I Am Legend, He Said

I Am Legend is an apocalyptic film that is up there in my ranking of this kind of film, but let me caution you I don't normally like or watch this genre. I went to this film because Will Smith is in it and I think he is one of America's best actors. After seeing "Legend" I again just wish the vehicle he selects was up to his talent.

I never blame a box office star for doing the "money" film. After all if they can make millions doing one film and continue to fill the mall theaters with patrons, it's good for the industry. But a guy with Smith's talent really owes to himself to leave a better track record than making green screen FX movies with make believe monsters.

His break out film in 1993 Six Degrees of Separation was note worthy and should have foreshadowed a career similar to Denzel Washington or Samuel L Jackson. Instead what we get is Bruce Willis. Sith has made action adventure film one after another with only the occasional pause for The Pursuit of Happyness and Ali.

The movie, I Am Legend, is breaking box office records. People no doubt want this stuff and Smith has proven he can raise the bar for the quality of this genre. I guess I'll have to content myself that I'm not going to enjoy the talents of a good, potentially great, actor until he makes a few more million to go along with the bunches of millions he already has.

Atonement, He Said

The critic's loved this film, but going in, all I knew is that it was a British film. I knew that because the a requisite member of the elite British film community was included, in this case Brenda Blethyn.

This film is based on a novel by Ian McEwan. This Romeo and Juliet tale takes place in pre- WWII England. The oldest daughter Cecilia, played by Keira Knightley is in love with son of one of the cooks. While the family approves of this young Robbie Turner, played by James McAvoy, to the point they have paid for his education, they are not ready to accept him as one of the family. Enter the fanciful, thirteen year old sister Briony. She has a crush on the older Robbie herself. He of course regards her as the child she is. when her visiting cousin is found supposedly raped Briony and the girl accuse Robbie.

When we next see Robbie he is behind German lines in France because his unit has been over run by the advancing enemy troops. He has bargained his way out of prison by volunteering for military duty. Cecilia has rejected her family because of their treatment of Robbie and is working as a nurse in London.

We see her reconciled with Robbie after his return and the confrontation between the three of them in the lowly flat Robbie and Cecilia are forced to live in. Briony admits her mistake and reveals the true rapist's identity. She agrees to confess and seeks their forgiveness, which is not forthcoming.

The end of this film will be no surprise to those that have read the novel, but the closing scene featuring Vanessa Redgrave is spellbinding for those of us that had no hint as to this outcome
This a wonderful film, well shot and constructed. The actors are well cast and competent.

I must give special attention to young Saoirse Ronan who plays the young Briony. You grow to dislike this young brat most intently. She is a mischievous and nosey little tattle tale, aside of course of being a vengeful liar. I've always said it takes talent to be an actor, but the most talent to play the bad guy. this young lady does it very well, which in my mind, bodes well for her future and requires us pay special attention.

Interview, He Said

Let me start by saying that I'm a huge fan of Steve Buscemi. As and actor, he is fully capable of completing scenes in support or carrying a movie in the lead role. If you think you've seen him in a film you probably have, as his resume goes on for pages. He is a actor, writer, director and producer of excellent quality and breadth. Yes, he goes for the quirky and off beat, but he does it well.

What I don't understand is Interview, his latest film, in which he wrote, directed, and stared in. He and the talented and beautiful Sienna Miller are on screen for well over 90% of the time this film runs. He is playing the washed up political writer who has phonied his sources and taken far to many ethical shortcuts to merit the big stories anymore. Now he's reduced to doing celebrity pieces and "fluffy" ones at that. He obviously considers his assignment to interview a popular soap opera star as beneath him and it show in his approach to the actress, played by Miller. She correctly interprets his clumsy questions and lack of preparation as an insult to her and a waste of her time.

Events, as improbable as they are, conspire to bring him to her apartment and here the drama takes on a dark caste. His questions and probing take a personal and acerbic quality. She responds by trying distract him with every ruse in the book from seduction to tempting him with drugs. (I'm telling you I almost got sick watching them consume massive amountof drugs, alcohol and cigarettes.)

His probing and prying seems to get him damming information on her, but it needs fleshing out and admission. In his attempt to get her to confess to the condition of her life, he agrees to come clean with her on how his life is screwed up. The whole tale turns on the ending which isn't entirely predictable. The lesson taught might be that you have to know when and actress is acting or maybe you shouldn't be judging the quality of an actress. In addition, A Faustian deal with the devil will mean you're going to spend time in hell.

All in all this film is very uneven and not very entertaining. Buscemi's script gives us the ups and downs, oft times with no set up or warning. Motivation for the actions of these two are left to the most vivid imagination, which makes you wonder if your watching a social exchange or a stuck in shrinks office watch toschizophrenics exchanging personalities.

Margot at the Wedding, He Said

After you've seen his last film, The Squid and the Whale, you have to wonder what in the hell Noah Baumbach was thinking when he wrote and directed Margot at the Wedding.
"The Whale" with it's quirky but lovable if not frustrating characters is funny and interesting study of the dysfunctional family. This film with it's all star cast is just the opposite.
I couldn't identify with or like any of these people.

Nicole Kidman, playing the title role, is caustic and manipulative as the sister who comes home to save her sister from marrying a man, she judges is the kind of guy they rejected in high school. Jennifer Jason Leigh, playing the to-be-wed Pauline is happy and resolved to marry a guy she loves, but realizes is not up to her sisters standard. What becomes apparent is that there are other reasons for Margot's objections and those are at the heart of what is wrong with this film.

Baumbach's script swings back and forth between the arguments Margot puts forth why Pauline shouldn't marry Malcom, played by Jack Black. and their past family relationship.
It became apparent that the past loomed much larger than the present but we never get to see these issues examined. Hints about issues with a sister and mother who show up late in the film in an Hitchcock type appearance that you have to know about to witness are never fleshed out nor explained.

Forget the production values that are below what a teenager can do with a cheap video camera. Muddy dark interiors, washed out exteriors and unbearable sound track are an insult to the talent assembled to make this film. I for one thought the actors did a lot with very little and I'm sure they were disappointed with the result.

I'm Not There, He said

I'm not sure why this film was made other than it was an homage to Bob Dylan. My confusion comes from the fact that this film should have been made about twenty years from now assuming that Bob and everyone important in the story was dead. Instead we witness an amazing film that depicts Bob's life as told by six separate actors portraying different phases of his life.

We open with young Marcus Carl Franklin, Arthur, playing that part of Dylan's life where he is learning about music and his hero is Woody Guthrie. He master this folk form, but realizes that he is singing about things in the past. His genius is the ability to take the form and move the subject matter into the present.

Which introduces us to the phase named Jack, played be Christian Bale. Jack takes us through the early stardom phase to the abandonment of folk style music and the electric Dylan. This is followed by the mature married Dylan, called Robbie, played by Heath Ledger, who abandons his wife and children in the search for... well Bob never figured that out either.

The truly amazing performance is the International Dylan, Jude, played by Cate Blanchett. She impersonates Dylan without being campy and over the top. She shows us his shyness and at the same time exhibits his iron will in the battle with the press to box himself in and categorize his music.
This film is amazing in it's effort to poetically and artistically examine Dylan's career. I applaud the effort, but I'm confused by the overlapping and lack of continuity. I don't believe a story has to be linear in order to be accessible, but in this case we're experiencing the life of a person who did not live or experience flashbacks as another character. this technique bothered me and distracted the viewer from a great tale of an artist who insisted on being what he is on his own terms.

The difference in this effort is not only in the presentation, but as a I mentioned earlier, the timing of the release. Normally we want our hero's to be mythical. We want to know the good and worthy about them. We don't want to see the cuts and scars unless they are healed and can be shown to be character building. by mounting this story before Dylan is even finished his career is invite the kind of tell all reaction that might show our hero to be human rather than the giant we want him to be. Dylan is not a perfect human, but he is one of the great musicians of our time. And even though he might cringe, he will suffice as the Poet Laureate of his generation. Further, if his music did not inspire change, a charge Dylan leveled at himself, it at least serves to embarrass us into the realization that we haven't got the job done

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, He Said

If you've ever disappointed your parents, you need to see this film, because whatever you've done, you more than likely didn't killed them. But then not to many children ever think that getting out of financial problems might include the option of robbing their parents business.

Andrew, the older brother, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, has a lot of problems. In order to keep his wife happy, his drug addiction satisfied and his social image in tack, Andrew has been using his position as accountant for a real estate firm in order to embezzle money. An impending IRS audit, his growing need for drugs and suspicion that his wife is wandering leads Andy to solicit his brother Hank as and accomplice in his plot.

Hank, portrayed by Ethan Hawke is hanging on to his life by a thread. He is also working a the real estate firm. He is deep in debt because of a failed marriage, he is behind in his support payments. He has a serious alcohol problem and he is in love with a women, Gina, who he can't have because she realizes he is a loser. Gina, played convincingly by Marisa Tomei, should know since she is Hank's his brother Andrew's wife.

Andrew in the role of controlling older brother convinces Hank to actually do the deed. All he has to do is go to his parents jewelery store early in the morning when the part time clerk opens the store. They have both worked for their parents. They know the alarm codes, the safe combinations and when the cash will be at it's highest volume. All Hank has to do is walk in take the jewelery and cash and they are both home free. Andrew has already felt out a fence for the jewels and the cash can be laundered through the Real Estate firm.

The problem is Hank hasn't got the stomach for the deed and he recruits a thug, Bobby, he knows through his pub crawling nights. The next problem is that the part time clerk is off and the boy's mother fills in. Bobby doesn't know Hank's mother and during the robbery she pulls a hidden gun on him. She shots and wounds him. He returns her fire and wounds her. She shots him again and kills him.

When the boys their Dad, played by Albert Finny unite at the hospital where the mother is declared brain dead, this comedy of error's becomes a hyper physco drama.

I hesitate to call this dark comedy, because there is no attempt to make the death of two people humorous. However, the situation is so ludicrous and asinine that even Jerry Springer may take pause before airing the survivors of this trip on the avenue of disaster.

The cast is superb and the script is sharp, the story is riveting. Never has so much been invested in trotting out the potential for stupidity when men become desperate.

Reservation Road, He Said

In this thriller, we look at the capacity of man for revenge and the price of the silent burden of guilt. What is worse being a good man who is wronged and a good man who has done wrong? When Michael Dukakis was asked during a presidential debate how he would react to finding out his wife had been raped, the correct answer might have been that he would like to kill the perpetrator. Anyone would feel the urge for revenge, but we live in a society that believes it has solutions under law. The law, while not perfect, is better than each of us having to seek truth and justice on our own. Witness the tale of Reservation Road.

A family returning home stops at a convenience store. Dad, Ethan, played by Joaquin Phoenix, needs to shop and sister, Emma, played by Elle Fanning, needs to use the bathroom. The son, played by Sean Curley chooses to release some fireflies he has captured. During their layover, the boy is killed by a passing car.

The car is driven by an attorney who is returning home with his son. Dwight Arno portrayed by Mark Ruffalo is late delivering his son home to his estranged wife. He is driving too fast. As he swerves to avoid an oncoming truck, hits and kills the boy.

In a world that grows smaller by the scene. Ethan and Dwight cross paths. Dwight's ex-wife is Elle's piano teacher. Ethan hires Dwight and his law partner to assist him in his pursuit of the ht and run driver. Ethan has no idea that Dwight is the man, but of course, Dwight knows exactly who Ethan is.

Dwight is a tortured man. He carries the guilt of his failed marriage, his concern for being the proper father to his son and finally the knowledge that he has killed and run away. His pain is real and Ruffalo does an amazing job of showing us this pain.

Ethan is a also a man in pain. His pain is driving him into unusual and self destructive behaviour. He becomes obsessed with finding the killer, convinced the police have given up their pursuit. He is further incensed by Internet sites that play into his paranoid and pathetic outlook. He becomes remote, turning his back on his wife and daughter. His delusion leads him to accuse the wrong people and alienate him from the police.

Finally, Ethan figures out who the guilt party is and plots to kill him. The ending is not what you might expect, but is satisfying and realistic. Trying to figure out who is hurt most in this tragic tale of carelessness and fear is difficult, but like most great drama it's not who done it that counts. What counts is how you felt about an issue before the story is told and does it challenge your beliefs. The story doesn't have to change your mind but it has to make you think. This film entertains while it makes you think as you jump back and forth across the moral broomstick trying to figure out who, if either, is right and who is wrong.

The Good German, He Said

Black and white film, quirky music circa 1940's, scene framing you haven't seen in years and a flash back to Casablanca, these and many more make The Good German a disturbing film to watch. Oh Yes, the subject matter of the script is also kind of disturbing , but only mildly.

Seeing George Clooney as a clone of Humphrey Bogart in this recreation of a 1940's genre film, but to see Cate Blanchett in the place of Ingrid Bergman was amazing, but it was the bump that knocked the baby out of the buggy. By that I mean that the techniques Steven Soderbergh used might have been fun and somewhat entertaining, they did not enhance the story or frame the characters in this film. Instead they distracted the viewer from the plot.

In trying to resolve the complicated and end the film, Soderbergh recreates the final scene from Casablanca. All of this is...well cute. But did this script deserve better from it's director? I think so.

and wicked jeep driver, played by Tobey Clooney famous for his playing the cool and unbeatable outsider, who somehow is always inside, fights the military in it's attempt to cover up a murder because it might upset the delicate Potsdam Conference which decided the fate of Europe. The story is compelling and Clooney and Blanchett do have what critic's like to call "chemistry", I like to call believability. She is his former lover when he was a bureau chief in prewar Berlin. Returning after the fall of the third Reich, he finds her through his connivingMaquire.

This drama takes us into the intrigue of international politics's and the ugly part of making piece and just for the record what kind of mind set got us into the Cold War. Again the story is worth telling, the lesson is worth learning, again. Unfortunately the story teller is distracting us with tricks.

Lust, Caution, He Said

It's China in the 1930's. The Japanese are invading the country. A group of young Chinese students in the Hong Cong successfully produce a play that inflames passion produced threat from the Japanese. Their heady success and new found patriotism leads them to plot the death of a high official who is betraying his countrymen to the enemy, Their plan is to assassinate him. When his security foils them at every turn they turn to the beautiful actress to seduce him. She does, but than what?

Ang Lee's film depicts the era with chilling reality. The brutality of the invading force and the duplicity of the the collaborators leads to the horrible deaths of many people, But this is war and the youth of the nation are not to be lead to slaughter or submission without a fight no matter how great the odds.

To me the similarities between this film and Paul Verhoeven's Black Book (Zwartboek) are amazing. In both cases the heroine is motivated to play the role seductress and sleep with the enemy for the cause. In both cases, the target becomes hopelessly infatuated with the women, dropping their guard and becoming vulnerable. The sacrifice the women make is both appreciated and rejected by the underground that supports her. And in the end, salvation is not the earthly reward one would hope for. There is the man who worships the seductress from afar, but his love is repressed by the needs of the cause.

Ang Lee's contribution is a more epic slower moving film that takes some patience. Lee is trying to show us a culture we don't entirely understand that was going through a momentous and epic change. He wants us to understand the culture, the people and the landscape. At the same time he is pointing out the universal human quest for freedom and self expression and the necessity of waging a constant fight against subjugation and repression. This is a big bite out of an even larger sandwich. I get sucked in to these films easily, so maybe my opinion is shaped by my interest.

The film is compelling from a number of aspects, but in the end it's the human character of the seductress, Wang Jiazhi, played by Tang Wei, that reaches out and grabs our hearts and minds. She is troubled by the changes in her country, but is also besieged by her confusion over the inattention she receives from the man she loves, the rebel, Kuang Yu Min. His feelings are apparent, but he buries them as she becomes the principle player in their game to seduce and kill the collaborator, Mr Yee.

Her seduction of Yee is successful, but his brutal and sadomasochistic form of lovemaking is somehow appealing to her. her body betrays her mind and in the end the plot fails because of her inability to act. This film is R-rated because of the sex scenes, but without them the story can not be told or understood. You may not feel comfortable watching this film, but than that is not Ang Lee's intention.

Michael Clayton, He Said

George Clooney plays Michael Clayton is his usual cool and deliberate self until the circumstances surrounding him and challenge his integrity and values. Clayton is the New York born attorney with the law degree from Fordam. Good enough to land a job in the D. A."s office, but how and why he ends up as one of the golden boys in a blue chip law firm is answered in the first scene. Clayton is called out of an underground poker game to "handle" a problem for a fellow attorney who's client is involved in a hit and run. It's the job of the firms fixer, Clayton, to confront, cajole and comfort the wealthy, irresponsible and irate client.

With a divorce and gambling addiction in his past Clayton is now facing the reality that the bar he"s financed for his addicted and ne'er-do-well brother has failed and the escape price is more money than he has. Ratcheting up the tension is the discovery that the firms top litigator has gone nuts during a deposition and is threatening to sabotage the largest client the firm represents.

Make no mistake, this is a movie written, produced and filmed to make a point. The point is that big law firms exist to keep big clients out of trouble. Justice is not something that's decided, or frankily discussed, in the law office. Justice is dealt with by a court. It's the job of the attorneys to provide information to the court and the information the court recieves may not be complete if the lawyers can limit, select and stall long enough to influence the outcome. It's a messy business and sometimes events just get messed up way beyond any way to clean them up.

The tension through out this film is palpable. Clayton seems to be in control, but the audience is given enough information to know that he is sliding into a trap. Frantically reaching out for help, he knows not whom he can trust or count on. Even his brother, a career cop, seems to doubt his purpose. The problems neatly come together in the tightly packaged solution. Michael can solve all of his problems and everyone can walk away, but the solution is a compromise in justice.

How Clayton handles this is interesting and satisfying. Surrounded by talent in excess, Clooney shines in a role that was literally made for him. To say he did a great job in this dark urban thriller is fine But Clooney in his quest to make movies that say something important is in danger of becoming a caricature of himself. To handsome, to moral, flawed, but redeemable is okay and it has worked several times for him, but sooner or later Clooney is going to have to do an "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" to remind me he still has range.

Into the Wild, He Said

It's one of those films that many of us know what the end is going to be. I'm not spoiling the film when I tell you that Chris McCandless was found dead in an abandon bus in the Alaskan wild. But as is so often is the case, it's not the end of the story that provides the value, but the journey the subject takes. Sean Penn has brought us a movie that beautifully tells this tale of a young man searching for himself and his place in the world.

Sean Penn's passion for this film is obvious in the construction and presentation. He wrote the screenplay from Jon Krakauer's book. The book is a story of young Chris McCandless. Once he graduated from college Chris took off on a odyssey to find himself that eventually lead to his accidental death. That trip, a search for reality and truth, is beautifully portrayed by a young unknown actor, Emile Hirsch. Hirsch has the right combination of charm and seriousness that brings the message to the front and puts the adventure in perspective. The sensitivity with which Penn presents this tale reflects his open admiration for McCandless's journey. He does this by not only showing us how the people that Chris runs into as he travels effect him, but how he in turn effects them.

This film is a masterpiece in every aspect. The script is clean and straightforward. The acting is superb. The photography is breathtaking. See this film.

The Valley of Elah, He Said

This is one of those films that is tough to watch, but like the car wreck on the freeway, we can't take our eyes off it. Tommy Lee Jones plays the Vietnam veteran father of a son, who, in the opening scenes we learn, is missing from his home base after returning from a tour of duty in Iraq. When a cursory look at all of the possibilities turns up nothing Tommy Lee, the former MP goes into Investigator mode with avengence.

The skill and determination that he attacks this situation is almost irritating as time after time he points out things to the authorities that they have missed. And there is little doubt that they have missed these details because they are lazy, incompetent or trying to cover up the truth.

As the movie progresses we learn about the nature of this man. A man who as he embarks on his quest stops to right a flag on the school flag pole that was mistakenly hauled up up side down by a immigrant janitor. A man who has no problem going into a strip club to find his son, but gives the impression that he doesn't see the naked women, because they offer no clue as to his son's where abouts. We see him pulling the crease into his pants on the motel bureau. We witness his embarrassment by the thought of a women see him only in a tee shirt as he does his laundry in a Laundromat as he runs to the dryer and pulls out a half dry shirt and puts it on.

However he is not afraid to go where he has to go to find the truth and like the distorted video images from his son's cell phone, the longer he looks the messier it gets. The twists and turns in this plot scoop up facts in evidence that casts a huge net of responsibility for the eventual solution to this one incident. But Paul Haggis the writer director of this film has a lot more to say than "who done it". Skilfully using the talents of Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, and Susan Sarandon, to name the top billing actors, Haggis has given us a glimpse into the part of War the Pentagon, the president and others intent on waging war do not want us to see and that is what happens to the poor soldier that has to fight these wars of liberation.

The ending of this film can be interpreted in a number of ways, because control of the events was in the hands of a number of people. This film is about what we do to our military people by putting them in harms way. And how, because of our military mythology, what they experience is not acknowledged or dealt with in any meaning full way. And yet, like the cop on the corner we are more than ready to take for granted the tranquil peace their presence affords and to blame them for their failure when things go wrong

Milwaukee International Film Festival - She Said

This may come as a surprise to you (it did to us), that Milwaukee has a pretty terrific film festival. After attending two other festivals - which shall remain nameless - I swore off all festivals unless they had the words Toronto, Sundance, Tribeca or Cannes in front of them. This is Milwaukee's fifth film festival, our second, and we have not been disappointed.

Oh sure, I wasn't happy about the opening night movie "Grace is Gone" with John Cusack being replaced with "Son of Rambow", a film that did not live up to the hype. But the other films we have seen, have been treasures. Another film fan friend from out of town (say that three times fast!) and I took in "Five Days in September" about the rebirth of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. You don't have to be a classical music fan to enjoy this film, the cinematography alone is worth the ticket price. The camera work behind the scenes, looking at how an orchestra prepares for each performance, especially when a guest makes an appearance, makes you feel truly present. Who knew Yo-Yo Ma was such a clown or that Renee Fleming does very little the day of a performance so she can concentrate on nothing but the upcoming performance?

At a time we are usually preparing for bed we headed over to the Downer Theater for a comedy, "I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With". Jeff Garlin wrote, directed and starred in this film (he's a talented fellow) about a fat, depressed actor. We were glad we managed to stay awake for this little gem. While not a great film, it was certainly worth seeing.

Most of the films have made the circuit of other festivals and won't be seen outside of festivals. Movies are bought and sold for distribution rights and are treated like any other commodity. Meaning, you won't see them at the theaters in the burbs and you'll be lucky if they make it to the art house theaters. Sure, there are exceptions. Last year, "The Queen" starring Helen Mirren opened the festival and went on to win an Oscar for Mirren.

The biggest reason to attend these festivals is to keep the art of film alive. Not just movies, but real films. Films that aren't worried about making a bazillion dollars and having the movie on the same marquee with the latest blow 'em up box office hit. I don't want to see films that are only produced by a few major studios take over the box office. I want to discover new actors, new stories, new music - 90% of the music I buy is because I "discovered" a new musician whose music is part of the soundtrack. I'm not against the big movies, but I think we all need to support the little guy too. And the Milwaukee International Film Festival is one heck of a way to do just that!

She Said - Brave One

"He" was gone over the weekend to the land of Oz, also known as Los Angeles, so I decided to take myself to a movie at the cineplex. We see a LOT of movies, mostly at the two Landmark Theaters within walking distance of our home. These theaters show independent and foreign films so we don't see commercial films very often in the theater. This means a trip to the burbs, another thing we don't do very often.

Surprisingly, I had several choices of films but being a Jodie Foster fan decided to see just how brave she is for taking on the role of a vigilante public radio show host. You probably have seen the trailer or know the premise behind the film - Erica Bane (Foster) and her fiancé are out walking their dog when a group of thugs decides to have some fun by beating the couple to a pulp and killing Bane's fiancé. I did have a problem with the fact that Bane is left to live, real thugs would have made sure she was just as dead as the fiancé. Real thugs don't want witnesses. But like so many movies, if you don't suspend disbelief, you'll have a ten minute movie.

When Bane has sufficiently recovered from her physical scars, she tries to get back to a "normal" life with great difficulty. She is on the cusp of what appears to be a breakdown and decides that buying a gun will keep her sane. Buying a licensed, registered gun requires a waiting period (thank God) and she needs the gun, NOW. Lucky for her hanging around the gun shop is a guy who can sell her a gun TODAY, because she won't make it one more day without one. And her luck holds out when soon after getting the gun she is in a convenience store; a store where the owner's husband comes in to kill his wife. Of course, Bane is hiding behind a shelf of canned goods when her cell phone starts ringing, letting the killer know that he is not alone. Just as the killer is about to open fire on Bane, Bane lets him have it first.

And now, she is off and running - literally from the crime scene and figuratively towards her new persona as a gun-toting good girl who just happens to find herself now daily meeting bad guys who deserve to be blown away. These crimes make you question how she managed to stay safe in the city (New York) all those years without running into these characters that now seem to be at her every turn. Maybe she now has danger pheromones pouring out of her . . . like an allergy, once you get one it seems to keep reoccurring.

Of course all of these vigilante murders are stumping the cops, especially Detective Mercer (Terrance Howard of Crash fame). A hard working guy who apparently sacrificed his marriage for his job (why we needed the scene with the ex-wife did little to move the story along), Mercer just wants to catch the "guy" who is doing his job by killing all the city's bad guys. Needless to say, Bane and Mercer's paths cross several times until they finally sit down to discuss the vigilante killings.

Bane knows Mercer is suspicious of her but she has business to take care of, she needs to kill Mercer's nemesis and she needs to get revenge on the thugs that killed her fiancé. She takes care of Mercer's problem relatively easy (and not a shot was fired!) and now has to deal with her own issue. Mercer is a bright guy who puts the pieces together pretty quickly and realizes that his killer is Bane. Before you know it all the bad guys are dead; but for Bane how to get out of this without spending life in prison doesn't seem possible. Mercer shows up at the crime scene where the thugs are all dead - he figured out where Bane was headed - and offers Bane a solution.

The solution, I think, is to make them both human. Bane can now go back to being her old self and Mercer is no longer the perfect cop, but a human who needs more than his job to survive.

Don't get me wrong, the movie did entertain me. I think Foster and Howard are terrific actors and both are convincing in these roles. I just think the script could have been tighter - it lagged at times (too much time in the hospital) and then the end seemed rushed. If like me, you want to spend a Sunday afternoon with a bucket of popcorn (and Junior Mints!) and not have to think too much, this movie isn't a bad choice. If you only take in a few films a year in the theater, save this one for Blockbuster or Netflix.

Conversations with Other Women, He Said

If you'd judge this film by the first few scenes, you'd have to conclude you were watching a thirty-something drama about two married people trying to decide if they wanted to go to bed with each other, and how dull is that? But your dealing with the beguiling Helena Bonham Carter and the always charming Aaron Eckhat. Somehow they suck you into their flirtatious conversation. Maybe it's because the dialogue is so sharp and witty or possibly because it suggests something beyond the bland pick up lines of the meat market bars and gyms.

She is the distracted bridesmaid that doesn't seem to fit into the wedding, much less the wedding party. He is a guest. What we soon learn is that, he, they have no character names in the film, thinks he remembers her from and earlier encounter. He challenges her to remember that he approached her at a picnic with friends. She was siting under a tree reading a book. He describes her quite completely, but she dismisses it because he can't remember the title of the book she was reading. Flash backs, with two different and younger actors playing the roles, suggest that this encounter may have happened or at least he believes or wished it had happened. We are given two possibilities here. this previous encounter happened or he is constructing a role playing game that, if she slips into the role, they might use to enhance their sexual game

She is a last minute replacement in a wedding party. She is so uninvolved that she can't remember the grooms name. He, we are surprised to learn, is the brides brother. She had left New York for London after a divorce from an attorney. She has remarried to a heart surgeon. He is an attorney and has had a tragic divorce. He is currently dating a dancer that is many years his junior. They smoke, they drink, they dance and finally they end up in her room. It is here that more than their bodies are revealed.

If you stay through the long take off, this drama is truly an amazing flight. It is a bull fight with two matadors, and a stunning and marvelous thing to watch. Strangely, when you catch your breath after the not to be guessed ending, you'll understand that this was a big plane and it needed all of that runway to get into flight.

She Said . . .

Not alot until now! Jeff and I had been talking about doing this blog thing for some time and obviously, he finally did something about it. While we both enjoy movies; watching them, discussing them, picking them apart technically, promoting the truly exceptional ones that don't get much hype - I have fallen (way) short of getting my views onto the blog.

That ends today! For a couple of good reasons: 1) I enjoy reading what "critics" have to say about films I have seen or am considering seeing and 2) the Milwaukee International Film Festival (MIFF) starts later this month. On the first point, critics are just people who get paid for their opinions and sometimes I have to wonder why they get paid - like all those critics who raved about "Eyes Wide Shut" (I always refer to it as Eyes Wide Shit - because that's what it was). And of course, when I agree with a critic's review, I find that person to be brilliant (and they deserve to be paid). And Jeff and I don't always agree on films . . . he tends to gravitate to technical issues faster than I do (though I am the one who catches stupid editing mistakes) and I have to bring him back to the main point which is "but did it entertain you?" just to see if he actually liked the film.

Let me state that a film must first entertain me. That doesn't mean I have to be giddy with laughter (which is pretty tough since we rarely do comedies), it means the film had to grab my attention and leave me wanting more. I need to leave the theater wondering what happens to the characters after the movie story ends. I want to know more about the characters, I want to see other movies by the actors in the film because they had terrific performances, I need to get a book on the subject because it leaves me with a new facination for the subject matter. If a movie hits these points, then I know it has entertained me. The ultimate goal.

As for the second point, MIFF is in its 5th year of presenting films to a hungry Milwaukee market. This will be our second year of attending the festival and next year we plan on taking vacation so we can take in even more films. We spent a couple of hours this morning scheduling the films we want to see on our calendars - no small feat since we are having to work around work schedules, decide which movies we want to see together - and apart, and trying to figure out which films our out of town guests will want to see.

So pay attention, from here on out you'll get my opinions about the movies we see. I'll be curious to hear from you and invite comments about my "reviews". Oh, by the way, I thoroughly enjoyed "Death at a Funeral" and give it 4 1/2 movie stubs.

Death at a Funeral, He Said

The kind of comedy that Frank Oz brings us always seems like organized chaos. Whether it's puppets or actors, his characters always seem to be in a constant state of panic. In the case of our characters in Death at a Funeral, they all have good but different reasons for their distress

A distinguished head of their family has died. As in real life, this brings the scattered members of the family back together. The separation of the family can often be for good reasons, such as the brother who has become a famous novelist and lives in New York. Or it might be for other reasons, such as the niece who is escorted by a man who is not welcome by her stuffy father. All in all each arrives with their emotional baggage and we get to inspect it in detail.

All of the performers in this wacky tale do an outstanding job, but I have to say the one that captivated me was Alan Tudyk. Alan plays Simon the man that his future father in law can't seem to accept. Alan is not a overly confident man, even though he seems to be doing quite well as a solicitor. His fear of confrontation with his fiances father leads her to give him a pill which she believes in Valium. It is not. Instead it is a highly charged combination of hallucinogenics that send the guy in to another world that only he can see.

His actions really start the hijinks's when he believes he sees the coffin moving during the memorial service which ends up with the casket being tipped and the body rolling out onto the floor. This role would be raw meat for any actor, but Tudyk plays it with energy and originality while holding onto the essence of his character.

Each of the actors has a simple but believable back story which involves a tie to the family. This funeral exposes their foibles and strengths in a humorous and entertaining way. Oz, brings out the best in his cast and gives us a great night in the dark with neighbors and friends

10 Items or Less, He Said

It is true that every story is a journey and in this journey we find two unlikely people discovering each other and themselves simultaneously as they move along.

Morgan Freeman ( Morgan Freeman) playing an actor down on his luck and lost, (If he were a writer we'd say he was blocked.), is researching a role as a grocery store manager in a small independent film. Dropped off in a Hispanic ghetto neighborhood by an unreliable set gopher, Freeman ends up stranded and under the spell of the clerk who checks at the ten items or less counter.

Her name is Scarlet ( Paz Vega). She is a young women who has been relegated to this life by life and who is trying to break out. She alternates between fits of anger and determination and resentment and frustration. Her anger immobilizes her, her determination keeps her going. What she lacks is confidence and some basic skills. Freeman provides the coaching and the resources

What your realize very quickly is that as down and out as Freeman is, he could hook this gal up with even a shitty small little job in show business and she would be off and running. she's smart efficient and good looking. But that would be to easy. Instead he takes her through the paces. He makes her think about how she dresses. He coaches her on presentation. He prepares her for the road blocks and most of all, he shows her that no matter how much he believes in her it's worthless unless she believes in herself. And that of course is the crux of his problem.

Freeman appears as the epitome of self confidence and cool, but he's also an actor, and while his demeanor is practiced and nuanced, it's all all show. Scarlet, once she gets her head out in the open where she can use it to think, begins to realize that he is almost as lost as she is.

With witty dialogue and real feeling these two desperate people reach out to each other providing the proverbial helping hand. Their relationship is sweet and compelling. You get the feeling that there could be something more for the couple if they stayed together, but it wouldn't be real and it wouldn't be long before they realized it wouldn't work. So if your looking for the ride into the sunset hand in hand, you'll get it, but it just won't be at the end of the film

Vitus, He Said

If children are a blessing and a curse in our lives, than a child like Vitus is a child plus. He exposes his genius when is given a toy keyboard as a birthday gift. In the video of the birthday party, we see his mother amazement when Vitus takes the toy and begins playing it without a thought.

But his talents are not limited to music and while he takes joy in his ability to play beautiful music, both classical and popular, he has an uneasy feeling about his parents pushing him to excel. His first major rebellion occurs when they drop his piano teacher for enrollment in a music academy. What the director wants us to see is that while Vitus is a music prodigy he is in every way a little boy. He has special bond with his grandfather. As depicted in the film this bond is born from his grandfather's ability to to see the little boy in Vitus and nurture his need to grow up at his own speed.

The second big face off with mom and dad occurs when they fire his babysitter, Isabel. At this point Vitus has a huge crush on her and, as it turns out, a continuing affection for her. To express his anger, he simply locks his parents out of the apartment while he fakes an inability to hear their begging and pounding, while he plays the piano.

The problem I have with this film is that Vitus is the solution to all problems. He saves Isabel from a less than satisfactory relationship, he saves his fathers business career and he saves his grandfather from poverty. In doing this he provides everyone, including himself, with the key to happiness. This is an example of the age old tale of what happens when bad things happen to good people. It's just stretching the limits of fantasy to think that a young boy, no matter how brilliant, could be the solution.

That being said, this film is well presented and is entertaining. It is worth seeing if you can get past the precocious child being the saviour in all situations. The young actor who plays Vitus as a teen is competent and compelling. The parents are portrayed as good people who have lost their focus and the actors do a good job of portraying that. Grandpa is eloquently played by the legendary German actor, Bruno Ganz.

This film closes with one of my most unfavorite scenes. That is the scene where everyone gathers to honor the hero. It can be the courtroom or an assembly in the school, but in almost all cases, the scene is contrived and phony. In this case, I loved it. But I can't tell you why, because it would spoil the film for you.

Mostly Martha, He Said

In the German film, "Mostly Martha", Martha is a Chef that is anal retentive about her food, it's preparation and presentation. We also soon become aware that she has no life outside her kitchen. However, it's not the Martha that probably comes to the American film viewer's mind.

This Martha is the head chef in a fine German restaurant. By her own admission she has worked very hard to get to the position she is in and feels extremely comfortable with her standards. Much to the discomfort of the owner, she finds it easy to tell off a fastidious, but singularly stupid customer, that he doesn't know anything about food and she wouldn't mind if they didn't eat her cooking, if they can't appreciate it.

Her sister, as single mom, dies in an accident and Martha is forced to take care of her eight year old niece, Lina. Martha, while well intentioned, is ill prepared to deal with an eight year old, particularly one that is angry, confused and traumatized by the loss of her only parent.

There is a solution here. Martha is aware that the father is an Italian man, but knows only his first name, Giuseppe. Lina wants Martha to find her birth-father. Lina has the typical abandon childs fantasy about him. While she searches, Martha goes through the problems that any parent has, taking a difficult child to school, finding someone to watch her while she works and getting her to eat the right food.

Than there is the problem of Martha's employer hiring another cook to "help" Martha through her difficult times. Martha doesn't think she needs help and views the new cook, Mario, as competition. We get the feeling Mario is going to be problems in Martha's, now all of a sudden, topsy turvy world. Instead Mario acts as a calming influence in the kitchen, in Martha's relationship with Lina and finally with Martha herself.

This romantic comedy was the basis for a new American film, "No Reservations", starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. I have not seen this film and under normal circumstances I would not. Sorry, I'm no fan of Catherine Zeta-Jones nor American romantic comedies. Both are too predictable and formula driven to be interesting to me. However, the opportunity to compare and contrast will motivate me to rent, "No Reservations" when it is released on DVD.

You Kill Me, He Said

As an alcoholic, I appreciate the subject being handled realistically in any type of media presentation. The focus of most drama involving an alcoholic protagonist is "the meeting".
I think by now the twelve steps of Alcoholic Anonymous, or AA re known by most people just because of their use in the presentation of alcoholism in media.

The worst are the TV disease of the week type movie. The formula puts the victim at or arriving at the "bottom" or a low point in their use of the drug of choice. The drunk is losing their family, friends and career because of their uncontrolled drinking. If you throw in a squeaky clean trophy wife, a couple of tearful blond kids, you've got the Sunday night movie of the week. In the formula the drunk goes to an AA meeting. First they resist the people and the process. Than they experience a revelation, usually brought on by their sponsor and than they embrace the group and salivation prevails, usually after one more relapse

Better films have been made and in them you see vestiges of the many faces of the problems alcoholic. Understanding that Alcoholism is different for different people and as a result the meeting you go to may have as much to do with your success as the realization that you have a problem and only you can do anything about it.

The comedy "You Kill Me" is he one of the best I've ever seen. One of the things you want as a film maker is a sympathetic or at least likable protagonist. When we meet Frank Falenczyk, he is shoveling snow at his Buffalo, New York home. His incentive for finishing the job is throwing a bottle of vodka a few feet in front of his path. In order to get the bottle he has to shovel the snow. When he gets to the street, he greets his cousin. His cousin has a message from his uncle. Frank is suppose to kill a rival gang leader so that Frank's family gang can retain control of their illegal enterprises in the Buffalo. Frank doesn't get the job done, because he's drinks himself into a stupor as he stakes out the mark.

The family "intervention" is a little unusual in that while they do profess their love for Frank and they express their concern for his ability to function as a family member and employee, they are really pissed off because he is not killing their enemies.

Frank is sent to San Francisco to dry out. The problem is that Frank doesn't want to quit drinking. The only reason he does is because he doesn't have a choice. He gets a job as an assistant at a funeral home, the irony of this is inescapable. The obligatory scene at the meeting is interesting to me because it's so funny. The reason it's funny is because it probably is more realistic than most depictions. The participants are pathetic and self absorbed. As Franks sponsor Tom says, "Some of these people like to wallow in it". Franks bond with the group begins when he admits, not that he's and alcoholic, but that he is a hired assassin. The amazing thing about this film is that Frank's life completely changes not when he faces his drinking problem, but admits how he made his living. He finds friends and of course experiences the life changing moment of falling in love.

This film is so quirky and off beat that it easily could have been a disaster, but because of the direction of John Dahl and the able acting ability of Ben Kingsley, Bill Pullman, Luke Wilson and Tea Leoni, it works wonderfully. Wilson plays something other than a man stuck in a middle school kids body. Tea Leoni exhibits breadth in her ability to play different characters. And Kingsley, well he is one of the worlds greatest actors and taking a role like this shows confidence and ability of an actor who carries that label . This is a must see film for anyone who wants an enjoyable evening out or wants to see a good film about a drunk who wants to reform.

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, He Said

They are older, but than children do grow and change when they are attending high school. The teachers are relatively the same. Hogworts, the school that the young wizards attend still rests sternly on the hill side overlooking the river that flows... Well, we aren't sure where it flows but the it evokes a promise of a future.

The Harry Potter Series both book and film is about the future. It is in essence a coming of age tale that includes a compelling facet of magic. I ask you who hasn't wished that they couldn't solve their problems with a little bit of magic. Harry Potter, like Star Wars Luke Skywalker, is living with the memory and legacy of his father. Harry is the reluctant hero in the battle of forces that have been warring for power for all time. It is, as all good stories are, a battle between good and evil.

In this edition of the saga, Harry is inducted into the The Order of the Phoenix, a group that supports the good Wizards, the organization that refuses to go the dark side. Complicating this situation is in intractable bureaucracy that doesn't want to admit that Lord Voldemort, the leader of those on the dark side has indeed returned to overthrow the good wizards.
Pretty predictable stuff, Eh!

No one will ever argue that J K Rowling can't write a good story. She can indeed. Her books have reintroduced reading to millions of TV, Nintendo, and You Tube addicted teenagers. While the author has strung along her readers through six novels and is releasing the final one in close proximity to the release of this film, she has successfully established a Disney like franchise that will no doubt hook future generations. It's easy to see today's readers introducing their children to Harry just like my folks wanted me to read the "Black Stallion" books and my sister was urged to read Nancy Drew.

But what I'm suppose to write about here is my opinion of the movie. The Harry Potter films have always suffered from poor casting and it starts with Daniel Radcliffe. Radcliffe's range is insufficient to play the morose and brooding Potter. Even as a young Potter, Radcliffe couldn't portray the innocent and vulnerable Harry. As a now enlightened and supposedly wiser young wizard, Radcliffe can't pull it off.

Emma Watson didn't have enough of a role in this film to judge her worth to the effort and the same must be said of the usually reliable Rupert Grint, in the role of Ron Weasley. The star studded cast does make the film notable in it's performance, but you can't build a strong performance on a star that gets as much screen time as Radcliffe does and who can't shoulder the load. I've always wondered how the film's would fare if Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley was cast as Potter and the limited Radcliffe was playing the buddy role. It couldn't be worse and it would have a chance of being better, Grint can act.

Jindabyne, He Said

Four guys go on a weekend fishing trip. something happens out there, but they don't want to talk about it. A description of the classic movie "Deliverance"? No, but the comparison could be made. In the case of Jindabyne, the guys didn't really do anything other than ignore the commission of a crime while they continued with their fishing. But tying the naked body of a dead aboriginal girl to a tree root while they continued to fish did not sit well with the people from the small town they lived in and in particular the

In the early part of this film a great deal is made about the importance and the tradition of this fishing trip. Enhancing the significance is the addition of a new young recruit to the group. Each of the participants in this foray have issues that are unique and play into the plot, but the main focus is put on the Kane's, Claire and Stewart. Their relationship is clouded by Claire's desertion of the family following the birth of their son. She's back and they are trying to put their lives together again, but there is much that is not settled. Claire is aware of the scrutiny she is under and Stewart still doesn't understand why she left in the first place

When are merry band of fishermen get into the barely accessible stretch of the river, they discover the dead body of an aboriginal girl floating down the river. We saw her abducted and disposed of in the opening of the film. They decide to concoct a story that blames their tardiness on the sprained ankle of one of them.

This lame story (excuse me I couldn't pass that up) didn't fare well with the townspeople and in particular the aboriginal people in the community. They are taken to task for their heartlessness and racism. No one seems to understand their callousness including one member of their own party.

The latter part of the film sees Claire reaching out, seemingly to no avail, to the native people. It's apparent she is doing this to deal with her own issues as well as the greater problems of misunderstanding and mistrust built between the native people and the white people.

This film takes place in a colorless town in Australia. My guess is that the director wanted that pallet to indicate the drabness of life and to focus n the racial tension in the community. Laura Linny is wonderful as the conflicted Claire. Garbriel Byrne equals her as her husband Stewart.

The problem I had was with the continuity of the script. It seems to me some editorial cuts were made that paid little attention to sequence of facts we needed to know to get us from one place to the next. I remember very little of the discussion, the all important discussion, the men had in deciding to tether the body to a tree root while they continued to fish. And I haven't clue how the town suddenly and unanimously decided the story they told was flawed. I think this was a valiant effort to tell an important story that was lost on the cutting room floor

Ferris Bueller's Day Off, He Said

I've said for years this film is the finest example of it's genre. It's a story about coming of age, the last fling before adulthood and giving the status quo the finger on your way out the door on the road to becoming part of the status quo, film. It also is John Hughes homage to his home town, Chicago.

Hughes cast a young Mathew Broderick as Ferris Bueller, the wise guy pain in the ass to the high school principle. Ed Roony. Ferris has charmed his parents, friends and most everyone except Rooney. Ferris quilts his best friend Cameron Frye into stealing his dad's vintage sports car, mimicking his girls friends father so they can spring her from school and facing up to the rest of his life. Cautionary note here. If you're looking for a character arc, the character that changes in this story is Cameron.

The hi-jinks of this trio are legendary. If you've never seen this film in it's entirety, you probably are aware of some of the scenes, because of their out take and situational value. The most famous is the improbable but enjoyable scene, where Ferris hi jacks a float in a Chicago downtown parade and leads the crowd in a Broadway style version of the Beatle's "Twist and Shout". The most creative is a MTV type montage of shots inside the The Chicago Art Institute.

The battle between the stuffy irate principle and the always ahead of the situation Bueller, comes to a head when in a final confrontation Ferris has to depend on his sister, a character who has been setup as an unlikely ally. Her conversion to the Ferris Bueller fan club is handled in such a way that we never see it coming.

All in all this film is just fun. I label it a classic simply because, while the costumes and the pop culture references are somewhat dated, the film is still relevant. Kid's are always rebelling against authority. We could only hope they express that dissatisfaction by skipping school to go to Wriggly Field, The Chicago Institute of Art and attend a Parade

Evening, He Said

I've always hated the segregation of films into guy films and chick flix's. When you term a film like "Field of Dreams" as a man's film, you deny women the chance to see how men can feel about their relationship with their fathers. This would be true of the film "Evening", if men chose not to see it because some critic or the marketing department shortcut their responsibilities and hung the Gal film label on the it.

It is true that the main theme of this film is the relationship between mothers and their daughters and I for one can't learn enough about this subject, as every women I know and care about has a mother and these relationships fairly teem with nuances and issues I have no clue about.

In addition to the need to understand more about the subject, men would deny themselves the opportunity to see some fine performances by some of our finest actresses. The unique situation here is the film features two mother daughter teams. Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha Richardson play a mother and daughter. Meyrl Streep and Mamie Gummer play one character at different ages.

In this magnificent use of the flashback technique Michael Cunningham and Susan Minot, who wrote the novel the script is based on, combine to write a script that allows us to go back in time and return to present day seamlessly and intelligently to understand how things of the past affect the way we are today.

In this story, two daughters are trying to make sense of their lives and their relationship as their mother lays dying in the room above them. The mothers dreams and ravings, assisted by the painkilling drugs she is getting to make her comfortable, are suggesting to her daughters a part of her life that they are unaware.

We see the past through the dreams of the mother, played by Vanessa Redgrave. Her younger self, Ann, played wonderfully by Claire Danes, is the off beat New York friend of socialite, Lila, played by Mamie Gummer. Ann has traveled to Rhode Island to be the maid of honor in Lila's wedding. Lila's brother, played by Hugh Dancy, is eager to stop his sister's marriage to the family's approved spouse in favor the their friend Harris. Harris is the son of an old housekeeper, who has become a part of the family.

Harris has returned for the wedding from his medical practice in a small town where he serves a mainly poor clientele. it is obvious that he is welcome, but he would not be if he were to try and elevate himself above his status in the eyes of Lila and Buddy Wttenborn's Parents, played by Glenn Close and Barry Bostwick. In the story of the past Harris's relationship with Lila, Buddy and Ann hold the key to the mystery of why Ann is reliving this time in her life as she prepares to die.

In the present her daughter Nina, played by Toni Collette, is unsure of her future. she has been bounding from one career to another and duplicating that pattern in her love life for years. At this point however there is a unanticipated defining moment in her life occurring. she is pregnant with the child of a man who truly loves her and wants to marry her. She is afraid of making a mistake, which is why she has lived her whole life in a series of failures to commitment.

Her sister Constance, played by Natasha Richardson is the 'good daughter", who has the career, the husband and kids. her success hides and equally frustrating suspicion that somehow by committing she's missed something.

What we learn in the end is that by committing we do pass up opportunities and we will never know what might have been and we can't help but wonder but grieving over lost opportunities that might have been is a wast of time. This is brought home in a scene where Lila , played at this age by Meyrl Streep, comes to spend one last visit with the dying Ann. Reminiscent of an earlier scene where they lay together in Lila's bed on the the morning of her wedding a discussed her commitment to her marriage that day, this time they talked about Harris and what he meant to both of them and how their lives turned out because both of them turned down the chance to build a future with him when in truth they both wanted to do that and turned their back on the chance.

In the end, that scene summed it up for us, but one more scene between Nina and the older Lila summed it up for the girls. In the end, it's not the life we could have had that counts, it's what we do with the life we got.

Once, He Said

The musical is as movie genre as old as the talkie. In recent years, it has taken a back seat probably best done in animation by Disney. But take heart, telling a story by singing your heart out has not died. John Carney director and writer has given us a totally different take on the concept with his film "Once".

eastern We are introduced to a Dublin street busker who is playing, as he says, what people want to hear during the day and his songs at night when there aren't as many people. A immigrant European women encourages him to record his music. Her aid and encouragement seems selfless, but in fact she also needs an outlet for her pain. As it turns out she is an accomplished musician and just the thing he needs to take his flagging pride to another level.

Both of these people are drifting after the loves of their lives failed them. He lost his girlfriend when she left him for a new life in London. The girl, there are no character names in this film, left the father of her child in her home country to find a new and more hopeful life. What they have in common is music and beautiful music it is.

In this film music is not incidental music to create background. The director is not creating moods or scene with familiar music. With their music, he created dialogue that drives the story and introduces us to the characters. Following them in their effort to record their songs, we are exposed to their dreams, suffer their pain and hear their stories.

In the wings lurks the question, can they over come their grief and find love and if they do will it be with each other? I won't tell you the answer to that, because it would spoil it for you, but I can tell you that seeing this film is a wonderful and worthwhile experience.

The Valet (Doublure, La), He Said

Romantic comedies are so much better with French subtitles, or so it might seem. The plot of this farce is simple. The CEO of a large French company has a mistress. She happens to be a supermodel (potential trophy wife of the highest order). They are photographed together and the photo is published in a newspaper along with the obligatory speculation that there is a romance in the air.

Our CEO / Lover is worried about his wife, not because he loves her, but because she controls sixty percent of the stock in the company he runs. In the the photo there is a man passing by. Our CEO's attorney suggests that they set up this guy with the supermodel to take the heat off of him until his position at the company can be secured, he can than divorce his wife and have his trophy,

Cut to hapless man walking past the power couple at the moment the photo is snapped. He is a parking valet for a popular restaurant, who lives with his pal in a dumpy flat commiserate with their status in Paris. His girlfriend has just gone into debt to open a bookstore. When he proposes to her, she tells him that she is too involved in her venture to consider marriage to him. Despite her offer to remain friends, he is despondent and desperate

Cut to supermodel, (think whore with a heart stereotype). She is actually in love with the CEO, but wants him to leave his wife and marry her. She serves him notice and leaves him. But the damage from the photo is done and the CEO must recruit her and the hapless hero to play act as a couple until the heat is off of him. Hapless man does it for enough money to get his girlfriends bookstore out of hock. Supermodel makes the CEO a deal. Hedging her bet, she'll do it for twenty million which he will get back when he divorces his wife.

And so the playacting begins, with the question for everyone else is what the supermodel sees in the Valet and why isn't he more happy about his new room mate. Events all work out in the end, but the trip is enjoyable and while somewhat predictable amusing in a very French way of looking at things

Paris Je T'aime, He said

This is an unusual film in that it is an anthology of "love stories from the city of love." A series of short stories with the theme of love with absolutely no ties to one another, except they all occur in Paris.
The segments range from brilliant to "I can't wait until it's over it's so bad". It is so uneven that I can't begin to deconstruct it. I'd have to run it in slow motion to do a credible job. And frankly it's not worth it

Pirates of the Caribbean, He Said

If you saw Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man's Chest you will see what is suppose to be the conclusion to the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, At Worlds End . While most of us loved the first film in the series, Dead Man's Chest was a disappointment, so the opening of At Worlds End was greeted with a great deal of scrutiny. Maybe the third time is the charm, but this version of Pirates of the Caribbean (POC), left me breathless. And that's saying a lot when you consider that if you see this film from start to finish, you've invested 168 minutes of your life.

There is no doubt that even though Kira Knightly, Orlando Bloom, and Geoffrey Rush add mightily to this saga, it is Johnny Depp that literally steals the show. His facial makeup, flamboyantly overdone Pirate costume and devil may care attitude are so close to over the top that Depp has to walk a care full line so as not to let the character slide into the realm of the ridiculous. He succeeds with plenty to spare.

Playing Captain Jack Sparrow, Depp is the strong north pull in the compass that guides Kira Knightly's character as she is forced to choose between the man her father has chosen for her, the man she wants to love and the man that intrigues and tempts her. Captain Jack Sparrow is that charmingly naughty boy that, when he is around, fathers worry for the virtue of their wives as well as their daughters.

This fantasy tale pits the image of the pirates being the Robin Hood type good guys as they battle for independence and fairness against the corrupt British Government forces who seek to dominate the world in the name of the trading companies (As if any legitimate government would sell out to commercial interests, but than good fantasy is the process of suspending disbelief.)

I'm in awe of great bad guys and in many ways POC has some of the best. Tom Hollander as the sleaze and greasy but suave military brute Beckett, who plays Javer to Will Turner's, played by Orlando Bloom, Valjean in one of the trilogy sub plots, is good a bad guy as you'll find. And than there is the Bill Nighy as the tentacle faced Davey Jones.

The theme of this series, brought to a crescendo in the finale, is the constantly changing alliances among the principles, (You might want to keep score.) The special effects are grand and they do fit into the context of the story. The ending is well crafted and believable, while surprising. All in all, this final film in the trilogy is a good film on it's own and that might be the best test.

Away From Her, He Said

To tell a story you need to have compelling characters in a situation that somehow changes them or the world around them. If you were going to write a screenplay, you could do no better than to start with a short story written by Alice Munro, the acknowledged current champ in that category. Sarah Polley turned to Munro's "The Bear Came Over the Mountain".

This tender and wonderful tale is about a couple facing Fiona's, Grant's wife played by Julie Christie, decent into the hell of dementia. She is more aware and more rational about her condition than her husband, played by Gordon Pinsent. Fiona decides she must admit herself into a rest home that deals with dementia patients. (All patients with dementia do not necessarily have Alziemer's, but the treatment is essentially the same)

The closer the day when Fiona is going to leave, the more apprehension begins to build in Grant's mind. It accelerates quickly on the drive to the rest home. During the trip, Fiona reminds him that some memories she has are good and some she wishes she could get rid of. The memory she wants to forget is of an affair he had with one of his students. On the other hand, she is oddly happy about the fact that he did decide to stay with her. He has validated their relationship by resisting temptation to leave her for a younger woman.

After a required period of no contact for thirty days imposed by the rest home, Grant visits Fiona only to find that already she is confused about who he is. Not only is that fact difficult to process, but Fiona has taken responsibility for a fellow male patient Aubrey who has not only become dependent on her , but somewhat possessive.

Grant has befriended the head nurse who coaches him through his understanding of what is going on. But what the head nurse can not do is get rid of the nagging feeling that he has to compete for the affection and loyalty for his wife. It's only when Aubrey is taken out of the home by his wife and Fiona in her grief begins to slid further down the slippery slope that dementia can be, that Grant realizes that the price he might have to pay for any meaningful contact that he might have with his wife.

In short, even though Julie Christe is stunning, this film is not so much about the character that she plays, but the husband Grant. Grant begins with denial and ends up with a more complete understanding of Fiona's experience. Once again his decision is to stay with her or to leave.

(For more information on this condition see www.alz.org )

Waitress, He Said

Let me start by letting you know that I loved this film, but I can't tell you what I like best about this film, because f I did I give the ending away.

Director, Writer and Actress of this classic story, Adrienne Shelly has crafted a tale about a small town girl, Jenna, who is married to Earl. He is a insecure, jealous, controlling man with tendency to violence. Jenna, played wonderfully by Keri Russell, is a waitress-pastry cook at the local pie cafe. Normally we would assume that the answer to her problem would be to leave Earl, but she finds out that she is pregnant. Her workmates, Becky and Dawn, rally around her and we are given the possibility that she might escape Earl long enough to win a pie contest. With the money she would win she could solve her problem.

The second curve ball is when Jenna meets her new Doctor, Dr. Pomatter, portrayed by Nathan Fillion. He is new to town and taking over the practice of her regular physician. Dr. Jim Pomatter is instantly and obviously taken with Jenna.

The one thing that is apparent to us is that Jenna does not want to have this baby. She is given a book for expectant mothers and with the urging of her friend Dawn, she tells her story in a narrative letter to her unborn baby. We learn that she was taught to bake pies by a mother who she loved, she is married a guy who changed for the worst after they got married, the love is gone out their marriage and she has feelings for her Doctor.

The script for this is so tight and the story so compelling that I can't find any fault. Keri Russel is wonderful as the plucky pie maker, who has a pie recipe for every occasion and makes us all wish we could wrap our arms around her and hold her for twenty minutes for no reason except to make her feel safe.

(Sadly, Adrienne Shelly has passed away since this film was completed. I'm sure there was more enjoyable film experience in this woman's future that we've been denied.)

Zwartboek (Black Book), He Said

In Black Book, director, writer Paul Verhoeven paints a picture of the the crumbling control of the Nazi's in 1945 Holland. Our heroine, Rachael is separated from her family and living with a sympathetic Christian family. The Nazi's discover her and her benefactors. But before they can strike Rachael and her friend take the offer of a resistance fighter and attempt an escape. The escape offer is a trap. The boat full of wealthy Jewish families and their valuables is attacked. The passengers are mercilessly gunned down and their belongings are looted. Only Rachael escapes.

Here in starts a journey of unbelievable violence, intrigue and romance. If I were to describe our heroine in this Dutch German film as plucky it wouldn't quiet carry the day. Instead, if you will, visualize Gidgit played by Angelina Jolie. Rachael is saved by the real resistance fighters. Since Rachael, played by Carice van Houton, is a name that is Jewish in origin, she changes her name to Ellis. She serves faithfully at lower levels of the resistance movement and when she is asked to assume a more dangerous role, she accepts eagerly.

Being raised in a time when duplicity, particularly for a Jew, was a life saving skill, Ellis excels at the subterfuge and diversion necessary to succeed at this kind of war craft. Soon she is put in a position of getting inside the SS headquarters. In a move which might possibly save the lives of her captured colleagues, her task is to bed and therefore compromise, the head of the SS, Luwig Muntze, portrayed by Sabastian Koch. They bed, but in the process they fall in love.

He is aware, almost from the beginning, that she is not what she represents herself to be, but his loneliness and his fascination with her overrules his judgement. While this will lead to his downfall, it is also emblematic of the crumbling of the Nazi resolve at his point in the war. Muntz is aware that the end, for the Germans, is near and that continuing slaughter is senseless and self defeating when he considers the aftermath.

In a way these issues with the writer batting us back and forth like a tennis ball on the matter of who is loyal to their respective organizations and who is a traitor is the driving the story. However, what we discover as the story progresses is that given the situation anybody can behave in a manner that they don't want to visit in their saner moments. For it is when the Nazis turned tail, that the resistance doesn't exactly shine in their moment of victory. Their retaliation and vengeance smacked of the very tactics and practices of their enemy.

Clearly, this film demonstrates the point that has been made many times. The Nazis lost the war primarily because of their genocidal activities. Regardless of the obvious wrong of their super race theory, the simple logistics of carrying out the attempt to eliminate the Jews cost them manpower, resources and assets, all of which detracted from their occupation efforts. This film posses a strong story line about the resistance, the characters involved, their issues and beliefs. On the other side, we see the perversity, criminality and duplicity of the failing German administration.

All in all this is a good film. The script is solid and the story is compelling. The acting is more than competent and the scenes are set brilliantly. If there is a failing, it is in execution of this script. I felt at times that Verhoeven went over the top. Our "plucky" heroine is subjected to every kind of degradation possible short of death. This led me to a kind of "oh for crying out loud, enough already" attitude when, near the end of the film, she is doused with the refuse from the latrines in the prison camp.

In this effort to set up the arc of the story, Verhoeven opens with Rachael in a Kibbutz in Israel. When he closes she is walking back into the barbed wire compound of her kibbutz as the troops protecting the encampment are rallying to an upcoming attack. This leaves us with the strong message that nothing has changed in her life and maybe that is the intended assumption. We want avoid thinking of the capabilities of the dark side of man and we almost always refuse to learn from our history.

Year of the Dog, He Said

There are laughs in this film, but most of the time you have to wipe away the tears or try to control your angst. Mike White, writer and director of this film, introduces us to Peggy, played by Molly Shannon,who is perfectly cast and performs beautifully. Peggy is a world class old maid, who is dedicated to her little dog Pencil, even as she functions as good employee and maiden Aunt to brothers kids.

Her crises begins when her dog gets out of the house, gets into some unknown poison and eventually dies. This event kicks her out of the normal straight lane of her life. She is convinced by a activist to adopt a large dog that has a history of abuse. The animal is totally inappropriate for her, but she takes it in order to save it. The activist, Newt, played by Peter Sarsgaard, offers to help her train the dog. This brings them into regular and intimate contact. Their relationship seems to be moving toward romance when we find out that Newt is neither homo sexual nor hetero sexual, but celibate

throat. In a fit remorse, she adopts Peggy's disappointment sends her over the edge. Her behaviour is marked by taking up the cause of all animals. She had become a Vegan to impress Newt. Now she steals money from her boss to donate to animal rights causes. She tries to shove stray dogs down every one's throat in order to spare the dogs life. In a fit of depression, she adopts a herd of dogs that she can't possibly take care of. In addition, she begins to imagine her neighbor poisoned her dog, Pencil, either by accident, but possibly on purpose.
While much of this is humorous, Molly Shannon did far to good of a job convincing me that this women is pathetic and lost in life. She seems to want a normal life with a husband and kids, but her insecurity is manifest in her obsession with animals. if this is humor it's black humor.

The funniest scenes to me are her visits to her brother's house. she always brings a gift which is subtly but firmly deemed suspect, by his wife, played by Laura Dern. The neurotic mom always has a question as to the intellectual value or intrinsic danger Molly's gifts present.

My biggest problem with this film, sweet as it might be, is that there is no character arc. Molly is a insecure women who invests her love and attention on animals because she is afraid of human relationships. In the end she is just a more outgoing, maybe courageous, form of the same thing.

My advise is to rent it. it's worth a look , but not at eights dollars

In the Land of Women, He Said

If you're worried that because JoBeth Williams and Meg Ryan are featured in this tale of personal discovery that it's going to degenerate into some sappy romantic comedy, take heart. In this film Ryan portrays, Sarah Hardwicke, a mother of two girls. She discovers that she has breast cancer. She already knows that she has a husband who cheats on her, a teenage daughter who hates her for no apparent reason and that her life is beginning to add up to nothing.

Into this quiet Michigan town arrives young Carter Webb, played by Adam Brody. Carter has been devastated by the break up of his long relationship with a young Hollywood starlet and his failure to write the screenplay he has long wanted to write. He moves into the house across the street from Sarah to take care of his Grandmother, played brilliantly by Olympia Dukakis. Grandma thinks she's dying and Carter in a vain attempt to run from all of his perceived problems in Los Angeles, volunteers to take care of her.

When Josh meets Sarah it's the innocent but tried and true method of dog leads girl to man. They end up getting to know each other by walking the Hardwicke family dog. Eventually, they share their stories with each other and form an almost conspiritol bond of caring and concern.

Sarah, attempting to deny her less than chaste feelings for Carter tries to foist him off on her oldest daughter, Lucy, played by Kristen Stewart. Lucy, in her turn, falls for Carters innocent charm and confides in him whats going on in the family, from her perspective.

Sarah's cancer treatments and Carter's invlovement with Lucy bring many of the issues to the surface. His grandmothers death forces events to a climax. What we learn is that living a life of denial and regret brings us nothing by disappointment and grief. By facing the life we have and living it to it's fullest is far better than just taking the punches. Josh, Sarah, and Lucy all find their next direction in lives not fully lived and benefitted from loving and caring for each other.

When I sat down to watch this film the first couple of scenes gave me that creepy feeling that I was going to have to sit through one of those contrived and silly romantic comedies that mock and redicule the possability of the older woman and the younger man falling in love. I was fooled. This film is much more dramatic and worthwile than that scenario would allow. It was refreshing to see the young talent of Stewart and Brody blooming and the revival of Meg Ryan from a role of depth and charcter with larger scope than some of her recent roles.

Perfect Stranger, He Said

Don't blame Halle Berry if you hear that this movie fails on so many levels that it's a wonder it ever got shown. Well, come to think of it you might blame Halle for not watching the company she keeps since she won her Oscar for "Monsters Ball". It's as if she was trying to show us that she can out Bruce Willis Bruce Willis in attempting to waste more talent in a lifetime by making as many big budget action thriller nonsense as she can. Did I mention Bruce Willis was in this film also?

Actually for what they were used for you could have put up cardboard cutouts of them and had the co-stars and extras work around them. The script for this vehicle was lacking in many area's but good dialogue stood out as the most glaring gap in good film making. The story of a the disrespected top reporter who turns a personal tragedy into a crusade for justice is just so thin and unbelievable that even the stunning Miss Berry and the witty Mr. Willis can't get us to suspend disbelief long enough to get into the story.

The who dun it is contrived, but I will admit you will not see the last twist coming. Mostly the mystery ending is so well hidden because it isn't at all foreshadowed and is not believable in any sense.

She and I agree that "Eye's Wide Shut" is probably the worst film we ever saw. This one isn't that bad, however I wouldn't recommend anyone going to see this film.

(There is a she as in the "she said" title of this blog and she will write pretty soon, I'm sure.)

The Hoax, He said

For Lassie Hallstrom to take on the film "The Hoax", the allure had to be wrapped in the promise of a doing a period film. Hallstrom, who does these things very well, captures the mood and feel of the early 1970's so well that you could imagine you were watching Alfred Molina and Richard Gere made up to look older in a film that was actually shot in 1972.

The story is simple and the outcome is remembered by most of us that lived through it at the time. It's a time when Life magazine was one of the most powerful news and information outlets. It was the time when the post Nixon era was birthing itself behind the scenes as plans to burglarize the Democratic headquarters at the Watergate Hotel were formulating. It was a time when free love and drugs were more a part of the main stream culture than they had been, but liquor and cigarettes were still the drug of choice.

Clifford Irving, portrayed by Richard Gere, is a talented but struggling writer with many problems. His marriage is in danger because his wife discovered he was having an affair. His career is not going well because his last book was rejected and his previous book did not sell well.

In total desperation, he tells his editor that he has the exclusive rights to interview and write the biography of the reclusive industrialist and millionaire eccentric, Howard Hughes. He and his research assistant, played brilliantly by Alfred Molina, create the aura of authenticity that sways a sceptical but greedy editorial and publishing staff into giving Irving over a million dollars for the right to publish the book. Irving is counting on Hughes staying silent on the subterfuge because he has litigation problems with his TWA stockholders, A public appearance to refute Clifford's claim would be a disaster for the industrial wizard.


At this point in the story, we are led to believe, Irving has begun lying to his wife in a desperate attempt to save his marriage and that lying to his editors to save his career is the next step in inevitable journey to self destruction. However, my guess is that Irving was always cutting corners. He simply was to good a liar to be a recent practitioner.

The conflict is built around greed. First there is Irving's greed and need for money and success. But there is also the greed of the publishers in their suspension of disbelief in order to capitalize on the public's fascination with Howard Hughes.

Where this film get off track is when we see scenes that happen only in the mind of Clifford Irving. We are led to believe that the pressure of all of this deception has Irving imagining visits by CA types and involvement with Hughes operatives that eventually lead to his downfall. We are led to believe his exposure and eventual downfall is not because he has perpetrated and enormous fraud, hoax is to kind of a word, but because Howard Hughes is through using him in order to get back at ... . Well, I let you find that out if you bother to see this film.

Hallstrom, the director, got the sense of place he needed to portray this interesting side note to history. Gere and Molina's performances were spot on and wonderful to experience. But the script got very mushy toward the end. It was as if the truth of this story wasn't enough and had to be embellished, when in reality it didn't.

The Namesake, He Said

What is unusual about this coming of age tale is that it is the saga of three people coming of age. We are introduced to a young Ashoke Ganguli, who has a "road to Damascus" revelation on a annual train trip to visit his grandfather. A fellow passenger tries to tell the young man to see the world, when his inclination is to stay in India. The train has an accident and our young friend barely survives. The next time we see him, he has returned to India from his teaching position in the United States to meet the wife his parents have chosen for him.

Our second traveler on the road to life change is Ashoke's bride to be, Ashima. This young women takes a chance on a the young man she has meet only once, because, we are led to believe, because she liked the feeling of trying on his shoes. She took a walk in his shoes on the sly just before she met him. In addition to the obvious symbolism of this gesture, she likes the idea of going on an adventure in America.

Their successful transplantation into American society and marriage leads to the introduction of the third member of the story, their son Gogol. They name their son Gogol because his father had been reading the work of Nicoly Gogol when he was involved in the train accident.
The interwoven tale is full of the cliches of life. Ashima's difficulty in making the transition from Indian society to America, Ashoke's problems in dealing with his wife's insecurity, and Gogol's typical youth rebellion issues including the racial pressures. But aside from facing the typical challenges of life, this trio has to deal with being in a society that does not always understand nor does it want to understand the traditions and differences of Indian Americans

While the story tends to focus on Gogol, it shows the us changes taking place in all of their lives. This a wonderful saga of a family in American and it could be, with a change in the customs and mores, the story of almost any immigrant family that raises their children in a foreign country.

In one scene, Gogol is a guest at a party for his Anglo girl friend. A guest is asking him questions about India. While it is humorous because, as he points out, he was born in New Jersey, it's also interesting that he has no answers to her questions, because he doesn't know much about his father and mother's country.

I loved this film. It was thoughtfully and graciously filmed, yet didn't pull back from the pain that life can bring all of us. It exposed us to two cultures that most of us know nothing about, those being India and Indians living in America. The story takes soft twists and turns, but eventually leads us to the place where the lessons have been leaned and we see the future and it is good.