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As far as quirky indie movies go, Please Give is aces. It’s everything you want in an indie:  quirky and complex characters, unusual plot line, great casting, well-acted, and a perfect blend of dark comedy, thoughtful drama, and heartfelt moments.

Solitary Man is Michael Douglas’s ode to the aging man who fails to recognize that he is no longer the man he once was. He plays Ben Kalmen, a man who’s clinging to the past. He’s now divorced (Susan Sarandon plays his ex-wife, and although her role is small, she adds a lot to [...]

For this review of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, I asked my grandkids, Jack, age 10 and Abbie, age 9, for their input. We all watched it twice and the kids watched the Deleted Scenes in the Special Features. We all really loved this movie. Jack and Abbie liked it because it [...]

I wrote up Atom Egoyan’s last effort, Adoration. I thought it was a strong return to his previous cinematic achievements like The Sweet Hereafter and Exotica. I neglected to mention the movies that had come in between like Felicia’s Journey, Ararat, and Where the Truth Lies.  This omission is [...]

I wish I had the time to watch again The Doors (biopic) and read again No One Here Gets Out Alive (biography of The Doors). I could add to this review a comparison of these other treatments of the lives of Jim Morrison and the other Doors. But here’s my stand-alone review [...]

The Maid offers up a pretty good viewing experience. It didn’t wow me as much as it did the film critics, but it definitely had some strong features. Here’s the plot: A 40ish-year-old maid, Raquel, has spent more than 20 years serving an upscale Chilean family, and is cranky, mean, and [...]

The Messenger has a lot going for it. The plot line is unique and ripe with potential. Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster play soldiers assigned to the Casualty Notification Office – they are the ones who ring the doorbell of the survivors to tell them that their loved one has died. [...]

It’s really not that complicated: It’s Complicated is not really that good. It’s in some nether world of not really a drama and not really a comedy. It doesn’t fully succeed with either element. Basic plot line is that Jane and Jake (Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, respectively), have been divorced for [...]

Crazy Heart is your solidly good movie. I was expecting that Jeff Bridges’ acting would be more than adequate in his role as Bad Blake, but he surprised me by being really outstanding. So his Oscar for Best Actor was not one of those rewards for his entire body of work, [...]

An Education is a really enjoyable movie that is part coming-of-age drama, part love story, part historical commentary, and all enjoyable. The main character, Jenny, is played by Carey Mulligan, who was up for an Oscar for her role in the film. Jenny is an exceptionally intelligent schoolgirl in 1960’s [...]