Oddly, my overall experience of the film was that it was self-defeating. The first two thirds of the film are so overwhelming in the presentation of global warming, damage to earth, destruction to wild life, and the impact on human life, that it leaves the imprint of hopelessness. I felt battered, weary, and defeated. By the time we got to how we can all stave off catastrophe, I was almost too burned out to rise to the occasion.

This film would have been far more effective, for me, if it had, in its opening sequences, reminded us of what we already know only too well about Earth’s calamity, and then gone immediately to what we can and must do beginning now to turn things around.

Instead of talking heads lecturing us, I would have loved to see a film which centered on a single family in a single community where each person is shown changing their polluting ways and contributing to the health of the planet. The story of healing could be very effectively told that way, from the smallest child to the eldest grandparent, to choices made in every sector of the larger community; and from there, the spread of change across the world. The emphasis needs to be on how each little thing each of us commits to do affects the whole of the world.

“300”, rated R, general release

"No one is all bad or all good." Russell Crowe and Christian Bale shine in this wild west story about a band of robbers and a rancher family man who was a former sharpshooter. The film is beautifully done, suspenseful with surprising twists and turns, and carries the message that all of us have a little of the light and a little of the dark in us.

While both lead characters are tough in their own way, each is cut of a different cloth and each holds different values. They defend those values to the end.

Crowe’s Ben Wade, the leader of the band, is ruthless but not unyielding. More often than not, he talks his way out of precarious situations. Bale’s Dan Evans, says very little but he cares deeply about his family’s future and how he is seen in the eyes of his young sons. When Evans stares death in the eye, he takes on Wade’s approach of talking and it is then that we discover that Wade is not only a talker, he is also a listener. The back and forth between the two of them is powerful and very different from ordinary stalemates. Here, humans communicate with each other rather than emptying their hardware in reflex macho behavior.

While there is graphic violence, it is balanced with substance. There is also excellent supporting acting by Peter Fonda, Ben Foster and Logan Lerman.

Using the music of the Beatles, the director immerses us in a personal love tale that is the story of the whole generation of the ‘60s.

Jim Sturgess, a handsome, intense young actor with a sweet voice, appears as Jude. He is Lennon and McCartney embodied. He falls in love with Lucy, magnificently played by Evan Rachel Wood who sings as beautifully as Sturgess.

As they merge heart to heart, we, in the audience, are enraptured and immersed. We are transformed into the world being exposed to us on the screen and it is so much more inviting, so much more beautiful, so much thrilling than the one we live in collectively that we want to climb into the screen and live there in the brilliant colors, the wonderful choreography, the poignant singing, and the splendor of imagination.

There is a reason we are swept off our feet. It is Julie Taymor, the same Ms. Taymor who enchanted us with her fabulous creations in the show The Lion King. She dazzles us with color, puppets, visual intensity, masks, choreography, scenic artistry, and the creation of earthy characters. We are submerged again and again in the emotional power of 33 Beatles songs and carried along on a ride of magnificent musical arrangements.

We soar into the sky as well as feel ourselves smashed against the canvas of bleeding strawberries as we relive the rage of the time, the trampled idealism, the ecstasy of drugs, and the exquisite power of timeless love in Strawberry Fields Forever.

Animation and virtual reality mix with life in scene after scene as we rise and fall to the boots of soldiers, the suits and ties of working men-become-robots, and then shift, as the scenes shift, to tableaus in tall grass or forests of brilliant, blazing leaves.

I have never had such a fantastic screen experience. It is impossible to know what is coming next. Hence you are held bound in the present moment and thrilled by its unique and unexpected revelation. Everything is a surprise.

Make sure when you leave the theatre that your feet are solidly on the ground because it is certain that your heart will have fled from your chest and joined a state of joy that is unending. Love is all you need.

This true story about Jesse, a young criminal drug dealer in Los Angeles in 2000, makes me wonder if this is what young druggies are really like or if this is what writer-director Nick Cassavetes imagines them to be in his worst nightmare.

The characters in the film are constantly drugged or drunk or fornicating or fighting and their limited vocabulary is punctuated with the f-word every other word. The crime for which they are all ultimately incarcerated is the kidnapping and murder of the 15-year-old half brother of a Jewish Nazi drug addict who owes Jesse $1200.

These decadent, low-life, dimwit cretins are actually smart to be on drugs because if they were ever straight enough to look at the so-called lives they are living and actually see their worthlessness, they might fall over and die of shock. Their parents are equally useless.

I don’t know how many millions of dollars went into the making of this or why Cassavetes made the time or the effort to put it on the screen. I don’t know why I went to see it. The first 2/3’s of the film are a wild orgy of sex, violence, or belittlement. Cassavetes could have depicted all of that in a 10 minute fast forward and jumped to the last third, to a scene where two guys deliberate on whether they will carry out the order to kill the 15-year-old. There was substance in that scene, and, oddly, not one single f-word.

This is suburbia gone to hell, and its youth are burning in the flames having set their own fire. My advice, don’t bother. And, if you have kids, know where they are and what they are doing.

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, rated PG, general release

The chipmunks are dear, adorable, amusing, and very loveable but they are overshadowed by live-action adults who have pedestrian and predictable dialogue played by actors who are passable at best (Jason Lee, David Cross, Cameron Richardson.) We are most entertained by the little faces as they sing, as they express delight, even sadness, and as they romp during concerts. But it all goes on way too long and we can only hope there will not be a sequel. Cute, yes, but tedious. The most wonderful moment came in the audience rather than the film when a small boy behind us emitted a shriek of happiness during a lovely moment on the screen. This film was made for children, after all, so you would have to ask them rather than me whether it was worth going.

AMAZING GRACE, rated PG, general release

I have just come from seeing this extraordinary film and I have put aside all that awaits my attention to report that I am, in fact, newly filled with grace and, for the first time in a long time, re-inspired to contribute my energy to making the world a better place in which all of us can live, together.

This is the story of William Wilberforce, an abolitionist, born in 1759, who devoted most of his life and his career in Parliament to ending slave trade in the British Empire. He was an evangelical Christian whose worship of God took the form of devotion to the cause of freeing those whose bondage and suffering made other men around the world wealthy.

Ioan Gruffudd, a Welsh actor, does a beautiful job of playing Wilberforce who was a bit of a puzzlement because he simultaneously championed freedom for African slaves and set back the cause of trade unions that sought to help Britain’s working poor. This film, however, focuses only on his commitment to being a man of action, of principle, of God, and of tireless will in the service of his crusade. We are spared few details of what the slaves endured as they were carried across the high seas in shackles, made to lie in quarters below deck that were 6 feet long and 16 inches wide, to lie in their own blood and feces. More than 10 million Africans, men, women and children, with names, history, heritage, and family, were sold and used for the profit and greed. More than 2 million died during the 2 to 3 month passage.

Albert Finney plays Wilberforce’s mentor, John Newton, a former slave trader who, wrote the hymn Amazing Grace after he himself saw the light and gave up the suffering he caused. There are numerous fine performances, by Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon, and others.

You can hardly sit in the theatre without being inspired to stand up for whatever cause you hold dear, to fight to your last breath for what you believe to be for the good of the whole. As I say this, I realize that each of us seeing this film will be inspired in a different way. There will be those who stand up against racism, or abortion, or in favor of choice, or for the rights of Gays, or to prohibit marriage between those of the same sex, or against war, or… The list is endless. But the most important thing, above all the causes, is to stand up, to speak and act for what you believe, to do it with devotion, and hopefully, with the purpose of upholding human life and dignity for everyone. To paraphrase Sir Francis Bacon, great changes are more easily accommodated than small ones. It is a lesson for us, to bypass the smaller issues that hold us prisoners in separation and go instead for the monumental shifts that lift humanity closer to Divine expression.

At the end of this film, the audience applauded. As a body, we all acknowledged that we had just been reminded that we have a vital role to play in the world.

Do see this film, immediately.

American Gangster, rated R, general release

Denzel Washington, as 1970’s New York drug lord Frank Lucas, and Russell Crowe, as Richie Roberts, the New Jersey cop who ends Frank’s career, are both excellent in this intense, dark, exciting, big studio big movie.

The two characters doggedly pursue excellence in opposite venues and the two actors have created superb characterizations. We end up caring equally about both even though their quests and methods keep us tucked in on the side of good.

It was a thoroughly engrossing film but the best performance of all belongs to Ruby Dee as Frank’s mother. She is incredibly powerful and in one scene makes the roar of Mother Earth herself when she calls her errant son to task.

There is another fine actor in this film. He doesn’t even get a credit. His name is Clarence Williams III. He plays the predecessor and mentor of Lucas and dies early on in the film. I first saw him on Broadway in 1964 in Slow Dance on the Killing Ground. He was 25 then and a brilliant young actor. Over the years he has done a wealth of television and film but he never became the top box office star he deserved to be. He is Black and he was born too early. There was not enough opportunity back then for too many Blacks to become household names in the film industry. This is why I give him his due here in this commentary. He deserves far more recognition than he has ever received.

AMERICAN TEEN, Rated PG-13, art theatre release

This documentary follows several teens during their senior year in high school revealing their insecurities, hopes and dreams, as well as peer support and cruelty, and parental pressure. The portrait goes deep rather than superficial which makes the unfolding very rich and often surprising. It truly captures the raging hormones, the yearning hearts, the uncertainty of the future, and the agony of being “almost” an adult. The teens who were interviewed are unguarded and frank and we are invited into some of their most intimate moments. The action takes place in Warsaw, Indiana. There was little or no drinking of alcohol by teens in this town and they were a bit less sophisticated than teens in other larger cities. But their inner struggles were typical of this age in which pimples and awkwardness dominate just when one wants to assert his or her independence. I enjoyed it and think it is worth seeing. I would be interested to know how “your” teen responds to it! It might at least stimulate conversation that would prove worthwhile. Nanette Burstein does a nice job of directing and pulling it all together.

ANGEL-A, Rated R, Art Theatre Release

In this unusual French, subtitled film, the character of Andre can’t seem to stay out of trouble, is scheduled for being bumped off because he hasn’t paid his debts, and he is generally very sad and disappointed with life. He is played beautifully by Rie Rasmussen. Just in the nick of time, Angela (really Angel-A) drops into his sorry existence and helps turn everything around, as any good angel would. She is tall and thin, blond and lovely. Jamel Debbouze plays her for all she’s worth, and that is quite a lot, given what she has to do by way of miracles for Andre. The film is shot in black and white and takes us touring Paris. Andre’s face fills the opening scene with such pathos that I never noticed the film was not in color. While Andre is down on his luck and can’t pull his life together, making continuous bad choices, he is loveable nonetheless with surprising moral fiber and considerable sensitivity. Angela comes complete with a bag of angel tricks for dealing with threatening thugs but she has her own personal issues to confront and she and Andre make an interesting pair. A key turn around in the story is when Angela teaches Andre about love (he is finally able to love himself), about self-esteem, and about his natural goodness. Our local reviewer panned this film because there was too much talking. Whenever I hear that criticism I rush to see the film. While this was not a great one, it was charming, unique, and very sweet. I enjoyed it.

ARCTIC TALE, rated G, art theatre release

This visit to the North Pole and the trials of a walrus pup and two polar bear cubs is beautifully filmed and big on making a point about global warming and destroying natural habitats.

A National Geographic film, this is composed of over 800 hours of shooting over a 15 year period. The close-ups are wonderful, as is the overall capturing of the environment. The entire movie is worth the cost of admission for the intimate scene deep inside a dark cave of ice as a polar bear gives birth to two amazingly small cubs who immediately begin to nurse.

If you like bears, you will delight in this. The walrus population affords us an opportunity to appreciate their love-making. It is quite a stretch to experience their large hairy mouths merging in a kiss. Good luck.

When I was a kid, Saturday mornings were devoted to cowboy movies at the local theatre: Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes, Gene Autry, horses, dusty towns, and wide open spaces, capturing our imagination and making us long to live in places like Arizona. (It’s amazing I ended up living in Scottsdale!) Those films were B-westerns, all following a formula, all very predictable, and we kids loved every minute of them (except for the intrusion of yucky romance).

The westerns today are definitely not B-movies. They still take place in familiar locations but the themes are deeper and the stories more intense and dramatic. And the talent is far superior. In this case, Ed Harris stars; he also wrote the script and directed. The screenplay is tightly woven (based on a novel by Robert B. Parker) and the setting is picturesque. Harris plays Virgil, a gun fighter hired to be a lawman. His partner, Everett, (Viggo Mortensen) is rugged and the epitome of masculinity.

I liked this film very much; however, it was both inspiring and wearying. Based on the true story of Chris Gardner, a black man who struggles to keep himself and his small son from drowning in the deep waters of poverty in the Bay area of California, we suffer his trials and tribulations along with him. Gardner is beautifully played by Will Smith and his real life son plays his movie son.

While we are infused with Gardner’s optimism, it is hard to believe that anyone can keep up his pace as he seeks success without eating or sleeping, and he keeps his clothes neat and clean even as he and his son reside for a night on the floor of a subway restroom.

Gardner’s life is juxtaposed with those who have the comforts of life and don’t think twice about them. The head of the company where Gardner hopes to work borrows $5 from him for cab fare without ever conceiving that Gardner has only $6 in total assets.

The hardest scenes to watch in this film are the long lines of homeless outside Glide Memorial Church 7 days a week, each human being hoping for a place to sleep for the night. Affluent America has a way of masking off the poor among us. We can make donations at the end of the year but never need to look into the face of someone who has lost his greatest asset, hope.

The father/son love in this film is very touching. It dissipates the stereotype of black men leaving their children behind.

I recommend this film to touch your heart, and as you do, perhaps to touch a stranger who has been dragged down by circumstance or bad choices but who might reopen to a flicker of light because you made the good choice to shine yourself in his or her direction.

ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES by the Coward Robert Ford, The, rated R, general release

Please note the long title and then multiply that by 160 minutes of squirming in your seat during long slow horseback rides through the snow and long moments when the characters take measure of each other through extended eye searching. Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t a bad movie. It was just way too much of a good thing.

Jesse James was a bad man who robbed banks and trains and killed over 17 people in the process. But he was so daring that he become an American folk hero, perhaps because he was murdered while his back was turned to the 20-year-old Robert Ford who wanted more than anything to be Jesse James.

Brad Pitt creates a fine James character complete with unusual mannerisms, and Casey Affleck beautifully underplays the assassin. He seems slow in his thinking and action but we can feel the undercurrent of his fantasy life. Sam Rockwell does a particularly good job as Charley Ford. He is filled with eagerness, is thoughtful, has a grand laugh, and possesses a face fluid with expression.

In a very small role in the film, Michael Parks appears. He reminds us again what a fine actor he is. He has aged considerably and though it was difficult for me to recognize him, his earnest acting demanded my attention. I was not surprised during the titles to see that it was Parks. It set me to wondering, as I have in the past, what is it that enables some actors to become stars (even some with minimal talent) while others, like Parks, who are consistently excellent, work only rarely and never get the recognition they deserve. I have no answer to the question.

There is fancy film work here: blurring the sides of scene, sepia coloring for indoor settings, and lingering images. The story holds our attention but alas pushes the limits of that attention. There was at least 40 minutes of exploration of peripheral relationships; these could easily have been cut.

It was as if the gunslinger was wearing so much extra clothing that it interfered with his ability to be quick on the draw. The lesson: less is more. When the writer is also the director it is easy to lose perspective, to cherish what you have created, and to hold on rather than cut. That happened here.

ASTRONAUT FARMER, THE, rated PG, general release

Is anything possible? Is everything possible? You bet it is. And when you see this film you will be reminded to pursue your dreams and turn possibilities into realities.

Billy Bob Thornton creates a soft, endearing character, Charles Farmer, who seeks to launch a rocket constructed in his barn to take him into space. He has the support of his children, his father-in-law, and his fine relationship with his wife, played with sensitivity by Virginia Madsen.

Never for one minute does the audience stop rooting for Charlie Farmer, even though the government tries to shut him down, and denies that he can launch. In a very interesting scene, the government spokesman, using all too familiar language, tells the nation only what the U.S. government wants its citizens to know.

The film is both funny and inspiring. We know it’s an implausible tale, but we also know it’s about the dream, about the commitment, about finishing what you start and never giving up hope.

Take the kids to this one and be sure to tell them that they can be and do anything and that you will be their greatest source of encouragement.

ATONEMENT, rated R, general release

From the first moments we are transported to the world of English upper class, replete with formal attire, country estates, curling cigarette smoke, sit down dinners, family secrets, and, of course, ill-advised sexual liaisons. Adapted from the novel by Ian McEwan, we know from the moment we see Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie (James McAvoy) look intensely into each other’s eyes there will be trouble in the sedate surroundings.

The tragic love story takes shape because of the actions of Briony (very well played by 13-year-old Saoirse Ronan) who lets her imagination run wild as she spins a story that ruins lives forever.

The story takes us through World War II but that aspect is not developed enough to fully engross us and we wait to see if and how our two main lovers are affected by the war action. When we find them, we reconnect emotionally.

Atonement is a tale of loss because of lies, of abdication of responsibility by those who should have had a stiff upper lip, of guilt, of love, and of sorrow. I am moved to read the book and I do recommend the film.

AUGUST RUSH, rated PG-13 (because a child was born out wedlock!), general release

I could barely find a reviewer who liked this film. I SAY: A POX ON ALL SUCH REVIEWERS! This is a little gem for adults and children alike and one that will so warm your heart that your faith in goodness and joy will be restored from the moment it begins.

Some critics found it too much of a sugar hit, some got lost in the inclusion of a Fagin-like character from Oliver Twist. But most of them missed the point all together.

This is the story of a boy, August Rush, magnificently played by Freddie Highmore whose smile and light-filled face immediately embeds itself into your heart and never leaves. It is a love story about his parents (both musicians), touchingly played by Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. They fall in love, conceive a child, and are separated by her overly ambitious father who gives the child away when he is born.

The child is, from birth, a musical genius. He hears music everywhere (all sounds are music) and knows in his inner self that it will one day lead him to his true parents.

The opening two minutes of the film have him standing in a field of tall grass moved by the wind, He merges with the grass and the sound and the all-consuming music of nature. I said in that moment, "the entire film is worth this scene." But it goes on and it gets better and better. And, yes, there are critics who can't hear it, can't see it, and therefore dismiss this as hokum. I grieve for them.

The film is directed by Kirsten Sheridan (from a screenplay by Nick Castle and James V. Hart.) They truly heard the music everywhere and were not afraid to enter the world of awe and beatific smiles.

I have been on Times Square in New York City and stood on the grates above the subway and listened to the symphony that wafted up from the echo tunnels below. I have stood and heard the blend of the taxi horns, the tire rubbings, the skateboarders, the shuffling feet, the clicking of the traffic lights, the drum brush of muddled conversation, the quick flight of the wind, and the light tap dancing of crumbled papers rushing through the streets. I have heard some of what Autumn Rush hears and it also fills me with the ecstasy of awareness that beyond our normal senses an entire world awaits. This film takes us there.

Some critics call it “pumped-up schlock,” an indication that they have chosen to imprison themselves in the realm of the mundane where only what they see with eyes is what they call real. If you are in any way also bound in that so-called reality, go and see this film and open yourself to being lifted as if angels had come and tucked their wings under your outstretched arms.

I loved this movie more than I can say.

AVENUE MONTAIGNE, rated PG-13, Art Theatre release, subtitled

Ahh, every now and then an intelligent, well-written, delightful, well acted and directed film makes an entrance on the screen. This is one such.

It is about love, art, and doing what you do well but wishing you were doing something else. Many lives intertwine, speaking rapid-fire French, holding our complete attention, and bringing us a lot of laughter along the way.

Each character is beautifully developed and given a spot light in which to shine. The vignettes are wonderful, not too complicated or burdensome, with just enough sugar to sweeten the time we spend watching. It’s not all sunshine and flowers, there are bittersweet events and relationships which keep us engaging and discovering.

I didn’t know any of the French actors but I certainly liked them all, and I really enjoyed the film. Do find where it is playing.

AWAKE, rated R, general release

If you think of a British garden maze with endless twists and turns that further entrap you, you will have a good description of this tangled story about a wealthy young man, Clayton, who remains awake but paralyzed despite anesthesia during a heart transplant. His voice-over cries for help when no one can hear him because his body is “under” while his psyche and consciousness remain fully present, would seem to be more than enough of a tale for our attention.

But writer-director Joby Harold apparently isn’t certain his story is strong enough. Midstream, he introduces an unbelievable subplot and tears to shreds the good faith and admiration we have heretofore established for Clayton’s brand new wife (well played by Jessica Alba) and his surgeon (expertly handled by Terrence Howard). The shift, the twist, is so sudden and so implausible that our heads spin, not to mention the repeated compromising of the operating room, the introduction of another surgeon who has no operating rights at the hospital, and the sacrificial actions of Clayton’s mother (also well played by Lena Olin.)

By the time you find yourself racing down the rabbit hole of a story gone astray, there is little to do but stay for the rest of the off-the-wall ride.

Hayden Christensen, previously in Star Wars, who plays Clayton, is a very fine young actor who deserves a much better vehicle than this. He has an intensity and honesty that reminds me a little of James Dean and he has the ability to be completely present in every scene. I wasn’t sure I would stay for the whole of this film but I was so taken by Christensen that I didn’t mind being there when the script turned wild and woolly. But I do think that this is a film you can easily skip.

AWAY FROM HER, PG-13

I can still see his face. It doesn’t move. His eyes don’t fill with tears. But just beneath the surface, the pain pulsates – the pain that has taken up permanent residence. Grant has left Fiona, his beloved wife of 44 years, in a facility for those suffering Alzheimers disease. He married her when she was 18 and now they are apart for the first time, torn asunder by a monster gobbling up Fiona’s brain, stamping out their memories, causing her to disappear bit by bit.

Sarah Polley, a fine actress in her own right, wrote and directed this extraordinary film (her first such effort). It is all at once tender, somber, frightening, and filled with grace. Love, unshakable and powerful, upends every unwelcome splash of darkness and calls us all to courage, to steadfastness.

Julie Christie is remarkable as Fiona. And Gordon Pinsent, not all that well-known in the States but acclaimed in Canada, is brilliant as Grant. Together, they communicate the oneness attained through a long marriage of joys and trials, and what it is like when an uninvited malevolence attacks the brain and carries away the being who occupies the healthy and beautiful body that remains as an unreachable shell.

The film allows entry into both sides of the horror – her unwanted abandonment of self, and his unbearable loss. They can do nothing about it, and neither can we. We all suffer together, saved by Grant’s sustaining his love for Fiona no matter what the circumstances.

The dialog is clear and unencumbered, taken right from the story by Alice Munro. The direction is easy and poignant. We are touched to the core by the simplest movement of hand or step. Ms. Polley is only 27 and yet it would appear that from her earliest years she never engaged in anything superficial. This is not a sentimental telling. Rather it is full of the richness that comes of two people who have merged their lives. Very little needs to be said. It is all communicated from the depth of each partner, one to the other, with the smallest of gestures and little blossoms of words.

Those of us who know such a love, such longevity of love, can only sit beside each other and hope no unwelcome force will invade our minds.

I can still see his face. I can still feel his pain. And I am reminded: cherish every moment, live it fully, take nothing for granted.

BABY MAMA, rated PG-13, general release

This fair to middling film is a comedy that isn’t very funny. The plot is about a woman (Tina Fey) who hires a surrogate (Amy Poehler) so that she can have a baby. Neither of the actors was memorable for me and many of the jokes fell flat. It is mildly amusing but not much more. However, it is not offensive, as some comedies are. As you can see, I don’t have much to say about it.

BANK JOB, THE, rated R, General Release

Jason Statham is intense and wonderful as Terry, the bank robber, in this fast-paced, exciting tale based on a true story of a daring burglary in London. Watching this unlikely gang tunnel under shops and up into the vault as they communicate on walkie-talkies (which are listened to by a ham operation who calls in the coppers) is a terrific trip that holds your attention every minute. The action is tight and, of course, you find yourself cheering for the bad guys and hoping they will pull off the caper and get away with the loot. It’s a lot of fun, though you must remember to turn on your English ears at the outset so that you don’t miss too much of the dialogue. Do see it, and enjoy

BECAUSE I SAID SO, rated PG-13, general release

This is a comedy about a mother, Daphne, (Diane Keaton) who is an over-the-top micromanager of the lives of her three daughters, especially Milly (Mandy Moore), who doesn't yet have a man in her life. Daphne sets out to find her one.

The story is predictable, amusing, and beefed up with sight gags (cakes in the face, etc.) and frenetic. But it also has its moments and is at least an enjoyable way to pass the time.

There are three reasons I recommend you see this film.

The first is to hear Milly's response to Daphne's question, What is an orgasm? The asking of the question is funny (and sad) in itself, but the answer and the delivery of the answer is delightful, if not evocative. It's not as fabulous a moment as the scene in When Harry Met Sally, but it is very good.

The second is that although it seems impossible to believe that the character of the mother can be so imposing and controlling, those of us who had mothers like this hardly see it as an exaggeration. Milly rightfully comes to a point of not talking to her mother for several days because of her unforgivable behavior, but the script takes us under the surface to poignancy when Daphne pleads with her daughter saying, "I wanted to protect you from becoming me." This line rang so true for me because of my own experiences with such a mother and I could finally forgive her transgressions when I came to see how unfulfilled her life truly was.

The third reason is the most important. Diane Keaton has a real face! She is 61 years old and she really looks 61 years old! I can't tell you what a treat this. Everywhere on the large and small screen, we find endless redone faces: skin yanked back, tucked in, peeled, smoothed over. They all look the same, unreal, even plastic. But, here, my friends, you can actually see what 61 looks like, what a natural face is. Keaton has lines, wrinkles, crevices, crinkles, and jowls. It is a joy to behold. It is a direct confrontation to those who do everything known to man (and woman) to keep age from entering their homes and appearing on their skin.

Keaton's face is filled with expression. It is alive. Keaton's face MOVES, because it can! How many times have we seen the repaired faces which are completely unlined and completely immovable! Keaton, bless her, is the real deal. She is a celebration of the process of living and aging. Wonderful. Not to mention that she has boundless energy.

All in all, the film will give you an enjoyable two hours of entertainment.

BECOMING JANE, rated PG-13, art theatre release

Sarah Williams and Kevin Hood do a superb job of writing a fictional account of how Jane Austen became a famed writer, and how she suffered the slings and arrows of courtship and the restrictions imposed on ladies of her time.

Austen is depicted as a discriminating woman who wants a man of passion, whether poor or rich. She will not settle for just anyone and if necessary will simply live her life in her imagination and support herself with a pen. She chooses this even though her mother, beautifully played by Julie Walters, advises that “Affection is desirable; money is absolutely indispensable.”

Anne Hathaway does a fine job of capturing Ms. Austen’s contained life-force and pensive writing moments.

The direction keeps the story moving along and the costuming is superb. This is a film rich in color and fine dialogue. It makes us all glad we are not living in those times.

In one scene we are reminded why we have laws and adjudicators: to protect property rights. And don’t you forget it!

BEE MOVIE, rated PG, general release

Animated films are an acquired taste. I happen to enjoy them. This DreamWorks’ film is about a bee who almost wrecks the planet when he tries to claim honey as in the province of bees only, and in the process seriously disturbs the natural order of things.

There is the usual adult humor and plenty of delight for the children. Jerry Seinfeld is the voice of Barry B. Benson, a young bee poised to choose a career in the hive. He is quite non-conformist, even falling in love with a human being (Renee Zellweger.)

I liked the humor and the bright colors but over all it was not as clever, or as visually beautiful, or as enchanting as other animations I have seen in the recent past.

It does have a message about not messing Mother Nature and it is worth a visit if you have an afternoon with a child who needs to be entertained.

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD, rated R, art theatre release

This dark and grim little movie is nonetheless fascinating in its moral implications. The victims and perpetrators of the unfolding madness and tragedy are all members of the same dysfunctional family. There is plenty of “evil” to go around and most of it stems from stupidity, non-communication, greed, envy and trying to step beyond very small lives into something more grandiose. It is a mix of desire, desperation, and non-reason, all of which lead to unexpected death.

Ever since Crash won for best picture in 2005, film after film has copied the mode of telling a story from different points of view and from different time perspectives. It is no longer a novelty, no longer the brilliant innovation it was at first, and it has never been done quite as well. This is true of Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. Script writer Kelly Masterson and director Sidney Lumet run over the same tire tracks many times until the road is well worn.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, and Rosemary Harris turn in fine performances but I was a little disappointed in Albert Finney who growled a lot and in Ethan Hawke who twitches too much.

Hoffman is a master at creating a character and making us care about him. Here, he is a colossal failure with a simple but misguided plan for turning his life into a grand success. The whole family goes down with him, sinking into darkness from which there is no salvation.

The strength of the writing is that we get to experience every bad idea and misstep as it comes to light, causing us to groan and wish we could interject some wisdom to stop what can only become a free fall into hell. All the characters in the movie see the unfolding story from their own limited point of view but, alas, they cannot see it from our enlightened overview.

I recommend this film for its tight little story and its many surprises but more than that it serves as a reminder to all of us that we should never proceed with a “great” idea until we look at it from many points of view and invite others to critique it as well. Sometimes our desire blinds us to hidden danger and our single-mindedness can lead to the harm or even death of those we love.

BEFORE THE RAINS, Rated PG-13, Art Theatre Release

Whenever I see that a film is a “Merchant Ivory” production I know immediately that I will enjoy a story of depth with superbly developed characters and a rich tapestry of human interaction. So it is with this film which takes place in Southern India (in Kerala, which I have been pleased to visit) and plays out like a Shakespearian tragedy. From the opening scene we can feel ourselves surrounded by the green of the foliage, the beauty of the tea plantations, the smell of the human bodies hard at work, and the crisp starched style of the British who have come to profit from the land and from the labor of the Indians. This is a story of culture-clash, of trying to live in two societies at once, of lust and love, of relationships that can never work, of banishing, and of death. It is a testing of each of the character’s integrity and we, in the audience, can do nothing more than watch the mistakes and the inevitable play out on the screen. If we had been able we would have told the various participants to make other choices because we, from an uninvolved vantage point, could see the pitfalls and how the consequences might have been avoided. But as with life, real life, we tend to function from the within the unfolding waking dream and we see the larger picture only when it is too late. This is a story of the weaknesses in human nature. We know from the beginning that this cannot end well. But along the way we are at least somewhat comforted by lavish scenery, sheer beauty, and powerful passion. The pace is a perfect mix of East and West and the strengths and weaknesses of both cultures are equally exposed. Director Santosh Sivan does as superb job and the acting by Linus Roache, Rahul Bose, Nandita Das and Jennifer Ehle is simply wonderful. If this is not playing in your neighborhood, do rent it when it becomes available.

BE KIND REWIND, rated PG-13, general release

This is the funniest film I have seen in a long time, not just funny but creative and unique and original. Be Kind Rewind starts out slowly with narration from Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) about the great jazz artist who was born on the very site of his small tenement video rental store. As he continues, we are introduced to Jerry (Jack Black) and Mike (Mos Def) who appear to be, what shall I say, a little slow. But they are not dumb and dumber (and neither is this film). Rather, they are innocent and eager, full of great ideas and the panache to make them all a reality, despite endless mishaps along the way.

Jerry is a wizard auto mechanic who becomes magnetized following an accident. He visits his friend Mike, who has been given responsibility to watch over the video store, and proceeds to de-magnetize all the tapes. To remedy the crisis, Jerry and Mike form a pseudo film company and hurriedly re-shoot the famous films, playing all the characters and involving the entire neighborhood.

I know this sounds like a thin plot, but trust me when I tell you, the projects they undertake, the ways in which they achieve them, the whimsy, the excitement, and the delighted reception will have you jumping in your seat and cackling out loud.

Jack Black is a fine and funny comic who is often held bound by the scripts he is given to play. In Be Kind Rewind he is set free to embody all his childlike wonder. I have never seen him shine like this. He is a master at timing and at bringing pure humor to the screen. He is both naïve and ingenious. And he is charming and huggable.

The film has endless sight gags but unlike so many other films, these are original and incredibly imaginative. And, there is no toilet humor or foul language in this movie, neither is there any violence. Written and directed by Michel Gondry, it is bound to become a classic. It more than raises the bar on so-called comedies appearing in our theatres.

As you sit and watch, you can’t help but remember your childhood when you built scenery out of cardboard, costumed yourself in whatever was available, and fully believed the dialog you spoke as you improvised your way through the masterpiece you were creating.

Do not miss this movie and do bring an open, eager self who is ready to laugh. We laughed too hard in places and missed some of the brilliance rolling by on the screen. Hence, we plan to see it again.

BELLA, rated PG-13, limited release

This very sweet story won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Jose, played by Eduardo Verastegui, is a beautiful, selfless man who works as a chef in his brother’s Mexican restaurant in New York City. Years earlier, a tragic accident sidelined his brilliant soccer career and left him without his $2 million contract. As the story unfolds, Jose atones for his earlier behavior by doing good deeds, including adopting an infant. It is a feel good movie. I felt good just looking at Eduardo who displays his sensitivity and intensity through shining blue eyes.

BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA, rated PG, general release

Is this an absurd movie about little dogs? Yup. But it is also cute and pretty funny in places. Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore) is the lead pampered pooch who ends up in Mexico and has no end of wild adventures.

Think of this as a diversion from the politics of the human world and the economic meltdown. It will halt your own barking for a while, although the Chihuahuas are so lavishly treated you might have a whole new genre of obscene wealth about which to be irritated.

Take the kids. They will shriek with delight.

BLACK BOOK, rated R, art theatre release

This film about the Dutch resistance infiltrating the Nazi war machine is so engrossing that I can’t remember if it was subtitled. I think it was.

Paul Verhoeven has done a fine job capturing the time period with vigor and suspense, sex and betrayal. It features excellent acting, including a turn by Sebastian Koch who is fabulous in The Lives of Others.

The film depicts the on-going saga of Jewish survival. In one scene, the resistance workers are duped into thinking that their top agent, Rachel, has betrayed them. Without a second’s hesitation, they begin destroying her reputation using stereotypes (that she is money hungry, like all Jews) and the very same epithets used by the Nazis. Clearly, we are all only one degree of separation from behaving like our detestable adversaries.

This is worth seeing.

BLACK SNAKE MOAN, rated R, general release

 This is a very unusual presentation of the lingering affects of sexual abuse and how two people with deep issues and aching needs can help one another in surprising purity.

 Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci really make film magic together and keep us intrigued and hopeful. Jackson's character plays and sings the blues and that is the story of his relationally failed life. Ricci is sexually over used and it takes kindness and caring to enable her to give and receive love from her heart and to respect her body.

 It is so different a story with such unlikely twists that it held my attention for its uniqueness. It may also hold yours. 

BLADES OF GLORY, rated PG-13, general release

Will Ferrell and Jon Heder as figure skater rivals who hated each other and then teamed up to appear on the ice as a couple. Funny, Oh Yes. Ridiculous, Certainly. Enjoyable, Often. No doubt there will be a sequel. These two guys have chemistry together, amidst such eye-brow raising sight gags as face-in-crotch and skating groin to groin.

The sexual references in the film go way beyond PG-13 for my taste and some of the supporting characters (the sister and brother competition) are way over the top stereotypes.

In the end, if I hadn’t seen it I wouldn’t have missed much. But, it did move at a fast enough pace to blur some of my objections and leave me somewhat entertained.

BLIND DATING, general release

While the critics didn’t think much of this romantic comedy, I enjoyed it, most especially for its quality of innocence. Chris Pine does a sweet job of playing Danny who is blind and a 22 year old virgin. He is so earnest about finding the right girl to love that he remains likeable and endearing even though his brother Larry, played well by Eddie Kaye Thomas, tries to set him up with all manner of hookers.

Danny falls head over heels for Leeza (Anjali Jay), a beautiful (and engaged) Indian girl whose family in steeped in tradition. Danny’s down-to-earth Italian family wouldn’t even be a blip on their radar screen.

Jane Seymour is strangely cast as a psychologist who likes to take her clothes off during sessions with her blind client. Perhaps her role was thrown in by her husband James Keach who happened to direct this piece. The scenes involving her were a distraction.

If you want something light, the tender love story here is charming. A little fluff that makes you feel good.

BLINDNESS, Rated R, general release

The film blindness is based on the novel by Nobel laureate Jose Saramago. We watch as human beings lose their physical sight, one after another, as if by contagion. They descend into a whiteout. Naturally, panic and quarantine ensue and all aspects of human nature, both compassionate and miserable, are exposed. There are those who devote themselves to helping and those who seek to dominate and feed their own selfishness. Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo play wife and husband good-guys in a quarantine center. Moore’s character is the only one who can see, but she keeps that a secret from all except her husband. The conditions in the facility are filthy and unfit for human life. We, in the audience, are uncomfortable for most of the film. It is quite an experience to see what a world of the blind might look and feel like. The human struggle to survive is played out boldly and we move in and out of wondering what we would do if entrapped in this horror. It is not entertaining but it is thought-provoking.

BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE, rated PG-13, general release

If you are a fan of werewolf movies and all the gore that accompanies them, you may not like this one very much. It is tame in comparison to most and perhaps that is why I found it very interesting. The previews had drawn my attention because the lead female character, Viv, seeks to break free from her “heritage” and live her life as a normal human being. I went to this movie thinking I might leave and get my money back, but instead I stayed for the whole thing and enjoyed it.

I liked the low key romance, the fabulous Bucharest location shots, and most especially the beautiful and graceful transformation scenes when the characters shift from human to wolf.

A line I particularly liked was, “what we are not, we are taught to fear.

BLOOD DIAMOND, rated R, general release

This is an engrossing, revealing, and touching thriller about conflict diamonds which are illicitly mined in order to finance horrendous wars in Africa. More than 4 million people have died as a result and many millions more are displaced and living in squalor.

Leonardo DiCaprio turns in a brilliant performance as a diamond smuggler. DiCaprio began his career in television at the age of 15. We first caught up with him four years later in 1993 when he earned (deservedly) an Academy Award nomination for his extraordinary work in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. We have been thrilled by all of his work ever since, and he has proven himself again in this film.

There is also wonderful acting by Djimon Hounsau as a fisherman who is ripped from his family to do slave labor in the diamond mines. His young son is also taken and trained to be a killer-soldier. There is an extraordinary scene in which the father, held at gun point by his son, redeems his child be reminding him of who he is and how loved he is.

We are taken into the lives of the people who suffer displacement and poverty and made to see what greed and power mongering produce in the suffering masses.

I am always grateful when the world of film takes us into this realm and lays it bare. Too many westerners who live in perpetual comfort and who rarely if ever leave their home environment need to know about conditions like this in the rest of the world.

I highly recommend it.

BOBBY, general release

Emilio Estevez wrote and directed this film about June 4, 1968, the day Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on his way to running for President of the United States.

I lived through this day, this time period in our nation, this time of assassinations, violence in the streets, and continuing death in Viet Nam. Watching this movie, especially the interjected actual clips of the time, touched the place of pain in me from then and reawakened it. It is our nation’s history, but it is also my history.

Estevez tells the story through the lives of over 20 people who were also affected. They were in the hotel that day as guests, workers, and campaigners. This takes up a major part of the film. Many “stars” play these assorted people and, oddly, the fact that they are who they are as film personalities detracts from the power and poignancy of what was about to take place. Ashton Kutcher and his wife, Demi Moore, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Hunt, Lindsay Lohan, Christian Slater, Sharon Stone, Martin Sheen, Elijah Wood and Anthony Hopkins, William Macy. Every time one of them came on the screen, I found myself saying, “Oh, that’s …”, or “I know him. Let me see, what’s his name?” Estevez would have done better to play the whole thing with unknowns.

Don’t get me wrong, there were many fine performances. Stone created a wonderful, side-mouth talking hair stylist, and Hopkins was beautifully in the moment as a retired hotel doorman. Nonetheless, the stars were distractions. One outstanding performance, because of its simplicity and real depth of feeling, was turned in by Freddie Rodriguez as a kitchen worker.

Perhaps it was that there was too much about the people and not nearly enough about Bobby. I would have found it much more interesting to travel with Bobby and Ethel through their day until the shooting.

In the end, the film clips of Bobby scattered throughout, and his own voice giving a speech for a Martin Luther King memorial at the end, managed to touch that place in me where my pain still lives.

His speech is riveting and utterly relevant today. Using the wonders of Google, I typed in RFK SPEECH FOR MLK MEMORIAL. I offer below what came up instantly. May I urge you to share it widely as a reminder to all of us that violence, war, revenge, and preventative destruction and killing do not spread democracy and freedom in the world. Instead, they produce only death in the name of good intentions.

From Google: Robert Kennedy took on that last political fight, knowing the odds were against him, knowing that violence was in the air. He was a warrior for peace. It is important to remember even as we stand up against the cynical and cowardly violence of the rabid right, that Robert Kennedy's last crusade was this: as he said to a largely black audience in that unwritten speech on the night of Martin Luther King's assassination, "Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world."

In his next major speech, in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 4, he said this:

“For there is another kind of violence, slower but just as deadly, destructive as the shot or the bomb in the night. This is the violence of institutions; indifference and inaction and slow decay. This is the violence that afflicts the poor; this poisons relations between men because their skin has different colors. This is the slow destruction of a child by hunger, and schools without books and homes without heat in the winter.

“This is the breaking of a man's spirit by denying him the chance to stand as a father and as a man among other men. And this too afflicts us all. I have not come here to propose a set of specific remedies nor is there a single set. For a broad and adequate outline we know what must be done. When you teach a man to hate and fear his brother, when you teach that he is a lesser man because of his color or his beliefs or the policies he pursues, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your family, then you also learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies---to be met not with cooperation but with conquest, to be subjugated and mastered.

“We learn, at the last, to look on our brothers as aliens, men with whom we share a city, but not a community, men bound to us in common dwelling, but not in common effort. We learn to share only a common fear--only a common desire to retreat from each other--only a common impulse to meet disagreement with force. For all this there are no final answers. Yet we know what we must do. It is to achieve true justice among our fellow citizens. The question is not what program to enact. The question is whether we can find in our midst and in our own hearts that leadership of human purpose that will recognize the terrible truths of our existence.

We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions among men and learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement of all. We must admit in ourselves that our own children's future cannot be built on the misfortunes of others. We must recognize that this short life can neither be ennobled or enriched by hatred or revenge. Our lives on this planet are too short and the work to be done too great to let this spirit flourish any longer in our land.

BODY OF LIES, Rated R, general release

There are moments of tension and excitement in Body of Lies, moments when we care about what might happen to our man in the field, Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio). He is, after all, out there on our behalf fighting against terrorism. Back home in the USA Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) is in charge of maneuvering what is occurring in the field. We bounce back and forth between the two, between life that is relatively quiet while fearing the next attack that might come on our soil and life in the fray where explosions occur on a daily basis and people are brutalized. Ridley Scott doesn’t disappoint when putting together an adventure like this, but something is missing. There is too much going on for greater development of the characters and their objectives. Perhaps it is too soon to be eating popcorn in the midst of penchants for destroying the world. Or perhaps, those who seek to slay in their quest for dominant ideology and those who seek to stop them in their tracks are so far from the mainstream of humanity that it is hard to evoke zeal in those of us who are watching and are instead focused on life affirmation.

BONNEVILLE, rated PG, general release

Many of the reviewers called this film dull, partly because very little happens and there are few surprises. I wouldn’t call it dull, but it is very slow, very, very slow. The plot involves Arvilla (Jessica Lange) and her two buddies, Margene (Kathy Bates) and Carol (Joan Allen), who take a road trip to scatter Arvilla’s husband Joe’s ashes. The only antagonist in the tale is Francine (overplayed by Christine Baranski), Joe’s daughter, who seeks to rule what will happen to her father’s ashes and his possessions.

During the road trip, the three friends have a few not very exciting adventures in Arvilla’s old Bonneville convertible, but nothing earth-shaking or memorable.

What I have said thus far doesn’t sound very intriguing and yet it was not an unpleasant movie. I was interested to watch the character development, especially how Carol, a devout Mormon, loosened up and became less rigid. And I delighted in Margene’s childlikeness, true sense of fun, and abundant warmth. Bates is a natural.

If you go, don’t look for anything profound or even meaningful. Sit back, relax, and hang out. It’s going to be long and slow, but very easy and with moments of sweetness.

BORAT, rate R (with good reason), general release

Borat is a “journalist” from “Kazakhstan” doing research for his country in America. The comedy stars Sacha Baron Cohen, a British comedian. All the reviews I read before seeing this film said it was both hilarious and exceedingly offensive. I did find it very funny in places, but the morning after, I found it more offensive than humorous.

Borat is a misogynist, an anti-Semite, and anti-gay, just for openers. He praises his sister for being the #4 prostitute in his home town. His fellow citizens conduct a “Running of the Jew” thru their streets (complete with enormous nose), and he suspects Jews of trying to kill him here in the States and tries to buy them off by tossing money at them . Then he goes to a gun shop to buy a weapon for hunting Jews from a store owner who doesn’t even blink at the request. Does it make it any better that Mr. Cohen is himself a Jew? Not from my point of view.

Nor did I find funny the scene at a Rodeo where Borat makes jokes about ridding his country of homosexuals by hanging them. The white, average Joe, old timer in a cowboy hat to whom he is speaking affirms that we are trying to figure out how to get rid of them in this country as well. I found that exchange chilling rather than funny.

Oddly enough, what I found most offensive was that, thanks to the setups for each interaction, Americans appeared to be idiots, uneducated, gullible, closed-minded, and attached at the hip to stereotypes. Add to that, masturbating in front of a Victoria’s Secret window, defecating outside a Trump tower, and a string of tasteless if not vulgar sight-gags.

It gets really bad when Borat wrestles naked with his naked compatriot who is fat, hairy, and pretty ugly. There entire exchange is gross and the audience gags. But here is the worst part. Mr. Cohen has had a black rectangular block inserted on the screen so that although others' genitals are visible, his are not; nor is his backside. He doesn’t play fair. One wonders what is so special about his private parts that they need to be kept private.

I remember a conversation with Milton Berle in which he told me that if a comic is going to put down someone else, he must turn the joke equally on himself and make himself the butt. Cohen does that sometimes in this film but not often enough. Also Berle bemoaned the foul language and antics that had crept into comedy. He said it takes no special skill to do that and a real comic never needs to resort to below-the-belt humor.

I have stressed many of the negatives, but as I said at the beginning, there is much to laugh at as well. So, you make the choice. But, please, do not bring your kids to see this. I couldn’t believe the number of children who were sitting with their parents watching this and listening to this. In one case, down the aisle from me, a father kept putting his hands over his 8-year-old daughter’s eyes. Nice try to protect her, but why bring her there in the first place?

BOTTLE SHOCK, Rated PG-13, art theatre release

Who makes the best wine: The French or the Californians? That is the question. I first began drinking wine with dinner in 1964 when I married at age 25. My husband, a New Yorker through and through, was a maven of French wines. He wasn’t even attracted to California grapes as a fruit snack! At dinner out one evening he tasted and rejected FOUR different bottles before he was satisfied. I simply stared in amazement. In 1972 I moved to California and discovered that they not only made wine, they made wine I enjoyed. Bottle Shock deals with the battle in 1976 between those who sneer and those who devote themselves to cultivating the Napa vine. A blind tasting would determine who made the best wine. Steven Spurrier, the British designer of the contest, is wonderfully played by Alan Rickman who is a master at pomposity. He carries the whole film beautifully while it meanders through an array of characters dealing with shoe-string existence, class resentment and prejudice, father-son conflict, unrequited romance, etc. I found all the side stories a bit too distracting, especially because Spurrier was so focused on the wine and he drew me right in to that aspect of the story – which in fact is what the film is about. Maybe the filmmaker didn’t think the basic theme would hold an American audience’s attention but that was a mistake as the story jumped all over the place and the film actually distracted from itself! There is a lot of beautiful wine-country scenery and interesting information for those who would like to know a little more about what makes wine good wine. I enjoyed the film but wished it had more structure and was more grounded.

BOURNE ULTIMATUM, THE, rated PG-13, general release

Wow! Whew! Oh my! Holy Cow! This is the penultimate of action movies. In fact, I suggest a nap before you go and that you plan nothing for a few hours after. This film is kinetic, mesmerizing, and overwhelming as Jason Bourne searches to find his memory, his former life, indeed, his very soul.

Bourne is not called Superman, but he is; escaping car crashes, leaping tall buildings and gratings and fences and flying through full glass windows, surviving beatings, plunges, gun shots, etc.

Matt Damon, the dear actor with the boy-next-door-look and the sweet demeanor, is dark and brooding, haunted and relentless. He is the personification of intensity.

The action is so fast you will regret it if you blink. Keep your eyes open and grab a breath when you can because Bourne never stops running and the danger is everywhere. The setting is one capital city after another, one country after another, one scene flashing by in a blur after another.

In the midst of all this is a fictional story that makes us wonder just how much of this intrigue can possibly be true. We are exposed to the CIA, the underworld of the CIA, the ruthlessness, the killing without a second thought – even of our own agents. Bourne was remade, retrained into an assassin, and made to forget his past altogether. Why do we need agents like this? Because we must win, we must defeat terrorists and our enemies. And we must do it without regard to cost or decency. This fictional version of the CIA hires numerous Muslin-looking, Arab-looking men to fuel their killing machine and to leave bombs in their wake. That in itself is quite sobering.

David Strathairn is all too good in his portrayal of the “Man” giving the orders and running the CIA ship of death. Joan Allen is powerful as the contrasting agent of integrity who wonders what has happened to our nation to so distort our values and lead us to such tactics.

There is not a moment that we are not dazzled, knocked down and lifted up again, and urged forward. We make the journey with Jason Bourne, not only toward recovering who he was, but taking a stand against the demise of decency. The message is clear. We cannot engage in lawlessness and blatant murder and mayhem in other to put a stop to lawless, blatant murder and mayhem. If we become what we struggle against, there is no winning. There is only the fall of our civilization.

The film is brilliantly directed by Paul Greengrass, and wonderfully written by Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns and George Nolfi (based on Robert Ludum’s thrilling novel).

BRAVE ONE, THE, rated R, general release

During a mugging in Central Park in NYC in which her beloved fiancé is killed, Erica Bain is badly beaten and in a coma for three weeks. When she recovers, the talk show host releases her dark side and becomes a gun-slinging vigilante.

Jody Foster does a fine job as Erica, allowing us to see many sides of the character and her wide range of feelings. As she goes on to make severe choices, beginning with buying a gun, we wonder what we would do in her place.

As the story unfolds and she kills her first “bad guy,” and then another, we move from understanding the motivation of her actions to pondering what choices we would make and whether, in our desire to kill off our own fear, we would kill others. Would we allow our grief to be manifested in ruthless murder?

While we are willing to watch the story and her actions unfold, mostly because of the horrendous event that spun her into this madness, by the time we get to the end we lose our patience. The ending, which is supposed to tie up loose ends, is a cheap shot and preposterous.

See what you think, or not.

BREACH, rated PG-13, general release

This exciting thriller is based on the real life story of Robert Hanssen, an FBI counter-intelligent agent who sold secrets to Russia for over 20 years. He is brought down just days before retiring after 25-years of “service” and having his picture added to the wall of honor.

The film is very well-written, exciting, well-played, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat as the action plays out. Chris Cooper and Ryan Phillippe do fine work in an intricate cat and mouse game in which lies are “truthfully” told.

Do see this. It’s a good one.

BREAKING AND ENTERING, rated R, general release

I really like Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, and Robin Wright Penn. I wish they weren’t trapped in this repetitious film. It has some lovely moments but they are widely scattered in a plot line so filled with apologies and people saying they are sorry that the viewer is sorry to be in attendance.

The film was written and directed by Anthony Minghella and taking on those two tasks, in this case, proves to be a mistake. While two hours long, it feels more like four or five because Minghella is in love with what he wrote and clearly doesn’t want to cut anything.

The story is about poor love relationships, miscommunication, theft, and morality. Some secondary plot lines are overly drawn out, perhaps to compensate for the thinness of the primary story. One of those extraneous plots yields a fine performance by Vera Farmiga as a Russian prostitute. Perhaps the film should have been about her as those scenes were by far the most entertaining.

There are, as I said earlier, several lovely, poignant scenes between mother and autistic daughter, between lovers, between mother and son, but because there are so many gaps, the body of the film weighs heavy on the audience.

I am not discouraging you from seeing this, just forewarning you about the down side.

BRIDESHEAD REVISITED, Rated PG-13, art theatre release

The tale doesn’t seem nearly as “shocking” as it did over 2 decades ago, a good thing because it affirms that the passage of time facilitates the changing of opinion and the lessening of taboo. Based on Evelyn Waugh’s novel, we spend our time with intelligent characters, each with their own particular needs and desires. The acting is uniformly excellent and Emma Thompson stands at the top of the pyramid with a superb portrayal as the matriarch of a wealthy family. The scenery and interiors are rich and the characters excesses overflow the banks of the screen. Rather than one-dimensional, the characters are intriguingly complex and we come to care about each of them in very different ways. It is, as always, refreshing to see a film that is mature and holds our curiosity rather than making everything so obvious that it treats us as fools who can understand nothing.

BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, Rated PG, general release

This is a lovely tale of childhood friendship between a talented boy artist and the free-spirit girl who moves next door. She introduces him to a fabulous world of fantasy. Together they create an imaginary world in woods where there is no limit on their freedom until severe reality steps in and we experience shock and sorrow at an untimely death.

The performances are strong, and so is the film’s stress on keeping the arts in a school curriculum. AnnaSophia Robb plays the new girl in town and her face is bright as a sunflower and filled with light. Adults as well as children will enjoy this.

BUCKET LIST, THE, rated PG-13, general release

The critics had this film dead and buried when it opened but I disagree. Edward (Jack Nicholson) and Carter (Morgan Freeman) are very much alive in spirit during their last months on this earth and it was a good experience to “travel the world” with them once they bid their hospital beds goodbye. The scenes were obviously shot on a sound stage, but the point is made – go for it. I confess there are elements that would no doubt never happen but this is a fanciful story of could happen and it encourages all of us to live out our dreams, our bucket list before we kick it, now, whether we are dying or not. The patients are too robust on their adventures for two men dealing with terminal cancer but it is clear that we all need to affirm that we are living with whatever the disease is, rather than dying from it. It is hard to imagine that Carter would leave his beloved wife behind while he takes off on a spree with Edward, and his return to her at the end of the trek doesn’t make up for his departure. Edward is a very one dimensional character and he is too quickly reconciled with his daughter and grandchild. So, yes, there are flaws. But overall the film was touching and there were many delightful moments of bonding between the two men. Freeman is particularly sweet in his role and his smile completely envelops every moment in which it appears. You might well enjoy The Bucket List. I did.

CANDY, rated R, art theatre release

The Candy in this film is both the name of the female main character and the heroin she shoots. Abbie Cornish does a fine job of playing a young woman for whom snorting is not enough. Though her addict boyfriend, superbly played by Heath Ledger, tries to convince her not to take the step into his habit of shooting up, she wants, and gets, the greater punch.

These two are very much in love with each other, but even more so with heroin. They will do anything to get it, even offer up their souls. The film gives us a clear look into the outcome of any addiction. And there are many addictions, each with different consequences. Drugs, food, cigarettes, gambling, we know all too well about those. But what of addiction to ego-gratification where you can think of nothing but yourself, or the computer/games where you reinforce isolation, or how about co-dependence where you give yourself up to another’s needs or demands and convince yourself you are dwelling in virtue.

Joseph Greco grew up watching his mother battle schizophrenia. He has written and directed a little gem of a film. It lets us all in on the hardship he experienced.

Marcia Gay Harden does a beautiful job of underplaying the mother who is tormented by voices and constant fear. Joe Pantoliano plays the father who is devoted and resilient. He is sensitive and tender in the role.

Devon Gearhart plays the 10-year old son who is torn between wanting a normal family and wanting to love his mother just the way she is.

We are exposed to all the trials and agonies but in doses that we can handle. We are never overwhelmed by the horror of the disease but we are never without the knowledge that this is beyond difficult. We struggle with each of the characters and we love them. Each is beautiful in his/her own way. It is a very touching movie.

CARAMEL, Rated PG, art theatre release

Part of this film’s delight is that it is different in setting and in culture, not to mention it has very unusual characters who are beautifully developed. It is a woman’s film, taking place in a salon in Beirut. The women come in all shapes, ages, and sizes, and they are humorous as well as endearing. The men they encounter are equally charming. There is even a mentally challenged character who makes us laugh not at her but through her various antics. The unfolding vignettes, the heartbreaks, the loneliness, and the loyalties, hold our attention, have us smiling, and leave us feeling warm and good. It is well worth a visit.

CASSANDRA’S DREAM, rated PG-13, general release

There are those who can’t stand Woody Allen and his personal neuroses and there are those who love his wit and humor. I always enjoy his films and this one was no exception. However, this is unrecognizable as a Woody Allen film. It is not a comedy. Rather it is dark and foreboding as two brothers with great aspirations fall deeper into the pit of exceeding their potential. Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell are superb together and so is Tom Wilkinson as their uncle who adds devastating ingredients to the boiling pot in which the brothers are already standing.

Ian and Terry are lovable, sweet guys who can’t seem to get it right. We embrace them, want the best for them, and we suffer with them as they make one bad choice after another.

The brothers stayed with me long after the film ended because their characters and circumstances were so well drawn. I left the theatre hoping to always increase my foresight so as not to wish I had done differently through the benefit of hindsight. Woody Allen shows us once again that he knows human nature and he brings it to us with a depth that immediately ropes us into the unfolding dilemmas.

I recommend it for your viewing pleasure.

Be sure to put this on your list of films to rent. It lasted for only one week at one of our theatres and we had to rush to catch it. It was well worth the effort.

This documentary of 80-year-old Japanese-American artist Jimmy Mirikitani, won the audience-favorite prize at the Tribeca Film Festival. Director Linda Hattendorf befriends Mirikitani, a quirky homeless man who paints classical Japanese landscapes and irresistible cats in the streets of SoHo in New York.

When the Trade Towers are destroyed, leaving the streets unlivable, Hattendorf takes Kirikitani into her small apartment and commences to do a LOVE PROJECT for him. Throughout the early part of the film he is cranky, untrusting, claims to need nothing, and is hostile toward his native country, the United States of America because he was imprisoned at the age of 25 in the Tule Lake concentration camps, along with thousands of others whose lives were ruined, who lost their property, who were forced to give up their citizenship, and whose families were torn asunder. All this because fear dominated American culture during WW II and profiling, then as now, did away with people’s rights.

Hattendorf performs her LOVE PROJECT by getting Kirikitani the social security he deserves, finding him a place of his own to live, uniting him with his lost family, and giving him back his dignity. The miracle of the documentary is watching the change in Mirikitani as he emerges from head-buried-in-bundles of clothing, to teacher and painter whose face beams with joy.

He meets up with another Mirikitani, the poet-laureate of San Francisco who has published under the title, LOVE WORKS. Imagine my delight over that, considering that in 1970 during the LOVE PROJECT at Jefferson HS, our first slogan was LOVE WORKS.

CHARLIE BARTLETT, rated R, general release

Charlie is a very precocious 17-year-old high school student who so wants to be known and liked that he becomes a pseudo psychologist and a prescription pill distributor to gain his fame. Anton Yelchin plays Charlie with composure and smooth talking. His character is a rich kid and Yelchin leaves us with no doubts about his station in life.

There are several funny scenes and a few that are touching. Hope Davis plays his depressed mother and Robert Downey Jr. suffers appropriately as the high school principal.

The film is more flat than inspiring. Give it a chance if you would like. Its theme is a little unusual and it is entertaining.

CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR, rated R, general release

Charlie was a U.S. Congressman (D) from Texas back in the days of the 1980’s cold war. In his unique backroom way he was very responsible for the U.S. semi-secretly arming the Afghan Mujahedeen, Muslim anti-imperialist freedom fighters seeking to prevent the Soviet Union from overtaking Afghanistan.

Written by political wit Aaron Sorkin and nimbly directed by Mike Nichols, the film is actually light and a lot of fun even as it deals with serious events. Tom Hanks is a sly Charlie, an operator who shows us how things really get done in Washington through secret meetings and gathering money from private interest groups. No matter that he is a liberal, he joins ranks with a right-wing Houston socialite who hates Communism. (Julia Roberts turns in a fine performance.) The cast is rounded out (literally) by an off-the-wall C.I.A. operative who is hot-headed and big-mouthed. (Philip Seymour Hoffman is brilliant as usual.)

The dialog is quick and so is the action. Our attention is demanded and held every moment and we can all feel good in the defeat of an attempted communist takeover. It is a really good film.

Charlie Wilson wins his war, Afghanistan remains sovereign. End of the film story.

The makers of Charlie Wilson’s War made an artistic decision to deal only with that time period and not venture over into Bin Laden’s involvement with the Mujahedeen, the subsequent repressive government in Afghanistan, and the repercussions that occurred on September 11, 2001. Though I wished they had lept ahead and connected the dots, that is clearly another movie!

Throughout U.S. history the C.I.A. has covertly interfered in the affairs of state in sovereign nations. In some cases, such as that of Salvador Allende in Chili, we facilitated his overthrow, despite the fact that he was democratically elected, and helped insert a dictator, Pinochet, who killed thousands upon thousands of people. “I don’t see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist because of the irresponsibility of its own people." Henry Kissinger, National Security Adviser to President Nixon, referring to Chilean voters.

The U.S. is not the only world power to impose our will on other nations. In all cases, history and the lives of those involved, both directly and indirectly, are altered. While such practices may produce good results in some cases, there is an abundance of damage and death that is born of any nation claiming “Our will be done, not yours.” When those intercessions occur, the inevitable boomerang does its turn and the one imposing becomes imposed upon.

This lovely film version of E.B. White’s beloved children’s story is a sweet combination of enthralling illustrations by Garth Williams and beautiful farm country scenery.

The talking animals, birds, and a creative spider, delight us with each appearance, and even the humans are likeable. This is a story of friendship and of how each creature has its rightful place in the whole. There are many “star” voices used but the animals are so endearing that we pay little attention to who speaks for them.

There are many laughs and while the story makes important points about the treatment of animals (and our treatment of each other), it never preaches or gets overly sentimental. It is a sweet presentation for children and adults alike.

CHASING OCTOBER: A Fan’s Crusade

This documentary was a wonderful celebration of my youth when I was a fanatical Brooklyn Dodger fan. Matt Liston takes us on a journey through his passion for the Chicago Cubs and his dream that they will win the World Series in 2003.

 This is much more than a documentary because Liston is a writer and director, and a good one at that. There is a mix of bar, street, gym, and ballpark interviews, and scripted vignettes which allow us to enjoy the inspiration and perspiration of a fan who goes all out to stir up the citizens of the windy city so that his Cubbies can reign supreme. 

They don’t win! Even after Liston quits his job, borrows money to make the film, and loses his lady. They don’t win! Even after he entreats thousands to BELIEVE they would win, they don’t win.

The loss takes us all to two important places in our on-going lives. One, I remember well from years of wishing in Brooklyn. It is: “Wait until next year.” Hope never dies. The day we lose, we prepare for next year. It is impossible to kill the human spirit.

 The other important realization here is that wishing and hoping, praying and visualizing, don’t always bring to manifestation the desired result. The Secret, the latest popularized version of ancient metaphysical teaching, would have us believe that IF WE DO IT RIGHT, we can make anything happen. Liston did everything right and then some. He saw the vision. He held the intention. He manifested every possible action to make real what he desired. In the end, it didn’t happen. They didn’t win.

 The real secret is, have no expectations but rather abundant expectancy. The joy is in devoting yourself to the dream and being open to what will emerge, even if it is not what you envisioned.

CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI, THE, Rated R, Art Theatre Release

This is the true story of a humanitarian English reporter, George Hogg, (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who devotes himself to teaching and caring for Chinese children making the best of dreadful circumstances in a crumbling orphanage during the Japanese invasion of China. The film is touching, inspiring, and beautifully shot. It speaks to the importance of one, the power and impact of a single individual to create and sustain a wonderful reality in spite of all odds. At end of the film, there are testimonials by some of the former children, now quite on in years, who have never forgotten Hogg and what he did for them. Radha Mitchell, Michelle Yeoh, and Chow Yun-Fat also turn in lovely performances.

CHILDREN OF MEN, rated R, general release

This is a very dark movie, taking place in 2027. The human race is approaching its end because women are no longer able to conceive.

Rating this as a film it is easy to say this is powerful, well-directed and acted. The settings are chilling, akin to looking into hell. The action is hectic and unrelenting, fast, and often breath-taking.

The subject matter is grim, and it grows darker as the film progresses.

As I watched human beings cage immigrants, steal, ravage, and smash and kill each other, I sat there thinking, it would be best if this human race did end! I had very little sympathy for their plight. They clearly brought their demise upon themselves because they had a penchant for death rather than a reverence for life. The feminine force went barren because the seeds carried by the masculine force were poisoned by the quest for power.

The most remarkable thing about this scenario is that even during this horrendous time period, 2027, when everyone knows the human race is dying out, the focus is still on power and domination. Except for our hero, played by Clive Owen, and a small crew on a ship called the Human Project, no one is focused on loving or helping or creating or lifting the spirits of humanity for a last hurrah. I sat there thinking, let them all go. None of this is worth saving.

If we cannot and will not choose the Light, then we will frame ourselves in this film’s canvas and be enveloped by the grey, the blue-black, the dark and the grim. What remains alive is CHOICE, INDIVIDUAL CHOICE-MAKING.

CHRIS AND DON, A LOVE STORY, not rated, art theatre release

n a climate of high divorce rate in our nation, here is a love story about writer Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy, a portrait artist, who spent 35-years together in love relationship. They lived together “out in the open” during the 1950’s and ’60’s, attending Hollywood functions as a couple when other closeted gays (with whom they had been intimate) turned up with their wives, parading their supposed heterosexuality. Christopher was 30 years older than Don. He adored him, loved him, was committed to him, and nurtured him in a fatherly way. Their life together is presented in this touching and tender documentary which is seamlessly structured and beautifully balanced. Laced into the unfolding tale are cartoon drawings depicting an old horse and a sprightly cat who communicate with each other in specially coded language. It is the way Chris and Don choose to share difficult feelings, through the mouths of these symbolic animals. Isherwood’s death is sensitively dealt with through a series of drawings by Bachardy in which the pain of prostate cancer is embedded in the face of the dying man. The whole segment is very moving. Guido Santi and Tina Mascara did a magnificent job of directing and editing.

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, THE: PRINCE CASPIAN, rated PG, general release

Based on the books of C.S. Lewis, this is the second film of the series, following The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. As we enter Narnia, centuries have passed and everything is different except that fancifulness has never died. The children, the once exiled kings and queens, find themselves in rather dark circumstances in which they need to use their wits and inner resources. This is a tale of the struggle for power and who shall sit on the throne. The story is filled with metaphor and symbolism and fascinating creatures to wow the imagination who speak some delightful dialog. All of this is quite wonderful except for the too frequent battle scenes. After a while they begin to look alike and become tedious. It’s a bit like life and how we fight continuous wars! There are so many of these films these days, filled with allegory, and seeking to stretch us toward the wisdom side of ourselves. It is a worthwhile endeavor. I wait for the film (for children or adults) that presents an imaginative treatment of learning to balance the powerful (and equal) forces of good and evil, rather than repeating the history of humankind in which the two war against each other for dominance.

CITY OF EMBER, Rated PG, general release

An entire city, an ember of hope, has been constructed deep underground because the earth above has been contaminated. The city was designed by The Builders, symbols of wisdom embodied, and it is to remain intact for 200 years, preserving the human race in the process.

Part satire and part allegory, based on Jeanne DuPrau’s children’s novel, the characters clearly represent aspects of society and the human race and their behavior plays itself out in the small community. The strongest example of this is the Mayor (Bill Murray) of Ember who is gluttonous, manipulative, and hypocritical. He puts on a face of benevolence in front of the citizens but behind the scenes he is despicable. We also meet Lina (Saoirse Ronan) and Doon (Harry Treadaway) who exemplify new hope by expressing their curiosity and following through with determination which focused on the good of the whole.

The City of Ember is filled with zany gadgets and examples of ingenuity. It is an unusual little film and a good one for families to see together because it could lead to very healthy discussion about life, ethics, and hope for the future

CIVIC DUTY, rated R, general release

At first I was intrigued by this thriller which explores the rampant paranoia in the U.S. that followed the 9/11 attacks. The writer, Andrew Joiner, places the mental delusions in the mind of an accountant, Terry Allen (played with some credibility by Peter Krause, who also produced the film.) Terry loses his job, feels emasculated and stir crazy, and begins monitoring his new neighbor, an Arab graduate student. He suspects him of being a terrorist and, as would any good citizen, he calls the F.B.I. Needless to say, the action escalates. Alas, it goes beyond credible, includes an unlikely death, and ends leaving us where we began, with no place to hang our values.

While I know it is important to examine our extreme fears and our movement toward profiling, I was disappointed as this story unfolded because the accountant became ridiculously obsessed and continually chose irrational and extreme behavior. So much was this case that it was difficult to believe as viable. More interesting for me would have been a more normal character who is caught between the rock and the hard places of wanting to be safe, wanting to be fair, wanting to be patriotic, and wanting to embrace the world and all its creeds and colors. The media and our current administration paint us as victims needing to defend ourselves against the forces of evil that seek to destroy us. But there are those among us who choose not to be victims, nor to be warriors and avengers, but rather to be strong peacekeepers who choose to be the change we want to see happen.

CLOSING ESCROW, rated PG, art theatre release

This pseudo-documentary is a directorial debut shot on DVD which is highly exaggerated and sometimes endearing. The quality of the DVD is miserable, faded color with no contrast!

We meet three couples and three real estate agents and follow their trials, tribulations, and sometimes very unscrupulous tactics. Many times I heard myself saying, “Come onnnn.” I would have left but I was intrigued by the brash blond realtor who is quite funny. I know some people like this – no matter what is going on, it is all about them, and if it isn’t, they turn it around so it is.

This first attempt had at its base a good idea but Kaprelian and Llewellyn need much more practice before they once again attempt their hands at writing, directing, and editing. They might be more successful at selling houses, but then again maybe not.

You can easily skip this one.

CLOVERFIELD, rated PG-13, general release

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It isn’t superman. Is it an earthquake? Is it a monster? Yes! It is a monster. And the monster is so large and so powerful that he can knock down skyscrapers with a single blow. No. I am not kidding. He, or she, or it, is very scary,