Don't Miss ... Begin Again

Begin Again was a bit of a sleeper last summer. It's not a super-hero or action franchise flick with lots of money behind it, but it did star Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo. Catherine Keener, Hailee Steinfeld, Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) and Adam Levin (from Maroon 5 fame) round out the supporting cast.

Knightley plays a songwriter who moves to New York with her rock-star boyfriend (Levine). She isn't interested in the limelight, just the art. He is interested in the limelight and their relationship suffers. One evening she's performing one of her songs at a club and Ruffalo's character, a down-and-out music executive, likes what he hears. They embark on creating an album on their terms as outcasts of the music industry machine. Knightley performs the songs herself - and she does an excellent job. I appreciated that the movie didn't go for the obvious here - I don't want to spoil the film by explaining this further, but let me just say it was refreshing to see a friendship blossom. Begin Again is a light film, but it still has something to say.

It's from the director of Once, John Carney, so if you enjoyed that, you'll probably appreciate this one too. If you're a music fan in general you'll find something to appreciate here as well. There's a scene where Knightley and Ruffalo share an iPod and listen to music together while roaming New York City. Perfection.

Recommended Film: Violet & Daisy

The plot is intriguing: two teenage girl assassins (Alexis Bledel and Saoirse Ronan) have trouble killing a mark (James Gandolfini). However, this recommendation is all about the performances, not plot. All three are initially playing against type. Bledel and Ronan, despite their beautiful faces, are obviously up to no good and Gandolfini is quite sympathetic, even pathetic.


Bledel does well playing really against type (those who know her from Gilmore Girls will understand) because she's the more aggressive of the two girls. But Ronan is the one to keep an eye on. She's already given some standout performances in her short career, and I would add this to the list even though this film didn't get much attention (if any) when it was released. There is a Tatiana Maslany cameo too, but if you blink, you'll miss her.

Violet & Daisy
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A Room With A View

 

A Room with A View (1985).
Call No.:  DVD DRAMA ROOM
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 I've been on an Italy kick lately, because I have been planning a trip there later on this year.  So while I was initially worried that this Merchant Ivory film might be a little bit on the slow and tedious side, I decided to watch it anyway for the spectacular scenery in Florence.  Luckily, A Room with a View proved to be a lively and enjoyable film.  

Set during the Edwardian era and based off an E.M. Forester novel, this 1985 film adaption follows a young British woman, Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter), as she vacations in Florence for the first time under the supervision of her much older and tightly-wound cousin Charlotte (Maggie Smith).  At their hotel in Italy, Lucy and Charlotte become close with several other English travelers including novelist Eleanor Lavish (Judi Dench), Reverend Beebe (Simon Callow), and most importantly, the free-spirited Mr. Emerson (Denholm Elliot) and his son, George (Julian Sands).  While on the trip, Lucy begins to long for more freedom and finds herself increasing drawn to George, but she is confused by her feelings.  When George passionately kisses Lucy in a field, their embrace is interrupted by a horrified Charlotte, who insists Lucy must leave Florence at once and makes Lucy promise to keep the kiss a secret (lest she be blamed).

 After returning to England, Lucy accepts the proposal of the extremely nerdy Cyril Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis).   Cyril is a more socially suitable match for Lucy than George, but he lacks passion.  Lucy and Cyril share one of the most comically awkward kisses in cinema history, thanks in part to Cyril's pince-nez glasses.  However, her engagement gets tested when Mr. Emerson and George rent a cottage in Lucy's town.  Will Lucy choose George with his enviable bone-structure and vastly superior kisses?  Or stay true to her commitments and marry the annoyingly stuffy Cyril? 

Though the film is almost 30 years old, it still feels fresh.  The cast is superb and it was fun to see these big names actors when they were much younger.  I didn't recognize Daniel Day-Lewis at first and was totally jealous of Helena Bonham Carter's marvelously gigantic hair.  Not being a big Merchant Ivory fan, I was surprised by how much humor was in the film.  There are lots of laughs, including a famous bathing sequence featuring George, Reverend Beebe, and Lucy's brother Freddy (Rupert Graves).  The film is beautiful to look at, very romantic, and I appreciated how all of the characters were treated with empathy.   Even though Cyril's priggishness is often played for laughs, his character is not entirely dismissible and it's obvious that he does genuinely care for Lucy.   Whether you're a fan of well-acted historical dramas, want to armchair travel to Florence, or you just want an excuse to stare at Julian Sands's cheekbones for two hours, A Room With View is definitely worth watching!

Recent release: Jeff, Who Lives At Home

I recently checked out the Jason Segel vehicle Jeff, Who Lives At Home by brothers Jay and Mark Duplass (Mark being the summer's indie darling). It has a noteworthy supporting cast including Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon and Judy Greer. From the outset, its a quiet movie about a slacker still living in his mother's basement. A comedy and borderline farce at times, the last third becomes suspenseful and dramatic.

Segel plays the titular character who is metaphorically lost, and uses what he deems as signs, or connections, to guide his life (Jeff loves the M. Night Shyamalan movie Signs and the movie opens with him watching the flick). Jeff is given a simple task by his mother (Sarandon) and he is quickly sidetracked from the errand by one of his signs and follows it. Thus the story begins to unfold as Jeff, by seeming chance, runs into his brother Pat (Helms), and they in turn end up spying on Pat's wife Linda (Greer) and so on ... Sarandon has a workplace sub-plot about realizing your life again, later in life. It is nowhere near as satisfying as Jeff's storyline, but it still shows Sarandon in a another light-- a less confident character than she often plays.

The final third of the movie addresses Jeff's unrealized life in a big way, changing your view of the character and the movie itself. Maybe Jeff's philosophy on life and decision-making processes weren't so crazy after all? It might make you to look at your own life differently. And I love that, because that is not at all what I expected from this unassuming film.

Jeff, Who Lives At Home
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Beginners

Based on director Mike Mills' real life relationship with his father, Beginners begins with a grown son, Oliver (Ewan McGregor), learning that his 75-year-old father, Hal (Christopher Plummer, just nominated for an Oscar), is gay. The storyline fluctuates between Oliver's present with his new French girlfriend Anna (Melanie Laurent) and the commitment issues they both face; his childhood with a playful, but dramatic mother Georgia (Mary Page Keller); and his recent past with his dying father. Soon after Hal comes out he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Hal lives it up, probably for the first time in his life, while Oliver is more practical-- a side effect of Hal's admission, and the normal role flip that occurs later in life when the child becomes the parent. Oliver is not disapproving, but cautious. He then brings this caution to his relationship with Anna, which complicates things. Oliver and Anna's courtship is quirky and sweet, but inevitably encounters some uncertainty.


As the title suggests, one can always start over. The key is to recognize the chance before it's too late. Both protagonists accomplish this, which could inspire anyone watching to do the same.


Two side notes:
1. Dogs in movies aren't my thing-- I can't think of one good movie that features a dog, but I can think of many bad ones: Beethoven 1-3, Marley & Me, Marmaduke, Beverly Hills Chihuahua 1 and 2. Rest my case. BUT, Hal's dog Arthur is alright in this bunch, keeping everybody honest. He's cute, but not intrusive. 



2. Goran Visnjic, best known for his role as Dr. Luca Kovak on ER, is unlike I've ever seen him (I wasn't sure it was him at first). He plays Hal's much younger boyfriend, Andy, who is childlike and very defensive. I was glad to see Visnjic doing something a bit different and completely pulling it off.


A great movie, with great performances all around-- even the dog.
Beginners
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"Lightning has struck!": Midnight screening of final Harry Potter film

The final installment in the Harry Potter film series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, opened at midnight last week on July 15. While I have attended other midnight screenings and have been a Harry Potter fan for years, this is the first time I bought a ticket for a midnight Harry screening. I am so glad I did because it was a wonderful experience.

A small group of friends and I were the first group in line for the midnight screening at the CineMark in Melrose Park just after 8 PM. Several of the ushers asked us if we knew what time it was, and you could tell they thought we were out of our minds, but we didn't care. We played Uno to pass the time and were also able to see some unique Harry Potter outfits, notably a guy dressed in a decorated t-shirt that read: "Real men don't sparkle. Team Wizard." We were allowed into the theater around 10 PM, which left us with more time to check out the costumes of the other Harry Potter fans. Some made their own shirts touting the end of the series with the symbol of the deathly hallows, and others wore the colors and uniforms of the Hogwarts Houses -- Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. I myself wore a Harry Potter quidditch shirt, and brought along my illuminating Hermione wand. I was most impressed by fans dressed as characters from the series -- I saw Harry, Hagrid, Dobby, Bellatrix, Narcisa, Professor Trelawney, and Luna.

As it came closer for the previews to start, the audience started to clap and chant and I could literally feel the excitement from everyone around me. They were vocal in response to the trailers (lots of excitement for Sherlock Holmes) but became silent once the movie started. Part 2 picks up right where Part 1 left off, with Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) taking the Elder Wand from the hands of the dead Dumbledore. While Part 1 set the scene for Part 2, with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) searching for and destroying horacruxes (a horacrux is an item that Voldemort infused with part of his soul, and hid, in order to insure his immortality), the much more action-packed Part 2 focuses on their return to Hogwarts and the fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. 

Some observations, without being too much of a spoiler:

• I enjoyed the scene where Hermione poses as the mad Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) in Gringotts after taking Polyjuice Potion. Watching Bonham Carter play Hermione trying to be evil and horrible (and failing) was fun.
• I loved seeing Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts and re-join the other characters we've met throughout the series, like Neville (Matthew Lewis), and Luna (Evanna Lynch). While the characters have spent seven years at Hogwarts as students, the actors filming these eight movies have been together even longer. Seeing all the students and teachers back together again, ready to face Death Eaters, Voldemort, and risk their lives, was very powerful.
• Ralph Fiennes is disturbing as ever as Voldemort, and I thought the army of Death Eaters waiting to begin their attack on Hogwarts was a very creepy sight.
• The shot of Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) looking out a window at Hogwarts. It's early in the movie, and at first we only see him from behind, but I found it to be a moving visual, already knowing Snape's secrets from reading the book. 
• I knew the deaths of certain characters were coming, but it was still shocking to see in the movie.
• The audience in my theater was awesome. They cheered and clapped at moments like Ron and Hermione's first kiss, Neville's taunts of the Death Eaters, and Molly Weasley's duel with Bellatrix, just to name a few moments. The audience went wild for Neville, especially. 

I loved the movie and had a great time seeing it with a packed theater of devoted fans. Throughout the course of the movie I clapped, laughed, gasped, held my breath, and cried. I was filled with so much excitement that when I returned home at 3:30 AM I could not fall asleep. I look forward to watching Part 2 on the big screen again. I saw the 2D version and I would like to see if/how 3D changes the experience. All in all, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is a brilliant, epic conclusion to the film series that started in 2001, and not only does the film do the book justice, it reaffirms the quality and magic found in J.K. Rowling's books.

Oscar watch: The King's Speech

What might be considered an historically trivial true story enlightens the masses in the The King's Speech, which explores the relationship between Prince Albert "Bertie", later to become King George VI (Colin Firth) and his speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Bertie has had a stammer since childhood, the possible reasons for which are explored beautifully in this film, and through the years he tries to correct his speech impediment which is becoming more embarrassing as his duties as a public figure increase. A sort of last-ditch-effort is attempted when his supportive wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) contacts Logue. Bertie and Lionel's relationship begins complicated (don't the best ones always?): in turns Bertie can be condescending and belittling to his "inferior" Logue, and the next be so completely vulnerable to him that he stammers excessively. Eventually a friendship is struck, but not without it's ups and downs-- and doubts.

As a film, the pacing is perfect, the performances top notch and the final scene, where Bertie must address his country on the eve of entering World War II, is exhilarating and a fulfilling conclusion to the flim. It was refreshing to see positive relationships portrayed.


Oscar predictions: Colin Firth will be nominated and win the Oscar for Best Actor. He was nominated last year for The Single Man, but did not win. The Academy often likes to reward careers, not just specific performances (although, in this case, he deserves to win for The King's Speech anyway). Geoffrey Rush will be nominated for Best Supporting Actor. I don't think he will take the prize (Christian Bale is getting a lot of buzz for The Fighter this year), but he is a definite contender. Lastly, the screenplay will be nominated in the Best Original category. This is also a tough call; it is a contender but I don't know if it has enough splash to beat out the likes of the complex Inception.

The King's Speech
In theater's now, Rated R for language, 118 minutes

Inception: "Dreams feel real when we're in them."

Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a fugitive from U.S. law, who specializes in a very unique service: subliminal security. This complex, and very fictional, type of security involves entering the dream-world of the targeted sleeper and extracting information from their subconscious. In an attempt to buy back his freedom and be reunited with his children, DiCaprio's character accepts a job offer that takes the process even further, by planting an idea inside a sleeper's head. Thus: inception. Granted, this is high-concept, and could pretty easily be the premise of the Sci-Fi Channel's movie of the week. But, director Christopher Nolan invests the film with fully realized ideas and layers of complexity that are suspenseful from beginning to end. It's also visually audacious in its depictions of the dream-state. If you've ever wanted to see the city of Paris rise into the air and fold in on itself, well, this is the film for you. Aiding DiCaprio in his subliminal invasion, of billionaire corporate scion Cilian Murphy, are Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ellen Page, and Dileep Rao. (I'm going on record here in stating that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is almost certainly the best-dressed young actor in Hollywood. But, I'll save that list for another blog entry.) Many 'heist film' trappings are on display here, notably a hero who must assemble a group of professionals for the one big score that he so desperately needs. There is also corporate intrigue, high energy chase scenes, prolonged action sequences, and haunting psychological complexity involving DiCaprio and his wife, played by Marion Cotillard. All of these strands are artfully assembled, and at 148 minutes, the film never seemed to lag. Inception may not be the masterpiece that some critics have made it out be, but it is a stylish, inventive thriller that raises interesting questions about dreams and the nature of reality. For a mainstream movie released in the summer of 2010, that's a pretty extraordinary accomplishment.

What follows are the highlights of Christopher Nolan's filmography. I recommend all of  his previous films, but Memento is particularly relevant to Inception's themes of haunted memory and obsession. It's also just a really good movie.

Memento (2000)

Batman Begins (2005)

The Prestige (2006)

The Dark Knight (2008)

Following (1998)

Movies I Love: Requiem for a Heavyweight

Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) is the story of Louis "Mountain" Rivera, an aging boxer who has just had his career ended for him by a young and hungry Cassius Clay. Cut loose from the stabilizing influence of his metier, Mountain faces the realities of an economy and society that have little use for him. His halting speech, ungainly size, and lack of worldliness make him ill-equipped for most "straight" jobs. Mountain's manipulative manager, Maish Rennick, pressures him to become a wrestler. This is a demeaning prospect for Mountain, a man whose pride in his life's work is central to who he is; typified by his pitiful and oft-repeated attempt at aggrandizement, "In 1952 they ranked me number five!" Mountain's loyalty to Maish is abiding and, as it turns out, completely unwarranted. The implications of this misplaced trust are heartbreaking.

Eclipse premiere at the Pickwick Theatre: Celebrities, screams, and madness

Last night/this morning I attended the midnight showing of the latest film in the Twilight franchise, Eclipse, at the Pickwick Theatre in downtown Park Ridge. Before the film's midnight showing two of the actors, Gil Birmingham (Billy Black) and Justin Chon (Eric Yorkie) appeared for an autograph session with fans and then gave a Q&A. I attended the Q&A, which started out as a mini-concert given by Birmingham on acoustic guitar. He sang an Elvis cover, John Mayer's "No Such Thing," "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS, a few other songs, and a couple original compositions. During the Q&A session we learned that Chon dyed his black hair blonde both to anger his management and for a movie role (earlier, while waiting on the sidewalk outside the Pickwick box office, Chon walked right by me and I didn't realize it was him with blonde hair until he walked through the door to go inside!). He said he just wanted to be his own person and not listen to what people were always telling him what to do. When asked which actors they admire, Chon talked about the craziness of Crispin Glover and Birmingham said he liked Johnny Depp. And, weirdly of all, Chon overshared some information that was just so bizarre I couldn't help but crack up laughing, but I won't repeat the specifics here.

The turnout for the Q&A was disappointingly small, especially taking into consideration how many fans were waiting in line outside to watch the movie. At the Q&A's conclusion at 11:30 PM the waiting fans streamed into the Pickwick's main theater, which very quickly became packed to capacity. The crowd mostly consisted of teenage girls, junior high up to high school, with various small groupings of teenage boys thrown into the mix and some accompanying parents; I definitely felt old standing next to the teens and wondered where the other twenty-somethings like me were hiding (I saw plenty of them at last year's New Moon premiere at my local AMC!). Five minutes before the movie started Birmingham and Chon walked back out on stage with their cameras, and madness erupted. We then only had to sit through one preview before the start of Eclipse.

In Eclipse, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is at the end of her senior year in high school. She wants her boyfriend, the vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), to change her into a vampire after graduation, which he only agrees to do if she marries him. Bella's friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a werewolf, is in love with Bella and is angered by the thought of her choosing to be a vampire over living a human life, especially if that life could be shared with him. Additionally, the vampire Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) is still at large and looking for revenge for the death of her mate, James, at the hands of Edward, which occurred in the first Twilight movie. To have her revenge Victoria manipulates a newborn vampire, Riley (Xaiver Samuel), to build an army of newborn vampires. Newborn vampires are very strong because they still have some human blood left in their bodies and are difficult to control because all they can think about is drinking blood. In spite of the animosity between the two groups, the Cullens and the Quileute werewolves join together to fight the newborn army. Because Alice (Ashley Greene) saw them coming in her visions of the future, they have time to prepare; Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) teaches the vampires and werewolves on techniques to use to kill newborns. I think the action sequences featuring the vampires and werewolves were a highlight of the movie.

I continue to root for the character of Jacob, even though I know his fate in the books (Stephenie Meyer, Jacob doesn't deserve that! Twilight fans, you know what I'm referring to!). Lautner and Pattinson share some scenes that are entertaining to watch as each guy barely contains his hatred for the other. Eclipse also includes several flashbacks to the vampires' pasts. Jasper especially has a larger role in this film; the vampire who created him did so because she wanted Jasper, a major in the Confederate Army, to train armies of newborn vampires. Unfortunately, aside from Jacob, the members of the Wolf Pack (Sam, Paul, Jared, Quil, Embry, Seth, and Leah) are mostly seen in werewolf, and not human, form. Paul (Alex Meraz) fans like me will be disappointed in that.

For the most part the movie follows the plot of Stephenie Meyer's book of the same name. Unfortunately, that means that the 18-year-old Bella is intent on getting married and remaining a teenager forever so she can be with her love, Edward. I just don't believe that a girl that young would know exactly what she wanted to do with her life. As Jessica (Anna Kendrick) says in her commencement speech, they are at the point in their lives where they can make mistakes and experience all sorts of things in life. I just want to tell Bella to go off on her own somewhere to college, away from Edward and Jacob, and just experience being independent. A huge reason why I think the character of Sookie Stackhouse is so well-written in Charlaine Harris' southern vampires novels is that the twenty-something Sookie doesn't need a boyfriend to have happiness in her life. She has her job, friends, and hobbies like reading books from the library. Sookie knows who she is and can stand up for herself. Although she hangs with (and sometimes dates) vampires and werewolves, Sookie has her own life. End of Sookie rant!

Despite my problems with the Twilight-series plot as a whole, I enjoyed Eclipse more than the previous installments; I had a blast seeing the movie at its midnight showing at the Pickwick. The audience loudly reacted to the plot developments but stayed quiet during the sections with dialogue. The audience screamed the most for Jacob; Edward only got screams when he locked lips with Bella. My favorite audience comment had to be near the end of the movie, way after the character of Riley had been established-- he appeared on screen in the woods and a teenage boy shouted, "Who's that guy?"

Movies I Love: Brand Upon the Brain!

"One memory leads to the next..."

Experimental filmmaker Guy Maddin clearly has a fondness for crossing genres, styles, and media: Dracula: Pages From a Virgin's Diary (2002) combines Expressionistic horror with a feature-length dance performance by the prestigious Royal Winnipeg Ballet; Cowards Bend the Knee (2003) is both a gorgeously photographed film noir and a loving tribute to Canadian hockey; The Saddest Music in the World (2003) is a morose melodrama, a screwball comedy, and a musical featuring multi-ethnic performers. His 2006 film Brand Upon the Brain! is a hybrid of several equally unlikely art-forms: silent film, teen detective mystery, mad-scientist horror pastiche, and imagined autobiography. It is also, and most affectingly, a profound meditation on childhood memory. Narrated by Isabella Rossellini, whose beautifully expressive voice adds poignancy to what is already highly poetic narrative.

Iron Man 2: Justin Hammer Time

Call no.:
HOT DVD HORROR SCI-FI IRON
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This was probably my most anticipated movie of the year so far.  Not only was I a fan of the original Iron Man, but I was excited to see two of my favorite actors- Sam Rockwell and Robert Downey Jr.- face off against each other in a movie.  In this second installment of the Iron Man series, billionaire playboy/ superhero Tony Stark finds himself facing a whole bunch of new obstacles.  After outing himself as Iron Man, Tony has become a major celebrity, but not all of the attention he is receiving is positive.  His rival defense contractor, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), and a sleazy senator (Gary Shandling) are putting pressure on him to turn over the Iron Man suits due to fears that other countries might replicate the equipment.  Meanwhile in Russia, disgruntled physicist Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) begins working on his own pseudo-Iron Man suit so he can attack Tony.  It seems Howard Stark (Tony's dad, played by Mad Men's John Slattery) and Ivan's dad, Anton, had worked together previously and had a falling out.  Also, Tony discovers that the arc reactor acting as his heart is starting to poison him.  So many problems and all Tony wants to do is check out Pepper Potts' (Gwyneth Paltrow) hot new assistant Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson)!

The plot of Iron Man 2 is a little overstuffed and the action sequences are fun, but less exciting than the original.  However, the performances and funny dialogue make this an enjoyable film. Downey Jr. is excellent at playing charming jerks like Tony Stark, who has become even more self-indulgent and egotistical than in the first film. One of the elements that I really like about both movies is Tony's relationship with his assistant (now promoted to Stark Industries CEO) Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), which has a screwball romance vibe to it.  Pepper is an intelligent, capable, Kate Hepburn-esque woman and a good foil for Tony's bad boy ways.  Paltrow gives a charming performance as Pepper.  Mickey Rourke is dark and menacing as Ivan Vanko, a villian with a strange affinity for cockatoos.  Vanko is a sympathetic bad guy; his father and he have lived a tough life, possible due to some shady business on the part of Howard Stark. 

My absolute favorite performance, however, belongs to Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer.  Hammer is sort of an ersatz Tony Stark.  Like Tony, he is a well-dressed, narcissistic weapons dealer, but he's also a dorky and hapless guy with self-tanned hands.  None of the weapons made by Hammer Industries work particularly well.  Rockwell and Downey Jr. have a lot of similarities, including their ages, charisma, acting styles, and even height; so the rivalry between Stark and Hammer is very convincing.  Rockwell's Hammer is equal parts smarmy, nerdy and clueless.  Hammer is utterly convinced of his awesomeness, even in the face of his many shortcomings, making him one of the funniest characters in the film. The highpoint of the film for me is when Hammer dances across the stage at the Stark Expo.  It's worth seeing the movie for that scene alone.  Justin Hammer is definitely the most enjoyable adversary for Iron Man thus far in the series.  Iron Man 2 may not be quite as good as the original, but it's miles ahead of most action movies.

Before you watch the sequel, you might want to re-watch the first movie.
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Date Night: Comedy Mashup

Date Night, currently in theaters, stars two of the most popular comic actors in America: Tina Fey and Steve Carell. These two funny people rub shoulders every Thursday night on NBC (Carell on the The Office, Fey on 30 Rock), but this is our first opportunity to see them share screen-time. Date Night casts the duo as a 40-something couple who are afraid to admit that their marriage is in a rut. When Carell suggests a night out on the town as a respite from their routine, things go drastically awry. The mistaken identity/suburbanites out of their element scenario has been done countless times, so plot-wise this is nothing you haven't seen before. (This script may well have been pitched as The Out-of-Towners meets The In-Laws.) The real draw here is the opportunity to see these two fine comic sensibilities play off each other, and the film succeeds on that level. Fey's notoriously wry wit is a great match for Carell's equally well known aptitude for charming idiocy. Ultimately, they bring a certain amount of tenderness to the relationship they're enacting. Keep an eye out for James Franco and Mila Kunis, who nearly steal the movie with their hilarious bickering. Directed by Shawn Levy (Just Married, Night at the Museum).

Follow the jump for a look at their respective filmographies.

Ode to a cult classic

"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever."
-- David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean)




This Is Spinal Tap, starring Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Rob Reiner is comedic genius. This 1984 film was the first to display the ad-lib talents of Christopher Guest & Co. The film is done in a documentary style (aka "mockumentary") with Rob Reiner in the role of filmmaker interviewing and following his subjects: British hard-rock band Spinal Tap on their latest tour. If you enjoy ironic comedy and have a healthy appreciation for rock n' roll, this one's for you. If you also know your rock n' roll history, you'll be especially rewarded . . .

McKean plays singer/guitarist David St. Hubbins. He's definitely the leader and his appearance is similar to Robert Plant (I don't know if this was intentional or not, but there are a lot of intentional references to actual rock bands, including Led Zeppelin).

Guest plays guitarist Nigel Tufnel. He's the most clueless of the bunch, but possibly the most talented musician (check out his hilarious piano solo). He and David have a close relationship, which becomes strained when David allows his girlfriend, Jeanine, in on band decisions. This is most obviously a reference to the Lennon-McCartney-Ono triangle. Some of the scenes with Jeanine are classic: "Dubly," anyone?

Shearer plays Derek Smalls. As the bassist, as is often the case in real bands, he is an after-thought. He's not the coolest one or the one getting all of the girls. He's just there.

Reiner, as I mentioned before, plays the filmmaker and interviewer of the mockumentary, Marty DiBergi. He is basically the counter-point to the ridiculousness that pervades the other characters. His observations and opinions are there for the viewer.

The movie turns the sincere into the absurd quickly, which can be acreditted to the fact that most of this movie was ad-libbed by the actors. Some of the physical comedy in this movie could rival current comedies such as 40 Year-Old Virgin. The characters are earnest, but in denial about their sad situation. Listen carefully to the dialogue and lyrics, read everything (t-shirts, signs), and pay attention for sight gags. The movie is layered: re-watching multiple times will reveal things you didn't notice the time before.

Bonus: you can play a game of spot-the-world-famous actor/actress (Billy Crystal, Anjelica Houston, Ed Begley Jr., Dana Carvey, and more have bit parts or cameos).

On a scale from 1 to 10, it's an 11.

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She's Out of My League

She's Out of My League is a hilarious comedy about a nice, somewhat dorky guy named Kirk who, to the surprise and befuddlement of his friends and family, is dating a beautiful and successful woman named Molly. Kirk (Jay Baruchel) has been broken up with Marnie (Lindsey Sloane) for two years and is unsuccessful at getting her back. Because his family has practically adopted her as one of their own he must endure seeing Marnie and her boyfriend Ron hanging out at his house. Kirk works at the Pittsburgh airport along with his friends Stainer (T.J. Miller), Devon (Nate Torrence), and Jack (Mike Vogel). One day a beautiful woman, Molly (Alice Eve), goes through security and leaves behind her cell phone. Kirk finds the phone and later returns it to her at a party she organized. As Kirk is leaving the party, Molly invites him and a friend to a Penguins hockey game. Kirk assumes Molly is just being nice but finds out from Molly's friend Patty (Krysten Ritter) that she is truly interested in him. As a result, Kirk becomes nervous about dating her; he assumed he didn't stand a chance with her. His friends assert that he only rates as a 5 while Molly is "a hard 10," and those comments augment Kirk's lingering feelings that he can't be with someone like Molly.

The big draw for me in seeing this movie was Jay Baruchel. I have been a fan of his work since he starred in the short-lived TV series about life in college, Undeclared. Baruchel has also appeared in supporting roles in Million Dollar Baby, Knocked Up, and Tropic Thunder. In She's Out of My League, Baruchel communicates Kirk's hesitation and nerves around Molly through awkward facial expressions and the occasional uncoordinated flailing of limbs. I really enjoyed watching this movie not only because of Baruchel's winning performance but because the cast members work so well together and share great chemistry. T.J. Miller is a riot as Stainer; he is not afraid to voice his disdain for Patty or remind everyone he is in a Hall and Oates cover band called Adult Education (and yes, they do perform!). Nate Torrence practically jumps out of his skin with joy because he is so happy to see Kirk going out with Molly; he enjoys comparing their relationship to Disney movies like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. And while Mike Vogel's character, Jack, is not the most vocal of the guys, he does have a stand-out scene in which he demonstrates necessary physical preparations Kirk can make to impress Molly. Adding to the hilarity is Kirk's brother Dylan (Kyle Bornheimer). He is still super competitive and immature even though he is a grown man with a fiance and baby on the way; he goes into a frenzy quoting Chris Tucker and gets worked up over basement hockey.

Because the movie is centered on an underdog, She's Out of My League has drawn comparisons to Judd Apatow movies like The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. I think these are valid and worthy comparisons, as the movie has a combination of somewhat crude humor, awkward situations, and honest moments. As in other Apatow movies, the comadarie of the actors is genuine and not forced, which makes She's Out of My League a fun comedy not to be missed.

In addition to She's Out of My League, Baruchel also provides the voice to the main character Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon (out March 26) and stars alongside Nicholas Cage in The Sorcerer's Apprentice (out in July); as a longtime fan I am happy to proclaim 2010 to be the Year of Jay Baruchel.

• Now playing in theaters everywhere
• Rated R; 1 hour and 45 minutes

The Laughing Policeman: Matthau Without Laughter

"Have you ever thought of having your own radio talk-show?"

- Leo Larsen (Bruce Dern) to Jake Martin (Walter Matthau), The Laughing Policeman



The Laughing Policeman is a 1973 police-procedural, based on the Swedish crime novel by husband and wife writing partners Maj Sjöwal and Per Wahlöö. Director Stuart Rosenberg (Cool Hand Luke, The Drowning Pool) transplanted the action to gritty 1970s San Francisco.

A gunman opens fire on a city bus and vanishes without a trace. Detective Jake Martin (Walter Matthau) arrives at the crime scene, and discovers that one of the eight murder victims is his own partner. Martin is subsequently partnered with smarmy, mustachioed Inspector Leo Larsen (Bruce Dern). Larsen's arrogance and lack of street-sense have made him unpopular with his fellow officers, and Martin is not at all pleased with this pairing. The two detectives form a wary alliance in their search for the elusive shooter.

Matthau's gruff, hang-dog persona is a perfect fit for the role of Detective Jake Martin. A man estranged from his family, isolated from the men he works with, and seemingly at odds with the society he's protecting. In one scene we witness Martin physically assault a man in the hopes of obtaining information on one of the victims. When he comes up short and begins to walk away, an onlooker calls him a "pig." Martin pauses, for just a moment, then continues walking. One senses that he has paused just long enough to internalize the epithet.

In some ways, the film can be seen as an inversion of the revered 1968 thriller Bullitt: hunched, acerbic Walter Matthau in place of sober, virile Steve McQueen. (Real-life San Francisco homicide detective Dave Toschi, an inspiration for Bullitt, is quoted in the book Zodiac Unmasked as saying, "Walter Matthau was wonderful, Bruce Dern terrific in that film.") Hollywood produced a number of outstanding crime dramas in the 1970s, notable for their realism and reliance on character actors, and The Laughing Policeman is a superb example.

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Shutter Island

Martin Scorsese's latest feature is the psychological thriller Shutter Island, based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. Set in 1954, the story focuses on Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshall dispatched to investigate the disappearance of a female patient from the Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Ashecliffe is a secretive and heavily protected institution, located on the Boston Harbor land-mass of Shutter Island. His partner for this assignment is fellow U.S. Marshall Chuck Aule. What the two detectives encounter on this mission is a locked-room mystery, and what may be a much larger conspiracy.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Teddy Daniels, a detective haunted by the death of his wife and prone to nightmares of his traumatic WWII service. His rookie partner is played by Mark Ruffalo. The two actors ably portray the strained camaraderie of these characters. Sir Ben Kingsley is perfectly cast as the Hospital's chief psychiatrist. The most surprising performance for me was that of English actress Emily Mortimer, who goes toe-to-toe with DiCaprio in a key scene.

Shutter Island is an unsettling film, and not solely because of its preoccupations with Cold War paranoia and shifting identities. The scenes in Ashecliffe's Ward C are akin to a descent into hell; ghoulish faces behind the bars, groans and cries in the darkness. The Hospital interiors are darkly beautiful, and the filmmakers make good use of Boston Harbor's turbulent weather system. (The art direction is flawlessly handled by Dante Ferretti, as is always the case in a Scorsese picture.)

Author Dennis Lehane worked as a writer on the superb television drama The Wire (along with fellow novelists George Pelecanos and Richard Price). In 2003, his novel Mystic River was adapted for the big screen by Clint Eastwood. The film was critically lauded, garnering Oscar wins for Sean Penn and Tim Robbins. Lehane is in the enviable position of having had his work adapted by two of the world's preeminent directors: Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese. Lehane's latest work is The Given Day, a sprawling historical novel that would make a remarkable film.

Jack Lemmon: Save the Tiger

"The government has a word for survival. It's called fraud."

- Jack Lemmon as Harry Stoner, Save the Tiger (1973)

Harry Stoner wakes up drenched in sweat, terrified. He takes a shower and puts on an immaculately tailored silk suit. He listens to an old Benny Goodman recording, much to his wife's annoyance, and launches into a weirdly passionate soliloquy on the glorious baseball pitchers of his youth. You don't need to be a baseball fan to understand what's going on in this scene; Harry Stoner is lamenting his loss of innocence, a loss so palpable that it seems to weigh him down physically throughout this hellish day of his.

Save the Tiger (1973) is exactly the type of movie that Hollywood doesn't make anymore: earnest, sympathetic, and sincere in its exploration of the American experience. Leading an affluent lifestyle, well beyond his means, Harry Stoner has reached a breaking point. To keep his business afloat and "survive" another year, he consults an arsonist on the possibility of an insurance fraud payout. Stoner's justifications for this course of action, directed at his business partner, are prolonged, heated, and disturbingly understandable. (In some ways, Save the Tiger can be seen as an updated and more subversive take on the 1956 film The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.)

Jack Lemmon's performance as morally fraught businessman Harry Stoner is without question one of the strongest in his filmography. Lemmon was an American every-man, an actor with whom audiences identified. And that intensely felt empathy is a major part of this film's success. We witness this character's compromises and transgressions, but we also see him as devastatingly vulnerable. It's difficult to remain unswayed by his justifications, even as we're repelled by his actions. It seems wonderfully appropriate that Jack Lemmon would give another outstanding take-no-prisoners performance as a broken businessman in David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).

Jack Lemmon's 1973 Best Actor Oscar was hard-won. He was up against some real heavyweights: Marlon Brando (Last Tango in Paris), Jack Nicholson (The Last Detail), Al Pacino (Serpico), Robert Redford (The Sting). It's unfortunate that while Lemmon did win the Oscar that year, Save the Tiger is probably the least remembered of these five films.

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Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie's latest film may seem like something of a departure for the director, who is best knows for his high-testosterone London-centric gangster flicks. But his take on Sherlock Holmes is in keeping with the director's cinematic preoccupations. Virtually all of Ritchie's trademarks are on display in Sherlock Holmes; London setting, primarily male cast, discursive flash-backs, stylized boxing sequences, and heavy use of underworld slang.

Robert Downey Jr. plays the title character, and his hammy enthusiasm makes up for his half-hearted - and sometimes unintelligible - attempt at an English accent. (Ritchie claims that Downey's accent is "flawless." A claim that seems highly dubious given the fact that Downey sounds absolutely nothing like the English actors he's onscreen with.) Jude Law plays Dr. Watson; devoted friend, natty dresser, and reluctant partner in investigations. Both live and work at 221B Baker Street. Watson runs his medical practice in one flat, Holmes ruminates in another. The duo's most recent case concerns an occultist Parliamentarian named Lord Henry Blackwood, whose execution is only the beginning of his criminal machinations.

If you are a fan of the 1940s Basil Rathbone adaptations, then this is really not the adaptation for you. This is quite literally the Sherlock Holmes film for people who do not care for Sherlock Holmes. Downey's detective does not wear a deerstalker cap, his pipe-smoking is not demonstrative, and his violin-playing is basically a comic gag. He is a bohemian intellectual, and a somewhat more hard-boiled detective than we might have imagined. A bare-knuckled boxer who spends his time - between cases - drinking in his room and plotting the dissolution of his best friend's marriage. As it turns out, Sherlock Holmes is first and foremost a buddy film. In fact, it shares several themes with the 2009 comedy I Love You, Man. (Watson's impending engagement is continually undermined by his friend, who is threatened by this loss of male companionship.) The romance between Holmes and Watson is far more convincing than that with their respective female love interests, Rachel McAdams and Kelly Reilly.

Sherlock Holmes has over-the-top action sequences, stylish and highly entertaining protagonists, and appealingly dry humor. The film's denouement leaves the possibility of a sequel wide open, so we're likely to see another chapter.

Public Enemies

"Do you wanna take that ride with me?"
~ Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, Public Enemies (2009)



John Dillinger. Pretty Boy Floyd. Baby Face Nelson. American as apple-pie. Public Enemies (2009) explores the enduring myth of the 1930s outlaw, deconstructs that myth, and ultimately creates a mythology of its own. Adapted from Bryan Burrough's book Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-1934, the film jettisons the book's big-picture overview of Depression-Era banditry, focusing instead on the final riotous year in the life of John Dillinger.

Opening with the 1933 jail-break at Indiana State Prison, Public Enemies wastes no time in establishing the central characteristics of its protagonist, John Dillinger: contempt for authority, loyalty to his criminal confederates, and willingness to use violence in the furtherance of his schemes. Throughout the film, Dillinger's character is most clearly defined in contrast to his contemporaries. His underworld associates are generally venal, opportunistic, and - in the case of Baby Face Nelson - psychotic. By contrast, Dillinger is relatively disciplined and averse to unnecessary violence. He is also self-aware enough to utilize his public persona. In a revealing exchange, Dillinger tells Alvin Karpis that he won't be party to kidnapping because the "public" doesn't like it. And, as a full-time fugitive, he must hide among them.

Johnny Depp invests the role of John Dillinger with bravado, outlaw charm, and the unique sensitivity that has become a hallmark of all of Johnny Depp's greatest performances. Any number of actors could have played the popular conception of a 1930s tough guy, but Depp isn't interested in impersonating James Cagney. His performance in Public Enemies is one of the most mature and refined of his stellar career.

Dillinger's nemesis is Melvin Purvis, played with just the right amount of subtlety by Christian Bale. Agent Purvis' relentless pursuit of these outlaws would seem to have less to do with his own sense of justice than with meeting the demands of besieged FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. The lengths to which he'll go to satisfy Hoover's mandate have tragic consequences.

Marion Cotillard (2008 Best Actress winner, La Vie En Rose) plays Dillinger's love interest, Billie Frechette. There is a certain tenderness to their love affair that would otherwise be completely absent from the film. Their clipped verbal shorthand provides the only biographical data we get on the early life of John Dillinger. He describes himself as an Indiana boy whose mother died when he was three years old. He had an abusive father. He is a fan of baseball, movies, whiskey, and good clothes. Frechette describes her life with almost heartbreaking simplicity: she spent part of her childhood on a Native American Indian reservation, moved to Chicago, became a hat-check girl, and nothing exciting ever happened for her.

Director Michael Mann strikes a powerful balance with Public Enemies: presenting sympathetic and recognizable characters, while still satisfying the demands of a crime drama. Which is to say, there is no shortage of action. We witness multiple bank robberies, prison breaks, car chases, foot pursuits... All of them masterfully executed and technically stunning. Mann's take on the infamous shootout at Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin is particularly impressive. John Dillinger, "Red" Hamilton, and the mercurial Baby Face Nelson are holed up at the Little Bohemia Lodge following a calamitous bank robbery. Melvin Purvis and his agents learn the location of their hideout by torturing one of the gang's associates. The resulting shootout and chase is not just viscerally exciting, but emotionally so as well. (Local history buffs may note the inaccuracy of Nelson being killed in the immediate aftermath of the Wisconsin shootout at Little Bohemia. In reality, he was mortally wounded by Federal agents in Barrington, Illinois, approximately ten miles from your local Library.)

The penultimate scenes at Chicago's Biograph Theater are particularly affecting. Dillinger watches the 1934 MGM picture Manhattan Melodrama. His eyes focus on actress Myrna Loy, a glamorous moll. Is he thinking of Billie? He smiles to himself as Clark Gable says, "If I can't live the way I want, at least let me die the way I want." Is he finding some sort of affirmation in that character's stoic pose? Is he laughing at the soft Hollywood gangster? Possibly both. What we know for certain is that on a sweltering day in July, 1934, John Dillinger went to the movies. And, like the rest of us, he saw his own personal melodrama up there on the silver screen.

Public Enemies (2009)

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