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The City of Your Final Destination – rm – For more than 40 years director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant have been bringing forth signature films with screenplays written and adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Two years after the death of Merchant, the remaining team has created a film worthy of the genre, which took three more years to be released. Every frame is a masterpiece color photograph with period and location magnificently depicted. The story here is about Omar (Omar Metwally) a mid-western university doctoral student who has a grant to write a biography of a Latin American writer who had committed suicide. He takes temporary leave of Deidre (Alexandra Maria Lara), his controlling girl friend to travel to the beautiful Uruguay countryside in order to try to convince the executers of the writer’s estate to authorize the biography. He finds the deceased writer’s widow (Laura Linnley), the writer’s girl friend Arden (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and the 8 year old daughter she had with him, the gay brother of the writer (Anthony Hopkins ) along with his lover (Hiroyuki Sanada ) who has been with him since he adopted him at age 15, all living together on a magnificent ranch estate miles from nowhere. The movie becomes a study of the personalities of this group and the dynamics between them. It also follows and explores the emotions of the would be biographer as he rather quickly develops feelings for Adrenia which leaves him with some important choices to make. A very effective ending allows you to come away from the movie realizing that everyone has decisions to make, which may make life better in ways never thought possible. (2007)

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The Answer Man – sp – This is another one of those independent films that is rising to the top based on a very good script with rich juicy roles which attracts grade A actors who take a chance, in this case, on writer and first time director John Hindman. Veteran actor Jeff Daniels, whom we recently saw on the Broadway stage in the hit God and Carnage, plays a middle aged reclusive author of highly successful spiritual books but hasn’t made much of his own personal life. He meets and connects with a struggling single mother ( Lauren Graham ) as well as a young book store owner ( Lou Taylor Pucci ) who is  fresh out of alcohol rehab and chases our guru down seeking advice on how to keep his own life together. You might call this a solid comedy but the attraction here is the touching relationships between these improbable people. We agree with the word out of the Sundance Film festival that this film stands out from the crowd.  (2009)

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Middle of Nowhere – sp – This is a story about teenagers living in a small town who feel rejected by their parents for various reasons but are trying to figure out how to do something with their lives. This leads the two main characters to take up selling pot to make money in order to break free and become their own persons. The script was written by Michelle Morgan who grew up in Thousand Oaks in the San Fernando Valley in California but we suspect after meeting both of them at our film course, that many of the fine touches of this movie were added by Director John Stockwell. In any case, the result is a sensitive reading of young people which captures very well some of the struggles of this time of life. Susan Sarandon is, as usual, quite outstanding as the mother of the main character who is portrayed very well by her real life daughter Eva Amurri. Anton Yelchin portrays the 17 year old main male character and has a very moving scene in which he has tracked down his mother who abandoned him when she was 15 years old and tells him now that she feels no connection to him. (2009)

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An Unlikely Weapon – sp – This is a an outstanding documentary about Eddie Adams the photographer who in 1968 photographed a Saigon police chief shooting a Vietcong guerilla point black Some say that photo ended the Vietnam War by it’s influence on the US public.This film shows how Adams, who won a Pulitzer Prize for the picture, never really understood why it was so great and but was profoundly effected by the incident for much of his life. He strove for perfection throughout his career and never believed he came close, despite continually trying He was a complex but an immensely likeable person. He felt his greatest accomplishments were when he returned to Viet Nam and joined the rejected boat people on what seemed to be a hopeless journey. He took pictures of them which probably influenced President Carter and the US Congress to let a couple hundred thousands of these Vietnamese refugees into the US and become part of the next generation of immigrants. When he moved on to subjects beyond the war he related well to them whether they be Fidel Castro, the Pope, or movie stars, which is why they allowed him to capture such unique photos of these well known subjects . You may have to search out this film or wait until it comes on DVD since it is going to have an uphill battle to get good distribution. If you are inclined to see this picture you will not be disappointed. We had the opportunity to hear a discussion of this film not only with Susan Morgan Cooper the Director/Producer but also with Pulitzer winning photographers David Hume Kennerly and Nick Ut (who took the also unforgettable photo of the Vietnamese girl running down the street after a Napalm bombing) Both were in Viet Nam with Adams and confirmed the authenticity of the film and of the subject himself. (2009)

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World’s Greatest Dad – sp – When comedian /screenwriter/director Bobcat Goldwait showed his script to Robin Williams, he thought that his friend might do a cameo part. Instead Mr. Williams obviously saw the potential of this project. He became the lead in this comedic satire which holds up a mirror to so many people today who are often not listening to each other. An unpleasant, unlikeable teenage son of a high school teacher ends up causing his own demise. The response of the grief stricken father is to put words in the mouth of his departed son through writings that his son never really wrote This triggers responses in everyone from his principal to the kids in school most of whom never cared for the teenager when he was alive. Their exaggerated love and identification with the now deceased young man becomes the vehicle for this movie to make it’s point about the lack of empathy and understanding which young people and grown ups often show to each other. So often film scenarios, which are dealing with these complex notions, have difficulty in coming up with a good ending. Not so in this movie, as the main character who was previously an unsuccessful writer in addition to being a barely passable school teacher has now cleansed himself of bearing false witness and we imagine would now write for the sake of telling what is true. Mr. Goldwait seems to have found a way of doing this with this movie, which may just resonate with enough people to be successful. It will be released in September. (2009)

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The Waiting City – sp – This is an unusual movie which combines the plight of an Australian couple trying to adopt a child with the enchantment of India. Fiona ( Radha Mitchell) is a high powered attorney who comes to India with her husband Ben ( Joel Edgerton ) a low powered musician who usually has his guitar nearby. They have come to Calcutta to pick up their adopted daughter and initially have to wait several days to make contact with her. They have their own issues between the two of them but are drawn to meet their daughter and also understand the prior short life that she has had. They meet Krishna ( Samrat Chakrabarti) who is on one hand the hotel worker who is serving them in his uncle’s hotel but on the other hand seems to be a symbol of the country of their new child. These are the ingredients, that pulls the viewer into a spiritual experience which goes beyond the plot of the story. Fiona and Bill undergo a transformation, which is easy to identify with. The characters appeared to have learned some important things about themselves and the viewers have had an insight into the marital relationship of this couple, the meaning of international adoption and the multifaceted nature of India. Screenwriter and director Claire McCarthy was drawn to India by her own travels there. The film that she has created is authentic, beautifully photographed with muted lighting in soft colors but penetrates below the skin of the country and the people in the story. (2010)

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Phyllis and Harold – sp- Cindy Kleine undertook a project for 12 years where she interviewed her parents on film and put together the story of their 59 years of marriage with old movies, slides and letters. She originally felt the story was so interesting that she was going to transcribe the interviews and write a screenplay. However, she then realized that the real people saying their own words would be better than any actors she could get to recreate their story. So this filmmaker with the support of her husband Andre Gregory (well known theatre and film director best known for “Dinner with Andre”) put together a most unusual and successful documentary of the story of the marriage and subsequent life of Harold and Phyllis. Her father is shown as the dashing, handsome, confident young dentist who courts his future wife while he is in the army during World War II. He goes on to then develop a successful practice where he can take his wife on vacations all over the world providing all the comforts of life including a devoted nanny for his two children. However, the core of the story is how this marriage is experienced by his wife Phyllis, who is shown to have been a beautiful, articulate and poetic young woman. She shares in interviews with her moviemaker daughter on film her feelings and doubts about her marriage as well as her early secret romantic life, which blossomed again at age 70. Her grown children each find themselves becoming bold participants in a small but significant way in her mother’s secret life. The 84 minutes of this film seems to fly by reminding us that everyone’s life might be summarized in a well-kept photo album or in a thoughtful documentary if anyone was there to make it. Usually the children, let alone a discerning movie audience do not know parent’s innermost secrets. This is the exception and it is an exceptionally creatively edited, well-done documentary. It must have been somewhat therapeutic for Ms. Kleine to have made the film and for sure it will stimulate complicated emotions and discussion in many parents and grown children who view it. Expected to be released shortly and then on DVD. (2010)

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Music Within – nf – Richard Pimentel is a real Viet Nam veteran who was injured in the war and returned home with severely impaired hearing. That experience inspired him to become an activist, author and spokesperson for the disabled. He became one of the major forces behind the American with Disabilities Act of the 1990s. This movie is the story of his journey from a kid with a mentally ill mother, which led him to have a troubled childhood, to the success, which he ultimately had. When he was unable to realize his gift for public speaking, he put things on hold and entered the military. The pathway he took upon his return to civilian life and his skill in convincing employers to hire disabled vets was quite impressive. Thanks to some excellent writing, director Steven Sawalich and his very talented team were able to bring this unforgettable story to the screen. Ron Livingston carries off a very fine portrayal of Pimentel with Melissa George as his girl friend and an excellent job by veteran actor Hector Elizondo as a Speech Professor. However, the most amazing performance of the movie is that of Michael Sheen who plays Art Honeyman a brilliant college student with cerebral palsy who befriends Pimentel and is a key part of the movie. Sheen’s wheel chair performance with a severe speech defect is one of the highlights of the film and should have earned him an Academy Award nomination. This is a period piece and seamlessly with the aid of appropriate music moves through the decades of the 50s through the 90s. This is certainly a tribute to all those who battle with disabilities and find themselves misunderstood. It also is an inspiring story, which shows how one dedicated and passionate person can make a difference, and brings about meaningful change. (2007)

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The Secret in Their Eyes – sp – When Juan Jose Campanella is not directing episodes of Law and Order, CSI or the like, he periodically returns to Argentina make a movie. In this case he directed and co-wrote the screenplay of The Secret in Their Eyes. Thus far it is the most successful movie in Argentina in the past thirty-five years and now in just few days after we saw it, we will find out if this Academy Award nominated movie for the Best Foreign Film will win an Oscar. ( addendum note: It won !!) It reminds us of the French movie, Tell No One, one of our all time favorites, as it is also a sophisticated detective story with an easy flowing but yet a complicated plot that keeps you thinking and guessing throughout the story and even afterwards. It is in Spanish, of course, with good subtitles. This movie is not only a mystery and a crime movie but it is also a subtle romantic film which has very good comedic moments. There is the use of a narrative technique that allows you to see the story through the imagination and the memory of the main character Benjamin Esposito played by well-known Argentine actor Ricardo Darin. There are skillfully done movements, which go back and forth in time as well as shifting the point of view, which on a few occasions took a few moments for us to orient ourselves. The acting, directing and photography were superb with great realism and therefore it surprised us to learn that the budget was only two million dollars. As required for all good movies of this genre, there is a strong ending, which will hold your interest and encourage further reflection. (2010)

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The Yellow Handkerchief – sp – 83 year old Arthur Cohn who is a five time Oscar winner with films dating back to 1961 was the producer of this film and guest at our screening. He noted that for many of his great movies, including The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, it was often difficult to get a distributor and the films did not achieve box office success until they won the Oscar. In the case of this current film he told us that be thought that the reason he had trouble getting a distribution (finally picked up by Samuel Goldwyn Films) was because this movie does not have sex or any significant violence which many people believe are necessary for a movie to achieve box office success. This film is a road movie which follows Brett, played William Hurt, as he is released from prison after serving 6 years and hitches a ride with a 15 year old girl played by Kristen Stewart (of Vampire movie fame) and slightly older teenage guy played by Eddie Redmayne. Both young people have their own histories of feeling unloved and would like to get away from their unhappy lives. Brett’s history unfolds through a series of short flashbacks as they travel in the south towards New Orleans. He had a troubled youth and hadn’t made much of his life. He thought perhaps things were changing around when he met May played by Maria Bello, but his view of himself as a flawed person along with some particular circumstances caused him to destroy this relationship and end up in jail. As the three travelers who were seemingly going nowhere in their lives get to understand each other and grow, there is a sense of redemption. You see these three misfits and unlikely companions travel in a battered old convertible through Louisiana on their way to New Orleans which is beautifully photographed by award winning Director of Photography Chris Menges. The energy and eternal hope that producer Cohn put into this project (which comes to the to the screen three years after it was filmed) makes us want to root for the this movie to be successful just as we find ourselves also rooting for the characters to make it in their lives. You are left with the dream of the possibility of second chances, which is no small feat. (2008)