Jun 17, 2011
(Rated PG-13, 112 mins.) Who wants to cook AlooGobi when you can bend a ball like Beckham, the famous British Soccer star? Thus is the premise with it’s lovable, likable “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” tendencies, about a young girl, Jesminder (Parminder Nagra), an Orthodox Sikh who rebels against her parents customs to play an American sport behind their back. She engages the help of her new best friend Juliette (Keira Knightley) and her coach Joe (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) to help her sneak to practice while white-lie disobeying her parents. If there is a mom out there looking for an all American lesson through an Indian family about values, love, laughter and believing in what is right, this is the movie must-see for all teenage daughters and their moms. And the one time in life she’ll thank you for a good time that you suggested, other than her idea of fun at a rap concert. A must see for the entire family that’s gaining national momentum!
Jun 17, 2011
(rated R) There appears to be a thin line in the behavior of an actor from stage to real life performance. It’s London circa 1930s in the posh area of Mayfair and sometimes Piccadilly, where Julia (Annette Benning) a huge star, grows bored with her fame and success. Julia’s behavior would give New York’s Page Six scandal sheets a run for their money, always happy to air her needs, desires, flings and affairs in public. When the going gets rough, this lovely beer drinking, leg spreading, tart, takes a new lover this time in the form of Tom (Shaun Evans) a wanna be social climber half her age, whose true love is Avice Crichton, a young desperate-to-be-an-understudy actress. Julia’s conscience is Jimmy (Michael Gambon) her deceased acting coach – sort of a “ghost of acting past” who even looks like Scrooge. Like all true actors, the ghost of Jimmy coaches a thin line between acting and real life of Julia’s antics, often seeming like one in the same. Funny how Jeremy Irons is underused in his role as Julia’s noble husband, since this movie of an older woman with a too-young-man-she-falls-desperately-in-love-with, has a “Lolita” feel meets something like “Dangerous Liaisons”. Witty and sophisticated, a must see by anyone appreciative of social climbing, society games or classic British snobbery yet politely sexy and very satisfying. Benning’s big comeback role has Oscar written all over it and it’s fabulous to see the power of an older woman outwit the young blonde bombshell.
Jun 17, 2011
(Rated TBD, 90 mins.) Reuniting “Central Station” director Walter Salles and producer Arthur Cohn to bring us the story of a young man, Tonho (Rodrigo Santoro) living in Brazil in 1910 with his father and brothers working a sugar cane harvest. Much like the “Hatfield’s and the McCoys” the families rivals live nearby. Life thus far has been a series of an ‘eye for an eye’; you kill my son, I’ll kill yours. After the death of his older brother Inacio (Caio Junqueira),Tonho knows if he commits the crime, his life will be divided in two: the 20 years he has already lived and the few days he has left to live, before the other family avenges their son’s death. Torn between fulfilling his ancestral duty, rebelling against it his is urged by his younger brother Pacu (Ravi Ramos Lacerda), whose life is changed beyond their tiny world the day the traveling circus comes to town. With it, comes the beautiful Clara (Flavia Marco Antonio) and suddenly Tonho knows a new emotion: Love. While the story focuses on discovering the importance of what it means to really live, it’s slow pace doesn’t seem quite lively enough to a sophisticated blow-em up, bang ’em up driven American audience. And, as always, sub-titles can be annoying.
Jun 17, 2011
(rated PG13, 93 mins.) A Navy pilot (Owen Wilson) is shot down over enemy territory and is ruthlessly pursued by a secret police enforcer (Olek Krupa) and the opposing troops. Meanwhile his commanding officer (Gene Hackman) goes against orders in an attempt to rescue him. And rescue him and rescue him and so the story goes about a guy with relentless energy as Wilson dances his way through tankers, land mine and bullets to say the least. Hackman uses calm natural effort in commanding the screen and commanding his men. While we never care about the outcome, we get the message that “war is hell.” It’s visually transporting as we jump from one photo opportunity to another. Translation: Good camera work doesn’t make a good movie. Maybe they should have set it in Afghanistan instead of the Balkans. Kidding.
Jun 17, 2011
In the grand tradition of Merchant & Ivory films comes a moving and poetic yet doomed love story of Henry Moores (Linus Roach) an English spice baron who moves to India during the waning years of the Raj. Steeped in mystery and the unfolding secrets that revolve an affair, Henry falls for Sajani (Nandita Das) his married Indian housekeeper. When things become difficult, the lesson learned is to deny, deny and deny. And deny they do, from their passionate love affair, to the disappearance to the eventual murder following cultural differences and their consequences. Part “Memoirs of a Geisha” meets “Fatal Attraction” with cinematography like something out of a National Geographic sweeping epic this is undoubtedly one of the years best not to be missed. Linus Roach lives up to his outstanding career that has spanned roles from “Priest” in 1994 – which won him critical acclaim – to the role of RFK and finally, a similar in genre to this was “Namesake’ (a story about Indian decent and cultural differences as they navigate America.) Four Tiaras
