Bright Star - 3 1/2 smiles

What English teacher would not enjoy a story that brings to life John Keats’ poetry? And for all those English students who have had to struggle though Keats’ Endymion, or “Ode to a Nightingale,” “Bright Star” provides background information that helps to explain the meaning behind his words. “Bright Star” concerns the latter years of poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw), who died of tuberculosis in 1821 at the age of 25. At this time, Keats was involved in a love affair with his neighbor, Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) and the story is told from her perspective. They do not seem like a good match when they first meet. Fanny is obsessed with fashion and knows nothing about poetry while Keats agonizes over negative criticism to his published works. To make matters worse, Keats’ friend Charles Brown (Paul Schneider) considers Fanny superficial and continually denigrates her. Nonetheless, they fall in love and plan to marry until Keats fading health sends him to Italy.

This is Abbie Cornish’s movie from beginning to end, with her remarkable performance enhancing the credibility of Fanny and Keats’ romance. Although Whishaw does an adequate job as the fragile Keats, tormented by poverty and illness, when Cornish is on the screen, she dominates. Her radiant beauty and impassioned speeches deliver an emotional impact. And a Best Costume Design nominee might be Janet Patterson, who has created some visually stunning costumes for “Bright Star.” “Bright Star” is a tribute to the poet, the love of his life and the period in which he lived. 9/23/09

Fame - 2 1/2 smiles

“Fame,” a variety show loosely held together with a thin plot, relies solely on the musical elements to keep the audience engaged. One number, the lunchroom scene, exudes a toe-tapping energy and Naturi Naughton’s powerful interpretation of “Out There on My Own” evokes an emotional response. Most routines, however, though visually stimulating, are not really memorable. And the title song is not used until the closing credits. What’s that all about?

“Fame” is a PG version of the 1980 original, using a similar general format: students at a performing arts high school. But there are too many characters for any meaningful development, which means writer Allison Burnett takes the easy way out, relying on teenage stereotypes: the shy girl trying to fit in, the angry rebel who needs to get in touch with his sensitive side, the classical pianist finding her dreams in hip-hop, and the dancer who finds her dreams fulfilled. The standout is Naturi Naughton, who has skill both as an actor and a singer. The others seem to be cast for their ability to sing or dance, not act. And all are certainly older than high school students. The all-star adult cast, Kelsey Grammer (musical coach), Bebe Neuwirth (dancing), Mega Mullaly (singing) and Charles S. Dutton (acting) are wasted. 9/27/09

The Boys Are Back - 2 1/2 smiles

I first became aware of Clive Owen when I saw “Croupier,” a 1998 movie about a down-on-his-luck writer who takes a job as a casino croupier to make ends meet. I’ve since followed Owen’s career, including “Greenfingers” (2000), “Gosford Park” (2001), “King Arthur” (2004), “Inside Man” (2006), and “The International” (2009) and was disappointed when he did not become the latest James Bond. And while “The Children of Men” proved Owen is an exceptional dramatic actor, his latest, “The Boys Are Back” gives him an opportunity to demonstrate his acting chops in a smaller, more restrained story. Owen plays Joe Warr, a British-born sports writer who lives and works in Australia. When his wife dies of cancer, he is left alone to care for his eight-year-old son, Artie (George MacKay). Joe, never having had a close relationship with Artie, finds it difficult to handle his young son, who’s not coping with the loss of his mother. Artie seems normal one moment, angry the next, then moody and uncommunicative. Things get more complicated when Joe’s older son from a previous marriage, Harry (Nicolas McAnulty) arrives to spend the summer.

At the heart of “The Boys Are Back” are the father/son relationships and although the interaction between Joe and Artie and Harry is believable, it’s not as compelling as it could be. For whatever reason, director Scott Hicks keeps the audience at a distance so we really don’t tap into the emotion. Sure we can feel for a man who has to be father and mother to a young child, but we haven’t been pulled into the emotional core of the story. Nonetheless, it’s refreshing to see Clive Owen in a role other than an action hero. “The Boys Are Back” tells an interesting story and is technically adept, but lacks a visceral punch. 9/25/09

Paris - 2 smiles

The problem with “Paris” is director Cedric Klapisch provides a lot of snapshots of people’s lives without fully entering into any of them. So you meet many people and get snippets of love, illness, jealousy, depression, loneliness, and crass behavior with immigration issues thrown in for good measure. But no big picture although protagonist Pierre (Romain Duris) admits at the end of the movie, ‘That’s Paris. No one’s ever happy. We always grumble.’ Is that the point of this meandering 130 minutes of a movie? Maybe the point is that there is no point.

Pierre (Duris), a cabaret dancer, has a life-threatening heart ailment that a transplant may or may not fix. So he bides his time, experiencing life at a distance from his balcony. Taking care of him is his sister Elise, (Juliette Binoche), who moves into his apartment with her three children. Roland (Fabrice Luchini), a university professor, falls for one of his students, Laetitia (Melanie Laurent also in ‘Inglorious Basterds’). Meanwhile Jean (Albert Dupontel), a vendor at an open-air market, flirts with Elise and has mixed feelings about his ex-wife Caroline (Julie Ferrier). There are two or three other story lines as well. The only relationship that’s engaging is between Pierre and his sister; the others are not developed enough for you to care what happens to them. However, Klapisch does a more than adequate job of revealing the beauties of a Paris that the average tourist never sees. Subtitles. 9/22/09

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs - 3 smiles

“Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs “ does have a cautionary message about gluttony, obesity and genetically-altered food. But the underlying meaning will not be foremost in your mind as you enjoy 3D hotdogs falling toward you and giant donuts jumping off the screen followed by a disaster spoof of a worldwide ‘foodalanche.’ Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) is the young man responsible for the initially welcome but eventually destructive plague of food. He has always wanted to help but his inventions often go astray, like his spray on shoes (that can’t be taken off) and his ratbirds (Ratbirds? Who wants ratbirds?). In an effort to help the ailing economy of his island home, Swallow Falls, Flint invents the Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator, which seeds clouds with food and results in food falling from the sky. His hamburger rain attracts world attention, including a weather reporter named Sam (Anna Faris).

Highly entertaining sequences include Flint’s courtship scene with Sam set inside a giant golden palace made of Jell-O, Flint’s monkey fighting giant Gummi bears and sentient roasted chickens. Although the 3D experience will keep very young children engaged for a while, the complex story and food puns (‘You may have seen a meteor shower, but you’ve never seen a meatier shower’) will eventually lose them. But with hamburgers, ice cream, steaks, and candy falling from the sky, what’s not to enjoy? 9/20/09

Love Happens - 2 smiles

Romantic comedies as a genre offer no surprises because the script follows a formula. And with expectations come problems. When Brandon Camp & Mike Thompson set out to craft a script, they ended up writing not a romantic comedy but a drama. Sure there’s a romance and there are some humorous moments, but this is a drama about Burke Ryan coming to grips with the loss of his wife. Burke (Aaron Eckhart) is a motivational speaker with a best selling book about confronting grief and moving on with life. The irony is Burke uses his career as a way to avoid dealing with his own loss. His manager (San Fogler) persuades Burke to spend a week in Seattle, Burke’s hometown. Here Burke meets Eloise Chandler (Jennifer Aniston), a florist who has her own relationship issues. With Eloise’s help, Burke is able to confront his unresolved issues and open himself to love again.

The biggest flaw in “Love Happens” is the way it’s marketed. Because it’s sold as a romantic comedy, you expect more of a balance between the ‘boy’ and ‘girl.’ And although ‘boy does meet girl’ and ‘boy gets girl,’ this is all about Burke. Aniston’s character is not well developed. Sure she has some quirky habits, like writing obscure words behind paintings in the hotels where she provides floral arrangements. But she really doesn’t have much to do other than act as a foil for Burke. You get to know more about Walter (John Carroll Lynch), a participant in Burke’s grief workshop who has lost everything after the death of his 12-year-old son. Eckhart is engaging enough and both he and Aniston look beautiful on the big screen. “Love Happens” is a tolerable story dealing with life’s tragedies. However, if you decide to see it, leave your expectations at home. 9/19/09

The Informant! - 2 smiles

Either you’ll like “The Informant!” or you’ll hate it. Either you’ll enjoy Matt Damon’s portrayal of the duplicitous Mark Whitacre or you won’t. Either you’ll get pleasure from Whitacre’s outrageous behavior or you’ll say, ‘Enough!’ In 1992, a corporate vice president of Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Mark Whitacre, confesses to an FBI agent (Scott Bakula) that ADM is fixing the price of lysine, an essential amino acid. For close to three years, Whitacre assists the FBI in gathering evidence by secretly taping business meetings around the world. Unfortunately for the FBI, some of Whitacre's accusations are true and some aren’t and they have trouble sorting it all out. You see, Whitacre suffers from manic-depression, also known as bipolar disorder, typified by grandiosity and self-delusion. Needless to say the FBI case shifts focus when they discover that Whitacre embezzled at least $9 million from ADM.

Matt Damon, 30 pounds heavier with an ugly toupee, plays Mark Whitacre straight, which balances his voice-over and the other silliness going on in the film, including Marvin Hamlisch’s circus music in the background. What is amusing, though, is Whitacre’s stream-of-consciousness: a clue that he is not tuned into what is going on around him. For example, he wonders if polar bears know that their black noses give them away; whether his car is pronounced Porsh-uh or Porsh; that his hands are his best feature. What can I say about a movie whose strength is its voice-over narration? 9/18/09

Extract - 1 smile

“Extract” is supposed to be a comedy. Guess what? It’s not funny. And the fault lies with an empty script. The actors, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck and Mila Kunis do their best, but there’s only so much you can do with a stupid premise and silly dialogue. Joel Reynold (Bateman) is the sexually frustrated owner of a company that makes flavor extracts. It he’s not home by a certain time every night, his wife, Suzie (Wiig) dons sweatpants, which means no sex for Joel. His bartender buddy, Dean (Affleck) talks him into hiring a young stud to pose as a pool boy and seduce Suzie. This will leave Joel guilt free to have an affair of his own with the new temp, Cindy (Kunis). Unbeknownst to Joel, Cindy is a con artist who wants to get closer to Step (Clifton Collins Jr.), who had a work-related accident, and the insurance money Step is going to get.

Didn’t you see all of this in the promotional clips before “Extract” opened? If you did, you saw the best parts of the movie. 9/17/09

The September Issue - 2 1/2 smiles

“The September Issue,” a documentary about Vogue’s powerful editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and the process behind creating the September Issue, the issue that typically dictates the fashion trends for the coming year, is interesting enough. However, traditional runway shows that result in fashions being in the stores six to eight months later now seem irrelevant as do the huge catalogue-like fashion magazines. Designs can be seen online minutes after a designer shows them and purchased soon after with knock-offs appearing in malls at a fraction of the price. The Internet allows the convenience of shopping any time, anywhere and with the economic shift, the fashion industry faces a huge challenge.

Nonetheless, if you want to get a glimpse behind the scenes of a woman who did have (and maybe still has) huge power in the fashion industry, “The September Issue” will give you that look. And if you’re a fashionista, you’ll enjoy watching Wintour as she oversees photo spreads of some beautiful, some trendy, some awful – but all expensive – clothes. Wintour is the top dog and all of her underlings know it as they scramble to keep her happy. But her creative director Grace Coggington, who has worked for Wintour for years and creates beautiful photographs that succeed on their own as art, is often willing to contradict her boss. So if Wintour is the one who dictates the direction of clothing trends, Coggington is responsible for the artistic style that keeps Vogue the leader. Wintour can boast that the 2007 September Issue was the biggest ever, but, according to an LA Times article, Vogue is a third slimmer than last year and Vogue’s ad pages decreased 36%. Change happens. So what you see in “The September Issue” might be a picture of the past. 9/10/09

9 - 3 smiles

“9” is an expansion of director Shane Acker’s 2005 Oscar-nominated animated short by the same name. And like “Wall-E” and “Terminator: Salvation,” “9” deals with a post-apocalyptic world, only this time humans and most of the machines they battled have died. The survivors are a series of puppet-like rag dolls made out of burlap and animated by one visionary scientist before he, too, died. Number 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) awakens not knowing where he is. He is rescued by Number 2 (Martin Landau), but 2 is then carried off by a mechanical beast. 9’s desire to rescue him is vetoed by Number 1 (Christopher Plummer). 9 goes after him anyway, accompanied by 5 (John C. Reilly) and 7 (Jennifer Connelly).

“9” hardly compares to the visual and emotional feast provided by “Wall-E,” but it stands on its own as a speculative tale about life after man destroys himself although Acker doesn’t answer all of the questions he poses. Perhaps he keeps the action moving so he won’t have to. Acker does, however, provide some intriguing blasted city scenes and menacing metal antagonists. Maybe even more menacing than the recent “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” “9” is an enjoyable fast-paced science fiction adventure aimed more at the teen viewer than younger children. Some of the scenes are too intense for young audiences, hence the PG-13 rating. 9/11/09

In the Loop - 3 smiles

Although you can’t summarize the plot of “In the Loop,” a political satire, in a few sentences, the dialog is hilarious and it challenges the audience to be alert enough to catch the jokes as they fly by. For example, a dovish General Miller (James Gandolfini) explains his opposition to war: ‘Once you’ve been there, once you’ve seen it, you never want to go back unless you have to. It’s like France.’ Or when a liberal American cabinet secretary (Mimi Kennedy) greets a young aide wandering aimlessly around the office: ‘Hanging, Chad?’ The movie opens in London, where Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), a small-time cabinet minister, gives one interview vaguely opposing an impending US/British co-invasion of an unnamed Middle Eastern country before making another statement vaguely supporting it. The Prime Minister’s Director of Communications, Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), whose creative use of profanity adds to the humor, rushes into contain the bumbling Foster. Of course, events spiral from there.

“In the Loop” belongs to Capaldi, who calls General Miller ‘General Flintstone’ and ‘General Shrek’ and insults others by calling them: ‘Ron Weasley,’ ‘Frodo,’ ‘Charlotte F***ing Bronte,’ and ‘J. Edgar F***ing Hoover.” He’s truly a terrifying character, but a master of the insult. Directed by UK TV veteran Armando Iannucci, this is not a film about real US/British policy, but a satirical statement about the manner in which politicians will manipulate a situation to their advantage, throwing ethics, evidence and logic out the window. The bottom line, after all, is getting what you want. It’s easy to think this is how governments really do make decisions. Scary thought. 9/5/09

Gamer - 1 smile

If you’ve seen “The Matrix” or “The Running Man,” you’ve already seen better movies. Even the more recent “Death Race” is better. Directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, based on their script, don’t seem to care that the story barely makes sense and character development is nonexistent. Sure, there’s a hero, Kable (Gerard Butler) and a villain, Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall), but you don’t really care what happens to either. There’s no real emotion at the center of this movie although Neveldine/Taylor seem to have a vague message about what happens when society becomes addicted to computers and gaming. The fact that Lionsgate refused to screen “Gamer” before it opened says it all. And negative word-of-mouth should finish its box office chances. 9/4/09

My One and Only - 3 smiles

Where Demetri Martin (“Taking Woodstock”) does not have enough screen presence to engage our attention or compete with stronger personalities, 17-year-old Logan Lerman, who stars with Renee Zellweger in “My One and Only,” has the magnetism necessary to anchor this movie. Inspired by incidents in the life of actor George Hamilton, Lerman plays 15-year-old George, who, along with his older half-brother, Robbie (Mark Rendell), is pulled out of school by their mother Anne (Zellweger) in the summer of 1953. Anne, disillusioned with her philandering bandleader husband (Kevin Bacon), decides to hit the road in search of a new life and a new man. Their travels take them to Boston, Pittsburgh and St. Louis as Anne attempts to charm a former boyfriend (Steven Weber), an army colonel (Chris Noth) and a storeowner (a funny David Koechner). George’s interests lie in writing, but their continual movement prevents him from making any connections in school. Finally, they head to Hollywood.

Directed by Richard Loncraine, “My One and Only” has a classy look from the 1953 powder-blue Cadillac Coupe de Ville convertible that conveys mother and sons from place to place to the authentic costumes Zellweger wears. And Zellweger is enjoyable to watch. Her Ann is a beautiful woman who’s used to getting her way even if she often refuses to recognize that at her age, she can’t just jump into the marriage market and compete with younger women. Zellweger acknowledges Ann’s fears and plays her as a strong woman. Although Lerman is the straight man to Zellweger’s Southern Belle and Rendell’s gay actor brother, he’s articulate enough and strong enough to hold his own with the adults. “My One and Only” is a heart-warming late summer movie and worth seeing. 8/27/09