Breaking and Entering (2007)

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Lie. Cheat. Steal. Love.
Driven and successful architect Will Francis (Jude Law) must face his priorities and re-evaluate his life after his new London office is burglarized not once but twice by a team of Bosnian Muslim punks.

His wife Liv (Robin Wright Penn) is annoyed with his obsession with work while she seems to cope alone with their 13-year-old daughter Bea (Poppy Rogers) who is obsessed with gymnastics, hardly eats or sleeps, and is possibly autistic.

Meanwhile, Amira (Juliette Binoche), the widowed refugee mother of Mirsad (Eafi Gayron), one of the young thieves, is trying to get the boy to go back to school and stop his involved with the gang run Mirsad’s father’s brother.

Also appearing are Martin Freeman as Will’s business partner Sandy; Caroline Chikezie as Erika, a cleaning woman at their office; Ray Winstone as Bruno, an investigator on the case; and Juliet Stevenson as Bea’s psychotherapist Rosemary.

Written and directed by Anthony Minghella.

Run time: 1 hour, 59 minutes

Rated R.

My personal rating: B

Dan in Real Life (2007)

"You're a murderer of love!

Widower Dan Burns (Steve Carell) is raising his three daughters Jane (Alison Pill), Cara (Brittany Robertson) and Lilly (Marlene Lawston) while plodding through his otherwise lonely life. As a respected advice columnist, he isn't handling teenage Jane's budding romance very well and the teen's angst makes for a long and difficult trip as Dan takes the girls for their annual reunion at his parent's (Dianne Wiest, John Mahoney) home in Rhode Island.

The morning after their arrival, Dan goes to town alone and while browsing in a bookstore, he quickly becomes smitten with an attractive woman. He works up the courage to invite her to coffee and ends up spilling his story to the lovely Marie (Juliette Binoche). He wants to see her again but she discourages it saying she's just started a relationship, and yet she does give him her phone number. Encouraged by this, Dan returns to his parent's home and mentions that he met a "hottie" in town which causes a bit of a buzz and teasing, especially from his brother Mitch (Dane Cook).

Meanwhile, Mitch is preparing his family for the arrival of his new girlfriend and makes it clear that "this might be the one!" Of course, when she arrives, she and Dan are surprised to see each other and yet they don't let the family know about their earlier meeting.

Dan is, of course, saddened by this revelation but goes through the motion of the family reunion routines, like meals, the football game and the talent show, with this lingering enchantment with Marie. But there's much going on in the household with Dan's several siblings (including Amy Ryan), young nieces and nephews, and dealing with his own daughter's issues.

Dan's mother thinks it's high time that Dan marries again and sets him up with an old classmate Ruthie (Emily Blunt). Dan is not happy. Ruthie's nickname in school was "pig face," but he reluctantly agrees to go on the date when Mitch suggests that Dan and Ruthie double-date with Mitch and Marie.

There's a lot going on in this film with the issues of Dan's daughters and his large family, his own sadness, prospects for a career move, and this burning secret love, but it's well put together and coherent with some very funny bits and tender moments.

Directed by Peter Hedges.

Rated PG-13 for some innuendo.

My personal rating: B

Paris, Je T'Aime Part III

Continued from above . . .

7. Bastille (XIIe arrondissement)
A man (Sergio Castellitto) plans to leave his wife (Miranda Richardson) for his younger lover but when he finds out she has a terminal illness, he decides to stay. By acting like he loves her, he rekindles his affection for her.

Written and directed by Isabel Coixet from Spain.

8. Place des Victoires (IIe arrondissement)
A mother (Juliette Binoche), grieving over the death of her little boy, is comforted by a magical cowboy (Willem Dafoe).

Written and directed by Nobuhiro Suwa from Japan.

9. Tour Eiffel (VIIe arrondissement)
A boy (Dylan Gomong) tells how his parents, both mimes (Paul Putner, Yolande Moreau), meet in prison and fall in love.

Written and directed by French animator Sylvain Chomet.

10. Parc Monceau (XVIIe arrondissement)
An older man (Nick Nolte) and younger woman (Ludivine Sagnier) meet for a "date" but the man keeps reminding the woman that Gaspard might not approve. Eventually Gaspard's identity is revealed.

Filmed in one continuous shot by Mexican writer-director Alfonso Cuarón.

11. Quartier des Enfants Rouges (IIIe arrondissement)
An American actress (Maggie Gyllenhaal) obtaines some exceptionally strong hashish from a dealer (Lionel Dray).

By French writer-director Olivier Assayas.

12. Place des fêtes (XIXe arrondissement)
An African man (Seydou Boro) is dying from a stab wound on the street and asks a woman paramedic (Aïssa Maïga) for a cup of coffee. He realizes that he had fallen in love with her at first sight some time before.

By German writer-director Oliver Schmitz.

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See blog entries below for additional information on the other segments of this film.

Bee Season (2005)

As a wife withdraws into herself and the marriage falls apart, a man helps his 11-year-old daughter prepare for a spelling bee.

Richard Gere, Juliette Binoche, Flora Cross, Max Minghella, Kate Bosworth.

Directed by Scott McGehee, David Siegel

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, a scene of sensuality and brief strong language.

My personal rating: C