The Messenger - 3 smiles

“The Messenger,” starring Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster, takes a different look at the fallout of the Iraq War and its effect on soldiers and civilians. Foster captures the interior struggle of a man who keeps everything bottled up inside. Harrelson brings heart to the character of a recovering alcoholic who has secrets of his own. And Morton’s Olivia is filled with a deep sense of sadness, for the loss of her husband, but more for the loss of the man her husband was before he served in Iraq. Director Oren Moverman, having served four years in the Israeli army, knows the pressures soldiers live under and what it takes to pick up the pieces and move on with life.

Staff Sgt. Will Montgomery (Foster), a decorated hero, is shipped home after being wounded in Iraq. He’s assigned to work in the motor pool along with a special assignment: being a casualty notification officer to inform the next-of-kin of soldiers who have been killed in action. His new partner is Capt. Tony Stony (Harrelson), a veteran of the detail who quickly tutors Will about the job. Follow the script: get to the family before they hear anything in the media; do not engage emotionally with those they are notifying; do not hug or touch them; do not react. The job, obviously, is as emotionally draining as combat and Will is also dealing with his own issues. Because his girlfriend recently dumped him, the lonely Will is drawn to a new widow, Olivia (Samantha Morton). “The Messenger” is about respecting the sacrifice of the soldier, including the ones whose souls, rather than their bodies, are on the line every day. It will give you a lot to think about. 11/27/09

The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - 2 1/2 smiles

“The Bad Lieutenant” Port of Call New Orleans” is not a remake of the 1992 Abel Ferrera-directed “Bad Lieutenant.” The only similarity is a central character, a cop, who has moved to the dark side, yielding to drug addiction, gambling, and extortion. Nicholas Cage, who can act but hasn’t always in recent films, proves why he won an Oscar for his performance in “Leaving Las Vegas.” His character, Terence McDonagh, is in constant pain as a result of a back injury during Katrina and Cage conveys this through facial expressions and body movement. One shoulder higher than the other, a shuffle as he walks – you just know he hurts. As the movie progresses and Terence spirals out of control, Cage’s over-the-top acting works. However, there’s a lot about this film that doesn’t. There’s a dead alligator in the road, hit by a car, and maybe his friend seeming to smile as he ambles away. There’s a sequence featuring iguanas meant to represent Terence’s drug-induced hallucinations. Director Werner Herzog appears to have a fetish with reptiles, but these are distracting. His key villain, played by Xzibit, is not that scary and although Val Kilmer gets high billing, he’s barely in the movie. Eva Mendes is there to look good; there’s nothing challenging in her role as the clichéd ‘hooker with a heart of gold.’ And what’s with the awkward title? Better to call this movie ‘Port of Call New Orleans.’

This movie was better than I expected because Cage provides a compelling look at how a man’s struggle with pain leads to the slow disintegration of his moral compass. Eventually, doing what’s right means little to him yet he’s a cop and he has a case to solve. So if you decide to see this movie, see it for Cage’s performance, not for the story. 11/22/09

The Blind Side - 4 smiles

Sometime you like a movie just because it makes you feel good and it has a positive message. “The Blind Side” is such a movie. This is the true story of Michael Oher and the woman whose fierce love and determination to help him allows him to reach his potential. Director John Lee Hancock finds just the right tone, walking a fine line between manipulation and true emotion and mixing drama with bursts of comedy. Although there’s been some criticism about “The Blind Side” being ‘a paternalistic portrait of a deprived black youth being nurtured by a wealthy white lady,’ Hancock isn’t bothered. ‘From my standpoint I will only say that on that freezing night in Memphis, Leigh Anne didn’t stop the car and put Michael in the back seat because he was black. She did it because he was cold.’ (LA Times, Nov. 24, 2009, section D) Even though the central character is Michael, this is Bullock’s movie all the way. She portrays Leigh Anne perfectly and is the main reason to see this film. She makes us believe that Leigh Anne is a real person with her feistiness and steely compassion. Newcomer Quinton Aaron successfully conveys Michael as a gentle giant. While he rarely says more than a few words, he manages to convey his feelings through his facial expressions.

Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) was selected in the first round of the 2009 draft by the Baltimore Ravens. How he got there is the heart of this movie. With the help of a friend’s father and the school’s football coach, Michael is accepted to a private religious school. However, his grades are so poor that he’s not eligible to play. He has no home because the state took him away from his crack-addicted mother when he was young. He is wandering the streets, lost and alone, when Leigh Anne Touhy (Bullock) spots him. She and her husband Sean (Tim McGraw) recognize him since their son, S.J. (Jae Head) and daughter, Collins (Lily Collins) go to the same school. Leigh Anne’s invitation for Michael to spend the night turns into many as he becomes a part of the Touhy family. And with the help of supportive teachers, Michael’s grades improve and he is able to demonstrate his talent on the football field. Yes, “The Blind Side” is predictable, but it’s also a heartfelt story definitely worth seeing. 11/20/09

Note: Oher, now 23, signed a five-year contract with the Ravens worth about $13.8 million after helping Ole Miss reach the Cotton Bowl last season.

The Maid - 2 1/2 smiles

With “The Maid,” Chilean director Sebastian Silva has made a film that might touch on class differences, but is really a character study of Raquel (Catalina Saavedra), a live-in maid for the same family for more than 20 years. Raquel has no contact with her own family and has adopted this one as her own even though she really isn’t a family member. Nonetheless, she guards her territory as fiercely as a dog with a bone. Pilar (Claudia Celedon), the wife and mother of the family, decides that Raquel, who has just celebrated her 41^st birthday, needs help doing the housework. This threatens Raquel and her fierce competition with the other maids draws out the worst in her. Then Pilar hires Lucy (Mariana Loyola), an enthusiastic and self-confident young woman who handles Raquel’s attempts to get her to leave differently. Lucy, who is vitally alive and Raquel’s polar opposite, brings energy and excitement into Raquel’s life and we gradually see her begin to change.

At only 95 minutes long, “The Maid” seems much longer. And maybe it’s a credit to Silva and his co-writer Pedro Peirano that I never knew what was going to happen next. But that also adds to the meandering quality of this movie. Catalina Saavedra is effective as the taciturn Raquel, whose identity is tied to the family she has served for so many years. Her Raquel is empty although there are glimpses that she might change. Even so, Raquel is not someone I would want in my house. Subtitles. 11/19/09

A Christmas Carol - 2 smiles

Some of the visuals in Robert Zemeckis’ “A Christmas Carol” are amazing and the story remains fairly faithful to the original Dickens’ story. However, on the negative side, there’s some inappropriate humor, some out-of-place action and a lack of emotional connection that makes this version less than appealing. This is Zemeckis’ third motion capture film and it’s an improvement over “The Polar Express” (but I liked the story) and “Beowulf.” The figures in “A Christmas Carol” look almost real, which couldn’t be said for “The Polar Express.” And the voice work is uniformly good with Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman taking on a variety of roles. Also lending their talent is Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn, Colin Firth, and Cary Elwes.

The production, however, lacks emotional punch. It tells the familiar story, but there’s no heart. I especially had trouble with Scrooge’s transformation. One of my favorite versions is the 1951 version starring Alistair Sim and the change his Scrooge undergoes is touching and endearing. Unfortunately, Carrey’s change seems perfunctory. In addition, Zemeckis throws in some action scenes that would make Dickens roll over in his grave. Picture this: Scrooge is chased through the streets of London by an ominous black carriage drawn by horses with glowing red eyes. At one point in the chase, Scrooge shrinks to rodent size and chatters like Alvin the Chipmunk. And this wasn’t a short sequence. It went on and on and on. “A Christmas Carol” has a lavish look and lots of spectacle, but it lacks the magic this tale should evoke. 11/12/09

Fantastic Mr. Fox - 2 1/2 smiles

I like some of Wes Anderson’s films: “The Royal Tannenbaums” and “Rushmore,” mainly for their quirkiness. I also dislike some: “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and “The Darjeeling Limited,” mainly because of their quirkiness. So it was with some anticipation and trepidation that I saw “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” Unfortunately, this movie falls into the latter category and I’m still trying to discover why. “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is an adaptation of a 1970 Roald Dahl story, using stop-motion and credible voice talent. While much of this production is engaging, the humor is uneven and the story grows repetitive, making this movie seem longer than 90 minutes. And it really seems more of an adult movie than one for children.

The film’s central theme revolves around a mid-life crisis and how it should be handled. Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney), a former chicken thief, has settled down, married his love, Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep), had a son, Ash (Jason Schwartzman) and became a journalist. But he still yearns for the adrenalin-rush of his former life so he hatches a scheme to raid three loathsome farmers, not realizing the lengths they will go to retaliate. Also a story thread is Ash’s resentment of his father’s admiration of the athletic prowess of a cousin (Eric Anderson), making parenting a secondary theme. Prolonged chases and fights are the least interesting while the interactions of the various characters make for the best moments. And Mr. Fox’s universe is a fully realized vision of yellow and orange with its warm cottages and the almost colorless sterile underground industrial corridors. Nonetheless, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” falls short when it comes to evoking sufficient emotion; you should care what happens to the protagonist. 11/14/09

2012 - 2 smiles

Don’t drink any liquids before seeing “2012” because, at 2 ½ hours long, you’ll certainly need a bathroom break. Not that you’ll miss much, however. This movie is all about the special effects with bits of story in-between. Every kind of catastrophe can be found in this film, from mega-Richter-scale earthquakes, exploding volcanoes and monstrous tsunamis to capsized cruise ships, collapsing skyscrapers, and crashing plane. Director Roland Emmerich even manages to destroy the Vatican, topple the Washington Monument, and send California plunging into the Pacific. And if you really, really suspend your disbelief, you can enjoy this disaster spectacle. If you want the story to make sense, you’ve come to the wrong movie. Think about it. A limo escapes the crackling and buckling streets that destroys Pasadena. Our heroes evade a Yellowstone super-volcano on foot and in a rickety RV. And on the icy slopes near Mt. Everest, a car (with passengers) safely slides down the ramp of a huge cargo plane before the plane crashes

The story opens in 2009 when Dr. Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), scientific advisor to the President (Danny Glover), reveals that he uncovered evidence that the world is facing destruction. Three years later, the planet starts to destabilize and Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt), advisor to the President, is willing to make ruthless decisions on who lives and who dies. Meanwhile, writer Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) on vacation with his kids in Yosemite, has a conversation with a conspiracy fanatic (Woody Harrelson), who tells him about ‘space ships’ to escape the earth’s destruction are being built by the government. Jackson rushes back to LA in time to hustle his ex-wife, Kate (Amanda Peet), her boyfriend, Gordon (Tom McCarthy) and kids into his limo before LA falls apart. Eventually, this small group hooks up with Helmsley and Anheuser, just in time for Jackson to make the heroic gesture and save the day. Hope I didn’t give too much away. The special effects are spectacular and that would be the only reason to see “2012.” 11/15/09

Pirate Radio - 3 smiles

“Pirate Radio,” a series of loosely connected stories, is about a rebellious group of deejays whose love of rock-n-roll cause them to defy the British government in the late 1960’s. And the highlight of this movie is the music. Radio Rock, owned by Quentin (Bill Nighy), features popular disc jockeys, including an American known as The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), well-known Gavin (Rhys Ifans); Bob (Ralph Brown), the 3-6 am guy people rarely see, and Simon (Chris O’Dowd), whose convinced no one likes him. After being kicked out of school, young Carl (Tom Sturridge) joins the group when his mother (Emma Thompson) sends him to spend some time with Quentin, his godfather. Carl quickly discovers that life aboard Radio Rock is sex, drugs and rock-n-roll although director Richard Curtis downplays much of the sex and a lot of the drug use. Meanwhile, cabinet member Sir Alistair Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh) is determined to shut down Radio Rock.

Because some of the vignettes don’t work, “Pirate Radio” is uneven in tone. And although the characters are mostly likable, you don’t really get to know them. The best comedic moments come from Branagh’s stuffed shirt politician and the ‘duel’ between The Count and Gavin. Ultimately, “Pirate Radio” is more about the music than anything else. There are numerous clips (from a few bars to whole songs) in the movie, making it a fairly comprehensive survey of late 60s-early 70s music, including songs by The Who, The Beach Boys, The Turtles, The Kinks, The Moody Blues, Procol Harem, The Supremes, David Bowie, Herb Alpert, and Cat Stevens, to name a few. (Gotta get the soundtrack.) “Pirate Radio” is entertaining and if it has a downside, it’s that the music outshines the narrative. 11/13/09

The Men Who Stare at Goats - 2 1/2 smiles

“The Men Who Stare at Goats” is a weird title for a weird movie. And if you like George Clooney and Jeff Bridges in goofy mode, then you’ll like this one more than I did. Not that I don’t like George Clooney and Jeff Bridges because I do. But this based-on-a-true-story-movie leaves a lot to be desired, the biggest problem being the weak narrative. In adapting Jon Ronson’s nonfiction book for a screenplay, Peter Straughan had to create a story (and an ineffective one at that) including Ewan McGregor’s character. For the first 45 minutes, the film is most interesting because it is content to play with the bizarre concept of a covert group of ‘psychic spies.’ Lyn Cassady (Clooney), an ex-Special Ops military officer, meets journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) in Kuwait. Cassady tells him about being a part of the ‘New Earth Army,’ a covert group led by Bill Django (Bridges), developing their psychic powers to become ‘Jedi warriors.’ Once we move beyond this amusing series of flashbacks, the movie gets less interesting.

There is one scene in the first half of the movie where Cassady demonstrates his psychic powers by staring at a goat and causing it to topple over. Producer Paul Lister explained that they tried using fainting goats, goats that are supposed to faint when scared. Unfortunately they didn’t faint, even with the loudest of noises. So director Grant Heslov was forced to digitize the goat. The ‘New Earth Army’ is based on the First Earth Battalion led by Jim Channon, a Vietnam veteran. He proposed that the military create a group that focused on the potential of the human mind and incorporated a lot of New Age elements. “The Men Who Stare at Goats” is a comedy and there are some humorous moments, but it doesn’t leave a lasting impact. 10/28/09

Precious - 4 smiles

“Precious,’ a harrowing tale of a 1987 Bronx teen, is both tragic and moving, hard to watch and uplifting. Ultimately, it’s a story of Precious’ journey to self-worth although this discovery comes with a price. Clareece Precious Jones, an obese 16-yer old girl who is still in junior high, excels in math but can barely read or write. At home, she is at the beck-and-call of her quick-tempered mother, Mary (Mo’Nique), and is pregnant with her second child as a result of rape by her father. When the principal of Precious’ school learns about the pregnancy, she arranges for her to go to an alternative school although Mary considers Precious too dumb to learn. She continually badgers Precious to go to the welfare office, which she finally does and faces uncomfortable questions from her case office, Mrs. Weiss (Mariah Carey). At school, under the patient eye of her teacher Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins to make progress with her reading and writing.

When this year’s Oscar nominees are announced, Gabby Sidibe will have a place alongside Carey Mulligan (“An Education”) for Best Actress. Hers is the kind of performance that’s hard to ignore because for two hours, Sidibe is Precious Jones. And we care what happens to her. Also amazing is Mo’Nique’s performance. Her Mary, full of anger and hate, is an ugly character and she puts everything in her performance. Mary emotionally and physically abuses her daughter in ways that are horrendous to watch and, on one occasion, she even tries to kill Precious by dropping a television on her. She, too, will earn an Oscar nomination. “Precious” is that rare human story that offers redemption without being overly manipulative. It’s one of the year’s best movies. 11/8/09