I started a blog for Gone Baby Gone a few weeks ago but stopped because I realized that I didn’t really want to do a review about it.  I didn’t want to tell you bits and pieces to intrigue you to see it.  I wanted to have a commentary on it, and when I read this article today about a severely neglected and abused child, I knew that was what I had to do.  The article may be long, but I IMPLORE you to read it.

There are so many thoughts - most of them of outrage - racing through my head right now, so it’s hard to know where to begin.  I guess I’ll start with the movie’s storyline so that you can see why I drew the parallel with the article.

Casey Affleck stars as Patrick Kenzie, a born and bred Boston private investigator.  He and his girlfriend, played by Michelle Monaghan from Made of Honor and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, are hired to search for a missing girl.  Morgan Freeman plays Captain Jack Doyle.  He lost his daughter many years before in a similar situation, and has since devoted his law enforcement career to keeping other parents from ever having to experience such a tragedy.

The little girl doesn’t exactly live in one of Boston’s best neighborhoods, and the mother’s pleas for help on local television newscasts seem a little disingenuous.  So Doyle tells detectives Bressant (Ed Harris) and Poole (John Ashton) to collaborate with Kenzie and Gennaro (Monaghan).  Evidence leads the investigators to believe that one of the local drug dealers has taken Amanda hostage because Amanda’s mother has stolen money from him.  During a botched attempt to retrieve the young girl, she falls over a cliff and drowns in the water below.

Kenzie and Gennaro are haunted by the case.  I saw the film several months ago in a fever-induced haze, so the details are a little fuzzy, but something leads Kenzie to continue digging until he discovers that Amanda is still alive and well.  She didn’t drown, and she wasn’t kidnapped by a drug lord or a sick pedophile.  Her uncle, who - along with his wife - hired Kenzie and Gennaro, worked in conjunction with Bressant and Doyle to take Amanda away from what they felt was an unhealthy atmosphere for a child.

While Amanda’s mother has been grieving (I type with a sneer) for her dead daughter, Amanda’s been thriving in a loving, caring environment with Captain Doyle and his wife.  Kenzie is determined to return Amanda to her rightful place, but Gennaro tells him that if he does, she’ll leave him.

Ultimately, Kenzie goes with his law-abiding conscience and turns in Doyle, Bressant and Amanda’s uncle.  Amanda is returned to her mother’s care (yet again, I type with a sneer), and the last scene of the film shows Kenzie staying home to babysit Amanda as her mother leaves for a date with a guy who contacted her because of the whole kidnapping charade.  Everything is as it was.  Amanda’s disappearance didn’t do a thing to change her mother’s attitude about child care.

Here’s the rub.  I can see Kenzie’s point of view.  I can see that it’s not right for someone to play judge, jury and executioner and decide what conditions are appropriate for a child. That’s what social services and child advocates are meant to do, BUT when, as in the case of the aforementioned article, complaints are made and nothing is done by those sworn to protect and serve, what other recourse is there?  How many children have to be left for 7 YEARS huddled in their own urine and feces and covered with roaches and lice before someone will notice that the system isn’t working?

As the movie ended, I sat there balling.  My friend said I was too sensitive and that I was taking it too seriously.  After all, it’s “just a movie.”  But I was imagining that there are children all over the world, maybe even right next door to me, who endure this sort of existence, and it breaks my heart.  Then I read an article like The Girl In The Window and struggle with comprehending just how badly poor Danielle was abused, and in the same article, read about her mother saying that, “The boys were with her,” and that she has the paperwork to prove it and that that makes it all ok.  Are you kidding me?  It’s like reading a Holocaust survivor’s memoir and then having a White Supremacist look you in the eye and say that it never happened.

What’s the answer?  What’s the solution? As I mentioned before, there are government agencies whose sole purpose is to work toward eliminating these situations and others which are charged with protecting those involved if the situation couldn’t be avoided.  I think it’s disgustingly deplorable that a human being could be treated in such a fashion, but obviously those who would lie around in squalor and later excuse their actions or try to blame someone else, are mentally ill.

Has it always been this way, and we just didn’t know about it because communication and news dissemination was never this efficient or widespread?  I have no answers.  I’m left simply with the hope that there are more people like Danielle’s adoptive family in this world than there are like Danielle’s birth mother.

I’d like to say that The Dark Knight picks up where Batman Begins left off, mainly because it just sounds cool, but I don’t really remember a lot of Batman Begins.  I enjoyed it, but I only saw it once, and it wasn’t one that I felt like I needed to add to my collection.  So for artistic sake, we’ll just say that it picks up where it left off, k? K.

Christian Bale reprises the role of multi-billionaire Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman.  This time around the Joker is his arch nemesis, which the amazing Gary Oldman as Lieutenant Jim Gordon alluded to at the end of Batman Begins.  The story line goes a little something like this:  Batman, Gordon and Gotham City’s new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) are successfully ridding Gotham of some of the city’s worst criminals; until the psychopathic Joker (Ledger) comes along and spoils their plans.

No story would be complete without the love angle, and this one’s actually got a tri”angle.”  Maggie Gyllenhaal takes over the role of Rachel Dawes from Katie Holmes, and Dent is just as determined to win her heart as he is to defeat the Joker and make Gotham City a respectable place to live.  Of course, Bruce still hopes that one day he can put the Batman suit away, and he and Rachel can live happily ever after in Wayne Tower, surveying the city they helped to make livable.

But do you really care about the story line in a film like this?  Sure it has to have a believable plot to follow or it flounders, but for the most part, it plays third or fourth fiddle to the special effects, the characters and the performances, which I suppose wouldn’t be nearly as fantastic without decent material from which to work.

All three (special effects, characters and performances) are tremendous in The Dark Knight.  Bale’s Batman voice can be a little off-putting, but he’s got to fool everyone somehow because that gigantic bat mask covering the top half of his face just isn’t enough, right? Oldman is brilliant in anything, and Gyllenhaal and Eckhart turn in solid performances.  But the real shining light is Ledger, and I’m not just saying that because he’s dead.  He was awe-inspiring.  It takes a lot to be super-creepy and humorous at the same time, and he pulled it off.  It saddens me that he won’t be around to reprise his role in the next film.

I can’t say enough about the special effects.  The bat gadgets are just plain fun, and there’s one chase sequence that left me breathless.  It’s definitely one of the more innovative ones I’ve seen, and the make-up, especially for Dent as he begins to transition into the villain Two Face, is a little too believable.

My favorite thing about the new evolution of Batman: it doesn’t feel like a movie about a comic book.  It feels real.  I feel like Gotham City actually exists.  The Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher renditions were entertaining and amusing, but Christopher Nolan’s creations are staggering.  These are the sorts of timeless films that we’ll be showing our children in 10 to 15 years, and I think they’ll be every bit as mesmerizing then as they are now.

I do apologize for taking so long to blog about this one, but I tend to be a champion of the lesser-known films about which you’ve probably never heard.  The Dark Knight was at the top of the box office for four weeks.  The first weekend it pulled in a walloping $158,411,483.  It’s safe to say that you’ve heard of it, and now you officially have my permission to see it.

There might be extenuating circumstances, i.e. going through an existential crisis that makes one question the last 2, possibly 3, years of one’s life, but that’s a different blog for a different website.  Even if there is some sort of existential crisis, one would think that I would use movies to escape, and, therefore, have ample fodder from which to blog.  On the contrary, I can’t seem to motivate myself to devote the 2 to 2.5 hours required for a movie. It’s much easier to turn on the equally trusty DVR and lose myself in a pointless, thoughtless hour long drama in which nothing of consequence really happens.

Most of what I’ve seen recently is too forgettable to deserve a blog.  I finally saw Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. I’m pretty sure it got horrible reviews because it didn’t live up to the epic proportions of the Harry Potter adaptations, but I enjoyed the semi-tragic tale of the 3 children who were orphaned when their house mysteriously exploded with their parents inside.

Jim Carrey as the evil, money-grubbing “uncle” was more than a little annoying, but I love Liam Aiken, who portrayed Klaus, the middle child.  Some of you may remember him as Susan Sarandon’s precious, magic-loving son in Stepmom.  I thought the subtitles for Sunny’s (the little sister) mumblings and baby talk were extremely original, and Jude Law made for a great narrator.  Meryl Streep’s performance was surprising and entertaining, and even though I’d recommend the film, it doesn’t really lend itself to a full length blog.

Neither does Dreamcatcher.  Other than The Shawshank Redemption, I’m pretty sure it’s the only Stephen King adaptation I’ve seen.  My desire to watch it was driven by my opinions of the starring actors.  I’ve liked Damien Lewis ever since I saw him in Band of Brothers, and Timothy Olyphant was mesmerizing in the short-lived Deadwood series on HBO.  Their performances in Dreamcatcher aren’t quite as stellar, but I don’t think the material was either.

I had hoped for something a little more original from the plot than aliens coming to take over the world.  The Ojibwa Native American culture believes that dreamcatchers filter bad dreams from good ones.  The bad ones get stuck in the net of woven sinew, and the good ones fly freely into the dreamer’s unconscious mind.

One would think with a plot device this diverse and unusual that the film would be truly original.  Alas, there is only one reference to the dreamcatcher hanging from the ceiling of the cabin in which the four friends are staying.  Speaking of the four friends, Jonesy, Beaver, Pete and Henry changed their lives forever the day they stumbled upon young Duddits being bullied.  They gained a friend that day, and as the friendship grew, they also gained some interesting abilities.  Is it possible that this retarded boy is more than he seems?  Could he have given them all special powers that will one day save the world?

In addition to the regular routine of life that’s kept me too busy to see any of the latest box office hits, I had a good friend tell me tonight, somewhat tongue in cheek, that I haven’t seen enough movies to really excel in the movie review realm. My pride was a bit wounded.  I like to think of myself as quite the movie connoisseur, and I’ve impressed many friends and acquaintances with my random movie trivia and knowledge.  However, I’ve often said that there’s always someone who’s better at something than you are, and I guess my friend is more of an avid movie fan than I am.  He also has a few extra years on me, but we won’t go into that.

So in the interest of becoming more qualified for this “gig,” I will do my best to devote more time to watching movies.  After all, it is August in Dallas, which means it’ll be over 100 degrees for several days in a row.  What better way to beat the heat than to sit in my comfortable home or in a frigid movie theater and lose myself for a few hours.  I’m FINALLY going to see The Dark Knight this weekend, so even though I’m sure most of you have already seen it, check back next week for my review, unqualified though it may be.

Whedon and friends conceived Dr. Horrible during the writer’s strike, when they grew frustrated by the work stoppage and set out to change the face of entertainment by circumventing “the system.”  It was a project made of a lot of heart, very little money, and as Joss puts it, “very mid-life-crisisy.”

Neil Patrick Harris stars as Dr. Horrible, an up-and-coming villain with his eyes on the big leagues—the Evil League of Evil.  Dr. Horrible plots his new world order via his video blog, while his real-life alter ego Billy pines for Penny (Felicia Day), the beautiful girl at the laundromat that he can’t work up the courage to talk to.  Standing in Dr. Horrible’s way—both personally and professionally—is Captain Hammer, the resident superhero, played by Whedon-favorite Nathan Fillion.  And just so you know…his fists?  They’re not the hammer.

The show—or “Internet miniseries event,” as Whedon refers to it—lives up to its name thanks to the catchy musical numbers interspersed throughout the action.  Everyone gets a tune, with many songs showcasing Harris’ impressive vocal chops and Day’s lovely soprano.  This is not Whedon’s first musical foray—he wrote a musical episode in season six of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” that has gained a wide cult following since the show went off the air, and he even penned the theme song to his short-lived hit show “Firefly.”  His songwriting is simple and effective, drawing cues from traditional musical theater and leaving you humming the songs hours after you’ve watched the show.

Dr. Horrible is available for download on iTunes and for streaming on Hulu.com According to the website, a DVD and cast recording CD will be forthcoming later this year.  For the latest news on all that is Horrible, visit the website at www.drhorrible.com or follow @drhorrible on www.twitter.com.

Then I got an invite to a free screening of Brideshead Revisited at the Magnolia. Much more my style AND the email boasted a brief Q&A afterward with the film’s star, Matthew Goode. People, the universe has granted me an early birthday present. It’s no secret that I have quite a few celebrity crushes, and he’s been one since I saw Chasing Liberty in 2004. My inner twelve year old was screaming with glee. I was going to be sharing the same air space with a very cute, very British, very tall boy.

Despite my glee, I was quite calm as the packed theater awaited the beginning of the film. As usual, I hadn’t read the book, and I’d only seen one trailer. I had gotten an Atonement feel from the trailer, but that was mainly due to the era and the undercurrent of class struggle. There’s much more class struggle to this one than to Atonement. The conflict in Atonement was mainly due to a little girl’s huge misunderstanding of very adult “things.” The conflict in Brideshead Revisited is quintessentially British: religion and status.

Goode is the attention-starved Charles Ryder. Charles suffers from a middle class upbringing. His mother died when he was young, and his father is dry and incapable of showing love and affection. When Charles arrives at Oxford to study history, he meets the beguiling Sebastian Flyte and is introduced to a world he thought possible only in his most vivid dreams.

Sebastian (Ben Whishaw) and Charles fill each other’s need for companionship and strike up a quick friendship, but it’s quite obvious that Sebastian would prefer it be less platonic. Although Charles cherishes Sebastian’s company, he is hypnotized by Sebastian’s world. Charles, an aspiring artist, is automatically speechless at the sight of Brideshead, the estate on which Sebastian grew up. His mouth practically waters as he begs Sebastian to let him tour the manor and grounds before the matriarch, Lady Marchmain (played brilliantly by Emma Thompson), returns.

When Lady Marchmain arrives, she brings Julia Flyte (Hayley Atwell), Sebastian’s beautiful sister, and Charles fully succumbs to the spell of Brideshead. He is a good and honest young man, but even the most virtuous of men cannot say no to the display of decadence and eccentricity which Sebastian and Julia provide him.

Every void must be filled, and Lady Marchmain’s saintly adherence to the Catholic faith more than fills the void made by Sebastian’s apparent lack of morality. She is exacting and pious to the extreme, which gives Charles one more thing with which to be fascinated. He soon finds that his lack of faith will be the barrier to his assimilation with the family. While Sebastian may be the black sheep, Julia aptly calls herself the “family’s shadow.” As Sebastian, a truly tortured soul, spins faster and faster into an alcohol induced downward spiral, Julia does her best to do as Mummy and her faith require, and Charles becomes more and more entangled in Lady Marchmain’s web.

The Q&A after the film was a unique experience. While I had viewed Charles as an innocent pawn in a powerful and manipulative world, hearing Matthew talk about the role made me realize that Charles might not be as innocent as I thought. The acting is superb; the scenery is spectacular, and even though it may not live up to the exhaustive TV miniseries from 1981, I found this production so intriguing that I’ve put the book on my “To Read” list, which sits right next to that “To Watch” list I’ve mentioned.

I give it a C. Yes, I had the self-evaluating thoughts. Yes, I’m sitting here writing about it now. But no, I was not moved to tears. And I was NOT challenged to live a more meaningful life. I love the actors. Maybe it was the execution. I’m not a director, so I don’t know what punch it lacked.

Still, to be fair, I am thinking about my life now, and how I can do things differently. Life is too short to waste on making money for making money’s sake. All my jillions of websites will all go away some day. CultureFeast may live on, but even that’s assuming too much at this point.

I cherish every moment spent with my baby girl. That is, unless she’s REALLY fussy. Then I’m less grateful. But I kiss her so often she gets tired of it. I’m so thrilled to have a daughter. I love on my wife, but not enough. She needs more of my time, and I need to give more of my time. I need to not be so focused on temporal crap.

This is all going away. It’s all aging and decomposing. Nothing is getting younger. Nothing gets newer. Time passes. People endure Time’s toll. And people die.

The young never like to talk about death. When it’s not a possibility, you live carelessly and without purpose. When time is limited, you seek to make the most of every breath like savoring every last drop of melted ice cream from the cone. We may never taste sugar again.

Every experience, every moment is like that. We may never taste sugar again.

Okay. Maybe a B.

Here’s your moment of shock and awe for the week.  I have not seen the first two Indiana Jones films, and I only remember bits and pieces and Sean Connery (hehe) from the “Last Crusade.”  Might I add that every time I see this card on someecards.com, I chuckle to myself because I’m still secretly hopeful that X-Men: The Last Stand will turn out to be X-Men: The Next to Last Stand.

I’ve heard mixed reviews from friends and acquaintances about The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  Maybe that’s because it’s a disappointment compared to the other 3 films.  Maybe it’s because 19 years is a long time to wait to revive a character.  I can’t really speak for them, but I can say that it’s currently my favorite of the summer action blockbusters.  Granted I haven’t seen a lot of the typical summer blockbusters.  I think Ironman’s the only one I’ve seen that officially counts, but Wanted, The Incredible Hulk and The Dark Knight are all on my current “To Watch” list.

Even though I hadn’t seen the first two films, and I didn’t remember much from the third one, I was still able to enjoy the fourth installment.  The friend with whom I went had seen the first two, and he recognized and appreciated some references from the previous films, but there wasn’t anything that took away from my understanding.

I’ve never been all gaga over Harrison Ford, so adding Disney’s former “golden child” Shia LaBeouf was a definite plus for me.  I didn’t discover him until I saw The Greatest Game Ever Played a few years ago, but I’ve appreciated his performances ever since.  He plays the cocky 50s greaser type Mutt Williams, and his motorcycle lends itself to one of the more entertaining scenes in the film.

Cate Blanchett isn’t exactly the glowing beauty she sometimes portrays, but she’s definitely proven her versatility with her role as Bob Dylan in last year’s I’m Not There.  She delivered a solid performance as the psychic Ukrainian Col. Dr. Irina Spalko.  Her accent was even convincing, except that she still says Jones like a proper Englishwoman.

Crystal Skull boasts some of the best special effects and fight sequences I’ve seen in awhile, but I think that’s something we’ve all come to expect from Steven Spielberg.  There are plenty of twists and turns, and I was surprised by the central plotline at first, but I guess it became a little predictable toward the end.   Thank god, George Lucas only wrote the story and not the screenplay, so the dialogue rises above simple junior high jargon.  The special effects in the Star Wars films may be amazing, but no amount of techy fluff can cover up a horrible script.

My favorite part of this whole series: Spielberg and Lucas have managed to make a stereotypically “geeky” profession like archaeology infinitely cool.  If I had seen these films when I was younger and before I made my college/career decisions, I can see the young me fashioning myself into the female version of Indy, but I’m more than a little claustrophobic, so maybe not.

As with most sequel-capable films these days, the audience is left with the possibility of more adventures – no riding off into the sunset for Indy and his cohorts this time.  I know that I’ll definitely make time to watch the first three films now.  I’m sure they won’t be as wonder-filled as they would have been if I’d watched them when they were originally released, but I’m sure they’ll still be good entertainment for a few hours.

This movie is by far my favorite… I am pretty sure the success of this movie is due to the fact that there are tons of Batman fans, Batman Begins movie was pretty good, Christian Bale is perfect for the lead role, and the tragedy surrounding Heath Ledger (who was absolutely phenomenal as the Joker) along with a great supporting cast Morgan Freeman, Gray Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gylenhall and Michael Cann.  So what is next for Batman? These are just theories of my own. We know with The Dark Knight we were introduced to a new villain Two Face and the director left it open for The Joker …and hopefully he does not try to recast that role and implement him into the next movie. I think he should just leave it as is… Now, the Two Face character is not strong enough character to carry the next movie as a villain and I really doubt The Joker's coming back with a new actor, so who is the next villain??? Are new characters coming????

Here are a few ideas of I have from what we know of the Batman story. The most popular villains left include Catwoman, The Penguin and The Riddler… Which one are they going to go with? My gut tells me its going to be Cat Woman. She just seems to be the most natural progression…

What actress would play Cat Woman ….there is no doubt Christopher Nolan is going to cast great actors and not just pretty faces so what actresses have both…Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie , Cameron Diaz and how about Jessica Biel.

 What about The Penguin its gotta be a mobster type I doubt Dinero or Pacino would sign up for the role how about Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, Nicolas Cage or Paul Giamatti.
 
The Riddler how about Johnny Depp(doubt it), John Malkovich(maybe) or Jude Law.

Let's hear from the people. Who's the next villian, and which actor gets the role? 

Ok, so at this point, you’re probably thinking, “Who the heck is Lee Pace?”  Well, he’s only the cutest thing to ever hit the silver screen.  If it’s possible, I’m more enamored with him than Daniel Day Lewis and Hugh Jackman put together.  Yeah, I know; it’s probably hard to believe, but I think it’s got a lot to do with the character he was playing the first time I ever saw him: Ned, the Piemaker, from Pushing Daisies.

I could write an entirely separate blog on how much I love, love, love Pushing Daisies.  If you didn’t catch any of the abbreviated (due to the writer’s strike) first season, I highly recommend you try to pick it up on DVD before the second season starts in the fall.  It’s so original, and some might say sickeningly sweet, but I happen to love getting covered in the ooey gooey goodness every Wednesday night at 7 p.m. on ABC.

Ok, so I suppose that’s enough of my pimping Pushing Daisies, but you have to understand my love for that show and for Ned to understand why I was so excited to see something else in which Lee Pace starred.  He’s just brilliant, and his brilliance shone during The Fall.

The Fall was directed by Tarsem Singh, who also directed The Cell, and according to one other review I read , The Cell had some great visuals with a bad story, but that person thought he’d finally found a decent story to go with his amazing visuals, and I totally agree.

After seeing the trailer, this was one that I knew I had to see in theaters.  I’d had two botched attempts to see it with friends, and as I checked the Magnolia’s website to see if our final attempt was also destined to be foiled, I found that fate was playing a super nasty trick on me.  So I made time to go see it at the absolute last minute, and I’m so glad I did.

Pace plays Roy Walker, a paraplegic in a turn of the 20th century Los Angeles hospital.  Cantinca Untaru plays Alexandria, a little girl at the same hospital who has broken her arm picking oranges in the California orchards where her family works.  Alexandria stumbles into Roy’s room one afternoon, and an odd friendship ensues.  

Roy begins to tell Alexandria a tale of 5 men who have each sworn to kill the evil Governor Odious.  Roy’s soothing Southern drawl is the narration, and Alexandria’s imagination provides the characters.  A scary x-ray technician she saw in the hallway becomes the costume for all Governor Odious’ henchmen.  Roy is the protagonist (naturally), and her favorite nurse, Nurse Evelyn, is his love interest, and all the other characters from Roy’s tale have the faces of people from Alexandria’s life.

The scenery was simply spectacular.  I was moved by each scene.  From the vast orange desert, to the “burning bush,” to the greener pastures, and onto the island palace sanctuary: every location was mesmerizingly beautiful.  It was definitely the most imaginative and original film I’ve seen in awhile…maybe ever.  I was so glad I made the time to see it in a theater; so when you rent it, I highly recommend making arrangements to see it on a high definition or plasma screen TV.

Pace was not a disappointment.  He is an exceptional actor.  Other than his performance on Pushing Daisies, I’ve seen his barely mentionable role in The Good Shepherd, and I saw White Countess, even thought I don’t remember his character at all.  I also saw a little known Showtime movie called Soldier’s Girl, which I will blog about at a later date.  Each performance was as varied as the locations used to shoot The Fall, and he’s believable in every one.

Untaru’s performance was splendid.  She’s such a child, and it’s so perfect.  Her interactions with Pace were absolutely delightful.  There were moments when I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself, not so quietly, because their conversations were so realistic.  Pace would say something and she’d agree, and then he’d ask her if she really understood him, and she’d say yes, but you know she didn’t, and they go round and round like that.  It’s precious.

The Fall is one of those films where the trailer is a masterpiece unto itself.  It wasn’t misleading, but there were definitely parts of the film that were contrary to what the trailer represented, but that made it all the more pleasing.  It perfectly blends the child-like enjoyment of a fantastic fairy tale with the horrible misery of very adult problems.  It reminded me that if we take a few moments to look at things from a child’s perspective, everybody can always use a little “happily ever after” in one way or another.

I saw a billboard for Leatherheads at the movie theater when I went to see Michael Clayton back in February, and by the time I actually saw it in the dollar theater a few weeks ago, I’d totally forgotten that it even existed.  Of course, I knew virtually nothing about it, but I like George Clooney and I LOVE John Krasinski (Where, oh where is the Jim to match my Pam in my real-life office?!), so I figured together they could cancel out my mild dislike for Renee Zellweger.

I knew it hadn’t done well in theaters.  There wasn’t really a lot of buzz surrounding its release, and there was even less once it was released.  February is kind of like the no-man’s land of movies.  It seems like all the really great films are released around Christmas time now; just in time to make themselves eligible for the Academy Awards and to keep their film fresh in the minds of the Academy.  Then the awards are at the end of February, so the first of the year is kind of a dead time for movies.  One of those times that you really want to go to the theater on Friday night, but you check to see what’s playing and realize there’s either nothing you want to see, or worse, nothing you’ve even heard of.  Well, at least that’s my take on things.

So I didn’t really expect much out of this one, which made it all the better that I loved it as much as I did.  From the very beginning when I realized that it was set in the 1920s, I was infatuated.  Just like I’m fascinated by the Holocaust, if it’s possible, I’m actually more fascinated by the ‘20s.  The clothes, the hair, the fashion, the styles: they’re all so enchanting.  Even writing that sentence gives me warm fuzzies, makes me giggle like a schoolgirl and leaves a huge smile on my face.  I just love that era.

So that was the first point in the movie’s favor.  Then it just turned out to be the perfect screwball comedy.  You know the type.  Most of it is far-fetched and silly and could never happen, but somehow it all just clicks and is delightful.  I laughed out loud the ENTIRE time, and unfortunately for the guy sitting down in the front of the theater, I have a very loud laugh when I’m thoroughly enjoying something.

So I guess I could get around to telling you a little about the movie and shut up about how much I loved it.  Clooney, who also directed the film, plays Dodge Connelly, a playboy type who can’t get enough of football even though professional football is a joke.  He hears about Carter Rutherford (Krasinski) a college football star who also happens to be a Great War veteran and hero.  You can’t get anymore All-American than that.

Connelly, being a schemer, figures he can use Rutherford’s success to boost the popularity and the budget of pro football.  And it works – for the most part.  But there’s always a wrench in the system somewhere.  It turns out that Rutherford’s hero status might be in question.  Enter Lexie Littleton (Zellweger), firecracker reporter and women’s libber long before there was an official Women’s Lib Movement.   Let me just say that if I could somehow raid her clothes from this film, I would beg, borrow and steal my way into a size 0.

Anyway, Lexie is assigned to get the real story of Rutherford’s war experience out of him.  No one was bargaining on him falling for her or her falling for him or Dodge falling for her or her falling for Dodge.  Who would have thought that a movie about the beginnings of pro football would turn into a romantic comedy?

The screenplay is charming.  The characters are refreshing.  Don’t let the bad box office showing dissuade you from getting this one from Blockbuster or Netflix.  If you can appreciate a quirky sense of humor, great acting and even better writing, you’ll be adding this one to your collection.  I know I will.

That’s when we got in line and found out that they had filled the theater in record time.  Oh well, all was not lost.  If we hadn’t spent a few extra minutes chatting at Trinity, we might have gotten in, and then we would have missed out on Then She Found Me.

I’d seen Colin Firth’s interview on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart several weeks ago, so I knew that Helen Hunt and Colin Firth were in the film, and that he played a single father who had a crush on Hunt’s character.  True to form, that’s all I knew about the film before we walked into the theater just as the trailers started.  And once again, not knowing anything else about the film made it a wonderfully surprising experience.

Hunt’s character is 39 year-old kindergarten teacher, April Epner.  April was adopted by a Jewish family, and she desperately wants a child of her own before her biological clock stops.  She’s been married to fellow kindergarten teacher Ben Green, played by Matthew Broderick, for 10 months, and they’ve been trying to conceive for at least that amount of time, with no luck.

Ben decides that he made a mistake, and he tells April that this isn’t the life he wants, but not before they have one last go at baby making on the kitchen floor.  April doesn’t sleep that night; presumably because her mind is full of questions like, “What am I going to do when I have to face my estranged husband across the way in his classroom tomorrow?”

Never fear, April!  Said estranged husband will simply run away from the problem by resigning his post and leaving you to take care of two classes worth of five year-olds.  Enter Colin Firth’s character, Frank.  He’s the father of one of Ben’s students, Jimmy Ray.  Frank hears April tell someone to stop calling her Mrs. Epner-Green and tries to offer a bit of consolation, to which, in her sleep-deprived state, April takes slight offense and believes that Frank is trying to hit on her…maybe so, maybe no…

As with most independent films that I’ve loved, character development is paramount, but this particular story has plenty of twists and turns to keep you engaged.  For instance, Bette Midler plays April’s pushy, celebrity biological mother who barges into her life.  April is torn between believing that this woman is her real mother and being angry that she abandoned her as a baby, which is completely understandable given April’s burning desire to be a mother.

April’s faith in everything – God, people, her own judgment – is strongly tested, but in the end, family – traditional and not so traditional – is there to offer love and support and help carry April through possibly the most tragic and upsetting period of her life.  And on the other side of this period – as so often happens – April discovers true contentment, unconditional love and that life’s disappointments can often turn into its most rewarding and fulfilling adventures.

So I was really looking forward to seeing The Happening.  Even though it was being marketed as an actual horror film, of which I’ve never been too fond, I knew that Shyamalan would put his own spin on it that would not include a half-naked, screaming blond.  He did not disappoint me in that respect; however, the movie fell flat.  

It’s only an hour and a half long, so I feel like character development was sacrificed for brevity.  Sure the story ran its course, and I did feel slightly invested in the main characters, but there was no depth.  There were definitely cringe-worthy horror-type moments, but there were few, if any moments, that I’ve come to expect in Shyamalan’s films.  There was the unveiling of the unorthodox resolution to the conflict, which was never actually confirmed – only speculated, but it didn’t carry the shock value of Sixth Sense, Signs or The Village.  There wasn’t that eye-opening moment of realization in which you find yourself thinking, “My god, Man, where do you get these ideas?!”

Mark Wahlberg is Elliott, an ordinary, crush-worthy high school science teacher who’s fiercely loyal to his wife, Alma, played by Zooey Deschanel.  She might not have been the half-naked, screaming blond, but she did her job in annoying me several times.  John Leguizamo is Julian, a math teacher who teaches at the same school as Elliott.

The dialogue between Leguizamo and Wahlberg was pretty bad.  I don’t know if it was directed on purpose that way, but there were moments when I found myself thinking, “These guys are better actors than this.  Why does this feel so fake and forced?”  

I know several of the TV trailers I saw were highlighting the fact that this was Shyamalan’s first R-rated film, and I’m a little puzzled about the rating.  Yes, there were some bloody, gory moments, but none for which I had to turn my head.  The bloodiest, goriest ones weren’t even shown.  They left those to your imagination, and my imagination couldn’t even make them scary enough.

I applaud Shyamalan for taking two very current newsworthy topics and making a film which I’m sure he hopes will raise awareness; however, I’m hoping for much greater things from his next film.  Please don’t let the spark of creativity go out!

To answer that question, Marvel (comics) is taking a new direction with their movies. They will not be auctioning off licensing to the highest bidder as was done with Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, and Hulk. In doing so, we were subjected Spider-Man with organic webbing, The FF looking like a 2 hour commercial for toys, and the Hulk trying to be cerebral and romantic – Ang Lee style. Also with different studios owning the movies, the fans were never going to see crossover cameos like Tony Stark made in the Incredible Hulk.

The exchange between Gen. Ross and Tony Stark alone is worth the price of the tickets. It is tongue-in-cheek and foreshadowing banter at its finest. Marvel being in charge of how the movies are made is going to mean more fan friendly movies and hopefully more cameos and crossovers.

This got me to thinking and made me think of all of the different crossovers that I, as a self-professed comic geek, would like to see. For the sake of keeping remaining within the realm of “I’d like to see it” and not in the realm of “things that are going to happen”, I’ll avoid the obvious Captain America/Iron Man/Avengers crossovers. For those that don’t know, the Captain America and Iron Man 2 movies are already set for 2010. There’s also a Thor (I say thee hell yeah!) and Avengers movie on the horizon. I’ll stick with what I would like to see and not cross into things that are in the works.

Batman and Superman
For those that read the current comic series, or have read DC comics for a while, then you know how awesome this would be. Just their differences in approach and philosophies could fill 2+ hours of screen time. Also, it would give way for all sorts of cameos from the rest of the DC Universe. Personally, I’d like to see a love triangle form with Wonder Woman, if only for the hours of entertainment that I would get from reading the pissed off fan blogs.

Spider-Man and Daredevil
I can see it now….Spider-Man and The Human Torch (Johnny Storm) are out racing across Manhattan (like all superheroes do on a boring Tuesday night). Spidey aborts when his “spider sense” tingles due to a crime being committed in Hell’s Kitchen. Enter Daredevil….and scene. The Daredevil movie really focused on the fact that DD spends his nights patrolling the streets of Hell’s Kitchen and causing all sorts of havoc within the organized crime world. That is his genre. What is often forgotten is that is also where Spider-Man started. The most recent issues of Amazing Spider-Man have really returned to that. The Spidey vs. Kingpin fight in ASM #542 is one for the ages and could easily have been in Daredevil. So a movie crossover of these two would be nothing short of perfect. This would also be a great way to introduce Luke Cage (Power Man) and Danny Rand (Iron Fist) to the movie-going audience.

The Human Torch (Johnny Storm) and Iceman
I know this has a bit of a Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends feel, but think about it. A fire and ice combo. Think of all of the special effects that could go into something like that. Sure it would all have to be CGI, but it would still make for a cool movie going experience. Maybe they could go as far as to make it something of a Mr. & Mrs. Smith type movie of back and forth exchanges. I really think I might be onto something here. There would be all sorts of potential for X-Men and Fantastic Four cameos. Maybe we can get some of Michael Chiklis’ witty Thing/Ben Grimm dialogue via a cell phone or something.

Storm and Catwoman
I know that this one is just way out there, but just think about all of the money a Hollywood studio could save by casting Halle Berry for both roles. You know what? I couldn’t even begin to try to shine up this turd of an idea. This movie would suck so hard that it would probably cause any theater showing it to cave in on itself. On the brightside, the producers could always get the costume designers from Batman & Robin (the turd starring George Clooney) to make some super tight, latex, nippled-out monstrosities to show off Halle’s hot body.

Hulk and Thing
All throughout the history of Marvel Comics, the Hulk and the Thing have mixed it up. Their meetings have always been amongst my favorites. All they do is fight. They are like Tom & Jerry, only if Jerry were the same size as Tom and had similar strength. A few years back a great 4 (or 5) issue mini-series came out. Basically, the Thing and the Hulk fought each other across a barren stretch of the West. At times they would stop at local diners to eat together before getting back to fighting. The movie could center on Bruce Banner calling upon Reed Richards to see if he can assist him in finding a way to rid himself of the Hulk. Of course, something would trigger Bruce into changing to the Hulk. This would mean that the Thing would have to subdue the Hulk until he calmed down.

Of course I don’t see any of these movies ever happening, but a boy can dream…right? I have to have something to get me through until the Dark Knight opens in a little over 2 weeks. After that, it’s going to be a long dry spell until the next good comic book movies premiere. You can thank last year’s writers strike for that. If Tom Hanks and George Clooney don’t pull it together and the actors strike, then it could be even longer. If you’re looking for a silver lining….Marvel and DC only make you wait a month for new issues and they spread them out so that you can read all sorts of comics every week. Oh and Iron Man will be on DVD before you know it.

Musical cues in films help the audience to feel a certain way, whether it is happy or sad with sappy violins or pianos, alerts of upcoming danger with sharp and eerie notes, or signals the end of a film by playing upbeat Top 40 songs.

I just finished watching Jurassic Park, and the musical cues in this film are very evident. The main theme for the film plays throughout the film and becomes very familiar and very comforting. The composer for the film created wonderful scores; most that made me feel for the characters, but more importantly, the dinosaurs. The music within the film is definitely one of a kind and still to this day, is easily recognized, much among the ranks of the music from Jaws.

However, here is a question for everyone reading, have you ever seen a film that had absolutely no soundtrack or musical cues?

I had never really thought about musical cues before because I had become so accustomed to them, and they literally just melted into and became part of the films I watched.

Two years ago, I watched the film, Caché (Hidden) staring Juliette Binoche, a story about a family who receives strange videotapes of someone filming the outside of their house, and later, receive clues to the husband’s mysterious past and childhood.

To be quite honest, the film was so intense, and I was so engrossed with the plot and the characters, that I didn’t even notice that there was no soundtrack or any musical cues. Not a single note, even for the opening or closing credits.

When I watched the film again, I took note of the missing music, and it became much more eerie and haunting. It was far more terrifying than a film that includes music to tell its viewers how to think or react.

Soundtracks and musical cues have become a staple in blockbuster films; there is no doubt about that. Trusty and reliable pop culture songs and artists litter the film almost to the point of distraction, and after watching Caché, there is definitely something that about the lack of music that adds so much more to a film. I can honestly say that I have never been so attentive, and terrified at the same time while watching any film, horror movie, thriller or other wise.

For all those reading, I would highly recommend renting Caché. It is a great film with some great twists and is composed of an extremely mysterious plot. And to think that all of this is heightened with the absence of music.

The winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2008 tells the story of these prisoners who succeeded in counterfeiting £132 million in £5, £10 and £20 notes.  Their delay in counterfeiting the dollar was pivotal.  Had they not delayed, the Nazis might have been able to flood the American economy; thereby, possibly causing a very different outcome to WWII in Europe.

This isn’t your typical WWII Concentration Camp film.  There are the obligatory references toward gassing and looting and all the other atrocious treatment of detainees, but the counterfeiters, whose peace time occupations ranged from banker to printing press operator to professional (i.e. criminal) counterfeiter,  are treated relatively well.  They are housed in their own little “ghetto” within the camp; they get regular meals, decent clothing and good beds.

When the camp is deserted by the Nazi leadership at the end of the war, the “regular” prisoners almost gun down these prisoners because they think they’re sympathizers.  And some of the counterfeiters, including the printing press operator, would agree with them.  Which led me to question what I would do if faced with this crisis?  Would I have delayed and sabotaged the operation as some did do or wanted to do, knowing that it would most certainly lead to my death, or would I act out of fear and do what I was told?  

In a time such as that, is it better to save your own skin or die for something in which you believe?  I suppose it’s one of those situations in which you never quite know how you’ll react until your feet are placed squarely over the coals.  I sincerely hope that I never have to find out just how hot a fire I can stand.