Movie #731 ........................"Searching for Sugarman"

Movie #731 "Searching for Sugarman" what a great story here --- exactly what a documentary should do: lift your spirits, give you information in an entertaining fashion, open your eyes to a new topic. All of this was done with this film. By using mostly the interview process, it is a search for answers as to: who was Rodriguez and did he really die the way the rumors have suggested? All the narrators knew is that they grew up in South Africa loving his music, and they had tons of questions on their idol and they search for him. A very enjoyable search and I can say this is one of the best documentaries I have gotten to see this year. And I agree that it should be nominated for an academy award. Not as serious a subject as "The Invisible War" but then it doesn't have to be to be effective, does it? I gave it 4 out of 5 stars Searching for Sugar Man 2012 PG-13 86 minutes The incredible true story of Rodriguez, the greatest '70s rock icon who never was. Decades after Detroit singer-songwriter Rodriguez disappeared following the failure of his two critically praised records in the 1970s, two fans from South Africa, where Rodriguez was a huge hit, try to track down their idol. Cast:Sixto Rodriguez, Steve Segerman, Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore, Dan Dimaggio, Jerome Ferretti, Steve Rowland, Willem Möller, Craig Bartholomew-Strydrom, Ilse Assmann Genre:Biographical Documentaries, Rockumentaries, Social & Cultural Documentaries, Documentary

Movie #730 ........................"The Impossible"

Movie #730 "The Impossible" was a very entertaining film ---my eyes never turned away from this arduous journey of survival. It starts out with 10 minutes of getting-to-know the family, and then the tsunami hits, and the mother and son spend the next 45 minutes trying to find each other and then trying to save each other from the treacherous water; finally, we spend the rest of the time with dad trying to find his kids, and getting reunited with all of them (I'm not giving anything away, because you know there is someone surviving this because she wrote the book!) It's not a movie for anyone, because it depicts a lot of people dying and in a lot of pain, but it is well acted, by everyone, including the kids (one in particular, the oldest son --- unbelievably good, as good as the little girl in the "Beasts" film and she's nominated for an AA! hmmm) Some critics came down hard on this film because the family had money and they felt the movie should have opened up and been more about the other people that were involved in the story. I could tell that they had money, and I was very cognizant watching the moneyed family being catered to over the others --- so I think the point came across, but the critics were right in that it is not the focus at all here..........but then, there should be more movies about this topic, because it is certainly worthwhile to follow a lot more stories of people who experienced this tragedy and how it changed their lives (perhaps even took their lives). Such a story! So very, very, very, very sad! But also uplifting as to the power of love and family! I give it 4 stars out of 5 The Impossible 2012 PG-13 Tracking one family's harrowing experiences, this gripping drama depicts the chaos generated by the massive 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. On December 26, Maria, Henry and their sons are vacationing in Thailand when unthinkable disaster strikes. Cast:Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, Marta Etura, Sonke Mohring, Geraldine Chaplin Genre:Drama

Movie #729 ........................."Prosecuting Casey Anthony"

Movie #729 "Prosecuting Casey Anthony" I watched this in about 3 different times because they had it on all week, and on the third try to watch it all the way through, I just taped it so I could watch the parts I hadn't seen. Watching this movie was liking watching a fire burn a house, or watching a traffic accident: you don't want to watch, you know you shouldn't, but you still do. I have been interested in this case, and this made it even more interesting to me. The film doesn't answer any questions, really --- we heard it all pretty much in the news on a nightly basis, and it doesn't divulge any dark secrets --- why would it? But it sure makes Casey Anthony look even more guilty, to me. Her parents came across as very unsound, too, sometimes defending her, sometimes being horrified by her behavior --- and you have to ask yourself, where did she get the psychopathic lying instincts from? one of them, you are thinking...........Rob lowe was very competent and he showed a flawed man who was very earnest to get the job done, but making some wrong moves along the way. It was a step above the usual made-for-t.v. movie, but if you aren't interested in the trial or the Anthonys, don't tune in to this at all! You'll find it lame, I think. I'd give it 3 stars out of 5 (below is a user's review) State lawyer Jeff Ashton (Rob Lowe) gets himself the Casey Anthony case just as he wanted so that he can turn her into the most hated woman in America but it ends up with her walking free. PROSECUTING CASEY ANTHONY is based on Ashton's book so it's to be expected that the film would show him in a positive light and Anthony in a negative one. For a Lifetime movie this here is certainly above average thanks in large part to Lowe's performance but there's still no question that there are many flaws. As someone who really followed this case, one of the first questions asked in the film is how Anthony walked away being found not guilty. In the film Ashton says he doesn't know and this is a problem with the film because the truth of the matter is that he never proved the case. For the most part the film spends way too much time going over the court case and all the big evidence or lack of evidence if you will. If someone has followed the case then none of this stuff is going to be of much interest because we know the evidence and have probably heard countless talking heads discuss it to death. The film would have been much better had it tried to give us something new including Ashton's state as these events started to unfold. The majority of the film just has him insulting the defense lawyer and this here really goes nowhere. However, as I said, the film remains watchable as a trashy made-for-TV flick but we've also got a very good performance by Lowe. I really thought he was believable as the lawyer and I liked the way the actor managed to perform with his eyes, meaning, we're able to see how he thinks and feels simply by looking into his eyes. The supporting performances are decent at best but the actors had a pretty hard job since most people are so used to their real counterparts. PROSECUTING CASEY ANTHONY certainly isn't a great movie by any stretch of the imagination but it's at least mildly entertaining

Movie #728 ........................."The Invisible War"

Movie #728 "The Invisible War" is another documentary nominated for the Academy Awards, and although it runs a bit long, and depends on an over amount of interviewing, I found this very intriguing. I feel Documentaries should have a good purpose. One can be to entertain, another to give information, and still another draw your attention to a cause that you had no idea existed.......this one does the latter. I had no idea of the problem of rape in our military, and I think this is a problem many more of us should know about, and that is why I recommend this. And so far, this is the best on the list of documentaries for an award this year -------- but I have two more, I think, to see. And I also didn't pick the top one last year after seeing most of them, so what do I know. What I do know, however, is that this one touched me to the point where I stayed up later last night to look up the website and I signed a petition to push our government to do something about this problem. I haven't felt this way about a documentary since "The Cove" --- and that won the academy award (2009) a few years ago. The Invisible War 2012 NR 93 minutes This documentary calls attention to little-known facts about the high prevalence of rape within the ranks of America's armed forces. Interviews with military personnel, elected officials and rape victims provide alarming evidence. Genre:Military Documentaries, Crime Documentaries, Social & Cultural Documentaries, Documentary

Movie #727 ........................."The Women on the 6th Floor"

Movie #727 "The Women on the 6th Floor" -- what a charming love story, and also what a fun loving group of Spanish maids living upstairs, when the owner of the building lives downstairs..........yes, part of this story is a French Downton Abbey, dealing with how maids are treated and how they live their lives in their free time. The other part of the story is a nice love story between a very buttoned up stuffed shirt who suddenly is set free by being enamored with a fun loving younger woman. Very enjoyable and I recommend it. French and sometimes spanish subtitles. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. The Women on the 6th Floor 2010 NR 106 minutes When their maid unceremoniously quits, stodgy French businessman Jean-Louis and his socialite wife replace her with a vivacious Spanish lass who, along with her spirited friends, shows Jean-Louis a world beyond his circumscribed bourgeois life. Cast:Fabrice Luchini, Sandrine Kiberlain, Natalia Verbeke, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Berta Ojea, Nuria Solé, Concha Galán, Marie-Armelle Deguy, Muriel Solvay, Audrey Fleurot Genre:Foreign, Foreign Comedies, France, Comedy

Movie #726 ........................."5 Broken Cameras"

Movie #726 "5 Broken Cameras" is another documentary that is nominated for an Academy Award this year --- and I'm asking why, again? This is the second one I've viewed of the nominees, and the one good thing I can say about this one is that I made it to the end. This one is confusing, and after about 30 minutes, you've really seen it all. You start to count down how many cameras he's broken, so it will bring you closer to the end. The subject matter is important, and it has one very fine moment toward the end, using slow motion (I know lame, but effective here), but that's about it. I didn't know this wall was put up on Palestinian land by the Israeli's, and that these people live with soldiers surrounding their area, and therefore they demonstrate every minute they have --- which causes problems. I got to thinking how there has to be a better way to be heard, and on a small scale, this film might help bring attention to the problem. So for that reason I applaud it -- but it's too bad, it isn't a better documentary! I gave it 2 stars out of 5 5 Broken Cameras 2012 NR 90 minutes In this moving documentary, a Palestinian farmer chronicles his village's nonviolent resistance to the presence of encroaching Israeli settlers and military. As camera after camera gets shot or otherwise destroyed, the farmer continues filming. Cast:Emad Burnat Genre:Foreign, Social & Cultural Documentaries, Foreign Documentaries, Documentary

Movie #725 ........................."Mirror Mirror"

Movie #725 "Mirror Mirror" never did get its momentum ---- it had a couple of funny moments, and it was really trying, but perhaps trying too hard --- too cutesy. I was watching it because it was nominated for an Academy Award for Costumes, and boy are they good! Glad I saw them. But a movie can't live on costumes or production design alone ---- the story is old hack, so it depends on the script and acting --- neither of which is stellar in here --- it starts and stops and meanders as it works its way to the next "bit" --- I like Nathan Lane, and his "bits" with Julia Roberts work, and three cheers for the 7 dwarfs --- they are very good, but that's about it here. I'm not sure kids will stick with the story, but since they probably know it already, they might like this. It's just okay. It's more user friendly than the movie that came out about the same time ("Snow White and the Huntsman") but the other one was filmed better --- scarier, though. In your face scary! And Charlize put WICKED into the stepmother! Julia Roberts tries, here. But, it's a comedy! I gave it 3 stars out of 5 Mirror Mirror 2012 PG 116 minutes This remake of the classic Grimm tale, starring Julia Roberts as the evil Queen, is much darker than the well-known animated Disney version. Snow White's team of dwarves are a shady bunch, but dedicated to helping her regain her royal throne. Cast:Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane, Mare Winningham, Michael Lerner, Sean Bean, Danny Woodburn, Martin Klebba, Sebastian Saraceno, Jordan Prentice, Mark Povinelli, Joe Gnoffo, Ronald Lee Clark, Robert Emms Genre:Family Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Family Comedies, Family Adventures, Children & Family

Movie #724 ........................."Wreck it Ralph"

Movie #724 "Wreck it Ralph" was a real cute movie, but I'm not the demographic -- I've never gotten into video games, but I think if I knew more about them, I would have  appreciated this even more. What I did appreciate was a good strong theme, and thank god for Sarah Silverman --- she would rival "Boo" in "Monster's Inc" --- really an adorable character that drew me in on her first entrance, which is 20+ minutes in, though. The characters are fun, the movie keeps going non stop, and the ideas seemed very simplistic,but it was fun watching it in our empty theatre! I liked it better than Disney's "Brave" but I'm not sure it has a chance at the academy award this year. I'd give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

Wreck-It Ralph 2012 PG 108 minutes

Wreck-It Ralph longs to be the good guy instead of the villain in an old-school video game. He sees his chance and sneaks into the arcade's newest game, a flashy first-person shooter. But in doing the forbidden, he unleashes a deadly enemy. Cast:John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling, Joe Lo Truglio, Ed O'Neill, Dennis Haysbert Genre:Family Animation, Family Comedies, Family Adventures, Children & Family

Movie #723 ........................."Force of Arms"

Movie #723 "Force of Arms" shows the brutality of war on two people who fall in love midst all the turmoil. The fight sequences are well done for the time period, and the message comes out loud and clear how tough WWII was on the civilians, the reluctant conscripted men & women like the ones Holden and Olson play. The ending is a bit unbelievable, but satisfying -- I was hoping it wouldn't end like "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" --- and happily, it didn't. The actors have good chemistry and the love story works, too. I'd give it 3 stars. 1951 film with William Holden and Nancy Olson --- director Curtiz Winter, 1943. The German army has halted the American advance in the mountains of Italy; back-and-forth combat decimates Joe Peterson's platoon. On leave in Naples, Joe meets WAC lieutenant Eleanor MacKay; initially cool, she begins to melt during a bombing raid. Their romance develops despite Joe's periodic returns to the front. But whether he'll come back in the end becomes more than doubtful.

Movie #722 ........................."Hitchcock"

Movie #722 "Hitchcock" I personally sought this film out because I figured I would enjoy the story behind one of the best horror films of all time -- "Psycho" --- in this film, we see all of the parts fall into place: Hitchcock getting a screenwriter, getting the money to back it, casting,filming, and finally editing, which came across as the best part of the process to watch for the viewer. However, the majority of the film focuses on the relationship between the auteur Hitchcock and his muse, his wife, his co-editor Alma. The frame of the film is filled with humor and the presence of the serial killer Ed Gein, and to me it is quite successful. For anyone who is also interested in film and the history behind this movie, check this one out --- it's worth it! Hitchcock 2012 PG-13 Iconic filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock struggles with his marriage, the censors and the financiers of his 1960 film Psycho in this biopic. Driven to prove he still has an edge, Hitchcock crafts what would become one of the greatest thrillers of all time. Cast:Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston, Toni Collette, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Wincott, Jessica Biel, James D'Arcy, Ralph Macchio, Kurtwood Smith, Richard Portnow Genre:Showbiz Dramas, Biographies, Dramas Based on the Book, Drama

Movie #721 ........................."Zero Dark Thirty"

Movie #721 "Zero Dark Thirty" may be the best film I've seen this year --- this, and "Lincoln" ---- this was, indeed, a heart-pouding experience, esp. the last 30 minutes, which made up the final attack on Bin Laden in close to real time, and that helped put you, the audience, there. I sat in awe at how the director and actress can take scenes of just listening or watching or reading and proceed to make the story so intense. The opening itself is such a great idea --- to connect 9/11 to the rest of the film. Of course, I didn't enjoy the torture scenes, but they were all still part of the intensity and powerfulness of the story. Incidentally, I have seen worse torture scenes in other films (not that I keep track), and it was interesting to be in the pov of the torturer this time and see what goes on into his mind and heart after spending months trying to break someone down........can't even imagine. Here's something else I can't imagine. How this movie's director wasn't nominated for best director? yet, the actress, and several tech people are up, and the movie is nominated for best picture ---- did they think it could be made by itself? In the hands of a mediocre director, this could have been criticized much more than it is --- too early for the subject matter, it gives away too many state secrets, too difficult to watch, too long, not much to keep attention, no one is likable, whatever the criticism, but she's one of the best directors in the business right now. It would be interesting if Bigelow becomes the victim here, and her movie makes big picture because of that. Stranger things have happened in Hollywood. In any case, it and she belong right up there really high on the list for best of the best this year. But it isn't for the faint of heart, for sure, nor for the kid behind me who chomped on pop corn through the whole thing! Why was he in an R rated film anyway? gave it 5 out of 5 stars Zero Dark Thirty 2012 R This pulse-pounding thriller dramatizes the night of May 2, 2011, when the Navy's SEAL Team 6 set out to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. The world knows of their triumph; now the chronicle of every perilous second is about to unfold. Cast:Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Strong, Kyle Chandler, Édgar Ramírez , James Gandolfini, Chris Pratt, Reda Kateb, Scott Adkins, Taylor Kinney Genre:Military & War Dramas, Military & War Action, 20th Century Period Pieces, Drama

Movie #720 ........................."Lake Tahoe"

Movie #720 "Lake Tahoe" is kind of a nothing kind of movie. Once in a while I laughed a little, but over all, quite a bore of a film. Not very significant, at all. Perhaps it was because a I saw "Zero Dark Thirty" on the same day? Maybe. The characters are quirky that he runs into, but that seemed to be forced. So the film came off kind of silly at times. And the style of fading in and out constantly got in the way of the film --- fade to black, fade to black, fade to black --- that constant movement made the film very jerky to me. And the long takes..........camera rests on a dog way in the background and it never moves ---- if there's a comment the director is making by choosing to stick with the shot, then that's fine ---- but when there doesn't seem to be a reason, come on! Edit better! get moving with the story.......so, yeah, I don't recommend this much at all! I would give it 2.8 stars out of 5 Lake Tahoe 2008 NR 81 minutes When he wraps the family car around a telephone pole on the outskirts of his small town, teenager Juan (Diego Cantaño) searches for help but finds himself thrust into a strange odyssey filled with unusual characters. Writer-director Fernando Eimbcke's award-winning indie dramedy also stars Hector Herrera as quirky mechanic Don Heber and Daniela Valentine as wannabe punk star Lucia. Cast:Diego Cantaño, Hector Herrera, Daniela Valentine, Juan Carlos Lara II, Yemil Sefani, Olda Lopez, Mariana Elizondo, Joshua Habid, Raquel Araujo, Enrique Albor Genre:Foreign Dramas, Foreign Comedies, Mexico, Foreign

Movie #719 .........................."How to Survive a Plague"

Movie #719 "How to Survive a Plague" is about Aids and I can't believe this is nominated for an academy award this year --- it is so boring. Wonderful topic done so badly. This film shows exactly what I don't like about documentaries --- when it uses one way to give the information, and it ends up giving very little because it relies on John Q Public to announce what to learn. If all documentaries dispensed information this way, I would vow to never watch another one. So stay away from this one --- still can't believe it was nominated. yikes! I give it 2 stars out of 5. How to Survive a Plague 2012 NR 109 minutes This passionate documentary focuses on the grass-roots crusade in the 1980s and '90s to speed up efforts at developing treatments for the HIV virus. The film follows AIDS activists to Washington, where they challenge the government to act. Cast:Bill Bahlman, David Barr, Gregg Bordowitz, Jim Eigo, Mark Harrington, Larry Kramer, Iris Long, Ray Navarro, Bob Rafsky, Peter Staley Genre:Political Documentaries, Social & Cultural Documentaries, Documentary

Movie #718 ........................."Belle Du Jour"

Movie #718 "Belle Du Jour" --- let me say that ever since I was little, I had associated French Films with what Sid Caesar and Imogene Cocoa had done on "your show of shows", yet I had never seen a French film the way it was spoofed by them .......until now. This was just a silly movie. It was way overacted, and I never got into the story at all. It's about a woman who refuses to get intimate with her husband, but goes to a brothel to get intimate with customers there --- meanwhile, the viewer can never tell if you are watching her real life or her exotic sexual dream life --- and after awhile, no one cares which is which. Sorry, this wasn't a winner with me. I give it 2 stars out of 5. Belle de Jour 1967 R 100 minutes Wealthy young newlywed Séverine (Catherine Deneuve) loves her husband (Jean Sorel), but can't bring herself to be intimate with him. So to sate her physical desires, she indulges in erotic daydreams, often blurring the line between reality and fantasy. When that isn't enough, she begins frequenting a classy Parisian brothel, working as a prostitute under an assumed name while remaining celibate within her marriage. Cast:Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli, Geneviève Page Genre:Foreign Classic Dramas, Foreign Art House, Foreign Romance, Classics

Movie #717 ........................."Hyde Park on Hudson"

Movie #717 "Hyde Park on Hudson" -- the trailers deceived me into thinking this would be a delightful chapter in the life of FDR when the British monarchy had their first visit to the US and FDR served hot dogs --- that's what the trailer is about. Now, let me tell you that the movie has the above as the background but it is really about the sexual escapades of FDR, and one particular mistress, Daisy, his 4th or 5th cousin (she doesn't even know) This is Laura Linney's movie but sometimes you can't tell because Bill Murray is such a big character and she's so in the background...........I didn't like this too much --- the parts I liked were with the King (the stutterer from King's speech) and the queen, and Laura Linney was really good, but there wasn't enough here to warrant a film --- maybe a short film, but not one of any length. I felt the film was one long stretch in between some good moments. This is a don't bother unless you have a burning desire to see what supposedly FDR did with any of his free time. I would prefer to believe that he was busy getting us out of the depression and WWII. Hyde Park on Hudson 2012 R When the king and queen of England visit U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt hoping for support on the eve of World War II, Roosevelt must deal with his official duties as well as the competing interests of his mother, his wife and his mistresses. Cast:Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Colman, Samuel West, Elizabeth Marvel, Elizabeth Wilson, Eleanor Bron, Olivia Williams Genre:Dramas Based on Real Life, 20th Century Period Pieces, Drama

Movie #716 .........................."Liberal Arts"

Movie #716 "Liberal Arts" --- First, let me start by saying I'm a huge fan of both Josh Radnor and then Elizabeth Olsen, not to mention Allison Janney and Richard Jenkins. That being said, I guess I expected a better movie --- never really got into this one -- could have been me, but I thought the script was all over and weird. I didn't really like the characters that much. I get that Radnor's character is at that age where he yearns to go back to college, so when he gets the chance, he takes it. But once he's there, I'm not sure why he lingers because it doesn't come across as good nostalgic at all --- his favorite teacher is an alcoholic with nothing nice to say --- really pretty despicable, and really, that was my favorite part in this film --- Allison Janney plays the teacher and she's really playing a character you've never seen her play in this one and it's refreshing and disgusting all at the same time....kind of weird, like the rest of the movie. It's only 97 minutes (in a year of super sized films) and I still managed to fall asleep before I got to the end, but I finished it the next day and I was glad because the ending was one of my favorite parts. I did like the way it ended. I just think a tighter script would have helped this one -- good idea, that I'm afraid has been done before, so it needed to be a step or two better in the written word! I would give this 3.5 stars out of 4. Liberal Arts 2012 PG-13 97 minutes A speaking engagement brings 35-year-old Jesse back to his college alma mater, where he's blindsided by nostalgia and a plucky sophomore named Zibby. Newly single and unfulfilled by his job, Jesse finds Zibby pulling him out of his disillusionment. Cast:Josh Radnor, Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney, Elizabeth Reaser, John Magaro, Kate Burton, Robert Desiderio, Zac Efron, Kristen Bush Genre:Indie Comedies, Romantic Comedies, Indie Romance, Comedy

Movie #715 ............................"This is 40"

Movie #715 "This is 40" has the "f" word used so many times, I'm wondering if it broke some kind of record or something ---- even a 13 year old kid says it several times! Okay, that stated, this isn't a movie for everyone, but I thought it was pretty entertaining. The characters are likable, the secondary people are well cast (esp. Albert Brooks and Chris O'Dowd and the two little Apatow girls)and there's a lot of humanity here --- it isn't just a string of one joke after another with little thought put into it (like a lot of the Hangover movies, etc.). But one inescapable truth is that the film is basically very sad, in that these people with two adorable kids seem to feel trapped due to various variables, which incidentally make this film really too long. It needed to be cut better and perhaps characters like John Lithgow really didn't need to be in the film (but I guess it would have been tough to leave him entirely out, but he really doesn't affect the film all that much) But something had to give because it drags limply to a conclusion and it didn't have to. There are enough bits in here that are funny, and the cast is capable enough to soar above a faltering script. Just cut it shorter! We'd feel better about them, I think. And not so sad for them and their lives in the future. I gave it 3.8 out of 5 stars This Is 40 2012 R 138 minutes Writer-director Judd Apatow revisits Knocked Up's married couple Pete and Debbie in this sequel as the pair wrestles with parenthood, keeping romance alive and the realities of getting older. Cast:Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, John Lithgow, Megan Fox, Albert Brooks, Jason Segel, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Robert Smigel, Annie Mumolo, Charlyne Yi Genre:Comedy

Movie #714 ........................."Arbitrage"

Movie #714 "Arbitrage" is a good suspense thriller and maybe the best acting job we've seen from Richard Gere in a long time --- maybe ever, and it's too bad it's Daniel Day Lewis's year, I think. Anyway, he is able to do despicable things in this film, and still be likable enough to keep interest in what he is doing next in his desperate situations he puts himself into. It's somewhat a formula; i.e. we've seen most of this already, but in the hands of the cast, it's still very effective. CEO's without any moral fiber intrigue me --- I wonder how someone can be so cold and greedy, even if it affects his family, and that is what is under the microscope in this film. And the character I found most fascinating is the African American guy who comes to Gere's aid halfway through the film. I'd recommend this, and in fact, after getting it from red box and seeing it myself last night, I suggested Dave see it when he got up in the morning and he liked it, too. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Arbitrage 2012 R 107 minutes As billionaire Robert Miller struggles to divest his empire before his fraud is brought to light, fate takes a nasty turn. Now desperate and running out of options, Miller turns to an unlikely source for help. Cast:Tim Roth, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, William Friedkin, Brit Marling, Monica Raymund, Laetitia Casta, Nate Parker, Josh Pais, Bruce Altman Genre:Crime Thrillers, Suspense, Thrillers