The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Diving Bell andthe Butterfly is based on the book of the same name written byJean-Dominique Bauby. (Oscar-nominated screenplay by Ronald Harwood.) Bauby was the editor of the Frenchedition of Elle magazine; at the ageof 43 he suffered a major stroke that left him totally paralyzed and unable tospeak. The only way he couldcommunicate was by blinking his one usable eye. He dictated the entire bo...[Read More]
27 Dresses
Awwww … how cute is Katherine Heigl? And, equally to the point, how cute isJames Marsden?
In the Valley of Elah
In the Valley of Elah got a fair amount of critical attention when it was released. The cast certainly meritedmention: Tommy Lee Jones, SusanSarandon, Charlize Theron, Oscar winners all. And, Jones got a nomination for Best Actor for his portrayalof retired Army soldier Hank Deerfield, searching to find out who murdered hisson, a solider himself newly returned from a tour of duty in Iraq.
P.S. I Love You
Chances are you’ve heard of P.S. I Love You whether you saw it or not. You remember … it’s the Hilary Swankmovie despised by the critics.
Lions for Lambs
Lions for Lambs presents three entwining stories. The connections aren’t clear at the beginning, but as they becomeevident, the poignancy of the story increases. This film focuses on the war in Afghanistan, how failureaffects U.S. policy and ideology, and how people get caught up in the ripplesthat spread out from such a war.
August Rush
August Rush will confuse and irritate you at times. But, if you can stick with it, and if you’re willing to suspend disbelief, you’ll be rewarded in the end by a sweet story and a touching, if sappy, ending.
Enchanted
Who says Disney can’t be self-deprecating? Enchanted takes standard characters from many of the old Disney animated classics, plops them down in the middle of modern Manhattan, and makes it all work in a package that’s as charming as any prince could ever be.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
As you likely recall, despite being much-hyped in advance, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford didn’t do that well at the U.S. box office. It got some critical attention; Brad Pitt’s portrayal of Jesse won him the best actor award at the Venice Film Festival and Casey Affleck won four supporting actor awards and was Oscar-nominated in that category for his portrayal of Ford....[Read More]
The Hoax
The Hoax tells the story of how author Clifford Irving convinced McGraw-Hill, Life magazine, 60 Minutes, the New York Times and others that he was writing Howard Hughes’ authorized autobiography. The catch? Irving had never met Hughes, never spoken with him, never had any agreement with him. He played off of Hughes’ legendary reclusiveness to spin a great yarn, abetted by his researcher, Dick Susk...[Read More]
Oceans Thirteen
The boys are back; if you liked 11 but cringed a bit over 12, you’ll be glad to know that this outing has the gang back in Vegas. (Personally, I’ve found that 12 has grown on me with repeated viewings, but even George Clooney said in an interview I read that the tag line for 13 should be “Better than Ocean’s 12.”)
Nancy Drew
If you’re a female, chances are pretty good you read at least on Nancy Drew mystery when you were growing up. The plucky Nancy, zipping around in her little coupe (a word I suspect few of us knew how to pronounce then), helped in her sleuthing by her pals Bess and George and her beau Ned Nickerson, coming home to housekeeper Hannah Gruen’s wonderful cooking and D.A. dad Carson Drew’s understanding...[Read More]
Michael Clayton
Just in time for the 2008 Oscars, here comes Michael Clayton on DVD. In case you haven’t heard, this film received seven nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (George Clooney), Best Supporting Actor (Tom Wilkinson), Best Supporting Actress (Tilda Swinton), Best Director (Tony Gilroy), Best Original Score and Best Original Screenplay (Gilroy).