Frost/Nixon

Here is another involving plot where recent history has already informed us of the outcome (see "Valkyrie" and "Milk"). I was relieved to discover that I was engaged and diverted despite knowing how it ends.

"Frost/Nixon" played in London's West End to great acclaim before it moved to Broadway. It was my good fortune to see this film in a theater with excellent sound, although both of the lead actors are reprising their stage roles, so they are stage-trained and already know how to articulate.

David Frost, a British entertainment gadfly, is played to perfection by the multi-talented Michael Sheen ("Music Within" and "The Queen"), while Frank Langella ("Dracula" and "Superman Returns") made me a tad uncomfortable with his impression of Richard Nixon's voice. Make no mistake, these two fine actors have inhabited these roles through so many performances, they can withstand the scrutiny of the ultra-close close-ups which are typical of this production.

To my great relief, we are not subjected to two hours of "gotcha journalism," but instead have the chance to be entertained by Frost's struggles (his interview show has been cancelled in the U.S.) to sell his interview-with-Nixon concept, to find a network, to sign a sponsor (even Weedeater turns him down), and in general to survive as a showman, by being seen (this time) as a journalist. He even pays Nixon's retainer fee out of his own personal checking account. It's fun to see the wily Swifty Lazar, played by Toby Jones ("Infamous") deftly outmaneuvered by that sly old political fox, Nixon.

Frost is assisted by James Reston, Jr. a firebrand who loathes Nixon and wants blood; he is played by Sam Rockwell ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"). In addition, Bob Zelnick, portrayed by Oliver Platt ("Martian Child") brings his vital insider knowledge of Washington D.C. to the table.

Behind the scenes on the other side, Kevin Bacon ("Mystic River") is Nixon's wrenchingly loyal aide, Jack Brennon, who does everything in his power to protect his boss.

This is a fascinating look at a well-known event and I was entertained every step of the way...including the postscript... which shows us the grudging respect the two adversaries developed for one another.

Wendy and Lucy

Okay, it's official: I do NOT understand "Art." In the past few weeks I have read nothing but raves for "Wendy and Lucy," a Best Picture and Best Actress award winner from the Toronto International Film Festival and a nominee for the upcoming Independent Spirit Award.

Wendy is played by the amazing Michelle Williams ("Me Without You" and "Brokeback Mountain") and Lucy is her dog (played by Lucy, the dog).

This is essentially a one-woman show and consists of Wendy walking around a bleak Portland, Oregon landscape looking for her dog Lucy, who is taken from a convenience store when Wendy is arrested for shoplifting. She has stopped in Portland for auto repairs while enroute to Alaska for a summer job.

I observed two things:

• The Portland animal control folks were far more humane than those in the recent PG-rated "Hotel for Dogs."
• By the final frame, one audience member was wiping her tears, while I was busy apologizing to my companion.

That pretty much covers it.

Inkheart

Several things popped out at me as I watched this movie:

• Both of the lead characters love their wives and children;
• Helen Mirren can be VERY funny...
• Brendan Fraser is in a LOT of family-friendly, CGI-heavy movies!

Brendan Fraser ("The Mummy" franchise, "Crash" and "The Quiet American") plays a man called "Silvertongue," who, when he reads fairy tales out loud, causes fictional characters to materialize in the real world. Problem is, when that happens, people from the real world are swapped with those from the land of fiction. He inadvertently caused his wife's disappearance when their daughter was only six or seven and he has been on a quest ever since to find that same book again and reverse the process.

His daughter, played by Eliza Bennett ("Nanny McPhee" and "Perfect Life"), has become a "tween." She travels all over the world with him as he searches out antiquarian bookstores. He refuses to tell her why but she knows it is important to both of them.

A third character, called "Dustfinger," played by Paul Bettany ("The Secret Life of Bees" and "Wimbleton"), is a fictional character who landed in the real world by mistake and very much wants to help our hero find that book so he can get back to his own family in the fictitious world (played by Bettany's real-life wife, Jennifer Connelly). Failing that, at least they can try to locate the author, played by Jim Broadbent ("Iris" and "Moulon Rouge!") and look for the original manuscript.

As they narrow down their search, it is obvious that there will be some danger involved, so Fraser takes his daughter to her great-aunt's house. The great aunt is played to eccentric perfection by Helen Mirren ("The Queen" and "Gosford Park").

Fictitious characters abound: Toto and those dreaded flying monkeys from Wizard of Oz; a unicorn; Rapunzel; one of the thieves from Ali Baba; etc., etc....

Expect lots of Computer Generated Imaging, a mild "tween" flirtation, steadfast husbands who seek lost wives, and of course, a happy ending.

New in Town

Would you believe a Renee Zellweger ("Chicago" and "Appaloosa") WITHOUT her pouty squinty little quirks? Her character is practically mannerism free! Whew! She plays a fish-out-of-water executive sent from Miami to a Minnesota plant with the express purpose of reducing the workforce by half. Her determined stride... in VERY high heels... becomes one of her trademarks. Toward the end of the movie, some of the characters HEAR those footsteps and turn their heads in anticipation, knowing full well it's her.

Zellweger allows her character to be embarrassed in a clever way. Her first social engagement in Minnesota is at a private home. To her thin Florida blood, it's very chilly. Her hostess takes one look at her and offers an extra sweater or a jacket, but she insists she is fine. She goes to the bathroom to get herself organized and realizes her nipples are visibly puckered from the cold. Even a small child would relate to that physical response and not find it prurient.

On the other hand, the fish-IN-water, the union representative, is played by Harry Connick, Jr. ("P.S. I Love You" and "South Pacific" - 2001) who starts out being insulted and infuriated by her...so we know...hint, hint...

One of the mainstays at the plant is portrayed by J.K. Simmons ("Juno" and "Burn After Reading"), who is a familiar face and a dependable utility player. I LOVE his living situation!

Watching a Miami resident hit full-force by a icy blast of Minnesota wind is lots of fun. We become acquainted with some of the folks in this small town; we start recognizing some of the faces at the plant; and they all learn their lessons. This movie is funny without becoming slapstick, and sweet without being saccharine. After several screenings the producers realized that they can re-rate it from PG-13 to PG by removing a couple of mild swear words, so believe me when I tell you, this is family fare and is a charming, romantic comedy.

The Reader

Like so many of the movies released during Award Season, this movie is NO fun! It is extremely well acted by Kate Winslet ("Revolutionary Road" and "Little Children"), but when is she not excellent?

Long story short, a German teenager, played by David Kross (German films), is coming down with scarlet fever as he struggles to get home. He encounters a fortyish woman (Winslet) who helps him home. When he recovers he goes to thank her and in very short order they are in bed together. She makes no bones about what he is there for, but he wants to have a "relationship." Eventually he convinces her to let him read books to her and she enjoys them immensely (he reads mostly while they are in the nude). Their mutual love for the written word is central to "The Reader."

Then she leaves town abruptly and he is bewildered and heartbroken.

Almost a decade later, he is a law student and his instructor takes the class to audit a war-crimes trial; our young man is horrified to see that she is one of the people on trial.

Many years after THAT, our now mature hero, played by Ralph Fiennes ("In Bruges" and "The English Patient"), has reestablished a connection with her. There is NO attempt to "match" the casting of the boy to that of the man. The young actor has sandy blondish hair, as does Fiennes, that seems to be the only thing they have in common. I found that disappointing.

This is a movie about ethical quandaries, secrets and lies, lust and love. You will probably have as many questions as you did if you read the book. I can't say I liked it but it WILL be on the slate for the Oscars!

Last Chance Harvey

We are already familiar with the noteworthy skills of Dustin Hoffman ("Meet the Fockers" and "Stranger Than Fiction") and Emma Thompson ("Nanny McPhee" and "Harry Potter" plus two Oscars for other work) so let's focus instead on the script. In my opinion, this script came closer than any in recent memory to capture the awkwardness one experiences when confronted with someone you used to know very, very well, but from whom you have grown distant. The pauses and verbal fumblings were never overemphasized or strained, but instead seemed sincerely awkward. You could almost see the brain scrambling for some new topic or response that would break the silence.

Hoffman's character has made a very good living writing jingles for radio and television ads. Evidently this not only supported his wife quite well, but it also embarrassed her. Consequently she divorced him and married an extremely un-embarrassing man, handsomely played by James Brolin ("Catch Me if You Can"). Their now adult daughter has moved to London, met an young American fellow and they are holding their wedding ceremony in England. This means Hoffman has to leave his job at a critical time to fly across the Atlantic, only to discover that his daughter has asked her stepfather to walk her down the aisle.

In the meantime, Thompson's character has a tedious job taking surveys at Heathrow Airport and fielding numerous calls each day from her needy mother, played by the much-heralded Eileen Atkins (most recently won an Emmy for her role in "Cranford"), who is convinced that her new neighbor is harboring a corpse in his woodshed.

Neither of our schlubs has much to hope for. By the time they encounter each other in the airport coffee shop/bar, their opening banter is about who is having the worst day. This is an over-40s romantic comedy that is sweet, observant and satisfying, with no car chases, no sweaty bodies, no blowie uppie stuff. Each of these stars has done better work, but we were there to be entertained, not enlightened, and they did the job.

As a side note, I LOVED their walks along the Thames, as they strolled past one landmark after another, each indelibly etched in my memory from my own happy travels to London.

Mall Cop

This is a silly, audience-pleasing way to waste a couple of hours. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" (the actual name of this little frolic) has no socially redeeming value, but I wasn't bored.

This movies starts as our eponymous hero, played by Kevin James ("Hitch" and 206 episodes of TV's "The King of Queens") successfully negotiates a police training obstacle course, only to fail within a few yards of his goal because his hypoglycemia kicks in. You next see him stuffing his disappointment with a big meal provided by his sympathetic mother and his early teenaged daughter played by Raini Rodriguez (her mother was an illegal who married our hero simply to get her green card, then split).

Both his mother and his daughter want him to start dating again, but he has serious reservations. He's self-conscious about his weight and he wants to try again for the policeman's job, even though he DOES enjoy being a mall cop.

A new hair accessories kiosk opens at the mall. It is run by Jayma Mays ("Bar Starz" and LOTS of TV work) who acts as though someone told her that a wide-eyed look was attractive. In my opinion, her acting range is limited to various bunny-in-the-headlights impressions.

The movie gets interesting when terrorists take over the shopping mall. Our hero was distracted and missed the announcement to evacuate, so he becomes the "inside man" for the city police force...the very ones he has been trying to join! The terrorists are wonderful to watch: They seem to be "parcour-trained" and their athleticism is astounding! ("Parcour" was the sport featured in the amazing opening sequence of last year's "Casino Royale." It consists of almost-suicidal leaps from rooftops and other promontories. In a shopping mall those would be escalators, balconies or kiosks.) On the other hand, when James tries to do a heroic run combined with a slide into hiding, he comes short and has to skooch over to shelter.

He and his Segway make great comic hay with his shortcomings and clever maneuvering. By setting this movie in a shopping mall, product placement is so obvious it becomes part of the plot. Zale's Jewelry, Sharper Image, Victoria's Secret, the list goes on and on.

There are many laugh-out-loud moments but when you get home you won't remember them.

Hotel for Dogs

What are the outside ages for a "tween?" Eight to twelve, maybe?

I listened carefully to the audience response in today's screening of "Hotel for Dogs" and the tots were completely at sea with the scary abandoned hotel, those villainous Animal Control officers and the issue of foster parents. The adults seemed to be singularly unimpressed by the lovely young "Tween Queen," Emma Roberts ("Wild Child" and "Nancy Drew"), despite her pedigree: Eric Roberts' daughter and Julia Roberts' niece.

Roberts plays an orphan who, along with her younger brother, has gone through an endless series of foster parents provided by a patient and well-intentioned case worker, Don Cheadle (the "Ocean's" series and "Traitor"). That younger brother, played by Jake T. Austin ("The Perfect Game" and lots of TV work), is an aspiring inventor. The Rube Goldberg contraptions he builds are clever enough, but far too confusing for the little 'uns to appreciate. The only laughter I could detect were from the kids who like to see a place get trashed, so when the dogs run amok in the hotel the siblings have converted into a shelter, hilarity ensues.

Kevin Dillon ("Entourage" on TV and "Poseiden") and Lisa Kudrow ("Friends" on TV and "P.S. I Love You") have the thankless task of being the latest (and the worst!) of those aforementioned foster parents.

This movie is so far removed from reality I guess I'll have to call it a fantasy...and not a very good one at that!

Bride Wars

How sad when you are part of an enthusiastic audience which is willing to laugh at lame jokes and even forgive some pretty bad dialogue. Unfortunately, by the time this movie was over we were completely out of patience and found ourselves clutching at straws: "There were a couple of funny one-liners..."

Never having been a fan of Kate Hudson (won Critics' Choice Award for "Almost Famous" and lots of second-rate romantic comedies, e.g., "Fool's Gold" and "Raising Helen"), I completely bought into her avaricious attorney character, who plays uncomfortably mean jokes on her former best friend, simply because the two of them had the misfortune to be scheduled to share the same date for their dream weddings at New York's Plaza Hotel. The culprit is a much sought-after wedding planner, played to smarmy perfection by Candice Bergen ("Miss Congeniality" and "Sweet Home, Alabama").

The aforementioned best friend, played by Anne Hathaway ("Get Smart" and "Rachel's Wedding") is finally forced to develop claws of her own, matching dirty trick with dirty trick as the battle deteriorates into a cat fight none of us wanted to watch. Hathaway has grown up on screen and, in my opinion, is doing an admirable job of it. She has segued from Disney's "Princess Diaries" to recent outings in notoriously adult fare ("Brokeback Mountain"). She has huge brown eyes, long legs, considerable acting skills and is willing to take risks. That said, this pathetic movie was too big a risk, even for her...

There was a recent movie featuring a man who played cruel and juvenile tricks on an undeserving victim ("Made of Honor"). When it was over, we ended up with no one to root for. This movie is uncomfortably similar.

Not Easily Broken

Actor/Director Bill Duke gives us a realistic look at a contemporary marriage, warts and all. It wouldn't have been possible without the considerable skills of actress Tariji P. Henson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Talk to Me"); her character has the most obvious "arc" and she provides the spark for our story. Her husband is played by the quietly authoritative Morris Chestnut ("The Perfect Holiday" and "The Game Plan") who shows us the moral underpinnings of their relationship. I don't mind saying that her ambitious, heedless and talkative character would tax any good man's soul. In fact, the middle section of the movie would be a good instruction manual on how NOT to treat one's spouse!

Also of note is the cringe-worthy mother-in-law, perfectly depicted by Jenifer Lewis ("Meet the Browns" and lots of voice and TV work), while Kevin Hart ("Fool's Gold" and "Drillbit Taylor") and the handsome Eddie Cibrian (LOTS of TV) provide comic relief as our hero's buddies.

The title is based on a three-stranded rope that is draped around the shoulders of our young couple during their marriage ceremony. Two of the strands represent the husband and wife, while the third strand represents God. The minister tells them that as long as all three are present in the marriage, their relationship will be strong and everything will go well.

This movie leans a tad toward "preachy," but if you have a healthy tolerance for movies of that ilk, you will find it nicely written and involving.