Review: Invictus

Review: Invictus

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 77%

The other day on NPR, I heard someone, who knew Nelson Mandela well, say that Morgan Freeman's portrayal of his friend in this film was downright unsettling: Freeman was not like the man; he was the man. Freeman brings to this role, as he's brought to so many others, subtlety and grace -- insights into another human life telegraphed by understated, simple moments of speech and action.

Clint Eastwood's film chronicles Mandela's attempt to break the cycle of violence and hate in South Africa. After years of Apartheid oppression, South African blacks were expected to take out their frustrations on the white minority who were no longer in control of the country. Mandela wanted to head off that impulse, to rebuild the society into one where forgiveness and reconciliation would be possible. He decided to use the Rugby World Cup to bring the country together. It's not a simple solution. He recognizes it will take time and patience, but he believes his vision is achievable and continually communicates that belief to all around him.

At the end of the movie, Eastwood signals that South African life is moving toward Mandela's vision, not by South Africa's underdog victory in the World Cup, but by the metaphor of the evolving relationship of one poor black child and a couple of white police officers. It's not a sports movie; it's a movie about the tough job of nation building and the remarkable man who chose to forgive and reconcile rather than hate and seek revenge.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Precious

Review: Precious

Rating: ****

Nonna's Rating: $$$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Precious is a disturbing movie, unsettling because we know in some deep, hidden place within us that the story is too, too close to truth. The acting is raw and real. Nothing is prettified. When all is said and done, we are horrified that children can grow up in the complete absence of love, and amazed that they often do all they can to understand what love can be. The movie feeds our hope that there are idealistic souls who strive to help, but it is oh-so-obvious that there are too few of them and that they have neither time nor money nor power. Finally, we are left alone with our worst fears: in the end, the individual must save herself. A miracle must occur and only a few have the grace and power to do it. It's a very disturbing movie that ultimately asks how we can turn our faces away and pretend that the poor and uneducated aren't sinking deeper and deeper into the morass. I've been told that a common response to this movie is that such conditions just don't exist, that it's all outlandish exaggeration. Heaven help us.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Pirate Radio

Review: Pirate Radio

Rating: **1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 60%

If you grew up with the music of the 60s (Stones, Kinks, Turtles, Procul Harum THE BOX TOPS), you will probably love this movie. Yes, some of the music used hadn't been produced during the time frame of the movie, but who cares? It's all fun. Wild, crazy, out of control, 60s fun. And you'll laugh out loud. Phillip Seymour Hoffman (adept at anything he pursues) and Bill Nighy (who never disappoints) are the icing on the cake.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: An Education

Review: An Education

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

Carey Mulligan makes this movie. She richly deserves her Golden Globe nomination. As a bright, curious English girl, assumed to be on her way to Oxford in the 60s, she has us all on her side. Not just hoping for her survival: we want her to triumph. And, oh yes, Peter Sarsgaard is no slouch either. Part of the magic of this film is that Sarsgaard seduces us in very much the same way he seduces Jenny and her clueless parents. We want (oh so much) to believe we have found the perfect, flawless, loving, genuine man that we know Jenny deserves. The fantasy ensues and then it unravels. And we're all a little older and a little wiser.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Michael Jackson's This Is It

Review: Michael Jackson's This Is It

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 80%

I was never a fan of Michael Jackson. I didn't even like the music of the Jackson Five. So, I went to this film under duress and as a favor (I'm so magnanimous) to my movie buddy, Linda. Well, I was mesmerized. Recognizing that hours and hours of Jackson's rehearsals were cut skillfully to produce this favorable portrait of the troubling, troubled star, I am still taken in by what I saw. The talent and the perfectionism are evident. He demands the best from himself and others, and demands it, not as a tyrant or martinet, but as a benevolent despot who repeatedly thanks all those around them for their hard work by saying, "God bless you." He doesn't say this in an affected or ingenuous way; he says it carefully, with sincerity -- as if he really means it. Ironically, he seems to be at the top of his game. If he is addled with drugs, he shows no signs of it. At the end, we still don't know who Michael Jackson really is, but we do know that a gifted, complex soul once moonwalked this earth.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: The Men Who Stare At Goats

Review: The Men Who Stare At Goats

Rating: NO STARS

Nonna's Rating: #

Rotten Tomatoes: 54%

George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey. It should have been a great movie. It was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Absolutely no point to it. A story that went nowhere. 'Nuff said.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Good Hair

Review: Good Hair

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

I'm white and I have never understood the secret life of my black friends and their hair. This film has revealed a great deal to me -- and I'm appalled. I had no idea. Thanks to Chris Rock, I now understand that black people spend a lot more on their hair and spend a lot more time on their hair than I do. I was fascinated by this documentary, but, so far, none of my black friends have seen it. "I live it," each has said wearily. Chris Rock, a loud, brash comedian on stage, is very different as the narrator/interviewer of this film. He seems like, well, a regular guy. In one scene, he's in a barbershop listening to a group of African-American men talk about hair. He seems downright introverted as he listens attentively. And they aren't the least bit impressed by his celebrity. They treat him like one of the guys. I wholeheartedly recommend this film. It's full of humor and gentle satire.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: A Serious Man

Review: A Serious Man

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 87%

I've never met a Coen Brothers movie I didn't like. (Well, I could do without Intolerable Cruelty.) A Serious Man did not disappoint me. I watched it in downtown Highland Park with two priests, two almost priests, and a smattering of older Jewish men and women who, like us, had probably heard that the film was a retelling of the book of Job. It's sort of a retelling. But no God. No Satan. All manner of ill befall the main character, but the Job-ness of the story is not what's important. If anything, the movie is similar in theme to No Country For Old Men: "No one, absolutely no one, gets out alive" -- which is kind of Job-like as I think about it. In essence, what happens to all of us is strictly arbitrary. The film is replete with delightful performances by largely unfamiliar actors. A personal note: I found the last scene incredibly chilling because I have been in exactly the situation depicted -- which, of course, it would be criminal for me to reveal.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Whip It

Review: Whip It

Rating: *1/2

Nonna's Rating: $

Rotten Tomatoes: 83%

I'm the naysayer on this one. Why did this movie get such great reviews? It does have a terrific cast, roller derbies are intrinsically fascinating, and Drew Barrymore, actress and director, has always been the darling of the critics. But it clunks along. The pacing is uneven and the directing unsure. I tried to forgive it its flaws, but there were too many annoying aspects to this movie. And am I the only person who finds Ellen Page's smart aleck delivery annoying? I'm feeling very uncharitable about this movie. I'm just warning you not to waste your time.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Bright Star

Review: Bright Star

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $

Rotten Tomatoes: 84%

Okay, I loved this movie. One of my examination areas for my Ph.D. was 19th Century British and American Poetry. Keats is, well, the bomb. And I had to memorize Bright Star in high school. During the credits of this movie someone recites Ode to a Nightingale -- the most Romantic poem I have ever read. I swooned. I loved every painful moment of Keats' frustrating relationship with Fanny Brawne. At the same time, I realize this movie was made to appeal to those weird people among us who can read Wordsworth's Prelude without wincing. So, I warn you. This movie is not for everyone. It's not a Jennifer Anniston romantic comedy and it doesn't have the airy charm of a Jane Austen movie. So, view it with my warning label. I loved it, but you may not. The cinematography is the most stunning I've seen in a long time.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: The Informant

Review: The Informant

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 77%

Matt Damon again shows himself to be a superb actor, but the pudgy schlub in this film surely can't be the guy in Bourne Ultimatum! In this film, Damon is a high-level corporate whistle blower at Archer Daniels Midland who exposes global price fixing. But, what seems pretty straightforward at first does, indeed, get a lot more complicated than that -- and a lot more fascinating than we might imagine. There's something very endearing about this very mixed up man. His FBI runners are so fond of him they carry around pictures of his him and his family. Make sure you 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: 9

Review: 9

Rating: **1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$

Rotten Tomatoes: 56%

9's first incarnation as a film was as a taut, Oscar-nominated short (2005: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IQcMeNh7Hc). For some reason, Tim Burton and others thought stretching Shane Acker's compelling narrative to eight times its original length would produce an even better film. What were they thinking?

Unfortunately, although the new film explodes in visual artistry and graphic intricacy, the protracted, centerless plot results in a nebulous storyline that ultimately dissatisfies. The longer film gives male an female voices to the once asexual, silent characters, adds a backstory, and introduces a new, even more horrific villain -- but these devices add little to the tight beauty of the original narrative.

Even odder is the introduction of No. 1, a kind of machine-bishop with mitre, crosier, and cope, who resides in a ruined cathedral. He's repressive and bent on keeping secrets from the rest of the band, but, aside from promulgating fear among the troops until 9 arrives to save the day, there doesn't seem to be much purpose for this plot addition. Finally, the new, Hollywood ending seems to promise that organic life will return to the planet and all will be well -- someday. Such an ending wasn't necessary in the original short; it's not necessary here.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Extract

Review: Extract

Rating: **1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$

Rotten Tomatoes: 62%

Not many belly laughs in Extract, but there's plenty of well-executed situational comedy. Everyone in this film comes off somewhere on the continuum from "stupid" to "woefully ignorant." Jason Bateman, playing his usual nice, kind-hearted guy role, manages to make several poor decisions that even relegate him soundly to the "pretty stupid" category. Ben Affleck, whom I didn't recognize in his first scene, delivers his best performance in an eon. Perhaps Ben has a viable career in the offing as a second-banana character actor. But, I don't want to leave you with the impression that I disliked this film. I thoroughly enjoyed the gentle comedy. It was a lot better than most TV comedies, but not quite hefty enough for the movie theatre. I do recommend renting it for an enjoyable evening that will put a smile on your face.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Taking Woodstock

Review: Taking Woodstock

Rating: *

Nonna's Rating: $

Rotten Tomatoes: 52%

I really had high hopes for this movie. With Ang Lee directing, I expected a new slant on ancient history. And, indeed, the first half of the movie delivered. By focusing the story away from the main stage, Lee gave us an innovative take on Woodstock -- the story of how a series of unrelated circumstances conspired to create three unreproducible days of music and joy in August of 1969. There are engaging performances from Demetri Martin, the young, closeted good son to his Catskills-resort-owning parents, played uproariously by Henry Goodman and Imelda Staunton (yes, Dolores Umbridge). Liev Schrieber as cross-dressing, pistol-packing Vilma controls the screen whenever he's on camera, and Jonathan Groff is incandescently beautiful as the laid-back, smiling young thing who seems to function like a other-worldly guardian angel over the whole festival.

The second hour of the movie, however, devolved into the worst cliches of Summer of Love movies: the psychedelic acid trip accompanied by group sex and undulating graphics -- and the old folks stoned without knowing what hit them on pot-laced brownies. If those scenes had been edited out, the movie might have had a chance, but, as it stands, just catch the first hour on cable or skip it altogether.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Inglourious Basterds

Review: Inglourious Basterds

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

Have you ever watched a "plot-to-kill-Hitler" historical drama and found yourself wishing that the end just might turn out differently from the end you know is coming? Well, then, do I have a movie for you! Inglourious Basterds (yeah it's spelled wrong) delivers the ultimate World War II revenge fantasy. Based on no facts whatsoever, Tarantino presents a masterful film that speeds by much faster than its two and a half hour length would suggest. It's Tarantino's best movie since Pulp Fiction -- and it occupies a pretty close second place. Tarantino never ceases to surprise, and he never ceases to employ over-the-top violence to make his point.

Much has been made of Christoph Waltz's chilling performance as SS officer and "Jew Hunter" Col. Hans Landa, an Aryan nightmare if there ever was one. He uses charm, cunning, and psychological pressure to get what he wants from those unfortunate enough to be in his way. His interrogation scenes are intense, uncomfortable to watch, and directed brilliantly by Tarantino. Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine (an homage to gravel-voiced Aldo Ray) and his band of Jewish American soldiers provide Tarantino's special brand of gore and comic relief.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: District Nine

Review: District Nine

Rating: ****

Nonna's Rating: $$$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

A science fiction bug movie that transcends the genre, asking us to examine what it means to be human. The film, intense and uncomfortable, never backs away from the constant tension inherent in the situation. Shot as a documentary, the movie, as my friend Sue said, piles parable upon parable, challenging us to confront our deepest prejudices and to ask ourselves how far we would go were we Wikus Van Der Merwe, the main character deftly played by Sharlto Copley. The story ignites our collective memories of historical horrors: Apartheid, the Holocaust, Japanese World War II internment, the treatment of immigrants, and the Slaughter of the Innocents to name a few. The ending leaves room for a sequel, but the probable plot is all too obvious: they will be back and they will not be amused.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Shorts

Review: Shorts

Rating: *1/2

Nonna's Rating: $

Rotten Tomatoes: 44%

If you are a male about nine years old who enjoys booger and fart jokes, you just may love this movie. Then again, you may not. As the adult who accompanied the child to the film, I found it excruciatingly difficult to sit through -- and I had had high hopes with John Cryer, James Spader, and William Macy each portraying adults with various levels of cluelessness.

The moral of the story is harmless enough: "Be careful what you wish for," but the out-of-sequence plotting of the movie is unnecessarily choppy and distracting. I was, however, rather fascinated by Jolie Vanier, pictured above, who plays Helvetica Black (named for a font?). She seemed to be channeling the young Christina Ricci as Wednesday in The Addams Family -- not entirely successfully, but she was trying. Whenever she appeared in a scene, the soundtrack chanted her name incessantly, something my grandson Max found very creepy. Do skip this one.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Funny People

Review: Funny People

Rating: **

Nonna's Rating: $

Rotten Tomatoes: 65%

Anchorman, The Forty Year Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Pineapple Express. I've enjoyed quite a few of Judd Apatow's movies in spite of the gross-out humor being a bit much from time to time. But I endure it.

So, I was looking forward to Funny People. The over-the-top humor surfaces in the very first scene. I noticed that the men seated around me in the theatre laughed loudly. But soon, their jocular outbursts were just snickers, and then their laughter seemed to disappear altogether. As one critic pointed out, this is the most "adult" of Apatow's films. The laughs are quickly mixed with George Simmons (Adam Sandler) learning that he has a terminal disease and not long to live.

George becomes depressed while his personal assistant Ira, played by a slimmed-down Seth Rogen, does all he can to shore up George's resolve and his spirits. Ira has a sweet nature and is bent on doing the right thing. He's convinced that George might be better served by focusing more frequently on thinking of others before he satisfies his own needs. Until the end of the movie, however, there's seems to be no glimmer of hope for that possibility. So, finally, the film becomes a bit of a morality tale. Is it worth two and a half hours of Apatow?

No.

Wait for cable.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

Rating: **

Nonna's Rating: $$

Rotten Tomatoes: 35%

If you've read my reviews for a while, you know I get rather impatient when people compare movies unfavorably to books -- especially when they complain about the omission of particular incidents or the alteration of bits of dialogue. Well, I'm about to compare a movie unfavorably to a book, but I will defend my right to do so.

I do believe that we experience two completely different art forms in movies and books and, therefore, should not sweat the small stuff -- like eliminated or added scenes. However, I do argue that we have a right to demand that movie makers not alter the intrinsic nature of a book.

I have two quibbles with this movie. First, the lesser quibble. I have never read a book in which life in Chicago was so vividly realized. While reading, I could almost smell the stale air from the sidewalk grates in downtown Chicago. In the book, Chicago is a fourth major character and totally integrated into the love story. So, I understandably anticipated some drop dead takes on Chicago streets -- a la the marvelous cinematography in High Frequency. Unfortunately, what we got, for the most part, was Toronto. Big oversight just to save money.

My second quibble is more serious. There is almost no chemistry between the time traveler and his wife, played by Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. The book is a love story for the ages; the movie just doesn't approach that level of intensity. It's a disappointing film.

Nonna's Ratings:

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

Review: Julie and Julia

Review: Julie and Julia

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 74%

Another great date movie. Especially for married couples. Yes, the movie is about a young woman, at loose ends about her life, who decides to introduce structure and discipline by recreating all the recipes in Julia Child's Art of French Cooking in a one year period. Layered in her story are slices of Julia Child's life in the decades after World War II when she was trying to find her own life's vocation. You've probably heard that Streep's performance as Child is a tour de force and absolutely delightful. It is. Indomitable Meryl portrays a woman of such infectious optimism, confidence, and complexity, we find ourselves fantasizing that we had been a guest at one of her dinner parties. Oh yes, there's the food too. Child did have something to do with transforming the way Americans shop for, prepare, cook, and consume food.

There's all of this, but the most poignant and effervescent moments of the movie are found in the portrayal of Child's relationship with her husband, played by Stanley Tucci. It is a marriage in which each partner shares equally in caring for the needs of the other -- equally in passion, love, and healthy independence. Unfortunately, there's one lingering effect of the movie: you will have an overwhelming desire for an expensive French meal as soon as it's over.

Nonna's Ratings:

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