Recommended Film

THE GHOST WRITER  Send This Review to a Friend

A ferry approaches through the fog. A car on it is abandoned. A body is seen ashore. So begins the suspenseful new political thriller by director Roman Polanski, and although it is only February, I venture to say “The Ghost Writer” will earn a place among the best films of 2010. It is a gripping, fascinating work--written by Polanski and Robert Harris based on Harris’s novel-- that holds one in its grasp from start to finish. It is also attuned to the times with a plot involving a former British Prime Minister accused of crimes against humanity involving torture. Polanski once again shows off his filmmaking skills by creating and maintaining an intense atmosphere and a cynical view of what can happen in the world. Ewan McGregor plays a writer hired to ghost the memoirs of Adam Lang, the former British Prime Minister, who is in the United States on Martha’s Vineyard. (A foreign location had to be used as a stand-in, given Polanski’s inability to return to the U.S.) The writer, known as Ghost, is replacing the former ghost writer, whose body was found mysteriously on the beach. McGregor is letter perfect in the role. Pierce Brosnan gives one of his best performances as Lang, who tries to present a smooth front but is rocked by the accusations that have suddenly been leveled against him for helping the American government in rendering suspected terrorists to places where they can be brutally tortured. Olivia Williams delivers a fine, prickly performance as Ruth, Lang’s angry wife, who surmises that he has been having an affair with his assistant, Amelia Bly, intriguingly played by Kim Cattrall. As for the political links, they are easy to spot. Think Tony Blair. While Polanski works in a Hitchcock mode, he is sparse in use of humor. This thriller is not offered as a mischievously entertaining game, as often was Hitchcock’s approach, but as sheer menace in a serious, politically complex environment with high stakes for those involved. Provocatively, it can also leave you pondering what is likely to happen after the film ends. If you enjoy superior thrillers, put this on your must list.

UP IN THE AIR  Send This Review to a Friend

The smartly entertaining “Up in the Air” combines socially conscious observations about the state of unemployment with a personal story of a man who prides himself on living the unattached life of a bachelor until he meets the woman he desires. I wish there were more of the former. The latter theme is manipulated in ways that don’t seem in character for either the man or the woman, but why quibble with a film that is so enjoyable and features such charismatic performances by George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. Jason Reitman, who co-scripted the film with Sheldon Turner based on Walter Kirn’s novel, has directed in a breezy style, but with significant sensitivity when it comes to the poor souls caught in what has been euphemistically known as company downsizing. Ryan likes flying about and is busy amassing miles to attain status as the ultimate super-traveler. It also fits his footloose life. At one airport he meets Farmiga as Alex Goran, a kindred soul in the business world. The sexual spark is immediately there with a come-on by both, and we can tell they’re due for hot sex whenever their schedules permit. Ryan’s own job and lifestyle could be threatened when his company brings on Natalie Keener, a young, spirited woman who has figured out a way to avoid travel expenses by firing people heartlessly by video. As Natalie, Anna Kendrick gives a breakthrough performance with scene-stealing power. And that’s something when teamed on the job with Clooney. Things take a turn in Ryan’s life when he becomes embroiled in matters concerning his sisters. He has made a point of keeping away from family, but suddenly he’s involved and convinces Alex to accompany him to an impending wedding. You can get the details upon seeing the film. Although it is all amusing and in capable hands, that is where the believability begins to go off track. But nothing should prevent you from having a good time and appreciating the film’s sparkle, enhanced by bright dialogue and sharp wisecracks. In addition the film avoids ending in sentimentality

THE MESSENGER  Send This Review to a Friend

Oren Moverman’s profound film “The Messenger” is not only one of the best films of 2009. It is also a deeply moving, superbly acted work that speaks to a major issue of our time and does so in a manner that is totally gripping. I hope this film will be widely seen, as it opens a window on aspects of warfare that has largely been swept under the rug—the toll taken on those who have survived as well as the fallen soldiers and their families. As you may have heard by now, “The Messenger,” co-written by Alessandro Camon and Moverman, involves the assignment of two soldiers to the grim duty of informing families that their loved ones have been killed in Iraq. The genius of the film lies in its not only focusing on the victims but on the effect the assignment has on the messengers and their lives. The men, Captain Tony Stone, and Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery, are played respectively by Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster. Both performances are strikingly of award level, as is the film as a whole. Harrelson has never been better. Foster’s work here is a revelation. Other excellent performances contribute mightily to the total picture. Samantha Morton is deeply touching as a woman widowed by the war. She, too, needs a next step in her life, and the way the relationship between her and Montgomery is explored has a delicacy that enhances the tone of the film as well as its substance. Steve Buscemi, for example, is also terrific in the role of an aggrieved father. I caution against the reaction of some that they may not want to see a film dealing with this grave subject matter. I warn such readers that you would be missing out on one of the top dramatic experiences in films this year and really shortchanging yourself as a movie lover. Few films can justly be called “must see,” but this is definitely one of them.

CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY  Send This Review to a Friend

Forget whatever you have learned in textbook studies about capitalism. Provocative filmmaker Michael Moore lays it on the line in his inimitable style and it definitely isn’t a love story. This isn’t a standard documentary either but a Michael Moore op ed-type piece on film, in which he accomplishes the task of entertaining us while also shaking us up emotionally by showing the devastating effects contemporary capitalism has had on families subjected to unemployment and foreclosures on homes. But Moore is no mere deliverer of bad news. His film is also a call to the American people for action to reverse a situation in which the rich get richer while others are mired in tragedy. For all the wit that can afford pleasure to those of us appalled at the inequities to which Moore points, the guts of Moore’s treatise are his reportage on the toll the system has taken on people who have suffered mightily. The angry, tearful responses of families being kicked out of their homes are wrenching. Putting a human face on the statistics of workers who have lost their jobs is enormously effective. Moore can be glib with his historical overview, but that hardly matters in the context of his convincing indictment and the need for shifting the balance so that grievances can be redressed and the course of the country changed. Moore’s film is packed with passion, intelligence and heart. It is quite a phenomenon. The director’s ability to proselytize while entertaining an audience and make us laugh one minute then prompt tears the next is a rare gift. If ever a film deserved to be widely seen, this is it.

AMREEKA  Send This Review to a Friend

One of the best films showcased at the 2009 New Directors/New Films series in New York was “Amreeka,” an accomplished, deeply moving work by writer-director Cherien Dabis that is now getting its commercial release. “Amreeka” tells a story about a Palestinian mother and son who leave the desolate life on the West Bank and immigrate to the United States to join relatives in Illinois. Learning from her sister already living there that she has received a green card, Muna, played by Nisreen Faour, and her son Fadi (Melkar Muallem) make the trip to America. What director Dabis achieves is a sensitive, candid portrait of contemporary immigrants struggling to find a place in their new land. An excellent cast led by the particularly strong performance by Faour helps make the film as successful as it is important.

JULIE & JULIA  Send This Review to a Friend

The Meryl Streep saga continues. The remarkable actress has found exactly the right recipe for playing the legendary chef and author Julia Child in writer-director Nora Ephron’s impressive new film, "Julie & Julia.” Streep has down pat the art of mimicking the high voice and the physical awkwardness of Child. But that was probably the easiest part. Her art lies in not leaving Childs as a mere caricature but getting deep into her character, and as interpreted here, showing her vulnerability, her determination, moments of discouragement and also the love she has for her husband, Paul, and the depth of their relationship. “Julie & Julia” is based on the books “My Life in France” by Child with Alex Prud’homme, and “Julie & Julia” by Julie Powell. The delightful Amy Adams plays Powell, who undertook the challenge of cooking each one of the recipes in Julia Child’s famous book interpreting French cooking for English-speaking followers. Both dramatic and good-humored, the film abounds in culinary delights, all appetizingly photographed, but it is the combination of two simultaneous stories and the biographical elements that add spice to the stew. There are some problems in smoothly juxtaposing the life of Julie and that of Julia, much of it in different time frames. That makes for occasional straining. But every scene with Streep puts the film back on track and enables her to shine and create an indelible image. Adams is good too, although she has to use extra charm as an actress to compensate for the fact that Julie is portrayed as an egocentric character so swept up in her experiment that she freezes out almost everything else. Such a person can be a pain. The point is made when Chris Messina as her husband has enough and temporarily leaves her. But Adams is lovely to watch no matter what. Stanley Tucci is effective as Julia’s husband who emotionally endures and supports her obsession with cooking. He is a diplomat, and Ephron makes a point of showing how he is humiliated by a McCarthy era investigation into his life. “Julie & Julia” is one of the best films of the year thus far as well as one of the classiest. It is fun to have a work that pays homage to food as well as tribute to an icon and is also packed with entertaining situations and dialogue.

THE HURT LOCKER  Send This Review to a Friend

The shatteringly effective new war film, “The Hurt Locker,” is set in 2004 and depicts the harrowing work of a bomb defusing Delta Company unit in Iraq. The action is consistently intense in its realism, thanks to the vivid acting and the direction by Kathryn Bigelow, who is in the rather unusual position of a woman having directed an action saga that deserves to take a prominent place among filmdom’s best war films. The strength of “The Hurt Locker” lies in its primary adherence to the day to day patrolling that could at any moment lead to a soldier being blown apart. The challenge is to spot planted bombs and then riskily defuse them, all the while being potential targets of snipers. Furthermore, there is no misplaced idealism here. The men work in a hellhole doing a thankless task with minimal expectation of survival in the brutal conditions into which they have been sent. Director Bigelow and editors Bob Murawski and Chris Innis have done a superb job escalating the intensity, but a major element in the success is the screenplay by Mark Boal, which gives us flesh and blood characters. The two most impressive are William James, played at award-caliber level by Jeremy Renner. James is a hot-shot daredevil who boldly takes chances from which others would shy. There is also J. T. Sanborn, an African American, who has more discipline and emotional solidity, and Anthony Mackie gives another award-caliber performance in portraying him. James and Sanborn are very different, yet bound together by their efforts to do their job and survive and the need to respect one another. Others in this Delta Company also come across as very convincing, as does Bigelow’s searing achievement of making us feel as if we are there with these men. There are some scenes of almost unbearable tension. The film doesn’t deal with the issue of the Iraq war, only with those who fight it. Draw your own conclusions.

THE STONING OF SORAYA M.  Send This Review to a Friend

This is one of the best and most startling films I have seen so far this year. It is a devastating drama based on a true story. Not only does the film cry out against the practice of stoning to death women under the abusive laws of religious fanaticism. It also is a powerful drama about what amounts to a lynching that results from a husband’s connivance with corrupt village officials to get rid of his wife by having her brutally executed. The story takes place in Iran, although it was filmed in an unidentified country. The secret site was chosen to avoid retaliatory action against such outspokenness. Director Cyrus Nowrasteh, who co-wrote the screenplay with Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh, based the film on the book “The Stoning of Soraya M.” by Freidoune Sahebjam, a journalist’s account of a story uncovered during a trip to Iran about a real stoning of a framed victim. What keeps us especially involved is the exposé of the way in which women are subjugated and brutalized, with men exercising their power under the guise of religion and with the complicity of a local mullah and mayor. The director does not flinch in presenting the details and the horror of the execution. Although it is hard to watch, the director is well-justified in filming the brutality. Otherwise the crime against the victim would be too abstract. If stoning is going to be exposed, the terrible fate must be shown. I realize there is a tendency to shy from a film that ends so viciously, but if you do you will be missing an amazing, vivid outcry in behalf of women of the world who are meeting such fates in various countries, probably even more extensively than the cases that have been revealed. You’ll also miss a drama that grips and builds like a Greek tragedy. Starring Mozhan Marno as Soraya and Shohreh Aghdashloo as her aunt who fights to save her and gives the journalist the facts to bring to the world.

WHATEVER WORKS  Send This Review to a Friend

Don’t pay any attention to habitual Woody Allen detractors who often don’t seem to get his movies and wave length and complain he’s doing the same old thing. Not only is his latest, “Whatever Works” delightfully and intellectually funny. He also has some fairly profound observances about the need for people to find what works for them in the midst of the societal problems that exist in the world. Smartly written and directed by Allen, the film is perfectly cast and beautifully photographed in Manhattan, with which Allen has had a career-long love affair. Taking us on a tour through the milieu Allen creates is Larry David, even more irascible than on TV’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The opening scenes are especially enjoyable as David, playing Boris, a self-described genius who was supposedly an accomplished physicist, talks directly to the audience and mocks us. He expounds his cynical view that the world is populated by idiots and all comes to nothing. So what’s the use, he reasons. He once tried to commit suicide, but failed by landing on an awning, being left with a limp. He has become a lonely, bitter hypochondriac given to waking up terrified in the middle of the night, yet he flaunts his superiority to everyone else. Into his life pops Evan Rachel Wood as Melody, a young, wide-eyed Southern girl who has fled from her overbearing mother and landed in Manhattan without a place to stay. She approaches Boris as he comes home and asks for food. After berating her, he invites her up to his apartment and feeds her. She persuades him to let her spend the night, and we know it will turn out to be longer. Wood is a joy in the role and her cheerful openness sparkles. There’s a terrific performance by Patricia Clarkson as Melody’s uptight, religious mother whose husband ran off with another woman. He turns up too. They have surprises in store, as do Boris and Melody. Allen sprinkles the film with plenty of laugh lines and situations, always with the sophistication and sense of humor that characterize his best work. There are only a few comparatively dull moments, but they are fleeting. Those who appreciate Allen are in for a jolly good time watching characters in flux as they inch comically toward “whatever works” for them.

Séraphine  Send This Review to a Friend

Art is where you find it. In terms of filmmaking, you can discover it in the unusual “Séraphine,” written and directed by Martin Provost based on the story of a renowned French painter. With respect to the painter’s art work, “Séraphine” is a tale of how an important German collector and discoverer of talent became astonished by the art of a woman who was his cleaning lady in the French town of Senlis during the early part of the 20th century. Becoming known after her recognition as Séraphine of Senlis, she makes a fascinating subject, portrayed touchingly by Yolande Moreau, a remarkable actress. As Séraphine, she is lonely, plodding, subservient yet independent in terms of forming her own private world that involves taking pleasure from nature, be it admiring trees and flowers, sitting on the grass to watch her natural surroundings or creating paintings that reflect her passion with intriguing and original results. Being poor, she figures out ways to find what she needs to paint, using her hard-earned money and also copping ingredients where she can. She doesn’t consider her work meaningful and is astounded when attention is paid. She is also very vulnerable to broken promises. In addition, Séraphine is veering toward mental instability, Her story is both sad and uplifting, with emphasis on the latter, given the ultimate validation of her work, which has been exhibited in Paris. Ulrich Tukur is excellent as Wilhelm Uhde, who discovered Séraphine’s talent. The screenplay co-written by Provost and Marc Abdelnour is engrossing, and lovely cinematography by Laurent Brunet helps capture the feeling of the time and place. Through it all Moreau brings to life a woman who wins our sympathy and admiration.

  

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