Nobel Son (2007)

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"Crazy's just a choice."
Eli Michaelson (Alan Rickman), an egotistical, obnoxious, uncaring chemistry professor, has just been named a Nobel Prize recipient. Notorious for his sexual activities with attractive undergrads in exchange for good grades, Eli's long-suffering wife Sarah (Mary Steenburgen), a noted forensics psychiatrist, is set to fly off to Sweden with him for the rounds of receptions and award ceremony. Their only child, Barkley (Bryan Greenberg), is set to travel with them but doesn't show up at the appointed time. Eli, disgusted with his son who has chosen to study anthropology much to his father's dismay, scoffs at the phone call demanding a ransom for his son by an apparent kidnapper. The ransom, curiously, is exactly the $2M award Eli is to receive from the Nobel committee.

But it isn't long before both Eli and Sarah know this is a real ransom demand when a thumb, believed to be Barkley's, arrives at the Swedish hotel.

Berkley has been having a flirtation with funky poetess City Hall (Eliza Dushku), and Max Mariner (Bill Pullman), a family friend and crafty detective, tries to find the kidnapper and the details of this incident.

After numerous twists, turns, rounds of jealousy, greed and backstabbing, the story is revealed.

Also appearing are Shawn Hatosy as the kidnapper, Ted Danson as one of Eli's associates, Danny DeVito in a small but pivotal role as a compulsive neighbor, and Ernie Hudson as a cop.

Written and directed by Randall Miller.

Run time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Rated R for some violent gruesome images, language and sexuality.

My personal rating: C+

Bottle Shock (2008)

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Three Cheers for the

Red, White and Cru

JIm Barrett (Bill Pullman) dropped out of the corporate world to open a vineyard in Napa Valley, California, in the early 1970s. With the help of his son Bo (Chris Pine) and some rather unconventional methods, Château Montelena makes some moderate inroads in the area. Other vintners are also producing in the valley, all with dreams of eventually going international but with the caution that their wines were purely regional in nature.

Meanwhile, Brit-in-Paris Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) hopes to revive his flailing wine business by hosting a wine competition. A fellow wine connoisseur American-in-Paris (Dennis Farina) , and a friend encourages him to go to California for a gimmick for the contest.

Off Spurrier goes to the Napa Valley where he samples many wines and also discovers the foods the locals are serving with the wine -- fried chicken in a bucket and chips 'n dips. RIckman gives the perfect balance of distain and joy.

Spurrier selects the wines to travel to Paris for the competition and Bo ends up going to represent the vintners of Napa Valley. What happens then is the tale of a fairy tale come true -- and it really is true!

With Rachael Taylor as a love interest for Bo, Freddy Rodríguez as Bo's best friend and hopeful vintner himself, and Eliza Dushku as the barkeep who really believes.

A fabulous feel-good flick!

Screenplay cowritten and directed by Randall Miller.

Run time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexual content and a scene of drug use.

My personal rating: A

Marilyn Hotckiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005)

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"Dance is a very powerful drug, Mr. Keane. If embraced judiciously, it can exorcise demons, access deep seated emotions and color your life in joyous shades of brilliant magenta that you never knew existed."

Frank Keane (Robert Carlyle) has been dragging through life since his beloved wife's death. Basically he goes to work as a baker and he reluctantly participates in group therapy with other grieving widowers under the direction of Dr. Rafael Horowitz (David Paymer).

One day, while driving, Keane comes across the scene of a serious accident and attempts to comfort the injured driver, Steve Mills (John Goodman). Mills was enroute to fulfill a promise he had made 42 years before -- to meet up with Lisa Gobar, his first love, at Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School where Mills and Gobar had their first tender pre-pubescent flirtations.

Keane stays right with the seriously injured Mills for the long ambulance ride and hears Mills recount the story of the young love and the importance to him of fulfilling the promise he'd made. Mills pledges Keane to please go to the dance school and explain to the adult Gobar what had happened so she won't be left thinking he'd forgotten her.

Upon arriving at the dance school, Keane finds that Marilyn was long since deceased but her daughter Marienne (Mary Steenburgen) continued her mother's tradition. Will Keane find Mills' first love? Will he find something else?

A charming little story packed with well known actors. Appearing in various other roles including other widowers and dancers at the dance school are Marisa Tomei, Donnie Wahlberg, Sean Astin, Danny DeVito, Sonia Braga, Camryn Manheim, Adam Arkin, Ernie Hudson, Kate Mulligan.

Written and directed by Randall Miller.

Run time: 1 hour, 43 minutes

Rated PG-13 for mature situations and language.

My personal rating: B