Crossing Over

What "Crash" did for racial issues this movie does for immigration issues - almost. Crossing Over follows a similar format with A-List stars, compelling familiar scenarios, and short scenes to hold our attention.

The difference? The point of Crash was that everyone is both guilty of, AND a victim of, racism. That is not the case with immigration issues. So to that extent, the movie comes up a little short if held to the same standard as Crash. Otherwise, it is a very good collection of stories, very well told.

Harrison Ford plays a senior ICE agent who struggles with doing whats right and doing whats expected. Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd play a married couple both involved in immigration issues but from different sides of the law. Jim Sturgess and Alice Eve play a couple who are in the country illegally and will do anything to stay. Cliff Curtis plays Ford's partner at ICE and a member of a family who struggles with cultural heritage and the realities of American life. All the paths eventually cross.

I'm curious what Sean Penn's original part was on this. Any ideas?

Watch this movie with someone who was not born here.

De-Lovely

If you were invited to go back and watch your life as a movie, what would it look like?

In this highly stylized, very smart script, Writer Jay Cocks (The Age of Innocence and Gangs of New York) delivers a truly lovely tribute to singer Cole Porter. It begins with an aged Porter sitting in a theater while a state-play is prepared. Once he realizes the play is to be his life, the story gets more interesting.

Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda, I Love You to Death, and Dave) is so perfect as Cole Porter, you forget he is acting. It is obvious how much fun he had playing this role. It earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

Ashley Judd (A Time to Kill, and Double Jeopardy) plays Porter's long-suffering, very patient, understanding wife, Linda. As for the historical accuracy of this picture, I cannot give an opinion, and critics disagree. But either way, Judd did a great job with the range of emotions her character went through.

The story moves back to the older Porter sitting in the theater with Gabe (angel Gabriel?) played with stone-cold precision by Jonathan Pryce (Evita and Pirates of the Caribbean series). This type of additional narration adds greatly to the story, and is well written and well-acted.

Even if you are not a fan of Cole Porter music, or that era of shows, this movie is worth the watch because it is so unique. On the other hand, if you do like music from this time, you will love this movie. The soundtrack is worth having on your ipod.

Watch this movie with someone who likes to dance.