The Way

Movie: The Way

Genre: drama

Synopsis: Tom (Martin Sheen) is a successful ophthalmologist.  He has had a troubled relationship with his son Daniel (Emelio Estevez), who abandoned his doctoral studies to go trekking around the world.  Tom learns that Daniel was killed in a freak storm as he was beginning a 700+ kilometer pilgrimage along the “Camino de Santiago” – which starts in France and ends up in Spain.  When Tom flies to France to claim the body, on the spur of the moment he decides to have the remains cremated and to take the pilgrimage with his son’s ashes.  Along the journey, Tom gradually loses the pent-up anger he has and bonds with three other “pilgrims” who are each making the pilgrimage for their own reasons.

My two cents: The movie was interesting. Much of the movie was like a travelogue of Camino de Santiago. What I could not get past was the idea of a man in his fifties with no hiking experience (at least not mentioned) just up and deciding to go on a hike of over 700 kilometers with absolutely no preparation.  In hindsight, I would have been satisfied with waiting for to watch this movie on TV.

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London Boulevard

Movie: London Boulevard

Genre: drama

Synopsis: Mitchel (Colin Farrell) is newly released from prison.  He is doing his best to go straight, but is being pressured to join a London mob – led by mob boss Gant (Ray Winstone).  Mitchel gets a job as a body guard for  a world famous actress, Charlotte (Keira Knightley), who is being mercilessly by paparazzi.  The movie follows Mitchel as he resists the not-so-subtle efforts of Grant to pull him into the mob, he searches for the teenage boys who killed a homeless friend of his, he tries to keep his week-willed sister out of trouble, and as he seems to fall in love with Charlotte.

My two cents: A pretty decent movie.  Colin Farrell excels at playing the tough guy who is normally calm, but can erupt into violence at the spur of a moment.  Ray Winstone plays just about as menacing gangster as I have seen.

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Another Happy Day

Movie: Another Happy Day

Genre: drama

Synopsis: Lynn (Ellen Barkin) has two children from a marriage to Paul (Thomas Haden Church): Alice (Kate Bosworth) and Dylan (Michael Nardelli).  She also has two children from her current husband, Lee (Jeffrey DeMunn): Ben (Daniel Yelsky) and Elliot (Ezra Miller).  Alice has had a history of self-mutilation (by cutting herself with knives) and has had a lot of therapy. Lee is autistic. Elliot is only 17 but has already had 3 or 4 stints in drug rehab.  The movie opens with Lynn driving Lee and Elliot to her parent’s house (father played by George Kennedy and mother played by Ellen Burstyn) for Dylan’s wedding.  To say that Lynn’s family is dysfunctional is to grossly understate the situation.  From the moment she arrives, Lynn faces a non-stop battle with Ben (the druggy son), her two terrible sisters, her mother, her ex-husband – and most of all with her mother and with her ex’s current wife (played Demi Moore). This family makes “Mama’s Family” (from Carol Burnett) look like the Cleaver family.

My two cents: This was a painful movie to watch. For the first part of the movie, I thought Lynn was just an insecure whiny woman.  Then you see how her druggy son baits her in the car with really cruel words and you start thinking that maybe she has something to be upset about.  And then you met her mother and sisters.  This poor woman gets it from every side, when all she is trying to do is protect her daughter who is still in a rather fragile state of mind.  There was some great acting in this movie.  Demi Moore was great at playing a hateful shrewish woman who would stab you in the back while smiling sweetly at you. Ellen Burstyn’s character was really well acted.  She was usually just a tightly wrapped bitch – but occasionally you could see the chinks in the self-protective armor she was wearing.  Kate Bosworth absolutely nailed the fragile unstable girl who looked like she was ready to break again.  But the Oscar nomination should go to Ellen Barkin.  For the entire movie she made her character look as if just one more straw would break her back – yet she still managed to keep enough grit to get done what she needed to do.  She seemed like she was made of glass that was ready to just fall apart – but never quite went over the edge.  I just felt so sorry for her.  It seemed that everybody that should support her – like her mother – was doing their best to make her feel like crap. By the end of the movie I was trying to figure out how she had managed to not just commit suicide to get away from everyone.

Bottom line: a really interesting movie with great acting, but it will emotionally drain you.

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Arthur Christmas 3D

Movie: Arthur Christmas 3D

Genre: animated fantasy

Synopsis: In this version of Christmas, Santa Claus normally keeps his job for 70 Christmases and then turns over the job to his son.  Santa (Jim Broadbent) is embarking on number 70.  His older son, Steve (Hugh Laurie), is the mission control person for the high tech operation that the delivery of Christmas presents has become.  He is primed and ready take over the duties of Santa. The younger of Santa’s two sons is Arthur (James McAvoy).  Arthur is the embodiment of the Christmas spirit, but has not shown himself to of much practical use at Christmas HQ.  When a present is accidentally not delivered, it comes down to Arthur (and Grandsanta and an elf) to get it delivered.

My two cents: This was the best new Christmas movie I have seen since Elf.  The whole idea of the Santa duties being passed from generation to generation was a new one for me.  There was a curmudgeonly “Grandsanta” who hated the new high tech way things were done.  The very scope of the task to deliver presents on Christmas was pretty impressive.  You could not help but like Arthur – a bit of a bumbler, but with such a great heart and willing to do anything to make sure the last present gets delivered.  There was plenty of humor and “warm and fuzzy” moments to make me happy.

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