My April 2008 Viewings

Includes my personal ratings.
Recommended DVDs in bold.
Underlined titles are direct links to reviews.

In The Valley Of Elah 04/30/08 (B)
Two Weeks 04/29/08 (B)
Black Beauty 04/28/08 (A-)
December Boys 04/27/08 (C+)
Thank You For Smoking 04/26/08 (B)
2006 Academy Award Animated Short Films 04/25/08 (B+)
2006 Academy Award Live Action Short Films 04/25/08 (B+)
There Will Be Blood 04/24/08 (C+)
I Like Killing Flies 04/24/08 (B-)
The Savages 04/23/08 (A-)
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead 04/22/08 (B)
Monarch of the Glen 3:1 04/21/08 (B)
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story 04/19/08 (B-)
I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With 04/18/08 (D)
The Kite Runner 04/17/08 (A)
Juno 04/15/08 (B)
Martian Child 04/14/08 (A)
Tara Road 04/13/08 (C)
American Women 04/12/08 (B)
Reservation Road 04/11/08 (B)
Margot at the Wedding 04/10/08 (C-)
Ma Vie en Rose (1997) 04/09/08 (B+)
Monarch of the Glen 2:2 04/06/08 (B)
Dexter 1:1 04/05/08 (C-)
Trade 04/04/08 (B)
Death at a Funeral 04/03/08 (C)
Seven 04/02/08 (B-)
No Country For Old Men 04/01/08 (B)

In The Valley Of Elah (2007)

The Impact of War

Career military veteran Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) and his wife Joan (Susan Sarandon) are happy to know their son Mike (Jonathan Tucker) is safely back in the USA after 18 months serving in Iraq. But their joy turns to confusion and concern when Hank is called by Mike's commanding officer to say that Mike is AWOL from the base in New Mexico.

Knowing how uncharacteristic that would have been for Mike, Hank Deerfield heads to New Mexico to find out what is going on. A day later, Mike's body is found in the desert, burned and cut into pieces.

Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) has begun working the case but Lt. Kirklander (Jason Patric) decides the crime was committed on military property and therefore falls under the jurisdiction of the US Government rather than the local police. Sander's boss, Chief Buchwald (Josh Brolin), is happy to be rid of the case and he and other officers on his staff scoff at Sanders' interest in being involved in the investigation.

Deerfield hits a wall of frustration in trying to deal with Kirklander and Kirklander's obvious intention of not doing much to solve the case, so Deerfield solicites the help of Detective Sanders to unravel the complicated situation that lead to the death of his son.

Mike's buddies -- Corporal Penning (Wes Chatham), Spc. Bonner (Jake McLaughlin), Spc. Long (Mehcad Brooks) and Pvt. Ortiz (Victor Wolf) -- are questioned and Deerfield and Saunders continue to probe deeper and deeper into the horrors of war and post-traumatic shock syndrome.

Screenplay and directed by Paul Haggis; based on a true incident.

Rated R for violent and disturbing content, language and some sexuality/nudity.

My personal rating: B

Two Weeks (2006)

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Defining Moments

Anita Bergman Cranston (Sally Fields) is dying of cancer. Her daughter, Emily Bergman (Julianne Nicholson), has called together Anita's three sons to join her for the last days.

The oldest son, Keith (Ben Chaplin), comes quickly and knows he has estate issues to deal with before his mother passes. Barry (Thomas Cavanagh), a high-powered businessman, is resentful of losing work time to be present and figures he'll only be there a matter of days. The youngest son, Matthew (Glenn Howerton), who feels like he's always been the outcast of the family, arrives late and brings his shrewish wife Katrina (Clea DuVall).

What was thought to be a visit of a few days for all, stretches into two weeks with the siblings and Anita interaction with each other to come to terms with their family issues and Anita's immenent death. In the process, Anita's husband Jim (James Murtaugh) is feeling the sting of being pushed aside by his stepchildren.

This bittersweet story is rich in humor yet tender as the adult children come to their own terms.

Written and directed by Steve Stockman.

Rated R for language, including some sexual references.

My personal rating: B

Black Beauty (1994)

Good places

make good horses

I've seen several film versions of this classic Anna Sewell story but none has been more beautiful than this particular Warner Bros. production.

Black Beauty (voice by Alan Cumming) recounts the story of his life including the time he spent with kindly owners like farmer Grey (Sean Bean), Squire Gordon (Peter Davison), and hansom cabbie Jerry Barker (David Thewlis); the neglect he endured at the hands of young stablehand Joe Green (Andrew Knott); and the brutalization suffered at the hands of Lady Wexmire (Eleanor Bron), stableman Reuben (Alun Armstrong); and the final kindness of young Joe Green, now grown up (Ian Kelsey) who remembered Beauty from long ago.

Beauty also reminisces about his dear friend, the chestnut mare Ginger, and the white pony Merrylegs.

The marvelous musical score by Danny Elfman thoroughly enhances the quality of this film. And the cinematography is amazing!

Directed by Caroline Thompson.

Rated G.

My personal rating: A-

December Boys (2007)

Four boys -- Maps (Daniel Radcliffe), Misty (Lee Cormie), Sparks (Christian Byers) and Spit (James Fraser) -- live in an orphanage in Australia's outback. All their birthdays are celebrated in December which creates a special bond between them.

When the Reverend Mother (Judi Farr) and Father Scully (Frank Gallacher) announce that a kindly benefactor has made it possible for the boys to have a December holiday, they are off to a small cove community on the gorgeous coast where they are to live with an old seaman Bandy (Jack Thompson) and his wife Skipper (Kris McQuade).

Here the boys meet Fearless Forte (Sullivan Stapleton), a motorcycle stuntman at the nearby carnival, and his Spanish wife Teresa (Victoria Hill), a teenage girl (Teresa Palmer) visiting her uncle, and a crusty old fisherman (Ralph Cotterill). They also freely explore the area as their own bonds grow. But when the boys discover that Fearless and Teresa may be interested in adopting one of the boys, their loyalty to each other is tested.

Adapted from a novel by Michael Noonan and directed by Rod Hardy.

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, nudity, underage drinking and smoking.

My personal rating: C+

Thank You for Smoking (2005)

The Yuppie Mephistopheles

Spin doctor Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) is a lobbyist for the tobacco industry and is up against Senator Ortolan Finistirre's (William H. Macy) campaign to put skull and crossbones images on each pack of cigarettes sold in the USA. Naylor is also encouraging youthful smoking while still trying to be a role model for his young son Joey (Cameron Bright).

Naylor's boss BR (J.K. Simmons) and the "old man" of the tobacco industry (Robert Duvall) urge Naylor on when he tries to buy off the Marlboro Man who is dying of cancer (Sam Elliott) and making inroads with a movie merchandise placement agent (Rob Lowe) to get smokes in more films. Meanwhile, journalist Heather Holloway (Katie Holmes) is using her feminine charm to gather enough information on Naylor to bring him down.

Naylor regularly lunches with two other lobbyists -- Polly Bailey (Maria Bello), who represents the alcohol contingent, and Bobby Jay Bliss (David Koechner) from the gun industry.

Directed by Jason Reitman and based on a novel by Christopher Buckley.

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

My personal rating: B

2006 Academy Award Animated Short Films

A fine collection of the 2006 Academy Award Nominated Live Action and Animated Short Films.

Animated Shorts:

The Danish Poet
This charming Oscar winner tells the story of how a Danish poet met a Norwegian farm girl, fell in love, and eventually married. It couldn't be better summed up than is presented in the narration: "But had it not been for the Danish poet and Sigrid Undset, a rainy summer in Norway, a slippery barn plank, a careless mailman, a hungry goat, a broken thumb, and a crowded train, my parents might never have met and who knows I might still be a little seed floating around in the sky waiting for someone to come and get me." Written and directed by Torill Kove, narrated by Liv Ullman. Made in Norway: run time 15 minutes.

Maestro
With a concerto playing in the background, the Maestro and his mechanical assistant prepare for the Maestro's big event. A clever short with a surprising and fun ending. Written and directed by Géza M. Tóth. Made in Hungary; run time 5 minutes.

My personal rating: B+

2006 Academy Award Live Action Short Films

A fine collection of the 2006 Academy Award Nominated Live Action and Animated Short Films.

Live Action Films:

West Bank Story
This Oscar winner is a marvelous social satire and a parody of the classic West Side Story. David (Ben Newmark), a Jew, and Fatima (Noureen DeWulf), an Arab, fall into forbidden love and neighboring gangs, the employees of Kosher King and Hummus Hut, are determined to break it up. Directed by Ari Sandel. Made in the USA; run time 21 minutes.

The Saviour
Malcolm (Thom Campbell), a door-to-door evangelist, has a sexual relationship with Carmel (Susan Prior) and comes face-to-face with her husband (Rhys Muldoon) when she wants to break it off. Written and directed by Peter Templeman. Made in Australia; run time 17 minutes.

Helmer & Søn
An elderly man (Per Pallesen) locks himself in a closet at the nursing home and his son Jess (Steen Stig Lommer), who now runs the family business, is summoned to persuade him out. Jess' sister Vibeke (Ditte Hansen) is also called and enters into a chatty conversation through the closet door with their father. Directed by Søren Pilmark. Made in Denmark; run time 13 minutes.

Binta and the Great Idea
Set in Senegal, young Binta (Zeynabou Diallo) tells of her culture and recounts how her cousin Soda (Aminata Sane) is denied an education because her father demands that she stay at home to work instead. Binta helps her own father (Agnile Sambou) to make a significant change in their country. Written and directed by Javier Fesser. Made in Spain; run time 30 minutes.

Éramos Pocos
(One Too Many)
Joaquín (Mariví Bilbao) has suddenly been abandoned by his wife leaving him and his teenage son Fernando (Ramón Barea) to fend for themselves. Even though they've not seen her in a long time, Joaquín and Fernando lure Lourdes (Alejandro Tejerías), the mother-in-law/grandmother, to their home. Lourdes soon realizes that she's been brought their to be their housemaid. Despite their slovenly ways, Lourdes stays on -- but why? Written and directed by Borja Cobeaga. Made in Spain; run time 16 minutes.

My personal rating: B+

I Like Killing Flies (2004)

Macaroni & Cheese Pancakes

Years ago my old friend Larry "Fats" Goldberg told me about an iconclastic restaurateur in Greenwich Village so when I noticed a documentary about Shopsin's, I was eager to see it.

Though the film itself has all the qualities of a film student's earliest efforts (poor camera work, personal vidcam with button microphone attached to interviewees' shirts or handheld close to the interviewees' mouths), it is, in fact, the work of Matthew Mahurin who has a long history of noted music videos. But I didn't let the technique interfer with my enjoyment of this documentary as it essentially fits in with Kenny Shopsin's own indominable and quirky style.

With hundreds of items on the menu (most quite unique), cramped quarters, and Kenny's sometimes profane philosophies and house rules, regulars haunt the place. But beware: Unless you've been to Shopsin's with a regular and have learned the rules, you're just not welcome and will be escorted out. Also, don't even think about entering if your group has more than four people and forget about carry-out -- it isn't done here.

But learning and abiding by the rules is rewarded with the likes of Macaroni & Cheese Pancakes, Taco Fried Steak, Thai Cobb, Corned Beef Latkes, Bleu Cheese Malts, and more.

According to Shopsin, "The basis of all fusion cooking is the sexual tension that occurs when you put the wrong ingredient in an improper dish."

In the film we meet Shopsin's long-enduring wife Eva who knows to walk out the door for fresh air when he's "in a mood,"his college-aged twins, his dedicated employee Juan, several regulars (including writer Calvin Trillin), and wanna-be regulars. We also see Kenny make the decision to move to a new location on Carmine Street after 32 years on Bleeker Street when the building is sold and the new landlord wants to significantly raise his rent.

In 2007 (three years after this documentary was released), Shopsin's moved yet again, this time to the Essex Market on the Lower East side. This joint is even smaller without as much room for Kenny's wild trinkets and the rules have eased but try it if Kenny will let you in -- otherwise check out this documentary.

Rated R for pervasive language.

My personal rating: B-

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a small time California silver miner in the late 1890s when happenstance leads him to oil. Because of his reputation and his image as a solid family man who is raising his young son H.W. (Dillon Freasier), Plainview is able to acquire oil rich land.

Young Paul Sunday (Paul Dano) tips off Plainview to the wealth that may be found on his own father's property. When Plainview approaches the Sunday's parents (David Willis, Christine Olejniczak) he encounters Paul's identical twin Eli (also played by Paul Dano), a sanctimonious evangelist who is set to redeem Plainview's soul -- and profit from the oil find, too.

What follows is the ambitious tale of greed and religion, ruthlessness and deceit, and ultimately madness.

There is an interesting story and considerably intensity in this long film and the thrill of oil coming in reminiscent of that felt in Giant, but the film was no giant in my book. It played out all too tediously and while I wanted to see it through to the end, the end took such a long time to reach. Granted, Giant is an even longer film (3 hours, 21 minutes), but it pulled me along better than this one.

Based on Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil! and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Rated R for some violence.

My personal rating: C+

The Savages (2007)

"Maybe he just forgot who we were."

Wendy Savage (Laura Linney), an aspiring playwright, works temp jobs in NYC. Her estranged brother Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a college professor in Buffalo, NY, is on deadline for a book about Bertold Brecht. Their father Lenny Savage (Philip Bosco), who had been abusive when Wendy and Jon were children, lives in a retirement community in Arizona with his girlfriend of 20-some years.

Though Wendy and Jon have had nothing to do with their father for all those years, they are summoned to Arizona to deal with him after his ladyfriend passes away. Her family is no longer willing to assume responsibility for Lenny now that their own mother is gone.

With great trepedation and not really wanting to face what lies ahead, Wendy and Jon fly to Arizona to find their father sinking into dementia to such a degree that he cannot take care of himself and needing more than assisted living.

Facing the tension between them, Wendy and Jon are forced to also explore the reasons for their distance from their father and each of their own character defects that have kept them both from forming fulfilling interpersonal relationships in their own lives. Wendy, at age 39, has settled for a long-term relationship with a married man (Peter Friedman) who obviously has no plans of leaving his wife. Jon, who is older than Wendy, is willing to let his long-term girlfriend (Cara Seymour) return to Poland because despite his apparent love for her, he is unwilling to commit to marriage which would allow her to remain in the USA.

Written and directed by Tamara Jenkins.

Rated R for some sexuality and language.

My personal rating: A-

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

"Nobody was supposed to get hurt."

Andy Hanson (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is not only embezzling from his employer, he's spending the money on drugs and trying to present an image of success to his wife, Gine (Marisa Tomei). His younger brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) is also in trouble; he's pretty much a slacker, unable to pay his child support, chronically disappointing his young daughter with his inability to provide for her, and he's having an affair with Gina.

Together the brothers plan to at least deal with their financial woes. With Andy as the "idea man" and ability to fence stolen goods and Hank supposedly capable of committing a robbery, they explore the details of robbing a Mom-and-Pop jewelry store in a strip center in an upscale suburb of NYC. But Hank knows he can't really carry it off so he hires a friend, Bobby Lasorda (Brian F. O'Byrne) to do the actual robbery while Hank waits in the getaway car.

Despite Hank's concern, Andy decides the heist would be best done in a place the brothers know well -- the jewelry store owned by their parents Nanette and Charles (Rosemay Harris, Albert Finney). Unfortunately, their accomplice Bobby fails to follow the established rules when he takes a real gun into the jewelry store.

And something goes terribly wrong.

Legendary director Sidney Lumet spins the suspense in an ever-changing series of flashbacks from the viewpoints of the main characters to add layers and layers of the family's history of dysfunction.

When Bobby's widow Chris (Aleksa Palladino), through her brother Jake (Lee Wilkof), demands hush money from Hank, the story escalates even further.

Amy Ryan has a small role as Martha Hanson who has never seemed to have much use for her two brothers.

Rated R for a scene of strong graphic sexuality, nudity, violence, drug use and language.

My personal rating: B

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

Okay, so it isn't the classiest movie you've ever seen. It's rude and crude and smutty and perverse. But it's also a well done and pretty clever parody of Walk the Line, the recent popular film that recounts the story of Johnny Cash, with a bit of Ray (the Ray Charles story), and a few other biopics of top musicians thrown in.

Young Dewey Cox (Conner Rayburn) is just a backwoods country boy, doted on by his mother (Margo Martindale) and detested by his father (Raymond J. Barry) who oft repeats, "The wrong kid died," in reference to Dewey's brother who died young in a tragic accident when Dewey was swinging a machette.

But Dewey grows up (John C. Reilly) to find music and women and battle drug abuse of all kinds and serve time in prison and arise to become a star.

But first he marries Edith (Kristen Wiig), his first sweetheart, who produces baby after baby after baby and endures Dewey's long stretches out of town on tour while constantly reminding him that he can't make it. And, of course, he has a major affair with Darlene (Jenna Fischer) and is lured into drug use by his friend Sam (Tim Meadows). He also seeks advice from the man he discovered him, Hassidic record executive L’Chai’m (Harold Ramis).

Lots of fun cameo roles here including Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly, Jack Black as Paul McCartney, Paul Rudd as John Lennon, Jason Schwartzman as Ringo Starr, plus Eddie Vedder. Lyle Lovett, Jonah Hill, and others.

Directed by Jake Kasden who cowrote the script with Judd Apatow (who produced Superbad, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and many other goofy films and television shows).

Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language.

My personal rating: B-

I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (2006)

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I really enjoy Curb Your Enthusiasm and I usually like films that are off the wall, but I discovered why I'd never heard of CYE's veteran Jeff Garlin's flick. Because it's all cheese with nothing at all to chew on.

As writer, director and lead actor in this meandering Milk Dud, Garlin needs to bear the blame. The whole thing seems to be one long Second City improv that goes nowhere -- but not fast enough.

The premise is that 39-year-old James Aaron (Garlin) still lives with his mother in a small Chicago apartment while doing improv at The Second City and trying to get acting gigs elsewhere. He's failing at his work, has certainly failed in establishing any kind of romantic relationship, and consoles himself with food to the point of morbid obesity.

Conversations with his friend Luca (David Pasquesi) and pathetic attempts at flirting with women seem to be his main activities. He visits Luca's daughter's (Elle Fanning) grade school classroom on career day to tell the kids about his job but he makes some crude remarks that cause the teacher Stella Lewis (Bonnie Hunt) to send James to the school therapist (Amy Sedaris) where James is told that Stella is a "chubby chaser." This only causes him to flirt more with Stella.

He also engages in a strange relationship with Beth (Sarah Silverman), an ice cream shop clerk who gives him free ice cream.

The rest of the film is mostly lackluster cameo spots filled with Garlin's old Second City chums and other comic pals: Dan Castellaneta, Paul Mazursky, Tim Kazurinsky, Joey Slotnick, Richard Klein, Wallace Langham, Gina Gershon, and others.

Do yourself a favor and skip this flick in favor of a pizza or a trip to the gym.

My personal rating: D

The Kite Runner (2007)

"For you, a thousand times over."

Amir (Zekeria Ebrahimi) and Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada) are children of Kabul, Afghanistan in 1978, the days prior to the Soviet invasion. They are best friends despite the fact that Amir's father/baba (Homayoun Ershadi) is a wealthy man while Hassan's father Ali (Nabi Tanha) is Baba's Hazara servant. Baba is very fond of Hassan.

Amir is educated while Hassan isn't, but Amir reads and tells stories to his friend Hassan and persues his dream of being a writer. While his Baba doesn't support his interest in being a writer, his father's best friend Rahim Khan (Shaun Toub) truly encourages the boy.

Together, the boys love to participate in competitive kite fighting and with Hassan's help, Amir wins the Kabul's biggest kite fighting contest of the year. Hassan immediately sets off to find the downed kite of Amir's competitor and Amir follows behind only to find Hassan being beaten and raped by bullies who have harassed Amir for his friendship with an Hazara.

Amir is not courageous enough to step forward to help his friend but instead hides until the bullies have left and Hassan stumbles out of the alleyway. His own guilt about his cowardice causes Amir to distance himself from Hassan and eventually tell a lie about Hassan which results in Ali and Hassan leaving the household.

The following year, with the Soviets looming near Kabal, Amir and his father escape because his father has been outspoken against the communists. The big house is left to be overseen by Rahim Khan. Amir doesn't see Hassan for a last time before departing.

Once in California (after a stay in Pakistan), Amir eventually graduates from community college (as an adult, Amir is played by Khalid Abdalla), much to the joy and pride of his father who is now reduced to employment as a convenience store clerk. The two work together on weekends to make extra money by selling at the flea market in San Jose, and Amir continues to write. It is at the flea market where Amir meets his future wife Soraya (Atossa Leoni), daughter of Afghan General Taheri (Qadir Farookh). Baba and the General arrange the marriage.

Later, Amir and Soraya nurse Baba through his final illness and then Amir sees publication of his first novel, dedicated to Rahim Khan who had always encouraged Amir's writing.

In 2000, Rahim Khan summons Amir to see him in Pakistan. Rahim Khan tells Amir "there is a way to be good again" and Amir is compelled to go.

What follows is Amir's hunt for Hassan's young son Sohrab (Ali Dinesh) in Afghanistan, now under control of the vicious Taliban. Amir is devastated by the condition of his homeland and is in danger of being discovered as someone from America.

This is a stunning film and a powerful reminder of the situation and conditions in Afghanistan. The young native actors who portrayed Amir and Hassan as children and as Hassan's son are tremendous and took an enormous risk by appearing in this film but are now safely living in the United Arab Emirates.

Directed by Marc Forster and based on a novel by Khaled Hosseini who also fled Kabul with his family as a child.

Rated PG-13 for strong thematic material including the implied rape of a child, violence and brief strong language.

My personal rating: A

Juno (2007)

Great Expectations

Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is an unconventional sixteen-year-old. Her best guy pal, track star Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), is even more naive than Juno. But their first and only sexual contact results in pregnancy.

While she doesn't tell Paulie at first, she discusses it with her best gal pal, Leah (Olivia Thirlby). She decides against an abortion and checks the newspaper for local couples wanting to adopt a baby before informing her father (J.K. Simmons) and step-mother (Allison Janney).

Her father goes with her to meet the prospective couple, Vanessa and Mark Loring (Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman), who appear to be a loving couple eager to have Juno's baby. But will the adoption go through as planned?

This is a charming film filled with quick and quirky humor, gentleness and acceptance.

Rainn Wilson has a small role as the smart-mouthed drug store clerk.

Jason Reitman directed this first scriptwriting effort of Diablo Cody, who won an Oscar for her work.

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content and language.

My personal rating: B

Martian Child (2007)

.

On Being Different

and

the Power of Acceptance and Love

David Gordan (John Cusack), a science fiction writer, is also a very lonely widower. While entertaining the idea of adopting an older childer, a perceptive social worker (Sophie Okonedo) introduces David to seven-year-old Dennis (Bobby Coleman) who isolates himself by spending daytime in a large cardboard box to protect himself against the rays of the sun. He's unable to bond with others, and seriously believes that he is from Mars and "they" will come back for him.

David is intrigued by this hard-to-place youngster. His sister Liz (Joan Cusack) discourages David from taking this child even for a period of time as a trial. She says Dennis has too many problems, but eventually, when she sees how much David relates to this boy because of David's own childhood isolation issues, she finally turns around her thinking.

The challenges are immense. It's difficult to communicate with Dennis. He steals at school and David is asked to take him to a different school because the child is just "too different." Harlee (Amanda Peet) had been David's wife's best friend since childhood and she sees how much David needs this child and this boy needs David. She has every confidence in the two being able to bond. A child psychologist (Howard Hessman) believes, too.

Meanwhile, David's literary agent (Oliver Platt) and editor (Angelica Huston) are pressing David hard for volume two of his epic tale of a Harry Potter-like boy in the realm of space. Mr. Lefkowitz (Richard Schiff), the head of the adoption board, is disturbed when he does a drop-by visit to David's home only to find David heartily encouraging Dennis to smash plates to the floor over and over again.

All I can say is that I loved this film! I laughed and I cried and I giggled and I wiped more tears and I had a lump in my throat. What an amazing young actor Bobby Coleman is, and John Cusack was certainly a perfect fit for the role of David.

When I finished watching it, I immediately called three people and told then to run right out to rent it, and in the following day, I told at least a dozen others. This is definitely a film I will buy for myself and watch over and over again.

Directed by Menno Meyjes and based on the book The Martian Child by science fiction novelist David Gerrold who tells his own true story about being the single adoptive parent of an older child who has escaped his difficult reality by deciding he's from Mars.

Rated PG for thematic elements.

My personal rating: A

Tara Road (2005)

Marilyn (Andie MacDowell) is reeling with grief over the death of her teenaged son and cannot be consoled by her husband Greg (August Zirner) because she holds him responsible for the boy's death. Ria (Olivia Williams) is shell-shocked after her husband Danny (Iain Glen) announces that he's been having an affair for a long time, his girlfriend is pregnant, and he's leaving Ria and their two children to be with his younger girlfriend.

Even though they don't know each other, Marilyn proposes swapping her large Connecticut home for Ria's lovely Dublin home for a few months to give the women time to reflect on their situations.

Marilyn, who really wants to be left alone to ponder, finds herself pulled into the lives of Ria's friends Colm (Stephen Rea) and Rosemary (Maria Doyle Kennedy) plus Ria's teenage daughter Annie (Sarah Bolger) and young son Brian (Johnny Brennan), and even in Danny's life. At the same time, Ria is surrounded by Marilyn's friends -- the zany Carlotta (Ruby Wax), the flamboyant Henry and Zach (Leslie Mongezi, David Ten Velthuis), and even Greg's brother Andy (Jean-Marc Barr).

While I enjoyed the premise of this story, the execution was somewhat tedious and moody.

Brenda Fricker has a pivotal role as Danny's boss' wife.

Directed by Gillies MacKinnon; based on a novel by Maeve Binchy.

Rated PG for thematic elements, language and some sensuality.

My personal rating: C

American Women (2000)

Several Irish bachelors can't seem to find romance in their small village on the Donegal coast. While gathered around the local pub quaffing beer, they decide to run an advertisement in a newspaper to try to entice young woman (between the ages of 20 and 21, fit and sporty) to come to the town for a dance with the hopes of finding a fine Irish lad to marry. They send the advert off to America, specifically to the Miami Herald.

Town butcher Kieran (Ian Hart) is spearheading this project but his pals the innocent Ian (Sean McGinley) and the 30-something year old virginal Ollie (Pat Shortt) go along with the plan, as do several other men of all ages. Kieran's brother Sean (Sean McDonagh), a sheepfarmer, is cynical that the plan will work and Kieran's employee Siobhan (Cathleen Bradley) is contemptuous about it.

Kate (Niamh Cusack) and her husband Pat (Ewan Stewart) own the village pub where much of the planning and dreaming go on, but Kate and the unfaithful Pat have their own situation to deal with.

Nosy shopkeeper/postal clerk Mary (Ruth McCabe) finds out about the plan to bring women to town and spreads the word to the other women. The men even seek cousel from the town priest Father Hubert Mallone (Risteard Cooper)

A charming feel-good comedy with some lovely images of Donegal.

Directed by Aileen Ritchie.

Rated PG-13 for brief language and some sexual material.

My personal rating: B

Reservation Road (2007)

Grief and Guilt

College professor Ethan Learner (Joaquin Phoenix) has spent a lovely day with his wife Grace (Jennifer Connelly), and their young daughter Emma (Elle Fanning) enjoying 10-year-old son Josh's (Sean Curley), cello recital and playing in the harbor-side park. That evening, on their way home, they stop at a gas station. While Grace takes Emma to the restroom and Ethan is otherwise distracted, young Josh gets out of the car and ventures toward the road -- Reservation Road.

At the same time, lawyer Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) is driving his 11-year-old son Lucas (Eddie Alderson) home from a Red Sox game. He knows he'll face the wrath of his ex-wife Ruth Wheldon (Mira Sorvino) for having Lucas home so late, but the game had run into overtime. As Dwight contemplates the confrontation and how many times he's apparently screwed up in the past, he rounds a curve in the road. Momentarily distracted, his SUV swings too wide and strikes Josh Learner, killing the child instantly.

Dwight slows down but doesn't stop, instead comforting his son who had been jolted awake by the thud and sudden swerve correction. "We hit a log," Dwight tells Lucas. Then Dwight speeds off and decides to deal with this accident after he's returned Lucas home.

Of course, his ex-wife is livid and her husband Norris (Gary Kohn) tries to run interference between her and Dwight, but still Ruth is able to browbeat and berate Dwight for all past transgressions. Once he's returned home himself, he makes the effort to contact authorities but just can't carry through with it. Thoughts loomed large of how he would let down Lucas and once again guilty of judgement errors.

What follows is the story of Ethan Learner's profound grief and Dwight Arno's profound guilt.

Police Sargeant Burke (Antoni Corone) assures Ethan that everything is being done to find the hit-and-run driver but weeks drag on with no clues, no information for the Learner family, other than Ethan's own vague description of a dark blue SUV. Ethan finally decides he may well have to take matters into his own hands.

This is a powerful and dramatic film. The Learner's grief and Dwight's remorse are palpable. While the film only runs 102 minutes, it feels like much longer so my only complaint would be that more editing should have been done because we see the emotions shown in the raw over and over again. There is also considerable coincidence in how the Learners and Arno end up connected to each other after the accident, but given that this is a small Connecticut town, it's somewhat believable that their lives would intersect.

Directed by Terry George from a novel by John Burnham Schwartz.

Rated R for language and some disturbing images.

My personal rating: B

Margot at the Wedding (2007)

Razor-tongued Margot (Nicole Kidman) takes her young teen son Claude (Zane Pais) from NYC to Long Island because her sister Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is to be married within a few days. Margot makes no bones about her dislike of Pauline's slacker boyfriend Malcolm (Jack Black).

In short order, all the old family dysfunction spills across the screen and Margot betrays her sister's trust. But the crux of the matter really seems to be that Margot has come to Long Island because she plans to leave her husband Jim (John Turturro) and her lover, Dick (Ciarán Hinds), lives nearby.

I felt there was potential unfulfilled here with much crazy-making and emotional chaos that left me not caring much at all about any of the characters.

Directed by Noah Baumbach.

Rated R for sexual content and language.

My personal rating: C

Ma Vie en Rose (1997)

My Life in Pink

Ludovic Fabre (Georges Du Fresne), a seven-year-old French boy, knows who and what he is. He's a girl. He's sure of it. Whenever he can, he wears dresses and adores a Barbie-like doll. He prefers to keep his hair long even though his two older brothers wear theirs close cropped.

His parents feel he'll "outgrow" his feelings and will be a "normal" little boy, but when his actions grow more public, his father Pierre (Jean-Philippe Écoffey) is humilated and his mother Hanna (Michèle Laroque) is confused. The only ones who seem to be able to accept him for who is is are his grandmother (Hélène Vincent) and his older sister Zoé (Cristina Barget).

This gentle and thought-provoking film was lovingly direct by Alain Berliner.

Nominated for and won numerous international awards including winning the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.

French language with English subtitles.

Rated R for brief strong language.

My personal rating: B+

Monarch of the Glen (BBC Series)

The Laird of Glenbogle

Archie MacDonald (Alastair Mackenzie), a London restaurateur, is called home to his family's 40,000 acre Glenbogle estate in Scotland when it becomes apparent that his ecentric parents (Susan Hampshire, Richard Briers) cannot maintain economic viability and move into the 21st century.

While Archie thinks this is a temporary stint to get the property back on track, it proves to be a long project filled with drama, humor, and romance.

Archie's longtime London girlfriend Justine (Anna Wilson-Jones) tries hard to establish her "ownership" of Archie against the flirtatious cook Lexy (Dawn Steele) and the headstrong teacher, activist and Archie's childhood friend Katrina (Lorraine Pilkington). Golly, the estate's gilley (Alexander Morton), the chronically kilted estate handyman Duncan (Hamish Clark), and the neighboring estate's laird Kilwille (Julian Fellowes) help fill out the cast of regulars dor the first few seasons. Martin Compston appears as a regular later in the series.

I look forward to my weekend interludes with the Laird of Glenbogle and his entourage as much as I did when I was hooked on another BBC series, Ballykissangel.

Dexter (Showtime Series)

Angelic Serial Killer

Okay, so I'm almost always "up" for a bizarre storyline and gore doesn't usually bother me, but I have to admit that the first four episodes of Showtime's Dexter were way over the top for me.

The premise is that Dexter (Michael C. Hall), a Dade County, Florida, forensics expert in blood spatter, learned a vigilante code of ethics from his foster father. Seems that he's intent on destroying those who have perpetrated heinous acts on others by himself performing heinous acts on them. If a murderer has escaped justice, Dexter will hunt him down and do dastardly deeds to the death.

Neither Dexter's girlfriend (Jennifer Carpenter) nor his beloved step-sister (Julie Benz) have any idea that this seemingly gentle, loving man harbors the soul of a sociopathic serial killer -- not just a killer but one who tortures his victims and annihilates them in the most bizarre ways.

I'm not sure if I'll get around to viewing further episodes of this series. Maybe, if I have nothing else to watch, but with 250 DVDs in my Netflix queue and new releases every week at Red Box, I kinda sorta think I'll not have the chance. Four episodes may have been my limit not just due to the violence but also because it's often just too ethereal in tone for me.

Based on novels by Jeff Lindsay.

Not for the squeamish due to explicit violence in the manner in which Dexter tortures and murders.

My personal rating: C

Trade (2007)

Innocents Lost

Jorge (Cesar Ramos) is a 17-year-old punk mugger in Mexico City. When his 13-year-old sister Adriana (Paulina Gaitan) goes missing while riding the new bicycle Jorge gave her, he immediately tries to find her.

Veronika (Alicia Bachleda) is a young Polish woman who flies to the United States with a friend. They have been lured by the promise of becoming models and Veronika is in hopes of earning enough to bring her young son to America for "the good life."

Veronika befriends the young Adriana in the back of a seedy van being used to transport them into the international business of sex trafficking. Ray Sheridan (Kevin Kline), a cop from Texas who is searching for someone in Mexico, befriends Jorge and together they go on the trip of their lives trying to rescue Adriana who has been taken to New Jersey to be auctioned off on the internet.

An old friend of Sheridan's, Hank Jefferson (Tim Reid) is a cop in New Jersey and helps Sheridan at least learn some of the facts of the sex slave trade action in NJ.

Can Sheridan and Jorge find Adriana before she disappears completely into this dark, brutal world?

This is an important film that's received little recognition in the USA, probably because few want to admit this goes on in this country. Each year, more than one million people are trafficked across international borders against their will for sale in the sex trade.

Based on 2004 New York Times Magazine cover article by Peter Landesman, this film was directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner.

Rated R for disturbing sexual material involving minors, violence including a rape, language and some drug content.

No Country For Old Men (2007)

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The Coen brothers are a genre of their own. And this film fits in with their unique style. Not for the faint of heart, the violence is extensive and graphic but it is an interesting personality study of three men in west Texas in 1980.

Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon the desert scene of a massacre obviously from a drug deal gone terribly wrong. The drugs and the huge quantity of cash are still there and Moss sees a way out of his simple west Texas life. While not interested in the cocaine, he takes the cash. But he knows that might make him vulnerable so until he can assure that he's not discovered, he sends his wife Carla Jean (Kelly MacDonald) off to live with her mother until things cool down.

When Sheriff Ed Tom Bell's (Tommy Lee Jones) deputy Wendell (Garret Dillahunt) discovers the carnage, Bell trailers in his horses and tells his wife Loretta (Tess Harper) good-bye and heads out to see what he can find in that desert.

Meanwhile, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a psychopathic killer, is on the loose. Sheriff Bell is trying to put the puzzle together and realizes that Moss may be in great danger. In the process of further investigation and Moss' effort to hide, bounty hunter Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson) becomes involved in the search for Chigurh.

Written and directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, this film also utilizes many crew members who have worked with this team in the past. This film won the Academy Award for Best Film of 2007.

Rated R for strong graphic violence and some language.

My personal rating: B+