I was intrigued by this cast of fun actors, all of whom I enjoy in different ways, bringing to life a non-fiction advice book (which, I was later told, grew out of a line and then episode of Sex and the City). This movie is funny, sweet, diverting, and frustrating, and reminds one of [...]

Last Chance Harvey looks like it could be any number of movies from the outside – a romance, a drama, a missed opportunities bittersweet tale, or another Dying Young. It’s not, thank heavens, “just” any one of those things. If I were pitching it to a studio, I would probably say it’s a [...]

Hey, did this movie ever come out?  I guess so – I saw it before it vanished.  The economic burnout seems to have extended even to holiday-themed movies, even though this one is unconcerned with presents and Santa and so forth.  The adorable couple of Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughan are best friendy in their [...]

Baz Luhrmann’s few movies can be described as anything from whimsical tweaks to wild, ecstatic fantasias, but rarely have they followed any sort of formula.  When I say that Australia is a good old-fashioned Golden Age of Hollywood romantic epic, I mean it in the best sense.  The wild setting of Australia’s Northern Territory, the [...]

This was my third Universal Studios comedy in a short time, and I was starting to worry. I am so glad this one was last! Writer/star Jason Segel was lovable and full of heart on Freaks and Geeks, but is he funny? Yes! The premise is promising: Segel is dumped [...]

I confess, I was a little squeamish about seeing this movie. My companion’s a Ryan Reynolds fan, but he’s an unproven lead for me. Abigail Breslin is adorable but clearly she is more the framing device for the movie’s story than the meat of the thing, so I can’t rely on her to [...]

There is a reason why movies develop formulae:  it’s what we want to see, when we escape into the dark.  During 27 Dresses, there were few-to-no major plot points that you wouldn’t expect, nay, demand.  The requisite moment of truth happens exactly as it should, with no regrets or forehead slapping needed, leaving hearts and [...]

If you (like me) missed this in the theatre, this is a tender little ultralow budget movie about the intimate connection of making music. It could sort of be described as a musical, since 60 percent of it (per the director) is musical performance. However, the warm folkiness of the songs and their [...]

Director Julie Taymor made a splash with her wildly popular and visually original stage production of the Lion King. She brought her hyperreal artistic sensibilities successfully to Titus and Frida on screen. In Across the Universe, Taymor makes a sort of movie musical out of Beatles songs, sung live by the characters. [...]

What a delight! It is so much more than My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding, it is a truly pleasurable and funny, inspiring and sweet film, with great music, great performances, and interesting insight into a culture not much explored in American cinema. The title is odd, but it might as well say [...]