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Internet Movie Database
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04 Jan

Last Chance Harvey

Grade: B

Dustin Hoffman plays Harvey, an old-school jingle writer who flies to London for his daughter’s wedding, which is being hosted by his ex-wife and her suave new husband, played by the suave James Brolin.  Harvey is struggling to hang on to his job and struggling to fit in with the wedding party when his daughter breaks the news that she has chosen her step-father to walk her down the aisle.  Devastated, he makes a brief appearance at the wedding, then ducks out to fly home.  At the airport, his flight is cancelled, and he’s fired by phone. That’s when he meets the weary airport employee played by Emma Thompson.  Two lonely people manage to connect, and find a spark of joy amongst the gloom.  It’s an interesting relationship, that grows as they learn about each other, and themselves.  A mature romance is refreshing to see at the movies these days.
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04 Jan

Lars and the Real Girl

Grade: A

Ryan Gosling stars as Lars, a troubled and lonely young man who lives in the garage of his childhood home.  His brother, Gus, and pregnant sister-in-law, Karen, live in the main house.  The two try to engage Lars in activity and conversation, but Lars keeps to himself.  They’re surprised when he brings a girl home to dinner one night, and she happens to be a life-sized mail-order plastic doll.

At the psychologist’s urging, Gus and Karen go along with Lars’ delusion, hoping that whatever triggered the need for such will dissipate.  The whole town ends up participating in the charade, and Lars continues his relationship with this doll, “Bianca.”  In the background is Margot, who works with Lars and attends his church.  She’s had a crush on Lars, but he can’t handle it.  Bianca is his girlfriend.  Just when it seems that this might be a permanent situation, something triggers in Lars, and he makes some changes in his life.

This movie says so much about relationships, and the power of community.  It’s about love and healing and getting to know each other, and getting to know ourselves.  I was lucky enough to hear the director, David Gillespie, speak about the movie at a screening.  The whole film was shot in 30 days, and they stuck to the original script without any re-writes.

Lars and the Real Girl is a very sweet movie, and I know we’ll be hearing more about it come awards time.
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04 Jan

Larry Crowne

Grade: B

You can’t really go wrong having Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks star in a movie together.  Larry Crowne is a delight.  It tells the story of Larry, played by Tom Hanks, who loses his job at a “big box” store because he doesn’t have a college degree.  It’s a bit of a stretch, but it is that inciting moment that sets the action into play.  Larry can’t get another job, so he goes to the local community college to take some courses and get a little more employable.

Enter Julia Roberts, the unhappily married public speaking teacher.  While Larry meets some friends, and gets his mojo back – Julia figures out her life, and they end up becoming friends.  They end up teaching each other and finding what out what they really need.

Really cute flick – nice date night movie.
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04 Jan

Kung Fu Panda

Grade: B+

Kung Fu Panda is a Dreamworks animated film.  Jack Black is the panda, Po.  We first see Po working in his dad’s noodle restaurant.  His dad wants him to take over the business, but Po has other dreams, he loves Kung Fu.  When a big competition comes up, Po ends up on the outside looking in, until he literally falls from the sky into the center of the arena.  This qualifies him to be the next “Dragon Warrior!”  He now must be trained, and mentored in the martial arts, so that he can battle the big bad guy who has just escaped from prison.  Cute story about being true to yourself, finding your inner strength, and making your dreams come true.  Good for all ages.  Very family-friendly.  Angelina Jolie voices the Tiger, Dustin Hoffman is the mouse-type animal, the Kung Fu master.
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04 Jan

Kung Fu Hustle

Grade: C-

This parody takes itself a little too seriously. Gotta give Stephen Chow kudos, though – he wrote, directed and starred in this movie, and the guy has got the moves! Sometimes it goes over the top, and comes off like a live action cartoon. Other times the message is a little heavy handed. For chop-socky aficionados, there are several inside jokes. For the rest of us, we’re left shaking our heads. I think I would have liked Kung Fu Hustle a lot more if it were about half an hour shorter.
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04 Jan

Knowing

Grade: C-

Knowing is promoted as a sci-fi thriller, but it’s really more of a horror movie.  Scary – creepy scary.  The story starts out in 1958 when an elementary school buries a time capsule.  The kids all draw pictures of what they think the future will look like.  One little girl is compelled to write a series of numbers in a kind of trance-like state.  Fast forward to the present day when the time capsule is unearthed.  One dad, an astrophysicist, gets this sheet of paper and starts analyzing it.  He finds that the numbers correspond to dates and locations of catastrophes where many people died.  Since the little girl who wrote the numbers is dead, he tracks down her daughter, and the two of them try to solve the mystery of what this all means. Their two young children are now very much involved, so the stakes are high.

Nicolas Cage is the dad, and he is badly miscast.  He’s too old, too sullen, too removed emotionally from the situation.  I usually like Nic Cage, but this performance just didn’t fit.

Knowing is filled with doom and gloom, armageddon, Christian overtones and undertones throughout.  Heavy handed and dark.
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04 Jan

Knocked Up

Grade: B+

Knocked Up is rated R, mostly for the language and some simulated sex scenes, which are absolutely hilarious, I’m a little embarrassed to say.  Anyone who has been pregnant, or been with someone who is pregnant, will laugh – which is probably why the whole theatre was an explosion of laughter the whole time.

Knocked Up is from the same people who brought us “The 40 Year Old Virgin” which I also liked, but Knocked Up is sweeter, sunnier.  It’s about two people who might never have gotten together if their one-night stand hadn’t resulted in a pregnancy.  They are so opposites that they have to work for the attraction, but when they really get to know each other as people they find some common ground.  Meanwhile, the married couple with kids provides the B story, a kind of glimpse into the future for the newly pregnant ones.

Fresh, funny, warm.  I could relate.
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04 Jan

Knight and Day

Grade: B-

Knight and Day stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.  He’s a spy and she’s the regular girl who gets caught up in and dragged along for some top-secret caper he’s working on.  We’re led to believe that he’s a rogue agent, and insane, and going by his actions this would not be a bad guess.  But, hey, he’s Tom Cruise. So we never really buy it.  And then there’s Cameron, acting ditzy, we’ve seen this character before. There’s an attraction, but we never really buy it either.  The story is interesting, and well-executed – but I think the movie would have been more successful overall if the casting had been different.
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04 Jan

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Grade: B+

Normally Kiss Kiss Bang Bang isn’t the kind of movie that I’d rush out and see – but in this case I had to! Why? Because Shane Black is the director – and he wrote the screenstory and screenplay. Most movie fans know Shane Black as the brilliant and highly paid young screenwriter who did the Lethal Weapon series. But I know Shane Black as my buddy from UCLA! We took a TV class together and worked on several projects together. Yes, he was funny and smart, and we all knew that he’s be a big success – and here he is – a huge success! Very cool. The movie starts out with a bang – and doesn’t let up. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as the thief turned actor who gets swept away to Hollywood and then gets caught up in an old-time caper. Val Kilmer is “Gay” Parry – the private eye who ends up taking on a case that is bigger than he anticipated. There’s plenty of action, hijinks, violence, (albeit mostly comedic violence it’s still pretty gross) – it’s quirky, fun, and definitely original. And that’s what I appreciate when I go to the movies these days. I don’t want formula, I don’t want predictible – I want to be surprised, and maybe shocked! This movie delivers.
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04 Jan

Kinsey

Grade: B

Well, things certainly were different in the 40’s and 50’s. This movie, which takes place during that time, never could have been made back then! And it looks like we owe this “progress” at least in part, to the work of Alfred Kinsey. The movie Kinsey is a fascinating character study. Liam Neeson portrays the title character in this film, based on true events. A really wonderful performance, giving us insight into this man’s persona. Laura Linney plays his wife – this actress has got to be the new Meryl Streep – she is so good in every part she plays.

The theme, of course, is sex. And the characters talk about it, study it, teach it, and actually practice it themselves, amongst themselves. Strong supporting performances by Peter Saarsgard, Timothy Hutton, Chris O’Connell and John Lithgow.
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