three), Colin Ford (at 15 he's already got 38 credits) is good as Dylan, and Maggie Elizabeth Jones (now 7) is awesome as little Rosie.

Cameron Crowe (he was a 15 year old writer for Rolling Stone and immortalized his story in Almost Famous (2000), which won him the Original Screenplay Oscar, was nominated for writing Jerry Maguire (1996) which he directed, also known for writing and directing the iconic Say Anything... (1989) in which John Cusack holds up the boombox) and Aline Brosh McKenna (Devil Wears Prada (2006), Morning Glory, more) adapted Benjamin Mee's memoir to make this. Patrick Fugit, who was the Crowe character in Almost Famous, is in this as one of the zoo workers, but, interestingly, he's almost mute. More support can be found from Thomas Haden Church (Oscar-nominated for Sideways (2004), also great in 123 episodes of Wings (1990-95), Spanglish (2004), Smart People (2008), Another Happy Day, and more) as Benjamin's brother, Scarlett Johansson (covered in Iron Man 2) as the head animal keeper, Elle Fanning (I wrote about her in Super 8) as her niece, Angus Macfayden (perhaps best known as Robert the Bruce in Braveheart (1995), but I like to think of him as wild man Julian in Californication--new season starting January 8!) as wild man Peter, J.B. Smoove (Leon in Curb Your Enthusiasm and the cab driver in Date Night) as the realtor, and John Michael Higgins (last covered in Bad Teacher) as the zoo inspector.

Mention must be made of the magnificent photography by Rodrigo Prieto (after I wrote about him in Broken Embraces, he shot Biutiful and Water for Elephants).

To be expected of Crowe, there's an imaginative soundtrack by Jon Thor Birgisson, AKA Jónsi of the Icelandic band Sigur Rós. As I write this I am listening to his 15 songs from the movie streaming from a page on the Rolling Stone website. In addition, there are 20 more songs, listed here.

This is a nice movie to see with kids of all ages (that reminds me, I need to update my kid movie list). It's been nominated for nothing (critics 63%, audiences 83% on rottentomatoes), but we still enjoyed it thoroughly.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

2012-01-01T23:29:00.000-05:00

Despite a change in writers, this sequel to the one released two years ago has director Guy Ritchie's Holmes-o-vision (warning, spoilers in that link) style all over it, and it's fast paced fun just like the other, with hand to hand combat, all the modern weaponry of 1891, and a few mild anachronisms (more spoilers). In my post on Sherlock Holmes I covered Ritchie, stars Robert Downey, Jr. (Holmes), Jude Law (Watson), Kelly Reilly (Mary), and Rachel McAdams (Irene Adler). This time we have additional cast members Noomi Rapace (the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) as a Gypsy, Stephen Fry (a comedian who worked with Hugh Laurie (better known now as House) on a show called Fry and Laurie (1987-1995), and a writer, my favorites of his acting gigs include A Fish Called Wanda (1988), Peter's Friends (1992), Jeeves to Laurie's Wooster in the TV series Jeeves and Wooster (1990-93), I.Q. (1994), the title role of Oscar Wilde in Wilde (1997), Gosford Park (2001), Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2005), and the voice of the Cheshire Cat, my favorite character in Alice in Wonderland) as Holmes' brother Mycroft, and Jared Harris (the son of actor Richard Harris, Jared has 64 acting credits in his 50 years of age, including as Lane Pryce on Mad Men, scary guys in the now-cancelled series The Riches and movies The Notorious Bettie Page (2005) as a photographer and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as a sea captain) as the evil Professor Moriarty. Everyone performs admirably. I must admit, though, every time Mycroft Holmes used a nickname for his brother I wanted to say, "Don't call me Sherly!"

The new writers are actor Dermot Mulroney's brother and sister-in-law Kieran and Michele (their second and third feature scripts, respectively) and I didn't detect much change from the other team. I did notice some continuity errors with the cut on Sherlock's cheek appearing and disappearing, as well as Watson's limp, but perhaps I'm nitpicking.

Music is once again by the great Hans Zimmer (I wrote about him in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) and all of the tracks can be found on youtube, however they're not easy to get into order, because the titles are so long. If you like that sort of thing, as I do, you can start with this one and haphazardly jump around when it quits.

If you liked the first one, you'll like this, too.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

2012-01-01T18:34:00.002-05:00

The Swedish one is good but this, I daresay, is better, though still not for the faint of heart, as the brutal rape scene remains, albeit a bit shorter and slightly less graphic, along with other violence ensuing. That doesn't mean you shouldn't bother with the original; both are engrossing. I loved the music and pacing in this one, as well as the gorgeous winter and spring scenery photographed by Jeff Cronenweth (shot One Hour Photo (2002), Down with Love (2003), and Oscar-nominated for The Social Network) mostly on location in Sweden.

Director David Fincher (after I wrote about him in The Social Network, he received another of the movie's five nominations: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Cinematography, and Sound Editing, and it won for Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, and Original Score) and screenplay adapter Steven Zaillian (covered in Moneyball), adapting directly from the book and not from the other movie, use a more visual style and change a few details, leading one of my friends to think there are two stories that needed combining. Rooney Mara (briefly covered in The Social Network) is terrific as the title character, completely embodying the asocial, abused, and avenging Lisbeth. She lost weight, against the advice of her director, and got a number of actual piercings (details) both as method acting and so she'd be ready for the sequels (the novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was part one of the Millennium Trilogy by the late Stieg Larsson, and all three were made into Swedish movies released over there between 2009-10). Speaking of the sequels, some industry analysts wonder if the sequels will get remade here at all, when this version has made somewhere between $21-47 million (every site gives a different number--that's Hollywood) in two weeks against a budget of around $90 (the Swedish version cost $7 million, or was it $13 million, and it may have made $104 million so far). Daniel Craig (last mentioned in Cowboys & Aliens) brings macho that I kind of wanted in the older movie to Mikael Blomqvist. Supporting cast are all good: Christopher Plummer (Beginners, much more) wonderful as always as Henrik, as is Joely Richardson (Vanessa Redgrave's and Tony Richardson's daughter, she was great in Return to Me (2000), 101 Dalmatians (1996), 100 episodes of Nip/Tuck, and I liked and liked her in the much-maligned I'll Do Anything (1994)) as adult Anita, Stellan Skarsgård (last in these pages in Melancholia) and all the rest. The one I had to look up was Geraldine James as Cecilia, whose face I knew from Made in Dagenham, Sherlock Holmes, and its new sequel (which I'll be writing up next) (yes, the holidays have put me very, very far behind in both watching and writing).

The story is set in a few locations in Sweden, and all the characters speak English with mild Swedish accents, to my ear. I had no trouble understanding them, though a couple of my friends did (the worst example of this trend was Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), an American adaptation of an American book about Japan, with Asian actors, all of whom are able to speak English flawlessly, using thickly accented English that had me longing for closed captions).

My anticipation for this version began the first time Jack and I saw the first trailer for this, with Karen O of the Yeah Yeahs singing lead on a kick-ass cover of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song. We laughed out loud at the tagline, "The feel bad movie of Christmas." And it was nice to hear that cover over the splashy opening credits, instead of saving it for the end. Speaking of the end, this, like the other version, is closer to three hours than to two, so be prepared.

We thought that having seen the first version helped us to understand many details. Lots has been written comparing the two, and here are some articles (one, two, three), which I recommend reading after you've seen all you plan to see, as they contain spoilers.

As I said above, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won the Oscar (and Golden Globe) for Original Score of The Social Network, their first feature together, and this is their second, already nominated for the Golden Globe (Oscar nominations will be announced January 24). Reznor is perhaps best known as part of Nine Inch Nails, and Ross worked with him in that and other bands. The soundtrack is extremely edgy (start with this link and move on to the others) and is composed of almost three hours of Reznor & Ross's instrumentals, plus the Karen O cover and Is Your Love Strong Enough (a Bryan Ferry cover) by (one of Reznor's other bands) How to Destroy Angels.

I can't finish this post without mentioning the emailed conversation I'm having with a friend, who was so horrified at the brutality in the 2009 version (which was released here in May of 2010, at which time he walked out during the aforementioned rape scene) that he published in his own blog last week that he feels it's his societal duty to shun and encourage others to shun such "entertainment." He says that audiences are perversely aroused by scenes such as this. I couldn't disagree more. I know of not one person who felt arousal, only disgust and horror, clearly the intent of both filmmaking teams. Perhaps we who see a lot of action movies, even action comedies, do get somewhat numbed to violence on screen, but there is no numbing possible for this one. It hits hard (pun intended) and that's what makes it so scary. Again, not for the faint of heart. That being said, both movies are still in the high 80th percentiles on rottentomatoes (this one 85% critics, 84% audiences; the older one 86/85). Jack and I recommend it for 85% of our friends, including you, dear readers.

Young Adult (2011)

2011-12-29T01:04:00.002-05:00

Lovers of cringe, rejoice: here's a good one, about a "psycho prom queen bitch" trying to steal her high school boyfriend from his happy marriage and new baby. Charlize Theron dims her luminosity with good acting and makeup and convinces us that she's a bats**t crazy, mean-spirited loser, with the help of a script by Diablo Cody (a former stripper, she won an Oscar and a pile of other awards for her debut screenplay Juno (2007), then created the masterful series United States of Tara, sadly now cancelled) and direction by Jason Reitman (covered in Up in the Air). One bit of trivia Jack and I noticed as well as imdb: Theron's character Mavis drives a mini-Cooper, just as she did in The Italian Job (2003). We also noticed a continuity error missed on that site: the Cooper bangs something but doesn't appear to be damaged until the next shot. Theron (I liked her debut performance in the noir 2 Days in the Valley (1996), don't remember her in the excellent That Thing You Do! the same year, loved The Devil's Advocate (1997), Celebrity (1998), The Cider House Rules (1999), The Italian Job, Monster (2003) which won her her Oscar, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) in which she played Britt Eklund, North Country (2006 - nominated), and her hilarious turn in a series arc in Arrested Development in 2005) is great as the deluded writer of Young Adult genre novels. Patrick Wilson (wonderful as the "Prom King" in Little Children (2006) and good, though I wrote little, if anything, about him, in the following: Lakeview Terrace, The Switch, and Morning Glory; he also starred in the Broadway adaptation of The Full Monty, and has a good voice--I have the soundtrack) is fine as ex-boyfriend Buddy, as is Elizabeth Reaser (I wrote about her in The Art of Getting By) as his wife Beth. I really like Patton Oswalt (covered in the excellent Big Fan) and he plays his character Matt, Mavis' fellow barfly, with all dimensions. For fans old enough to remember L.A. Law, Jill Eikenberry plays Mavis' mother; and Mary Beth Hurt (another age test, her biggest hits were Woody Allen's unfunny-but-fabulous Interiors (1978) and The World According to Garp (1982)) plays Buddy's mom.

As to be expected, a Jason Reitman movie has a good soundtrack--you can listen to clips on this page. Set and mostly shot in Minnesota, where Cody lived for a time, this is a fun way to spend just over an hour and a half if you don't require all sweetness and lack of loose ends in your cinema experience. Oh, and if you love Pomeranians, as Vivian does, you must see this for those scenes.

Another Happy Day (2011)

2011-12-13T00:07:00.000-05:00

Fans of cringe-y dysfunctional family stories will like this, as we did. Others will not. Ellens Barkin and Burstyn go head to head as an acting-out grown daughter and her "quietly furious" mother at the wedding of their son/grandson. The directing debut of Sam Levinson (Barry's 25 year old son) who also wrote it, this is an example of Jack's maxim that no matter how messed up you think your family is, someone's is worse. Oh yeah, and the title is a complete lie.

My favorites of Barkin's work are Barry's debut Diner (1982), Desert Bloom (1986), Down by Law (1986), Sea of Love (1989), Switch (1991)--so funny--where she plays a man trapped in a woman's body, This Boy's Life (1993), Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), and She Hate Me (2004). Here she is a woman on the verge, with terrible TMJ and a knack for pushing away those she wants closest. For Burstyn, I loved her Oscar winning role in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), her nominated roles in The Last Picture Show (1971), The Exorcist (1973--okay, I didn't like that one much), Same Time, Next Year (1978), Resurrection (1980--it was on my short list of all-time faves once), Requiem for a Dream, as well as The Fountain (2006), W., and the series The Book of Daniel. Then there's a big and impressive cast of supporting characters, including Ezra Miller (covered in City Island), Kate Bosworth, Thomas Haden Church, Demi Moore (very funny as the trashy second wife), George Kennedy, young Daniel Yelsky, and, as the shrewish laughing sisters, Siobhan Fallon and Diana Scarwid.

Here is a song from Ólafur Arnalds' soundtrack. The movie was shot entirely in Rochester, Michigan, half an hour north of Detroit.

And, ladies and gentlemen, we have a new winner of the Producers Plethora Prize, formerly held by Get Low at 23. Jack and I usually count. This has end credits, and we thought we had counted 20 including executive, co-, associate, and one each supervising and line, and then there were two cards with six more each, bringing our total to 32. 29 are listed on imdb, which is still a winner. The long list includes Barkin (here's an interview with her at Sundance, where the movie was nominated for Best Picture and won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award) and Michael Nardelli, who plays the son getting married. This may not be the best cringe-y dysfunctional family movie you'll ever see, but it's still pretty good.

The Muppets (2011)

2011-12-11T23:33:00.000-05:00

Jack wanted to see this the minute he saw the trailer and he loved the movie, as expected. I'm not as big a fan as he but there is plenty to entertain grandparents on down to toddlers in this update co-written by Nicholas Stoller and co-starring/co-written by Jason Segal, who said Disney was understandably skeptical of the team since in their first movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), Segal showed his penis (they also worked together on the raunchy Get Him to the Greek, though Segal doesn't appear in that; after I covered him in I Love You, Man, he was in Bad Teacher). In the same NPR interview Segal also commented that the way these Muppet guys can form facial expressions with only one hand is amazing. James Bobin makes his feature directorial debut here after similarly less-than-Disney-clean experience on 11 episodes each of Da Ali G Show and Flight of the Conchords (he was a creator of the latter and writer on all episodes). Surprising.

Segal as Gary and Amy Adams (after I wrote about her in Julie & Julia, she was in The Fighter, which earned her her third Oscar nomination--this won't be number four) as his girlfriend Mary, plus villain oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper, covered in some detail in The Company Men) are the main humans and they all sing and dance--Cooper's number is very funny, and Gary has a muppet-like brother Walter, to whom he is devoted. There are more celebrity sightings than you'll be able to count, including Rashida Jones who appears several times, Micky Rooney and Alan Arkin a couple of times, Sarah Silverman, Rico Rodriguez (Manny on Modern Family), and many, many more (take a look at the cast). Also, the beautiful Los Angeles Theatre was used for the interiors (details in this article) and for the exterior of it they used El Capitan, which is owned by Disney, on Hollywood Boulevard, and closed down that main thoroughfare for at least two nights to shoot the finale!

Composer Christophe Beck is a known entity, but his music isn't featured on the soundtrack (you can listen to clips on the amazon page, but the "Artist" listed for each song isn't accurate and some of the songs are more fun if you don't know they're coming, so I consider the list there and here as spoilers, so view at your own discretion). What you'll hear are covers, licensed songs, and new material by Bret McKenzie, half of the Conchords (here's a song from their brilliant HBO series). Here is McKenzie singing a duet with Kermit of the movie's opening song.

Good fun and lots of laughs, especially if you're a fan. There were a couple of kids in the room with us, but mostly adults, including Sally and Mike, who laughed, too. And, by the way, Jack's favorite Muppet character was the Swedish Chef. And I think he would like me to mention that this movie has a 97% rating on rottentomatoes.

Melancholia (2011)

2011-12-06T18:16:00.000-05:00

Hard work. Jack said watching this was like being punched in the face every seven minutes. Some have called it a masterpiece. We call it depressing and heavy handed, although Kirsten Dunst's performance is amazing, and the movie has staying power--I'm still thinking about the images and the story combining a depressed bride Justine (Dunst), her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and other family with an apocalyptic planetary event. Danish director/writer Lars von Trier was born Lars Trier, but adopted the Germanic "von" because some of his friends called him that during his time at Danish Film School. He was also banned from this year's Cannes festival for joking that he was a Nazi sympathizer. He said later that he's not sorry he said it, though he should have said he was joking, and that the French just don't get the Danish sense of humor. Von Trier has been on my radar screen for a while but I never made it to any of his movies. When Antichrist came out in 2009 it sounded so hateful we didn't want to see it, and then I read this article (caution, it's got spoilers--read it only if you have seen or don't plan to see Antichrist) which validated my decision.

When I read that Dunst (I wrote about her in All Good Things, including that she has had in-patient care for depression) won Best Actress at said Cannes festival earlier this year we decided to see it. The movie is divided into three parts, 1. a prologue, with slo-mo images of the rogue planet Melancholia in space, eventually crashing into earth (I reveal this only because von Trier has said he wants there to be no doubt from the get-go), 2. an act called Justine, which takes place at the wedding reception, and 3. an act called Claire, where the family is at their estate, looking at the sky through a telescope, and discussing whether or not they will be hit. Gainsbourg didn't win anything for this, but won plenty for Antichrist (including Best Actress at Cannes), however she has usually annoyed me a bit in some otherwise good movies, e.g. My Wife Is an Actress (Ma femme est une actrice - 2001), 21 Grams (2003), I'm Not There (2007). And yes, this time I did not take to her character, trying very hard to care for her sister and cope with impending doom. There are moments of comic relief, some involving the wedding planner (Udo Kier, who was in but not mentioned in my post on Soul Kitchen), some with Claire's husband John (Kiefer Sutherland, best known as Jack Bauer in the series 24, he also won MTV's best villain for A Time to Kill (1996) and Phone Booth (2002)), and some with Claire and Justine's bitter mother (Charlotte Rampling, last covered in Never Let me Go). Is it nitpicking to be bothered by the fact that Rampling and John Hurt, the parents, and Gainsbourg have British accents, but Dunst's is American? Or that the setting is supposed to be America at a vast estate (near a "village") with a stable full of horses and a golf course, but Tjolöholm Castle in Sweden, the shooting location for exteriors, is grander than any McMansions I've seen here. I really thought it was a hotel for the longest time. This might be a good place to mention that von Trier has many phobias, including airplanes, and travels around Europe only by car--he has never set foot on American soil. The interiors were shot at a studio in Sweden as well.

Also featured are Stellan Skarsgård (after I wrote about him in Angels & Demons he was in Thor) as Justine's boss, his son Alexander (plays Eric in True Blood, but you couldn't prove it by me) as the groom, Jesper Christensen (The Debt) as the housekeeper, inexplicably called Little Father.

The music is, other than some ditties at the wedding, excerpts from Tristan & Isolde by Richard Wagner, performed by Orchestra the city of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Richard Hein.

This movie literally made me sick with Motion Picture Motion Sickness (I've made a list for those similarly afflicted). I didn't move to the back soon enough and was extremely nauseated by the end. All this having been said, the reviews have not been bad: rottentomatoes' score is 78% critics, 75% audiences, and metacritic gives it 81 and 66. Now you know what we think. The rest is up to you.

Hugo (2011)

2011-12-05T01:17:00.000-05:00

Spectacular! Jack and I honestly had not read anything about this before we chose to see it Wednesday, but we loved Martin Scorsese's PG 3D masterpiece about a boy living behind the clocks in Paris' Montparnasse train station. With live action supplemented by lush computer-generated graphics, it features outstanding performances, gorgeous images with saturated color, a rich score, and it's no wonder the National Board of Review picked it as the Best Picture of 2011, with Scorsese winning Best Director. Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) who plays Hugo, was 12 when the live action part was shot in the winter of 2010 as was Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass) who plays Isabelle, but he looks much younger. In any case, these young actors are superb, as are Ben Kingsley (after I wrote about him in The Wackness he was in Elegy and Shutter Island) as Papa Georges, Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise, Cherie Blair in The Queen (2006)) as Mama Jeanne, Sacha Baron Cohen (covered in Brüno) as the silly Station Inspector (his humor is physical this time, rather than raunchy dialogue), and, in small parts, Richard Griffiths and Frances de la Tour (they performed together in The History Boys (2006), among others), Emily Mortimer, Jude Law, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Christopher Lee. All but two of these actors are British, and everyone in the movie speaks English with a British accent, even though it's set in Paris. Written things are in French, but the dialogue is not. Moretz' and Stuhlbarg's accents are good, to my ear.

Rule #2 is strictly observed as the camera/computer zooms around the city. I saw many parallels to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with all the clocks but, in this case, the clocks and machinery are plot-driven rather than metaphors. And the machinery is quite wonderful--technology of the early twentieth century and before.

Scorsese (summary in Shutter Island--this is his first movie in seven years not starring Leonardo DiCaprio) makes a cameo in a flashback of the happier days of Georges and Jeanne--he plays a grinning photographer with a big noisy flash (when his character turns around we can see it becomes someone else). His artistry is predictably apparent in every frame, this time working from a script by John Logan (Oscar-nominated for co-writing Gladiator (2000) and writing Scorsese's The Aviator (2004), he also co-wrote Any Given Sunday (1999) with Oliver Stone, co-wrote The Last Samurai (2003), and adapted the stage play into Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), among others) adapted from Brian Selznick's historical fiction picture book The Invention of Hugo Cabret. If you are familiar with the book or with certain historical elements you will not be surprised by any of the plot, but we weren't and so we were! I see now that the author Selznick has his own cameo as "Eager Student," but we missed it. Here is his photo so you can find him when you see it. I think the "official behind the scenes video" from that site is full of spoilers, so perhaps you shouldn't watch it yet.

Composer Howard Shore (won three Oscars for two Lord of the Rings movies (2001 and 03), among his 87 credits, from big studio pictures to little independents, and plenty of Scorsese's work) could get another Oscar nod for his sweeping, Parisian-style (think accordions) score. You can listen to the whole thing numerically on youtube (14 was hidden--I had to go to 15 to find it).

We recommend this for anyone who has the attention span to sit through a movie that is two hours and seven minutes long. It's rated PG for "mild thematic material, some action/peril and smoking." We debated whether to spring for the 3D, because Thor's was so bad. I read some audience comments and decided to go for it. And despite being outfitted with "child size" glasses (learn from our mistake and check the wrapper before you go in) that barely covered our prescription lenses, it was totally worth it with magnificent pictures to go with everything else. Not just for kids. See this before the Oscars.

My Week with Marilyn (2011)

2011-12-01T23:51:00.000-05:00

Loved, as we expected, this memoir of then 25 year old Colin Clark's time working on the movie The Prince and the Showgirl (1957). Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, and Kenneth Branagh are superb as Marilyn Monroe, Clark, and Laurence Olivier, respectively (I last mentioned Williams in Meek's Cutoff, covered Branagh in Pirate Radio, and here are my favorites of Redmayne's work: The Good Shepherd (2006), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), and this, although I heard Savage Grace (2007) was very good). Williams, especially, is accruing awards for her performance as the moody Monroe (we noticed they padded her hips, not consistently, but didn't give her enough up top to match the voluptuous star--see these pictures 1, 2, 3, for yourself). Also noteworthy are Judi Dench as Sybil Thorndike, Zoë Wanamaker as Paula Strasberg, and Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh. We're not quite sure why they cast Emma Watson of Harry Potter fame as Lucy; perhaps it was to bring in the younger set. She's alright but there's something odd about the way she looks and the way her part is written. Director Simon Curtis makes his feature debut after a number of TV movies and shows in the UK and Adrian Hodges (co-adapted the excellent Tom & Viv (1994), about T.S. Eliot and his wife Vivienne Haigh-Wood) does a fine job adapting Clark's memoir.

Composer Conrad Pope's (orchestrator on 101 titles, composer on 15) lush score is complemented by tracks from Chinese pianist Lang Lang, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, and La Tropicana Orchestra, and Williams sings all of Monroe's songs in the movie. The soundtrack is great. Listen to previews on amazon, or this site in French. Also, those cars! Especially the two-tone Rolls Royce!

Here's my Marilyn Monroe story. No, I didn't meet her. In 1962, I was an awkward, mostly friendless fifth grader in New York City. My mother was a big Marilyn fan who had a similar blonde, short, wavy hairstyle and a va-va-voom hourglass figure in those days. So one day in school, the "roving reporter" stopped me as I was rushing to a class, and asked me who would I like to be. I said, impulsively, "Marilyn Monroe!" and ran off. They published my answer with the others in the school newspaper. And then, months later (August 5, age 34), she was found dead of a drug overdose. For this sensitive kid, it was yet another opportunity for humiliation--I had picked the superficial addict, rather than anyone with depth or apparent intellect. Oh, well. I guess I have always liked show business.

If I hadn't begun my post about The Descendants with the word sublime, I would surely be using it here. With the added benefit of going behind the scenes of movie-making in the 1950s, the whole package is great fun. Highly recommended.

The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito - 2011)

2011-12-01T01:39:00.000-05:00

Even more psycho-sexual-horrific than Black Swan, Almodóvar's 18th feature is a heartstopper. It has a massive twist and if anyone tries to tell you just put your fingers in your ears and repeat, "Oh no, you won't!" Antonio Banderas is intense as the mad plastic surgeon, though the director apparently told him to tone it down, Elena Anaya is breathtakingly beautiful as his captive Vera (she does yoga to calm herself), and Marisa Peredes (an Almodóvar regular) is deep as the surgeon's housekeeper and accomplice. I've seen half of Almodóvar's (he has pretty much given up his first name of Pedro; I last wrote about him in Broken Embraces) features, and liked them all (the Academy has liked quite a few as well) and Banderas was wonderful in his Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990), as well as The Mambo Kings (1992), The House of the Spirits (1993), Miami Rhapsody (1995), Frida (2002), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), and many more, including a small but pivotal part in You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. I have seen a few of Anaya's previous movies, but didn't remember her. Now I will.

The director adapted Thierry Jonquet's novel Mygale (it was in French, then published in English as Tarantula) into this multi-layered script. The rich music is by Alberto Iglesias, who in addition to collaborating with Almodóvar on all of the above, was Oscar-nominated for The Constant Gardener (2005) and The Kite Runner (2007). Here's a medley, or go from this page to iTunes and click Preview All for minute and a half samples from this soundtrack. The sets and locations are fabulous, with production design by Antxón Gómez and cinematography by José Luis Alcaine, both frequent Almodóvar collaborators, shooting in Tolédo (not Ohio) and Santiago de Compostela (the goal of The Way), Spain.

Now that I've warned you about spoilers, read this spoiler-laden summary ONLY AFTER seeing the movie. Even if the movie leaves you feeling unhappy or violated, you will laugh out loud. But please, save it for later. Mary Ellen put her hands in front of her face more than once, but she liked it a lot, as did Dan, Jack, and I. Yes, you can read the subtitles. It won't kill you.

2012 Independent Spirit Award nominees

2011-11-29T21:34:00.001-05:00

I think we have seen all of the nominees that have been released in our area so far. Here's the list, below. Give me a couple of days and I'll update my alphabetical list of nominees and winners.

BEST FEATURE

(Award GivenTo The Producer) * Executive Producers Are NotListed.

50/50 - Producers: Evan Goldberg, Ben Karlin,Seth Rogen

The Artist - Producer: Thomas Langmann

Beginners - Producers: Miranda De Pencier, LarsKnudsen, Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech, Jay Van Hoy

The Descendants - Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

Drive - Producers: Michel Litvak, John Palermo,Marc Platt, Gigi Pritzker, Adam Siegel

Take Shelter - Producers: Tyler Davidson, SophiaLin

BEST DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

Mike Mills - Beginners

Jeff Nichols - Take Shelter

Alexander Payne - The Descendants

Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive

BEST SCREENPLAY

Joseph Cedar - Footnote

Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

Tom McCarthy - Win Win

Mike Mills - Beginners

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash - TheDescendants

BEST FIRST FEATURE

(Award given to the director and producer)

Another Earth - Director: Mike Cahill,Producers: Mike Cahill, Hunter Gray, Brit Marling, Nicholas Shumaker

In The Family - Director: PatrickWang, Producers: Robert Tonino, Andrew Van Den Houten, Patrick Wang

Margin Call - Director: J.C.Chandor, Producers: Robert Ogden Barnum, Michael Benar-Oya, Neal Dodson, Joe Jenckes,Corey Moosa, Zachary Quinto

Martha Marcy May Marlene - Director: SeanDurkin, Producers: Antonio Campos, Patrick Cunningham, Chris Maybach, Josh Mond

Natural Selection - Director: RobbiePickering, Producers: Brion Hambel, Paul Jensen

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Mike Cahill & Brit Marling - AnotherEarth

J.C. Chandor - Margin Call

Patrick Dewitt - Terri

Phil Johnston - Cedar Rapids

Will Reiser - 50/50

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD

(Award given to the best feature made for under$500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer) * Executive Producers are not listed.

Bellflower - Writer/Director: EvanGlodell, Producers: Evan Glodell, Vincent Grashaw

Circumstance - Writer/Director: MaryamKeshavarz, Producers: Karin Chien, Maryam Keshavarz, Melissa Lee

Hello Lonesome - Writer/Director/ Producer: AdamReid

Pariah - Writer/Director: Dee Rees, Producer:Nekisa Cooper

The Dynamiter - Writer: Brad Inglesby, Director:Matthew Gordon, Producers: Kevin Abrams, Matthew Gordon, Merilee Holt, ArtJones, Mike Jones, Nate Tuck, Amile Wilson

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Lauren Ambrose - Think Of Me

Rachael Harris - Natural Selection

Adepero Oduye - Pariah

Elizabeth Olsen - Martha Marcy May Marlene

Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn

BEST MALELEAD

Demián Bichir - A Better Life

Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Ryan Gosling - Drive

Woody Harrelson - Rampart

Michael Shannon - Take Shelter

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Jessica Chastain - Take Shelter

Anjelica Huston - 50/50

Janet Mcteer - Albert Nobbs

Harmony Santana - Gun Hill Road

Shailene Woodley - The Descendants

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Albert Brooks - Drive

John Hawkes - Martha Marcy May Marlene

Christopher Plummer - Beginners

John C. Reilly - Cedar Rapids

Corey Stoll - Midnight In Paris

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Joel Hodge - Bellflower

Benjamin Kasulke - The Off Hours

Darius Khondji - Midnight In Paris

Guillaume Schiffman - The Artist

Jeffrey Waldron - The Dynamiter

BEST DOCUMENTARY

(Award given to the director and producer)

An African Election - Director/Producer: JarrethMerz

Bill Cunningham New York - Director: RichardPress, Producer: Philip Gefter

The Interrupters - Director/Producer: SteveJames, Producer: Alex Kotlowitz

The Redemption Of General Butt Naked - Directors/Producers:Eric Strauss, Daniele Anastasion

We Were Here - Director/Producer: David Weissman

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

(Award given to the director)

A Separation (Iran) - Director: AsgharFarhadi

Melancholia (Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany) - Director: Lars Von Trier

Shame (UK) - Director: Steve Mcqueen

The Kid With A Bike (Belgium, France, Italy) - Director: Jean-PierreDardenne and Luc Dardenne

Tyrannosaur (UK) - Director: PaddyConsidine

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD

(Award given to one film’s director, castingdirector, and its ensemble cast) MARGIN CALL DIRECTOR: J.C. Chandor

CASTINGDIRECTORS: Tiffany Little Canfield,Bernard Telsey ENSEMBLECAST: Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Paul Bettany, JeremyIrons, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci

PIAGETPRODUCERS AWARD

The 15th annual Piaget Producers Award honorsemerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate thecreativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independentfilms. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget. TheFinalists are:

Chad Burris, producer of Mosquita y Mari

SophiaLin, producer of Take Shelter

Josh Mond, producer of Martha Marcy May Marlene

Piaget Producers Award Nominating Committee:

Brian Udovich (Chair), Anish Savjani, LynetteHowell, Amy Kaufman

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD

The 18th annual Someone To Watch Awardrecognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet receivedappropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. TheFinalists are:

Simon Arthur, director of Silver Tongues

Mark Jackson, director of Without

Nicholas Ozeki, director of Mamitas

Someone To Watch Award Nominating Committee:

Alison Dickey (Chair), Jay Duplass, LisaKennedy, Daniel Stamm, James Faust

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD

The 17th annual Truer Than Fiction Award ispresented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yetreceived significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestrictedgrant. The Finalists are:

Heather Courtney, director of Where SoldiersCome From

Danfung Dennis, director of Hell And Back Again

Alma Har’el, director of Bombay Beach

Truer Than Fiction Nominating Committee:

Wesley Morris (Chair), Ava DuVernay, LauraPoitras, PJ Raval, Laura Thielen

JAMESON FIND YOUR AUDIENCE AWARD

The 2nd annual Jameson FIND Your Audience Awardwas established to help make it possible for one Spirit Award-nominated film tofind a broader audience. The Award includes a $40,000 marketing anddistribution grant, funded by Jameson Irish Whiskey. The grant is designed tomeet the filmmakers’ biggest challenge today: How to get their films out intothe marketplace. A blue-ribbon committee will determine the winner. Thedeadline to submit is Friday, December 2, 2011.

All of the winners of our filmmaker grants willbe highlighted at the Spirit Awards ceremony and announced at the Spirit AwardsNominee Brunch on January 14 at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood.

The Independent Spirit Awards are usually the night before the Oscars.

J. Edgar (2011)

2011-11-27T23:11:00.000-05:00

Jack and I liked this bio-pic way more than we expected. Leonardo DiCaprio transforms (1, 2, 3) into the rigid, authoritative Hoover and we predict nominations for makeup and art direction at the least. Clint Eastwood directs his star studded cast with ultra-high production values and we liked the historical bent and the use of actors playing Robert Kennedy (Jeffrey Donovan--Burn Notice, Changeling) and Nixon (Christopher Shyer), who, despite not looking much like their roles, had the voices down pat, including the latter's expletives. DiCaprio (after I wrote about him in Shutter Island he was in Inception) is very good in this, as are Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as his adoring colleague Clyde Tolson, Naomi Watts (covered in Mother and Child, then she was in You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Fair Game) as his faithful secretary Helen Gandy, and Judi Dench (I loved her Oscar-winning performance in Shakespeare in Love (1998), her Oscar-nominated turns in Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown (1997), Chocolat (2000), Iris (2001), Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005), and Notes on a Scandal (2006), as well as Tea with Mussolini (1999)) as his devoted and exacting mother. Eastwood (covered in Invictus, then directed Hereafter) treats the subject lovingly (despite a few goofs--this link contains spoilers, in my opinion) with a script by Dustin Lance Black (I wrote about him in Milk, which won him an Oscar). My only quibble with the movie is that even though Tolson was five years younger than Hoover (here's a photo from 1939), in the makeup of later years, Hammer looks much older than DiCaprio.

As usual, Eastwood composed the score and added songs of the times, but I can't find any links to the tracks, or even a list of songs. What I did find was this review by "blind film critic"--now there's a niche--in which he says he's made a list, but it has only three tracks on it. There is also this youtube link.

Rottentomatoes' scores are low: 41% critics and 56% audiences, which is part of why we didn't expect to like it (the other part is that Mary Ellen was lukewarm). A few hours before seeing it I saw Jon at the park. He likes metacritic better, and it likes this movie better, rating it 59% critics and 70% audiences. We think it's worth seeing.

The Descendants (2011)

2011-11-23T22:41:00.000-05:00

Sublime, with Oscar buzz to match, this story of a Hawaiian lawyer and his two daughters dealing with their mom's coma and new revelations about her life is by turns funny and sad, with first-rate performances, magnificent footage of at least two islands, and a soundtrack consisting entirely of native Hawaiian songs. George Clooney (last covered in The Ides of March) scores again as Matt King, the sole trustee of his family's 25,000 untouched coastal acres on Kauai, and the befuddled dad of the 17 and 10 year old angry girls, played by 20 year old Shailene Woodley (nominated for the Gotham Awards Breakthrough Award for this after over a dozen TV roles) and 11 year old Amara Miller, making her screen debut after auditioning along with 300 others. 19 year old Nick Krause is funny as smart-ass Sid, and equally good acting is contributed in selected scenes here and there by Robert Forster, Beau Bridges (Jack noticed Bridges got third billing in the end credits, even though he was only in the last third of the movie), Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, and others. The stunning photography is by Phedon Papamichael, who has an impressive body of work, including Cool Runnings (1993) about the Jamaican bobsled team, Moonlight Mile (2002), Sideways (see below), Walk the Line (2005), The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), W., and The Ides of March. You can hear clips from the guitar- and ukulele-heavy soundtrack from this link.

Jack and I are both fascinated with our own midwestern families' histories and this is full of family lore, old photos, and legacies, based on Kaui Hart Hemmings' story “The Minor Wars,” from her collection, House of Thieves, and then fleshed out into a novel called The Descendants. Here's the New York Times review. To avoid spoilers, just look at her picture so you'll recognize her cameo as Matt's secretary, then you can read the review or the book after you see the movie. The co-screenwriters, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash deserve credit, not only because Rash plays Dean Felton on Community, one of the half hour comedies I love on NBC Thursdays, but also because these characters are fully fleshed out.

Director/co-writer Alexander Payne (won Oscar for co-writing and nominated for directing Sideways (2004), also directed and wrote or co-wrote Citizen Ruth (1996), Election (1999), and About Schmidt (2002), all of which are wonderfully cynical) is one of those Hollywood auteurs whose work is eagerly anticipated. Now you don't have to wait. Run right out to your neighborhood theatre and see for yourself, as we did today on opening day here.

Circumstance (Sharayet - 2011)

2011-11-22T23:34:00.000-05:00

This story of two rebellious teenagers in Iran won the Audience Award at Sundance, the same one that happythankyoumoreplease won last year, as well as being nominated for Best Picture and losing to Like Crazy. It is colorful, poignant, and sexy (the girls are more than best friends), but left Jack and me a bit puzzled about all the hoopla. The political parts, where the girls come in conflict with the fundamentalists in their community, was disturbing but didn't get to us that much. Perhaps it's a cultural thing. I'm pleased for director/writer/co-producer Maryam Keshavarz (a woman of Iranian descent born and educated in the U.S.) making her feature debut, and the girls Nikohl Boosheri and especially Sarah Kazemy are quite beautiful and this is their first time on screen. Like the Sundance jury and audiences, critics are loving this (82% critics/72% audiences on rottentomatoes). It closed here today and will be available as a DVD on netflix beginning December 13, so you can judge for yourself.

Like Crazy (2011)

2011-11-22T23:07:00.000-05:00

Jack and I liked very much this sweet love story between American and British college students that quickly gets complicated by visa issues. Winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic) as well as a Grand Jury Prize for Felicity Jones it also boasts the growing talent of co-star Anton Yelchin (after I wrote about him in Star Trek he was in The Beaver). Coincidentally Jennifer Lawrence (last covered in X Men: First Class) co-starred with Yelchin in The Beaver and has a part in this as well. I wrote about Jones in Chéri, and she earns her accolades here. Director/co-writer Drake Doremus is getting lots of love for this and has another project in the works. His co-writer Ben York Jones, who worked with him on Douchebag (2010) (I didn't see it but just had to put in the title) has a small part. Look at his picture and you will recognize him when you see it or if you have.

Composer Dustin O'Halloran's name was familiar to me because I bought the soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (2006), which had a mixture of classical piano solos by O'Halloran and some 1980s pop ditties. He likes to call his songs Opus this number and that number and I thought there was overlap until I examined the numerology. If you're a myspace member (or maybe if you're not) you can stream some of the opi (opuses?) from this link. Here's another one (with strings added) that is definitely from the movie. In another coincidence, the music of Paul Simon is a part of the lovers' relationship and we saw the movie within the same week of seeing Simon live. Only one of his songs is in the official soundtrack (the streaming link on that page is broken, sorry), but quite a few more are in the movie, including Graceland.

This is playing in only 109 theatres right now (Tower Heist is in 2942 and Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 is first with 4061) but may go wider, since its rating is 74% critics/70% audiences on rottentomatoes. On the other hand, it will translate well to the small screen if you must wait. It is a delightful little movie about first love and we recommend it.

Vidal Sassoon: The Movie (2010)

2011-11-21T15:26:00.000-05:00

Good fun, this documentary about the man who invented the modern wash and wear haircut played at our local Jewish Film Festival a few weeks ago. The directing debut for Craig Teper is colorful, as you would expect with this genial subject, and assured. The movie covers Sassoon's life, including his Jewish roots, at least three wives, his healthy lifestyle, and his wonderful haircuts. Watch the trailer here and, if you like, buy or rent the whole thing from iTunes, buy it from amazon, or watch it on demand from selected providers.

Rule #12 for movies and television

2011-11-21T10:22:00.001-05:00

On screen, driving the wrong way on a crowded street, freeway, sidewalk, or even through a parade, causes honking, swerving, screaming, running, but almost never a quick crash or death. Please do not test my theory! See the complete list here.

Tower Heist (2011)

2011-11-21T01:15:00.000-05:00

Jack and I laughed a lot at this action comedy with a fully developed plot (victims team up to rob a Ponzi schemer) and awesome production values, reuniting Ben Stiller and two of his co-stars, Téa Leoni and Alan Alda, from the must-see indie Flirting with Disaster (1996), as well as Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, Gabourey Sidibe, Michael Peña, and many more. Since I panned Little Fockers and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, refer to Greenberg and Tropic Thunder for some Stiller fandom--he is earnest in this, playing it straight, but that's not a problem. As for Murphy, who is very funny here with his trademark rubbery face, for my favorites I would choose his debut 48 Hrs. (1982), Trading Places (1983), Coming to America (1988), Bowfinger (1999), Dreamgirls (2006), and this. My favorites of Broderick's work are WarGames (1983), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), The Freshman (1990), Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994), The Road to Wellville (1994), The Producers (2005), and Then She Found Me (2007). Alda (other faves: M*A*S*H of course (1972-1983), Same Time, Next Year (1978), The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979), The Four Seasons (1981), Sweet Liberty (1986), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), Betsy's Wedding (1990), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), and Everyone Says I Love You (1996) in which his song was one of the best, and he was Oscar-nominated for The Aviator (2004)) plays with finesse the charming but heartless financier. Affleck (covered in I'm Still Here) has a lot of funny lines, as do Peña (30 Minutes or Less) and Sidibe (Oscar-nominated for Precious and has been in every episode of The Big C). Leoni's (after Flirting with Disaster, my other favorites are The Family Man (2000), Hollywood Ending (2002), Spanglish (2004), and You Kill Me (2007)) FBI agent reminds me of the line from The First Wives Club (1996), when Goldie Hawn's character says that the only roles for women are "babe, district attorney, and Driving Miss Daisy." Leoni was a babe in Flirting, and she's every bit as lovely 15 years later, but not treated as such.

I believe this is the first Brett Ratner-directed movie I've seen and the pace is good. We didn't have high hopes when we saw there were two screenplay writers, Ted Griffin (Ocean's Eleven (2001), Matchstick Men (2003), others) and Jeff Nathanson (both of Ratner's Rush Hour sequels, Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Terminal (2004), more), and three story writers, Adam Cooper & Bill Collage (Accepted (2006) and an Olsen twins movie) and Griffin. But there are no plot holes that I remember (imdb contributors found a few) and the whole thing is quite entertaining. Oscar-nominated Dante Spinotti (for L.A. Confidential (1997) and The Insider (1999), and 60 other productions, including Public Enemies) is the cinematographer responsible for the beautiful photography of New York and the plush interiors, although I'm guessing he was not in the helicopter for the aerial shots.

Exciting jazz-inflected music is by Christophe Beck (last covered in Crazy, Stupid, Love.) and you can listen to tracks here. Check this out sometime. It probably won't be nominated for anything, but it's good fun.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

2011-11-20T23:39:00.000-05:00

Just as creepy as the trailer and really really good, this story of a young woman after her time in a rural cult deserves the nominations and win it has gained so far. Ashley and Mary-Kate's little (23) sister Elizabeth Olsen, luminous in real life, acts the part of the fragile MMMM with her whole body. This is only her second feature but another is in the can for 2011 and four more are scheduled for 2012 and 2013. John Hawkes (after I wrote about him in Higher Ground he was in Contagion) is back to his scary tricks as the cult's leader. Sarah Paulson (Golden-Globe-nominated for the über-Christian comedian Harriet in the cancelled series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a small part in Down with Love (2003), more) is MMMM's concerned sister Lucy and Hugh Dancy (Adam) is Lucy's husband, both of whom are completely clueless as to what MMMM has been through, which is not totally their fault. Director/writer Sean Durkin makes his feature debut at those jobs here, but did produce Afterschool, which I liked a lot. The script is layered and goes back and forth in time but we are never more confused than we're supposed to be. Cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes also shot Afterschool as well as Tiny Furniture and shows us the differences between the cult's farm and woods and Lucy's beautiful lake house.

The music is by Daniel Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, from a band called Priestbird (you can download an album for a suggested donation here) and one dissonant song, Collage, representing the feel of the movie, is available from this site. There are two other songs, one called Marcy's Song (sung by Hawkes in the trailer) and another called Marlene, from 40 years ago (story is here). The soundtrack album is available exclusively on iTunes.

Do check this out and learn why she has so many names.

The Rum Diary (2011)

2011-11-15T23:49:00.000-05:00

Jack and I wanted to like this but sadly found the adaptation of Hunter Thompson's first novel a mishmash, unable to decide if it's a political drama about a newspaperman in 1960 Puerto Rico, an action movie, or a rollicking farce. Jack, who read Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, said that Thompson's writing style is equally disjointed, you should forgive the expression. One of the tag lines on imdb is "One part outrage. One part justice. Three parts rum. Mix well." I think a better blender was needed for the mixing.

I was surprised when I learned that Bruce Robinson directed and adapted Thompson's novel, because I LOVED (caps necessary) his quirky Withnail & I (1987) and especially How To Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) (he also was Oscar-nominated for writing The Killing Fields (1984) and wrote the excellent Return to Paradise (1988)). Johnny Depp (last covered in these pages in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) gives his all to each genre but can't save the project from the script. More fine actors give what they can, notably Michael Rispoli (Two Family House (2000), Jackie Aprile on The Sopranos, Death to Smoochy (2002)), Aaron Eckhart (covered in Rabbit Hole), Richard Jenkins (I wrote about him in Eat Pray Love), Amber Heard (The Joneses, the now-cancelled series The Playboy Club) whose character Chenault is pronounced sha-NELL, and Giovanni Ribisi (I've missed much of his work, but liked Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) and Avatar, in which he had supporting roles, as well as a series arc on My Name is Earl) who manages to out-swish Depp as a drunken co-worker.

What we did like were the fabulous vintage cars, the beautiful location shots of Puerto Rico, and the slow motion cock fighting (you won't see the violence). You don't need to pay to see this--just wait for its free cable showings and watch for those cars!

The Names of Love (Le nom des gens - 2010)

2011-11-14T23:32:00.000-05:00

Another great French movie, this is about a ditzy woman, proud of her middle-Eastern name Baya Benmahmoud, who feels the best way to convert right-wingers is to have sex with them. Then she meets a straight-laced guy with an ordinary name, Arthur Martin, and begins a romance. The part was re-written once Sara Forestier was cast as Baya, and it won her the César Award (French equivalent of the Oscar) for Best Actress and Michel Leclerc and Baya Kasmi won Best Original Screenplay. In the subtitles, by the way, the heroine's name is spelled Baya, like the screenwriter's. However, on imdb, it's spelled Bahia. Although I have definitely seen Forestier in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) and Wild Grass, I don't remember those roles. Now I will remember her! Among other trivia, she asked that a nude scene be put back in after another actress had asked that it be removed. It's a funny scene (and not the only time we see her naked). Jacques Gamblin plays Arthur, and he is quite funny as well.

We saw this at a Jewish Film Festival, and were told before the movie began that Arthur Martin is the name of a type of washing machine in France, about which poor Arthur is frequently teased. And this time I knew the meaning of the actual movie title: Le nom des gens literally means the name of people. It showed only one night here, but is now available on netflix. Check it out. It's sexy and funny.

My Afternoons with Margueritte (La tête en friche - 2010)

2011-11-14T22:51:00.000-05:00

Good fun! Mary, Bob, and I liked a lot this sweet tale of a barely literate man, teased and verbally abused his whole life, and his elderly friend who reads aloud to him from Camus and introduces him to the world of books. Starring Gérard Depardieu (last covered in Potiche) and 97-year-old Gisèle Casadesus and directed by Jean Becker, who, along with Jean-Loup Dabadie, adapted the novel by Marie-Sabine Roger (they are all experienced at their crafts, but new to me). The book won the Cezam Prix Litteraire Inter CE, one of the largest adjudicated readers' prizes in the world, in 1997 for Roger. And because I speak a little French and am interested, I looked up the meaning of the real title of the book and movie, La tête en friche. It means literally "the uncultivated [or fallow] head," which certainly does describe Depardieu's character Germain.

It closed here weeks ago, so save it to your netflix queue. Here is the trailer and a little of the music.

Take Shelter (2011)

2011-11-12T22:34:00.001-05:00

Very well done, this story of a man going mad (or is he?) kept us riveted the whole time. Michael Shannon's (last covered in The Runaways) Curtis never has a moment's rest and his face shows it in every scene. As his wife Samantha, Jessica Chastain (The Debt) is outstanding, with a fully developed character to express. Jeff Nichols directed and wrote the script (his second), which is set and shot in northern Ohio, about 30 miles from Cleveland, and the little girl who plays their deaf daughter Hannah is a deaf girl from central Ohio named Tova Stewart who makes her acting debut here. I knew the guy who works with Curtis looked familiar, and then I watched the latest episode of Boardwalk Empire and realized he is Shea Wigham, who plays Sherriff Eli Thompson on that show, not so far sharing a scene with Shannon's Agent van Alden. Another face I recognized was Ray McKinnon, who has one scene as Curtis' brother Kyle--McKinnon was In O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) and The Blind Side, among others.

Spooky music (go to the amazon page and click Play all samples) by David Wingo (from the band Ola Podrida) is supplemented by a song by Ben Nichols (the band Lucero), the director's brother. I'm glad I decided to write this one up, before the other five (!) in draft mode, because I learned the Gotham Award nominees for independent film have been published. This was nominated for best picture and ensemble cast, and soon I will add it to my work-in-progress of nominations and winners sorted by title. Well, maybe not that soon, since I have the others to write up, and haven't stopped seeing new ones, nor my other work.

Anyway, this is a good one, and you should see this new movie.

Margin Call (2011)

2011-11-12T01:14:00.001-05:00

Peggy told me I would like this thriller about a big investment firm at the beginning of the 2008 financial crisis and she was right. Written and directed by J.C. Chandor in his feature debut, it has a star-laden cast portraying people at all levels of the game, and it will keep you involved. Stanley Tucci's (after I wrote about him in Julie & Julia and The Lovely Bones he was in Burlesque and Captain America: The First Avenger) character is fired within minutes of the opening credits but his findings are key to the plot, which is explained clearly over the course of time. Then Zachary Quinto's (Spock in Star Trek) financial analyst runs with it, followed by his sidekick Penn Badgley (a regular on Gossip Girl, which I haven't watched). The hierarchy moves up to Paul Bettany (last covered in Creation), Kevin Spacey (Casino Jack), Simon Baker (good in Something New (2006) and The Devil Wears Prada (2006), I haven't watched The Mentalist), and finally Jeremy Irons (won his Oscar for Reversal of Fortune (1990), my other favorites include Dead Ringers (1988) in which he played twins, Damage (1992), The House of the Spirits (1993) in which he was among the mostly Anglo actors who played Chileans for the Danish director who adapted Isabel Allende's novel, Stealing Beauty (1996), Chinese Box (1997), Lolita (1997), and Being Julia (2004)) as the head honcho, with Demi Moore (The Joneses) and Aasif Mandvi (It's Kind of a Funny Story) thrown in for a smattering of diversity, speaking of House of the Spirits. Mary McDonnell (Oscar-nominated for Passion Fish (1992) and Dances with Wolves (1990), both of which I intend to see at some point, and I loved Grand Canyon (1991) and loved her part) must have had a good contract to get top billing with the others, as she has only one scene as Spacey's wife.

The tense music is by Nathan Larson (covered in Our Idiot Brother). I've been listening to it as I type, from a loop on the movie's official site. With 19 producers, including Quinto, this does not win the Producers Plethora prize, still held by Get Low with 23.

This time I can't tell you what Jack thought because he couldn't make it, but I liked it very much.

Contagion (2011)

2011-11-08T23:57:00.001-05:00

Scary! This bio-thriller about a killer virus gone world-wide epidemic is is packed with stars and kept us on the edge of our seats, thinking about all the doors and hands we had touched. Director Steven Soderbergh (I wrote about him in The Informant!) is working again with writer Scott Z. Burns (I forgot to mention that Burns adapted the novel for the Informant! and co-adapted The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)), and this time takes credit in his own name as cinematographer (in all his previous work, Soderbergh uses the pseudonym Peter Andrews as cinematographer).

When Valentine's Day came out, Jack said, "Just tell us who isn't in it," and this bears some resemblance to that, with Gwyneth Paltrow (last mentioned in these pages in Country Strong), Matt Damon (Adjustment Bureau), Laurence Fishburne (Oscar-nominated for playing Ike Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It (1993), also good in Apocalypse Now (1979), Rumble Fish (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), The Color Purple (1985), Higher Learning (1995), Bobby (2006), 21 (2008), and many more), John Hawkes (Higher Ground) playing someone non-creepy for a change, Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes), Marion Cotillard (Midnight in Paris), Kate Winslet (my favorites: Sense and Sensibility (1995), the love story part of Titanic (1997), Hideous Kinky (1998), Holy Smoke (1999), Iris (2001), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Little Children (2006), her scenes in Romance & Cigarettes, the mini-series Mildred Pierce (2011), and her Oscar-winning performance in The Reader, which was predicted by Ricky Gervais in the episode of Extras where Winslet played a foul-mouthed version of herself who said the Holocaust wins Oscars), Jennifer Ehle (The Ides of March), Demetri Martin (Taking Woodstock), Elliott Gould (my personal faves are the TV movie Once Upon a Mattress (1964), Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) for which he was Oscar-nominated, M*A*S*H (1970), California Split (1974), Bugsy (1991), and Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven (2001), Twelve (2004), and Thirteen (2007), among his 162 acting credits), Bryan Cranston (Drive), Sanaa Lathan (Love & Basketball (2000), Something New (2006), a series arc on Nip/Tuck), and Dr. Sanjay Gupta as himself among the 68 actors credited with 78 more uncredited, which may be a precedent.

Shooting locations are listed as Atlanta, San Francisco, Hong Kong, and various places in Illinois, but it looks like we travel around the world with very high production values. Master composer Cliff Martinez (also covered in Drive) keeps up the tension with his high energy score, of which all twenty tracks are posted on youtube and is available from iTunes, amazon, etc.

My favorite line apparently is someone else's, as it's been posted on imdb: Gould's scientist says to Law's blogger, "Blogging is not writing. It's just graffiti with punctuation."

Playing in only one house here, this has a predicted DVD release date of January. Don't watch the movie right before you go to sleep if you're prone to nightmares. But it's good.

The Big Year (2011)

2011-11-08T00:30:00.000-05:00

We rather liked this comedy with Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson as competitive birdwatchers, even though reviews were awful (40% critics/54% audiences on rottentomatoes). There's a robust supporting cast, including Dianne Wiest and Brian Dennehy as Black's parents, JoBeth Williams as Martin's wife, Rosamund Pike as Wilson's wife, Rashida Jones and Andrew Wilson (Owen's brother) as fellow birders, Kevin Pollak and Joel McHale as Martin's business associates, and cameos by Anjelica Huston, Tim Blake Nelson, Jim Parsons...the list goes on, and Jack correctly identified a voiceover as John Cleese of Monty Python fame. I don't remember Black's film debut in Bob Roberts (1992), though the movie was great, but did like him in a number of pictures, including High Fidelity (2000), Shallow Hal (2001), The School of Rock (2003), King Kong (2005), Margot at the Wedding (2007), and Tropic Thunder. I wrote about my favorite Owen Wilson roles in Midnight in Paris and Steve Martin in It's Complicated, and all three are believable as the obsessive birders.

Directed by David Frankel (Miami Rhapsody (1995), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Marley & Me (2008, I didn't see it), and some TV) from a script adapted by Howard Franklin (The Name of the Rose (1986), Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), more) from the book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik, the movie features great locations (mostly Canada, plus some Atlanta), wonderful sets, and, of course, beautiful photography of birds by Lawrence Sher (Kissing Jessica Stein (2001), Garden State (2004), Dan in Real Life (2007), The Hangover, The Hangover Part II, among others).

The music is also good, with eight songs, including Black's ringtone, listed here, and if you scroll down on that link, you can hear samples (click on the little arrows next to $0.99) of the excellent soundtrack composed by Theodore Shapiro, who scored State and Main (2000), Old School (2003), Prada, Tropic Thunder, and Dinner for Schmucks, among his 50 credits.

If you see only one movie a month, perhaps you should pick another, but if you like birds or any of the cast members, check this one out, still playing in very limited showtimes here, with a possible DVD release set for February.

The Way (2010)

2011-11-02T22:19:00.002-04:00

Poignant, lovely, and even funny at times, this story of a father undertaking the spiritual journey his son died before completing is just wonderful. It's the seventh collaboration between Emilio Estevez (director/writer/supporting) and his father Martin Sheen (starring) and is based in part on selected stories from Off the Road: a Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim's Route by Jack Hitt (the movie's website credits him so I submitted the correction to imdb and it will appear after a while, Hitt's first hit on imdb). The journey is the walk from St. Jean Pied de Port in southwestern France to Santiago de Compostela, which is in the northwest corner of Spain, about 500 miles (I spent a week in Santiago de Compostela in 1997--it's a fascinating medieval city with stone streets and Gaelic music--but didn't learn much about the Pilgrim's Route). The prolific Sheen (born Ramon Estevez) has 226 acting credits, and my favorites include Catch-22 (1970) (I'm showing my age here!), Apocalypse Now (1979), The Dead Zone (1983--one of my top twenty of all time), Wall Street (1987), Da (1988), Bobby (see below), Talk to Me (2007), and, of course, 154 episodes of the West Wing--I watched a couple of seasons but Jack has seen them all multiple times). Here Sheen is a master of manly introversion--recently I heard someone on a screen, big or small, say, "We men can talk about our feelings, we'd just rather not," which sums up Sheen's Tom Avery. Estevez, now 41, has been acting since he was 18 (my faves: The Outsiders (1983), Repo Man (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985)), got his first screenplay produced at 23, and began directing five years later (of his five features I've seen only Bobby (2006), a great ensemble piece about the people at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, the night of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination). We see his Daniel Avery as a ghost who occasionally walks and talks with his father along The Way.

The excellent supporting cast includes Deborah Kara Unger (coincidentally my favorite of her many credits, Crash (1996) (not the 2004 Oscar winner), was directed by David Cronenberg, who directed Sheen in The Dead Zone) as angry Canadian Sarah, Yorick van Wageningen as jovial Dutchman Joost (pronounced yost, rhymes with toast), James Nesbitt (Waking Ned Devine (1998), Millions) as intense Irishman Jack, and Tchéky Karyo (I recognized his name and face but his credits aren't all that familiar to me) as Zen-like Frenchman Captain Henri.

The movie was shot on location on the actual trek and the images are quite lovely. The music by Tyler Bates is pretty, with nice guitar riffs. To hear two tracks, go to this page and select playlist 2 (I also enjoyed hearing the first track on playlist 1: the theme to the Showtime series Californication). Most of his other work has been much more agitated than this, which you'll discover if you listen to the rest of the tracks. In addition there are good songs, listed here.

This is still playing in our town and Jack and I highly recommend it. I have to add that when I heard Tom describe Daniel, in both the trailer and the movie, as "my only son," I thought about messed up Charlie Sheen, and who wouldn't want to distance himself?

Restless (2011)

2011-10-25T23:27:00.000-04:00

Despite a dismal 35% (critics) /58% (audiences) on rottentomatoes, I liked a lot this story of odd teenagers in love and Jack said, "It wasn't hatable." Annabel (Mia Wasikowska) and Enoch (Henry Hopper) meet at a funeral and share, for different reasons, an obsession with death. Director Gus Van Sant (I liked Drugstore Cowboy (1989), My Own Private Idaho (1991), Elephant (2003), and Paranoid Park (2007), and loved To Die For (1995), Good Will Hunting (1997), Finding Forrester (2000), and Milk) keeps it light from a script by newcomer Jason Lew, who went to NYU with Bryce Dallas Howard. She convinced him to flesh out his play and she produced this movie along with her father Ron and Ron's producing partner Brian Grazer, among others. Wasikowska (pronounced vash-i-kov-ska, she is Australian) was believable as Alice in Wonderland with an English accent and as the strong-willed American daughter in The Kids Are All Right, and here is the strong-willed sick American girl in the fabulous vintage outfits. Costume designer Danny Glicker (Oscar-nominated for Milk, won a Costume Designers Guild award from his peers for Transamerica (2005), and was nominated for Milk and Up in the Air) may get another nomination for this one. Hopper is the 21-year-old son of the late Dennis Hopper, and Henry had one other role before this, at the age of 6. I hope he isn't too daunted by the bad reviews, for which few are faulting the acting anyway. Speaking of famous parents, Sissy Spacek's 29-year-old daughter Schuyler Fisk (The Babysitters Club (1995)) plays Annabel's custodial sister as brisk and overworked. The wonderful Jane Adams (my favorites: Happiness (1998), The Anniversary Party (2001), Little Children (2006), The Wackness, and just started another season of Hung) is under-used as Enoch's aunt.

Danny Elfman wrote the score and I can't find any clips for your enjoyment (other than that in the trailer and a loop on the site). I'm a huge fan of Elfman, including his four Oscar nominations (Men in Black (1997), Good Will Hunting (1997), Big Fish (2003), and Milk), as well as Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985), Back to School (1986), Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Dick Tracy (1990), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), To Die For (1995), Men in Black II (2002), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Spider-Man (2002, 04), Milk, Alice in Wonderland, and many more) and this is more understated than his usual splashy orchestral work.

We saw this ten days ago, just before it closed in our area, and the DVD release date hasn't yet been announced. Save it to your netflix queue it for the good acting, the cloudy Portland Oregon scenery, and Gus Van Sant.

The Future (2010)

2011-10-24T18:22:00.000-04:00

Here's one that we didn't much like. Director/writer Miranda July's sophomore feature opens with her croaky voiceover from a wounded cat waiting to be adopted by dysfunctional couple Sophie (July) and Jason (Hamish Linklater) and their lives get weirder from there. Her feature debut, Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005), was pretty good and won piles of awards. July (née Grossinger, and there's a story behind each name) puts herself out there, which I respect, and has worked as a performance artist, which is evident in some scenes. Jack and I don't mind quirky, but this is a little annoying, I'm sorry to report, despite its nomination for a major award at the Berlin Film Festival. I know how difficult it is for women to make their own movies but I just didn't care about the people (or the cat), nor did I find the story amusing. I do like Linklater, who starred as the brother in The New Adventures of the Old Christine, and here plays the same kind of smart, worried nebbish.

July met fellow director Mike Mills (Beginners) in 2005 when both of their debut pictures were featured at Sundance, and they've been married for two years now. So maybe they'll do something good together in "the future."

Composer Jon Brion (Hard Eight (1996), Magnolia (1999), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), I Heart Huckabees (2004), Synechdoche, New York, The Other Guys, more) provides the music, but I honestly don't remember it, as we saw this maybe 6-8 weeks ago. Watching the trailer again, I see elements that I like, way better than I recall, so maybe you should give it 91 minutes of your life after it's released on DVD.

50/50 (2011)

2011-10-24T00:20:00.000-04:00

Jack and I loved this story of a 20-something guy diagnosed with a tumor on his back--surprisingly funny and predictably poignant. Writer Will Reiser actually had this rare cancer and Seth Rogen was his supportive friend and here plays the supportive friend of patient Joseph Gordon-Levitt--they have wonderful chemistry as the id and the ego, respectively, with Gordon-Levitt (he was in Inception after I wrote about him in (500) Days of Summer and this title will go right above it in my alphabetical list) giving a nuanced performance as Adam, and Rogen (covered in The Green Hornet) his usual irresponsible stoner, but this time a caring friend. The stellar supporting cast includes Anna Kendrick (see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help), Anjelica Huston (favorites: Prizzi's Honor (1985), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), The Grifters (1990), Agnes Browne (1999) which she directed, The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), and Choke), Philip Baker Hall (profiled in All Good Things), and Matt Frewer (with 111 acting jobs on imdb, he'll always be Max Headroom to me).

This is Reiser's (a cousin of actor Paul) feature film writing debut, though he's done a little producing, and an assured script it is at the hands of director Jonathan Levine, who wrote and directed The Wackness, which we also loved. Rogen encouraged Reiser to write the script and we're glad he did.

Despite Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino's (covered in Super 8) score, what you will remember are the songs, listed here by fellow blogger reelsoundtrack, who came back from a long hiatus days before we saw this.

This is one of the best movies so far this year, in my humble opinion, though "Oscar season" has barely begun. Do make a point of seeing it.

The Ides of March (2011)

2011-10-23T23:07:00.002-04:00

Good stuff. This political thriller about a smart staffer for a liberal Democratic presidential candidate is fresh (unless you've seen the play) and exciting, with good acting by Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and George Clooney, who co-adapted the script, directs his fourth feature (I liked the others, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), and Leatherheads (2008), a lot and listed my favorites of his acting credits in The Men Who Stare at Goats, after which he was Oscar-nominated for starring in Up in the Air), and plays the candidate, Governor Morris. One poster shows half of Gosling's (I wrote about him in Blue Valentine after which he starred in All Good Things, Crazy, Stupid, Love., and Drive) face covered by half of Clooney's face, the latter a TIME magazine cover story. I, for one, see only Gosling's, which is no accident, since it's his, Stephen's, story. Hoffman (covered in Pirate Radio, then he made Jack Goes Boating and Moneyball) and Giamatti (after I wrote about him in Cold Souls he co-starred in The Last Station and starred in Barney's Version and Win Win) have supporting yet important and impassioned roles as the heads of two campaigns. Also featured as "the" intern is Evan Rachel Wood (my faves are listed in Whatever Works but didn't include her star turn in the last two episodes of Mildred Pierce on HBO) and Marisa Tomei (details in Cyrus, see also The Lincoln Lawyer and Crazy, Stupid, Love.) as a hard-ass reporter.

The play, Farragut North by Beau Willimon, is named after a DC Metro stop and set at the Iowa primary, but Clooney and co-adaptors Grant Heslov (covered in The Men Who Stare at Goats, which he directed) and Willimon chose to move it mostly to Cincinnati (Clooney grew up in parts of Kentucky and Ohio, including the Cincinnati suburbs) and center it around the Ohio primary. There are quite a few establishing shots of Cincinnati, though apparently Michigan stands in for Ohio in some places. One of my favorite scenes is the discussion between Morris and his wife in the campaign bus. You can see only the bottom half of Clooney's face as his lips twitch in and out of his disarming smile. It's sweet and intimate. Someone else had a different agenda while watching that scene, because he or she posted on imdb that the road signs were from Michigan, not Ohio.

Noted composer Alexandre Desplat (the hits keep coming--I wrote about him in both The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Ghost Writer, after which he scored The King's Speech, The Tree of Life, and A Better Life) provides thriller-type music, a short loop of which you can hear by going to this link and clicking Enter the Site (the soundtrack is due to be released next month).

This movie won one and was nominated for another award at the Venice Film Festival. More are likely. Check it out while it's still playing.

The Debt (2010)

2011-10-18T23:13:00.000-04:00

Jack and I liked this taut thriller about a trio of Israeli secret agents on an operation in 1966 and living with its results in 1997. A remake of the 2007 Israeli movie of the same name, this one is directed by a Brit and stars two Brits, two Aussies, an American, and an Irishman all speaking English with Israeli accents and contributing damn fine acting to the finished product. here's the line-up: In 1997 we have Helen Mirren (Brit) (after I wrote about her in The Last Station she was in Red) as Rachel, Tom Wilkinson (Brit) (covered in Duplicity, then later was in The Ghost Writer) as Stephan, and Ciarán Hinds (see Life During Wartime) as David. In 1966 Jessica Chastain (Yank) (The Help, more) is Rachel, and Aussies Marton Csokas and Sam Worthington (Avatar) are Stephan and David, respectively. Danish actor Jesper Christiansen is scary as the bad guy. Director John Madden (I really liked Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown (1997), Proof (2005), and Shakespeare in Love (1998), the latter of which earned his Oscar nomination) keeps us guessing with a fast pace. The new script was co-adapted by Matthew Vaughn (I picked my favorites in Kick-Ass, which he co-wrote, produced, and directed before doing so on X-Men: First Class), Jane Goldman (wrote and produced with Vaughn on both and more), and Peter Straughan (adaptor of How to Lose Friends & Alienate People and The Men Who Stare at Goats, both comedies).

Adding to the atmosphere is the wonderful score by Thomas Newman (covered in detail in The Adjustment Bureau and also scored Revolutionary Road). Play the samples at amazon.

This is the last of the ones we saw in September that are still playing, and I have two more in the pipeline that are gone from big screens in my area. Watch these pages. I imagine most serious movie buffs will have seen The Debt before I did. If not, it's worth your time.

Drive (2011)

2011-10-18T22:28:00.000-04:00

Despite its excessive violence (Jack said it should be called "Stab") we found quite compelling this story of a loner who works as a getaway wheelman and gets involved with his pretty neighbor and some nasty criminals. Ryan Gosling's (after I wrote about him in Blue Valentine he was in All Good Things and Crazy, Stupid, Love.) character is known simply as Driver and he is powerful, as always, here as a mostly strong silent type, except when he isn't. Carey Mulligan (covered in An Education for which she was Oscar-nominated and Never Let Me Go) doesn't have loads to do but she's just fine as the neighbor. Most surprising is funny man Albert Brooks (born Albert Einstein, and the brother of "Super Dave" Osbourne, who was born Bob Einstein, Brooks wrote, directed, and starred in a handful of classics, including Lost in America (1985), Defending Your Life (1991), Mother (1996), and The Muse (1999), and was nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar for Broadcast News (1987)) stone-faced and super scary as one of the nasty criminals. Strong supporting roles come from many, including Bryan Cranston and Christina Hendricks, whose roles couldn't be farther from their TV turns in Breaking Bad and Mad Men, respectively. Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn is new to me but not a newcomer and won Best Director at Cannes for this movie which was also nominated for the Palme d'Or.

Hossein Amini (Oscar nomination for the screenplay adaptation of the Henry James novel for Wings of the Dove (1997)) adapted James Sallis' novel (rated 3.5 stars on amazon) and kept it dark. I particularly liked the moody music by Cliff Martinez (here is a compilation, or Click Play all samples on the the amazon page). The picture cars and stunt driving are first rate, as are the seedy L.A. neighborhoods. Is it just me or does the poster, at first glance, look more like Daniel Craig than Ryan Gosling?

We saw this weeks ago, before some travels, and I took a New Yorker with me, wherein Anthony Lane gave away nearly everything about the movie. Do not read his review before you see it! But afterwards, you'll find it entertaining. If violence doesn't bother you much, or you're quick to block the screen (lately I've been using my elbow instead of my hand), do check out this noir thriller, still on big screens.

13 rules for movies and television

2011-10-14T21:25:00.000-04:00

Rule #13 (first published February 6, 2012)
As an ex-smoker I can tell when someone has actually inhaled and when they're faking. And then, 19 times out of twenty, when an onscreen smoker stubs a cigarette into an ashtray, s/he doesn't finish the job, leaving it smoldering. Another reason to be grateful we don't have smell-o-vision.

Rule #12 (November 21, 2011)
On screen, driving the wrong way on a crowded street, freeway, sidewalk, or even through a parade, causes honking, swerving, screaming, running, but almost never a quick crash or fatality. Please, PLEASE do not test my theory!

Rule #11 (October 14, 2011)
A character rings the doorbell or knocks, and someone is there within 15 seconds, no matter how big the house or apartment. If it's longer than that, no one is home. Jack's corollary: if it's longer than that, someone is inside dead or dying.

Rule #10 (November 28, 2010)
When a character is driving, s/he usually finds a parking place right in front of the destination. Also known as the Doris Day Parking Spot (thank you Dan, I had never heard of it put that way). The only time I ever heard my atheist mother pray was when she was driving us in New York City (which could cause some passengers to look to their own deities) in the 50's and 60's. Searching for a parking place, she would chant, "I'm God's perfect child," repeatedly, until gleefully finding an available spot.

Rule #9 (October 31, 2010)
Zooming in on a computer image usually delivers a sharp, recognizable picture, even though that almost never happens on my screen.

Rule #8 (May 21, 2010)
If a character is supposed to be unsophisticated, maybe even a hick, he or she will frequently hail from Ohio. In the Grey's Anatomy season finale last night, one character, an intern at Seattle Grace Hospital, said she was from Columbus (a bustling city and the state capital), and was the daughter of a teacher and a "corn farmer."

Rule #7 (May 4, 2010)
In a movie, turn on a computer and it boots up immediately. Copy a file and it zips by, blazing fast. Hook one gadget to another, and the correct cable is always there. Every now and then, it will take way too long instead, but usually, it's unrealistically cooperative.

Rule #6 (April 5, 2010)
When a character is watching a news item on TV that concerns him or her greatly, that character will almost always switch off the TV before the news item is finished.

Rule #5 (March 23, 2010)
In a movie, the wait staff seldom clears the glasses or bottles from the table, leaving them lined up so that the audience can count them (to see how drunk the characters are by any given time).

Rule #4 (March 13, 2010)
In a movie, if a woman faints, she is probably pregnant. If she throws up, and didn't drink to excess just before, she is definitely pregnant.

Rule #3 (November 30, 2009)
Any movie located in New York City will have a shot of the lead actor walking on a crowded sidewalk, looking all the more crowded by the use of a zoom lens that makes the other people seem closer and reduces the depth of field, or sharpness around the actor.

Rule #2 (March 15, 2009)
If a film or a scene is set in Paris, the Eiffel Tower will be visible from at least one location.

Rule #1 (January 12, 2009)
A character who coughs in a movie will be dead by the beginning of the credits. Over 99% of the time.

Higher Ground (2011)

2011-10-13T00:47:00.000-04:00

Way better and more layered than we expected, Vera Farmiga's directorial debut about a woman's quest for her faith kept Jack and me entertained the whole time, despite our mutual lack of bible study. Adapted by Carolyn S. Briggs and Tim Metcalfe (story for Revenge of the Nerds (1984), more) from Briggs' memoir, it features Farmiga (Oscar-nominated for Up in the Air, BAFTA winner for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, good in The Departed (2006)) as Corinne, a totally believable believer in the early 1970s (because in the trailer the women wear long tresses and dresses and the men have beards I wasn't sure until today in which century it was set). We noticed the dramatic resemblance to Farmiga of the actress playing the teenage Corinne, which was explained by the fact that it is Taissa Farmiga, her sister, in her big screen debut. There's a big cast that includes Donna Murphy (best known for her stage work, she was also good in the mini-series Murder One (1995-6), The Fountain (2006), more) and John Hawkes (Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005), American Gangster (2007), Oscar-nominated for Winter's Bone) as Corinne's parents, Boyd Holbrook (Mykail in The Big C and a small part in Milk) and Joshua Leonard as Corinne's teenage and adult husband Ethan.

The movie is deliberately vague about the location, but it was shot in various New York state locations, including Kingston, about 15 miles up the Hudson from Poughkeepsie, by Michael McDonough, who also shot Winter's Bone, among others.

You can listen to the lovely guitar-heavy soundtrack composed by Alec Puro (The Art of Getting By, others) on this link, but do see the movie, which will, like the one below, also be playing at my local theatre at least until October 20.

The First Grader (2010)

2011-10-12T23:32:00.001-04:00

Not all sweetness and light, this story of an 84-year-old Kenyan who doggedly pursues his basic education also depicts the torture and more he suffered at the hands of the British 50 years before. The acting, writing, cinematography, and music are excellent -- no wonder it has begun winning awards. Oliver Litondo and Naomie Harris are terrific as the man Maruge (ma-ROO-gay) and the teacher Jane Obinchu, not to mention the adorable rural schoolchildren, none of whom had acted before, much less seen a camera. This is Litondo's first starring role, but Harris is known for playing the witch in two Pirates of the Caribbean movies (2006-7), and I also liked her in the fine British mini-series White Teeth (2002), 28 Days Later... (2002), and Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2005).

Producer Sam Feuer read an article in the Los Angeles Times about the real-life man, Kimani N’gan’ga Maruge, a Kenyan villager who had fought for the Mau Mau rebellion against the British occupation during the 1950s and attended first grade in 2002. Feuer and his producing partner, Richard Harding from Sierra Leone, bought the rights for their brand new company and were tracked down by South African screenwriter Ann Peacock (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) adaptation, more), who had been captivated by the same article (for more on the movie's genesis, skip to page 6, About the production, in the production notes). They hired director Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), some TV, some acting), whose work with cinematographer Rob Hardy (Is Anybody There? and more) brings this to life, shot entirely in Kenya, including Nairobi.

Already a fan of composer Alex Heffes (I own his soundtrack to The Last King of Scotland (2006), one of his 39 credits) I bought this soundtrack tonight as well. Preview it here and see if you like it as much. You may have a little trouble understanding the English dialogue, but not enough to prevent you from seeing this on the big screen, where it will, in my town, be playing at least until October 20.

Moneyball (2011)

2011-10-11T01:03:00.001-04:00

Jack, Charlotte, and I enjoyed this baseball drama the day after my team tanked in the playoffs. Based on the true story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, it features Brad Pitt as Beane and Jonah Hill as wunderkind Peter Brand, who together turned the A's from losers to winners with statistics. Directed by Bennett Miller (Oscar-nominated for Capote (2005) which was his feature fiction debut and second of three movies so far) with a script adapted by Steve Zaillian (Oscar winner for Schindler's List (1993), nominated for Awakenings (1990) and for co-writing Gangs of New York (2002), among his 15 writing credits) and Aaron Sorkin (I wrote about him in The Social Network, which won him his Oscar) from Michael Lewis's book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (with a story credit to an unknown named Stan Chervin) (Lewis also wrote the book on which The Blind Side was based), the movie has a quick pace with many flashbacks to Beane's younger years as a player, as well as archival footage of real baseball games and players. Pitt (after I wrote about him in Inglourious Basterds he was in The Tree of Life) is totally believable as the obsessive Beane, Hill (see Cyrus) complements him as young Brand, Philip Seymour Hoffman (after I listed my favorites in Pirate Radio he directed and starred in Jack Goes Boating) has a good supporting role as the head coach with the shaved head Art Howe and 13-year-old Kerris Dorsey (Rachel Griffiths' daughter in Brothers & Sisters) is adorable as Beane's daughter Casey, who also has a lovely singing voice, though apparently the song The Show by Lenka was released in 2008, even though the movie takes place in 2002, one of several anachronisms noted by imdb. An important trivia point is that the filmmakers changed the name of Beane's assistant to Peter Brand after the real guy, Paul DePodesta, asked them to. And speaking of the character, it's ironic how the chubby Hill has lost a lot of weight since the movie was shot yet Pitt is the one constantly eating onscreen. The cast is huge, and also includes Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) as Scott Hatteberg and baseball players/actors Stephen Bishop as David Justice, Royce Clayton as Miguel Tejada, Darrin Ebert as Mike Magnante, and Casey Bond as pitcher Chad Bradford with the crazy throw.

The score by Mychael Danna (see Chloe) is great and you can hear it by going to this link and progressing numerically, although for some reason youtube does not suggest that you do so.

There is much to recommend here but one of our favorite scenes was the awkward one where Beane waits with his ex-wife, played by Robin Wright (faves in State of Play, then I saw her in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee) and her husband Alan (an uncredited cameo by director Spike Jonze, profiled in Where the Wild Things Are) for Casey to come home to their idyllic beachside home.

Even if baseball season is not over for you yet, do see this before it leaves the big screen, or watch the DVD later.

The Guard (2011)

2011-09-15T00:15:00.000-04:00

Outstanding! Jack and I loved this Irish crime story slash buddy slapstick comedy, the feature directorial debut and second screenplay of John Michael McDonagh, starring Brendan Gleeson as a rule-breaking racist cop (they say Garda) in Connemara, County Galway, and Don Cheadle as his American colleague. Mary Ellen, who saw it twice, though not with us, called it "Clever, tightly written, humorous, and gritty!" and I am in complete agreement. McDonagh, brother of Martin McDonagh (Oscar nominated and multi-award winner for the screenplay to the wonderful In Bruges (2008) which was his feature directing and writing debut) wrote the screenplay for Ned Kelly (2003), which I didn't see but I heard was good, and The Guard was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance early this year.

Gleeson (known to Harry Potter fans as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody in the last three, he's been most recognized for In Bruges, which is also a crime story slash buddy slapstick comedy co-starring Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes--you must see it, and he's had supporting roles in many that I've liked, such as Into the West (1992), Gangs of New York (2002), and especially The Butcher Boy (1997)) is hilarious as Sergeant Gerry Boyle, who makes no apologies for his corrupt behavior, and is good to his mum, played by the still-lovely Fionnula Flanagan (she played Daniel Faraday's mother Eloise Hawking in Lost, and I loved her in Waking Ned Devine (1998), among many roles), who is the only major cast member not pictured in the credits, which are after the movie has ended. I liked the photo credits, not only because they showed us who was who, but also for the opportunity to savor the music a while longer and learn the names. Cheadle (another of the names I already knew--I wrote about him in Iron Man 2) is sublime as the straight man, FBI agent Wendell Everett, who has been shipped over to this village to solve the case. One of the bad guys, Clive, is played by Mark Strong (villain or cad in all four of his movies so far on babetteflix: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Body of Lies, Sherlock Holmes, and The Young Victoria), ruthless, yes, but we still laughed. Those are all the names I already knew, but it was interesting to read that the guy in the hat with the guns in his car is a comedian well known in Ireland, Pat Shortt.

Watch for the fabulous production design and wardrobe, with touches like dial phones, richly painted walls, and Mrs. McBride's matching red coat and tights. Apparently McDonagh used storyboards, which are out of vogue these days, but the Director of Photography Larry Smith was cool with it (listen for the remark about "Americanisms").

The trailer gives you a taste of the music by Calexico, and that track sounds like an American western with reverb guitars, horns, and male bass vocals. In fact, the trailer begins with the onscreen words, "In the west...of Ireland." Two more songs are available on youtube (listen to one and the other link will be below) or go to the amazon page and click Play all samples (some of the full tracks have dialogue which is why it's labeled explicit). We were surprised to note that the version of Leavin' on a Jet Plane that ends the credits is sung by John Denver and surprised to learn that he wrote it.

Two items to check out after you see the movie: the spoiler trivia item on imdb and the press kit, which is full of interesting tidbits plus the complete credits, ending with the ten songs not by Calexico. Just be sure to see this one. You won't be sorry!

Our Idiot Brother (2011)

2011-09-13T02:23:00.002-04:00

Not as slapstick as we expected, this story of a naive man-child who always tells the truth, getting himself and his sisters in trouble, is funny and charming with Paul Rudd in the title role, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, and Emily Mortimer as his harried sisters, and Rashida Jones as Deschanel's girlfriend. I listed my Rudd favorites in Dinner for Schmucks, and he is endearing as Ned. Banks (after I wrote about her in Zack & Miri Make a Porno, I liked her series arc in 30 Rock) is good as prickly Miranda, looking a lot like Parker Posey in that dark brown hair. Deschanel (see my faves in Yes Man, after which she was in (500) Days of Summer) is cute as ever as the aspiring comic Natalie, Mortimer (my favorites are listed in City Island) is earnest and deluded as ever as Liz, and Jones (I started watching Parks and Recreation after I wrote about her in I Love You, Man) plays against type as the no-nonsense lawyer Cindy in no-nonsense plaid shirts and sensible shoes. Good supporting work from Kathryn Hahn (one of the redeeming points of How Do You Know and Revolutionary Road, as well as a series arc on Hung, and more) as Ned's mean girlfriend; Steve Coogan (last profiled in The Trip) as Liz's mean husband; T.J. Miller as the other dumb nice guy (he played another dumb guy in Unstoppable, among many credits); and lots more.

The music is by Eric D. Johnson, who has played with Fruit Bats, the Shins, and Califone; and Nathan Larson who scored Boys Don't Cry (1999), Dirty Pretty Things (2002), Choke, The Messenger, and others. I couldn't find links to any full songs on youtube, but here's the amazon page for the soundtrack, and you can listen to clips from 16 songs there.

Directed by Jesse Peretz (he has a few credits but none that I've seen) from a script by his sister and brother-in-law Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall (a writing debut for both, though Schisgall has produced and held other jobs on documentaries, including several by Errol Morris), Jack and I think this is worth your time, despite its being barely fresh on rottentomatoes with 67% from critics and 63% from audiences (imdb gives it 6.9 out of 10).

You won't be tempted to run out of the theatre at the end, because there are bonus outtakes starting immediately and running almost til the lights come on.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2011)

2011-09-13T02:20:00.000-04:00

I was eager to see this despite its dismal reviews (5.5 out of 10 imdb, 18% critics and 51% audiences on rottentomatoes) because I loved the book and the director. The cinematography, locations, and music are lush but the finished product deserves the assessments above. Lisa See's novel is about two girls, Snow Flower and Lily, who are joined as friends for life even though they move in different social classes as they grow up in 19th century China. Wayne Wang's (I liked Chan is Missing (1982), Slam Dance (1987), The Joy Luck Club (1993), Chinese Box (1997), Last Holiday (2006), and especially Smoke (1995)) movie adds a 21st century counterpart which is confusing, since the same actresses play Snow Flower/Sophia (Gianna Jun) and Lily/Nina (Bingbing Li) as adults. The little girls (Yan Dai as little Snow Flower and Congmeng Guo as little Lily) are adorable, but it's not enough. I saw this in late July by myself, as Jack wasn't interested. He was right. I put off writing about it because I hate to pan movies but I can't help it in this case.

Richard Wong (new to me, he has 21 titles to his credit) shot the pretty pictures. Three writers--Angela Workman (her second credit), Ron Bass (his 27th, and I wrote about the ones I liked in Amelia, which I didn't much), and Michael K. Ray (his third)--are credited with ruining, er, adapting the novel.

The lovely music is by Rachel Portman (profiled in Never Let Me Go) and you can listen to a mix on this youtube page, which also has beautiful stills from the movie. Just watch this and then read the book.

Tabloid (2011)

2011-09-08T00:11:00.001-04:00

Jack and I really liked the strange, sensational, funny, but true exploits of narcissistic ex-beauty queen Joyce McKinney obsessed with her former boyfriend Kirk Anderson, directed by noted documentarian Errol Morris. I don't think I need to give you any more details about the plot, the bulk of which takes place in the swinging 1970s. Fast-moving and full of laughs, with cartoons and other visuals when actual footage is unavailable, this is 87 minutes of pure entertainment. I'm sorry to say this was my first Errol Morris documentary, though I'm well aware of The Thin Blue Line (1987), Fast, Cheap and Out of Control (1997), The Fog of War (2003), and more.

The music is also wonderful, composed by John Kusiak. Go to the amazon page and click Play all samples. Rottentomatoes gives it 91% from critics and 81% from audiences. Too bad we didn't go to a screening in a bigger city, because apparently McKinney has been showing up to present "her side" of the story and complain (there are spoilers in this link--save it for after you've seen the movie). But, wherever you are, just see it. And don't rush out before the credits are over. There's a bonus at the end, which one other couple saw with us on Saturday, though the room was pretty full during the movie.

30 Minutes or Less (2011)

2011-09-01T23:51:00.000-04:00

Worth the wait, this action comedy about two slacker buddies who kidnap a pizza delivery guy, strap a bomb to his chest, and force him to rob a bank, bringing his buddy into the picture made Jack and me laugh out loud a lot. With lots of mayhem and car chases, and another great line and/or sight gag every few minutes, the second feature directing gig for Zombieland's (do you remember how much we both liked it?) Ruben Fleischer is so dumb it's clever, from a script by newcomer Michael Diliberti, who was assistant to big-time producer Scott Rudin on three productions then wrote this from a story by himself and Matthew Sullivan (he has a cameo as "Random Tanning Guy"). It seems as if they wrote the role of pizza guy Nick specifically for Jesse Eisenberg (I listed my favorites in The Social Network), who plays it as a smart 26-year-old whose life may be over before he's done anything about it. Early in the movie Nick says, "I never go on Facebook" as a wink to his much more famous and more critically acclaimed role. Aziz Ansari (best known as Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation, he was also in Funny People and Get Him to the Greek) is hilarious as Nick's excitable friend Chet. Then, as the lead bad guy, Danny McBride, an acquired taste I have yet to acquire (I hated the movies and his characters in Pineapple Express, and Observe and Report, as well as the pilot of Eastbound and Down) is actually pretty funny as narcissistic trigger-happy lout Dwayne. Nick Swardson (Blades of Glory (2007), You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Just Go With It, more) is also good as Dwayne's smarter-than-he-seems buddy Travis. With fine support from, among others, Fred Ward (my faves: The Right Stuff (1983), Silkwood (1983), Henry & June (1990) as Henry Miller, The Player (1992), Short Cuts (1993), and Sweet Home Alabama (2002)) as the Major, Michael Peña (after I listed my favorites in The Lincoln Lawyer we liked and liked him in Everything Must Go) as a gang banger, and Bianca Kajlich (I haven't seen her series Rules of Engagement, nor do I remember her from Boston Public, 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), or Bring It On (2000)) as his girlfriend, a stripper named Juicy who appears topless.

I didn't realize the story seems to be based on a true tragedy. Yikes. Set in and shot mostly in Grand Rapids, Michigan (the rest in other places in that state), it's short, like Zombieland, at 1 hour 23 minutes.

There is apparently a score by Ludwig Goransson, who scored the TV shows Community and Happy Endings, but you're unlikely to notice, because of all the action-appropriate songs. I counted, but can't remember the number anymore. Someone online made a list of some of them, though, and here it is:
Tick Tick Boom - The Hives
Sure Shot - Beastie Boys
I Promise - Generationals
Where I'm Going - Cut Copy
Laredo - Band of Horses
Ignition Remix - R. Kelly
Is There Any Love - Kid Cudi
No Hay Manera (Jason Roberts Remix) - Akwid
Jumper - Third Eye Blind
The Stroke - Billy Squier
Heat is On - Glenn Frey
Ante Up - M.O.P
Baby I Got Your Money - Ol' Dirty Bastard
Me So Horny - 2 Live Crew

We really liked this in defiance of critics, who averaged only 42% positive reviews on rottentomatoes, while 68% of audiences enjoyed it, making it #11 at the box office last weekend after three weeks. And don't rush out of the theatre afterwards. There's a terrific bonus right before the lights come up.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

2011-09-01T21:43:00.000-04:00

Jack and I liked, way better than we expected, this story of scrawny patriot Steve Rogers who volunteers for an experiment that beefs him up so he can fight Nazis. Chris Evans (Rogers) had to be convinced to take the 6-picture deal that will continue with The Avengers next year, and we're glad he was. In fact, the very sight of the Marvel Comics logo generally puts me in a good mood. It's been over five weeks since we saw it, so this will be brief.

Evans has made other Marvel movies, as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in two Fantastic Four movies (2005, 07), and I liked him in Cellular (2004), The Nanny Diaries (2007), and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and he gives his all in a good script adapted by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFreely (writing partners on The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), three Chronicles of Narnia movies (2005, 08, 10), more) from the comic books by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, and directed by Joe Johnston, who apparently got the gig based on his period work on The Rocketeer (1991) and October Sky (1999) (he also directed Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Jumanji (1995), and more). Good supporting cast members include Hayley Atwell (Cassandra's Dream (2007), Brideshead Revisited, and The Duchess, among others) as Agent Peggy Carter, Tommy Lee Jones (I listed my favorites in The Company Men) who has some funny lines as Colonel Chester Phillips, Stanley Tucci (after I wrote about him in both Julie & Julia and The Lovely Bones he was in Burlesque) who took the role because he'd always wanted to do a German accent, and, of course, the obligatory and always entertaining Stan Lee cameo (he's dressed as a general who says at a press conference, "I thought he'd be taller.").

The exciting orchestral music is by Alan Silvestri, who has 108 titles in his résumé, including all three Back to the Future movies (1985, 89, 90), and was Oscar-nominated for Forrest Gump (1994) and for a song in The Polar Express (2004). To hear the score, go to this page and progress numerically to #27 as suggested.

This is still in theatres, so you can see it and you won't be sorry. And if you're a comic/Marvel fan, you must know by now not to leave before the lights go up. There's almost a full minute of bonus footage!

Terri (2011)

2011-08-28T23:59:00.000-04:00

At turns funny, sweet, and disturbing, this is a story about an overweight small town high school outsider, his mentor, his uncle with dementia, and his damaged friends. Jack said it creeped him out (especially one late scene) but we both liked it, I perhaps more. Jacob Wysocki (he was in the series Huge about a fat camp, starring Nikki Blonsky and Hayley Hasselhoff) is the title character and he's totally believable as a good kid who cares for his uncle James (Creed Bratton, best known as Creed on The Office, but he was also lead guitarist in The Grass Roots in the 60s; he's the one in the stripes on the left in this old video) and tries to stay out of the way, but gets on the radar screen of the assistant principal Mr. Fitzgerald, played by John C. Reilly (after I listed my favorites in Cyrus, he was in Cedar Rapids), who takes a liking to him. Their scenes together are hilarious. The main other kids, Bridger Zadina (some TV episodes) as Chad and Olivia Crocicchia (Katy Gavin on 35 episodes of Rescue Me, more) as Heather, are equally good.

The screenplay is by newcomer Patrick Dewitt from a story by him and director Azazel Jacobs (nothing I've seen but he won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Short in 1997). This movie was nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize: Best Picture earlier this year, but it lost to Another Earth. The music, by Mandy Hoffman, is good, but I can't find any clips for us. Shot in L.A., Pasadena, and Altadena (heads up D.G.!), it gives the feel of a small southwestern town. We have no clue as to why Terri's name is spelled the feminine way.

If you like awkward and cringe-inducement, this is for you. It certainly was for me. And critics agree (rottentomatoes score 88%, though the audiences were less kind at 66%). Have I mentioned he wears pajamas to school every day? Gotta love Terri. Oh, and it's rated R, for themes definitely not suitable for kids.

One Day (2011)

2011-08-28T23:57:00.000-04:00

We wanted to see this because we love Anne Hathaway. We didn't hate it, and we liked her in this story of English chums and their relationship told over twenty-two July 15th's, starting with their graduation from Edinburgh University in 1988. The cinematography by Benoît Delhomme (The Loss of Sexual Innocence (1999), The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, more) is gorgeous, as are the locations. Directed by Lone Scherfig (I wrote about her in An Education) from a script which David Nicholls adapted from his own novel of the same name, it's a little flat and I'm tempted to advise Nicholls to stick to books, but now I see he adapted Blake Morrison's novel into When Did You Last See Your Father (2007), which starred Colin Firth and Jim Broadbent and was good. I wrote about my favorite Hathaway performances in Alice in Wonderland, and then I was less than kind about Love and Other Drugs, which I like better in retrospect. Jim Sturgess was good in 21 (2008) and okay in Across the Universe (2007), which was really about the music, and I haven't seen him in anything else. He and Hathaway seem to lack the chemistry necessary to pull off the evolving relationship between Emma and Dexter. Rafe Spall (son of prolific actor Timothy), on the other hand, is full of life and awkwardness as Ian the "comedian", and I wished he'd had more screen time, as I did for Patricia Clarkson (profiled in both Whatever Works and Shutter Island) who plays Dexter's mother.

There are lots of fashion faux pas taking us through the passage of years (and trying to make Hathaway look less than the beauty she is) but the time changes are better observed with the songs, listed here, despite a romantic soundtrack by Rachel Portman (discussed in Never Let Me Go), for which I can find no clips. You'll have to be satisfied with the theme played in the locations video link above.

Ninth at the box office last weekend, critics have rated it 34%, audiences 69% on rottentomatoes. Though I regret saying it about Love and Other Drugs, this one can wait until you've seen the others on your list. Or wait for cable. Don't bother on a plane, as you'll miss the beautiful pictures.

Another Earth (2011)

2011-08-27T02:15:00.000-04:00

We thought this story about a girl who "does something unforgivable" at a time when an apparent clone of our planet suddenly appears in the sky was powerful and were glad we saw it Thursday on its last night after one week on one screen here. Co-written by director Mike Cahill (one documentary before this) and star Brit Marling (she collaborated on his documentary and wrote another script last year) it all seems quite believable because the very human drama eclipses, you should forgive the expression, the science fiction. William Mapother (he played Ethan, who was one of The Others, on Lost) is very good as John, as is Marling as the girl, Rhoda.

The fabulous music is by Fall on Your Sword, which is the duo of Will Bates and Phil Mossman (founding member of LCD Soundsystem). You can listen to one track here, another here, listen to clips from the whole thing on the amazon page, and listen to a song by The Cinematic Orchestra here.

With one nomination (Grand Jury Prize) and two wins (Special Jury Prize and Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film prize) at Sundance (somehow I missed posting about those winners, so I will begin that now) earlier this year, this is well worth your time. Save it to your netflix queue.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

2011-08-27T00:39:00.000-04:00

We were eager to see this and were not disappointed, despite my having seen none of the previous versions and Jack's having seen only the 1968 original. It's great fun to watch computer generated (CG) apes swinging, jumping, climbing, and, surprise, there's a human story for James Franco, who plays a scientist working on a cure for his father's (John Lithgow) Alzheimer's. Busy Franco (I wrote some about him in Milk, then we saw him in the 2010 releases Date Night, Eat Pray Love, Howl, and his Oscar nominated turn in 127 Hours) is earnest as Will, who acts fatherly towards his dad as well as towards the genetically enhanced ape Caesar. Andy Serkis, who has played dozens of human roles, few of which I've seen, performs the motion capture for Caesar's CG and did the same honors as Gollum/Smeagol in The Lord of the Rings series (2001, 02, 03) (as well as two upcoming Hobbit movies now filming) and the title character in King Kong (2005), and it's startling how human these apes appear on the screen. In fact, it had me giggling many times. This video will give you some insight into how it was done, with no spoilers if you have seen the trailer. Lithgow (my favorites: The World According to Garp (1982), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Footloose (1984), 139 episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996-2001), and a scary series arc on Dexter in 2009) is wonderful as the poor old dad and David Oyelowo (he's English of Nigerian descent) is crafty as the CEO of Will's research facility. Also ably supporting are Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger) as Will's love interest, Brian Cox (profiled in Red) as the head of the animal shelter, Tom Felton (best known as Draco Malfoy in all the Harry Potter movies) as his cruel son Dodge who works with him, and Tyler Labine (I watched all of the very silly and probably deservedly canceled Sons of Tucson) as the sympathetic ape handler. There are many connections regarding names that you can find in this trivia page. Jack spotted one of the two Charlton Heston appearances and whispered to me the relevance of the name Cornelia during the movie the other day.

Rupert Wyatt (new to me, and check the trivia link above for the list of directors considered before he got the gig) directs the script by Amanda Silver (The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992)) and her husband Rick Jaffa (nothing I've seen). There is more trivia on the wikipedia page under References to original film series, but it's loaded with spoilers, so best to read it after you see the movie.

The exciting soundtrack, composed by Patrick Doyle, has been released on CD, and you can hear it by starting with this link and progressing as suggested.

As noted above, we liked this a lot. The battle on the Golden Gate bridge is alone worth the price of admission, though the Muir Woods sequences are also captivating.

Page One: Inside the New York Times (2011)

2011-08-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

Amy, Christiana, and I really liked this documentary featuring colorful reporter David Carr and others discussing the venerable newspaper and its struggle to stay active in this age of digital media. This is the second movie Amy chose to see with me while she was home in July but Jack couldn't make it that day. Some have noted that there are no female employees at the paper interviewed, but it turns out they all refused to be included. In fact, it was originally going to be just about Carr, but then he asked not to be the entire focus, so they broadened the scope. Director/writer/producer/cinematographer Andrew Rossi has made two other documentaries that I haven't seen, but composer Paul Brill scored the docs Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, No Woman, No Cry, and Freakonomics, among others.

The netflix release date is still unknown, so save it and then later you can help me answer my question: When did Carl Bernstein start to look like Jimmy Carter?

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

2011-08-22T21:51:00.001-04:00

Jack and I had a lot of fun at this over-the-top high-concept movie that is exactly what it says. There's a lot of testosterone, violence, and explosions; plenty of laughs; magnificent photography; a wonderful soundtrack; and Daniel Craig's physique perfectly framed in his trousers, chaps, and vest, just to name a few aspects one or both of us liked (see if you can guess who). We don't get why the haters (critics 45%, audiences 55% on rottentomatoes) are making such a fuss and taking this parody way too seriously. Sure, five credited writers (and a story by two of them plus one more) can signal trouble (in such cases there have been more writers whose names didn't make their ways to the screen), but this isn't supposed to be high-brow! It's cowboys and aliens, people, lighten up. Seventeen producers (beginning with Steven Spielberg, including director Jon Favreau, Ron Howard, his business partner Brian Grazer, and the three writers who aren't credited with the story) no longer sets a record, because that's held by Get Low with twenty-three. Released about six weeks after Spielberg's Falling Skies TV series began, there are some similarities, including various sticky things.

The cast is also huge. Apparently, after Robert Downey Jr. dropped out as the lead, Jake, Craig (I wrote about him in Defiance, he's James Bond in Quantum of Solace and others, and soon to be seen as Mikael Blomqvist in the Dragon Tattoo remakes) was chosen for his cursory resemblance to Steve McQueen, a consummate cowboy, though I don't think McQueen pursed his lips like that. Harrison Ford (hard to pick my favorites but I'll go with American Graffiti (1973), Star Wars IV-V (1977 and 80), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Blade Runner (1982), Witness (1985), The Mosquito Coast (1986), Working Girl (1988), Regarding Henry (1991), and The Fugitive (1993)) as Dolarhyde delivers his many funny lines completely straight, and both Craig and Ford look completely comfortable riding horses. In fact, Ford told Dave Letterman he liked his horse from this movie so much, he bought it after the show wrapped. Paul Dano (after I wrote about him in Taking Woodstock he was in Meek's Cutoff) is powerfully pathetic as Percy, Jodi's hero Clancy Brown (of his 187 credits, many are voiceovers and TV, he was in The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and The Informant!, to name two) is a bit earnest, but his character is the preacher Meachum who is expected to teach 'em, Keith Carradine (my faves are Nashville (1975), Welcome to L.A. (1976), Choose Me (1984), Trouble in Mind (1985), The Moderns (1988), Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994), 2 Days in the Valley (1996) (those seven are among my favorite movies of all time!), and his series arc on Dexter as Special Agent Lundy) is Sheriff Taggart, Sam Rockwell (after I wrote about him in Moon he was in Iron Man 2) has some comic moments as Doc and three women have lines: Olivia Wilde (she took a few months off from House to shoot this) has the most as Ella (that woman really needs a cheeseburger), Ana de la Reguera only has a few as Doc's wife, and Abigail Spencer (the schoolteacher in Mad Men) is the woman in Jake's dream. Favreau, now known as director of both Iron Man movies, is gaining experience in this campy violence genre. I wrote about cinematographer Matthew Libatique for his Oscar-nominated work on Black Swan, and here the daytime desert shots, especially, are breathtaking.

The thrilling music is by Harry Gregson-Williams, who co-scored Chicken Run (2000) and The Town, and by himself composed for Phone Booth (2002), Gone Baby Gone (2007), Unstoppable, and many others. As I write this I am playing in the background the entire soundtrack, available on itunes and other places, starting with this youtube link and proceeding numerically to the last track (17). Jack also thought he recognized a Civil War tune, Just Before the Battle, Mother, played by a saloon piano player, but no list of songs was in the credits.

To summarize: this is a popcorn flick full of action, violence, loud noises, and improbable juxtapositions. If you hate that stuff, you'll hate this. If you like it, we think you might enjoy yourself.

This is the 400th movie about which I've written on babetteflix in three years minus twelve days. I have three more in draft mode and will get to them eventually. Be patient!

The Help (2011)

2011-08-21T01:17:00.001-04:00

Loved the book (me), loved the movie (Jack and me). In case you've been living in a cave, this is the story of black maids in 1960s suburban Mississippi and the white girl who decides to help them tell their stories. Viola Davis is fabulous as Aibileen, Octavia Spencer chews the scenery as Minny, while Emma Stone shines as Skeeter, the 24 year old idealist who writes the book. Certain topics make me weepy, and prejudicial injustice is one of them. Don't get me wrong, I like to cry in movies, so I had a ball. Jack wondered if I was coming down with a cold because of all the sniffling! Emma Stone (just seen in Crazy, Stupid, Love.) may have first billing, and she's good, but this movie belongs to Davis and Spencer. I'm so glad to see Davis in a starring role, after her single scene in Doubt got her an Oscar nomination and she has had such success with other small roles (It's Kind of a Funny Story, State of Play, Eat Pray Love, and my personal favorite, as free spirit painter and conwoman Lynda P. Frazier on United States of Tara), and she may get another nomination for this. Spencer also deserves a nomination, and she will be no overnight success, as she has been working steadily since 1996 (90 roles, including colorful cameos in The Soloist and Dinner for Schmucks). According to Wikipedia, she is friends with Kathryn Stockett, whose novel was faithfully adapted into this movie by director Tate Taylor (also a friend), and Stockett based Minny on Spencer's outspoken habits. Taylor has done some acting, and directed one other feature, Pretty Ugly People (2008) with Spencer and Allison Janney among others. Janney (after I profiled her in Away We Go she was in Life During Wartime and a whole lot of TV shows) is predictably good as Skeeter's mom. Then we have Bryce Dallas Howard (small part in Hereafter, bigger one in Spider-Man 3 (2007) as Gwen, and other things I haven't seen), who is terrific as the hateful big-haired Hilly and Jessica Chastain (last seen as a delicate redhead in The Tree of Life) is also wonderful as the persistent and ebullient bottle blonde Celia. Sissy Spacek (I wrote about her in Get Low) is hilarious as Hilly's mom, as is 4'11" Mr. Leslie Jordan (Boston Legal, more) as the newspaper editor. Chris Lowell, who plays Stuart, will be familiar to fans of Private Practice, on which he played the hunky Dell. Twins Emma and Eleanor Henry are adorable and spot-on as little Mae Mobley, and that's Cicely Tyson playing Constantine with prosthetic teeth.

I won't be surprised if this movie also gets nominations for production design, wardrobe (big crinolines) and the aforementioned hairdos. Jack and I think there should be a category for picture cars, too. The vintage automobiles in this are cherry, dude.

My hero Thomas Newman (I wrote about him in the last paragraph of The Adjustment Bureau) has composed a moving soundtrack, due to be released September 13. You can listen to clips on iTunes, even though "Aibileen" is misspelled. Then there are a lot of songs, more than the 12 that are already out on the other soundtrack album. Clips are available on amazon.

Not just for chicks, this flick is powerful and we recommend it.

A Better Life (2011)

2011-08-18T01:13:00.000-04:00

Sad and hopeful at the same time, this tale of Carlos, a gardener with no green card and single father of 14 year old Luis was Amy's choice a few weeks ago and she, Jack, and I liked it a lot. Damián Bichir (Esteban on Weeds) is wonderful as Carlos and José Julián's Luis promises more good things from him. Director Chris Weitz (About a Boy (2002), more, including one of the Twilight movies) has crafted a delicately balanced drama from a story by Roger L. Simon (novel and script for The Big Fix (1978), co-wrote the script for Roger Mazursky's Scenes from a Mall (1991) which starred Woody Allen and Bette Midler, among other projects) and screenplay by Eric Eason.

Prolific composer Alexandre Desplat (details in both The Ghost Writer and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, plus The King's Speech and Tree of Life) provides a beautiful score, potential for another Oscar nomination (four so far). Go to the amazon page and click Play all samples.

If you have time, you may be able to catch this at the dollar theatre. Otherwise, save it in your netflix queue for its future DVD release.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)

2011-08-18T00:38:00.001-04:00

Lots of fun and somehow sweet, this story of Steve Carell finding his manly confidence with the help of womanizer Ryan Gosling has laughs, groans, and punctuation in its title. Carell (after I listed my favorites in Date Night, he was in Dinner for Schmucks) is adorable as awkward Cal and Gosling (more details in my post on Blue Valentine, after which he was great in All Good Things) is predictably smooth as Jacob. Julianne Moore (my faves are listed in A Single Man, other mentions in Chloe, and she was terrific in The Kids Are All Right) and Emma Stone (I still need to see Easy A (2010), loved Zombieland, and plan to see The Help, maybe tomorrow) are their smart, funny women, although Jacob has too many others to count, and Marisa Tomei (after I wrote about her in Cyrus she was in The Lincoln Lawyer) has a hilarious turn as someone Cal meets in the trendy pick-up bar he and Jacob frequent.

This is the sophomore effort of directing team Glenn Ficarra and John Requa after the excellent I Love You Phillip Morris and it's really good. The crisp screenplay is by Dan Fogelman (I haven't seen Cars (2006), Tangled (2010), or anything else of his).

I counted 34 songs as the credits rolled but the official soundtrack lists only 12, though someone wrote in to the link above with a thirteenth. Composers Christophe Beck (after I wrote about him in Cedar Rapids he scored The Hangover II; his website hasn't been updated to include tracks from this one) and Nick Urata (he scored Phillip Morris) are both credited.

Sorry I've been away from these pages for so long--vacation and other obligations have intervened. I'll be filling in the gaps for a while and the posts may be shorter (which may please some of you!). Please be patient and keep reading!

The Trip (2010)

2011-08-17T23:40:00.001-04:00

Funny, a little poignant, with beautiful scenery and delicious looking food, this trip takes Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon across northern England eating, chatting, doing impressions of their favorite actors, and entertaining us for a delightful week condensed into under 2 hours. Already a Coogan fan, I loved watching him squirm as yet another vain, insecure character (I wrote about my favorites in In the Loop and also enjoyed him in 24 Hour Party People (2002), Hamlet 2, and The Other Guys, among others), this time playing a version of himself. I'd never seen Brydon before but he's a great foil to Coogan and vice versa. It's noteworthy that no writer is listed in the credits, so it must have been improvised. They must be good friends in real life. At the very least, they were in the British mini-series of the same name that inspired this movie, also directed by Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2005) which also starred Coogan, A Mighty Heart (2007), more).

Leave it to imdb fans to give us the exact itinerary for those wanting to visit the fine restaurants in the movie. This is getting its rightful place on my list of food movies for peeks into kitchens and gorgeous platings.

Acclaimed composer Michael Nyman (The Piano (1993), Man on Wire, and many more) provides delectable piano music but remains uncredited on imdb. His name, however, was on the screen for some of the shortest credits ever. Here's a clip.

This will be shown locally for another week. Go see it and have a good meal before or after!

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009)

2011-07-24T23:53:00.000-04:00

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)

2011-07-24T23:32:00.000-04:00

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)

2011-07-17T22:20:00.001-04:00

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)

2011-07-17T00:47:00.001-04:00

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)

2011-07-16T14:02:00.000-04:00

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)

2011-07-10T01:26:00.001-04:00

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)

2011-07-05T23:49:00.001-04:00

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%.

Bad Teacher (2011)

2011-06-29T00:39:00.001-04:00

I had reservations about this but Sarah, Jack, and I laughed A LOT all the way through this slapstick comedy about a foul-mouthed, selfish, gold-digging woman who's a middle school teacher "for all the right reasons: shorter hours, summers off, no accountability." That line is in the trailer, so no spoiler. Cameron Diaz is really funny in the lead. My favorite line about her isn't an exact quote, nor can I find it, but I swear I heard Roger Ebert say on TV that her debut performance in The Mask (1994) could be attributed to her Wonderbra but he was pretty sure it was her talent and comic timing. I put that in my post about You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, coincidentally writing about Diaz' co-star here, Lucy Punch. What I didn't know until just now is that Diaz actually was a Wonderbra model before breaking into movies. I have liked her in most everything I've seen, notably the black comedy The Last Supper (1995), There's Something About Mary (1998), Being John Malkovich (1999), the dramas Gangs of New York (2002) and My Sister's Keeper (2009) (I know I saw this and can't figure out why I didn't write about it). Punch is once again terrific (as in Being Julia (2004) and Dinner for Schmucks), this time with a flawless American accent (she's British)--so good at being the super-intense/crazy co-star. Also noteworthy are Jason Segal (I listed my faves in I Love You, Man) as the sane gym teacher, Justin Timberlake (Alpha Dog (2006), The Social Network) as the dorky, bespectacled substitute who likes boy bands (wink wink), John Michael Higgins (Christopher Guest movie regular, e.g. Best in Show (2000) and For Your Consideration (2006), plus 77 other titles) as the beleaguered principal, and Phyllis Smith (Phyllis on The Office) as the sweet teacher. The blonde student Chase is played by Kathryn Newton, who played Jay Mohr's daughter in Gary Unmarried, now cancelled. And Eric Stonestreet, best known as the queenly Cameron on Modern Family, has a particularly butch cameo.

Second generation director Jake Kasdan (his dad Lawrence has been nominated for four Oscars, for The Big Chill (1983), The Accidental Tourist (1988), and Grand Canyon (1991), the last of which he shared with his wife, Jake's mother, Meg Kasdan, among many credits) did a pretty good job on Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), five episodes of Freaks and Geeks, and one each of Undeclared and Californication, and we had no complaints about his work here, directing the script written by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg (co-wrote 15 episodes of The Office).

Composer Michael Andrews (I wrote about him in Bridesmaids), though talented, has once again scored a movie where few will notice his soundtrack because there are so many memorable songs. The list is available on imdb (right now tonight the page is down for maintenance and it says "try again in a few hours"), squidoo, and the reelsoundtrack blog (you can listen at the latter two).

The critics are hatin' on this one: 44% on rottentomatoes, though audiences gave it 69% and it scored 6.1 out of 10 on imdb. But we had a good time and I suspect, if you don't over-think it, you will, too.

The Double Hour (La doppia hora - 2009)

2011-06-23T23:59:00.000-04:00

We liked this Italian movie which starts out with speed-dating in Turin, Italy, then becomes a love story, then morphs into a thriller. The directing debut of Giuseppe Capotondi, it is fast paced and satisfying. The movie won three awards at the 2009 Venice Film Festival: Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Italian Film. Kseniya (AKA Ksenia) Rappoport is Russian, but her character Sonia the chambermaid is Slovenian, and she gets more beautiful as the movie progresses.

The original score by Pasquale Catalano is great, as well as the use of songs (here's a list). We saw this after the baseball game yesterday on a road trip a couple of hours south. Because we had never before heard of the movie we decided to check it out. It was obviously a DVD (the little rectangle on the screen that said 1080p before the credits was the giveaway) but it was perfectly formatted and focused so we didn't mind.

Incendies (2010)

2011-06-21T00:22:00.001-04:00

Beautiful and powerful, this story of grown twins searching for the father and brother they hadn't known existed evoked tears, gasps, and 1½ laughs from the audience tonight. DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU HOW IT ENDS! Don't search google or twitter, and don't reveal it yourself, please. It's not a spoiler to say that much of it takes place in a fictitious Arabic-speaking country (I thought we were supposed to know and felt really dumb when people referred to "the war") and the locations are Montréal, Amman, and another (undisclosed) location in Jordan. Director Denis Villeneuve adapted the screenplay from the stage play of the same name (translation: Scorched) by Wajdi Mouawad. The movie pretty much split the Genie Awards (Canadian Oscars) with Barney's Version and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Wonderful acting by Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin and Maxim Gaudette as the twins and Lubna Azabal as their mother, big red chapter headings, and time-specific details make this easier to follow.

Beautiful music by Grégoire Hetzel (some with vocals) is supplemented by two Radiohead songs, You and Whose Army? and Like Spinning Plates. There are a few lines of English but it's mostly in French and Arabic with subtitles. It's long (2:20) and emotional, but worth it! Jack didn't go with me but I spotted several friends sitting nearby.

The Art of Getting By (2011)

2011-06-20T13:44:00.001-04:00

Despite our difficulty in finding a positive review, Jack and I sort of liked this story of George, a self-described "teflon slacker" high school senior in NYC (Freddie Highmore). This is director/writer Gavin Wiesen's feature debut, with only one short before it. There certainly are some holes in the screenplay but I don't really get why the critics have been so savage (see rottentomatoes if you like). Highmore (wonderful in Finding Neverland (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), and August Rush (2007), and I wanted to see Toast (2010) last weekend but had a conflict) is now 19 and is finally playing his age. I believed him as the talented artist and compulsive homework-avoider (the previous title was Homework). Also a former child actor, Emma Roberts (I wrote about her in It's Kind of a Funny Story) is good as the pretty girl Sally who is still an outsider at this urban prep school. One of the screenplay holes is that Sally and George say that they are each other's only friends, yet they hang out at school with Zoe (Sasha Spielberg, who was in The Kids Are All Right--she looks more like her father Steven and not much like her mother Kate Capshaw) and Will (Marcus Carl Franklin, who was the young black "Bob Dylan" in I'm Not There (2007)). Michael Anganaro (Lords of Dogtown (2005), Snow Angels (2007)) is good as the slightly older artist Dustin who befriends both George and Sally. Rita Wilson (Mrs. Tom Hanks, she co-starred in Volunteers (1985), co-starred in Now and Then (1995), and I don't believe she's had any big roles since, but I always like her, e.g. in That Thing You Do (1996), The Chumscrubber (2005), It's Complicated, more) and Elizabeth Reaser (I liked her in Sweet Land and The Family Stone (both 2005), Puccini for Beginners (2006), Grey's Anatomy as the Jane Doe Alex fell in love with after she got her new face, and The Good Wife as Will's girlfriend) are George and Sally's dysfunctional mothers. Blair Underwood, Jarlath Conroy, and Alicia Silverstone, in descending order, have a little something to do as George's principal, art teacher, and English teacher. And George's stepfather is played by Sam Robards (played Scott Bakula's partner--Chris Cooper's neighbor--in American Beauty (1999) and Haley Joel Osment's dad in A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), among others), the 49 year old son of Jason Robards and Lauren Bacall, but his is a small part, too. We enjoyed the location photography, as the whole thing was shot in New York City.

There are two soundtrack albums for sale on iTunes, one with all original score by Alec Puro and one with three Puro tracks and nine by various indie artists (none of which are available for individual download). This won't get any Oscar nominations but we found it diverting and I look forward to more Highmore in the future.

The Hangover Part II (2011)

2011-06-19T23:40:00.001-04:00

Yes, it's a lot like the first but Jack and I laughed anyway at this raunchy, profane sequel to The Hangover. There's great location photography in Thailand, a kick-ass soundtrack, same leading men, same absent Doug, same monkey (read this), same director, Todd Phillips, and same cinematographer, Lawrence Sher. David Denby in The New Yorker's review (spoilers in the link, so read it later) says, "The two movies offer a comedy of types, a kind of Freudian allegory, with Bradley Cooper enacting the ego, Ed Helms the superego, and Zach Galifianakis the id. Or, to put it more simply, aggression, caution, and stupidity." I'm a big Ed Helms fan, and he is at the center of this one, even singing a funny parody of Allentown on a boat. This time it took me at least half the movie to let go and laugh at Galifianakis' mean spirited behavior, but eventually I did. And now that I'm so familiar with Ken Jeong from Community, I got him, too.

One reason to see this on the big screen is the possibility that Mike Tyson's tattoo artist wins his copyright infringement case. If you have seen the poster you know that Helms' character wakes up the morning after with a tribal tattoo on his face: the same one that Tyson sports in real life. The artist who designed it tried to hold up the movie's release last month. A judge ruled against it, but the case is still in court (read this). I read somewhere that if the studio loses, the tattoo will be digitally altered in the DVD (and at least one line will have to be changed as well). This is the top grossing movie in theatres now (here's the chart--you can sort by any of the words in the header line), having raked in $215,700,000 so far, and was #3 for last weekend alone, so the artist will undoubtedly keep at it, with some deep pockets to pick. Despite those big piles of money, the critics have mostly hated it, certifying it rotten on rottentomatoes with 35%, although 62% of viewers weighed in with positive reviews.

The soundtrack for purchase (click Listen to all on this link) has 12 songs on it. But there's more music in the movie, as detailed by my fellow blogger monteluz (and annotated by his/her readers) on the reelsoundtrack blog. The wonderful composer Christophe Beck (I wrote about him in Cedar Rapids) worked on this, and, although none of these tracks are available for purchase, he has once again posted clips on his own website.

Oh, and Jack says to tell you that, unlike The Tree of Life, he is smart enough to understand this one. I will add that one should be old enough and relaxed enough not to be put off by some extreme sexual situations and nudity played for laughs, including (just like the last one) in the final photo essay.

In a Better World (Hævnen - 2010)

2011-06-16T23:57:00.001-04:00

What a masterpiece! This story of two interconnected families dealing with bullies and retribution (hævnen means vengeance in Danish) on two continents has great acting, a top-notch screenplay, and magnificent visuals, and Jack, Judy, and I didn't even mind the absence of laughs. Oscar and Golden Globe winner for Best Foreign Film, it delivers on all levels. Director Susanne Bier (I haven't seen any of her work, which includes Brothers (Brødre - 2004) on which the American remake Brothers was based) is quoted in imdb, "My first job as a filmmaker is not to make a boring film." With her regular collaborator, writer Anders Thomas Jensen, she has succeeded. Mikael Persbrandt (many credits, none that I've seen) plays Anton, a Swedish doctor who lives in Denmark (Bier often has one Swede in her Danish movies) but works for weeks at a time at a refugee camp in Kenya. His wife, also a doctor, played by Trine Dyrholm (Celebration (Festen - 1998), more), and two boys Elias (newcomer Markus Rygaard) and Morten (11 year old Toke Lars Bjarke has 13 titles to his credit) have their own issues at home. Claus, played by Ulrich Thomsen (was also in Celebration, Brødre, lots more) and his son Christian (newcomer William Jøhnk Nielsen) have moved from London after the death of their respective wife/mother, and Elias and Christian, about 12 years old, become friends. The boys Rygaard and especially Nielsen are outstanding.

As I said above, the cinematography by Morten Søborg is by itself worth the price of admission. The lighting, whether in Kenya or Denmark, has extremes of light and dark, sun and shade, and I was particularly gratified that the focus Wednesday afternoon was as crisp and sharp as I've seen in months in any of our local theatres. Even the subtitles were perfectly legible. Moody music by Johan Söderqvist (previous work with Bier and others) complements the images beautifully. Clips are available on youtube. I suggest pausing until the clip has loaded so you can listen all the way through.

Sad to say, this closed today in our town (we were alone in the room yesterday), but I hope it returns on a big screen for your maximum enjoyment. If not, put it in your netflix queue and watch it in the best home theatre you can buy or borrow.

The Tree of Life (2011)

2011-06-16T22:05:00.001-04:00

"I'm not smart enough to understand it," said Jack. He's definitely smart, but not always patient. I, too, grew impatient during this patchwork of dreamy, beautifully photographed vignettes of 1950s small town life, modern day skyscrapers, celestial and terrestrial cataclysms, whispered voiceovers, and barely a whisper of plot. If not being awed by what is supposed to be director/writer Terrence Malick's masterpiece makes us philistines, so be it (my favorite explanation of philistine is at 1:04 in the trailer for The Squid and the Whale (2005)). My faithful readers know I like to concentrate on the good parts and say nice things, but these two and a quarter hours just rubbed us both a bit the wrong way. I suspect I'll hear from Archie about this (he took exception to my negative posting on How Do You Know, and has posted on his own facebook page a video of directors David Fincher and Christopher Nolan rhapsodizing about this one). Someone else who felt as we did is Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel, who wrote "This challenging time-skipping rumination is the big screen equivalent of watching that 'Tree' grow." To read his entire review see this link. As Craig Ferguson likes to say, I look forward to your letters.

Not one to rush anything, 68 year old Malick has directed five features in thirty-eight years (he wrote them all, plus a few more) (I saw and enjoyed Days of Heaven (1978), which won him Best Director at Cannes, and The New World (2005) and can't remember if I saw Badlands (1973)--but it was The Thin Red Line (1998) that was most acclaimed) and this one won the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2011. The critics are mostly agreeing with the Cannes jury (apparently the reception at the actual screening was mixed and the link also reveals something about Malick's style on the set, which may explain our reactions), as do many who have posted on the imdb message boards. Contrary to current popular practice, most of those posting have good things to say, except for their snide reactions to people like us and the more extreme people who walked out during the long creation/destruction sections. On rottentomatoes the critics have given this 86% while audiences clock in at 67%.

Here are some things we liked about it: the photography, as noted above, the magnificent sets (the 1950s house and its furnishings, though the family is supposed to be of modest means, are new for the time and, by my standards, fabulous), the skyscrapers, the metal walkways, the locations, the songs (a Malick devotee has provided a complete list on his blog and another fan has made a set of some of it available for download until September 2 here), the original score by Alexandre Desplat which you can hear here (after I wrote about him in The Ghost Writer and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button he was Oscar nominated for scoring The King's Speech), newcomer Hunter McCracken's performance as brooding young Jack O'Brien, Brad Pitt's (I wrote about him in Inglourious Basterds) as the unfulfilled and angry Mr. O'Brien (well, it made me uncomfortable but I recognize it as good acting) with his jutting lower jaw, the baby and toddler scenes, and the other two sons, played by Laramie Eppler and Tye Sheridan, the former of whom really looks like he could be Pitt's son (thanks, Judy, for suggesting that).

Here's something else I didn't like: quick camera movements (in the 1950s sequences) sent me back several rows and reaching for my motion sickness remedies--ginger candy this week. This is going on the Motion Picture Motion Sickness (MPMS) list.

Although Sean Penn is listed as a star, he is in perhaps 20 minutes, as the 21st century Jack O'Brien, who is still troubled--we know that from his face and body language. But he doesn't talk. Jessica Chastain (soon to be seen in The Help (2011), as Mrs. O'Brien, with her ethereal porcelain skin and pale copper hair, has more to do.

We saw two movies Monday: first this, then Midnight in Paris, as we suspected we would need some comic relief. Did we ever! The good news: it made the latter all the more enjoyable.

Midnight in Paris (2011)

2011-06-14T02:08:00.000-04:00

Jack and I expected to love it. [singsong voice] Loved it! Woody Allen's tale of an aspiring novelist traveling back in time to meet his idols is romantic, with great production values, high brow references, and plenty of laughs. Owen Wilson shines as the insecure Woody character Gil, as do Rachel McAdams as the impatient girlfriend Inez (pronounced the French way, EE-nez, though her character is American), Marion Cotillard as the enticing other woman Adriana and all the others. Gil was going to be a New Yorker but Allen rewrote the part for Wilson (my favorites are Meet the Parents (2000), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Wedding Crashers (2005), and The Darjeeling Limited (2007)), basing him in California. I waited for the trademark Woody stutter to come out of Wilson's and McAdams' mouths, and it did eventually. McAdams (I wrote about her in Morning Glory after seeing her in State of Play and Sherlock Holmes) starts out sweet but slowly morphs into one of Woody's usual mean girls (ha!). Cotillard (I mentioned her in Public Enemies, Nine, Inception) is lovely as always, and Adriana's being mistress to more than one gifted artist reminded me that Mia Farrow was married to Frank Sinatra and André Previn as well as Allen (and, rumor has it, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was attracted to her, too). The supporting cast is superb, including Michael Sheen (The Queen (2006), Frost/Nixon, The Damned United) as a pompous American professor (doesn't Woody always have one of those in each movie as well?), Mimi Kennedy (Dharma & Greg, In the Loop) and Kurt Fuller (Woody the coroner in Psych, among many small parts) as Inez' parents, Alison Pill (after I wrote about her in Milk she was in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki in Thor) as Zelda and Scott (one blogger referred to Zelda as Scott's mother. They'll let just anyone write a blog. Hmph) (and if you don't get that, perhaps you should either skip the movie or do some research first), Kathy Bates (I listed my favorites in Chéri and liked her small part in Revolutionary Road) as Gertrude, Corey Stoll (I don't remember him in Salt but he's outstanding here as Ernest), and, much publicized, Carla Bruni, the first lady of France, as a tour guide at the Rodin museum. This movie bears some similarity to Allen's Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), in which Farrow's character Cecilia travels into a glamorous movie starring Jeff Daniels. For more on my love for Allen's work, though not his lifestyle, read Whatever Works, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Some trivia: Allen apparently abandoned the project five years ago because shooting in Paris was too expensive. But this sure looked like Paris, including landmarks such as l'Orangerie (home of the huge water lilies murals), Moulin Rouge, Montmartre, etc. Also, according to imdb: "This is the first Woody Allen film to go through a digital intermediate, instead of being color timed in the traditional photochemical way. According to Allen, its use here is a test to see if he likes it enough to use on his future films." That may explain some of the bright colors in some of the establishing shots.

Another Allen convention is no composer but a long list of songs, some performed by Cole (Yves Heck). I found a list on the iTunes France site, but it's not available here yet, and does not include any of the Heck performances, if, in fact, he performed them. Here are some other comments on the music.

Speaking of comments, here's some reading for after you see the movie, due to spoilers: production notes from the movie's website, a historical deconstruction from the New York Times, and David Denby's review in The New Yorker (I hope you can connect to those sites). Lastly, the winner of the Midnight in Paris 10 word review contest: Woody rebounds with Back to the Future for literature majors. She (the winner) used the word "rebound" because some feel Allen has been off his game. Whether or not you agree, you should definitely make your way to your local theatre and see this one.

Oh, and my Rule #2 for movies is strongly observed, start to finish.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

2011-06-13T23:42:00.000-04:00

Catching up after almost two movie-less weeks, Jack and I liked the fourth of this series better than we expected, enjoying the jokes and fancy words between battles, Erroll Flynn-like rope swinging, and Johnny Depp's now trademark mincing walk (every time he runs with his wrists in the air, we laugh). Although 2:18 is too long by about a half hour (why won't they ask us to approve the final cut? We easily could have snipped minutes from each action sequence) we didn't yearn to leave early because there was usually something funny or a special effect coming right up. I had read that the mermaid effects would be spectacular and they are (it's a good thing, because they are discussed at much length before they finally appear). These are not mermaids such as Daryl Hannah in Splash (1982), except for one detail, but to say more would be a spoiler.

Despite the walk, Depp (after I covered him in some detail in Public Enemies, he starred in Alice in Wonderland and co-starred in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) has a slightly more dramatic role this time, as I recall the last three (POTC: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), POTC: Dead Man's Chest (2006), POTC: At World's End (2007)). In fact, he sounds less drunk than in the others, which makes his words easier to understand (way easier than in Alice). Keith Richard of the Rolling Stones reprises his role of Captain Teague from World's End in just a cameo this time, and I won't reveal his punch line, just in case you haven't seen it in the trailer. Kevin McNally and Geoffrey Rush (I wrote about Rush in Bran Neu Dae) return as Gibbs and Barbossa, respectively, from all three preceding POTC movies. Then we have Penélope Cruz (I wrote about her in Broken Embraces and Elegy, then saw her in Nine) who is luscious as always (in fact she was pregnant during the shoot and her sister Mónica Cruz doubled for her in some long shots when it was difficult to hide the "bump." Leo was born in January and his father is Javier Bardem) as Blackbeard's daughter Angelica. The chemistry between her and Depp is nice. Ian McShane (perhaps best known as Al Swearingen on Deadwood) joins the cast as Blackbeard, and a scary villain he is. Stephen Graham's (after I wrote about him in The Damned United, he played Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire) guitar-playing character Scrum brought out one aspect of the soundtrack (more on that later). There are some jokes at the expense of religion, Bill Maher would be glad to note.

This is the first of the POTC movies not directed by Gore Verbinski. This time it's Rob Marshall (former Broadway choreographer who directed the movies Chicago (2002), Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), and Nine) and the theatricality is much appreciated. From the choreographed fights to the animatronic ropes it's well put together.

And now the music. In addition to one of my heroes, Hans Zimmer (with 139 titles in his composer section I'm hard pressed to pick my favorites, so I'll list his Oscar win The Lion King (1994) and nominations Rain Man (1988), The Preacher's Wife (1996), As Good as It Gets (1997), The Prince of Egypt (1998), The Thin Red Line (1998), Gladiator (2000), Sherlock Holmes, and Inception, plus others from babetteflix, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Angels & Demons, and It's Complicated) composing as he did in 2006-07, the Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela play quite a bit, sometimes attributed to Scrum. About five years ago I heard a DJ on our local NPR music station playing their Stairway to Heaven and I bought their self-named CD. You can listen to the whole soundtrack online by going to this link and advancing one track at a time (my favorite is #9). I love it, and if you do, too, buy it. You can listen to Rodrigo y Gabriela playing a track from the soundtrack live on The Tonight Show here, and playing Stairway to Heaven here.

Rated PG-13, it seemed a bit risqué to me for two young girls down the row from us. I wondered if they understood all the big words or the sexual innuendo and what did their dad think of the violence? As usual in these parts, except for the Gen-X audience in Thor, everyone cleared out at the beginning of the lo-ooo-ng credits. But we didn't and were rewarded with the expected bonus, promising a fifth chapter at a later date not yet determined. We saw the movie in 3-D, and recommend you do, too. It's too dark (in color) to appreciate on all but the most professional of home theatres.

Just Go With It (2011)

2011-06-12T00:35:00.000-04:00

Saw this on a plane last week. Predictably dumb and sexist, its best part is the little girl Bailee Madison (Brothers, more) hamming it up as Jennifer Aniston's daughter. Loosely based on Cactus Flower (1969), which won Goldie Hawn an Oscar for playing the ditzy girlfriend, this one tries too hard by, among other things, making the ditzy girlfriend a smart and caring teacher instead of just going with the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model they hired (Brooklyn Decker) to play the part. A few more laughs are found with the antics of Aniston and Nick Swardson, who play star Adam Sandler's best friends. Enough laughs for a plane ride, but not for an afternoon at the movies when there are many good choices out there.

Nine Nation Animation (2010)

2011-06-12T00:13:00.000-04:00

Judy and I saw this program of award-winning short animated films two and a half weeks ago and we liked it quite a bit. I'll go in order. 1. "Deconstruction Workers" by Kajsa Naess (6 min.) is in Norwegian with subtitles. It features two construction workers talking about mundane topics while everything around them is going to hell. They are photos superimposed on chaos which is mostly photo collages. Funny. 2. "Average 40 Matches" by Burkay Doğan and M. Şakir Arslan (3 min.) is from Turkey but there is no dialogue. Anthropomorphic matches are drawn to a cigarette, which eventually extinguishes them (oops! spoiler!). 3. "Bâmiyân" by Patrick Pleutin (14 min.) is from France but the dialogue is Persian and Chinese with English subtitles. It is by far the most beautiful of the lot with gorgeous brush strokes and collages. You can see it in its entirety here with German subtitles or here with an ad first and with French subtitles. If you are fluent in any or all of these languages go for it or just watch it for the visuals. 4. Our favorite, "Please Say Something" by David O’Reilly (10 min.) is officially from both Ireland and Germany. It's about a dysfunctional relationship between a workaholic mouse and his lover, who is a cat, set in the future, possibly 2106. The "dialogue" is in squeaks and meows with English subtitles. I particularly liked how each time the mouse takes a step it's a little click and the cat's steps are low and echoing. You're in luck because the whole thing is now online here. 5. "Flatlife" by Jonas Geirnaert from Belgium (11 min.) is also quite funny. There's no dialogue but plenty of sound effects in this story of 4 people in adjoining apartments. The whole thing is here. 6. "She Who Measures" by Veljko Popoviç from Croatia (7 min.) was our least favorite, consisting of strange humanoids walking through a desert picking up trash and putting it in their shopping carts and another humanoid trying to stop them. Judge for yourself here. Some have commented that it's an attack on consumerism. There's a little dialogue in English and some that's hard to make out. We thought it was American until we saw the credits. 7. "Home Road Movies" by Robert Bradbrook (12 min.) is from the United Kingdom and features in its stop motion photographs British actor Bill Paterson (lots of UK TV roles, small parts in How to Lose Friends & Alienate People and Creation, and more). It's set in the 1950s and charming. 8. "The Tale of How" by The Blackheart Gang (4 min.) is in English from South Africa. It's sort of Monty Python-esque with faux dramatic operatic singing, serpents, gadgets, three-headed birds, and inventive images of the Indian Ocean. See for yourself. 9. "Never Like the First Time!" by Jonas Odell (15 min.) is in Swedish with English subtitles and is taken from first-person narratives about losings one's virginity. Can't say we loved it. It's not funny, not sexy, and at times it's disturbing. Though it's all animated by Odell, each segment has a different style of drawing. I've found it online with Russian subtitles and here are three of its segments with English subtitles.

From the group World According to Shorts, it's an impressive work, with some reservations, in limited release (go to the website and click Viewing to see if it's coming to a theatre near you). I believe there will be a DVD at some point.

Everything Must Go (2010)

2011-05-29T23:59:00.001-04:00

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)

2011-05-29T22:36:00.004-04:00

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)

2011-05-29T21:44:00.000-04:00

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)

2011-05-29T02:06:00.001-04:00

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)

2011-05-24T00:12:00.000-04:00

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)

2011-05-23T23:19:00.001-04:00

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)

2011-05-23T00:00:00.002-04:00

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

2011-05-22T21:23:00.001-04:00

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)

2011-05-18T00:46:00.003-04:00

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.