HAPPY TEARS: SAD MOVIE

I really wanted to like this movie. Demi Moore (Laura) and Parker Posey (Jayne) are both competent and potentially wonderful actresses when given the right roles. However, the roles weren't so bad as the script on the whole. An ailing father and two adult sisters, both very different, return to care for them the best they can. It turned out to be a maudlin, crazy ride of a film; fantasy sequences that add more confusion than anything. The high point for me was watching the few minutes of Ellen Barkin as a hot mess of a crack whore. Overall, I found this movie depressing without any good payoff at the end, despite all its efforts.

SON OF RAMBOW

SON OF RAMBOW "Make Believe. Not War."

I suppose it's not considered a good review when the first sentence contains the words, 'I wanted to like this film...'
This film is a story about friendships and the imaginable forces that lurk from behind a young boys wide eyes. I wanted it to make me feel something; something other than bored. There were several spots here and there where it was cute or heartwarming, but not enough from start to finish. My biggest compliment is to the film's musical content; a huge bonus for us 80-somethings. Aside from not meeting my high expectations, this is a friendly film with moments of poignancy and wonder.

PICK: Although not a great film, it is entertaining and worth the time.

MARTIAN CHILD

MARTIAN CHILD NEEDS TO GO BACK TO SPACE "I don't want to bring another kid into this world. But how do you argue against loving one that's already here?" This story is based on the scriptwriter's real life experience with adopting a child. I wanted to like this movie. I adore John Cusack; alas, my love just wasn't strong enough. The premise is good and pure. David (Cusack) recently widowed, decides to do something good with his life. He adopts a child (Bobby Coleman) who claims to be from Mars. I didn't buy it. There was Cusack being Cusack and then a first-timer, Coleman, who I didn't believe. The setup is too neat, clean and predictable. Every effort was used in attempt to cry. Toward the middle-end of the movie I did shed a tear and for those few moments Cusak was David. The messages are trite; 'be yourself', there is no 'normal', parents aren't perfect. Good messages, but expressed too precisely. Amanda Peet and Joan Cusack filled their roles well. I wanted this movie to be magical and semi-believable and it just wasn't.

NOT a pick: K-PAX did a better job with the same idea. I just didn't feel it.