Keeping the Faith

This is perhaps my favorite Ben Stiller movie. Don't get me wrong, "There's Something About Mary" is a classic and a very fun movie, but I like this one better. Keeping the Faith is a crisp, funny, topical, real story, that most everyone can relate to. Which of the Mary characters do you relate to?

It starts smart and it ends smart. The writing is superb and the acting is not over done like most other Ben Stiller movies. If you are among those who say Stiller can't act, or that he only plays one basic character, watch this movie and let me know what you think. Rabbi Shram is outside his usual tight circle of characters. Zoolander notwithstanding, Stiller usually plays his perception of "Every Man" and sometimes it works. "Meet the Parents" is the best example of that.

But, back to Keeping the Faith. Edward Norton plays a wonderfully comic Catholic Priest who is infatuated with the same girl as Stiller's Rabbi Shram. Yes, there is a joke in there and if you don't think the opening scene is funny, you probably won't like the rest of the movie. It is a perfect set up. Jenna Elfman does some of her best work here as the long time childhood friend of the religious duo who comes back see them as adults. Brilliant - funny - touching.

Anne Bancroft and Eli Wallach play the senior influence on Stiller's character and Milos Forman does the same for Norton's. Great scenes we can all relate to.

Watch this movie with someone you can squeeze.

Pride and Glory

If you can't stand the thought of Colin Farrell being a bad guy, you may want to skip this movie. On the other hand, if you like the line he tip-toed in Miami Vice (the movie) then you may enjoy how he comes down on this one. I did.

Edward Norton does his usual excellent job of playing complex characters. However, I did see a bit of Bruce Banner here as well as his Red Dragon character, Will Graham. But as a guy who likes playing characters with as many personalities as possible this should not surprise us. I would really like to see Norton do a comedy one of these days to see how well he departs from his norm.

Jon Voight rounds out this family-of-cops story with great relish. I think he actually enjoyed playing this role unlike some of his more recent outings. Noah Emmerich plays the brother caught between two impossible choices here. Well written and well played.

Who do you cheer for when bad cops do bad things to bad guys? This is a common issue in our society and several of those points are raised in this story. But they are so subtle you may not even recognize them.

Watch this movie with someone who has a strong sense of right and wrong.

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

"Hulk smash" were two frequent words from the comic book Hulk. They are used just once in the movie, but at a perfect time and it almost describes the movie. Almost.

Edward Norton was a perfect choice for Banner/Hulk, and Liv Tyler was a delicious choice for Banner's love interest Dr. Betty Ross. William Hurt and Tim Roth round out the fun cast as the bad buys. Two very nice surprises were a brief shot of Bill Bixby (TV Bruce Banner) and Lou Ferrigno (TV Hulk). I also totally enjoyed the visit by Tony Stark (Ironman) at the end. Oops. Don't let that spoil anything for you.

This is a fun movie for Hulk fans from the comic to the TV series to the video game. If however someone is not familiar with the Hulk story, this movie does not really offer enough back story to get them up to speed fast enough. Do a little homework first if necessary and you'll enjoy the film much more.

I liked this movie for many reasons, not the least of which are the scenes shot in Brazil.

Watch this movie with someone who loves their superhero comics.

Painted Veil

Though it was snubbed by Oscar in the 2006/2007 season, "Painted Veil" was an odds on favorite for at least a nom. Tortuous love stories about sick people in far off lands are usually a big hit with Academy voters. For whatever reason however "Veil" did not register. Perhaps Edward Norton continues to be viewed as a Hollywood outsider despite his continued powerful, wide-ranging performances.

To me, "Veil" is a powerful story of forgiveness and redemption. I expected a chick-flick, but instead found a story with characters who give you plenty of reasons to dislike them, and to care about them deeply.

If you enjoy stories about interesting but flawed characters who evolve as the story unfolds, you'll like this movie. It is not a tear-jecker, but it does pack an emotional wallop. Watch it with someone who you want to forgive you for something.