John Adams

Not long ago a business associate sent me an email asking if I had seen HBO's John Adams. I had to admit that I had not. But, I had read the biography upon which the mini-series was based. At the time I suggested that if the movie was half as good as the book, it was well worth a watch. I never heard back from the guy who asked about it, but I hope he enjoyed it as much as I did.

You need not be an American history buff to enjoy this movie. You don't even need to be an American. I watched this movie with someone who knew almost nothing about the American revolution, and they totally enjoyed it too. That speaks well for the high production values of this work as 13 Primetime Emmy awards also attest.

Paul Giamatti is absolutely amazing in this role. Laura Linney did true justice to how important Abigale Adams was to her husband's and the revolution's success. The two together make movie magic on a geometric scale. When you add in the other absolutely believable performances by the rest of the cast. Stephen Dillane as Jefferson and David Morse as Washington were wonderful. But Tom Wilkinson steals the show as Benjamin Franklin. And unless you've read a bit about the real Franklin, you won't recognize this portrayal.

Watch this movie with someone who loves a great love story. Yes, this IS a great love story.

Edge of Heaven (Auf der anderen Seite)

Like twists even when you see them coming? Okay listen up. This is a story about Turkish guy who lives in Germany with his father. The father accidentally kills a woman who is also from Turkey. Father goes to prison and is eventually deported to Turkey. The son moves back to Turkey and buys a bookstore that specializes in German books. While all this is going on, the daughter of the murdered woman gets into Germany illegally after being hunted in Turkey as an anti-government rebel. While in Germany she falls for a German girl who kindly offers refuge.

Still with me? Okay now it gets interesting. Early in the movie the Father who is sent to prison tells the story about a woman he was once married to who had a young daughter. See any potential twists yet? Stick with it. After another shocking death in the story things get tricky. The son who owns the bookstore makes friends with the mother of the German girl. Together they work to save the daughter of the woman slain early in the movie. Are they all somehow connected? We are never told, but I have a hunch they all share a common connection. See if you agree.

Regardless of your age, gender, or station in life, you will find a main character to like and relate to. They are all good people despite their flaws. They are us. The acting is outstanding. I doubt you will recognize any of the cast, but they were great.

Spoken languages include German, Turkish, and English. Subtitles are only given when German and Turkish are spoken. Accents are strong but it should be easy to keep up with all the dialog.

Watch this movie with someone who has a father or mother.

Chapter 27

Many who have seen this movie give it low marks. I think they have the subject confused with the quality of the product. This is a very good movie about a very pathetic person. It is not a pathetic movie. It IS creepy but not in the typical horror story sense. To me, it is creepier to think that there are perhaps thousands of people just like this guy wandering our cities at any given time.

This story is billed as a crime drama. It is clearly not a thriller because we all know how it ends. It is more autobiographical than anything. The main character himself does a chilling narration. The supporting characters are almost as sad as Chapman.

Jared Leto completely transforms into Chapman here. His performance is amazing.

This movie is only difficult to watch because the audience may feel uncomfortable in such close company with such a disturbed individual. That in itself is a testament to how well this movie was done. We feel as if we are right next to this guy during the whole show. His haunting narration gets into our head. Very well done indeed.

Watch this movie with someone remembers John Lennon and the Beatles.

Iron Man

Welcome back Robert Downey Jr. Again. His over-the-top performance and self-mockery totally "make" this movie. The whole cast is great fun. More on them later.

Superhero movies are supposed to be fun. This is a very fun superhero movie. I remember the joy of losing myself in a good action comic when I was a kid. This movie brought that all back for me.

Love interest Gwyneth Paltrow and business partner, an almost unrecognizable Jeff Bridges, are perfectly cast for this story. Paltrow is subdued and Bridges is overtly brilliant. How unusual are those performances? Find me another one where the usual performances are so flip-flopped.

We have good guys and pretty girls. You have evil bad guys and stern government agents. Pesky press and super-serious military officers. Oh and the robots are great comic side-kicks.

Watch this movie with a big bowl of popcorn and someone who thinks YOU are a Super Hero.

Run Fatboy Run

Simon Pegg and company do a passable job of bringing this story to screen. Hank Azaria is the token yank and as such is pretty much as unlikeable as possible. In fact few characters here, if any, are a pleasure to watch.

Another sad thing is that script and this cast should have been capable of many more laughs. It seemed sad to me that the first good belly laugh came 35 minutes into the film. After that, there were a few, but up to that point not many. Director David Schwimmer should have taken the horse by reigns and make this movie less predictable and more funny.

Maybe my expectations were too high for this one? I was thinking up in the stratosphere nearer "Sean of the Dead" not down in the stale basement with the likes of "Nacho Libre".

If you must, watch this movie with someone who does not run for pleasure.

To Live and Die in LA

Almost 25 years ago this movie introduced bungee-jumping to a very wide audience in the US. It also brought a very hip soundtrack to life, and gave outsiders a glimpse of what living in the LA basin can be like. Angelinos and tourists alike should enjoy this fast romp through the streets and hills of SoCal. Fun fun fun.

Willem Dafoe is young here, pre-Platoon even, and shows why he had been a powerful screen presence for the last 3 decades. Here he plays a Secret Service agent tasked with catching counterfeiters. His partner is played by William Petersen of CSI fame. While the two look a bit older and wider now, their chemistry on screen makes this story well worth watching.

Some other now-familiar names here you might recognize here are John Turturro, Robert Downey Jr, and Dean Stockwell.

The soundtrack is a fun flashback to 80's rock. Remember Wang Chung? Otis Rush? Junior Wells? How about Rank & File? If your 80's party needs a good compilation, choose this one. Put on some polyester and flex-out!

Watch this movie with someone who has lived in or visited LA often.

Sex In The City: The Movie

If you were a fan of the series you will enjoy this movie. It is true to form and tracks very will with where the series left off. If you did not see the series, it does not matter. They do a very good job of explaining who is whom. If you didn't like the series, you may not like this movie. However, in my opinion, this movie was better than the series. Better story. Better acting.

Sarah Jessica Parker remains the center character as before, but they do a great job of character development for all the main folks. Plus they bring in Jennifer Hudson who is perfect for her role and does at least one song for the soundtrack. All the original cast returned and that added continuity was added hugely to my enjoyment as an avid fan of the series.

The full-length format for was also a big bonus. Having more than an hour to work with allowed them to really give us a look into the lives and stories of these 4 women. The extra time gave them a chance to show a wider range of emotions. Well done!

Watch this movie with the same folks you watched the series.

Before the Rains

Beautifully filmed. Richly sound-tracked. This odd film is based on another film, Red Roofs, an Israeli short project. Interestingly enough, this film feels like the short. It feels like the middle of a very interesting story. To me, what passes prior to this film, and after, are as interesting, if not more, than the film itself. But, we are left without explanation of what precedes and what follows this portion of the story. That may not be all bad however. It leaves much for us to think and talk about. If you like that sort of movie, you'll like this one.

Linus Roache does a great job as the English planter at the center of the story. But, the show is totally taken by the performance of Rahul Bose. Hopefully we'll see lots more of him in future. The leading lady here is Nandita Das who also does a wonderful job. The supporting cast is too numerous to list individually, but I think everyone was great. They make it easy to forget this is acting.

Because this story is so compelling and believable its easy to get swept up into. When the end comes, and no I won't spoil it, the story seemed to me unresolved. Perhaps that was the Director's point?

Watch this movie with someone who will not take sides.

The Cooler

Are we smart enough to like this movie? I sure hope so. If you are old enough to remember old Las Vegas, this trip down memory lane will be full of delicious morsels. If all you know of Vegas is what can be seen from The Strip, welcome to a real Vegas Fremont Street experience. This despite the fact that, except for most of the exterior shots, the movie was actually shot in Reno.

William H. Macy should have received an award for just his facial expressions in this film. The look on his face when he first sees the "Little Joe" tattoo on his leading lady, Maria Bello, is priceless. Great nonverbal story telling. Great Andy Rooney eyebrows.

And let me give huge props to the editing crew. The movie is crisp. The parts when some would let the movie play on, this crew actually fast forwards through the parts we would want them to. Brilliant. Scene transitions are smartly done, almost every time, without the use of blackouts. The story flows perfectly.

Oh, and the music is right out of lounge theaters. There are songs you may not have heard of before. Listen well and see how perfect they fit with the story. As for the music you do recognize, sing along.

Watch this movie with someone who is feeling a little down on their luck and help them have a spectacular day.

The Forbidden Kingdom

You don't have to be a fan of the Kung Fu, or more correctly "Gung Fu", genre to enjoy this movie. In fact, it will probably help if you are not. A healthy part of the plot pokes a little fun that direction. And if you pay close attention, there are elements of some other fairly popular movies tossed in for fun.

You may see scenes that remind you of LOTR or Indy Jones. You may see homage to The Wizard of Oz and the obvious Karate Kid.

Jackie Chan and Jet Li were wonderful together in this oddly funny buddy movie. I have to admit that I enjoyed it far more than I expected. I am not a Kung Fu fan, but I did enjoy this movie. Michael Angarano was very, very good as the American teen in the middle of this goofy fantasy story. If you don't think Jet Li capable of comedy, think again. He even surprised me with a wide open mouthed belly laugh. I wonder if he used a laugh double?

Watch this movie with someone whom you will enjoy talking too during the movie. It is hard to resist.

The Promotion

Not too much for me to say about this one. It is a very fun concept, but was not very well packaged or delivered. No doubt many younger movie viewers will relate to the young couple at the center of this story. But I hope this is not the future of storytelling via film.

While there are some funny bits, they are too few and far between for my tastes. If you watch this movie under the influence of alcohol, I'm guessing it will feel too slow. If however you are stoned, it may be very very funny to you.

Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly are less than convincing a competitors in a promotional opportunity at an inner-city Chicago grocery store chain. Neither character is likable and the acting here was pretty much high school. Line. Line. Line. No real conversation. No real dialogue.

My recommendation for this movie is to watch something different.