Never Let Me Go - 2 smiles

“Never Let Me Go,” based on Kazuo Ishiguru’s novel, is oddly detached and lacking any emotional impact, given its topic although it’s a beautifully filmed movie. The premise is that human life has been extended through organ transplants and a special group of children has been born to donate their organs when they grow up. There are two classes of clones: ‘donors’ and ‘carers,’ the latter help the former through the harvesting process until it’s their time to donate. The movie opens in the English countryside where a group of children are being schooled at Hailsham. We meet Kathy, Ruth and Tommy as children. Kathy and Ruth are interested in Tommy and although he prefers Kathy, he is too weak to resist Ruth’s advances. Roughly ten years later, they have left Hailsham for The Cottages, where they wait to be called to donate. Ruth (now played by Kiera Knightley) is still with Tommy (Andrew Garfield), while Kathy (Carey Mulligan) continues to tag along. Tommy and Ruth eventually donate their various parts while Kathy becomes a caregiver.

The biggest question for me is why these people go so passively to their fate. No resistance? No rebellion? No survival instinct? I guess that would have made “Never Let Me Go” a different movie. The performances are first-rate. Kiera Knightley’s portrayal is more brittle than we’re used to seeing and Andrew Garfield, who played Mark Zukerberg’s best friend in The Social Network, shows his strength as an actor, especially with his reaction to a key revelation toward the end of the film. Carey Mulligan proves that the recognition for her work in An Education wasn’t a fluke. Her Kathy is a multi-faceted character. “Never Let Me Go” is slow, even ponderous, at times, but the cinematography is breath-taking. Unfortunately, the film is neither thematically deep nor emotionally powerful. We regret what happens to Kathy, Ruth and Tommy and theirs is a tragic story. But is there more? 10/24/10

Conviction - 3 smiles

“Conviction” is a prime example of what a stellar cast can bring to a familiar narrative. Going in you know that this movie is based on a true story and there’s going to be a happy ending although Pamela Gray’s script does try to heighten the tension at various times. With Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell and a strong supporting cast, this film manages to touch us and say something important in the process. “Conviction” tells the story of Betty Anne Waters, who spent 18 years trying to overturn her brother’s life sentence for murder, a murder she never believed he committed. This means that Betty Anne has to get her GED, go to college and law school and then pass the Massachusetts’ bar

Rockwell is riveting as Kenny Waters, a man who is both volatile and charismatic, a man who can charm prison guards and then, just as quickly, anger them. As usual, Swank is skillful as a woman so committed to freeing her brother that she spends a good portion of her life focused on that one goal, to the detriment of her marriage and family. And everything she’s feeling is reflected on Swank’s expressive face. Other memorable performances include Melissa Leo as a female cop with a chip on her shoulder and Juliette Lewis as a woman with loose morals whose most notable feature is a chipped front tooth. However, because the script is so predictable, you know that Betty Anne is going to overcome all obstacles in her way. You just have to keep telling yourself that “Conviction” is based on a true story. 10/25/10

Easy A - 3 smiles

“Easy A” is not your typical teen comedy. Instead, it’s smart, satirical and – funny. Directed by Will Gluck from a screenplay by Bert V. Royal, “Easy A” uses high school as the setting for a look at popularity, analyzing the relationship between reputation and sleaze. In our culture, sleaze and popularity (or notoriety) seem to go together. Olive (Emma Stone), a smart, pretty high school student, is tired of being virginal and boring so she tells her best friend, Rhiannon (Aly Michalka) that she’s had a one-night stand with a college guy. Unfortunately for Olive, this ‘secret’ is overheard by the school’s resident gossip and religious zealot, Marianne (Amanda Bynes). Soon the news of Olive’s exploits has spread via text, word-of-mouth, and notes passed in class. After that, when she helps a gay friend establish his ‘straightness’ via a fake sexcapade, her notoriety snowballs even though her reputation has nothing to do with reality. While Olive enjoys her popularity for a time, she soon realizes that the negatives are greater than the benefits.

Emma Stone brings charm, confidence and wit to her role as Olive. She easily holds our attention even when sharing the screen with older, better-known actors. Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci play Olive’s loving parents and it’s refreshing that Olive has a great relationship with them. We see too many dysfunctional families in movies. Thomas Hayden Church is Olive’s favorite teacher and Lisa Kudrow is his wife, the guidance counselor. A frowning Malcolm McDowell is Principal Gibbons. “Easy A” provides plenty of connections to 80s music and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, starring Demi Moore, from which Olive borrows the bright red A she attaches to her clothes. Although “Easy A” seems like it’s geared for teenagers, viewers of all ages will enjoy its countless jabs at pop culture and life in general. 9/30/10

Inside Job - 3 1/2 smiles

There’s a line in Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” when Shia LeBeouf’s character asks a Wall Street money guy, ‘What’s your number?' (The number when you know you have enough and you’re ready to pack it in and retire.) The Wall Street guy responds, ‘More.’ That’s exactly what’s clearly depicted in “Inside Job,” Charles Ferguson’s carefully detailed and infuriating documentary about the causes and consequences of the financial crisis of 2008. Basically, here’s what happened: these crooks in suits took everyone’s money and gambled it anyway they wanted, knowing that no matter what happened, they’d get rich and they wouldn’t have to give it back. So the economy crashes and jobs and homes are lost. So what? They’re still rich.

The title suggests a heist movie, but it’s also a story about a crime without punishment and a betrayal of public trust. And it’s not surprising that many of the highest-profile players declined to be interviewed. Both political parties are called to task; “Inside Job” is not simply attacking Bush and his advisors although they are hardly ignored. The scaling back of government oversight and the weakening of checks on speculative banking activity began under Reagan and continued during the Clinton administration. And with each administration, the market in derivatives expanded and the alarms were ignored. As early as 2005 the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund presented a paper warning of a ‘catastrophic meltdown,’ which was mocked by Larry Summers, then Secretary of the Treasury. Meanwhile, some investment banks, Goldman Sachs in particular, were betting against positions they were urging their customers to buy. One risky bet was stacked on top of another with bad consumer loans bundled into securities and then insured via credit-default swaps. It’s not surprising that the whole house of cards collapsed, resulting in a loss of jobs, homes, and pensions. And, apparently, the corruption extends into the halls of academia. Banks will pay economics professors at the most respected universities six-figure fees to write positive ‘analyses’ of their financial practices. After watching “Inside Job” and understanding how our current crisis came about, you won’t just be angry, you’ll know why you’re angry. 10/22/10

Hereafter - 2 1/2 smiles

Clint Eastwood’s latest, “Hereafter,” starring Matt Damon, explores what matters now and what lies beyond death. Yet the film never gains the emotional traction that you expect from an Eastwood film. Remember “Gran Torino” or last year’s “Invictus”? This might be due to the fact that, like many art house movies, Eastwood interweaves three separate tales. One character is a woman whose near-death experience has left her wondering about the afterlife. Another is a grieving boy trying desperately to communicate with the other side. And the third is a psychic who can talk to the dead and is tortured by it.

You have to admire Eastwood for tackling such a difficult topic. Nonetheless, as the traumatized French woman, Cecile de France never engages us emotionally and the child remains annoyingly remote. Only Matt Damon succeeds in bringing genuine anguish to his character. “Hereafter” is a beautiful production, especially the horrifying tsunami that opens the film. But after watching this disappointing movie, I have to wonder, ‘Is this all there is?’ 10/15/10

Nowhere Boy - 2 1/2 smiles

Since I knew nothing about John Lennon’s early years, I found the rather bleak “Nowhere Boy” interesting. Abandoned by his parents as a child, Lennon (Aaron Johnson) has been adopted by his Aunt Mimi (Kristen Scott-Thomas) and Uncle George (David Threlfall). His adolescence is filled with rebellion and what seems to save him is his interest in rock ‘n’ roll. Then he meets his mother, Julia (Anne-Marie Duff) who, unbeknownst to him, lives just minutes away. Married with two more children, Julia’s like a free-spirited child herself, sensitive to John’s feelings, but compulsively and embarrassingly flirtatious. It’s obvious that, psychologically, she’s extremely fragile. John is conflicted, torn between the rather prim woman who raised him and the unconventional mother he wants to get to know better. Meanwhile, there’s John’s burgeoning relationship with Paul McCartney, who, even as a 15-year old, is talented and full of poise.

Aaron Johnson, while not bearing a close physical resemblance to Lennon, manages to convey his essence – his wit, his intelligence and flashes of his deep-seated anger – with clear understanding. And Scott-Thomas elicits sympathy for a woman who is so reserved that she barely tolerates displays of emotion. Because “Nowhere Boy,” written by Matt Greenhalgh, based on a memoir by Julia Baird, Lennon’s half sister, focuses on John’s relationship with his aunt and his mother, it deliberately ignores the birth of the Beatles. Nonetheless, I would have liked a little more detail about the development of John, Paul and George as musicians. 10/18/10

It's Kind of a Funny Story - 3 smiles

As I was watching “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” I thought of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Not that there are a lot of overt parallels, but the central commonality is the camaraderie that develops among the inhabitants of a mental ward. They learn and draw strength from one another. Co-writers and co-directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden balance the right amount of seriousness, light comedy, and whimsy. Some of the dream sequences are characterized by animation and there’s a campy lip-sync number to the Queen/David Bowie song ‘Under Pressure.’ And the acting is strong. Zach Galifianakis does an especially good job as the likeable Bobby, a man who’s hiding a few things. And although Bobby generally comes across as an easy-going guy, there are times when he allows something darker to show through and in those instances especially, Galifianakis shines. Newcomer Keir Gilchrist is believable in the role of a troubled teen who learns that his problems are nothing when compared to others. And there’s chemistry between him and Galifianakis and his same-age female co-stars, Emma Roberts and Zoe Kravitz.

Sixteen-year old Craig (Gilchrist) informs the audience in a voiceover that he has been having vivid dreams about killing himself. Frightened, he checks himself into the mental ward of a hospital. His parents (Lauren Graham and Jim Gaffigan) are supportive but a little confused about what landed their son in this predicament, although it’s plain to us that the academic high-pressure demands of his father have something to do with it. As Craig meets more of the people in the ward, he forms a friendship with the gregarious Bobby (Galifianakis), who is open about everything except why he’s in the hospital. Craig also begins a tentative relationship with Noelle (Roberts) who might be just the girl to make him forget about his obsession with Nia (Kravitz), his best friend’s girlfriend. “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” is upbeat and life affirming. 10/14/10

Red - 3 smiles

If you want to really enjoy yourself, see “Red,” an action/comedy starring a bunch of A-list actors. Like “The Expendables,” this is fast-paced, often humorous entertainment for the more ‘mature’ audience and it doesn’t take itself too seriously, which makes it all the more enjoyable. Bruce Willis, in his mid-50s, is in his element as a retired CIA operative who knows how to out-think, out-shoot and out-fight anyone who comes at him. And his supporting crew is inspired casting. It’s worth the price of admission just to see Helen Mirren shooting a huge gun with empty shell casings pouring onto the floor. And John Malkovich, who plays a paranoid ex-CIA agent, steals the show.

Frank Morse (Willis), bored with retirement in Cleveland, strikes up a phone relationship with Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker), a claims officer in Kansas City who is handling problems he’s having with his pension checks. His life gets more interesting when a hit team sneaks into his house under the cover of darkness and proceeds to try to kill him. Soon, he’s on the run with his main pursuer being CIA agent William Cooper (Karl Urban), who’s ruthless but unaware of Frank’s abilities. Worried about Sarah, Frank travels to Kansas City, kidnaps Sarah (for her safety, of course), and begins rounding up members of his old team: 80-year old Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman) who still has his wits about him despite stage 4 liver cancer; Marvin Boggs (Malkovich), whose extreme paranoia is not without merit; Ivan Simanov (Brian Cox), former KGB bigwig; and former MI6 agent Victoria (Helen Mirren), whose retirement isn’t as tranquil as it appears. Their goal is to try to find out why people are trying to kill them. “Red,” retired, extremely dangerous, is fast paced, energetic, and offers a fun two hours. If you see it, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. 10/15/10

Waiting for 'Superman' - 4 smiles

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” is a must-see for everyone, but especially if you’re an educator. Director Davis Guggenheim, who won an Oscar for ‘An Inconvenient Truth,’ takes on the American education system by following five kids and their families who have placed their hopes for a better education in high-stakes charter school admission lotteries. The film levels a scathing attack on the dysfunction and bureaucracy of public schools and teachers’ unions, which promote teacher mediocrity. Guggenheim explains in a newspaper article, “It’s an abomination. Over the years, we haven’t been able to pay teacher enough. So instead of paying them, we keep extending them more and more privileges. You can leave at three. You get three months off. You can’t be fired. It’s deadly for reform.” However, Guggenheim also admits, “I know that the experts are going to take issue with this movie. It simplifies a lot of things. … But I really wanted to speak to regular people, from the point of view of a parent.”

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” is filled with disturbing statistics. In Illinois, where one in 57 doctors loses his medical license and one in 97 lawyers loses his law license, only one in 2,500 teachers loses his credentials because of union contracts. And the film briefly visits a ‘rubber room’ in New York City where idle teachers accused of misconduct wait months and sometimes years for hearings while drawing full salaries at an annual cost of $65 million. Guggenheim calls dysfunctional schools ‘dropout factories’ and suggests that these dropout factories create needy neighborhoods because students who dropout stay in their home neighborhoods rather than the conventional wisdom, which says poor neighborhoods create the dropout. And caught in the middle are students and the film’s most emotional moments revolve around five students who hope to win a place in various charter schools. Guggenheim acknowledges that charter school effectiveness is mixed, but he lauds Geoffrey Canada’s Success Academy in Harlem and KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Schools, including KIPP LA. It’s sad that the direction of a young life depends on the luck of the draw. 10/1/10

Life as We Know It - 2 smiles

Because this is a romantic comedy, which means “Life as We Know It” follows a standard formula, you know how it’s going to end. The question is, is the getting to the end worth the almost 2 hour investment of time? I enjoyed this movie while I was watching it, but that’s because I was willing to go with its unrealistic premise. In retrospect, the movie is about 30 minutes too long for something so formulaic and Katherine Heigl gives her standard rom-com performance. All of her characters are interchangeable. And although her co-star, Josh Duhamel, is effective, it’s hard to believe that his character, a womanizing bachelor, would mellow into a caring, self-sacrificing man in less than a year.

Holly (Heigl) and Messer (Duhamel) are oil and water. Their best friends, Peter and Alison, tried to set them up, but they really can’t stand each other. However, when Peter and Alison are killed in a car accident, their will gives joint custody of their daughter, Sophie, to Holly and Messer. This compels the two to move into Peter and Alison’s home and create schedules that allow them to care for the little girl while maintaining their careers. Of course, complications arise. Although there are a few comedic twists, just about everything in “Life as We Know It” has a been there-seen that feel. 10/8/10

Let Me In - 3 smiles

“Let Me In” is a hauntingly beautiful coming-of-age story with the vampire genre used as a metaphor for the pain of adolescence. Written and directed by Matt Reeves, this movie is a remake of “Let The Right One In,” a Swedish language movie released last year and based on John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel. Reeves understands the terror that adolescents experience, especially if they’re the target of bullies. Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a gentle boy, but his confusion over his parents’ impending divorce and his inability to evade the boys who beat him up every afternoon is slowly creating someone full of anger and dark thoughts. Then Abby (Chloe Grace Moretz) and her guardian (Richard Jenkins) move in next door to the lonely Owen. Abby’s an outsider, too, but after centuries as a vampire, she’s got a bit more perspective if not maturity. She warns him that they can’t be friends, but their shared alienation proves to be a powerful bond and they connect anyway.

Reeves allows us to share the delight of their growing affection while never shying away from the horror of their reality. Owen is a victim (which is painful to watch) and Abby will do what she has to to survive, even if that means attacking a neighbor. And Richard Jenkins’ character’s melancholy and quiet desperation enhances the tension that builds as he goes on his final ‘hunt.’ Reeves’ cast is very effective, especially Smit-McPhee and Moretz, who embody both the pain and joys of childhood. Owen’s decision at the end comes as no surprise; he might seem gentle, but he’s capable of terrible things. With “Let Me In,” Reeves successfully juxtaposes youthful innocence with horror and murder. 10/7/10

Secretariat - 3 smiles

Secretariat is the only horse to win racing’s Triple Crown since 1973. Everyone knows that, right? So how can a movie about this spectacular event be interesting? Not to worry. It’s not only interesting, but it’s exciting, poignant and inspiring. Most of the credit for this feat goes to director Randall Wallace and star Diane Lane as Secretariat’s owner Penny Chenery. When Secretariat, the chestnut Thoroughbred who galloped to triumph through a rare combination of speed and stamina, is on the track, overtaking one horse after another, your heart is pounding and you’re rooting for his victory, almost as if you had no idea he’d win. And when the focus moves off the track, you’ve got a radiant Diane Lane to hold your attention. Her Penny Chenery exudes an almost other-worldly belief in her horse’s ability to win. And you could swear that the horse portraying Secretariat is not only playing to the camera, but he’s affirming Penny’s belief in him. Wallace turns “Secretariat” into a parable of faith and feminine strength.

When her mother dies, Penny Chenery Tweedy takes reigns of her father’s horse farm, refusing to sell the horses. Later, when her father dies, she refuses to sell Secretariat to pay off the massive estate taxes. Instead, Penny hires eccentric trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich) and for a jockey, she brings on Ron Turcotte (Otto Thorwarth), who puts as much into his races as he demands from his mounts. For the necessary funds to pay the taxes and fund this endeavor, she forms a syndicate for breeding rights to Secretariat, provided he can perform on the track. Ogden Phipps (James Cromwell) leads the syndicate of 32 rich individuals and the villain is Pancho Martin (Nestor Serrano), the owner of Sham, Secretariat’s chief rival in all three Triple Crown races. “Secretariat” might be predictable, but it’s also a thoroughly entertaining story about the greatest racehorse of all time. 10/9/10

You Again - 1 smile

“You Again” perpetuates all of the worst clichés about women being insecure, petty, spiteful, competitive and cruel. All this and a comedy, too. Unfortunate because this movie is even close to being funny. And although it boasts a good cast, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis and Betty White, their talents are wasted. With a script that relies on improbable coincidence and silly slapstick shtick, “You Again” glorifies shallow materialistic values and tries to camouflage its essentially mean-spirited content with several layers of sugar coating. You’ll get a stomachache if you venture too close. 9/26/10

The Social Network - 4 smiles

I find it interesting – and ironic – that Facebook claims to promote social interaction while it really promotes social isolation and that the founder, Mark Zuckerberg, is uncommunicative, intellectually arrogant and socially awkward. I know that a movie based on actual events doesn’t mean that it’s always true and that Zuckerberg claims the movie is fiction. Nonetheless, the source material for “The Social Network” is Ben Mezrich’s The Accidental Billionaires, which is based on countless interviews and the story is probably a reasonable account of how Facebook came into being. Zuckerberg is presented as a multi-faceted individual and Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal is sympathetic and fair. Director David Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin do not shy away from an honest look at Zuckerberg and the damage he has done to others, but they resist portraying him as totally evil. Sorkin’s screenplay mixes drama and humorous sections with dialogue that’s sharp and witty. “The Social Network” raises interesting questions such as ownership of an idea, but this movie is engaging because, at its heart, it’s about friendship and betrayal.

The movie opens with Harvard student Zuckerberg having dinner with his girlfriend, Erica Albright (Rooney Mara). Erica, weary of his obsession with status, breaks up with him, which angers him. He returns to his dorm room, gets drunk and with the help of his best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), creates a website called ‘Facemash’ that rates the hotness of Harvard women. The site is so popular that it crashes the Harvard servers. Along with earning Zuckerberg six months of academic probation, Facemash earns him instant celebrity status. He is sought by twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss (Josh Pence and Armie Hammer) to design a dating website. Instead, however, Zuckerberg takes their idea in another direction and, in the process, cuts them out altogether. ‘The Facebook’ is born, becoming a huge hit on the Harvard campus and expanding to other high prestige schools. Napster creator, Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), wants to get in on the inside, but his involvement alienates Eduardo. At Parker’s suggestion, Zuckerberg changes the name to Facebook and with Parker's help, Facebook becomes a worldwide phenomenon. “The Social Network” is structured as a series of flashbacks provided to illustrate the testimony being given in depositions for two separate trials in which Zuckerberg was involved in the second half of the 2000s. This movie is the first drama that has 2010 Oscar potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor. 10/1/10

Wall Street; Money Never Sleeps - 2 1/2 smiles

Director Oliver Stone had a clear message in his original film “Wall Street” – Greed is good. With his sequel, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” the message is unclear. Is it about the redemption of a villain? The importance of love and family? The sweetness of revenge? An attack on a financial system that has embraced the Greed is good mantra? Or is it about all of these with a hydrogen fusion infomercial thrown in for good measure? Stone’s biggest asset is Michael Douglas and his weakest link (besides the script) is Shia LaBeouf. Douglas is fun to watch as his Gordon Gekko, getting out of prison in 2001, decides to reinvent himself as a celebrity writer and wall-street analyst. Unfortunately, Gekko is gone from the screen for big chunks of the movie because the central character is a young hotshot trader named Jake Moore (LaBeouf), who just happens to live with Gekko’s estranged daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan, who’s not given enough to do). Director Stone has said the LaBeouf reminds him of a young Tom Cruise. Really? I don’t see the resemblance. And although Jake is supposed to be one tough guy, LaBeouf doesn’t have the acting chops to be convincing.

‘Money Never Sleep’s’ plot has Jake seeking out Gekko as a mentor after his original father figure, an old-school investment banker named Louis Zabel (Frank Langella) meets such an unfortunate end that Jake wants revenge. Gekko agrees, but he wants Jake to arrange a meeting with Winnie, who has no interest in letting her father back into her life. Jake is also busy trying to find funds for a hydrogen fusion enterprise and pacifying his spendthrift mother (Susan Sarandon) who has moved from nursing into real estate speculation. The villains include Josh Brolin’s Bretton James, an egocentric investment banker and his mentor, Julie Steinhardt, (94-yearold Eli Wallach), who makes eerie bird noises and talks about the Crash of ‘29. Although Stone has a knack for creating an atmosphere that manages to feel authentic, his story is so unfocused that you’re not really sure what he’s trying to say other than greed is not good. 9/24/10