Hyde Park on Hudson

2012

Directed by: Roger Michell
Written by: Richard Nelson
Cast: Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Williams, Eleanor Bron, Samuel West, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Wilson
MPAA Rating: Rated R for brief sexuality

Synopsis (by Google):

In June 1939, the reigning British king (Samuel West) and queen (Olivia Colman) visit President (Bill Murray) and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt (Olivia Williams) at their New York home. War with Germany looms on the horizon, and England desperately needs the president's support. An unforgettable weekend unfolds as FDR tries to juggle international affairs with the complexities of his domestic arrangement, as seen through the eyes of the president's intimate confidant (Laura Linney).

My Thoughts:

Not great, but it had Bill Murray and that's enough reason for me to watch. I thought Samuel West made a very good George VI; likewise Olivia Colman as the Queen Mum. In fact, the entire cast was excellent and the whole film was quite enjoyable.

My IMDb Rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10

Magic in the Moonlight

2014

USA

Written/Directed by: Woody Allen
Stars: Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Eileen Atkins, Simon McBurney, Marcia Gay Harden 
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA): Rated PG-13 for a brief suggestive comment, and smoking throughout

What it's all about:

In the 1920s, magician Stanley Crawford (Colin Firth) enjoys worldwide fame as Chinese conjurer Wei Ling Soo, his stage persona. One of the most arrogant performers in the business, Stanley despises claims by phony spiritualists that they can perform real magic. At the request of his friend and fellow magician Howard (played by Simon McBurney), Stanley agrees to expose a young medium named Sophie Baker (Emma Stone). The lovely Sophie and her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) are staying with the wealthy Catledge family in their mansion in the Côte d'Azur, where Sophie has managed to ensnare the affections of young Brice Catledge. However, after attending a seance and having a few surprising encounters with Sophie, Stanley begins to change his mind about her and is left thoroughly shaken by evidence that her clairvoyant abilities just might be real.

My thoughts:

This was a very pretty movie -- the light throughout was actually magical. Unfortunately, that amazing light was just about the best thing about the film. I think it's possible I've outgrown Woody Allen. Which makes me sad because he used to be one of my favorite filmmakers -- Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Manhattan, and Manhattan Murder Mystery are among my all-time favorite movies. But the only one of the later films I've really enjoyed was Midnight in Paris. I always have high hopes for each new release, but I keep getting disappointed. 

It's not a terrible movie -- definitely not as annoying as To Rome with Love or as mean-spirited as Blue Jasmine. And it had some really fine performances -- Eileen Atkins as Aunt Vanessa, and the enormously talented Simon McBurney as Stanley's friend Howard particularly stand out. On the other hand, Marcia Gay Harden was pretty much wasted in the role of Sophie's mother -- more mom and less Sophie would have made for a much more interesting experience.

But, of course, Sophie was the whole point of the film: the young girl who represents renewal and new life for the aging curmudgeonly male at the film's center. Love and youth as some sort of salvation. She's in nearly every one of Allen's films these days, and she seems to be getting younger and younger. In this one, she is quite literally young enough to be the curmudgeon's daughter. OK, I don't really know how old Emma Stone is, but in the movie she looks about twelve. And the film's boyish 1920s-era fashions only exaggerate that childlike appearance (indeed, at one point she's dressed in a sailor outfit, oddly reminiscent of the Von Trapp children in The Sound of Music). In a way it's interesting to see the same trope used over and over in each new film, but it's also becoming truly disturbing.

My IMDb Rating: 5 stars out of a possible 10

10 Items or Less

2006
USA

MPAA Rating: R for language
Written and Directed by: Brad Silberling
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Paz Vega, Bobby Cannavale, Anne Dudek, Jennifer Echols, Jonah Hill, Jim Parsons

Synopsis:
Once a world-famous movie star, Morgan Freeman's character (called only "Him" throughout the film) is now an aging actor who finds that his fear of failure has brought his career to a standstill. Now he's considering a role in a low-budget independent movie and, ever the professional, he's doing research for the role by spending a day in one of L.A.'s Latino community markets. While there, he's taken with the fiery young clerk (played by Paz Vega) in the "10 Items or Less" check-out lane, and when he's abandoned by his driver and can't remember his new home phone number, Scarlet agrees to drive him to his home in another part of the city. But Scarlet, who's hoping to get away from her dreadful dead-end job in the market, has a job interview scheduled, and as he rides along, the Movie Star gets involved in her plans. Their trek through Los Angeles takes them through unexpected situations and personal revelations, building an odd but compelling relationship that affects both their lives.

My Thoughts:
Wonderful little film, produced by Freeman. Funny and heart-wrenching by turns, it really should have gotten more attention. I'm a big Morgan Freeman fan – he never turns in a less-than-stellar performance, and he's amazing in this one. But the rest of the cast is pretty amazing, too – especially Paz Vega (a young Spanish actress I had never seen before although she's apparently a pretty big star in Europe) who plays Scarlet, and Jim Parsons (of The Big Bang Theory fame) doing a campy turn as a ditsy building company receptionist. Anne Dudek is also noticeable, as Lorraine, another check-out clerk; I kept thinking she looked really familiar but just couldn't place her until I found out she played Francine, Betty Draper's pal in Mad Men.

This one is definitely worth seeing. The DVD we watched also included a documentary about the making of the film which is also interesting if you're a film fanatic – it's almost as long as the movie itself, and very detailed. As M said, it's like a little tutorial in the making of low-budget independent films. But for us normal folk, it can get a little tedious – maybe your time would be better spent watching another Morgan Freeman movie.

My IMDb Rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10

Comedian

2002

USA

Director: Christian Charles
Producer: Jerry Seinfeld (executive producer), Amy R. Baird, Gary Streiner
Cast: Jerry Seinfeld, Greg Giraldo, Orny Adams, Robert Klein, and lots of other stand-up comics too numerous to mention
MPAA Rating: R (probably for language)

What it's about (from the Internet Movie Database website):

A look at the work of two stand-up comics, Jerry Seinfeld and a lesser-known newcomer (Orny Adams), detailing the effort and frustration behind putting together a successful act and career while living a life on the road.

My Thoughts:
OK, I should start by confessing that while I love comedy, I'm just not much of a fan of the modern (or should that be post-modern?) stand-up variety. And even though I LOVED the Seinfeld TV show (I still watch the reruns everyday), I've never really been too impressed with Jerry Seinfeld as a performer on his own. But my husband is a real fan (of Seinfeld, standup, and just comedy in general), so we rented this from Netflix and I prepared myself for a couple of hours of boredom.

Big surprise -- it's not a boring movie.  It's not all that funny either; which is strange, considering that the cast is made up almost entirely of comedians.  But it really isn't meant to inspire yucks -- it's basically a look at how funny men (and women) come up with their material, refine their acts, hone their skills, and go about the business of being funny. All of which turned out to be surprisingly intriguing to watch. Who knew professional comedians could be so insecure about their talents?

I had never heard of the young comic whose career is at the center of the action -- Orny Adams -- and I have to admit, nothing I saw in this film made me eager to find out more. For me, the best part of the movie was the brief clip of Richard Pryor in his prime, doing what he did best -- just being wonderfully, amazingly, incredibly, profoundly funny.

My IMDB rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10

To Rome with Love

2012

USA
(Watched the DVD from Netflix)

Written and Directed by Woody Allen
Cinematography by Darius Khondji
Cast: Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Judy Davis, Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Ornella Muti
MPAA Rating: R for some sexual references

Story (from Sony Classics):

To Rome with Love is a kaleidoscopic comedy movie set in one of the world's most enchanting cities. The film brings us into contact with a well-known American architect reliving his youth; an average middle-class Roman who suddenly finds himself Rome's biggest celebrity; a young provincial couple drawn into separate romantic encounters; and an American opera director endeavoring to put a singing mortician on stage.

My Thoughts:
For me, To Rome with Love had a couple of strikes against it right from the start.  First, even though I do love foreign films, I have to be really interested in a film if I'm going to spend more than a few minutes reading subtitles. I used to have more patience for that sort of thing, but the older I get, the more irritating I find them.  And since I lost interest in this movie after about the first ten minutes, the subtitles made it even less likely I'd enjoy it.  Also, I'm not a Fellini fan, and this is something of an homage to the Italian director.  I have to admit, Allen does a fantastic Fellini imitation here -- right down to the annoying Nino Rota-style background music permeating almost every scene.  But if I'm going to have to watch Fellini, I'd rather just see the real thing.

But the city was certainly beautiful, and there were one or two rewarding moments -- several bits of slapstick were very funny.  And Alec Baldwin and Penelope Cruz were very watchable, as always.  But in the end, the characters and stories were uninteresting and forgettable.  Not one of Woody's better efforts.

My IMDb rating: Two stars out of a possible Ten.