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Everybody’s Fine – rm – Robert Deniro is a retired middle class blue-collar widower who would like to see his four widely dispersed grown children all sitting around a family dinner table once again. When they can’t make it for a planned get together he sets out to visit them and perhaps to try to reign them in once again. Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, and Sam Rockwell play the children. Kirk Jones directed this remake of a 1990 Italian movie ”Stanno tutti bene”. As the now lonely dad sets out from his small upstate New York home to try to find out what is really going on in the lives of his children, he finds out more about himself and how he was perceived as a father. His well meaning expectations which came out of his love for them has led them all to convey that everybody is fine in an attempt to shield him from the various true paths which their lives have taken. Deniro skillfully projects the tenderness of his character that wanted the best for his kids but must have left the real listening of them to his deceased wife. Perhaps he is a little too simple and the storyline a bit contrived but it will jerk some tears from you. It is a good movie for the holiday season, as it will ultimately make you think about your own family and what we convey to children as they are growing up as well as what we can say to them now. (2009)

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The Lovely Bones – sp – Early in the film, narrator of the story tells you what everyone who has read the book already knows and that is that she has been murdered at age 14 and she will not get a chance to live out the life to which she was looking forward. The movie shows her in the space between living on earth and heaven while she waits for things to be resolved. It was very easy for us to identify with 1970s family and watch the unimaginable horror that they felt after the disappearance and evidence of the killing of their daughter and then to see it dissolve into what we shrinks call complicated grief. The young girl played by Saoirse Ronan an Irish actress with no accent at all who was 13 during the making of the film radiated all the freshness and anticipation that you would hope a youngster would have at that stage of life. That made the tragedy of her murder all the more difficult as we saw the glimmers of her first love never to be realized during her lifetime. However Director and Producer Peter Jackson was intent on making this more than just a good 10 pm Special Victims Unit or CSI TV show. The script that he, his wife Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens wrote based on the popular novel by Alice Sebold created a beautiful ethereal existence for our lost soul where she observes the struggles of her family and the mystery of her unsolved murder. Jackson then brings the special effects for which he is known as other characters in this special place are also introduced. Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz are on the mark as the parents and Stanley Tucci is the villain that is any parent’s nightmare. Executive Producer Ken Kamins related that to his surprise the movie “tested off the charts” with young teenage girls who obviously identified with the 14 year old victim and her aspirations and maybe even more so with her younger sister who we see grow to age 18 and become a heroine in her own right. While the movie provided suspense and held our interest, we were too much in pain to even be happy when she eventually makes it to heaven. (2009)

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Invictus

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

This is the last verse of poem titled Invictus that Susan’s dad frequently recited to inspire her and her brother. The poet William Henley wrote it in 1867 most probably reflecting his battle with tuberculosis which caused him the loss of a leg and a life with an artificial limb This is also the title and a recurrent theme of the latest movie directed and produced by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela. It is small slice of the great accomplishments of a man who spent 27 years in a small prison cell before emerging to be Prime Minister of South Africa and lead his country after the fall of apartheid The story shows how Mandela was determined to bring together the country despite the anger of the blacks after years of oppression and the resentment of the whites after the loss of their power and their majority rule. The vehicle for demonstrating Mandela’s role in unifying South Africa was the 1995 Rugby World Cup hosted by South Africa. Matt Damon plays Francois Pienaar the captain of the South African team originally not up to the task of winning. He becomes inspired by Mandela and helps his team master their fate and perhaps the fate of their nation. The real Nelson Mandela reportedly met Morgan Freeman and hoped that he would play him in a movie . Freeman very much wanted this opportunity and finally found the script where he could do it. He did it so well that when Clint Eastwood met Mandela he said that he thought that the great leader was “imitating Freeman”. It was more than the acting that make this an outstanding film. The breaking down of barriers between people is reflected in subtle nuances of the relationships between the white and black bodyguards of the Prime Minister, in the contrast of team captain Pienaar’s parents and even in the interplay between a youngster and a police officer listening to the big game on the radio. The powerful struggle that his country had to go through seemed to be echoed in the struggle of the Rugby scrum. The final game was shown in some detail and we were told was recreated from the study of tapes of the contest. The television scenes and commentary of the actual game was woven into the movie. Only three of the many rugby players seen in the dramatic battles on the field were actors. One of these with a very small part but with a distinctive face was Scott Eastwood son of Clint. (2009)

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The Last Station – sp – Leo Tolstoy died in 1910. This is the story of his last year based on a novel by Jay Parini with a screenplay written and directed by Michael Hoffman. Helen Mirren is as good as she ever has been ( and that is saying a great deal ) in her role as Sofya Tolstoy . Leo Tolstoy himself is played magnificently by Christopher Plummer who looks amazingly like the real Tolstoy seen in the film clips shown with the credits at the end of the film. It is the story of this great revered writer who at this late stage of his life has many devoted followers and is leading a movement of peace, love and putting aside the material things in life. The relationship of Leo and Sofya after 47 years of marriage is being examined or perhaps tested as Tolstoy accepts the idea put forth by his devotee Vladimir Chertkov played by mustache twirling Paul Giamitti, that the rights to his work belong to the Russian people and not his family as Sofya vociferously contends. James McAvoy is Valentin Bulgakov, Tolstoy’s young sensitive and naive secretary who is closely observing the struggles of his employer/hero as he himself has just discovered a meaningful relationship with a young woman. Producer Bonnie Arnold related to our preview audience how the movie idea was originally that of Anthony Quinn who hoped to star in it but all the pieces did not come together for him. It was filmed mostly in the East German countryside where Russia in the early 1900s could be recreated including the Tolstoy estate and authentic railroad and station scenes. The Russian backers of the film, which were part of the international consortium, that raised 17 million dollars to make it, required that the music background be composed and recorded in Russia. Sergey Yevtushenko subsequently did just that and his beautiful piano music added greatly to the mood of the film. The relationship between Leo and Sofya as played by two great actors is nuanced in so many ways and is the highlight of the movie all be it perhaps a tad overly dramatic. This may have been why we were always aware we were watching a film and didn’t get completely drawn into it as we both felt should have been the case. Perhaps also if we had read the book or were better students of this part of Russian history we might have also better appreciated their conflict, which was the essence of the story. (2009)

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Stolen Summer – nf – This is a lovely movie set in 1976 in Chicago. Pete, an eight year old boy from a large Catholic family begins to worry that maybe his teacher the nun, may be right and that he is destined for hell because of misbehaving. He then decides to embark upon a quest to set things right by converting a Jew so both the Jew and himself might make it to heaven. He befriends Danny, the son of a rabbi, who unfortunately turns out to have leukemia. Pete’s father, the fireman, doesn’t like his son hanging around the synagogue and the rabbi isn’t totally pleased with his son crossing himself at dinner. Although there is a touch of humor in this film it can best be described as one that is will touch you and warm your heart. Pete Jones, the writer and director was actually the star of HBO’s Project Greenlight in 2001, which was a reality TV show about the making of this movie. No matter what the documentary showed, it ended up as a sweet, well done film. Adi Stein as Pete appears to be right out of a Norman Rockwell painting freckles and all. He and the other child actors were excellent, so kudos to them and the director. Brian Dennehy had a small role as the Catholic Priest but he is always outstanding in any character that he takes on. We are glad that we saw this film (2002)

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Up In the Air – sp – George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham a man whose job is to fly around the country and fire people since their bosses didn’t want to do it themselves. He is very well accommodated to life in the air without much of a home base. He has learned all the tricks of this life style and makes the point that one should travel light since baggage weighs you down. He also feels that relationships weigh you down. He has traded the messiness of relationships for neatness and efficiency Screenwriter and Director Jason Reitman (son of Ivan the Director) who was a guest at our screening told us that he took six years to write this movie. During this time he married, became a father, directed Thank you For Smoking and Juno, which he also penned. While still a young man he appears to have learned enough about life to show a core of sensitivity in his main character in this movie who develops insight into his own loneliness. Vera Farmiga plays Alex, a woman who appears to be the female equivalent of Bingham but yet his attraction to her challenges his notions about life, as does the impending wedding of his sister and his realization of how he is regarded by his family. There is clever dialog and meaningful themes, which not only deal with relationships but also with the hardship of job loss and unemployment. Reitman shares with us how when he started writing the script the economy was in full gear but by the time he was shooting it, the idea of people losing their jobs was much more common and personal to so many people in this country. He therefore chose to use real people who had recently lost their job to play the parts of a series of people being fired in the film. This provided an intensity and authenticity in these people, which Reitman admits he could not have written. This movie deftly combines comedy, realism and thought provoking emotion. (2009)

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Precious – rm – An extremely obese abused black pregnant teenager with one defective toddler child already, gets kicked out of school. You probably can’t imagine a more depressing difficult situation than this, but actually her problems are even much worse than this description. However, she finds her way to an Alternative School and a no-nonsense teacher who cares about her and the other misfits in the class. The gritty bleak environment in which Precious lives is captured in a very palpable manner by Director Lee Daniels based on a novel titled Push by Sapphire and a screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher. Gabourey Sidibe in a remarkable debut performance conveys the depths of despair and determination of her character but also has a chance to show the emotions of joy which Precious imagines in brief fantasy flashbacks. As good as she is in this role, if only one acting award is to be given from this movie, it should go to Mo’Nique who plays the despicable mother of Precious who expresses her fury as well as unfolding the pitiful vulnerability of her character. This movie is the story of one person’s life living in a more common terrible ghetto environment. You would almost think that there are no descent black males here if it were not for the depiction of a caring young male nurse whom Precious encounters in the hospital sensitively played by Lenny Kravitz. . Also if you haven’t heard, Mariah Carey is “unbeautified” and plays an intense social worker. Oprah Winfrey who has the clout to make things happen as well as Tyler Perry equally successful actor/writer/producer were the forces that pushed this film to the screen. This movie will hit you in the gut, but if you can take it, you will have an unforgettable glimpse into the struggles that some young people have been dealing with in our inner cities. (2009)

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The Secret Life of Bees – nf – One of us read the book and the other didn’t but we both were transfixed by the by this view of the racial tensions in the south in the 1960s. The movie follows the journey 14-year-old Lilly (Dakota Fanning) as she escapes her abusive father and seeks to find out if the mother that she lost at age 4 through tragic circumstances that involved her own hand, had loved her or totally rejected her. She is joined in her quest by her black friend and caregiver Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson). They are drawn to the home of August Boatwright (Queen Latifah) and her two sisters (Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo) which turns our to have a special connection for her. Boatwright is the wise sage of the story who also understands bees and is the maker of honey (the real bee stuff and the sweetness of this character). Despite the recent civil rights act, the hatred and bigotry and its toll are illustrated in this film in very human terms. The best selling novel by Sue Monk Kidd and the screenplay by Gina Prince-Blythwood provided ample opportunity for full expressions of feelings and powerful interactions between the characters under the direction of Ms. Prince-Blythwood. Although there was only a hint of song in the film, Jennifer Hudson and Queen Latifah showed that they are perhaps just as talented as actors as they are singers. Alicia Keys known for her singing also did a great acting job. Sophie Okonedo was outstanding in a difficult role where she had played the disturbed sister who radiated warmth and love but struggled with an incurable emotional pain. Young Dakota Fanning was brilliant as the young girl searching for the truth and the interactions with Paul Bettany who played her father were electrifying. If you haven’t seen this film, it belongs on your Netflix list. (2008)

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The Messenger – sp – When you have a good script dealing with a storyline of families being informed by two military guys that their loved ones have been killed in action and you bring in top notch actors, you have the formula for a great movie. Co-writer and first time director Oren Moverman who has some background in the Israeli army captured the drama and emotion of death notification of the Iraqi/Afghanistan War. Ben Foster delivers an exquisitely sensitive performance playing Will Montgomery a young battle scarred veteran who is assigned the last 3 months of his military rotation to work stateside with Captain Tony Stone very capably inhabited by Woody Harrelson. The Captain knows the routine for these heart-wrenching visits with family members and has almost insulated himself from his feelings about what he is doing. Pain appears to drip from every pore as we watch them go on their appointed tasks. Samantha Morton is also outstanding in her role as Olivia Pitterson one of the wives who receives the dreaded news. The well-written script allows the story of each character to unfold, as the young sergeant becomes a buddy with the crusty Captain as well as becoming very understanding and close with the young widow. Steve Buscemi is also unforgettable in his role as a dad getting the news about his soldier son. Woody Harrelson was a guest at our screening and revealed that the director did not have the actors rehearse the notifications scenes, which appeared to intensify the spontaneity and rawness of them. This was counterbalanced in our opinion by a few unnecessarily drawn-out scenes where Harrelson and Foster’s characters were establishing their bonding by drinking in a hideaway cabin in the woods with two girls or visiting the sergeant’s old girl friend at her engagement party. Nevertheless we believe this film will stand as one of defining depictions of the war that we are in today. (2009)

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The Men Who Stare At Goats – sp – This is a comedy, or more specifically, a farce that is trying to make fun of the US Army for some ventures that they made into exploring the use of new age techniques and the potential of the application of the paranormal for fighting the enemy. The story is loosely based on book by Jon Ronson published in 2004 where he described the ideas of Lieutenant Colonel Jim Channon who served in Vietnam War and in the late 1970s proposed the formation of the First Earth Battalion. He produced a 125-page manual of drawings, graphs, maps, polemical essays and point by point redesigns of every aspect of military life. Movie producer Paul Lister who was the guest at our film course told us that the actual manual was shown in the movie. In that manual it was proposed that rather than using bullets and munitions, a new force would attempt to first win the hearts and minds of the enemy by doing such things as using positive vibrations, carrying “symbolic animals” of peace—such as baby lambs—into hostile countries, greeting people with “sparkly eyes.” There was a bit in the movie where the character played by George Clooney tries to flash his eyes to bring about this effect. The overall storyline is that a recently divorced, unhappy newspaper reporter played by Ewan McGregor goes to Iraq to find a good story and meets

Clooney who tells how he is a former Jedi of the above group and is reactivated for a new mission. You add Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges to the mix with this premise and you get some good delivery of comedic situations, which brought about some loud laughs in the movie theater. There are attempts at “remote viewing” walking through walls, killing goats by starring at them etc. They also brought in the idea of giving LSD to people without them knowing it, which the US and the CIA are known to have actually done about 50 years ago. A real film clip shown in the movie of a news report of Iraqi prisoners continually being subjected to bothersome music to break them down to get information. Thus the film seems to also be attempting to satirize recent US actions with prisoners as well as the earlier time when the Earth Battalion was being proposed. Technically speaking, they are also confusing psychological warfare with paranormal or new age warfare. But after all, it is a comedy albeit it somewhat slapstick. In the end the movie goes nowhere. The targets of the satire are nebulous. It was fluffy without any real depth. (2009)