Writer-Director Nancy Meyers has made a fun and very funny movie about the Ashton – Demi celebrity syndrome and its reverse in Something’s Gotta Give. There is a complexity of relationships (but nothing as poorly executed as Love Actually) to be explored and sometimes it’s laugh out loud. Yes, there are implied affairs and some skin (mostly Jack Nicholson’s unimpressive rear) but remember: the play’s the thing. Diane Keaton is Erica, a divorced writer of successful Broadway plays and Keanu Reeves the doctor... Read more

This latest from Tim Burton is warm, off-beat and appealing. It’s themes are very Christian as are the images. Big Fish – remember the one that got away? A young man, Will, (Billy Crudup) goes home because his father (Albert Finney) is dying. They have not spoken for three years. The father is a very social person and has always related to people through fantastic stories. Will scorns his father and regrets every believing him. The strongest feature of this film is... Read more

The Last Samurai is a fine film and arguably Tom Cruise’s best acting so far. It takes place in 1876 when three US soliders go to Japan to turn the Japanese army “western.” And in some ways, this is like a Kurosawa film turned into a western and then woven together. It’s about culture clash, culture colonization through trade and economics. The most appealing thing about it is the integrity of the friendship between Cruise and the main Samurai warrior.... Read more

The Missing is a somber work by director Ron Howard – a western with ideas. Excellent work by Cate Blanchette and the girl who plays her youngest daughter, Dot. Tommy Lee is good, but how Howard got such performances from these two ladies is a wonder. There is always something missing in this film, from the old woman’s teeth at the beginning, to the older daughter who is kidnapped, to the father who deserted Maggie (Blanchette) and returns for his... Read more

Peter Pan is really Wendy’s movie. This new version, directed by Australian PJ Hogan is a delight. He and screenwriters based it on the original 1904 play by J M Barrie – not the Disney version (heaven forbid.) They did add one character, an aunt, played by the wonderful Lynn Redgrave. They also used the book PETER PAN as a reference, but the play’s the thing. So, OK, the actor who plays Peter Pan is a male (for the first... Read more

Last night I got to see this film at a press screening and I am on my way out the door for the press interviews, but I want to let you know that this is a great film. It is very long at 200 minutes, but if you want to experience the entire trilogy, this is a must. More later… I’m back. The Return of the King is really the heart of this cinematic masterpiece. I just learned yesterday that... Read more

I saw My Life Without Me at the Berlin Film Festival. It’s the story of Ann (Sarah Polley), a young, struggling mother, who finds out she is dying. Her husband, Scott Speedman (Felicity) is a good person, but doesn’t know what is happening to Ann so he cannot help her. Ann sets out to find out what life is like beyond her working class trailer life. This is a sad, though not despairing journey. Ann has an extra-marital affair just to see what... Read more

If you are looking for a movie to rent for this weekend, check out the German film “Mostly Martha.” It’s a gem. Martha is ia chef who is a perfectionist. Her boss insists that she go to therapy because she is driving everyone in the restaurant kitchen crazy. She lives all alone and when she cooks for herself, she cannot eat. When her sister dies and her young niece comes to live with her, she begins to see that no one can make it alone. This is... Read more

Alfred Molina plays Mr. Plots, a mortician who has been sweet on Betty (Brenda Blethyn) since they were very young. Betty’s husband Robert is a jerk. There is a rival funeral service in the Welsh town headed by Christopher Walken (!). This is a “comedy” of errors where Plots and Betty plot her death so she can go ballroom dancing into the sunset together with the insurance money. A bit contrived but if it’s the last film selection on an international... Read more

I saw To Kill a King on the plane coming back from South Africa. It’s about the English Civil War, the rise of Oliver Cromwell (Tim Roth) and the temorary demise of the monarchy when Charles I (Rupert Everett) was beheaded. Not sure if or when it will be available on video or DVD in the US (if it got theatrical release here I missed it), but if you are into post-Henry VIII England, you will find this well acted,... Read more