Catfish and Never Let Me Go

Catfish and Never Let Me Go are two films that you are best off knowing very little about going in, so I'm not going to link the reviews. Catfish is a documentary that deals with the repercussions of Internet relationships. Never Let Me Go is a story of love, devotion, innocence and sacrifice. After seeing these films today, I will say that both are well worth seeing.

The Social Network

The Social Network is one of the few quality films I've seen this year. The writing, the acting, the editing and the relevance makes this film shine. I was surprised by how such a subtle story, made such a compelling film. It is not so much about Facebook, as it is a struggle of egos and money. Worth a look.

Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps

Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps is an OK film. The weakness is the script. It is full of cliche lines, and looses its focus about half way through the film. The reason to see this film is the performances. Michael Douglas revives Gordon Gekko with ease. Shia LaBeouf and Carrie Mulligan bring youth and optimism to a depressing story. Charlie Sheen, Josh Brolin, Eli Wallach, Frank Langella and Susan Sarandon make up a strong supporting cast. Oliver Stone shoots NYC like it's a rock star. I'm glad I saw this film.

Friday Flick Picks 10/8/10

The release of good film continues this weekend. Surprisingly, Never Let Me Go opens in art houses in RI. Lots of good buzz around this one. Also opening are Secretariat, It's Kind of a Funny Story. What am I planning to see? The Social Network, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, The Town and Let Me In are on my list. Good thing it's a long weekend. Enjoy!

Friday Flick Picks 10/1/10

I haven't written a Friday Flick Pick post in weeks! I blame the lack of decent films int theaters lately. I got tired of complaining about the summer movies and took a little break. This weekend it looks like there are quality films worth your time and movie dollar. I'm going to stay lazy and give you a list ,because I'm jumping in the car and heading to NJ to watch my grandson blow out the 2 candles on his cupcake!!

The Social Network
Let Me In
Wall Street:Money Never Sleeps
Easy A
The Town
Animal Kingdom

Worth going to the theater this weekend!!

Ondine

Ondine is a sweet story of love, faith and fantasy. A little girl with kidney disease believes that a girl her fisherman father pulls out of the sea, is a water nymph, with magical powers. That fantasy supports her through difficult times, and when reality crashes in, she is strong enough to handle it. There's a seedy backdrop, but there is also love and dedication. Strong performances make this an easy film to watch.

That Evening Sun

I met Scott Teems at Newport Film Festival last summer. He was squiring his film, That Evening Sun, around the country. A quiet, thoughtful young man, we had an interesting conversation about family, "the business" and actors with that "it" factor. I did not have time to see the film at the festival, but this week it was released to DVD. A poignant story of aging, love and consequences. Well written, well acted, great music and beautifully shot. Who was the actor Teems spoke of with the "it" factor? Mia Wasikowska. I've seen her in 2 other films since our conversation, and I agree. A young actress worth watching. And That Evening Sun? A film well worth watching as well. Thanks Scott.

Going the Distance

As a rule, romantic comedies don't appeal to me. Going the Distance broke that rule. Listening to reviewers I respect (both men), I saw this film. I don't usually gush about individual performances, but I think Christina Applegate and Charlie Day killed it in the laugh department. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl try to be sensible, but fall in love. Boy and girl live 3000 miles away from each other for a year. That's all I'll say about plot. Just know that I thought this was well written, well acted and the music plays a nice role. Well done.

The American

The American is a quiet, pensive story of an assassin. He is waiting in a small Italian village for instructions while he starts to evaluate what he is doing. I was not prepared for the love story that would quietly transform the man and his decision making process. Very little dialog, lots of good acting from Mr. Clooney. This is one of those films I've thought about a lot since I walked out of the theater. Well done.

Machete

Machete is a crazy, violent, gratuitous nod to the grindhouse genre. Using immigration as the centerpiece, there is corruption and conspiracy. There is nudity and violence. There is a lot of overacting and bad acting. Fun to watch, silly as hell.

Friday Flick Picks 9/3/10

I haven't been in a theater since August 15th, yikes! Fortunately this holiday weekend offers a few films I'd like to see. Machete and The American will make a good double feature. I'm also hearing good things about Going the Distance. Still in theaters are Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Get Low and Toy Story 3. Have a great holiday weekend!

Friday Flick Picks 8/27/10

Thankfully I've had a lot of weekend commitments this summer, because Hollywood is doing little to entertain me this summer. This week's openings, Takers and The Last Exorcism hold little to no interest for me. Something that does interest me is the documentary The Big Uneasy from my pal Harry Shearer. It is playing all over on Monday, 8/30. Check your local listings. It's playing at the Showcase here in RI! In RI theaters worth a look? Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, The Other Guys, Joan Rivers:A Piece of Work and Winter's Bone. Toy Story 3 is at the East Providence 10 go!go!go! Though it pains me to type this, Avatar is back in theaters. Cameron added 8 minutes to an already too long movie, and wants $15 more from you. In my opinion, more minutes can't make the movie suck any less. Goodness.

Wedding Leave

I've been away from this blog and the movies, to take on the role of motherofthebride once again. Liza & Ryan were married in New York City on Friday. It was was a sweet ceremony and a blow-out of a party. What a great time!! The happy couple is off on their honeymoon and I am working a slow recovery, as I spent most of the week in NYC visiting with friends and family. Going back to work is a bit traumatic, but there's more to life than parties *damn* Congratulations to the happy couple!

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

I fell in love with the film Scott Pilgrim vs the World when the first trailer was released a few months ago. When the trailer ended, I was giggling, clapping my hands, and I believe I said (out loud to no one), "that was awesome!!" (yes, I'm over 50, deal with it) After seeing the movie today, a few kids sitting in front of me said the same thing. Scott Pilgrim meets Ramona Flowers, and in a simple desire to pursue boy meets girl, he is dragged into the world of the League of the 7 Evil Exes. He holds his own, with a lot of kicking and punching. Scott must make decisions, Scott has a lot going on, Scott must grow. The characters are interesting, from his friends to his enemies. All surprising, all fantastic. This film is creative, funny, sarcastic and races along to a satisfying end. I loved this film, and give a big round of applause to the acting and the music, just fantastic!!

Friday Flick Picks 8/13/10

A glimmer of joy arrives in theaters this weekend. Scott Pilgrim vs the World looks like a lot of fun. The allure of Bardem, Franco and Crudup have me considering Eat Pray Love. Worth a look in RI theaters? Inception, Toy Story 3, Despicable Me, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Other Guys, Joan Rivers : A Piece of Work and The Kids are All Right. Enjoy!

The Other Guys

The Other Guys is a decent comedy. An odd twist on the buddy cop genre, with Will Ferrell doing a good job with a funny character. Film is a little too long, it would have been easy to cut about 20 minutes out of this film and it would have been just fine. I had a good time with this one.

Consumers and Couples in DVD

The only film released to DVD this week that I've seen is The Joneses. I really liked this one. In my rental queue? Date Night.

Get Low

In Get Low a man isolates himself for 40 years and approaches a funeral director to bring him salvation for a past indiscretion. The story unfolds carefully, with brilliant performances. Tennessee in the 1930's is depicted nicely in costumes, cars and scenery. I liked this film.

Winter's Bone

A poignant tale with a grisly turn, makes for a compelling film in Winter's Bone. A 17 year old in the rural US is looking for her father, who has put their house up for bond and has disappeared. If she can't find him before his court date, they will loose the house. She, her younger brother and sister and incapable mother live in the house, counting on their resourcefulness and the kindness of friends and family. As Ree searches for her father, we are shown the fabric of his life, the underbelly of an ugly drug culture. There is a beautiful tone despite the desperate situation. Ree is determined, tough, realistic and loving. The ending, though startling, maintains that tone.

Friday Flick Picks 8/6/10

Getting bored with starting every Friday post bemoaning this summer movie season, but c'mon Hollywood. This week the best offering is the Other Guys. I'm kind of over Will Ferrell, but the reviews are pretty good. As much as I love Adam Shankman, I think I'm to old to appreciate Step Up 3D. I've read that the dancing is great. In RI theaters? Inception, Toy Story 3, Despicable Me, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Kids are All Right. I may go back to West Newton to see Winter's Bone. Tough to find a film worth your $10 these days.

Jurassic Park Revisited

When my daughter was a kid, she was obsessed with dinosaurs. We did the balsa wood skeleton models and books about the prehistoric creatures. As she got older, her interest was fueled by reading Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park. This was her transition from Babysitters Club to novels. I was pretty psyched. When the movie came out, the kids saw it with their friends. I saw it in my early days of going to the movies by myself. I remember being scared to death during the chase scene in the kitchen with the raptors. Fantastic thriller, fantastic effects, cheesy acting, all good. I remember liking the movie, but I have not seen it in years. Tomorrow, the August Cort & Fatboy Midnight Movie is Jurassic Park at the Bagdad Theater. Cort & Fatboy have recorded a commentary with a bunch of my favorite Portland film folks to accompany the screening. Since I live 3000 miles from PDX, I have created a home version of this event. I have the tots, I have the beer, I have rented the disk, I have downloaded the commentary. Locked and loaded for a quality viewing of a classic monster thriller. Thank you Mr. Crichton. Thank you Mr. Spielberg. Thank you Cort & Fatboy.

Conflict and Conspiracy in DVD

Out in DVD this week is the action packed Kick-ass. Revenge fuels the action and violence, I enjoyed this one. Also out, The Ghost Writer is a good suspense drama.

Joan Rivers : A Piece of Work

I saw Joan Rivers perform live in a small summer concert venue, here in RI, back in the 80s. She was on the bill with Don Rickles. I was terrified to sit anywhere near the stage because of their acerbic styles, and notoriety for picking on members of the audience. Of course, Rivers targeted two members of the audience during her set, but when she was finished, she gave them both a gift. I was endeared. Since then, Rivers has had her ups and downs. Recently Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg followed her for a year, for a documentary film. Joan Rivers : A Piece of Work is an honest portrayal of a life, a career and a philosophy that shows what is at the heart of Joan Rivers. Much of it told by herself. Her successes her failings, like the opening shot of a closeup of her face with no makeup, out there for the whole world to see. I loved it, thanks for a peek behind the curtain.