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Morning Glory (2010)
Sparkly Grumpy People
Rachel McAdams is taking the lead this time in a rom-com that adds a little pathos, shows the rest of the world what it's like to be totally committed to a job (being a former workaholic, I can totally relate to this.) The pace is set at "sprint" and actually does a great job of going the distance. 10 cuts above a sit-com, but could possibly be turned into a very successful one about a fictional struggling #4 slot on the network morning show circuit. Adding to the mix and a lot of credibility, Jeff Goldblum, Dianne Keaton, and Harrison Ford, looking every bit his 60+ years, but still has a boyishness to his demeanor that hearkens back to Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Patrick Wilson is the rom in "rom-com" and he holds his ground against the whirling dervishness of Rachel's character. The writing is outstanding and the one-liners, priceless. Check it out.
The Village (2004)
If You Go Into The Woods Today, You Better Not Go Alone...
If you want to scare the pants off of anyone, let them use their imagination. Don't tell them what's in the box, around the corner, lurking in the woods, whether the Boogie Man is real or not. Just let their minds carry them to that place where they're nice and comfortable, spark their curiosity, and then let them fill in the blanks. Twisted endings work for this writer, sometimes, this was not one of those times. Unfortunately, about half way through this film, I had most of the premise figured out. I'm not saying you won't enjoy this movie, that it won't make you think, or that it won't make you want to see it again, I'm just saying that you might not want to buy it and watch it again and again like the Sixth Sense. M. Night Shyamalan reminds me of someone who tried drugs once and got immediately addicted from one acid trip. He tries to recreate that `high' and apparently hasn't been told about that thing that only happens once, movie virginity and beginner's luck. He can't claim innocence because he keeps putting himself into his films and his cameos are weak, at best. On the other hand, he's cast some wonderful actors in his film and the development of Ron Howard's daughter, Bryce, as a major player is an interesting thing to watch. I'd put her in the same league with Alison Lohman. I won't leave with any puns about `It takes a village, etc
', but I will say if you see it, don't give away the ending to your friends and neighbors
.let their imaginations carry them along as far as it can.
In America (2002)
Irish Luck
This is an independent blockbuster. I really liked this film because of it's frank portrayal of a young couple from Ireland (Paddy Considine and Samantha Morton) moving to Manhattan with their daughters, Christy (11) and Arial (6 ) (sisters Sarah and Emma Bolger). This isn't a movie about how to make poverty fun, but it does show how to make the best of a bad situation and move forward, even when the odds against you seem insurmountable. The girls are extremely natural and bring a lightness to the film as only children can do. You won't be dancing an Irish jig after you see In America, but you will be charmed by it. Not a fantasy, but as good as The Secret of Roan Inish.
One Hour Photo (2002)
Creepy With A Capital "C"
Gee, just when you thought it was safe to go to the drugstore to have your snapshots developed, a film like this pops up and `bingo!', you need to seriously look at digital photography. No wonder companies like Kodak, Agra, and FujiFilm are having to scramble to grab the consumer's attention and point them in the `do-it-yourself' direction. If you can't trust Sy the Photo Guy to develop your pictures and leave you alone, who can you trust? Sy is played by Robin Williams with the same seriousness and stiffness he used as the animatronic `Bicentennial Man'. He puts the `C' in creepy this time. Connie Nielsen is great as a wife and mother whose family life is less than the glossy magazine picture perfect her family photos portray. All I can say is, you've got to have friends. Rating: a set of 4 X 6 double prints, take the red-eye out.
The Boondock Saints (1999)
A Round Of Guiness For The House
Vengeance is mine saith the Lord, or so I thought. Apparently fraternal twin brothers, Connor and Murphy, missed that one during their pious Catholic upbringing. The weirdest thing about this film is that it makes sense on the one hand and totally blows the `turn the other cheek', `forgive your enemies', and `do unto others as you would have them do unto you' adages all to hell, literally. The brothers are Irish South Boston butchers, living in squalor, but happy to be together in America. By a simple twist of fate and a furious amount of luck, they become enmeshed in a manhunt for killers who take out only `the bad element' of Boston. It's not exactly Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men, it's more like `we saw these cheesy movies with Charles Bronson and it looked like we could do that, too'. If you don't like violence, references to male body parts, are homophobic, swearing, or sick humor, you probably won't like Boondock Saints. But, if you like fast action, intelligent dialogue, ironic humor, and want to see Willem DaFoe in drag, here's the picture for you. There are so many great one liners in this film, it's virtually impossible to pick the best. My recommendation is to buy or rent this film and watch it on an empty stomach with plenty of beer and Irish whiskey and several of your best buds. Amazing.
Matchstick Men (2003)
You Can't Con A Con Man, Or Can You?
Attention everyone, rising star on the horizon, or should that be shooting star? Alison Lohman is an incredibly gifted 23 year-old actor. Case in point, this film; she convincingly plays the role of Nic Cage's 14 year-old daughter. Since the only other role I recall seeing her in was as Michelle Pfeiffer's teenage daughter in `White Oleander', who knew she was in her 20's. That aside, this is a well written, well acted look at the mental make-up of a con man and his protégé. It's not a cutsey happy-happy joy-joy kind of story, but it is about trust, family values, and the pursuit of happiness (if that comes with pulling the biggest and best scam of your life). Nicolas Cage has been on the down end on the teeter-totter of his career and finally, someone sat on the other end to raise him back up, almost, to his `Leaving Las Vegas' level. The man's practically flawless in his portrayal of Roy, the `flim-flam man' who's so full of tics and obsessive-compulsive behavior, he makes Jack Nicholson's character in `As Good As It Gets' look perfectly normal. Also notable, is Sam Rockwell as Frank. Without Frank (the protégé), you'd really have no story. Frank is Ying to Roy's Yang and Sam pulls off a brilliant turn as the semi-slimy con artist. I can't give you much more to go on, except to say that I was truly impressed with this gem in a sea of special effects summer movies.
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003)
Silly, Sweet, Borderline Okay, You Choose
The concept of reliving one's childhood to gain the understanding needed to land a movie role is really absurd. This film is not "Hamlet" or "Dumb and Dumber", it's also not spectacularly funny, clever, or completely stupid and not worth the tape it took to film it, like say "JackAss: The Movie". It's David Spade trying to make it in films with a little help from old SNL friends and a lot of cameos by former child actors. Dickie hasn't got a clue what it takes to be a kid, and with the assistance of a foster-family for hire, he comes to terms with his retarded childhood and makes his way to being a real grown-up. The 70's and 80's were very near and dear to Dickie, so be prepared to reach back in your memory to the "Me" Generation when you hear the soundtrack for this "fluffernutter" film. Parents be warned...Dickie's 30'ish and a tad bit sleazy. My recommendation would be to wait for the video.
American Splendor (2003)
Curmudgeon Savant
Drew Carey's television show has put Cleveland on the map, but American Splendor shows you the real backside of this city by the Cuyahoga River and makes it stick to the bottom of your shoe. Harvey Pekar is more than likely hunkered down with his hands in his pockets, muttering to himself about how stupid and shallow people are, still walking the streets or taking the bus and catching snatches of conversations. These will eventually become a part of his "everyman" repartee included in his comic books, plays, and now, a movie about his life. Yes, Harvey is real and Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis help bring the surreal into focus. Woven with narration, interviews, and different comic book illustrations with Harvey and Joyce Pekar, the dramatization of their very unusual existence is a funny, weird look at life for the clinically depressed. Harvey, like his pal, R. Crumb, is a comic book icon, writer, music critic, and now, retired file clerk, whose skewed view of the world is entirely based on his day-to-day life. For once, a film portrays famous people as not living in penthouse apartments or having a maid or even coming close to being "remade" by the Fab 5. Yup, as Harvey sez, ordinary life is pretty complicated. I want the soundtrack, even if it's just for the cuts by R. Crumb and the Cheap Suit Serenaders. It's awesome, just like this film.
Daredevil (2003)
Ta-da! I'm A Superhero, I am, I am, I am...
I double-dog dare you to watch this film and not want to smack someone so hard it hurts them for a long time. What a stoooopid mis-mash of styles, i.e., "Batman", "Superman", "The Hulk", "Reign of Fire", "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", just to name a few. I was seriously waiting for Colin Farrell to look cross-eyed and dance an Irish jig while he uttered innane dialogue. In fact, they all uttered pretty innane dialogue. Don't even get me started on Michael Clarke Duncan. That's a shame, because I really wanted this to be a better movie than it was. If this film had been Daredevil jumping from building to building, it would have missed by "that much" and they would have had to hose it off the pavement. I'll bet Michael Jackson would have been chomping at the bit to play Daredevil just for the red leather costume. It really wouldn't have mattered who they stuck in the outfit, my nine year-old nephew could have done the fight scenes in this bomb and I think he got his martial arts training from watching Power Rangers. Rating: Eewwww!
Seabiscuit (2003)
The "Oscar" Race Already Has A Winner By 6 Furlongs!
Hands down, this film is a winner by several furlongs, just like its four unlikely heroes, C.S. Howard, Red Pollard, Tom Smith, and of course, the horse, Seabiscuit. Scrappy is the first word that comes to mind when describing both horse and jockey. Set in the depression of the 1930's, we see a synopsis of each person's background to be able to really connect with the whys and wherefores of the film. I love the excitement of a horse race and I definitely got my fill watching recreations of each of Seabiscuit's history changing runs. Jeff Bridges is not rehashing `Tucker, A Man And His Dream'; Tobey Maguire is not doing an imitation of Mickey Rooney or Elizabeth Taylor in `National Velvet', and Chris Cooper is not doing an imitation of anyone, but the real trainer. William H. Macy gives a great turn as the voice of a radio sports announcer whose opinion reflects the feeling of the country as Seabiscuit rises to fame. Hold on to your hats folks, the film is going to be nominated for a lot of Oscars and I'm giving even odds that it will come out way ahead in the race, possibly a Triple Crown of Academy Awards.
Freaky Friday (2003)
Ancient Chinese Secret...
I was pleasantly surprised this evening when I attended a free preview of the updated version of "Freaky Friday". Although Ms Curtis and Ms Lohan aren't reprising the roles of Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster, their performances were believable as mother and daughter, at least to this writer and the three 14 year-olds sitting next to me. The reactions, once the switch takes place, were funny, sometimes touching, sometimes a bit over-the-top, but enjoyable. I only have one piece of advice for Jamie Lee, collagen injections in the lips, but not too much. This is a woman who did the film "Perfect" in the heyday of 80's aerobics sexercise and she still has a great body, (we should all be so lucky), even with a flash of thong showing. Mothers and daughters will always be at odds with one another, it's normal, but I'm happy to report eventually daughters grow-up and become their own women, too. All that advice your mother gave you when you were a teenager, most of it was because they've been there, done that back in the day. Fantasy aside, hopefully, somebody's paying attention. Sort of goofy fun with a great message.
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002)
Truly Divine!
I'm not a truly died-in-the-wool member of G.R.I.T.S. (girls raised in the south), however, my daddy does come from Houston, Texas, so that somewhat makes me an honorary member of the club. The Ya-Ya Sisterhood is definitely made up of GRITS, four in particular (Vivi, Caro, Teensy, and Necie), who have bonded their lives together through blood, chocolate, booze, boyfriends, children, and the mystical mumbo gumbo of the sisterhood that's gone before them (even though they made up Ya-Yas).
The focus of this film and the books (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Little Altars) is on the lives of Siddalee Walker and her mother, Vivi, who have come to a crossroads in their relationship. Siddalee is engaged (finally). She's a famous New York playwright whose interview for a major publication is not sitting well with her mama in Louisiana. Both are unable to wade through the fog of the past without the help of their Ya-Ya sisters and help they do, even though it's sort of backwards. Through a series of recollections of a lifetime of peaks and valleys, both Vivi and Sidda learn the value of building strong healthy relationships not only with family and God, but within themselves.
This is a funny, sad, somewhat daunting look at the Mother and Child reunion. Sandra Bullock has pulled out of a sort of `goofy' phase in her career (I don't believe she snort-laughed one time in this film) and her performance is equal to the caliber of her Oscar-winning/nominated costars, Ellen Burstyn, Fionnula Flanagan, Shirley Knight, and Maggie Smith. James Garner, as Vivi's long-suffering husband and Sidda's daddy, Shep, was a perfect casting choice. The woman who pulls it all together, however, is a charter member of G.R.I.T.S. and portrays the young, emotionally-damaged Vivi, Ashley Judd. She goes from happy, carefree, and wild, to angry, melancholy, and crazy in the clink of an ice cube. Southern accents notwithstanding, this is an terrific example of what girlfriendships are all about. Rating: Bebe sunflower, you know dis gots to be a four.
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