The Maiden Heist (1:30)

Every once in awhile a goofy movie comes along and this is one. The Maiden Heist is a fun movie, one that makes you smile and even laugh out loud in spots. The trio of Boston area museum guards are some of Hollywood's best actors - Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman and William Macy. Marcia Gay Harden plays Rose, Walken's wife. The premise of the story is the three guards are going to steal their favorite art works before they are sold and moved to a Danish museum. And oh boy, are they an inept group but there are no slapstick antics. They are all likable characters, individually and as a group. The icing on the cake is the sweet and touching ending. If you are in the mood for a lighted heart movie, this is it. It is also a movie the entire family can watch and enjoy.

Only When I Dance -Vida Ballet (1:18)

 This is an inspiring documentary about the triumph of the human spirit. Only When I Dance is a documentary which follows two teenagers who are working against all odds to join  professional ballet companies. Irlan and Isabela live just outside one of the most famous favelas in Rio. They both  have parents with limited financial means but unlimited dreams for their children. Irlan has great talent, Isabela has talent but she is black making her journey harder. This documentary follows Irlan and Isabela through competitions and try outs. This is a documentary that I heartily recommend. Share this film with your teenage children.

Dear John (1:48)

Movies are like boxes of chocolate, you never know what you will get. My expectation of Dear John was it was going to be a movie for teenage and college age girls. And know doubt it, it is but there is something endearing about this film. Of course, the main stars, Channing and Seyfried make an adorable couple and Richard Jenkins was a marvelous surprise. Jenkins portrays John's father, the coin collecting dad who appears to be on the autism spectrum. This character was not in the trailers nor had I read the Sparks novel and found him to be a wonderful addition to the cast. Obviously, Dear John is not a great movie but it has its appeal. If you are ever snowed in and come across on TV, give it a chance.

White Material (1:40)

I had hoped that the French White Material, the African coffee plantation drama, would be on par with Indochine, the Vietnamese rubber plantation soup opera. For me, White Material lost something in the translation. Make no mistake about it, Isabelle Huppert is excellent as Maria, the driving force holding the plantation together. And that is a uphill struggle as Maria and her family are caught in the crossfire between the army and rebel forces. The rebels in the area are mostly child soldiers. And the Vial family, like Mike Campbell (see Mugabe and the White African) are white Africans who are no longer welcome in this unnamed country.  I often remark, a movie is/is not my cup of tea. Although White Material did receive good reviews, it just wasn't my cup of coffee.

The Damned United (1:37)

This is an excellent football movie. For Americans, this means soccer. The Damned United is based on the real life experiences of Brian Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor. Brian is a very successful soccer coach in England. He has the ability to take teams at the bottom and build them into champions. Brian has had set backs, he was hired the coach of the winning Leeds team but was "sacked" after forty four days. This movie takes a hard look at Clough's strengths and weaknesses, and the resulting  ups and his downs. All the actors are perfect for their parts, Michael Sheen is Brian, an ambitious egotist, Colm Meaney is the opposing coach that believes in playing dirty. Timothy Spall is the lovable and sensible assistant coach. I like sports movies and this is definitely my cup of tea. I definitely give this movie a green light.

Heartbreaker - L'arnacoeur (l:45)

Heartbreaker is a French romantic comedy. And it is fun from the beginning scene. Alex, his sister Melanie and her husband Marc run a unique business. They work cons - their marks are women who are unhappy and don't realize it. Alex is hired by the family of these women to break up the love relationship in a way that does not break their hearts. Alex is very good at seducing his clients until he meets Juliette. And he falls for her in a big way. Alex is a lovable rascal, Melanie and Marc are versatile team members. The movie is filmed in Monaco adding to the romance. This is a lighthearted, enjoyable story. I green light this movie.

Blue Valentine (1:54)

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are powerhouses of acting ability. Williams received a well deserved Spirit Award Nomination for Best Actress while Gosling was overlooked. How that happened is a mystery to me. This film is a realistic nitty gritty look at a marriage falling apart. The director takes us back, in sequential flashbacks, to the time when Dean and Cindy meet.We retrace the progression of their relationships, they are a sweet young couple. As time marches, Cindy appears to have grown  but Dean continues to act like a big kid, at least to Cindy. This in depth look at the disintegrating marriage is heart wrenching especially for Frankie, their adorable little daughter. Personally, I could have done with a little less of the sex scenes and some toned down language but it is a honest look at what goes awry in a marriage. I recommend this movie, it doesn't need to be seen on the big screen. If you don't catch it now, it is definitely worth a place in your queue.

Mugabe and the White African

Zimbabwe is a country in Africa and Mugabe has been its president for many years. I am embarrassed to admit that that is just about the sum total of my knowledge about Mugabe and Zimbabwe. As I was searching through the instant plays on Netflix, the four stars below the documentary title caught my eye. This is an absolute gem of a documentary. The film follows the Campbell and Freeth families on their farm for approximately two years. The Campbells and Freeths are fighting the land redistribution program, they are white Africans and Mugabe wants to take back all land owned by whites. The documentary follows the family as they fight losing their farm in the International Court of Justice. This family believes they have to fight for what is right, they are being discriminated against solely due to their race. The family is in harms way but they will not leave, for as Ben believes "If good men do nothing, evil will prevail." If you are a Netflix member, my suggestion is to send this film to the top of the queue.

127 Hours (1:34)

If there was ever a film to be seen on the big screen, 127 Hours is it. The panoramic views of the canyons are breathtaking. Granted, there are many scenes confined to the claustrophobic section where Aron is trapped, but the scenery is just phenomenal. And yes, there is the amputation scene that is probably the most graphic and bloody scene that I could ever witness, but like a true chicken, I didn't dare look. 127 Hours has a great beginning and really grabbed our attention. My daughter, Liz, went with me. And yes, I believe she was somewhat of a chicken also. The ending scene was emotional. 127 Hours does deserve all the nominations it has received. Will it win for Best Picture or will Franco win Best Actor? I doubt it but it is very much one of the best pictures of the year. Please don't wait to rent this one -go now while it still in the theaters, it is worth the admission price.
And for you adventurous fellows out there, the moral of the story is when you mom calls to touch base, pick up the phone and talk to her.

Herb and Dorothy (1:27)

Herb and Dorothy is a documentary about the most adorable elderly New York City couple who have devoted their life to collecting minimal and conceptual art. I'm not quite sure that I'm into conceptual art or even understand the concept of conceptual art but this is a wonderful documentary. The Vogels were a hard working middle class couple, Herb a postal worker and Dorothy a city librarian. Every dollar they could spare was invested into the works of art they liked. After forty five years of collecting this art form, they had over four thousand art pieces crammed into their rent controlled apartment. Although the collection is worth millions, the Vogels donated their collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. This is a charming story of a unique and very interesting couple. Do rent this. A good companion piece to this documentary is The Art of the Steal.

Burke and Wills (2:27)

Burke and Wills is an Australian movie about the first two white men who transversed the Australian continent south-north in 1860-61.The movie seems to be faithful to their actual experiences. These two men, with others, faced the hardship of deserts, droughts, swamps, and excessive heat throughout their journeys. Unfortunately, the inexperienced Burke resisted contact with the aboriginals who were pretty much traveling with them (at a distance) the entire time. And the aboriginals, being in harmony with their environment, were well fed and traveled without the discomfort of the whites. Burke and Wills was filmed in 1985 and has the feel of a 1950s movie when showing the few city scenes. I almost stop watching this movie after a half hour and was going to shut it off when the expedition encountered  the first aboriginals and then the film really held my interest.
A companion piece to this movie is Mountains of the Moon, a 1990 movie about the Burton and Speke expedition to find the source of the Nile. Mountains of the Moon is actually one of my favorite movies and if you have time for one, the Nile expedition is the better of the two.

Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (1:57)

Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer, just released DVD, is a documentary about the former governor of New York. The film first focuses on Spitzer's work as the Attorney General and his battle against the corruption of Wall Street and insurance companies. The documentary then moves to his term as governor and then the difficulties Spitzer had with working with the state legislators. Interwoven with the events of Spitzer's public life is the uncovering the facts of  his private life as Client 9, the man who hires very high priced escorts. Spitzer is interviewed and spends considerable time on camera and speaks about his rise and his downfall. There are many other power brokers, mostly enemies, who are interviewed that help give a rounded picture of this complex man. The message of this film is the men in the white hats often have dark sides and men in the black hats cheer when the good guys are found to be human with quirks and flaws.
I recommend this documentary for political junkies, you know who you are. Also after the movie, play the the special features, there are interesting deleted scenes.

Myrin - Jar City (1:34)

Jar City is an Icelandic murder mystery. Detectives are investigating a recent murder and its connection to the 1974 death of a very young girl who died of a genetic brain disease. There were times, and a lot of the time, when I wasn't sure as to what was going on, it was hard making connections even with the limited number of characters. Jar City does move along at a good pace and kept me involved with the investigation. By the end of the movie, all the pieces fit into a coherent story.
Jar City, which is subtitled, has a soundtrack that adds to the movie. I streamed the movie to my laptop and wished I had seen this movie on the big screen. There are many aerial shots of the coast and countryside, Iceland is a beautiful country. The filmed was shot on cloudy days adding to the somber and sober tone. If you are a fan of this genre, please put it in your queue. This movie deserves a wider audience.

La Siciliana Ribelle - The Sicilian Girl (1:53)

Based on true events, The Sicilian Girl tells of a seventeen year old girl who breaks the code of silence by informing on organized crime members in her village. The opening scenes reminded me of The Golden Girls Sophia saying "Picture it" "Sicily" "1985". But the film quickly unfolds the story of twelve year old Rita witnessing the killing of her father on her First Communion Day. Five years later, she loses her older brother.
In order to get revenge, Rita takes all her journals to the police, enters the witness protection program, and testifies against more than twenty men of her village. And Rita discovers that she really wants justice, not just revenge, and at the same time realizes that her actions come with a price. This is a very interesting story and I do green light this movie for those who like crime or gangster movies. This movie is in Italian with English subtitles.

Cyrus (1:32)

Cyrus is a strange movie. When the trailers were shown in the theaters, viewers were lead to believe that Cyrus was a comedy about wacky characters. Well, the wacky was accurate but there is nothing lighthearted about Cyrus. Cyrus, played by Jonah Hill, is the twenty two year of son of  Molly (Marisa Tomei.) Molly  is the love interest of John, played by John C. Reilly. This does not sit well with Cyrus, he does not want to share his mother's attention. Cyrus professes to accept John but does everything he can to drive a wedge between John and his mother. John C. Reilly received a Spirit nomination for Best Actor and it is a shame that Hill didn't receive one for Best Supporting Actor. I really can't rave about this movie, there is an element to it that is rather creepy. The viewer, especially at the beginning, begins questioning about the relationship between mother and adult son, maybe is not a very healthy one. This is balance by the movie's end, when the viewer sees character growth in Cyrus and Molly. This movie, like all people, is flawed.

The Parking Lot Movie (1:24)

Yes, there is a documentary about a parking lot, an independent lot in Charlottesville, Va. The parking lot is near the University Of Virginia and many of the parking lot attendants are well educated students. The men interviewed are undergraduate and graduate students studying anthropology, sociology, and philosophy. For most of these men, their jobs are temporary, although this can mean up to eleven years. The men interviewed discuss many topics. Topics include working nights, their reaction to people who don't want to pay,  their works of art created on the premises and, of course, the meaning of life. This is a short, quirky movie with its entertaining moments. The attendants ask the consummate question "Why?", I ask "Why did I ever watch this movie?"

Triage (1:32)

Triage, starring Colin Farrell, tells the story of a war photographer who is injured while on assignment in Kurdistan. Mark Walsh has returned to Ireland traumatized by the events he has just witnessed. Mark is also worried about his close friend and coworker, David. While in Kurdistan, David and Mark split up as David decides to return to Ireland in time for his wife's delivery. When Mark arrives home he learns that David is not back and begins to worry about his friend's safety. This is a good movie,  it does shows the graphic violence of war, the flashbacks keep the viewer involved in the story. I wanted to know what happened to Mark that has left him so traumatized. I was also hoping that David would, against odds, turn up in time for the birth of his baby. Triage is available through Netflix streaming and hopefully will find the audience it deserves.

The Way Back (2:12)

The Way Back is definitely a movie to be viewed on the big screen. The true story is based on Russian gulag prisoners escaping and walking four thousand miles to freedom. We see the men (and later a woman) trudge through the Russian forest, the Mongolian plains and desert, and finally across the Himalayan Mountains into India. The prisoners, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess and others, walk through blizzards, heavy downpours, and dust storms. National Geographic Entertainment was involved in the filming and did a wonderful job filming on location in Bulgaria, Morocco and India.
The move itself was lacking in emotion, there wasn't any character development or conflict. This was strictly a survival against all odds film. Often my main criticism of a movie is that is too long. The Way Back could have been cut by ten to fifteen minutes especially with the desert scenes. The movie is not every one's cup of tea but if you do decide to see it, see it now and not as a rental.

Jack Goes Boating (1:29)

This independent film has been nominated for several American Spirit Awards so it deserves a rental. And that's about it. The story resolves around four New York city working class people. Jack and Connie are two shy single people that are introduced by a married couple. And they are a sweet, gentle couple who you can't help root for. The story goes on to show of the building of their relationship as the marriage of their friends fall apart. Being a big fan of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who stars as the title character and also directs the movie, I was hoping for more. If this movie is on your Netflix queue, my suggestion is that you don't move it to the top. Get to it when you get to it.

The Lottery (1:20)

The Lottery is a documentary filmed in Harlem with a focus on a charter school, Harlem Success and young lottery hopefuls. Four families have entered their children into the lottery in order so their children can start kindergarten at Harlem Success. These parents reject their zoned school as they are failing schools. The film is very similar to the better known counterpart Waiting for Superman. Both documentaries interview some of the same prominent figures, Corey Booker and Geoffrey Canada. The message of both documentaries is the same. Schools are failing and parents in poverty areas need choices. There is also a noticeable anti teacher union message. And yes, being a teacher I am a member of a teacher union (NEA). However, having said that, it is absolutely heartbreaking watching the families during the lottery and seeing the disappointment of these adorable little five year olds not being chosen. We all share in the blame for failing schools, politicians, administrators, teachers, parents, and community members. Let's join together and fix it.

The Horse Boy (1:33)

The Horse Boy is a documentary of a family's journey through Mongolia. The parents of a four year old son with autism are hoping that the journey will be one of healing for their son and for themselves. The dad, Rupert Isaacson, is a world wide travel writer and, at one time, a professional horse trainer. He is struggling, along with his wife, Kristen, in raising Rowan who is not yet toilet trained and given to lengthy tantrums or meltdowns. The parents observe Rowan's love of animals. Rupert becomes the driving force to bring the family to Mongolia for two reasons. The first is for Rowan to be in a environmentally purer environment with access to horses and reindeer. Secondly, the shamans of Mongolia will hold healing ceremonies for Rowan. As a special education teacher, I found this documentary very interesting but am not sure what to make of it. After a healing session was held by the Shaman of the Reindeer People, Rowan toiled trained himself and  became more social and spent more time playing with other children.
The documentary shows the love of a family as they go to great unconventional lengths to help their child. The film also shows the stresses on the family, as a unit and individually, as they deal on a daily basis with family members with autism. This film gives a lot of food for thought.

Rabbit Hole (1:32)

Rabbit Hole is a top quality film with all the acting being top notch. The subject matter is heart wrenching. Kidman and Eckhart are a couple struggling to come to terms with the sudden death of their four year old son. Kidman's reaction is reminiscent of Mary Tyler Moore's in Ordinary People. Eckhart has a much different way of dealing with his son's death. This is a well written film that really shows how people have a variety of different ways in dealing with a sudden death. Sandra Oh, a mother in a support group, and Dianne Wiest, Kidman's mother, are also excellent in supporting roles. Miles Teller portrays Jason, the teenager driver who hits and kills Danny. The film does a wonderful job showing the effect the accident has on Jason. Jason is also a victim of this tragedy as Danny ran  into the street after his dog, Taz, and Jason is not able to avoid hitting Danny. Any parent that views this movie will be thankful that their own child/ren are healthy and well. The movie also helps us understand that people grieve in different ways and there is no right or wrong way. Parents who have lost their beloved child get through it the best way they can, and we need to understand that. As tough as this subject matter is, I green light this movie.

The Taking of the Pelham 123 (1:46)

Last night searching the Netflix streaming section, I came across The Taking of the Pelham 123. I remembered that this movie was released during the summer of 2009 and received lukewarm reviews. My movie going friends and I discussed briefly about going to see it since we are fans of Washington and Travolta. And we never got to the theater to see it. So at 10:00 last night, I planned to start the movie and watch for about a half hour, go to bed and finish it in the morning. Well, it was midnight when the laptop was shut down. This movie is good, Washington and Travolta were excellent. Washington is a good good guy, and Travolta as equally is a good bad guy. And of course, Travolta is demanding ten million dollars so his language is not of a Sunday School teacher.  There are shootings that result in death, a car crash with injuries but it is a hostage drama. The only problem with this movie was that watching it so late, I dreamed about being held a hostage in an elevator and other crazy active dreaming episodes involving cops and robber type drama. Sometimes poor reviews are not always accurate, I green light this movie.

Pressure Cooker (1:39)

Pressure Cooker is a little known gem that was found through Netflix streaming. This 2008 documentary tells the story of Wilma Stephenson, a culinary arts instructor, and three of her inner city Philadelphia high school students. The film follows the students through the school year as they practice for the regionals and final competition for potentially big scholarship money. It kind of like Glee with food. The teacher,Wilma, is like a campfire marshmallow, hard on the outside but soft and gooey on the inside. We all know or know of a teacher just like her.  It took me awhile to get into the swing of the money but by senior year, I was involved with the students and cheering for them. Since it's no fun when the end of the movie is revealed but let me say one thing, make sure you have Kleenex nearby. For anyone involved with education, please see this documentary. This movie is a green light all the way.

The Green Hornet (1:59)

The Green Hornet is an veteran crime fighting story. It was a 1930s radio series, a 1940s serialized movie series and finally a 1960s TV show starring Van Williams and the late Bruce Lee. I'll admit my age by saying that I remember and really liked the TV series. I went to see The Green Hornet this afternoon in 2D. For the most part, my preference for 3D is only for animated films. Well, I'll show my age again when I admit that The Green Hornet was fun and certainly not as enjoyable as I hoped. There were many car chases and car crashes, fights, shootings and killings. It certainly is not a film for young children. I assume that the target audience for The Green Hornet will be male teenagers and on up. There are some positives to the movie, the funny dialogue and the updated relationship between Reid and Kato. At the time, there was much criticism of the 60s TV show because an Asian was cast as just the sidekick. In this move, Kato is portrayed as a partner. Kato is also a genius and an inventor in addition to being a martial arts expert.
The plot is predictable but at the end, Britt Reid grows up and becomes the man his father wanted him to be. Which lays the groundwork for a sequel.

Arn: The Knight Templar (2:13)

With 23 inches and more of snow outside, it was a good time for a lengthy movie and Arn: The Knight Templar fit the bill very nicely. Arn was the most expensive Swedish movie ever made and well worth the money if you are a fan of historical dramas set a thousand years ago. This epic tells the story of Arn, raised in a monastery but trained as a soldier, sent off to fight in the Crusades as a twenty year penance for sins against a unmarried girl, the woman is in love with but promised to another. At the same time, the story tells of his love, Cecilia, who is sent off to the nunnery for a penance of the same length. The action takes place during the course of twenty years with interchanged scenes of Arn and  Cecilia. Most  of the scenes with Arn take place in the Holy Land. As a fan of historical dramas, I really enjoyed this movie. Yes, there are battle scenes and there is blood but by American standards, the violence would be probably considered mild to the most moderate. The scenery and the soundtrack, especially, add to this movie. The international cast also performed well in their roles. An added bonus was that while the movie is Swedish, Arn was a multi country production so dialogue is in Swedish, Arabic, Latin and in a large part English. I green light this movie.

Fame (2009)

Sometimes it pays to quit while you're ahead. And in this case, the old adage proves true. The remake of the orignal 1980 adds nothing. This movie is 1:46 in length and, honestly, only last fifteen minutes are noteworthy. The musical numbers at the end are very good but not worth the time spent getting there. I say STOP and find something else to rent. Or in my case, go out and do some shoveling, watching the snow fall from the trees was more engaging.

Sabah: A Love Story (1:29)

This heartwarming story, from TeleCanada, is set in present day Toronto. Sabah, recently turned 40, has met Stephen and has fallen in love. The problem - she is a Syrian Muslim and he a Canadian Christian. Sabah feels she needs to keep Stephen secret as her family wouldn't accept him. Sabah doesn't know there are other family members keeping secrets. All the family members are likable and this viewer did care for all of them. Sabah's niece has a very humorous scene when she meets her future husband through as part of an arranged marriage agreement. Being 18, this does not sit well with her and resists the match in a very creative way. I green light this movie as it is fluffy, enjoyable and endearing.

Note: if you like Sabah: A Love Story, chances are that you will enjoy another similar TeleCanada film titled Mambo Italiano.

Endgame (1:45)

Endgame is a high quality British made for TV movie. William Hurt and Chiwetel Ejiofor are the stars of this drama which tells of the secret negotiations that helped bring an end to South Africa's apartheid. The movie begins in the late 1980s and follows step by step, each of meetings that take place in England. Each of the men sitting at the table are in danger, the ANC by the South African police and Boers by the terrorists. The movie has been called cerebral and it is. There is much information given about this time period. And having acknowledged that, the closing moments of the film are extremely emotional. Three cheers for the movie and three cheers for all those who step up to plate and take nonviolent action in the negotiating for peace. (This movie can be seen through Netflix streaming).

New Feature

Starting with the next posting, the time of the movie will be given in parenthesis next to the title. It has been my routine to look up the movie length before viewing. This is for practical reasons, sometimes having a busy schedules allows for shorter movie fitting into a particular time squeeze. If it is nighttime, I won't start a movie that will keep me up late. If it is wintertime and everyone is housebound due to weather, a longer running movie fits the bill. As movies reviews continue to be posted, my prediction is that a common remark will be "this movie was too long" or "ten minutes could have been cut from this movie." Sometimes, less said the better.

The Art of the Steal

This 2009 documentary is riveting. It tells the tale of the embattled Barnes Foundation located  four miles outside Philadelphia.. The Barnes Foundation is home to a vast collection of numerous works of Matisse, Cezanne, Dali and many other modern and post-impressionist works of art. And the collection is worth billions. The intent of the orginal collector was to leave all this artwork for students to access and not in a large museum. Of course, the wealthy and powerful of The City of Brotherly Love desire the collection to be housed in Philadelphia in order to support tourism and the money tourisys bring to a city. Granted, this documentary is one sided. The people, all former Barnes students and board members, interviewed are all against the move to Philadelphia. Although this documentary shows one side it is interesting to read that all the powerbrokers declined invitations to be interviewed. I green light this documentary. Although it is about the art world, the story unfolds like a crime thriller.

Inception

Just finished watching Inception as it was just released on DVD through Netflix today. Would someone explain to me what I just watched? I need more time to figure out this movie. Maybe I will dream about it tonight. Or maybe I'll dream that I had a dream about watching the movie.

We wish you a Fockering New Year!

Yep, went to see Little Fockers. Why would I do that after reading the reviews? Sometimes going to the movies has more to do with the people we go with. My aunt Irene had been wanting to see  Little Fockers since the trailers started showing on television in November. So off we went yesterday, my aunt, my daughter and I, a girls' afternoon at the movies.Well, the good news is my aunt loved it, she thoroughly enjoyed the movie. And that's what I care most about. However, the movie really isn't really funny. Jack Byrnes is typical paranoid Jack, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand have small parts. The film doesn't really have a focus other than Jack's continued distrust of his newly deemed family's "God Focker". My suggestion is to save some money and wait for it to be shown on television, And then watch it if you are snowed in and there is nothing else on TV. Or take a nap.