It's Complicated

White people behaving richly. That is one way to look at this movie. Do YOU have anyone in this movie YOU can relate to? That does not make it a bad movie by any means. In fact it is a good story very well told.

Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin play a divorced couple who make attempts to reconnect. Steve Martin plays the third side of this odd triangle. There are adult kids involved here too, and John Krasinski does a great job as the comic relief tasked son-in-law.

Some might think many of these characters are sorely underacted. But I believe their characters are fairly well played. Many SoCal residents are not all that interesting to anyone other than themselves. Sorry neighbors - we don't make inspire much in each other.

That all said, there is a large group of middle-aged divorced white folk out there who can relate to the situations if not the characters. Though people stop living under the same roof, they don't usually stop being part of each others lives when kids are involved.

Watch this movie with someone between the ages of 40 and 60.

Crazy Heart

So many things going on during this movie, taken separately are very good, but together make a memorable movie. The story is not exactly new. Producer and co-star Robert Duvall played a similar character with somewhat similar results a few years ago. This effort is much better.

Here are some things I'm crazy about when it comes to this movie:

The music - well deserving of the Oscar.
The acting - Jeff Bridges certainly earned his too, and Maggie Gyllenhaal deserved her nomination.
The story - good things CAN happen to bad people.
The scenes - what can I say, I like dives.
The unexpected things - like the humble abode our fading country star calls home in Houston.
The photography - this movie makes the dreariest places look pretty good.

Watch this movie with someone who can enjoy all the verses.

Nine

Nine what? Not big stars, there are only 8. Not musical numbers, there are more than 9. It was, after all, a Tony-winning Broadway play before it was a movie. Not complex relationships, there are only 7 or 8. So why the Nine title? I believe it is all about the magic of being a kid - a 9 year old kid.

Throughout the movie the agonizing protagonist has flashbacks to when he was 9. As a carefree, mischievous boy, Guido, was controlled by his faith and his mother. The adult Guido converses with his dead mother who is still a big influence in his life. Daniel Day Lewis plays the torture son, all grown up, and Sophia Loren is a delight as the mother.

This movie is also about the craziness of making movies. The egos involved, the money, the players, and the process. Hype and Hollywood. Nothing is what it seems. Although the story takes place in 1960's Italy, many similarities still exist.

Marion Cotillard plays the long-suffering wife and Penelope Cruz plays the mistress and muse. Judi Dench plays the costume mistress and closest adviser, and Nicole Kidman plays the bombshell star. Kate Hudson plays a feisty American fashion journalist, and Stacy Ferguson (Fergie) plays the sexy boyhood memory.

Bottom line, it is only when Guido discovers the joy of his youth that he can climb back in the directors chair with success. A great lesson for all of us. If we can find childhood joy in our jobs, we'll never "work" another day in our lives. Or something like that.

Watch this movie with someone who loves a good musical - or Italian style - or movies about making movies.

The Lookout

Little bit crime drama. Little bit thriller. Little bit comedy. Not sure what to call it, but it's fun to watch. You'd think, based on the story-telling advice of one of the main characters, that this story would be easy to predict. And, while you CAN see the train coming, and you know it's going to smack you, what you don't see coming is how the characters will react. That makes for some fun.

Joseph Gorden-Levitt plays a high school kid who suffers from head trauma. His memory loss and other troubles are shown all due reverence. But the effects on himself and others are often funny.

Jeff Daniels plays his roommate and best friend who also happens to be much older and blind.

The bad guys are played perfectly by Matthew Goode and Greg Dunham. These are nasty villains you will love to hate. The supporting cast is rounded out nicely by some fun performances with a few familiar faces.

The only plot problem I noticed was that the main character's memory problems are episodic rather than constant. Some things he must write down to remember. But the bad guy's name he remembers from the very first meeting. Odd.

I even liked the partial narration by the main character. To me it felt like it was used just right.

Watch this movie with someone who might think their dreams are not worthy of cultivation.

Nordwand (North Face)

This German film rocks! This film is both visually and mentally stunning. The photography is first rate and helps the audience feel right on the mountain. The director referred to it as "worm's view" of the action. Very apt. The story is compelling from both a human and historical point of view.

Benno Fürmann is brilliant as the lead of this hell-bent team of climbers. Florian Lukas is his ever-enthusiastic climbing partner. These two play German heros who were part of the pre-WWII competition to climb "the last problem of the Alps", the north face of the Eiger in Switzerland.

Johanna Wokalek plays a Berlin photo-journalist who was a childhood friend of the duo who returns to report on their efforts. Ulrich Tukur plays her smarmy boss.

The film in many contrasts at the same time. The audience is taken from the cold of the mountain to the warmth of the lodge. From the absolutism of the Third Reich to the moderation of their Swiss and Austrian neighbors. The film is a delicious ride up and down the peaks of emotion.

Watch this with someone who has some experience climbing rocks of any size.

Brothers

Based on the Dutch film of the same name, this gripping drama is more about family than it is about war. Like other recent war-related dramas, this movie does not dwell on the morality of any particular conflict, but rather addresses the humanity involved.

Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal play brothers - one "good" and the other "bad". As much as anything else, this movie is about labeling. Parents label kids. Kids label themselves.

Natalie Portman and Sam Shepard play influential roles here as soldier's wife and father respectively. All around, the acting here is solid. The characters are all likable, believable, and the audience will find someone to relate to.

At first I was afraid to watch this movie because I thought it would be too depressing. It was actually not at all what I expected. The story takes us through some complex emotions and real issues relevant to current society.

Watch this with someone who thinks they have issues to deal with.

Tôkyô Sonata

You think YOUR family is dysfunctional? Check this one out. Oh, it's in Japanese with subtitles, but one hardly notices. I found myself both disturbed and fascinated by each of these characters.

The father loses his job but chooses to not tell the family or attempt to disturb the routine in any way. Along his new journey he meets other men in similar circumstances.

The oldest son, like many teens his age, just wants out of the family home and an independent life. He eventually ends up in the U.S. Army of all places.

The youngest son, smarter than most kids his age and very able to express himself, wants nothing more than to learn to play the piano. And with good reason, and hence the title.

The mother, perhaps the most complex character of all, tolerates only so much before making her escape. Brace yourself.

And in the end it makes for what must be very interesting dinner table conversation. But, something tells me nobody says a word about the previous 48 hours.

All in all it is a very interesting study of Japanese culture. How realistic it is, I do not know. If YOU know, please enlighten me.

Watch this movie with someone who has lived or worked in Tokyo and see what they say.

The Dukes (2007)

It is nothing new that I'm not all that impressed with award-winning movies. This is just another on a long list.

The music is fun and some of the acting is very good. The story however is weak and most of the acting is hackish. But don't let that alone keep you from watching this one.

Chazz Palminteri and Robert Davi play down-on-their-luck former Doo Wop stars. They have relocated from New York to LA and life does not turn out like they wanted. Their agent, played oddly by Peter Bogdanovich.

The two former entertainers decide to plan heist of questionable merit then add Frank D'Amico (welcome comic relief literally and figuratively) and Bruce Weitz to the "gang".

There are a few surprises on the way to a classic Hollywood ending.

Watch this movie with someone who enjoy the music enough to turn a blind eye to the rest.

Pressure Cooker (2008)

While this is a story that takes place mostly in kitchens, it is NOT a movie for foodies. While this is a movie about triumph over adversity it is not a "feel good" story. The whole point of this movie, in my opinion, is to illustrate to those of us who live outside this world, to what extremes, and what extraordinary measures, are required to lift a child of poverty out of the vicious cycle.

The more uncomfortable that thought makes you the more you need to see this movie. Many of us talk the talk of pulling oneself up by one's own bootstraps and making one's own way in the world. This movie makes the point very clearly that nobody can do it on their own. It really does take a village to raise someone, and we are all in the village, directly or indirectly.

Yes, it is a documentary, and very few of those make my blog. This one, while not as exciting or entertaining as others here, is nevertheless just as worthy.

Kudos to the kids who stick with this program. Kudos to the adults to make it possible. And kudos to those who watch this movie and feel inspired to DO something.

Watch this with someone, anyone, who will benefit from the message, or who can benefit the cause.

The American President

Rob Reiner may be best known for directing When Harry Met Sally, a bar-setting romantic comedy, but his variety is expansive. His only Oscar nod came from the courtroom drama A Few Good Men. This story combines both political reality with romantic comedy.

Michael Douglas and Annette Bening are wonderful here as a sitting President and hired-gun lobbyist. Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, and Richard Dreyfus have small roles as well.

This is an enjoyable story if you don't focus too much on the gravity of the different situations. Watch it as a romantic comedy and not a political drama. Expect to be entertained and not educated.

While this movie didn't actually win anything it was nominated for everything significant at the Golden Globes in 1996.

Watch it with someone who knows what a difference a good pair of shoes makes.