Watch a movie with your Mom on Mother's Day. Here are a few suggestions.

Postcards from the Edge Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid, Rob Reiner. Suzanne Vale is a wise-cracking, vulnerable actress determined to jump start her failing career. Her mother, an aging movie star, is the definitive portrait of a Hollywood's gutsy glamour queen, offers her daughter only razor sharp humor and searing honesty. Based on the novel by Carrie Fisher about her life in the Hollywood fast lane.


Erin Brockovich Julia Roberts, Albert Finney. A feisty young mother convinces an attorney to hire her and promptly stumbles upon a momumental law case against a giant corporation.

Mrs. Miniver Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon . A story of an average English middle-class family during the summer of 1939. The sun shone down on a happy people, who worked and played, reared their children and tended their gardens in that happy, easy-going England that would soon enter World War II. In the face of regular German bombings Mrs. Miniver's mission is to stay alive, and keep her family together with hope, strength, and dignity.

Steel Magnolias Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley MacLaine. A young diabetic's decision to have a baby may cost her life. This choice leaves her own mother torn between love and anger, while her loyal friends support her and try to deal with their own feelings.

Divine Sisters of the YaYa Sisterhood Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, Maggie Smith, Ashley Judd. Like mother, like daughter. Neither a hard-as-nails New York playwright nor her flaky Louisiana mother will take the necessary steps to mend their long-time rift and it’s up to Sisterhood who stage an outlandish "intervention" to bring them back together again.

A League of Their Own Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell. A washed-up ballplayer is hired to coach in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League while the male pros are at war in 1943, and finds himself drawn back into the game by the heart and heroics of his team.

Where the Heart Is Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Stockard Channing, Joan Cusack. The story of a down-on-her-luck Southern teen who, after gaining 15 minutes of fame for giving birth to "The Wal-Mart Baby," begins to put her life together with the help of the kind, quirky strangers who become her surrogate family.

Throw Momma from the Train Danny Devito, Billy Crystal, Kim Greist, Anne Ramsey, Kate Mulgrew. A student tries to convince his writing professor to exchange murders - he'll murder his teacher's wife, and the prof will murder his student's mom. Based on the Hitchcock film “Strangers on a Train.”

Little Women Katharine Hepburn, Joan Bennett. Humorous and sentimental fortunes of the four March sisters are chronicled as they grew into young ladies during the harsh times of the Civil war.

The Goodbye Girl Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason. When a woman's ex-husband sublets her apartment right out from under her and she refuses to move, the new tenant, a Chicago actor, moves in, touching off a comic, hate-love relationship.

Mother Anne Reid, Daniel Craig. A newly widowed woman moves to London to be near her family. She soon feels like she is just an invisible old lady until a young man comes into her life.

DVD's May 2011

All Good Things Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella. A love story and a murder mystery set against the backdrop of a New York real estate dynasty in the 1980s. Based on a real life story.

Animal Kingdom Ben Mendelsohn, Guy Pearce, James Frecheville. Seventeen year-old J is in the process of becoming initiated into a gang of armed robbers, known as the Cody brothers. J quickly comes to believe that he is a player in this world, but soon discovers that the entire situation is far larger and more menacing than he could ever imagine.

Black Swan Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder. Nina, a stunningly talented but dangerously unstable ballerina is on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her driven artistic director and the threat posed by a seductive rival dancer, Nina's tenuous grip on reality starts to slip away...plunging her into a waking nightmare.

Country Strong Leighton Meester, Tim Mcgraw, Gwyneth Paltrow, Garrett Hedlund. Soon after a rising young singer-songwriter gets involved with a fallen, emotionally unstable country star, the pair embarks on a career resurrection tour steered by her husband/manager .

Fair Game Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Sam Shepard. Based on the autobiography of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame, whose covert identity was exposed when her husband, retired Ambassador Joe Wilson, wrote a newspaper article challenging the basis for the claim that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

The Fighter Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo. Micky Ward is a struggling boxer long overshadowed by his older brother and trainer, Dicky, a local legend battling his own demons. Their explosive relationship threatens to take them both down.

Four Lions Riz Ahmed, Arsher Ali, Nigel Lindsay. Follow five clueless buffoons as they plan to strike a blow on their own turf, showing that while terrorism is supposed to be about ideology, it can also be about idiots.

Gasland Documentary. Filmmaker Josh Fox travels the United States along the Marcellus Shale formation to uncover the negative environmental and health effects of fracture drilling as a means of extracting natural gas.

The Green Hornet Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz, Cameron Diaz. After the death of his father, a rich playboy becomes the crime-fighting hero known as the Green Hornet.

Holy Rollers Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, Ari Graynor. Sam Gold reluctantly studies to become a rabbi to please his family. His neighbor senses Sam's discontent and propositions him to transport 'medicine' for an Israeli dealer. Exposed to the exciting worlds of Manhattan and Amsterdam nightlife, Sam spirals deeper into that lifestyle. Caught in a double life, he must make a decision that could bring the entire operation crashing down.

How Do You Know Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, Jack Nicholson. A professional softball player discovers she is in the middle of a love triangle after she falls for two different men and wonders when it comes to love, how do you know?

The King’s Speech Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush. The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.

Little Fockers Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Teri Polo, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Barbra Streisand, Jessica Alba. Greg Focker has finally begun to earn the respect of his ex-CIA father-in-law, Jack Byrnes, but one important test still lies ahead: will Greg prove that he has what it takes to be the family's next 'Godfocker', or will the circle of trust be broken for good?

Made in Dagenham Andrea Riseborough, Jaime Winstone, Lorraine Stanley, Sally Hawkins. In 1968, the female workers at the Ford Dagenham car plant, walked out in protest against sexual discrimination. Their actions played a major role in the battle for equal pay, both nationally and internationally.

Megamind Voices: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, David Cross, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell. Megamind has tried to conquer Metro City in every imaginable way. But each attempt is a colossal failure thanks to the caped superhero known as 'Metro Man, ' until …..

Rabbit Hole Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart Becca and Howie Corbett are returning to their everyday existence in the wake of a shocking, sudden loss. The journey is an intimate glimpse into two people learning to re-engage with each other and a world that has been tilted off its axis.

A Summer in Genoa Colin Firth, Catherine Keener. A man moves his two daughters to Italy after their mother dies in a car accident.

The Tourist Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie. Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie. During an impromptu trip to Europe to mend a broken heart, Frank unexpectedly finds himself in a flirtatious encounter with Elise, an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path.



  Water for Elephants is a big screen movie that keeped true to the book by Sara Gruen.  I loved the book and rushed out to see the movie as soon it was released.  I was not disappointed.  With my training in the fine arts, I tend to examine the sets, the staging and the acting before examining the script.   The sets for the film were wonderful.  Who doesn’t love a circus? The romance of the traveling circus draws us in.  We love the trains that transport them to cities and we love the parades that lead us to the circus grounds.  Under Francis Lawrence's sleek direction and Richard LaGravenese script, the love story between Jacob, the  circus vet, and Marlena, the circus owner’s wife, emerges.   Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz, of Inglourious Basterds fame, offer the perfect triangle to base the story.  At first, I was a bit iffy about the casting but they were perfect, particularly Christoph Waltz, who can play sadistic and charming at the drop of a hat.  You enjoy watching him because you know something bad is just around the corner.  With all the Twilight buzz surrounding him, I didn’t expect Pattinson to be able to act but he can and Witherspoon, an Oscar winning actress, did not over power the cast.  Hal Holbrook does a nice job, too, framing the story as he tells the tale of the ill-fated Benzini circus to a modern circus worker.  The only thing missing for me was the lack of grittiness and hopeless of the Depression era, the desperate way circus people lived in order to have a job, roof over their heads and food in their stomachs.  The roustabouts suffered the most. If the owner couldn’t make money at each stop, he would order several thrown from the train in a practice called “red lighting.”  Some would survive the fall but most would not.  The Depression was a desperate time!  Forget bout the symbolism behind water and train tracks.  Just sit back and enjoy as the story unfolds.



Win Win is a winner and Paul Giamatti is a master. Win Win, directed by Tom McCarthy of The Station Agent and The Visitor fame, does not hurry along. Instead you are given time to get to know the characters. Giamatti plays Mike Flaherty, an average man who finds himself struggling economically with a failing legal practice. Trying to keep his head about water, he takes on the difficult task of coaching the local high school wrestling team. He is trying his best, but neither the team nor his finances are getting better. Unethically, he takes on the guardianship of an elderly, but rich client, Leo, in order to receive a monthly stipend. Without family to care for Leo, Giamatti sells this idea to the judge. Enters Kyle, Leo’s grandson, and everything changes. Alex Schaffer as Kyle is new to acting but there is great promise. He exudes Eminem broodiness. An actual high-school wrestling champ in real life, he is convincing as a disillusioned and troubled 16 year old running away for his abusive mother. Everyone loves a winner and everyone loves Kyle once they know what he can do. The ensemble cast of Amy Ryan, Jeffrey Tambor, and Bobby Carnavale lend spunk, empathy and humour to the film.

In the world of Hollywood glitz and glamour, how can a short, double chinned, pudgy man with slopping shoulders be so appealing? Giamatti has talent and skill to make you love him.

This movie could be about how loss makes you do things you cannot defend and ultimately regret, but to me it was just about average people, living average lives trying to do the best they can. Yes, you can find fault with this film, but somehow it just draws you in and you stay there. I found myself smiling all the way to the car. See it or borrow it from the library when it’s on DVD.

WHAT A MESSAGE! The only good things about Limitless: 1. it was not limitless, (running time 1h.45m), and 2. Bradley Cooper’s electric blue eyes. In this sci-fi thriller, Cooper plays a naive writer living on the fringe in NYC dealing with sever writer's block. He falls for the pitch that taking a mind expanding drug will solve all his problems. It did! But created many more. Over more than a year you see Eddie Morra move from the grimy streets of Chinatown, to the slick money-hungry world of high finance, to the halls of the Senate with the potential of becoming a presidential candidate. The film, directed by Neil Burger, based on a novel by Alan Glynn, uses every possible trick including Russian gangsters, corporate mergers and moguls, murder, lost time, addiction and withdrawal along with some interesting visual effects to keep the audience trapped. Robert DeNiro turns in a cool performance as Carl Van Loon and has the best dialogue and message in the entire film. Reviewers have given it a B+ but I say skip it. If you must see it, borrow it from the library and save your money for a good film like Win Win.

The new April list of DVDs is out.

127 Hours James Franco, Amber Tamblyn. Aron Ralston has a passion for all things outdoors. When a falling boulder traps him in a remote Utah canyon, a thrill-seekers adventure becomes the challenge of a lifetime. Based on the autobiography "Between a rock and a hard place" by Aron Ralston.

Catfish In late 2007, filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost sensed a story unfolding as they began to film the life of Ariel's brother, Nev. A reality thriller that is a shocking product of our times, Catfish is a riveting story of love, deception and grace within a labyrinth of online intrigue.

Cool It Climate catastrophe? The end of civilization as we know it? COOL IT is based upon the book of the same name and lectures by Bjorn Lomborg.

Inside Job Through exhaustive research, and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, Inside Job traces the rise of a rogue industry that nearly resulted in a global financial collapse.

Last Train Home Changhua Zhan, Suqin Chen, Qin Zhang. Every spring, China's cities are plunged into chaos as an astonishing 130 million migrant workers journey to their home villages for the New Year's holiday. This mass exodus is the largest human migration on the planet. Working over several years in classic verite, Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Lixin Fan travels with one couple who have embarked on this annual trek for almost two decades.

Love and Other Drugs Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway Free-spirited Maggie meets her match in a charming Viagra salesman named Jamie. Maggie and Jamie leap into a no-strings-attached affair, but no matter how hard they try to keep things 'casual,' they can't help falling under the influence of the ultimate drug: love!

The Maiden Heist Marcia Gay Harden, Morgan Freeman. Charles, Roger, and George are museum security guards who take their jobs very seriously. But when they learn their favorite artworks are being sent to another museum, they concoct a plan to switch the real masterpieces with fakes.

Morning Glory Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton. For Becky, running a TV show in New York City was the big break she dreamed of, until star co-anchors Mike and Colleen declare an all-out, on-air war. Making the show work with its cast of eccentric characters and outrageous story angles will take a major miracle, but Becky is ready to rise and outshine.

New Tricks: season 3 Amanda Redman, Dennis Waterman, Alun Armstrong, James Bolam. Superintendent Sandra Pullman leads the unsolved crimes unit of the Metropolitan Police. Her team includes three aging former detectives lured out of retirement. Can a curmudgeonly trio of crime busters learn new tricks to crack tough crimes? Or are old-fashioned hunches and footwork still best?

The Next Three Days Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Brian Dennehy, Olivia Wilde, Liam Neeson. Life seems perfect for John Brennan until his wife, Lara, is arrested for a murder she says she didn't commit. Three years into her sentence, John is struggling to hold his family together, raising their son and teaching at college while he pursues every means available to prove her innocence. With the rejection of their final appeal, Lara becomes suicidal and John decides there is only one possible, bearable solution: to break his wife out of prison.

The Switch Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston. An unmarried 40-year-old becomes pregnant from a sperm bank. Seven years later, she reunites with her best friend, who has been living with a secret: he replaced her preferred sperm sample with his own. An unmarried 40-year-old woman turns to a turkey baster in order to become pregnant. Seven years later, she reunites with her best friend, who has been living with a secret: he replaced her preferred sperm sample with his own.

Mademoiselle Chambon V incent Lindon, Sandrine Kiberlain, Aure Atika, Jean-Marc Thibault. Arthur Le Houérou. Jean, his loving wife and son live a simple, happy life. At his son's homeroom teacher Madamoiselle Chambon's request, he volunteers as substitute teacher and starts to fall for her delicate and elegant charm.

Restrepo Sebastian Junger, Tim Hetherington. This documentary chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, Restrepo, named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. This is an entirely experiential film: the cameras never leave the valley; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 90-minute deployment.

The Wolfman Anthony Hopkins, Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt. Lured back to his family estate Lawrence must investigate the savage murder of his brother by a bloodthirsty beast and confront childhood demons, his estranged father, and his brother's grieving fiancée.

The Tillman Story Pat Tillman, Mary Tillman Pat Tillman chose to walk away from a multimillion-dollar football contract and join the military for no other reason than he felt it was the right thing to do. Documented are the facts surrounding the way the military manipulated his tragic death in the line of duty into a propaganda tool.

Recently, I saw a film that I consider intellegent with gifted actors, a wonderful script, and great staging. It is Barney's Vison. Finally a film without pyrotechniques. A film for adults. A powerful film that moves gently through a man's life, exploring his choices and his relationships. Leonard Cohen soundtrack is a perfect compliment. Based on Mordecai Richler's book of the same name, Canadian director, Robert Lantos spent 10 years trying to get it made, discarding script after script, including two by Richler, until it was just right. Barney Panofsky, played by Paul Giamatti, is a 65 year old, hard-drinking, cigar-smoking, foulmouthed, hockey fanatic and Montreal television producer, reflects on his life's successes and failures as his final years come sharply into focus. Gianatti won a best actor Golden Globe for his performaces. The film is not all about Giamatti, additional convincing performances are turned in by Dustin Hoffman, Rosemund Pike and Minnie Driver. If you missed it in the theaters, reserve the DVD by calling the library 860-673-9712.