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05 Jan

The King’s Speech

Grade: A

The King’s Speech is probably my favorite movie of 2010.  It’s certainly in my top three – and I think this is the movie to beat come awards time.  This is the true story of Prince Albert, who became King George VI when his brother King Edward abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee.  George (played flawlessly by Colin Firth) takes the throne reluctantly because he has a stammer, and he is afraid this will affect the way he leads.  After trying several speech therapists, he finally gives up.  But his wife, Queen Elizabeth, who is Britain’s current Queen Mum (played by Helena Bonham Carter) finds an unorthodox speech therapist, who is actually an out of work actor, Lionel Logue (played by Geoffrey Rush).  Fortunately, this therapist is able to make some progress with his patient, and the two develop a friendship.

The performances in this movie are stellar, and I expect that each of the leads will be nominees.  Guy Pearce is also wonderful as King Edward.

This is a must-see!  A great movie, and a nice history lesson.
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05 Jan

The Kids Are All Right

Grade: B-

The Kids Are all Right is just… well, all right.  Not spectacular.  It’s basically a relationship movie. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore play a married couple with two teenage children.  Each child was born by one of the mothers, who was inseminated with sperm from the same donor.  When the kids get curious as to who their biological father is, they find Mark Ruffalo.  He’s a motorcycle riding restauranteur who grows organic vegetables.  As the kids get to know their father, the moms have to adjust their lives to make room for this new person, and their relationship is affected.

If this movie were about a husband and wife in the same situation, I doubt that it would have gotten much attention.  In the usual scenario, there’s not much of a story there.  Having this be a lesbian couple turns the movie into something we haven’t seen before.  But is it enough of a twist to carry the film?  I don’t think so.  The acting is fabulous, and the characters real and believable.  Mark Ruffalo is one of the most underrated actors of this generation – he is so good in everything he does.  But in the end, we’re kind of left with “what have we learned here?” and the answer is… not much.
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05 Jan

The Karate Kid

Grade: A

The remake of this classic movie is now set in China.  I can’t say enough good things about the new kid, played by Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada Smith.  This little guy is going to be a HUGE star!  Not only is is proficient in the karate aspect, of which there is plenty, but he’s very genuine in his performance.  The emotions of this character have to be all over the place, and Jaden nails it.  I’m impressed.  The whole cast is really good.  Jackie Chan is AMAZING!  And it’s just this big added bonus that we get to see so much of China.  They even practice the karate movies on the Great Wall!

This is a wonderful movie for kids, for families, and even for date night.  Loved it!
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05 Jan

The Judge

Grade: B+

Robert Duvall has the title role in The Judge. He’s been the judge in a small town court room for many many years. When his wife dies, his estranged son Hank, played by Robert Downey, Jr. comes back to town. And then the judge is faced with a murder charge, so his son steps up to defend him.

Fascinating characters and relationships – and a compelling story. Well written, beautiful performances.
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05 Jan

The Joneses

Grade: B+

The Joneses is a dark comedy set in present day upscale suburbia.  Demi Moore and David Duchovny star as ambitious sales executives who basically go “undercover” as a married couple with two teens in an effort to sell the neighborhood on their range of products.  It doesn’t take long before the neighbors are envious of this sexy couple and aspire to have all that they have.  Lauren Hutton comes in as their boss, concerned with sales figures and conversion rates.  The teens have their own sales goals to meet, and life often collides with their true intentions.  When tragedy strikes, one of the team has a crisis of conscience.  Thought provoking, conversation provoking movie with many layers.  Well done.
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05 Jan

The Jane Austen Book Club

Grade: B+

I really like this movie.  5 women and a token man come together to form a book club when one of the women needs some support from her friends.  They decide on the Jane Austen books, and to meet once a month.  We follow the group through their changes and growth during this time, and they discuss the parallels in their lives to those of the characters in the books.  Maria Bello is so great – I think she is a fantastic actress, and doesn’t seem to get the credit that some other actresses of her generation do.  Emily Blunt, Jimmy Smits, Amy Brenneman, Cindy Pickett – it’s a terrific cast.  Definitely character driven, each one has a nice arc.  You might call it a “chick flick” but I took my husband and he enjoyed it a lot more than he thought he was going to!
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05 Jan

The Island

Grade: A-

I got to see �The Island� at a sneak preview � one week before it�s official release. I have to say this is one of my favorite movies of the summer. First of all, I love love love Ewan McGregor! He�s a wonderful actor (he sang in Moulin Rouge!), and he�s totally hot. And in this movie he�s quite the action hero. Technically, this is a sci-fi movie, but there are so many great elements in play. It�s set in the year 2015, so it�s futuristic, and it has the best chase scene I�ve seen in years! Add to it a sweet love story with the lovely young Scarlett Johanssen as Ewan�s love interest and you�ve got a multi-layered, compelling film that holds your attention from start to finish. Great sets, effects � fabulous supporting cast including the always cool Steve Buscemi. This is the must-see film of the summer. It�s rated PG-13, mainly for some creepy birth-like scenes and violence. I think I�d stick with taking kids age 13 and up.
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05 Jan

The Invisible

Grade: D+

I pick and choose the movies I go to, I don’t have to see everything, so it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a movie this bad.  I am a huge fan of Marcia Gay Harden, and I have no idea what she was thinking when she agreed to do “The Invisible.”  She has a small role, and not much going on with her character, except for one breakdown scene which was supposed to be heartbreaking but for some reason had the audience in hysterics.  There were lots of moments when the audience broke out laughing in scenes that were supposed to be chilling or serious.

The story is bizarre – good guy with dead dad meets bad girl with absent mother – bad girl beats up good guy to the point of unconscious and leaves him for dead.  Good guy’s “spirit” falls for bad girl, bad girl “saves” good guy, then dies.

There are so many things that don’t make sense throughout the whole movie.  I found myself rolling my eyes and making script notes in my head for the writers.

I don’t think teens will be interested in this movie – even though it’s PG-13 and clearly aimed at that audience.  The teens who were in the theatre with me were the ones who were laughing the most in the inappropriate places.
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05 Jan

The Interpreter

Grade: A-

Sydney Pollack directs and has a small part in this action-thriller that keeps you guessing. It’s a puzzle, set in the political world of the United Nations, and they actually used the real building to film in! Nicole Kidman has the title role, an interpreter from a fictitious country in South Africa who overhears an assassination threat. Sean Penn is the Secret Service agent assigned to the case. There’s no romance here, but the two characters bond over their personal grief. Catherine Keener is notable as Sean Penn’s partner. This is a smart movie, very well done, though not wholly satisfying.
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05 Jan

The International

Grade: C

I like Clive Owen, he’s dark, intense, and not too bad to look at for 2 hours.  In The International he’s a spy-type guy working on a case involving international banking and illegal weapon sales.  It’s a sign of the times when the bad guys in the movie are all bankers.  Naomi Watts comes in as his FBI contact, but she’s not a love interest.  She’s a smart lady with a family who plays by the book.  The movie takes place in various European locations and also New York.  There are two big action sequences, one at the Guggenheim which plays out really bloody and loud.  Other than that it’s a lot of talking and exposition – a lot of business language.  Interesting movie, very dissatisfying ending.
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