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A slight departure in format here: Yes, I've been seeing movies, but am bleary-eyed from a writing assignment, so I'm giving readers a vote. Which would you like to know more about - OR - discuss, if you have seen:

We start with Blue Valentine.
VOTE NOW!

Lincoln Lawyer

See Matthew M sitting on his old Lincoln? That's because he's the Lincoln Lawyer! See, he rides around in the old car using it as a mobile office. Why? Because he just happens to be the coolest defense attorney this side of the Mississippi! Think James Bond in a suit with lots of legal smarts.

Okay, that's sort of the premise. The first twenty minutes of the film make the point that the dashing M Mc is one tough dude: he likes to defend clients and he LOVES money! Yeah, not so likeable...until the real plot begins.

The real plot? Well, no spoiler, but suffice it to say that our hero finds that client-attorney privilege can sometimes be a bummer! Who's in control here? The attorney? His client?

With talent like Marisa Tomei (still reeling from her extraordinary work years ago in My Cousin Vinny), Ryan Philippe (who, oddly, plays sleeze which seems to mimic his real life), and William Macy (my, how he shined in Fargo), the plot is almost secondary to the acting.

So, legal beagles, get out and rent this one. After the first ten minutes, it gets to be really fun! And don't miss the most unusual friendship between some gritty rogue bikers and our attorney-idol!

Easy A

Now and then a teen flick comes along that really works. Easy A is entrancing, witty, and fun.

Valerie and I have worked in schools, so we know how easily rumors abound. Playing on this theme, Easy A tells the story of a cute teen who, frustrated with the idle chatter of peers, plays a massive hoax: she claims to be the school slut when, in reality, she awaits her first real date with a young man!

No more info than that, dear readers, lest I spoil the story. Emma Stone is as cute as a pistol, and, like other starlets including Alicia Silverstone, Zooey Deschanel, and Amy Adams, worms her way into your heart.

Remember Ellen Page in Juno? Emma Stone is quite similar in character: witty, smart, sassy, pert, and clever. And she has liberal parents who charm in their own retro way.

The "A" theme? Seems our young upstart has become entranced with the theme of rejection in The Scarlet Letter. Thus the outrageous A on the dress.

Get ready to re-live all the joy and misery of your adolescent years! Thumbs up!

Red Riding Hood

Care for a confession? This viewer loves vampire films! Yeah, I'm a sucker for the long-tooth genre. I enjoy True Blood, and I've had fun viewing the Twilight series. If the film is stupid yet tongue in cheek, I'm all in. Remember Jennifer's Body? Loved it! (see my review in this blog)

So, naturally, I'd jump at the chance to see my favorite Big Love star, Amanda Seyfried, starring in a blood-sucking thriller....

Oh, what a bummer! Oh, what a disappointment! Oh, how sorry can one film be!

The film rips off other stories. No originality at all. Here's the theft from Twilight: A girl likes two guys but can't tell if one of them is a vampire. Here's the theft from Little Red Riding Hood....oh, forget it!

A few good moments, maybe. But overall, such a loser. And here I thought I'd add to my admiration of the vampire genre!

Desert Son

Every so often an Indie film comes out that knocks your socks off. Desert Son fills the bill.

It's a tight little stage-play: three kids, the ones you see above on bicycles, just happen to live on the fringes of society in a dusty ghost-town. They're a hapless lot: two twenty somethings who have done something illegal in the past and a teen they find abandoned in the desert.

The wonder of the film is how the three interact. The savagery of human nature, as shown once in Lord of the Flies, is alive and well. A bully rules, a girlfriend tries to bolt, and a kid strives to be heroic. Sartre's No Exit comes to mind, where hell is other people.

You'll be glued to the story as the tension between the three mounts. Who will dominate? Can the three survive on their own? Will they resort to violence? How will they escape the human bondage they create?

Oh my, what a thriller! Hands down, one of the most unusual films in recent years. Can't be a spoiler, but you'll revel in this chilling piece. Just don't judge the film by its ending.

Perfect Host

See David Hyde Pierce above? He looks friendly enough. He's a host for a one-of-a-kind party! Care to join him?

Um....I'd suggest you don't. No spoiler here, but our smiling host is a rather bizarre fellow. He tends to treat his guests with the most extreme in-hospitality! And...not all his guests are the kind you can actually meet and greet!

The film is a twisty-turning thing: the guest is himself a rather down-on-his-luck type, and he just happens on the "party" at a home he is preparing to rob. But who is the real villain? The guest? The host? Will a crime take place? Or has it already?

Oh, there's more. We find out that our very strange host has a most interesting profession. What, you ask? Sorry, can't give more away! You'll have to dive into this topsy-turvy plot and figure out the real deal for yourself.

One promise: You won't be disappointed! Hitchcock may well still be alive and well!

Outsourced

Ayesha Dharkar is hardly a household name in the U.S. That's her above. She steals the show in a delightful "Bollywood" romp!

The premise of the film is not entirely comical: a young man who manages a call center in Chicago finds his entire unit has been outsourced to India. He must go to Mumbai to facilitate the company's cost-cutting move.

While there, he learns about Indian culture, and, in the process, just happens to find romance. A bit sugary? Yes indeed. A bit silly? Yes indeed. But somehow in the middle of the fluff lies a charming tale of friendship, courage, adaptation, and love.

Most interestingly, viewers are swept up in the acculturation process. At first, Mumbai seems like a sorry place to be. Later, it fascinates. Learn about the importance of the "bindi", or third eye, which helps the protagonists see more clearly in their search for job fulfillment...and core values.

Fulfillment? That's actually spelled "fulfilment"....as you'll soon learn in the this little jewel of a flick!

Back in 1995, or the Middle Ages as my kids call the era, an incredible made-for-TV whodunnit was released. Starring Andrew McCarthy and Paul Sorvino, the film is a winner.

The premise, with no spoiler of course, is as follows: A hotshot insurance executive has developed a novel area of expertise. He advocates that insurance companies get off the hook when they owe a big settlement by proving their clients negligent. Not a very popular point of view for those who expect payoffs! So someone decides it's payback time!

McCarthy, our insurance expert, finds himself embroiled in extortion, threats, and mayhem. When those close to him are found dead, he is the suspect. Now the issue is: WHO dunnit? Thank goodness there's a solid detective, played by Paul Sorvino, who believes in him.

The fun of this flick is to try to figure out which of the many suspects is the guilty party. Is it one of the insurance agent's friends? A potential lover? A past investigator? Or is it the insurance man himself? Can't give away the answer, but you will be guessing wildly until the last ten minutes of the movie.

Be patient: The film's first fifteen minutes won't impress much. But after that, hang on for a great ride!

Page One

See that page from the NYT? It's from 1861. Yeah, the famous newspaper has been around a long time. Will it last or go belly up like so many other papers?

This is the premise of a fantastic film.

My dear spouse and I wondered if an hour and a half on the inner workings of the Times would hold our interest...or, I should say, my interest. Unlike my spouse, who revels in all things psychological, social, or political, I tend toward more sentimental pieces: romance, action, sci-fi, and other fairly low-road themes. Was I wrong to doubt this extraordinary work of art: it grabbed my interest and kept me mesmerized!

The brilliance of the film is that it does so much while asking a very simple question: Will/Should the New York Times paper edition continue, as it has for more than a century?

The flick offers a wonderful history lesson on journalism: we are reminded of Watergate and other events where freedom of the press saved OUR freedoms. Page One covers all aspects of the First Amendment, including a thought-provoking look at Freedom of Information vs. Rights to Privacy/Threats to National Security.

Remember Judith Miller? Remember other journalists who have gotten the news wrong? Are you familiar with the foul-mouthed, ex-street bum David Carr, one of the top editors at The Times? Meet all the big shots in this inside look at a famous American institution.

Most importantly, consider if the web-fed news is better than the old-style news.

The local papers gave the film three stars. This reviewer would give it five.

One of the finest documentaries ever!