GRACE IS GONE

GRACE IS GONE IS AMAZING GRACE
When you chance something that you haven't heard any buzz on, it either really bombed or was so quirky that only a few people saw it in the theaters. This is one that went by unnoticed. Perhaps due to the reference to the war and the soldiers who die and those who are left behind to deal with the loss? John Cusack, as an actual character who played it straight and didn't reveal his usual screen presence, is Stanley, a man married to a woman stationed in Iraq. Early in the movie we get the picture than Stanley is a conservative who plays it tough with his two daughters (excellent work in both young actresses). After getting the news that his wife is dead, instead of telling his daughters, he takes them away for a long drive to an amusement park several states away. He uses that time to work through his grief and gets a perspective before he even thinks about telling his daughters. He tries his best in a sweet, nerdy way to show his daughters the value of having fun. All the rules go out the door as if it was a "make-a-wish" wish. The bond between Stanley and his daughters is so tender and real that your own heart beats in tandem with theirs. While difficult to first see Cusack in this huge departure to "adult" films (you know what I mean!) at the end of the movie he has proved his skill and craftiness as an actor. The moments that are told with subtlety are the ones I held my breath through. Both Cusack and his screen daughters are able to show what they are feeling without saying a word. In fact, I think the most poignant scenes are those where the words fade into the background as the score fills up the space. Those are the "Kleenex moments". I really enjoyed this film.
PICK: A powerful and special movie addressing the war in Iraq and the people whose lives are touched by it.

27 DRESSES

27 DRESSES IS 27 TOO MANY
"Kevin: [in Jane's apartment, with her showing off her dresses as she pulls out a loud-looking Gone With The Wind dress] What is that?

Jane: [holding the dress up to herself] Theme wedding!

Kevin: What was the theme? Humiliation? "

Perhaps humiliation would do best as the word I use to describe this film, although disaster works well too. The story about a woman who is in love with love and extends her gift of wedding knowledge to help others with their weddings. This movie was predictable, stereotypical and has already been done. My Best Friend's Wedding+ The Wedding Planner+The Wedding Singer... I didn't overly love any of those movies but would rather see them again then see 27 Dresses. There was NO chemistry with either of the male actors and their women "counterparts". The dialogue sounded like dialogue, not like people actually talking (yes, big difference). The cliche of the drunken night with a terrible song that everyone in the bar happens to love and know the lyrics to... this movie was unbelievable (in the bad way) and a slap to women everywhere.
NOT a pick: An unoriginal and sloppily made movie. Save your time.

THE GOLDEN COMPASS

THE GOLDEN COMPASS DOESN'T KNOW WHICH WAY IS UP
This is a pretty film. It is very, very, very, very pretty. There are some neato CGI effects. They are really, really, really, really neato. Oh, and Nicole Kidman is in this for, about 17 minutes of film, along with Daniel Craig. This film is a combination of Harry Potter meets Narnia, meets Lord of the Rings, meets Star Wars meets the Matrix. Serafina Pekkala: "There are many universes and many Earths parallel to each other. Worlds like yours, where people's souls live inside their bodies, and worlds like mine, where they walk beside us, as animal spirits we call daemons." Blah, blah, blah, blah... Obviously it is an adventure movie with little bits of all the other films tossed in. There is no motivation for the characters. The girl, Lyra, is a young girl, but acts and thinks like a 35 year old. I think they took a life-sized cardboard cutout of Nicole Kidman and just moved it around here and there.

It is a long movie... no, it just seems like a long movie, so much should have been edited. Then there's the ending. As their sky-boat rides into the sunset, Lyra ends with this... "We'll set things right. We will. You, and me, and Iorek, and Serafina Pekkala, and Mr. Scoresby. And my father. We'll set it right, Pan. Just let them try to stop us." That, of course, leads us in to the other films to come, but unlike the referenced films, there is no feeling of closure. A good film should be able to stand alone no matter how many prequels or sequels there are. This was a very, very, very, very terrible film.
NOT a pick: Save your time, not a good plot or characters. Total waste of time.

YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH

YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH IS COPALLA'S "OPUS"
Francis Ford Coppala has been MIA for the past 10 years and then now presents this film he wrote and directed. The first part of this film has a Bergman/Fellini/Lynch sort of feel and it's what I imagine a regular movie on acid would be like. I refuse to attempt to even try to present the film's plot and/or the hidden messages detected thereof. The dream world meets reality is actually a dream but it's not. Got that? Yeah, me neither. However the second part of this film, feels like Hitchcock and the more romantic moments of his films. Past lives, his one and only love, throwing one's self before a speeding train to save a lover who has got her heel stuck in the train track... bits and pieces that attempt to describe.

Each scene has carefully scored music to accompany it and that music plays like an individual role and/or character. It is a beautiful, lavish film. Tim Roth plays the main character, Dominic, but aside from a brief appearance by Matt Damon, there were no other cast members I recognised. Roth owned this part. It could have been played too over the top, but he gave it just enough energy to bring Dominic to life and hitting a home run for the good of the whole movie. I was mesmerized by him. Even when the film took tangents that I could barely follow, it was Roth than was impossible to ignore. This film was beautiful, heartfelt and well made. That being said, this is not a movie for the masses. It is long and hard to follow at times. If you can handle existential psychology, then this is your film.
PICK: Although not for everyone, beautiful looking well acted and a strong musical score.

BELLA

BELLA IS BEAUTIFUL
"One Person Can Change Your Life Forever..."
This is one of those movies, like Magnolia where even though we can't connect the dots right away, by the end of the movie we see the picture of the whole puzzle and stand back shaking our heads and say, oh yeah, I get it. This is definitely a character driven story. No explosions, so gunfire, but compelling characters in a story where the end isn't what you think. It is a story about pain, redemption, grief, trauma, suffering but for some reason is life affirming and more warm than cold. Similar in The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom, your actions each day, no matter how big or small can possible alter the life course of another person as they can do the same for you. No major actors (major Latino actors) but each actor is strong and compliments the other. It is a beautiful story, even though there is not much plot in the movie, there still is a big picture.
PICK: A simple story told by not so simple characters, poignant and touching

UNTRACEABLE

UNTRACEABLE, UNWATCHABLE

What a waste of time. By my posting on the Internet, the movie's message would be reinforced. The Internet can be used for evil and not good and it unites us to see things we never imagined. Early on we see what the moral of this story is as our main character, tough FBI agent Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) literally drives by a gory accident and we see the cars slowing to see. However, it is not merely a message driven film. Actually, it feels like there are two films mismatched and shoved together, the glue still wet and sticky. One film is a copy of the Saw series. It is violent, graphic and uncalled for. I was hoping it would only suggest the atrocities, but it doesn't. Credit that to the societal need for blood and guts.

The second film is a character piece, only there is only one character, Agent Marsh. There are other actors in the film, but Agent Marsh has more of a back-story than anyone. Think of The Silence of the Lambs in reverse. The bad guy barely has a thread of a motive for the killings and we don't really care about her domestic life. It is scary to think about how much information is accessed on the Internet. What happens to our world when the power goes off? How long could we function not being able to use the ATM, credit cards, debit cards... it is a good message, just not carried well in this movie.

NOT a pick: Disjointed stories that don't work well together. Pay cash and see a better flick.

RESSURECTING THE CHAMP

RESURRECTING THE CHAMP A KNOCK OUT
It's both a pleasure and a curse discovering a film that has flown under the radar for whatever reasons, but turns out to be insightful and sincere. This story is based on actual events that turn out to be a lie. Samuel Jackson, one of the finest actors in the business, plays "The Champ" a homeless man with a ruddy complexion and a love of beer. One night Erick Kernan (Josh Hartnett), green sports reporter working on back burner, well-hidden stories comes across a groups of punk kids beating up on the man. The two engage in conversation and the reporter smells a winning story, just what he needs after his editor says he "sees a lot of typing, but not a lot of writing." He gets to know the Champ, but doesn't get to know the person.

Sometimes we need the truth to be clean and, well, true, no matter what reality is. We find out later in the film that this includes the dynamics of father/son bonding. Kernan wrestles with his father's ghost and his son's adoration. Some say the ending is sad, but even with the sadness comes redemption. The idea sinks in on the importance of being who you are, no matter where you are. As mentioned, Samuel Jackson owns this movie. His performance is flawless and steady. Hartnett, on the other hand, was horribly miscast in his role. It wasn't his acting, but rather is teenage/boyish face that stands out. Although he is supposed to be young and a budding writer, he looks like he is writing a book report rather than an article. Additionally, his son was miscast as well. When do six-year-olds talk like that? When does a six-year-old understand the abstract issues bouncing around in his father's head? He is cute, but unbelievable as far as his dialogue. All in all, I enjoyed this film and, did I mention, LOVED Samuel Jackson?!?

PICK: Suspend your expectation for realism and enjoy an entertaining movie.

STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING

STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING LEADS INTO AN INTERESTING GOODNIGHT
This unique film provides insight to something different. There are no zombies, hostages, car crashes or tough guys who can break into a security system with a paper clip. There is no doubt that this is Frank Langella's film (Leonard Schiller). His portrayal of a man, weary from the curves life tosses around, falls prey to a budding collegiate, Heather (Lauren Ambrose), who is writing her graduate thesis on his writings. She has unbridled enthusiasm and that starry look in her fully dilated eyes that intrigue and interest him. He has a daughter older than she, Ariel (Lili Talor) but we see the train wreck far in advance despite his cloudy vision. This is definitely a New York/East Coast film and has the literary credentials to make it all believable.

The relationship between Leonard and Heather is inventive and uniquely human. However, Taylor's role sort of came out of left field. It almost felt like the character and her issues were written at the last minute and tossed in with crossed fingers. It wasn't a matter of either likability or acting. It was simply oddly available. Langella stays independent and offers an extremely well polished role. Ambrose, in my eyes, is and will remain Claire from Six Feet Under, which I loved, but her part could have been played by almost anyone in that age group. I liked the way the movie ended, particularly for Langella's character. Tread lightly and carry a forgiving stick.
HALF PICK: Wasn't all together what it appeared to be, but that can be good at times.

THE KITE RUNNER

THE KITE RUNNER SOARS

"Rahim Kahn: Now there is a way to be good again..."

A lovely film and a long journey for two childhood friends. One man looks back over his life and decides that maybe as an adult he can right a wrong done when they were young. Wonderful film and horribly hard to watch in some places, but like everything else, sometimes that's how it goes. A brief review for an excellent film.
PICK: Well done film; more of a journey than a destination.

THE ORPHANAGE

THE ORPHANAGE... A SCARY/LOVE STORY
Laura (Belén Rueda) and her husband purchase the house where she grew up, an orphanage. It is her dream to rennovate and re-open the house to disabled children. While busy with the renovation, her son withdraws into a fantasy world, including invisible friends and all. At the opening of the house, the family hosts a big party and everyone seems happy except her son, who throws a small fit and runs off. The rest, you'll have to see to believe.

When I saw this movie I thought I was seeing a horror film. I did not know that it: 1) wasn't an average horror film and 2) is a Spanish, a subtitled film. Shortly after the movie began the subtitles all but disappeared. Some elements are universally scary... objects that move on their own, strange sounds, and flashes of children with scary masks. Laura starts to lose her mind, engulfed in grief over the loss of her son, most say. She doesn't give up and goes to great lengths to find him. Without giving it away, the ending is vastly different than any other horror film I have ever seen. A realistic and sincere movie that will keep you trying to figure out what you saw for hours if not days.
PICK: An intelligent horror/love film, just scary enough to be believable.

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY JAR

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY JAR PAINFULLY LOVELY

"I decided to stop pitying myself. Other than my eye, two things aren't paralyzed, my imagination and my memory."

-Jean-Dominique Bauby

Now and again you hear a film described as a "testament of will and spirit".This is that movie. Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric) does not say a word, but luckily we can hear what he's thinking and for most of the film, we also see through his eye, his perception. In his peak of life and work, he suffers a cerebro-vascular accident that leaves him in a state of total paralysis, known as the "locked-in syndrome." He is still mentally aware, but his body won't let him move, including his tongue (which is helpful while trying to speak). Speech therapist, Henriette (Marie-Josée Croze), figures out a way for him to communicate through the blink of an eye. Painstakingly they work together to write his last book. He died two days after the publication of his book. He uses his imagination to tolerate portions of his rehabilitation. When given a feeding tube in real life, he escapes to an image of a table full of food, every delicacy he could conjure in great quantity and his speech therapist in a low-cut blouse dining with him.

This is a movie about what it means to be alive. It is not about acting. It is about being human. As the tale is told, it does not "pretty" his condition, but it does show what it means to choose life instead of pity. It also provides a realistic ending which celebrates life, rather than leave us feeling sad or terrible. This is one of the most touching and "life affirming" movies I have seen. It makes you question what it means to have an "happily ever after". Unconventional and human, a film everyone should see.

PICK: Innovative film techniques lets 'blink' in his shoes. Courageous story.