Review: Rabbit Hole

Review: Rabbit Hole

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

Audience: 75%

Rabbit Hole is about families dealing with the devastating grief of losing a child. You might argue that, no, it focuses on a couple, Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie Corbett (Aaron Eckhart) who deal with the death of their child and their grief and guilt. But this film subtly illustrates a truth that is bigger than that narrow focus: individuals, parents, relatives, friends, and acquaintances all deal with the death of a child in very different ways and on very different schedules. We see this truth in the Corbett's immediate family. Becca's mother Nat (Diane Wiest) has also lost a child and, now, a grandchild. Her sister Izzy (Tammy Blanchard), newly pregnant, copes with grief and joy simultaneously. And then there are friends who over-respond and those who don't respond at all. And in Becca and Howie's grief support group, every person responds differently to his or her loss -- and sometimes differently on different days.

The film does all this without being manipulative, depressing, maudlin, or horribly melodramatic. Knowing the subject of the film, I was a bit wary and came armed with a ton of Kleenex. Only had to use it once -- the scene involved a dog, always guaranteed to make me weep.

The performances are excellent. Wiest never disappoints, and Kidman and Eckhart are believably married as they each confront their grief. In fact, I would definitely argue that Kidman's Oscar-nominated performance is better than that of Natalie Portman's in Black Swan. (In truth, so are the performances of Annette Benning, Michelle Williams, and Jennifer Lawrence.)

This film deals realistically with grief. There are no promises that the pain will go away -- only that it will be different from time to time, that it will come back with surprising fury when least expected -- and that life will go on. There is sadness in this film, but there is hope also.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: The Company Men

Review: The Company Men

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$

Rotten Tomatoes: 71%

Audience: 59%

I was just thinking it might be appropriate for me to recuse myself from reviewing this movie. I identify so closely with many of the characters' experiences, I'm not sure I can maintain a suitable level of objectivity.

Well, here goes.

The Company Men focuses on the lives of three corporate executives who work for a Boston conglomerate originally a shipbuilding company. Ben Affleck (Bobby) is a young up-and-comer who loves the perks of his life: golfing, his Porsche, his beautiful home (undoubtedly bought with too little down and a huge mortgage). Tommy Lee Jones (Gene) is the best friend of the CEO, living the good life with plenty of stock options, antiques in his ocean-front home, a bored wife, and a lover (Maria Bello) who, as head of HR at the firm, is responsible for designing and executing massive layoffs. Chris Cooper (Phil), also near the end of his career, worked his way up the corporate ladder from riveter to head of a manufacturing operation. All three of these men are laid off; all three, who have so closely identified their worth with their jobs, take steps to cope with their new realities, some more successfully than others.

Rosemarie DeWitt as Maggie, Bobby's wife, gives a strong performance. Kevin Costner rounds out the ensemble as Bobby's level-headed blue-collar brother-in-law. All the actors deliver fine performances. Affleck is convincingly unlikable at the beginning of the film and manages to convincingly redeem himself by the end.

The portrayal of the atmosphere of outplacement firms was very accurate, although the chanting of the slogan was a bit much -- though not impossible. The "real" offices reserved for big shots reminded me of the locked gold doors at my outplacement firm -- to which only CEOs, CFOs, COOs and other acronym-burdened jobless people had keys.

Some have criticized this movie, saying that it's difficult to feel sympathy for affluent white-collar workers who suddenly realize they can't keep the Porsche or send their kids to the Ivy League. But the movie goes beyond this viewpoint in that the experience of being laid off makes most of the characters reassess their attitude toward the acquisition of expensive things and begin to value their lives, their families, and their relationships in new ways.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Blue Valentine

Review: Blue Valentine

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

Audience: 83%

I just reviewed I Love You Phillip Morris, a movie so unlike ordinary life it strains credibility -- even when we know it's based on fact. And then I watched Blue Valentine, a movie so universal, so much like real life, it is downright painful to watch.

The story is simple. A young couple played by Ryan Gosling (Dean) and Michelle Williams (Cindy) have been married about five years. Dean works as a painter and is an alcoholic. Cindy works in a doctor's office and has long engaged in the codependent dance so characteristic of the desperate wives of alcoholics. When we first see the couple, their marriage is dissolving; Dean desperately tries to rekindle their old romance, but his alcoholism transmogrifies every well-intentioned move he makes.

In a series of flashbacks, we see the sweet story of how they met, how they fell in love, and how they shared their hopes and dreams. In those grainy memories, however, we see that the seeds of destruction were sown right from the beginning of their relationship. Like so many people, they married for the wrong reasons and didn't really understand or articulate what they needed from one another.

Blue Valentine is the story of so many marriages, especially those doomed from the start by addiction. But this isn't Days of Wine and Roses. It's more subtle than that film. What makes this movie so poignant is the love (however flawed) that Dean and Cindy have for each either. Remnants remain, even at their most debased moments. Gosling and William's performances are subtle, painful, and passionately honest. I'm glad I saw this film, but it was tough to watch.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: I Love You Phillip Morris

Review: I Love You Phillip Morris

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 69%

Audience: 56%

If the storyline of this movie were the plot of a novel, no one would publish it. It's preposterous, unbelievable, and bizarre. But it's true -- or at least most of it is true. One critic compared the film to Ed Wood, the story of another stranger-than-fiction character. I also saw similarities to Catch Me If You Can. You just can't make this stuff up.

On top of all that, you have Jim Carrey in full Cable Guy mode, playing another over-the-top character -- an energized, bubbling train wreck about to happen. I must confess, Cable Guy is one of my all-time favorite movies. No one embodies a functional, deeply neurotic individual quite like Mr. Carrey.

In this movie, the love of his life, Phillip Morris, the man for whom he'll do just about anything, is played fetchingly by Ewan McGregor. Here he reprises a character-type he just about owns -- the sweetest guy in the world. Think of Moulin Rouge!, Big Fish, Little Voice, and, well why not? Obi-Wan Kenobi. And he does it all with the most charmin' Southern accent ever.

This is definitely a film for adults. Carrey and McGregor, after all, play lovers, and there's real chemistry between them. Did I mention that the movie is also wonderfully funny? In fact, it's the best romantic comedy I've seen this year--hands down.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: The King's Speech

Review: The King's Speech

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

Audience: 95%

After the driest movie months ever: August, September, October, and most of November, I began to read the superlative reviews of The King's Speech. I worried. More hype? More critics in the pay of the movie moguls? (Call me cynical.) I finally saw the film yesterday and was very pleased. More applause after a movie than I've heard since Toy Story 3 -- and that was from spontaneous, unselfconscious children.

The King's Speech is that good. Colin Firth as stuttering King George VI ("Bertie"), Geoffrey Rush as his "speech therapist," Lionel Logue, and Helena Bonham-Carter as the future Queen Mum are all magnificent and deserve to be nominated for just about any award.

From everything I've read (and now seen), George VI was a man so blighted by his privileged childhood and tyrannical father, that he was almost incapable of happiness. He had greatness thrust upon him and wanted none of it. He was the right man for the job, but, oh my, he was born into "interesting times." His story is compelling and heartbreaking at the same time.

The film has an "R" rating, unfortunately, because His Royal Highness drops the F-bomb 17 times in the course of his therapy. Now, really! What is this frackin' world coming to?

I didn't give the film four stars for one reason: much of the gravitas and importance of this movie is derived from its subject alone -- not the abilities of the cinematographer, the actors, the director, or the writers. We finally care because it's about Queen Elizabeth's dad.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: True Grit

Review: True Grit

Rating: ****

Nonna's Rating: $$$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

Audience: 91%

When John Wayne made True Grit in 1969, I didn't rush to see it. I've watched it since then, but I have not been impressed. Wayne received the Best Actor Oscar for the movie--essentially for playing himself. He'd been overlooked in previous years for much better performances, such as those in Red River, The Searchers and The Quiet Man. So, when I heard that someone was remaking True Grit, I asked myself, "Why bother?" Then, I heard the Coen brothers were writing and directing -- and I began to eagerly anticipate the movie.

I have not been not disappointed. The Coen's adaptation of the book is nothing short of brilliant. Their use of formal Victorian English is the perfect counterpoint to the raw, violent, unpredictable post-Civil War west. Jeff Bridges inhabits his role as Rooster Cogburn. He's so good you can almost smell the booze and the body odor. There's nothing cuddly or sentimental about this Rooster. He's a nasty man with true grit who'll get the job done. Just don't ask questions.

Hailee Steinfeld's Mattie Ross soars above Kim Darby's 1969 portrayal. There's no coyness or flirting here. Hailee is all business, a tightfisted bible-quoting Christian bent on revenge and retribution. Matt Damon, in the supporting role of LaBoeuf (he says "LeBeef"), delivers a fine performance as an overconfident, too-big-for-his-britches, but ultimately useful, Texas Ranger.

I expect there will be plenty of Oscar nominations for this film -- another tour de force from the Coen brothers who wisely chose to follow Charles Portis's book in spirit, tone, and language.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Rating: **1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 49%

Audience: 72%

First, a confession. A tough one for an Episcopalian. I am not a huge fan of C.S. Lewis or the Narnia series as a whole. I read the books as an adult -- which may explain my general lack of awe and wonder. The allegory was a bit too transparent for me. When I talk to children who've read the books, like my grandson Max, I find they are not at all aware of the Christological significance of Aslan and company. They just like the stories. Ah, to be young.

But I digress. The Dawn Treader is somewhere between Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe (which was delightful) and Prince Caspian (which was dreadful). One problem is that "Evil" is played in this one by a green, smoky fog. It was all a bit too much like a bad episode from the original Star Trek series. Happily, a really gruesome sea serpent makes an appearance near the end. I wish he'd had a bigger part.

Georgie Henley, who plays Lucy, was her charming post-pubescent self -- still cute as a bug. Lucy's cousin-from-Hell, Eustace Scrubb, played by Will Poulter, was obnoxiously fascinating and proved that you could be an English child actor and really, really nasty.

My grandson Max thought the movie was just "OK." You may be looking for a film to take the kiddies to in this holiday season devoid of worthwhile children's movies, and this one won't bore you to tears. It is a bit intense for younger children, however.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Unstoppable

Review: Unstoppable

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

Audience: 78%

Loved it. Not one of the greatest movies ever, but a very, very good one. It proves that you don't need 3D in order to feel the raw power of a runaway train hurtling at you. Superb cinematography and frightening sound combine to produce the tension needed for terrific escapist entertainment.

The film is what it is. Some critics have complained that there is little character development for either Denzel Washington's seasoned veteran, Frank, or Chris Pine's conflicted rookie, Will. But who cares? The train is the star.

And it doesn't matter that we can guess the ending. We're along for the roller coaster ride and Tony Scott, the director, has us from "Hello."

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Black Swan

Review: Black Swan

Rating: *1/2

Nonna's Rating: $

Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

Audience: 91%

I find myself in the odd position of defending my negative opinion about a film that almost everyone else seems to like. Most critics recognize that Black Swan is a melodrama, a film that overplays plot and character in order to manipulate our emotions. What they don't seem to recognize in this movie is that there is a fine line between melodrama that soars in films like Now, Voyager, Sunset Boulevard, and Slumdog Millionaire-- and melodrama that is overwrought, trite, and predictable in films like All That Heaven Allows, The Other Side of Midnight, and, well, Black Swan.

It does seem as if the director, Aronofsky, wants us continually to question what is real and what is imaginary in this "psychological thriller." I found no such ambiguity. **Spoiler** It was very clear that Natalie Portman's character was Looney Toons right from the beginning. Seriously, if your mother's paintings become animated when you look at them, you're in need of some major meds.

I will give you that the movie is beautifully filmed, that the milieu of dance is fascinating, and that Portman as Nina, Vincent Cassel as Thomas, and Barbara Hershey as Nina's control-freak mother deliver compelling performances. But the story just isn't there. It's all too predictable. It's a throwback to the overwrought melodramas of the 40s and 50s. Instead of rushing to see it, rent The Red Shoes to enjoy the best of all ballet films.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: For Colored Girls

Review: For Colored Girls

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 32%

Audience: 77%

Two-Thirds of Rotten Tomatoes' critics really disliked this movie. In general, I find that most male critics don't find much to like in Tyler Perry's movies. Let's admit it. Mr. Perry understands and empathizes with women in ways most male filmmakers don't. And this film, borne of Ntozake Shange's feminist play from the very angry 1970s, doesn't portray men sympathetically.

In addition, the play, a series of poems spoken by nine characters, is not easy to translate to film. Some of the poetry, however, weaves effectively in and out of the movie, spoken as soliloquies. For the most part, it works, but some of the actresses are stronger than others, especially Kimberly Elise as Crystal, Anika Noni Rose as Yasmine, and Macy Gray as Rose. Less convincing are Janet Jackson as Jo and Whoopi Goldberg as Alice.

When the play made its way to Broadway in 1976, it was astoundingly new and explosive, giving voice to women who had been been denied their right to express their pain. A great deal of time has passed. In all sorts of creative venues, women of all colors have continued to express their anger at all kinds of injustice at the hands of men. We've heard these voices in our homes in television programs like Law and Order and in movies like Precious. Perhaps our heightened awareness makes a film like For Colored Girls seem dated, but the problems highlighted by the movie are still here in all their ugliness.

It is a flawed film, but I applaud the heart and passion that Tyler Perry brings to it. In the end, those two qualities transcend the flaws.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: The Fighter

Review: The Fighter

Rating: ****

Nonna's Rating: $$$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

Audience: 83%

Mark Wahlberg's portrayal of aspiring pugilist Micky Ward is understated, subtle, and in stark contrast to the over-the-top but entirely believable performances of Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams, and the seven women who play the very crazy sisters of prize fighter Micky Ward.

Bale's portrayal of Micky's older, crack-addled brother Dicky is mesmerizing. You can't take your eyes off this train wreck of a man who never misses an opportunity to remind people that he once knocked Sugar Ray Leonard down in a fight (or, perhaps, Leonard slipped). He, not his brother, is the neighborhood star, the Irish charmer. Melissa Leo is Alice, Micky's manager-mom who takes the Irish family of O'Neil to a whole new level of dysfunctional insanity. Amy Adams surprises as Micky's fierce, spunky girlfriend Charlene, convinced she knows exactly what's best for him.

In the end, only Micky knows what's best for all. He understands everyone's gifts, everyone's dark sides, and everyone's blind spots.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Fair Game

Review: Fair Game

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 80%

Audience: 72%

The strength of this movie is the realistic portrayal of a marriage in meltdown (delivered through the exceptional talents of Naomi Watts as Valerie Plame, a covert CIA operative, and Sean Penn as her husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson.)

Wilson had written an op-ed piece in the NY Times, alleging that intelligence information had been manipulated by the Bush White House in order to justify the invasion of Iraq.

Remember? They had weapons of mass destruction: weapons which were never found. The story goes that Rove, Cheney, and Scooter Libby outed Plame in retaliation for the Times article. We may never know how it all happened and who was truly responsible, but Libby (the only person charged) was found guilty of obstruction of justice, making false statements, and perjury. He was, of course, later pardonned by George W. Bush.

The film focuses on the upheaval in Plame and Wilson's lives. Yes, she was in an occupation fraught with danger. Every time she traveled overseas, her life was at risk. She and her husband had accepted that risk. Knowing this, however, we still empathize with their horror and terror when Plame is exposed. We understand that she has been violated in this inside-out version of identity theft.

The movie does not end with a trumpeted triumphant legal victory. It ends with a whimper -- as it should. The incessantly drumming subtext of the film is that there were no weapons of mass destruction. There was no justification for the war on Iraq. Thousands of Americans died for a lie -- and tens of thousands of Iraqis have died and will continue to die. We sowed the wind and we have reaped the whirlwind.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Rating: **1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$

Rotten Tomatoes: 51%

Audience: 68%

If you have not read all three of Stieg Larsson's Millennium novels and/or seen (and enjoyed) the first two movies of the trilogy, don't see this film. It just won't make any sense. For those of you who overlooked the flaws of the novels and the previous films because Lisbeth is one of the most compelling literary and screen presences ever, go see it. Blessedly, some of the most plodding story lines of the third novel are omitted from the movie: e.g., Erica's sojourn as a newspaper editor and Mikael's affair with Officer Figuerola. However, even with those edits, when Lisbeth is off screen, all we do is long for her return. And, although Lisbeth, when present, is largely silent for most of the film, we can't take our eyes off her as we puzzle about what's going on in her once bullet-riddled brain.

Hollywood is remaking these movies for the subtitle-averse. I have no doubt they can improve on the script, cinematography, and editing of these films, but I pity the poor girl (Rooney Mara) who will play Lisbeth. I can't imagine a tougher act to follow.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Hereafter

Review: Hereafter

Rating: **

Nonna's Rating: $

Rotten Tomatoes: 48%

Audience: 47%

One friend told me Hereafter was the most boring movie she'd ever seen: "Nothing happens." Another friend said she was deeply moved from the first, powerful scene all the way to the end. I had to see for myself. My assessment? It's somewhere in the middle of those two viewpoints, and it tends toward the former. The film certainly has the right credentials: directed by Clint Eastwood and starring the talented Mr. Matt Damon. All it needs is a decent script. The first scene, which focuses on a young woman caught in the power of a tsunami, is indeed masterful and terrifying, but it's all downhill from there. The story movies slowly and we're told (*spoiler alert* -- but who cares?) that there has been a vast conspiracy which has withheld scientific information about the afterlife from all of us (an afterlife which seems, BTW, incredibly boring). Religious institutions are, of course, involved in the cover-up. However, this conspiracy is mentioned and then dropped like a hot potato. I was expecting at least a little DaVinci Code mystery and mayhem to ensue -- but no such luck. So, don't bother with this film. Instead, watch The Sixth Sense again -- another view of the afterlife which is anything but boring.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 79%

Audience: 91%

The penultimate Harry Potter film, Deathly Hallows, does not disappoint. It is, of necessity, a cliff hanger with the best yet to come; however, there's plenty of action and drama. The script follows the book closely, covering about 3/4 of the last novel and giving the filmmakers the ability to focus on those marvelous final chapters for the last film of the series -- due out next summer.

The focus in this film is on the three principal characters: Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson), and Ron (Rupert Grint). These three young actors carry the movie while the older English heavyweights: Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, and Michael Gambon (whose character Dumbledore is, of course, dead), have only small to virtually nonexistent roles. But the three Hogwarts students do a fine job, and Grint deserves a "most improved actor" nod. All three began as young, relatively inexperienced actors; we've watched them develop from childhood through adolescence and, now in this latest film, to young adulthood -- they're on their own with the weight of the world on the shoulders.

This film is dark and definitely not for younger children. My six year old grandson still panics whenever his brother watches a Potter DVD with Dobby the house elf in it. BTW, Dobby comes into his own in this film, stealing scenes and full of confidence, determination, and fierce loyalty to Harry.

The weakest part of the movie is also the weakest part of the book: the camping episode. It drags and seems as unnecessarily protracted in the movie as it is in the text. In another initially strange scene, Harry endeavors to raise Hermione's spirits by dancing with her. As he invited her to dance, the audience laughed nervously at the awkwardness of the moment, but somehow the scene transforms into one of ineffable sweetness as one friend cares for the needs and hurts of the other.

The movie is, in short, "Brilliant."

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Megamind

Review: Megamind

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%

Audience: 79%

Max and Eli give "thumbs up" to Megamind. I stole glances at them several times during the movie and saw big smiles on their faces. And I wasn't bored or sleepy: I enjoyed it too. It passes the biggest tests of movies aimed at children: whether or not the kids were delighted and whether or not the adults are trying to read their watches in the dark. The animation was clever (we did not see it in 3-D) and the writing was diverting enough that adults could laugh too. The "message" was subtle but clear: "It's what's good in us that matters. You don't have to be buff and beautiful to be loved."

It also didn't hurt to have Tina Fey (Roxanne Ritchi) and Will Ferrel (Megamind) feverishly delivering lines that adults could chuckle at. On the other hand, the characters inevitably found themselves in situations that made the kids giggle. Brad Pitt does a nice turn as Metro Man, a stereotypical superhero, and David Cross is reliably funny as Minion, Megamind's, well, minion.

The film begins with ironic homage to the Superman origin story and continues that theme in Ferrell's uproarious sendup of Marlon Brando as Jor-El. It's certainly not Toy Story 3, but it was worth the trip.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Catfish

Review: Catfish

Rating: ****

Nonna's Rating: $$$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 78%

Audience: 65%

Every once in a great while, a film pushes the current boundaries of the medium. Think Brazil and 12 Monkeys and The Big Lebowski and Kill Bill and Fight Club and Moulin Rouge. Catfish pushes those boundaries hard and couples itself to social media and virtual lives in a way that makes us sit back and say, "Where the hell are we headed?"

The movie is a documentary (maybe, probably not, but it doesn't matter) about Nev Schulman, a charming, engaging, naive young man who has fallen in love online with Megan, the sister of Abby, an 8-year-old girl who has asked Nev for permission to paint one of his photographs. Nev, in fact, falls in love with Megan's whole family.

He, his brother Ariel, and another friend, Henry, travel to the UP to meet Megan and her relatives. And now, like every other critic, I will refrain from going any further lest I spoil the story for you.

Suffice it to say that this movie will probably make you uncomfortable, but you won't want to stop watching it for a minute.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Secretariat

Review: Secretariat

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%

Audience: 78%

I've resisted going to see this movie for about a month. I could only imagine how horribly it would be Disneymogrified. (Never forget Hunchback of Notre Dame.) But I was pleasantly surprised. It is, first and foremost, a great story. (I'm a sucker for horse movies.) And even though I have a vivid memory of watching the jaw-dropping Belmont Stakes in 1973 on TV, the depiction of the race still sent chills running down my spine.

My only criticism is that Diane Lane is just a bit short of being the steel magnolia I would expect in Penny Chenery. Still, her performance is more than adequate. John Malkovich has been accused by some critics of overplaying the part of Lucien Laurin, Secretariat's trainer. Au contraire, he's truly "a character"; he only needs a few lessons in pronouncing French. My one quibble with the film is that the "Where are they now?" blurbs at the end of the movie were a bit Disneyfied in that, children that we are, we're not told that Chenery and her husband John Tweedy divorced in 1973, the year Secretariat won the Triple Crown. Even though I did not know this fact when I was watching the film, the conflict in the marriage was obvious in the movie. We're adults. We would have survived a bittersweet ending.

Note: The picture above is of the real "Big Red," not the very fine horse who played him in the film. Can't find his credit. Now, he deserves a best supporting actor nod!

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: RED

Review: RED

Rating: *

Nonna's Rating: $ (Maybe)

Rotten Tomatoes: 71%

Audience: 78%

Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Mary Louise Parker, John Malkovich, and, wait for it, Helen Mirren. Hard to imagine a cast more promising. And they do their best, but good actors aren't good unless they have a good script -- and that is sadly absent in this film. All that acting talent is wasted. And the action of this "action-sort of-comedy" can't save us from the boring stretches of inane dialog that come between firefights. I'm not wasting any more time on 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: Nowhere Boy

Review: Nowhere Boy

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$

Rotten Tomatoes: 82%

Audience: 70%

I admit I was predisposed to love this movie. It is, after all, about John Lennon. But then, my expectations were high too. I wasn't disappointed. The film focuses on Lennon's late teenage years: between being the bad boy 15-year-old at school and his sojourn with Paul and George to Hamburg from 1960-62. They are, needless to say, formative years -- years complicated by Lennon's discovery that his birth mother lived close to him and that she was alternately a free spirit and a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Lennon's adolescence is, in a word, troubled. He is recalcitrant, obnoxious, ungrateful, and arrogant. He is is also painfully insecure, desperate for his mother's love, and delightfully witty. The film does not present us with a teenage Beatle; instead it gives us glimpses and hints of the brilliant, creative man he would become. Kristin Scott-Thomas delivers a convincing performance as Lennon's Aunt/Mother Mimi, and Aaron Johnson as Lennon grows into the man Lennon would become in a subtle performance. Thomas Sangster (Liam Neeson's young blonde son in Love Actually) joins the film near the end as 15-year-old Paul McCartney. In contrast to Lennon, he projects solid confidence in his abiltities and self-assurance. I thought Paul could never have looked that young, but, at the end we see actual pictures from that time period and Sangster looks remarkably similar. Not a great movie, but definitely worth your time.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it