'August: Osage County' A Review

August: Osage County is a dysfunctional family drama based on the Tracy Letts Pulitzer Prize winning play. Set in the Oklahoma plains the film opens with a monologue from patriarch Beverly Weston, played by a wonderful Sam Shepard, unfortunately this is the only time he is on screen. Beverly disappears and the Weston clan marshals around pill popping matriarch Violet(Meryl Streep) and old wounds are reopened.

The talented but uneven ensemble struggles to get the film off the ground and the result is interesting but inconsistent. The main fault lies in the two leads Streep and Julia Roberts as oldest daughter Barbara. They both give incredibly loud over-the-top performances better suited for the stage. They both oscillate from caricature to sincerity so quickly nothing is believable. They also lay the Oklahoma accent on thick in the first half of the film and then it virtually disappears. The remaining ensemble ranges from mediocre(Ewan McGregor, Abagail Breslin, Dermot Mulroney) to great(Chris Cooper, Julieanne Nicholson, Margo Martindale) but the supporting performances fail to sew up the erratic Streep and Roberts. Nicholson especially hits the perfect balance of reserve and emotion the film calls for but she is overshadowed by all the shouting and drug addled behavior.

The story, billed as a black comedy, is itself problematic. There is nothing terribly redeeming, endearing, or sympathetic about many of the characters. A story about a fractured family coming together and being ugly to each other isn't very interesting. There is a lot of subtlety and layers that could be cultivated from the script but this version of August: Osage County is all bluster and no heart. A sappy and melodramatic score just hightens the tonal irregularities.

A film with a lot of potential, some amazing moments, fails to coalesce.

Rent It.

Philip Seymour Hoffman: A Reminder

Whenever drugs or alcohol take a life it is tragic. There is nothing selfish or weak about the struggle with addiction. Some people are born with a genetic disposition for excess, a gift for boundless consumption, often augmented by psychology. It is a struggle. A desperate, lonely, painful, guilt-ridden struggle. It requires constant vigilance and support. Frequently you have to ask for help. Sometimes you get tired of fighting. I know what it is, I've been there.

The passing of Philip Seymour Hoffman is lamentable but he leaves behind 20 years of incredible work as an artist. He has an uncompromising legacy. He will be remembered.

His death does not surprise me. It is a mantra of those in recovery that taking that first drug or that first drink has only two potential outcomes: jail or death. Relapse is common and perpetually lurking. Addiction is insidious. Drunk, high, or sober it gains strength. Any sober alcoholic or drug addict is days, minutes, even seconds away from total ruin. Myself included. It is a precarious place but with diligence, care, and compassion a sober life can be a rewarding life if never an easy one. I proffer no judgement on the late actor I'm trying to elucidate the tenuous position he and other people with addiction are in.

I do not know the circumstances of Hoffman's death but I would bet it was not some huge event but something small that drove the actor back to excessive drug use. Maybe he saw an advertisement for an alcohol he never tried. Maybe he watched the heroin scene in Pulp Fiction. Maybe he was worn down by the cold and cooped up and bored. Whatever it was I bet it was small. A fleeting moment. A brief craving. A passing trigger. And for that moment his cunning addiction had been lying in wait. One moment was all it took.

I hope his death opens peoples eyes about addiction. How serious it is and how many people need help. There's still a stigma with addiction- that its a matter of will power, that its not an actual disease, etc. Regardless of what you call it or how you classify it addiction is fatal. And these fatalities are avoidable.

I take it personal. That could be me, not that I could be a lauded movie star with an Oscar, but I could be dead. Rich/poor famous/unknown addiction does not discriminate. I would not receive accolades or retrospectives but I might warrant a headline like "Local Comedian Found Dead, Alcohol Related".

For those in recovery this is a reminder. Death is close.

'The Invisible Woman' A Review

The Invisible Woman is a period romantic drama about Charles Dickens and his mistress Nelly Ternan. The film opens on Nelly(Felicity Jones) aggressively walking alone across a cold, wind swept beach. She makes her way to a school, which her husband and her run, and starts a rehearsal for a play written by Charles Dickens. The film unfolds in a series of flashbacks showing her meeting the famous author and their eventual relationship.

Ralph Finnes as Charles Dickens is charming, charismatic, and at times childish. The viewer is seduced along with Nelly initially by his material in a scene where Dicken's is giving a reading. The passion and performance of the reading create a mystique and Finnes follows it up with incessant care, attention, and likability. He is always upbeat almost to the point of recklessness or a disconnect with the world around him, this is juxtaposed well with Jones's understatement, caution, and naivete. Their romance evolves gradually and relies more on the mood, tone, and score of the film rather than scenes with heavy dialogue. We get a sense of real love between the two but the sensitivity, discretion, and prudence of their courtship carries more weight. It is a dance of impending guilt rather than seduction.

There is virtually no judgement of the relationship by the supporting characters, even from Dicken's wife Catherine portrayed by a strong, reserved, yet  heartbreaking Joanna Scanlan. The judgement comes mainly from Nelly herself. Nelly is conflicted, melancholic, and seems mostly unsatisfied but unable to separate herself or her morals from the alluring Dickens. Finnes plays Dickens sympathetic and struggling to be a good man(by the definition of the times) but unable to give full focus or priority to anything but his work. A famous man use to getting what he wants, gets what he wants the way he wants it. At the end of the affair Nelly is cloistered, kept secret for Dicken's, and you get a sense she is resigned but not happy.

A complicated film with layered, poignant performances from the leads, made all the more complicated by the ease in which the love could have blossomed in modern times.

See It.

'The Broken Circle Breakdown' A Review

The Broke Circle Breakdown is a Belgian musical drama.The non-linear film explores the relationship between Elise and Didier, their love of American bluegrass, and their burgeoning family centered around their daughter Maybelle. The film skips and jumps from past to present back to past, showing Elise and Didier's first meeting, concerts, their accidental pregnancy, their marriage proposal, more concerts, and Maybelle's eventual cancer diagnosis and treatment at age 6. At points visiting the same scene more than once. The fluid nature of the narrative structure allows the film to build and defuse tension quickly without getting bogged down in depressive ruts.

There is an alien, almost bizarre, quality about The Broken Circle Breakdown. The American traditionals sung in perfect English juxtaposed directly after with lilting Flemish is some what jarring and the story itself takes many twists and turns subverting normal "Hollywood" expectations. There is a sweet melancholic authenticity to the film, it is at times heartrending in its realism, and exuberant in its emotional discoveries.

The film is intense, at times overwhelming, but ultimately deeply moving. The ending is disappointing, unharmonious, almost belonging to a different story. But the journey and the questions that are raised are satisfying and reinforce love, faith, and perseverance.

See It.

'Lone Survivor' A Review

Lone Survivor is a military drama based on the true experience of Marcus Latrell and his SEAL team in Afghanistan. The film follows the SEAL team from their base on a surveillance mission in the Afghan mountains. They objective is to identify two Taliban leaders in a small town. The mission is disrupted when three goat herders discover the team. After debate the goat herders are released and inform the local Taliban of the whereabouts of the soldiers. They are surrounded and attacked.

There are two striking things about the film. First the performances given by the four SEAL team members and the brotherhood that they portray. The second is the military tactics employed by the SEAL team in opposition to the 200 Taliban members that engage them. The film feels true from the dialogue to the deaths.

The film doesn't pass judgement on the war, those in power, or the Afghan natives. It's purpose is to show the courage and love of the US Navy SEALs, to remember those that have fallen. Lone Survivor paints a complex portrait of an even more complex situation. The film allows and encourages us to be proud of our military in the midst of an untenable position.

Although Mark Wahlberg is top billed it is the supporting cast that brings the film to life.

See It.

Steve's Top 5 Movies of 2013

Top 5:
12 Years A Slave
The Act of Killing
American Hustle
Philomena
Stories We Tell

Top 5 Disappointments:
Anchorman 2
Elysium
Her
Kick-Ass 2
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Most Overrated:
The Wolf of Wall Street

Most Underrated:
Museum Hours

Honorable Mentions:
Deceptive Practices
I'm So Excited!
The Summit
This Is The End
The Way Way Back

Worst Movie of the Year:
Blue Jasmine

Performances of the Year:
Amy Adams & Christian Bale, American Hustle
Steve Coogan & Judi Dench, Philomena
Chiwetel Ejiofor & Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years A Slave
James Franco, Spring Breakers
Matthew McConaughey, Mud

Scenes of the Year: 
Llewyn auditions for Bud Grossman, Inside Llewyn Davis
Irving confronts Rosalyn, American Hustle
The Whipping, 12 Years A Slave
Stealing the air-compressor, Nebraska
Theodore meets Catherine for lunch, Her

'The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty' & 'Saving Mr. Banks' Reviews

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is a feel good comedy directed and starring Ben Stiller as the titular Mitty. Walter Mitty is a negative asset manager for Life magazine on the eve of it's take over. He is unassuming, shy, and frequently lost in his imagination. When the negative for the final cover of the magazine is lost he sheds his skin and travels the world to track it down.

From beginning to end the film lacks that which it most earnestly wants to have- heart. Stiller's performance is shallow and distracted maybe from doing double duty. Mitty goes through no transformation, we don't see a change, he simply turns on a dime from mild-mannered to adventurer for no particular reason. The film operates at a hyper pace moving from location to location so quickly there is no time to appreciate the beauty the filmmakers obviously went to great lengths to provide. The scope of the film is so large its actual narrative is lost.

The film can't decide whether it wants to be a comedy or drama and fails to achieve either. There is a cuteness about everything that rings false. The wonderful supporting cast is wasted because it seems they were given no direction. Sean Penn as famous photographer Sean O'Connell seems to be the only one to strike the proper balance of humor and gravitas and his appearance is brief, one scene the high point of the film.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is reminiscent of Stranger Than Fiction without the balance, mystery, or spirit.

Rent It.

Saving Mr. Banks is a historical comedy about the struggle to make Marry Poppins. The movie follows the efforts of Walt Disney(Tom Hanks) to procure film rights from P.L. Travers(Emma Thompson) the author of the series. The story follows Travers collaboration/confrontation with Disney and his production team  juxtaposed with flashbacks from Travers' childhood in the Australian outback.

Ultimately the Disney made production casts Walt Disney as the charming, affable, reasonable good guy and P.L. Travers as the protective, high strung, quasi-sympathetic villain. The sympathy the movie attempts to construct is developed through the telling of Travers unsettling childhood however Thompson's strident performance makes her entire back story ineffective. Hanks as Disney is likable but two dimensional, nothing particular interesting but pleasant to watch.

The narrative itself isn't particularly interesting which begs the question- why make it? Rumor is a company was going to make the movie when Disney purchased the rights, possibly to protect the image or portrayal of its patriarch.

In any case, Saving Mr. Banks is calculating. It is interesting because it tells the story of a film most people already love. Its manufactured touching moments are touching. Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson draw attention because they are two extremely charismatic and talented actors. But the movie wears off fast, like a sugar high. Upon reflection it's poignant moments reveal their dullness.

Saving Mr. Banks is contrived by-the-numbers sentimentality that works.

Rent It.

'The Wolf Of Wall Street' A Review

The Wolf of Wall Street is a black comedy of greed, drug use, and decadence based on the memoir of Jordan Belfort. The film follows Belfort played by Leonardo DiCaprio, in his most unlikable and uncomplicated role, from his start on Wall Street to his founding of a penny stock company that launches him into the financial stratosphere.

The film is shot beautifully, scored perfectly, acted energetically, and paced flawlessly. The three hours does not feel long but it does lack substance. All the characters, save for Belfort's first wife who is in the film for less the ten minutes, are unlikable. They show little to no depth or complexity. All the characters are money-drunk and sex-crazed. Scorsese and DiCaprio claim the film is a comment on the Wall Street life style but there is no comment to be found.

The drug scenes, sex scenes, and scenes portraying grotesque wealth come off very cool. The way they are shot, the way they are scored, the inherent lack of consequence for any of the characters makes all the behavior seem almost acceptable and certainly fun. You get caught up in the hedonistic pleasure of it all only to check yourself and your left with a soiled feeling. There is also rampant misogyny throughout the film the most disturbing of which was an employee for Belfort shaving her head for $10,000.

The film does not simply show these behaviors as Scorsese claims, it glorifies them. It doesn't do it intentionally but the way the film was made, the quality of it, makes these terrible men and awful things they do seem thrilling.

Ultimately there is no point to the film. No comment. No story begging to be told. This story has been told a number of times over the past thirty years from Wall Street to Boiler Room to Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps with an actual point of view.

The Wolf of Wall Street is impeccable in its construction but soulless in its execution.

Don't See It.

'47 Ronin' & 'Anchorman 2' Reviews

47 Ronin is a fantasy action movie based on the 18th century masterless samurai who avenged their masters murder. Keanu Reeves stars as Kai a half breed raised by a group of magical monks whom he flees. Kai is taken into the service of Lord Asano where he is roundly outcast and treated as inferior. Due to treachery and witchcraft Lord Kira manufactures the downfall of Lord Asano and usurps his land and becomes betrothed to his daughter Mika. The remaining masterless samurai are now ronin, doomed to disgrace. A year passes and the remaining ronin gather and seek revenge.

Fantastical creatures, shape changers, and magical weapons weave together to make a surprisingly entertaining movie. Reeves, the presumable protaganist, is out shown by the Japanese leads and supporting cast, in this case Reeves is more a hindrance than an asset. His deadpan and inscrutable performance almost seem not to be one at all and the love story between Kai and Mika is distracting as well as unfulfilling. Reeves doesn't have enough screen time or lines to detract in any meaningful way to a good popcorn adventure.

The fight choreography and CGI mesh well to propel a narrative that clips along to a logical however odd conclusion. 

Rent It.

Anchorman 2 is the long anticipated sequel to the 2004 Anchorman. Ron Burgandy is back and this time he's pioneering the 24 hour news cycle with GNN- Global News Network.

Fans of the original will certainly enjoy this follow up, at the very least for nostalgic sake. All the performers return and heightened on their previous portrayals from the original but there is something most assuredly lacking.

What is most evident in Anchorman 2 is effort. The movie is chock full of surreal gags and absurdist circumstances, some of which solicit a fair amount of laughs, but ultimately the sequel tries too hard to top the original. The characters, already caricatures to begin with, go so far they no longer resemble actual people. Anchorman was the culmination of  the Adam McKay and Will Farrell collaboration suppressed by SNL that exploded into an electric break-neck comedy. This movie is forced. Farrell and McKay may be too old, or too successful, to recapture the spastic irreverent brilliance of their original.

Enough laughs but nothing surprising or inspired.

Rent It.

'Inside Llewyn Davis' A Review

Inside Llewyn Davis is the latest film from the Coen brothers, a musical set in the 1961 Greenwich Village folk scene. The film follows the life of struggling musician Llewyn Davis for about a week. Everything about the film from the music to the colors is understated. Reserved.

The film is allegorical without a conventional narrative structure, simply a glimpse into Llewyn's, possibly cyclical, life. It is unclear whether Llewyn is suppose to garner sympathy or scorn, probably both. He is talented but egotistical, charismatic but self-involved, proud and pathetic, admirable and juvenile, uncompromising. He is, in short, polarizing. Portrayed by the versatile Oscar Issac Llewyn shines when he plays, all irritants and insecurities fall away and we see a stripped down artist, an enigmatic creative machine.

We watch Llewyn struggle externally as a musician and struggle internally with the choice to be a musician. The film portrays the daily grind of an artist and asks the question "Is artistic expression fulfilling in and of itself?" Is making it financially the goal?

The sound track is impeccable and infectious. It fills out the world and brings to life a subdued melancholy, creates an authentic somewhat stagnant scene poised for the revolutionary Bob Dylan. The cast is full of interesting actors putting in engaging sometimes quirky performances. The only weak link is Carey Mulligan, her portrayal is strident and one note, partial fault could be given to the script for underdevelopment. There is so much music in the film there may be a little shortage on actual scenes. The characterizations are so interesting and the dialogue so layered, most notably a dinner scene with two older professor friends of Llewyn, we are left wanting just a little more.

A puzzling, thick, magnetic film that is difficult to get a hold of but gratifying to reflect on.

See It.

'Her' A Review

Her is a science fiction romance set in an undefined future where a man falls in love with an operating system.  The film is murky and elusive. Every person seeing it will come away with their own feelings and interpretations it's theme or message is ambiguous.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore a man struggling to recover from a divorce. He works at Beautifulhandwrittenletters.com(yuck) a company family and lovers outsource their correspondence to. He works, he plays video games, and he engages in bizarre sex chats before bed. Enter Samantha voiced by Scarlett Johansson an artificial intelligence operating system. Samantha gets Theodore's life in order and they gradually fall in love mirroring the problems and pace of a normal relationship. Other than Theodore's ex-wife everyone acts as if this is totally normal and acceptable.

The future that is portrayed is unassuming but sad and quietly horrifying. Technology is ubiquitous. The relationship which is the focus of the film is handled with grace and feels organic however a romance between human and computer feels hollow. Phoenix's performance is good but there is something unsatisfying, incomplete about his scenes with Samantha. He doesn't come off as pathetic or a loser but he is not particularly likable, in fact none of the characters are save maybe Samantha.

It's been said the film encapsulates the 21st century, has it's fingers on the pulse of our culture. If that is the case humanity is on a collision course with isolation, weakness, dependence, perpetual immaturity and fear. To me Her is a cautionary tale of a bleak future, a glimpse into the depraved socially handicapped society we may become. It is no doubt beautifully shot, excellently scored, and well acted but it is unpleasant.

The best scene of the film is about a minute long. The only scene Phoenix interacts with his ex-wife played by Rooney Mara. It's refreshing to see him interact with a human, makes you wish the whole movie would have actually been about his failed marriage.

Interesting and thought provoking but not enjoyable. And the high waisted pants don't make any sense.

Rent It.

'American Hustle' A Review

American Hustle is a crime dramedy loosely based on the 1978 ABSCAM operation. The plot is not confusing but describing it most certainly would be. Going into this film I knew almost nothing about it, thanks for the most part to the short length of the trailers and the lack of dialogue within them, and it affirms my belief that the less you know about a film the greater your enjoyment will be.

Across the board the performances are incredible bolstered by a tight, electric script. Christian Bale and Amy Adams put in two marvelously inspired turns as con-artists in love. Their chemistry is fascinating and the love they portray for each other is more engaging and believable then most romances. The individual characterizations are so densely layered it immediately encourages repeated viewing. They find humor, drama, heartbreak, despair, determination, joy, charm, sensuality, spite, shrewdness- they hit all the notes. The leads are rounded out by Bradley Cooper in his most ambitious and successful performance to date and Jennifer Lawrence in her first turn as a heel. If there is one flaw in the film it is Lawrence's accent- it comes and goes. The supporting cast is lead by excellent turns from Jeremy Renner and Louis C.K. who make an already great movie vibrant and balanced.

A great script which allows four great actors to put in four delirious, melodic performances.

Don't Miss It.

'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug' A Review

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug is a fantasy film, the second installment of the Hobbit trilogy. The adventure continues where it left off with a brief, and contrived, flashback to catch up any uninitiated coming to the franchise for the first time. Bilbo and his band take refuge in the home of a skinchanger, traverse Mirkwood forest, are imprisoned by the elves, escape to Lake-town, enter the Lonely Mountain, and confront the dragon Smaug. A lot happens in the film and the adventure is engaging and pleasing.

Pervading over the whole experience however is the nagging question of why. There is no reason to extend this story into three films, the content isn't there. The Lord Of The Rings movies had a break neck pace and a good amount was cut from the books, even though there were three long films they were packed with story. The Hobbit by comparison feels bloated and lethargic. Because of the length of the films, the amount of digressions they make, and the fact there are three- a great deal of narrative momentum and satisfaction is lost.

The performances are spot on but because of the investment required by the audience a great deal of freshness is lost.

Entertaining and good for distraction but nothing more.

Rent It.

'The Last Days On Mars' A Review

The Last Days On Mars is a scifi thriller about an expedition searching for life on the red planet. The movie is a cookie cutter rehash of every monsters-in-space trope. So obvious it's boring, it achieves neither camp, horror, nor suspense. There is life on Mars, surprise, its bacteria that turns people into zombies.

An excellent cast is given almost nothing to do and nothing to work with. It's depressing watching great actors struggle with such mediocrity. Liev Schrieber, Elias Koteas, and Olivia Williams put in valient efforts with no effect, they seem either unaware of how terrible the finish product will turn out or determined to, by force of will alone, create a watchable movie. There acting isn't bad its what they're saying and what(little) happens in the movie that makes it D.O.A.

The Last Days On Mars makes Ghosts of Mars look like an innovative masterpiece.

Don't See It.

It's A Wonderful Life

Nicole surprised me with tickets to It's A Wonderful Life tonight, one of her favorite movies and one I've never seen. It started off a little stressful. The Music Box was packed and there was a line out the door. When we picked up the tickets we were surprised to discover that the seats were assigned and through some box office mix up our seats were one in front of the other instead of one next to the other. The theater was a chaotic mess and I clammed up, situations like that shoot my anxiety to the moon.

The family sitting to my left had reserved the remainder of the row but one of their party wasn't coming. They graciously acquiesced when Nicole asked for the seat. We had our own little Christmas miracle. My relief was palpable. Before the film started Santa and a faction of some Chicago choir lead the room in Christmas carols. I was skeptical at first but quickly joined in. It was a nice feeling, a room full of people singing those old familiar songs.

The movie started and by then I was in my element. I liked the movie a lot. I think it has an almost perfect structure and performances which walk a tight rope of sentimentality but never fall into it. I cried at the end.

It was a wonderful night. Sharing the experience with Nicole meant a great deal and I now understand why the movie resonates with her and so many others.

I'm not one for the Christmas spirit or seasonal sentimentality. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't moved.

'Nebraska' A Review

Nebraska is a road trip family drama dubbed a comedy by its director Alexander Payne. It follows Woody(Bruce Dern) and his son David(Will Forte) as they travel from Billings, MT to Lincoln NE in order to collect a million dollars Woody believes he won in a publishers clearing house sweepstakes. They make a stop in Woody's hometown where most of the action takes place.

The film is quiet, patient, and subdued. It explores family, age, and a certain type of America. The performances are extremely varied. Dern puts in a layered performance as an aging alcoholic father with selective and/or impaired memory. Forte plays the everyman, a well meaning, lost, blank slate, searching for connection with his father and direction in his life. The rest of the cast success varies with good turns from Stacy Keach and Bob Odenkirk but with some rigid, jarring performances from Nebraskan locals. At points the line delivery is stilted and contrived but not enough to detract from the fluidity of the film.

Nebraska is shot in a cool black and white and depicts the landscape and the people with a haunting beauty and authenticity. Certainly not a lively film, but a film that conveys a lot of truth with enough moments of excitement, inspiration, and affirmation to balance it's overall depressive feel.

See It.

'Philomena' A Review

Philomena is a English drama about a woman trying to find her son she was forced to give up for adoption. Martin Sixsmith(Steve Coogan) has been outed as a political advisor and is at loose ends when he is approached by the daughter of Philomena(Judi Dench) about helping her mother locate her first child she was forced to give up while confined in a convent. After some persuasion he agrees and Martin and Philomena begin a journey into her past following a trail that is very cold.

The most striking thing about the film is it's realism and authenticity. There is the feeling that these are real people in a real situation, a spotlight on a story that doesn't have great political importance but significant universal emotional weight. Dench and Coogan both give multi-faceted performances playing somewhat against type, Dench as a simple, dotty country Irish lady and Coogan as a distant, quietly angry man suffering a mid-life crisis. The chemistry between the two is enough to carry the film but the story contains enough twists and surprises to create a shocking amount of tension for what would seem, on paper, a rather conventional drama. Dench and Coogan's relationship develops as most friendships or partnerships do, slowly. There is no large change or transformation form either character but we get to know them as they get to know each other, in unfolds beautifully.

A moving, surprising, resonate story which elucidates a small secret with large implications.

See It.

'About Time' A Review

About Time is a romantic feelgood movie about a young man who can travel back in time and relive/change parts of his past. The movie follows Tim(Domhnall Gleeson) as he moves to London to becomes a lawyer, falls in love, and starts a family. Tim meets Mary(Rachel McAdams) randomly at a blind restaurant and sparks fly. After a couple hurdles involving time-travel, paradox, and his own ineptitude Tim and Mary get together. The rest of the movie follows their burgeoning life together.

The movie is simple, heartwarming, and fun but at times problematic. Not much time is spent on getting to know Tim and for the first part of the story he comes off relatively sophomoric. There is also little time spent showing how and why Tim and Mary fall in love, there's a montage and were expected to buy that they are. The faults are out weighed by the time travel device and the ease with which McAdams and Gleeson navigate there some what contrived love story. The supporting cast is dynamite with the actors giving stunning depth to characters that must appear startlingly flat on the page, they bolster and patch any remaining flaws.

A buoyant cheerful love story with a cool time travel twist.

Rent It.

'Catching Fire' A Review

Catching Fire is the second installment in the Hunger Games Trilogy a dystopian world where each year 24 citizens are selected at random to fight to the death. This year is different. After spitting in the face of The Capitol, by saving both herself and Peeta, Katniss has become an unwitting symbol of hope and revolution. In order to combat the impending uprising President Snow has former winners, most importantly Katniss, compete in the 75th annual Hunger Games.

The plot and structure of Catching Fire is virtually identical to the original Hunger Games with the same plodding first act. The visual effects and script, however, are significantly improved from the first installment. The performances are also much improved having the benefit of more seasoned supporting players.

Fans of the book will like the movie, fans of the first movie will love this installment, but ultimately the story itself leaves a lot be desired- much is implied about hope, individuality, and love but not much is actually said.

Rent It.

'Museum Hours' A Review

Museum Hours is a lyrical film, a love song to museums and Vienna. The story is set in motion by a slightly contrived relative-in-a-coma scenario but it seems to only serve the purpose of getting the two main characters together. Anne(Mary Margaret O'Hara) travels to Vienna because an estranged cousin is in a coma. With little funds and no knowledge of the language or city she befriends museum security guard Johann(Bobby Sommer).

The film is punctuated and gently guided by Johann's narration. Johann guides Anne, and us, through Vienna. They discuss art, communication, solitude, and architecture. The pace of the film is slow and it's tone is relatively quiet. It evokes an engrossing museum visit. The film is not for everyone because there is no narrative to speak of and the light friendship between Johann and Anne develops gradually. It is beautiful, smart, and unconventional.

There is only one major flaw, a fifteen minute extended museum tour of a particular artist containing neither main character. All the actors in the tour are wooden and stiff coming across as bad local amateurs. The scene itself is incredibly long and stagnate made to feel even more so by the fluidity of the film around it.

A great movie for the right mood.

See It.