Review: Solitary Man

Review: Solitary Man

Rating: **1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$

Rotten Tomatoes: 83%

I've now seen Solitary Man, A Serious Man, and A Single Man. Serious, the Coen Brothers' take on Job is, by far, the best. Single, with Colin Firth, is a solid second. Solitary, at third, opens promisingly with a great Johnny Cash cover of the Neil Diamond tune of the same name, but tells a story we've just seen too many times before.

Michael Douglas plays the role of a manipulative cad extremely well -- after all, he's done it in several films. His strong performance, however, makes the movie watchable, but, all too soon, we realize what an old story we're watching-- a man going through a post-mid-life crisis, deeply in denial, and hurting too many people along the way. Douglas' character has no idea what it takes to maintain a relationship. He rides roughshod over everyone -- casual lovers, patient ex-wives, shell-shocked children, and old friends. That some continue to love him is amazing and, at times, a bit unbelievable.

I'm looking forward to the Wall Street sequel. Gordon Gekko -- now that's a character.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Toy Story 3

Review: Toy Story 3

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 98%

Having just seen Shrek Forever After with Max and both of us being mildly please, we attended a 3-D showing of Toy Story 3 and agreed it was far superior to the Shrek offering. The reviews have been somewhat hyperbolic -- probably not surprising in one of the most dismal movie summers ever -- but the film really is that good.

Andy has grown up. He's on his way to college and must make some hard decisions about what he's going to do with his old toys. From those decisions and some unintended mishaps come the plot of the film. It's much darker than the two previous movies; Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang move from one dire situation to another. There is one scene toward the end of the film which all reviewers seem to have agreed not to discuss in detail. I will also refrain from being a spoiler, but will repeat what many of them have said -- that the scene is remarkably moving and downright profound for a cartoon.

Of course, there's plenty to laugh about in this movie. Ken and Barbie alone are worth the price of admission. And Buzz has a bit of a mishap which switches him into Spanish-mode with hysterical consequences.

We saw the film in 3-D -- and I'm glad we did. My biggest problem with 3-D is that it distracts me, pulls me away from a film. If knives are coming at me, I'm no longer immersed in the story and suspending disbelief. The 3-D in this movie enhances and supports the story -- and is not distracting at all. If you see the film, I hope you also see the delightful Pixar short that preceded our viewing, Night and Day. Pixar rarely disappoints, and, in this cartoon, they use 3-D to great advantage. It's just plain innovative.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Shrek Forever After

Review: Shrek Forever After

Rating: **1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 54%

There's a bit of tiredness about this latest, and reportedly final, installment of the Shrek series. Shrek himself is world-weary and seems to be experiencing a mid-life crisis -- although I have no idea how long an ogre might live. Fiona, however, is her stalwart, reliable, responsible self and, by the end of the film, a veritable Boadicea.

The filmmakers use the "It's A Wonderful Life," what-if-he'd-never-been-born device so that Shrek can learn the life lessons he needs to learn. When all is said and done, there are plenty of clever, witty jokes to delight adults and plenty of action and silly jokes to amuse children. I took my grandson Max to the movie and he liked it. We didn't watch the 3-D version, and I don't think we missed much.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Sex and the City 2

Review: Sex and the City 2

Rating: *

Nonna's Rating: #

Rotten Tomatoes: 17%

I had decided to heed the early reviews of Sex and the City 2. They were overwhelmingly awful. Then, I found myself in Alexandria, VA, with my sister who was recuperating from surgery. She wanted to see the movie. I indulged her. You do that kind of thing for little sisters. So, she and I and two other friends traipsed off to the Potomac Mall where we began to think we might be the only people in the theater. At least that might have been fun. We could have talked back to the screen, thrown popcorn, and generally behaved badly. Alas, other unfortunates made their way into the theater.

The film is just as bad as the critics said it was. Here are my gripes:

1. The plot reuses the old series and movie territory. Nothing new in the storyline -- except that it's set in Abu Dhabi.
2. And therein lies a big problem. The ladies vacation in an Arab country and don't seem to understand it might be a good idea to dress for the environment and the weather. Five inch heels in the sand? Don't think so.
3. The movie celebrates conspicuous consumption as if it's 2007. The girls may have the money to splurge, but most viewers no longer aspire to such luxuries. We're a bit lower on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs right now.
4. The fashions are underwhelming. The camera never lingers on anything that might be interesting. Where were the shoes?
5. At at least one point in the film, each of the girls looks quite (unintentionally) unattractive. Couldn't the camera and makeup people have done a better job?
6. The Liza Minnelli doing "Single Ladies" bit was funny for about 5 seconds; then I just wanted to look away.
7. Charlotte's meltdown over the trials, tribulations, and frustrations of motherhood would be more convincing if she didn't have a full-time nanny and a husband. Single moms must just walk away from this film angry.
8. The girls doing "I Am Woman" in the Karaoke bar? Could they have looked more uncomfortable? Were they thinking, "This is the end of my career. Right here. Right now. I am woman. Here me squeak."
9. At 2 1/2 hours -- too, too long

Nonna's Ratings:

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