Before Midnight

       Yes, see this movie, if you must, before midnight.  It is not worth staying up beyond that time. Maybe eight o'clock.  Is there snappy dialogue?  Yes, but too much.  Does the dialogue cover poignant subjects?  Yes, but again, too much.  How much to you want to cram into a movie.

This movie is pretentious and over-rated.  There, I said it.  Okay, perhaps I, too, am pretentious and over-rated, but then, as the juvenile cliché states, it takes one to know one.

The actors are attractive and can act, given a vehicle with life to it, which this not.  Clearly, this movie is a case of a sequel depending too much on its previous incarnations.  Neither the writers nor the director has nothing new to say.  Yes, people in relationships get older.  The relationships change.  If you are over a certain age, you learn this.  Most people learn this the hard way.  Yes, I know, some people never learn.

Richard Linklater and his team have no more to contribute about this theme and should move on to new ideas.  Okay, thanks.  I had to get that off of my chest.

Process and Story: Stories We Tell

  Sarah Polley's bio-documentary,"Stories We Tell", should be seen and digested for content, style, and execution.  I do not get to see documentaries that often, for one reason or another, but I will be surprised if this one is not Oscar nominated, and would be happy to see it win.  It is far more than just a young Canadian woman's search for identity.  What we have in this film, is someone grabbing onto a life-changing discovery like a slow running train in the opposite direction.
   Some would say that she is exploiting her family, and her own personal story for self-aggrandizing reasons, and there are arguments for that.  But if you can get beyond this perspective, this film is worth seeing for the way it is told and what it is saying about family, film-making and storytelling.  As somebody who loves literature and the importance of a rich family life, storytelling, as well as film and the art of filmmaking, I found this film irresistible.
   See it on the big screen for fun, but at least on video because it is a significant work of art as well as a compelling story.  Listen and watch Michael Polley particularly, Sarah's "Father", who steals the show and rightly so.

Hope Springs for Better Movies Than This

It was nice of the producers of "Hope Springs" to provide Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep with such a walk in the woods vehicle.  They are getting a little older and need a break from strenuous acting, now and then.  Meryl had to do dishes a few times, serve a few meals, make bacon and eggs five times, but Tommy Lee even got to sleep in several scenes.

No effort was required from either of them.  Vanessa Brown's pedestrian script spelled it all out for anyone who had no idea what was going on.  Steve Carrell shows some chops as a dramatic actor in an otherwise, undramatic movie.  His Dr. Feld felt genuine if unsurprising.  Not his fault, right Vanessa?

Perhaps I am being unfair, but every scene of this movie was predictable.  Maybe I should have written it.  No, it is nothing like my middle-aged life, but had I seen it twenty five years ago, I still would have found it predictable and unwatchable.

There is no need to see this movie.  Go, instead, to speak to your middle-aged friends who seem to be drifting apart and ask them about that reality.  It has made its money for the studio.  Everybody got paid.  Even the uninspired Ms. Brown may get another job because it made enough money.  Do not go to a half-price matinee.  Do not see it on DVD, and do not watch it when it is shown on commercial television in, no doubt, a week or two.  The commercials will out shine it.

The Kid With a Bike

How can you miss with a French film about a boy with a bicycle? The answer is: you cannot. Director Jean-Luc Dardenne and co-creator Luc Dardenne filmed a minimalist script with a heart wrenching core and come out with a tight, terrific film that moves quickly, makes its points, shows you its story and ends on a high note. Mostly well acted by Cecille de France and young Thomas Doret, you will quickly be drawn in by exactly what the dialogue relates. You only have to deal with the emotional fallout as it happens. A young boy is rejected and clings to the first people that take him in, shown to us in moving juxtaposition. This film could never be adapted for an American version. That could not happen in this universe. Go see this for the story. Go see a caring side to France. Go see a story about a young boy and his bike. It is well worth your time. It will renew your faith in the ability of cinema to tell a story.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Ewan McGregor's movie's are not known for being edgy or thought-provoking. They are more pure entertainment. That's what I expected to see in "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen". Unfortunately for Ewan and the movie, somebody pulled the plug on the writing just beyond the halfway point in the movie. The first twenty minutes had some clever romantic comedic moments. But somebody decided they had to make a jingoistic statement by throwing in an unlikely muslim assassin attempting a low percentage shot and being foiled by an even lower percentage fishing cast. Emily Blunt is her lovely ingenue self, but is given nothing to stretch any acting talent she may have. But I should say some upbeat things about this movie I really wanted to like. You cannot fault Lasse Halstrom's direction and choice of locations. I do not fish, but he made me want to go to Scotland to, at least, walk along side of the stream. Sadly, instability in the real Yemen made filming there, impossible. Morocco stepped in for those locations. Let me just say, forget the plot. Go to watch Ewan and Emily. Go for Lasse's direction. And yes, see it in a theatre and save your iPad for lesser movies.

George vs. George

Just a quick word about George Clooney's two big movies of 2011, "The Ides of March" and "The Descendants".  "The Descendants" is very family friendly, if somewhat depressing while being big, lush, and visually pleasant, particularly in the winter.  Hawaii is much more realistically portrayed than usual in cinema.  George's performance is understated if self-conscious.  This will sound bad, but the story is very feminine, in a way that will automatically appeal to many women.  I'm not dismissing it, just making an observation.

Don't wait until March 15th to see "The Ides of March",  a directorial piece by George.  He has a small part that is crucial to the plot, and probably required a lot less "acting".  This story is much more masculine, a political thriller. I also have to like it because several scenes were filmed in the Cincinnati area.   Ryan Gosling, the upcoming George, is surprisingly good and deserves any attention he gets from this role.  Marisa Tomei shows off some decent acting skills but is miscast as a national newspaper reporter.  The role is a tad underwritten or over-edited.  I'm not sure which.  Phillip Seymour Hoffman is his usual intense and thoroughly believable character.

See both movies.  Go to the theatre for "The Descendants".  "The Ides of March" works fine on the small screen, unless you are a fanatic about George or Cincinnati.  They are both worth the time investment.

"The Descendants" http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thedescendants/

"The Ides of March" http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/theidesofmarch/

Hanna

While Hanna left me yearning for more, watch for its star Saoirse Ronan, to go places in the cinematic world.  Eric Bana is a
 dropout CIA agent who raises the product of one of his assignments. 
 The story left me regretting what I did not teach my daughter, i.e
aggressive self-defense, multiple languages, primitive survival skills.
(My daughter turned out rather well, if I may say so.)  Cate
Blanchett, one of today's premier actors, dons a convincing 
Southern accent as a ruthless CIA agent hunting father and daughter. 
Fair to middling action sequences mix with diverting scenery 
for a so-so film, overall.  
Nevertheless, I liked young Ronan and will watch for her later work.