The movie is the story of a kid named Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) who is just beginning middle school, and is having a hard time of it. His main goal is to be popular and be accepted at school, but Greg is kind of a wimpy kid and small for his age. His best friend Rowley (Robert Capron) is kind of a nerd, so that doesn’t help any. During the course of the movie, Greg has conflicts with Rowley, and their friendship is challenged. Greg also faces the “tortures” of his older brother, and the revenge of a girl he had teased in kindergarten. Plus there is also the eventual revenge of some teenagers whose car Greg and Rowley had scraped on Halloween night. The film chronicles the dangerous territory that is middle school and Greg is an excellent narrator for this journey. He is kind of an “everyman” of middle school, and learns many valuable lessons and is wiser at the end of the movie. This is mostly a comedy, although there are also some sad and poignant scenes as well. The screenplay is smart and funny, and the actors, especially Zachary Gordon, do a great job.

Jack thinks that Diary of a Wimpy Kid is appropriate for viewers ages 6 to infinity. The middle school experience is so universal and so perfectly portrayed that most adults will generally have no trouble whatsoever enjoying the film. It’s great to get a bunch of laughs about a transitional time that is often awkward for a lot of us. No reservations at all about highly recommending this movie. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Comedy/Family

Rated PG

DVD Release Date: 8/3/10

I have to confess that I did fall asleep a couple of times while watching Chloe, but I did see it through to its somewhat painful conclusion. Here’s what I know: the family unit depicted in this film consists of Catherine, wife, mother and gynecologist, played by Julianne Moore, David, husband, father and professor, played by Liam Neeson, and their teenage son Michael, played by Max Thieriot. The story opens with everything seeming just fine until some events cause Catherine to experience a surge of suspicion about David’s fidelity. She becomes casually acquainted with Chloe, a high class call girl, played by Amanda Seyfried, the darling of sweet innocent films such as the recent Dear John. Catherine wastes no time in hiring Chloe to flirt with David to “see what would happen.”

And indeed we do see what happens. Amidst some overwrought musical scoring, the story unfolds, replete with some of Egoyan’s typical themes of family dysfunction and forbidden sex. Unfortunately, either the screenplay itself or its execution is confused and uneven, and we never get a riveting film noir experience. Instead, the movie devolves into a kind of cheesy Fatal Attraction wannabe, or perhaps a little soft-core porn. I would not elevate the film to the status of sexual thriller, because I experienced it as just a little silly. Maybe Amanda Seyfried does not yet have the proper chops to pull off her role, or maybe the screenplay, penned by Erin Cressida Wilson, was just a little lame. Chloe was based on a French movie entitled Nathalie, which I haven’t seen yet.  I wonder if it’s a better representation of this storyline.

Reasons to see Chloe, though, might include wanting to see all of Atom Egoyan’s work, wanting to see Amanda Seyfried naked, and, as I often tell viewers, maybe you’ll like it more than I did. I did like the plot twist which came towards the end of the film, and which I didn’t really see coming. I do hope that Egoyan’s work will improve again and I can write a more glowing review of his next project. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Drama/Thriller

Rated R

DVD Release Date: 7/13/10

Let me back up. The writer-director, Tom DiCillo, previously gave us two great (well one great and one very good) movies with Living in Oblivion and Box of Moonlight. Living in Oblivion was of course his masterpiece and you should see it right away if you haven’t already. Box of Moonlight is an early Sam Rockwell film, starring John Turturro as well. And here with this Doors documentary, DiCillo does an excellent job of answering the most interesting questions about Jim and the other band members, and balancing performance footage quite beautifully with clips from the movie Jim shot when he was a film student, and Johnny Depp’s narration. Depp has taken some flack from the critics for being too flat in his delivery, but it worked for me. The focus is definitely on Jim, but others in the group also get some attention: who knew that it was Robbie Krieger who penned “Light My Fire” after playing guitar for only six months?

So When You’re Strange is a chronicle of the band from its inception to its dissolution. It’s well made and engaging, especially for a fan. I’m not sure if a non-fan or someone not familiar with the music would love it as much as I did, so I’ll be interested to hear viewer feedback. And see this movie as soon as possible because, as the song goes, “The future’s uncertain—the end is always near.” – [DVD]

Documentary/Music

Rated R

The Maid

Catalina Saavedra plays Raquel, and she inhabits this character as thoroughly as the screenplay will allow. As the movie progresses, she becomes more and more villainous–reminiscent, although a milder version, of Kathy Bates’ character in Misery. A lot of dramatic tension springs from her portrait of this spiteful and mean-spirited spinster, whose only life has been this family. I, for one, prayed for her demise for a good part of the film. The supporting cast–the family members, the other maids–do a fine job as well. An especially notable performance is that of Mariana Loyola, who plays the last maid, Lucy. With her entrance, The Maid became a film of much greater substance and significance.

Okay, so here are my gripes. I already alluded to the screenplay. Sebastián Silva’s sophomore effort as both writer and director did not elevate this movie to all it could have been. The viewer is given almost no back-story on Raquel. We really don’t know why she is the way she is. We could conclude that the movie is, in part, a biting jab at the class culture of Chile, but this doesn’t seem to fully explain some of her heinous actions. We know little of Raquel’s past, and this hurts the character development. The other problem I had with the film was the lack of complexity in Raquel’s character. I don’t need to be hit over the head with one aspect of a personality. Okay, stop, please, I get it. I much prefer the beauty and realism of a persona’s make-up that is multi-dimensional. Certain exceptions to this rule do occur, such as the Wicked Witch of the West, but in The Maid, let’s see a little more depth, more subtlety.

These complaints aside, The Maid is still worth viewing. Another somewhat recent “maid” film is the Argentinean Live-in Maid, about a longtime maid and the woman she works for. This one was significantly more enjoyable for me. (Live-in Maid scored 100% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, by the way). See them both and you decide. – [DVD]

Drama

Unrated

DVD Release Date: 6/22/10

The Messenger

I first saw Samantha Morton in Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown, where she played Sean Penn’s mute girlfriend and got an Oscar nomination for her role. She is an awesome actress, and continued to shine in such films as In America, Longford, and Morvern Callar (this movie is a must–see for all you offbeat independent movie lovers). She has a supporting role in The Messenger, but for me, this film was made way more interesting by her contribution.

I was a little disappointed in the actors who played the survivors. They weren’t quite right-on, and this was readily apparent when viewing one of the special features showing interviews with actual survivors. The responses to the news of the deaths, as characterized on the screen, fell short with the exception, of course, of Samantha Morton’s character. I might also add that, although I would walk on hot coals for Steve Buscemi any day, here he was really over the top. Maybe he was still shaking off The Sopranos.

The Messenger is a good movie, overall. The interesting storyline with its emphasis on the survivors of war, together with some strong acting chops, helped create a very watchable film. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Drama/Romance/War

Rated R

DVD Release Date: 5/18/10

Maybe I need to turn in my cinephile card, but I just didn’t think that Meryl was all that great in this role. She was unable to handle this kind of humor, and I don’t even know what kind of humor this was. Each scene tried too hard, and I kept trying too hard to like it more than I did. There was an element of raunchiness, which was just sort of gross. For all the younger (younger than say 40) viewers, this movie was a little like the creepiness you might get when you imagine your parents, uh, together. Nancy Meyers, the writer-director, has done better work. Something’s Gotta Give was way good, and even her most recent, The Holiday, gave us more to like. So her screenplay didn’t give the actors something wonderful to work with, and the end result was a decided flatness.

Now with that said, I want to turn to the very cool Alec Baldwin who, for me, made the movie worth viewing. He has a great knack with comedy and a great knack with acting. He has won numerous awards for the television show 30 Rock, and was a total treat in the recent indie sleeper Lymelife. His character in It’s Complicated is interesting and finely tuned; he also reveals the reality of his 50-something year old body without reservation. Steve Martin’s character also displays a few nuances. But Jane’s girlfriends, played by perfect-haired, perfect-skinned Mary Kay Place and Rita Wilson, don’t really add a darn thing to the movie, and the same goes for Jane and Jake’s children.

If you are in that age group, old enough to join AARP, you will probably sit through this movie fairly happily. I’m slightly embarrassed to say that I did. Despite its shortcomings, it was entertaining overall, and let’s just hope that Nancy Meyers gets a grip and delivers something much better the next time. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Comedy/Romance

Rated R

DVD Release Date: 4/27/10

Crazy Heart

The movie opens with Bad playing a string of really low-rent venues, beginning with a bowling alley. He’s a major alcoholic, he’s unhealthy, he has no family and no future. Yet there is someone who wants to do an interview with him and in walks Maggie Gyllenhaal. She plays Jean Craddock, Bad’s love interest and a beautiful, young single mom of a 4-year old son. And in walks one of my gripes with the movie. Now don’t get me wrong. None of my gripes is anywhere near a deal-breaker for watching and enjoying Crazy Heart. But how believable is this attraction between Jeannie and Bad? The movie somewhat pulls it off, but the script doesn’t really provide enough detail and build-up to be totally credible. Nonetheless, the story proceeds, with or without my approval, with Bad finding love and a sense of family. But if you don’t mind my saying so, the movie’s pace is also pretty slow to that point. I would have preferred less time seeing what a drunk and has-been Bad had become, and more time with the development of this next chapter of his life. But no one asked me.

So there’s conflict, and there’s transformation, and some other good actors along the way. Colin Farrell plays Tommy, who learned everything he knows from Bad. Farrell continues his capable performances (ya gotta love In Bruges) here as the Country music star who’s ever appreciative of his mentor, Bad. And did I mention that Maggie Gyllenhaal was really wonderful as well? (Her unique acting abilities led me to include Secretary in my Best of the Decade movies). Then you got your Robert Duvall contributing his small, but important part as Bad’s old bartender friend.

There’s a lot of Country music. I’m generally not a big fan of the genre, but there’s some very good music going down in this soundtrack. Stephen Bruton and T-Bone Burnett did the original music for the movie, and Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett won a slew of Best Song awards for “The Weary Kind”. So check out Crazy Heart for its music, but mostly for the career best for Jeff Bridges. (Well, on second thought, can any performance ever really trump Jeff—the Dude—Lebowski?) - [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Drama/Music/Romance

Rated R

DVD Release Date: 4/20/10

So the most wonderful parts of this movie are two-fold. First there is the excellent acting of both Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard. I really can’t even imagine any other actors playing these roles. Sarsgaard, although an American, plays the role of a Brit and plays it to perfection. Mulligan is a magnetic ingénue –a slightly pigeon-toed and giggly schoolgirl who transforms into a striking and graceful young woman, reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn. They have palpable chemistry, which is somehow difficult to find on the screen these days.

The other factor in this movie’s success is the awesome screenplay by Nick Hornby and Lynn Barber. They took Lynn’s memoir and created a great story that worked really well on the screen. Hornby also gave us About a Boy and High Fidelity, two stories that translated into near-perfect movie experiences.

So yeah, I could say more, maybe about the stellar supporting cast, including Alfred Molina, Olivia Williams, and Emma Thompson, just to mention a few, or the artful production design, but why bother. This is going to be a movie that many different types and ages of filmgoers are going to enjoy, and you might as well just go ahead and see for yourself. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Drama

Rated PG-13

DVD Release Date: 3/30/10

In case you don’t know the background, The Blind Side is based on the true story of Michael Oher, a Baltimore Ravens offensive left tackle, who was taken in by the Tuohy family as an essentially homeless teen. We see Michael go from a barely literate, misunderstood misfit in his private Christian school, to a young man who owns a sense of belonging and accomplishment. The Tuohy’s demonstrate the true meaning of giving, but Leigh Anne is quick to insist that they are on the receiving end of this life-changing experience. There are many moments in this film where a life lesson pops up, but one of its beauties is that these lessons don’t clobber you over the head, and are delivered in such an entertaining way.

It doesn’t hurt that you get a couple of cool actors like Kathy Bates (isn’t it time to see Misery again?) and Kim Dickens (check out her starring role in a powerful indie, Things Behind the Sun) to portray Michael’s teachers. There’s also a trio of actresses whose characters get across the point of old money and deeply ingrained racism as the gaggle of Leigh Anne’s gal pals.

But in the end, it’s Sandy’s movie. She really did earn that Oscar. (Do check out Carey Mulligan in An Education, out next week, for some wonderful acting chops as well). She gives us an almost iconic character, and it’s fun to watch her in those tight outfits.

This could be an ideal family movie, but with one caveat. There’s a scene in a crack house that, although brief, involves drugs, violence, and sexual references. Even still, I think it’s got enough redeeming qualities to be basically appropriate for kids in the 9 and older range, but it will of course depend on the parents and the kids. Oh, and if you have the impression that it’s a football movie, it totally is not. Just a few scenes on the field.

Lastly, the writer-director, John Lee Hancock. He also wrote A Perfect World, one of my all-time favorite movies, and Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil, another winner in my mind.

If this hadn’t been a year where ten movies were nominated for Best Picture, no way would The Blind Side have made it. But it’s been hugely popular and there’s a reason: it’s a good movie. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Biography/Drama/Sport

Rated PG-13

DVD Release Date: 3/23/10

The movie is hard to describe, and some have compared it to a modern day re-telling of the Story of Job. I’m a bit of a Bible-phobe, so I wasn’t really familiar with the story of Job, and had to Google it. I got that it’s about reconciling suffering with the existence of God, and, well, sure, this movie is about that. But it’s so much more.

Michael Stuhlbarg is perfect as the Jewish physics professor everyman, Larry Gopnik who, in a Midwestern town in 1967, is going through all kinds of stuff on every front. First, his wife wants a divorce so she can marry Sy Ableman. Fred Melamed plays Sy and he is spot-on in his portrayal of the possibly more serious man than Larry. In fact, maybe it’s time to mention that each and every actor delivers a beautifully specific and nuanced performance and contributes to the wonder of this film. But back to Larry’s problems. His kids are not helping. His son is smoking pot in Hebrew school and listening to Jefferson Airplane. His daughter is stealing money from him to get a nose job. A Korean student of his is trying to bribe him to get a passing grade. And his tenure is shaky. His live-in brother spends lots of time in the bathroom draining his sebaceous cyst, and the rest of his time involved in not so legal activities. Then there are the neighbors – the raging rednecks next door and the beautiful naked sunbather…

There’s a parade of rabbis whom Larry sees in his quest to discover meaning, in his quest to know God. Actually God is referred to in the movie as “Hashem”, because according to devout Jewish tradition, it’s not polite to call God God. Larry wants to know what Hashem wants from us, and maybe he finds out. That brings us to the whole Jewish thing. Being born into the Jewish religion and being a contemporary of the Coens’ probably enhanced my identification with, and enjoyment of, this movie. But it’s just a Jewish spin on the human dilemmas we all can relate to. Non-Jewish friends of mine have also highly praised its virtues.

Why? In addition to the well-tuned performances, the film approaches the serious themes with their typical irreverence. An absurdist philosophy attempts to find meaning in the universe and ultimately fails. Does Larry find it? Does the viewer? That’s up to each individual to decide, but the journey is so fun and funny to watch. It’s droll, and also inventive and even eloquent. The cinematographer, Roger Deakins, who has to his credit so many cool movies that I’m not even going to begin mentioning them, brings to the screen here a great view of each character’s expressions, and works his artistry by providing the wonderful settings where everything unfolds. Check out the third rabbi’s chamber, for example. For the umpteenth time, I was wishing I had a Blu-Ray player.

Hey, if you’re still reading, I just want to say that you should see A Serious Man.  Don‘t expect a traditional comedy per-se, but rather a dark, blackly humorous, campy movie that pays you back in triplicate for the time you spend watching it. – [DVD]

Comedy/Drama

Rated R

DVD Release Date: 2/9/10