The Parking Lot Movie

The Parking Lot Movie
"Over the course of three years, filmmaker Meghan Eckman tracked the comings and goings of a solitary parking lot in Charlottesville, Va., chronicling the lives of the attendants who were working there. This inspiring documentary is the result. Hanging tough as they navigate the range of human emotion -- from hope to frustration, from a sense of limitless possibilities to stagnation -- the film's subjects embody the pursuit of the American Dream."


4 Stars

The Parking Lot Movie follows the grueling, nay, harrowing plight of a group of rag-tag societal misfits who utilize their unique positions as guardians of the Corner Parking Lot as an opportunity to sternly, but justly, maintain cosmic order in a world teetering on the edge of oblivion.

But seriously though, this movie is fucking brilliant, an all too rare tribute to the everyman.  It starts out as a quirky documentary about the different personalizes and societal perceptions held by a group of guys who are all bound together one thing, their job as booth workers at a pay parking lot in Charlottesville, Virginia.  But it eventually develops into a more substantial social commentary on our class system and the odd personas people can take on when they’re behind the wheel of a car.  We get to see firsthand how some of us can get almost lost in a sense of entitlement just because we’re driving a vehicle with four wheels.  And sometimes, unfortunately, that entitlement manifests itself into a way of treating other people that’s dismissive and, to some extent, cruel.

Now, don’t get me wrong, this movie isn’t sad on any level.  Well, I take that back, maybe on some level.  But the dry wit and sarcastic remarks that the attendants make about (and sometimes directly to the face of) their vehicle driving brethren are what makes the movie worth watching.  They are more than forthcoming with their personal opinions about the drivers they do battle with on a daily basis.  Through listening to the attendants express their own existential crises, neuroses, and even a little bit of psychoses, you quickly become a staunch admirer of the mental and moral fortitude it takes to really endure this job. 

You can’t help it, some people are just worthless bags of douche and the guys that are able to put up with them are much better men than I.  Go ahead, play that sad, pathetic ASPCA TV commercial with Sarah McLaughlin and the unwanted puppies as many times as you want in an effort to get me to be a better person.  It probably won’t do much.  But you make me watch this flick and you can be damn sure I’m gonna make the effort to be nicer to my parking lot attendant.

New York, I Love You

New York, I Love You

"Ten vignettes in New York City: a pickpocket meets his match; a young Hasidic woman, on the eve of her marriage, reveals herself to an Indian businessman; a writer tries a pick-up line; an artist seeks a model; a composer needs to read; two women connect; a man takes a child to Central Park; lovers meet; a couple takes a walk on their anniversary; a kid goes to the prom with a girl in a wheelchair; a retired singer contemplates suicide. There are eight million stories in the naked city: these have been ten of them."


4 Stars


This isn’t a movie for the casual viewer. Hell, this isn’t even a movie, it’s a film. It’s very important that your understand that going in. It’s not going to have your normal plot lines and story arcs, and there isn’t really going to be a resolution at the end. The way that I interpret it is that this is a snap shot of several lives. This is a film compiled of 10 very different segments directed by 10 very different filmmakers with one unifying theme, the hope for love. Because of this, your opinion of the film needs to be based on the whole thing instead of each segment because it truly is a sum of its parts.

Technically this is a “sequel” to the film Paris je t’aime (Paris, I Love You). I haven’t seen that film, but I do plan to because I think it will give me a better perspective on this film. Because the stories are so different, I think each viewer’s experience will be unique. Some people may end up taking different things from the stories than I did. Some segments that I hated may be the ones that you most connect with, and I think that’s really the point of the movie. That being said, here is my quick rundown of the stories:

SEGMENT 1 – This one is forgettable. Andy Garcia still plays the role of “intimidating man” to a T. If God himself were to square off with Andy Garcia, I truly think he could make the Almighty cry. Unfortunately he’s the only good thing in this segment. As usual Hayden Christensen exemplifies the stereotype that you don’t have to be a good actor as long as you’re pretty. Rachel Bilson tries to make her performance memorable, but it feels forced and she and Christiansen just look like rookies in the presences of a veteran Garcia.

SEGMENT 2 – This one is confusing. It feels like it is trying to convey something meaningful, but I just can’t discern what that is. Natalie Portman and Irrfan Khan portray two people who seem imprisoned by the life paths they have been forced to choose. Their only way of coping with the suppressed sadness is trough witty, sometimes sexual banter they exchange in their business dealings with one another.

SEGMENT 3 – This is another one that’s just forgettable. Orlando Bloom does a good job at playing the starving artist trying to stay true to himself, but the mysterious chemistry that he and Christina Ricci develop through a phone relationship completely fizzles to me when they finally meet face to face.

SEGMENT 4 – This one is GREAT! The entire story is just a dialogue between Ethan Hawke and Maggie Q on a New York street corner, but it stands head and shoulders above the rest. The writing is at a level I haven’t seen in a while in any film, and the back and forth between Hawke and Q really develops it into something poignant. Plus there is a slight twist at the end that really makes it one of if not THE best vignettes out there.

SEGMENT 5 – Can’t say too much about this one. Don’t get me wrong, I think Anton Yelchin and Olivia Thirlby are two solid up and comers in Hollywood, but I can’t see any reason that they included this story line other than for comedic relief.

SEGMENT 6 – This is the ones that seems the most “real” to me. Bradley Cooper and Drea de Matteo separately re-hash the one night stand they just spent together and struggle to decide if they should risk ruining a perfect memory with an attempt to recreate it.

SEGMENT 7 – I really need someone to explain this one to me. It seems like a very artsy, dramatic story full of metaphors, but again I wasn’t able to get my head around it. I almost found myself going out and buying the Cliff’s Notes just so I could figure out what exactly happened in the story. Visually, though, I have to admit it was beautiful.

SEGMENT 8 – This one was very different than all the rest in the sense that “love” in this story was really about the platonic love between a father and daughter. It was pretty brief, but definitely carried enough weight to be able tug at the heart strings a little bit.

SEGMENT 9 – Another artsy-er segment and, ironically enough, this one centered around an actual artist. It’s kind of interesting because neither the artist nor the muse that he has chosen can really communicate because they don’t speak the same language. Even without words, though, they seem to have a relationship that connects them more than most.

SEGMENT 4 (PART II) – I’m not sure why these two stories were considered the same segment because they don’t really tie in together which is why I am saying it is Part II. In this portion of the segment, Chris Cooper and Robyn Wright Penn have an intriguing conversation about how relationships can change over time and whether marriage really is for everyone.

SEGMENT 10 – This may take the title as my favorite. Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman are old school Hollywood icons that I could watch anytime. Their portrayal of an aging married couple is definitely one that will make you smile, laugh, and even maybe cry.

So, with all these different stories, what can you really say about the film? For starters it’s unique. It’s fun but sad. It’s random but precise. It’s overwhelming but lacking. It’s narcissistic but humble. It’s eye-rolling but tender. It’s vibrant. It’s desolate. It’s uplifting. It’s depressing. It’s intense. It’s dull. It’s real. It’s fake. . . . It’s New York.

In Bruges: Robyn's Response

(Todd's review here)

4 Stars

I was in love with Colin Farrell when I was younger. Three friends and I even formed the CFFC: Colin Farrell Fan Club. As I grew older and wiser, I realized that Colin is a hit-or-miss actor, with mostly misses (Miami Vice, Alexander, and The New World, just to name a few). But there are a handful of movies where he really shines: Tigerland (one of my few 5 star movies), Phone Booth, and In Bruges.

In Bruges started off slow for me, and I was just starting to lose interest when things started picking up. I originally thought this was going to be another fast-paced British crime story, but it's grittier and more realistic than that. It has it's violence and dark humor; it's got layers. I loved the interaction between Colin Farrell (Ray) and Brendan Gleeson (Ken). And while Farrell is good, Gleeson is the one who really carries the movie. Ray has baggage, but Ken is helping him shoulder it.

The ending was great, and not what I was expecting. I love it when that happens.

In Bruges

In Bruges

"The Irish hit-men Ken and Ray are sent by the Londoner mobster Harry Waters to the medieval Belgium city of Bruges in Christmas after an awry job in a London church. Ray bungles it. While Ken enjoys the historic city, Ray feels completely bored and misses his home. Ray meets the small time drug-dealer and crook Chloë, who sells drug to the cast and crew of a movie that is filmed in Bruges, and has an incident with a Canadian tourist and later with Chloë's boyfriend. Meanwhile Harry, who has an stringent code of principles, gives Ken special orders."

4 Stars

I completely admit that I may be biased because I was actually in Bruges about a month ago, but I really like this movie. It is definitely one of those weird-in-a-good-way films. Colin Farrell plays a wet behind the ears hit man under the tutelage of Brendan McCann. The movie opens interestingly enough with them engaged in witty banter that you really have to pay attention to. Not only is the writing smart, but both actors’ accents are so thick that you sometimes wonder if they’re talking gibberish just to see if you’re paying attention. The mentor/mentee relationship is evident and amusing, especially since Ken is absolutely enamored to be in the “fairy tale” like Bruges while Ray is bored out of his mind and can’t wait to get back to the much faster pace of London.

Unfortunately, Ray can’t go back to London because he has committed a terrible mistake. In his first job as a hit man he was sent to assassinate a priest, which he did. What he didn’t plan on was one of his stray bullets killing a nearby 8 year old boy who was getting ready to take confession. This clearly haunts Ray throughout the movie. Even with the heavy subject matter of the movie it does a good job of keeping a humorous attitude that doesn’t let the inhumanity involved in the men’s work overshadow the entire movie. Plus, I don’t think I have heard the name of a movie be actually spoken in that movie more in my life.

There is also an intriguing “code of the hit man” that is explored. Even though their profession would cause a knee jerk reaction of disgust because they take human lives for a living, Ken and Ray bring an aspect of humanity to it. They justify it to themselves by saying that they have only killed bad men or only killed in self defense. And they have a strict code about when and where they kill. In essence, they treat it like an actual job and try not to let it consume them.

Chloe (Clémence Poésy) is another bright spot in the film. I really can’t put my finger on it, but there is something incredibly sexy about her. At first glance she’s not drop dead gorgeous, but something about her personality just draws you in. Plus, she has one of the coolest/sexiest moments that I have seen in a long time. When Ken initially asks her out to dinner she just laughs and walks away, leaving us to believe that she is blowing him off. But after she gets about 20 feet away she drops a card with her phone number over her shoulder without even glancing back or breaking stride. I don’t know how to explain it, but watch the scene and tell me you don’t have the same reaction that Colin Farrell does.

If you still aren’t convinced to rent this movie, then I have three words for you: Midgets, Hookers, and Cocaine. If that doesn’t get your Spidey Sense tingling, nothing will. Now, I will admit that the ending fell a little flat for me. There is a metaphor involving some miscommunication that just feels forced. And, I don’t think I’m giving anything away, the movie ends on sort of a cliff hanger. While I think the last scene is executed very well, I don’t like the fact that a movie ends on a cliff hanger. You can do that with a TV show or a movie where a sequel is inevitable, but rarely can you get away with that in a standalone movie.

Up In The Air

Up in the Air
"Ryan Bingham's job is to fire people from theirs. The anguish, hostility, and despair of his "clients" has left him falsely compassionate, living out of a suitcase, and loving every second of it. When his boss hires arrogant young Natalie, she develops a method of video conferencing that will allow termination without ever leaving the office - essentially threatening the existence Ryan so cherishes. Determined to show the naive girl the error of her logic, Ryan takes her on one of his cross country firing expeditions, but as she starts to realize the disheartening realities of her profession, he begins to see the downfalls to his way of life."

4 stars

I would watch a movie of George Clooney reading the phone book. And I bet I'm not the only one. His charm and likeabilty carries this movie - and that's not bad thing. His character Ryan fires people for a living, and we sympathize him!

The script for the movie is based on a book written back in 2001, mere months before September 11 changed flying forever. Ryan had the same job back then, but it's even more powerful in today's economic climate. And all those people he fires in the movie? With the exception of one or two recognizable actors, they are all real recently laid-off workers.

The firing isn't really what this movie is about, though. It's about people and our connections. Ryan has none (unless you count his assistant) until he meets a fellow (female) jet-setter. Meanwhile, he's schooling young Natalie about life on the road, which has its own effects on him as well as her. It comes to a head (or so you think) at his sister's wedding in his hometown.

The ending is not cookie-cutter, and for someone who ALWAYS sees it coming, I didn't see it coming. It wasn't shocking or out of left field, just different.

Pretty enjoyable.

The Visitor

The Visitor

"In Connecticut, the widower and lonely Professor Walter Vale has a boring life. He teaches only one class at the local college and is trying to learn how to play the piano, despite not having the necessary musical talent. Walter is assigned to attend a conference about Global Policy and Development at the New York University, where he is to give a lecture about a paper that he is coauthor on. When he arrives at his apartment in New York, he finds Tarek Khalil, a syrian musician, and Zainab, a Senegalese street vendor living there. He sympathizes with the situation of the illegal immigrants and invites the couple to stay with him. Tarek invites him to go to his gig in the Jules Live Jazz and Walter is fascinated with his African drum. Tarek offers to teach Walter to play the drum. However, after an incident in the subway, Tarek is arrested by the police and sent to a detention center of immigrants. Walter hires a lawyer to defend Tarek and out of the blue, Tarek's mother Mouna appears at Walter's apartment from Michigan. He invites her to stay in Tarek's room and while trying to release Tarek, Walter and Mouna get close to each other and he finds a reason to live an exciting life again."

4 Stars

If you can get past the initial premise to this movie, then it opens up a whole bevy of emotions and really ends up being a beautiful film. The reason that I say that you need to get past the premise is that I think it is somewhat improbable. Walter (Richard Jenkins) returns home from a semester teaching in Connecticut to find two illegal immigrants living in his New York City apartment. It is really no one’s fault as Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Jekesai Gurira) were duped by a man posing as a landlord to the building through whom they thought they were leasing the apartment legally. In an act of extreme kindness (and slight stupidity) Walter allows the couple to stay with him until they find somewhere else to go. This is, in my opinion, the improbable aspect of the movie. How many of us would feel safe or comfortable with ANY stranger living under the same roof in this day and age? I don’t think I’m paranoid to think that I wouldn’t be as gracious as Walter. None the less, he does offer his hospitality and the movie goes on from there.

Walter is shown as a very simple man who has become more and more detached from people and his job since the death of his wife. His indifference is shown when he simply whites out the year on his college course’s syllabus rather than putting forth the effort of creating a new one for the semester. Even the reason for him returning to New York shows the lack of passion he feels for his job. He is forced to present a paper (for which he is the co-author) at a conference in New York. It turns out that he didn’t actually do any work on the paper; he just lent his name out to a colleague since he has such a solid academic reputation. Walter tries to convince himself that he is so unengaged with the course he is teaching because he is so focused on writing his own book, but he even has trouble convincing himself of that. The only glimpse of internal struggle we see is the fact that he apparently is trying very hard to learn the piano, a desire probably resulting from the fact that his late wife was a concert pianist.

His very mundane life is turned on its ear with the appearance of Tarek and his girlfriend. Walter immediately becomes very close to Tarek, a relationship that I think is based on the common feeling that both men have of being an outsider. Tarek is an outsider in the country and Walter seems to be an outsider in his own life. Zainab and Walter don’t have as strong of a connection, but they do get along. Walter is fascinated with the African Drum that Tarek plays every day in Washington Square park, so much so that Tarek eventually offers to teach him how to play. Things turn badly though when Tarek is arrested for a minor offense and, in turn, faces possible deportation back to Syria. Tarek’s arrest brings Tarek’s mother into Walter’s life and they experience a very interesting relationship, one that is probably the most sincere that Walter has had in a long time.

The best thing about this movie is that it doesn’t really follow any formula. I’m not saying that there are shocking plot twists, but more than once I was expecting a generic plot element to happen and it never did. The aspect was either left to the imagination or a completely different plot aspect was introduced. The acting is also brilliant. There is a constant feeling that the emotions that actors are trying to convey are raw and real. I can’t really explain why the performances stand out the way they do other than to say these people truly understood the material they were working with. So much so that Richard Jenkins was actually nominated for an Academy Award for his role. That really says something because his film was substantially less widely known than any of his fellow nominees’. The Visitor is just a movie about a guy who seems to be lost in his life at an age where most people seem to have everything figured out. It turns out this uncertainty is really a blessing in disguise in the fact that Walter ends up meeting people and doing things that he might never have had the chance to otherwise.

Big Night

Big Night

"Primo and Secondo are two brothers who have emigrated from Italy to open an Italian restaurant in America. Primo is the irascible and gifted chef, brilliant in his culinary genius, but determined not to squander his talent on making the routine dishes that customers expect. Secondo is the smooth front-man, trying to keep the restaurant financially afloat, despite few patrons other than a poor artist who pays with his paintings. The owner of the nearby Pascal's restaurant, enormously successful (despite its mediocre fare), offers a solution - he will call his friend, a big-time jazz musician, to play a special benefit at their restaurant. Primo begins to prepare his masterpiece, a feast of a lifetime, for the brothers' big night..."

4 Stars

I will tell you one thing for sure about this movie, it will make you hungry. Big Night is a story of a failing Italian restaurant on the Jersey Shore in the 1950s. It is run by Secondo (Stanley Tucci) and his chef/older brother Primo (Tony Shaloub). If you speak Italian or Spanish, you will get the irony of their names.

To be honest, there is not a lot of flash or style to this movie, but I still think it’s really good. At the heart of the film is the relationship of two brothers. Secondo constantly wrestles with the business side of the restaurant and is perpetually getting closer and closer to selling out in order to have a successful business. He can pander to the locals and give them the “Americanized” Italian food that works so well for their competitor restaurant down the street or he can stay true to his Italian heritage and produce good quality food. For Primo the issue is much clearer. He will see the restaurant close and move back to Italy before he compromises even the slightest degree of quality of his food. Because of this, they do what brothers do and butt heads constantly over the future of the restaurant. In the end though, they prove that family is the most important thing. The final scene is about 5 minutes long, but there are no words spoken. Instead, they speak volumes with just their actions and you are left with a truly heartwarming feeling. If you appreciate good acting, this is definitely a movie I would recommend seeing.

84 Charing Cross Road

84 Charing Cross Road

"When feisty New York City writer Helene Hanff (Anne Bancroft) mails a note to a small London bookshop asking for some rare English classics, reserved bookseller Frank Doel (Anthony Hopkins) answers her request, beginning a touching and humorous correspondence. Across two continents and over the course of 20 years, Frank and Helene come to rely on the extraordinary friendship stemming from their intimate missives."

4 stars

This is a movie for book lovers, period. Anyone else will find it too slow, too boring, too gentle. But as a book lover, I greatly enjoyed it. The epistolary style (think You've Got Mail) is a favorite of mine, and the fact that the movie is based on the book which is based on the actual letters between Helene Hanff and Frank Doel just makes it all the sweeter. And I love Anne Bancroft, who is great in this role (but then, when isn't she?). There's no contrived romantic tensions, just the simple, honest story of genuine friendship. Enjoyable, stress-free, and comforting to watch.

One Day in September

One Day in September

"The 1972 Munich Olympics were interrupted by Palestinian terrorists taking Israeli athletes hostage. Besides footage taken at the time, we see interviews with the surviving terrorist, Jamal Al Gashey, and various officials detailing exactly how the police, lacking an anti-terrorist squad and turning down help from the Israelis, botched the operation."

4 stars

For those of you who don't know, this film is an Academy Award winning documentary of the horrifying events of the 1972 Summer Olympic Games. If you've seen Munich, these are the actual events that caused to the retaliatory Jewish team to hunt down the responsible Palestinians.

The story is just sad and tragic because so many things could have prevented the deaths of these athletes. The German government was actually intentionally lax on their security around the Olympic Village because they were still trying to shake the infamy of the Nazi regime that had misused the Berlin Olympics four decades earlier. In a cruel twist of fate, some American athletes actually helped the terrorists climb the wall to the village because they themselves were sneaking back in after a night out on the town. Even after the kidnapping began, the German government basically botched every possible decision they could even allowing the games to go on while the police were negotiating.

The event also marked an important turning point in broadcast journalism that really can't be fully understood by anyone who is younger than 45 years old. This was really the first time that a major international event had gone down live on 24 hour television. Today we take that for granted because there are a plethora of 24 hour cable networks, but this was something completely new to the world. The gathering of information, however, doesn't seem to have changed in 37 years because everyone seemed to stumble through the same kind of misinformation and false reports that cause so much confusion today. Even the broadcast itself stalled one rescue attempt by a German police squad because, yes, the terrorists were actually able to see the planned attack on the television they had in the hostages' apartment. The younger of us have still probably seen the chilling footage when the late Jim McKay, anchor for ABC news, looks into the camera and somberly says, "They're all gone."

The documentarian did a great job and some unbelievably exhaustive research. He was even able to get an interview with the sole remaining terrorist who had to give the interview with a blurred face and altered voice. The movie doesn't hold back either. It is very matter-of-fact with what happened minute by minute and is able to convey the simultaneous fear of the people who knew what was going on and the obliviousness of the surrounding athletes who still had no idea. He also makes some good selection with the music that keeps the pace moving pretty well. You need to be prepared though, because a few scenes contain some pretty graphic images. In the end, you are really just left scratching your head at how an event meant to be so peaceful and politically neutral could turn into such a scene of hate and violence.

The Lookout

The Lookout

“An admired high school hockey player (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) with a bright future foolishly takes a drive in the night with his girl friend and two other friends with his headlights off with devastating results. The former athlete is left with a brain injury that prevents him from remembering many things for extended periods of time. To compensate, he keeps notes in a small notebook to aid him in remembering what he is to do. He also lives with a blind friend (Jeff Daniels) who aids him. Obviously, with the mental incapacitation, he is unable to have meaningful work. Thus he works as a night cleaning man in a bank. It is there he comes under the scrutiny of a gang planning to rob the bank. The leader (Matthew Goode) befriends him and gets him involved with a young woman (Isla Fisher) who further reels him in. After they get close and after reeling him in with his own failures, the bank plan unfolds. Confused but wanting to escape his current existence, he initially goes along with the scheme. After realizing he is being used, he attempts to stop the robbery, which of course immediately goes awry. Bruce McGill and Alberta Watson also co-star as the young man's parents, who still search for the person that was there before the tragic crash.”

4 stars

Let me start out by saying that this is a good movie. Scratch that, this is a really good movie. If you’ve seen the great movie that is ‘Memento’, then you will identify with this movie immediately. They have very similar feels and plot lines. But it’s not fair to say that this is a ‘Memento’ knock off because this film has a personality all its own. We open up with Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and three of his friends driving down a country road the night of prom. It’s a really beautiful scene in which Chris turns off his headlights so everyone can see the wave of fireflies that lines the countryside. His arrogance is obvious, though, and eventually causes a wreck with a stalled combine in the road that leaves two friends dead, Chris’ girlfriend without a limb, and Chris with major brain damage.

The story really begins a few years later with Chris living in a dump of an apartment with a sage-like blind roommate played by Jeff Daniels. Chris is functional and his memory loss is not as prevalent as the protagonist in ‘Memento’, but he has a major problem with sequencing. Because of this, he must write all of his daily routine down in a notebook so he can remember how to get through the day. The good news is that he does seem to be progressing, but the internal conflict is gut wrenching. In an instant he went from being a smart, charming, promising athlete to a guy who can only handle the monotonous job of being a night janitor at the local bank. Further layers are added when we learn that Chris’ family is very rich and his father VERY demanding. Chris has chosen to live in squalor, however, as penance for his selfish actions which also include him visiting the site of his crash every week to remind him (as he puts it), “. . . just how big a piece of shit . . .” he is.

Enter Gary Spargo, a supposed former classmate of Chris’ older sister. Unbeknownst to Chris, Gary knows absolutely everything about him, the way he feels about himself, how the injury has affected him, and the routine he repeats daily. Gary (played by an astounding Matthew Goode) uses all of this information to masterfully manipulate Chris into becoming an unwitting accomplice to their planned bank robbery.

The performances really stand out in this movie. Gary makes his manipulation effortless, so much so that I almost wanted to join up with his bank crew. His ability to make all of the people around him do exactly what he wants is impressive and a bit unsettling. Jeff Daniels also did a spectacular job of playing a convincing blind man. So many time people turn a blind person into a cartoon and it really detracts from the movie. This is not the case here. Last, but not least, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is just awesome. Apparently he would deprive himself of sleep and work out intensely right before scenes in order to give the character a very disoriented feel. Needless to say it worked because we totally buy Chris as a mentally damaged young man.

As with any movie, it is not without its drawbacks. To me the heist itself and the ensuing actions by Chris lack the intelligence that had been prevalent in the entire movie leading up to that point. There are also several storylines that are left open ended regarding Chris’ father, Chris’ love interest (Isla Fisher), and the police officer who brings Chris donuts every night during work. But when you look at the film as a whole, these are only minor critiques and shouldn’t detract from the film’s effect. Ultimately the movie is about anger, remorse, and eventually redemption, and it’s one of the better ones that I have seen in a while.

Sita Sings the Blues

Sita Sings the Blues
"India's ancient epic Ramayana gets a fresh, funny makeover in this award-winning animated film. With song and humor, director Nina Paley juxtaposes the split between Rama and Sita with her own divorce to tell "the greatest break-up story ever told." Original 1920s recordings of singer Annette Hanshaw give musical voice to Sita, while amusing shadow puppets provide the narration for the colorful story."

4 stars

You have to pay attention when watching this movie, especially if you aren't at all familiar with the Ramayana. The storyline is told four ways, each with its own distinctive style. The visuals are really beautiful, and when paired with the music (a combination of traditional Indian music and 1920s tune by Annette Hanshaw), the movie is really breathtaking.  The director tries to lighten up the movie a bit, and the story is told with some levity that helps to lighten the rather dark story of Sita. "LOLspeak" is even a caption option! Overall, this movie is fun to look at and listen to, but it helps to do some research first or else you'd be really lost.

Wolverine

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
"It's the story of how Wolverine became Wolverine. Do  you really need a summary?"

4 stars

I love movies based on comic books. There's action and comic relief and great characters. I especially like origin stories and prequels because you get to learn the backgrounds of your favorite heroes.

Wolverine (the movie) is a little melodramatic and anvil-y*. But it's based on a comic book, so what did you expect? The good thing is, since Wolverine (the character) is basically part of the pop culture canon, we don't get a lot of unnecessary exposition and explanation. Yes, essentially the whole move is exposition, but the movie doesn't waste time on things like what a mutant is or explaining the whole X-Men universe.  If you don't know who the X-Men are or if you don't care, this movie isn't for you. If you're like me, you'll love seeing cameos from your favorite mutants (Hi Gambit!), no matter how much the actor's accent wavers (Hi Taylor Kitsch!), and you might even squeal a little bit at the final scene (after the credits).

Is this movie gonna win any Oscars? Hell no. But it's enjoyable, and that's good enough for me. Not every movie needs to change my life - I'm happy to be simply entertained for a few hours.

*Anvils, anvil-y, anvilicious: Referring metaphorically to the cartoon practice of dropping a big, heavy anvil onto a character. When I use the term, it means that a movie uses really heavy-handed and obvious plot points or movie techniques to get a point across, rather than giving the audience some credit for being able to figure out subtle nuances. 

Trainspotting

Trainspotting
"A wild, freeform, Rabelaisian trip through the darkest recesses of Edinburgh low-life, focusing on Mark Renton and his attempt to give up his heroin habit, and how the latter affects his relationship with family and friends: Sean Connery wannabe Sick Boy, dimbulb Spud, psycho Begbie, 14-year-old girlfriend Diane, and clean-cut athlete Tommy, who's never touched drugs but can't help being curious about them..."

4 stars

"Good thing comes to those who wait." That's the concept that came to mind while I was watching Trainspotting. If you're not ready for this movie, it's going to knock you on your ass. The story hits the ground running and immediately throws you into a life of squalor and hardcore drug use. Luckily, there's a tongue-in-cheek feel to some of the scenes that keeps us from falling into a deep depression over the stark reality of what exactly is going on.

The first half hour is not for the faint of heart. There is a scene at "The Worst Toilet in Scotland" that is sure to make Grandma and Grandpa switch over to Wheel of Fortune, and another scene at the breakfast table that has equally shocking "fecal comedy". But in looking back, I think the movie was written this way on purpose to weed out casual movie goers who are not going to appreciate (and in this case deserve) the brilliance of the film.

At about the halfway point, you start to realize two things. The first is that this movie is visually astounding. The influence of "A Clockwork Orange" is evident both literally (in one bar scene) and figuratively with regard to the ingenious camera angles and usage of lighting and reflection. The second thing you realize is that EVERYONE in the cast really can act. You almost forget that you're watching a movie and let yourself slip into the notion that it's actually a documentary. The range of emotion goes from boyishly silly to disturbingly dark almost seamlessly, and the actors pull it off very well.

Now, it's not without its drawbacks. The "love story" between Renton and Diane is grossly underdeveloped and not necessarily even needed in the plot. And the fact that no one in the group ever stands up to the sociopathic, ultra-violent Begbie leaves some sense of incompleteness. But the film tends to stay true to itself and the cult-classic novel it is based off of. In the end, like in life, the characters haven't changed much. There is some progress made, most notably in Renton, but most everyone remains the same. It doesn't fall into the trap of Hollywood movies that take a protagonist from near-death-drug-addict all the way to picturesque-family-man in a mere 90 minutes.

It's real, almost too real. And you come to realize that this movie had to be made in the United Kingdom because a puritanical American production would have butchered it until it had the same emotional significance of Half Baked. In fact, two pivotal scenes were actually removed for the US release because they were deemed to graphic. So, make sure to get the director's cut and see why BAFTA has ranked this movie as the 10th most significant British movie of all time.


Robyn's response:
3 stars

I watched Trainspotting over two years ago, and there are certain images that are burned in my mind. The diarrhea and the suppositories, the filthy apartment that causes Tommy to die of toxoplasmosis (from the cat's litter box), Tommy's dead body, the baby's dead body, and the most scarring of all, the dead baby crawling on the ceiling.

On the other hand, I had to go to wikipedia to read a plot summary and refresh my memory. So does this mean it's a good film or a bad film? Am I just remembering the shocking scenes for their shock value? Or was it good cinematography? Did I block the story from my memory because it was so damn depressing? Or because the story just wasn't that memorable?

Sugar

Sugar
"After he catches the eye of a scout while playing in his native Dominican Republic, baseball prospect Miguel "Sugar" Santos is recruited to play in the minor leagues in the Midwest, where he has difficultly adapting both on and off the field. As much a story about the promise of the American dream as it is about America's national pastime, this film dramatizes the hard lessons learned when hope and reality clash."

4 stars

I love baseball movies, but this isn't a movie only about baseball. It's the story of going from a big fish in a small pond to a very small fish in a very big pond. It's heartbreaking to watch Sugar more or less alone in a country where he doesn't understand the language (except for "fly ball," "home run, " and "I got it! I got it!"). The movie kind of derailed from my expectations in the end, but I like it when movies don't follow the canon. Because of this movie, I'll look at the guys in my local minor league games with a lot of respect. And even the major league guys - they work hard to get where they are.

Minus one point for using a cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah (even if it was in Spanish). That song has become a crutch for directors wanting to convey something emotional and weepy. It's a good song but over used.

Away We Go

Away We Go
"A couple who is expecting their first child travel around the U.S. in order to find a perfect place to start their family. Along the way, they have misadventures and find fresh connections with an assortment of relatives and old friends who just might help them discover "home" on their own terms for the first time."

4 stars

I love John Krasinski, and I love Maya Rudolph. John Krasinski played a less-full-of-himself version of Jim from The Office, which is a good thing. And who knew Maya Rudolph could play it straight? There were a couple surprisingly funny scenes (Jim Gaffigan has a role), but there were moments that were too cliche and obvious (I'm looking at you, Maggie Gyllenhaal). The soundtrack tried a little too hard to be "indie," but the movie was overall enjoyable and I recommend it.