Review: The Ghost Writer

Review: The Ghost Writer

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 82%

If you've seen all the Oscar nominated movies, then there usually isn't much worth seeing by the end of March. Unfortunately, that's the time when studios release "problem" movies -- the ones with big star that have been in editing for the last six months (like Shutter Island). Films which just haven't gelled.

So, it was delightful today to watch a film with major stars that did not disappoint: The Ghost Writer. Ewan McGregor has the burden of carrying the movie; he is, I believe, in every scene. There are also fine performances by Pierce Brosnan, as Adam Lang a morally questionable ex-prime minister of Great Britain; Olivia Williams as his unhappy wife Beth; Kim Cattrall as Amelia (Captain) Bly (possibly Lang's mistress), and Tom Wilkinson as a professor who dabbles in many things. There is even a short, powerful performance by Jim Belushi who proves in this quick turn that he should be acting in dramas as well as comedies.

It's the pacing and tension of the film, however, that make the movie truly worthwhile. Polanski's direction controls moods and revelations deftly. If I were to complain about anything, it would be a plot element which has been done to death: the involvement of the CIA in international politics. But that can be overlooked as we focus on the ghost writer, a man who has no name.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Shutter Island

Review: Shutter Island

Rating: *1/2

Nonna's Rating: $

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%

What Was Wrong With This Movie:

1. Much too long for the story -- the first 30 minutes could have been 5.
2. Pacing too slow throughout.
3. I knew what was going on from the first scene -- Martin, please watch. Sixth Sense again.
4. Leonardo still looks like he could be in Growing Pains, a little boy dressed up in his father's overcoat and fedora -- he's good, but he's no Robert DeNiro.
5. Mark Ruffalo is underused.
6. Too much noise--and the music was embarrassingly overwrought -- "OK, everybody get tense. There's something creepy about to happen."
7. It's a shaggy dog story.

What Was Right With This Movie:

1. Ben Kingsley and Max Von Sydow have classy accents and provide some convincing red herrings
2. Patricia Clarkson, Michelle Williams, and Jackie Earle Haley each deliver strong, if brief, performances

Rent One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Alice in Wonderland

Review: Alice in Wonderland

Rating: **1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$ or $$

Rotten Tomatoes: 52%

"The time has come," the Walrus said,

"To talk of many things:

Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing-wax,--

Of cabbages -- and kings --

Of why the sea is boiling hot --

And whether pigs have wings."

Having just written a review in which I reported encouraging my grandson not to judge movies by how closely they follow the book they're based on, I will now equivocate. Alice in Wonderland is bracketed by a new story in which an older Alice (19) is expected to marry an English lord who reminds me of Tweedledum or Tweedledee (not sure which). To escape him, Alice goes down the rabbit hole and enters the 3-D world of Wonderland. Later, the movie reveals that Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska, has been to Wonderland before -- although she has conveniently forgotten her adventure.

Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) wrote Alice in Wonderland for Alice Liddell (who was 10 at the time) and her sisters. I can live with a 19-year-old Alice because it doesn't fundamentally change the Wonderland story. My problem, however, is that the bracketing story is silly and vapid, and does nothing to enhance the fascinating movie that slips between.

Tim Burton (the director) creates a lush, phantasmagorical Wonderland. Johnny Depp manages to deliver a truly 3-dimensional Mad Hatter; Helena Bonham Carter portrays a delightfully perverse Red Queen; Anne Hathaway plays the beautiful but daffy White Queen; a subdued Crispin Glover, in a most improbable body, insinuates himself as the nasty Knave of Hearts, Stayne; Stephen Frye scares us as the Chesire Cat; and Alan Rickman and his wonderful voice delight one and all as the hookah-smoking Caterpillar. Even this story, however, although it is beautifully realized visually, lacks two things -- heart and magic. If you must see the film in 3-D, go to a matinee; otherwise, rent it.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: The Last Station

Review: The Last Station

Rating: **

Nonna's Rating: $

Rotten Tomatoes: 69%

A better script would have made this one of the best movies of the year. Helen Mirren as Sofya Tolstoya and Christopher Plummer as Leo Tolstoy are magnificent as these larger-than-life characters who are belittled by a dull, plodding script. The other actors deliver also: Paul Giamatti portrays Tolstoy's late life "handler," Vladimir Chertkov, a vile man if ever there was one. Giamatti's performance, however, is subtle and disturbing. James McEvoy plays Tolstoy's last secretary, Valentin Bulgakov, as a naive ingenue -- the perfect counterpoint for the rest of the world-weary ensemble.

Critic after critic has described the story as one in which the great man Tolstoy is much put upon by his "crazy" wife. I disagree. Sofya's behavior and frustration are clearly borne of years of living with a man who has tried her patience, tested her love, and behaved badly. The two of them are engaged in a dance of craziness which sustains their tempestuous relationship. Both are at fault; each is tormented by the other. If only the writing were a bit better.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Review: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Rating: **

Nonna's Rating: $$

Rotten Tomatoes: 51%

J.K. Rowling has unwittingly unleashed a new publishing trend: several book series in which a young hero, initially unaware of his "powers" (a variety of special gifts), must take on adult-like responsibilities in a magical world of one sort or another -- and, oh yes, there's usually a Hogwarts-modeled school involved. The Percy Jackson books are one such series: Percy is a demigod, the son of Poseidon, tasked with preventing a war among the gods. My grandson, Max, who has read all the Percy Jackson novels, accompanied me to the movie. He was bothered by the "28 differences from the books." (He really didn't count them; it was just his hyperbolic way of dissing the movie.) I had a little talk with him about the differences between movies and books as art forms and how it's best to refrain from judging a movie based on how much it departs from a book.

Then, I realized I was misguided and he was correct in giving the movie a "thumbs down." You see, Max has also read all the Harry Potter books, but he's never complained about the differences between the books and those movies. He has been completely taken up in the magic and the intricate story of those films. And that's what The Lightning Thief lacks. The story is superficial, concocted for an audience of 8-12y-year-olds hungry for Harry-Potter-quality fantasy. And this film is far off that mark. I have to confess, though, that it was interesting enough that I didn't sit there thinking about how good it would be to see the credits march up the screen. So, if your kids want to see it, go. It won't be as awful as sitting through Shortz.

One note: I was bothered by a couple of things in the film. First, the kids of color are all paired off with kids of similar color. It was like watching American Bandstand in the 1960s. And, Percy's best friend and sidekick, Grover, happens to be a PG-rated satyr. As the only major character who was black, I found this casting problematically stereotypical. Oh, the heartbreak of satyriasis.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Donna Top Ten Films of 2009

The films I would have nominated for BEST PICTURE:

1. Up In The Air
2. District 9
3. A Serious Man
4. Star Trek
5. Inglorious Basterds
6. Precious
7. Fantastic Mr. Fox
8. An Education
9. Up
10. 500 Days of Summer

Donna's Oscar Picks

Having seen all 10 of the nominated Best Picture films (and quite a few more), here are my predictions for tonight's awards:

Best Picture

Will Win: The Hurt Locker

Should Win: Up In The Air

Others high on my list are District 9, A Serious Man, and Inglorious Basterds. I'm still annoyed that Star Trek wasn't nominated.

Actor in a Leading Role

Will Win: Jeff Bridges

Should Win: Jeff Bridges

I wouldn't be upset if George Clooney won either -- a spectacular, subtle performance.

Actress in a Leading Role

Will Win: Sandra Bullock

Should Win: Meryl Streep

It's been 26 years since Meryl won; it's about time.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Will Win: Christoph Waltz

Should Win:

Christoph Waltz

I feel sorry for the other four guys. No one can touch Waltz's performance, the scariest Nazi ever on film -- and that's saying a lot.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Will Win: Mo'Nique

Should Win:

Mo'Nique

I feel sorry for the other four girls. No one can touch Mo'Nique's performance, the scariest mother ever on film -- and that's saying a lot.

Directing

Will Win: Kathryn Bigelow

Should Win: Jason Reitman

Well, even James Cameron says Bigelow should win.

Up is likely to win for Animated Film and Music (Original Score), but Fantastic Mr. Fox was better. Avatar deserves Art Direction, Visual Effects, and Cinematography. Hurt Locker should win Film Editing, Sound Mixing, and Sound Editing. A Prophet will win Foreign Language Film. I'd really like to see Star Trek win Makeup. Costume Design should go to Young Victoria. Crazy Heart should win for Original Song. Up In the Air should win Writing (Adapted Screenplay). And I'd love to see A Serious Man win for Writing (Original Screenplay).