Movie #181........................."Against the Current"

Movie #181 "Against the Current" I liken to "'Night, Mother," but not quite as good, but it would be difficult to surpass one of the most emotional play experiences we have ever had. In that play, Kathy Bates comes on stage and points out to her mother that she plans to kill herself in 90 minutes (real play time, too --- there's a clock on stage that ticks away). It was one of the most unusual, emotional rollercoaster rides Dave and I have ever experienced. As much as I would NEVER, EVER accept suicide as any option at all, by the end of the 90 minutes, the audience member is partially convinced(? dare I say that) to Bates way of thinking....or maybe we just give up to her very solid, no holds barred arguments. I remember that after she says, "'Night, Mother" and the stage turns black and you hear the gunshot.........no one dared breathe. There was a pause, and the stage lights went up gradually, and the two women came from both sides of the stage and met in the middle and bowed. No one clapped...........we were too shocked, upset, emotions drained, whatever ------but everyone stood up for these women who had worked so hard for us during the show............then after a minute or two, the applause began. It was incredible. This has the same premise, basically. I'm not giving anything away here..............the booklet at the phoenix film festival that we saw this at last night told us what was on Joe's mind. And there are arguments, and emotional rollercoasters, and funny bits with Mary Tyler Moore, who offers a mother's point of view, but it isn't the emotional impact of the other one. Could it be because it isn't a play? perhaps. I don't know. But Dave and I left talking and talking and talking about this one. It's sombre, no doubt, and it has to be well acted and creative, because it's a lot of Joe Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) swimming and his friends following behind in a boat, but it worked. And we do recommend it. It might just go straight to dvd, though. It's worth looking for it, if it sounds intriguing to you. It's one of those new year's eve movies!!! I'll have to tell you about that reference if you ask!




Average rating: 3.356
I gave it 4 stars
Against the Current
(2009) NR
To honor the anniversary of his beloved wife's death, financial writer Paul Thompson (Joseph Fiennes) sets out to swim the entire 150-mile length of the lower Hudson River with the help of friends Jeff (Justin Kirk) and Liz (Elizabeth Reaser), who are facing problems of their own. As they go about turning Thompson's dream into a reality, each faces the inevitability of loss and learns the power of friendship. Peter Callahan directs.

Movie #180........................."Funny People"

Movie #180 "Funny People" a comedy? nope. Funny? not really. I felt most of it was either mean or dirty (90% are jokes on body parts or doing the whatever) But it's Sandler, so what do you expect? And what do I now expect from Apatow? I hated "Knocked Up". But I have liked others of his. The jury is still out on Seth Rogan for me...........I loved "Geeks and Freaks" and his humor seems to work when he isn't allowed to slow a film down; here it's 140 minutes (but it's Sandler's style, too) , enough said. I DID like a few things here: Apatow's real wife (Leslie Mann) is Sandler's exwife and she's great --- loved most of the scenes she was in. And their two real kids were a breath of fresh air, acting as her kids in the film. I've never seen Eric Bana like this --- I usually can't stand him and stay away from EVERY film he is in, but he was actually pretty funny here. Esp. when Mann makes fun of his accent, badly. I like the cameos of real comics, like the bit with Ray Romano (I thought everybody liked you!) But really, the rest was not what I would recommend. The two best moments, happen toward the end of the movie. One dealt with the oldest Apatow girl singing "Memory" from Cats and Sandler laughing (while they are crying) saying that it was so strange for such a young kid to sing a song about getting old. Rogan and Mann look at him and think he doesn't get it, and they tell him, "It isn't supposed to be funny." and he says, "Well, it is!" Isn't that supposed to be the whole idea behind this film? I felt that idea of what IS funny and what isn't was the whole concept the guys were trying to write a film about, but they got waylaid a bit. Too bad the rest of the film didn't have the purity of the final scene (the other good moment), when two stand up comics are helping each other out, writing bits for each other, and laughing at what the other one wrote. Were the whole movie.............and the world, like that!




Average rating: 3.142
I gave it 3 stars
Funny People
(2009) UR
Famous and wealthy funnyman George Simmons (Adam Sandler) doesn't give much thought to how he treats people until a doctor (Torsten Voges) delivers stunning health news, forcing George to reevaluate his priorities with a little help from aspiring stand-up comic Ira (Seth Rogen). Judd Apatow (Knocked Up) writes and directs this moving comedy that also stars Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman and Aubrey Plaza.

Movie #179........................."Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story"

Movie #179 "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story" was a very uplifting film, and what a quiet hero this pediatric neurosurgeon is (the top of his field, according to this film). I found myself so interested in him that I watched all the extras, too. He reminded me of Arthur Ashe, such a quiet, gentle man, unassuming, but with such a gift. And the great story about it is the tough road to get where he was. And it's a different story because it doesn't deal with abuse, at all. On the contrary, he had a mother who believed in him and breathed a spirit into him of not quitting ever. That's what made it so uplifting. It's all about a mother's love, the power of education, the importance of working hard and of creativity and problemsolving. I gained such an admiration for these doctors who spent 22 hours on one operation ---- a separation of siamese twins. The hospital scenes were so authentic, and I learned from the DVD specials that those scenes were cast with REAL doctors and nurses all around Cuba Gooding, who was playing Ben. I highly recommend this. Good stuff.




Average rating: 4.249
I gave it 4 stars
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
(2009) NR
Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson (portrayed as a child by Jaishon Fisher and as a teen by Gus Hoffman), who overcomes enormous obstacles to study medicine and save lives at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Kimberly Elise plays Carson's hardworking single mother, Sonya, who faces her own hurdles on the road to helping her son succeed in this made-for-cable drama based on Carson's memoirs.

Movie #178........................."Katyn"

Movie #178 "Katyn" - maybe I've seen too many Holocaust films, but this one brought very little emotion to me; in fact, for the first time on this subject. I felt the ending was more gratuitous violence than a powerful look at what really happened. The story is basically below, not much more, really, and the characters looked a lot alike, and weren't introduced very well, so I was only able to really feel for one mother and her child (the first ones we are introduced to). I didn't know this story and I expected to learn more about it, but the film seemed long and cold and stark, and not very effective to me. I saw it last night, hoping that my first reaction would change by the morning, but it didn't. I know it was nominated for an Oscar, but I've seen so many more pictures on the subject (though not the same exact story) that are far better. "The boy in the striped pajamas" is one of the best I've seen lately. Rent that. (oh, one more thing which added me not enjoying this film so much was the subtitles. 1) they came on along with Polish subtitles, so your eyes were wandering around where to look and 2) they went too quickly and 3) the polish language that the people were speaking was audially displeasing --- everything was staccato and mean-sounding, if that makes sense. So each time I was to read the subtitles, there were distractions (see above). That just added to me not liking this film so much.





Average rating: 3.61
I gave it 3 stars
Katyn
Post Mortem: Opowiesc Katynska
(2007) NR
Polish director Andrzej Wajda helms this Oscar-nominated drama based on the 1940 massacre of some 20,000 Polish military officers and intelligentsia at the hands of Soviet troops, along with the stories of the wives and children who survived them. How did they carry on in the face of such horror, especially when responsibility was publicly denied by the perpetrators? Joachim Paul Assböck, Andrzej Chyra and Stanislawa Celinska star.

Movie #177........................."The Private Lives of Pippa Lee"

Movie #177 "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" has a wonderfully talented cast in a very different kind of film. Robin Wright has come to a crossroads in her life ---- married to a man much older, having raised two kids (one of which hates her), with no hobbies, she sees her life as just watching her husband as he grows older and older. She's stuck, and she starts to sleepwalk --- her life now she finds keeps colliding with her past ---- she keeps flashing back to when she was younger (played by Blake Lively). All of this keeps the movie going and provided much interest for me; there aren't a lot of laughs, but occasionally, Ms Wright or Mr. Alda gets a zinger in there, but it's usually sarcastic --- but I liked that. And I can't remember when Keanu Reeves was used as well in a film --- he is handsome "stick" of a man (half-baked, his mother terms it), and he does services to that description rather nicely. I recommend it to anyone who wants to see quirky. This is an example of a movie that netflix said I'd rate a 2. something, and I gave it a 4. Take that, Netflix!









Average rating: 2.925
I gave it 4 stars
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
(2009) R
When her husband (Alan Arkin), who's 30 years her senior, relocates the family to a retirement community, flawless wife and mother Pippa Lee (Robin Wright Penn) slides toward a nervous breakdown as she reflects on her tumultuous past and befriends her neighbor's enigmatic son (Keanu Reeves). With a powerful cast that also includes Julianne Moore and Winona Ryder, this pensive drama is adapted from director Rebecca Miller's novel of the same name.

Movie #176 ......................."Michael Jackson's This Is It"

Movie #176 "Michael Jackson's This Is It" was a nice tribute to the man, the musical genius, singer, songwriter, choreographer, supreme dancer who died too young, but this film shows what an amazing catalogue of music he has left behind. Most of his hits are here in all their glory. I am especially thankful that Kenny Ortega filmed the rehearsal process so that the many fans of MJ (that's what everyone called him in the film) could see some of his last concert. This is one concert I would have wanted to see, and because of Ortega's efforts, I did finally get to see MJ have fun making his music. There were several other observations I made while viewing this movie: the amount of rehearsal it took for this, and MJ was there in the trenches, making many of the decisions from the dance steps, orchestrations, the lighting, etc.; the risktaker he was -- there's a cute scene when he's traveling in a cherry picker where Ortega says, "this is the lowest it goes." and MJ tells Ortega, "Oh, Kenny, you shouldn't have said that, you know me" (suggesting he wanted to be taken up as high as it went); the many times he told the people he worked with that he loved them; the professionalism he showed on and off stage; the giving nature with the singers, and one particular scene with the guitarist when he tells her, "this is your time to shine" and then proceeds to help her do just that; the stalking across the stage so he's involved every moment; the dancing, dancing, dancing. Most singers play an instrument (or just barely), but Michael's body was his instrument and he's constantly moving it to the beat of the music --- he can't stop; at one point, all his fellow dancers and singers are cheering him off to the sides and he tells then very gently, "god bless you all!" I enjoyed all those things, but the most pervading emotion I had throughout the movie was.............how sad. How sad this never became anything more than rehearsals. How sad for all these young kids who idolized MJ and now were performing in his "family" on stage and then never got to an opening of the show. How sad that such a talented guy died and only people who see this movie can see his last efforts, and esp. understand his last message ---- that the planet has a fever right now and we must do everything we can to make it better. We need to heal the world (says MJ) , and like the man in the mirror, we need to take the first step ourselves. If you are interested at all in the rehearsal process, the joy of dancing, the unmasking just a little bit the mystery of the man whom everyone called MJ, see this movie. You won't be disappointed. A little sad,maybe, but not disappointed.




Average rating: 3.858
I rated it 4 stars
Michael Jackson's This Is It
This Is It
(2009) PG
Rehearsal footage, backstage action and interviews comprise this moving Michael Jackson experience. He is shown here preparing for a series of 50 sold-out London shows, which were scheduled to kick off in late summer 2009. Singing his numerous hits at the Staples Center in Los Angeles during the days leading up to his untimely death, Jackson is also seen refining cues, delving into dance details and working with director Kenny Ortega.

Movie #175........................."Men Who Stare At Goats

Movie #175 "Men Who Stare at Goats is wacky, silly, a military farce, not near the calibre of a mash show or Joseph Heller's Catch 22, but still funny, sometimes hysterical in moments. There aren't enough of those moments, though, and the ending isn't fulfilling enough to make this a truly hit-the-mark satire, like "Tropic Thunder" was. It just doesn't go far enough, but it sure is pleasing to watch these military men trying to knock a goat over with their minds. Much more satisfying than what we all know they are trained to do. sorry, a bit political there, but I couldn't help it. If the plot sounds amusing to you, you may just like this tease of a film. If it sounds too wacky, you are probably right! But you gotta love Clooney, McGregor and the dude (Jeff Bridges) going through their psychic antics here!




Average rating: 3.072
I gave it 3.2 stars
The Men Who Stare at Goats
(2009) R
Journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) latches onto an unbelievable story in Iraq when he meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), a man of mysterious origins who reveals he was a "warrior monk" trained by the U.S. Army to develop psychic powers. Jeff Bridges co-stars as Lyn's mentor, the man who dreamed up the top-secret operation. Kevin Spacey and Rebecca Mader co-star in this Grant Heslov-helmed wild spoof.