W.E.

I enjoy this movie because I got to learn about a great love story. I think many people recall that King Edward VIII gave up his crown for the love of his life... American divorcee Wallis Simpson, but have never thought about the details. What kind of people were they? What did they give up? In this movie the humanity and devotion of the two are represented with grace and elegance. In W.E. the love story of Wallis Simpson (played by Andrea Risenborough) and King Edward VIII, who goes by David (played by james D-Arcy) is mirrored by the the life of a modern day woman, Wally (played by Abby Cornish). Wally is fascinated with the lives of Wallis and David. She visits the museum exhibit about them everyday. This is where she meets Evgeni, the security guard. Slowly they form a friendship and a bond over their attraction to the famous couple's lives. The museum and Evgeni seem to be her only escape from her abusive husband. I really love the contrast of the past and present day. The two female leads, Abby Cornish and Andrea Risenborough,  were truley  oustanding. Risenborough was hypnotic and charming and Cornish was compellingly tender. I recomend W.E. to everyone.

King of Devil's Island

King of Devil's Island was a movie that hit me hard. It's rough, tough, and very powerful. The movie is based on a true story of a home for trouble making boys on the Island of Bastoy, Norway. The story begins when a new boy Erling (played by Benjamin Helstad) arrives on the island. I don't remember what Erling's crime is but it's made obvious that he won't be broken easily. He exudes tenacity and fearlessness. The first to greet him is Bestyreren (played by Stellan Skarsgard) who runs the boys home. Bestyreren explains the rules and the consequences of breaking them. On the Island of Bastoy power is abused and justice is non-existent. After an accumulation of oppressive torment Erling and the other boys are pushed past their limits and form a rebellion that results in 150 soldiers sent to gain control. The acting of  Stellan Skarsgard is stellar, but I was blown away by Helstad's performance as the young delinquent Erling. His unflinching portrayal of this boy is empowering. This is an exceptional movie! It's difficult to imagine what these boys endured... but their stories deserved to be told and those who abused their authority and put those boys through hell deserve to be exposed.

Addicted to Love

This is a 90's movie that unfortunately slipped through my grasp for quite some time. Addicted to Love was made in 1997, starring Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick. I will be the first to admit that Broderick is not my favorite actor out there, but he and Meg Ryan come together to make quite the wonderful odd pair. Sam (Matthew Broderick) is heart broken after his home-town sweetheart/ fiance Linda (Kelley Preston) leaves him in search of adventure and excitement in the big city. He runs after her in desperation, convinced that she will welcome him back into her heart. Instead he finds Linda in the lavish apartment of a distinguished French chef named Anton (Tcheky Karyo). He spends night and day spying on Linda and the man she seems lustfully now in love with, from an abandoned building across the street. This is where he runs into Maggie (Meg Ryan). Maggie turns out to be this Anton's vengeful ex-girlfriend. Even though they can hardly stand each other... the two pair up to sabotage Linda and Anton's love fest. Sam takes care of the technical responsibilities while Maggie does the scheming.

About mid-way through the movie I realized that it mirrored one of my favorite Meg Ryan movies of all time... French Kiss, made only two years previous. While in my opinion, Matthew Broderick is no Kevin Kline, I feel like Addicted to Love is a pleasant reminder of French Kiss in a gender reverse. One person in the relationship leaves for more excitement and the other one chases after with a plan to win them back. While French Kiss is still my favorite I would highly recommend Addicted to Love to anyone who enjoys and good humorous love story.

Jeff, Who Lives At Home

Jeff, Who Lives At Home went above and beyond my expectations. In the beginning of the movie you have three fairly unlikable characters. Jeff (played by Jason Segal) lives in his mother's basement and has no desire to do anything other than sit on his couch and wait for signs from the universe. Pat (played by Ed Helms) is Jeff's brother. Pat thinks he is an adult but makes irresponsible choices like purchasing a Porsche that he cannot afford, without his wife's approval. Sharon (played by Susan Sarandon), Jeff and Pat's mother, is unsatisfied with her life and currently hates her sons. The story takes off when Jeff believes the universe is sending him signs. These signs take Jeff and his brother Pat on a journey that changes everything. Sharon finds understanding and hope in an unexpected place. Watching all of their messy lives get thrown around and rearranged is very humorously heartfelt and satisfying. The momentum and emotion fuel a great story of family and relationships. I have to give a large amount of credit to Judy Greer (who plays Pat's wife, Linda) and Rea Dawn Chong (who plays Sharons work friend, Carol) as well. Judy Greer always seems to bring a genuine quality to her characters that is refreshing for me, and I love the strength and beauty that Rae Chong brings to the table. Jeff Who Lives at Home is a pleasure to watch.

The Hedgehog

One reason I love movies so much is that at times I need an escape from analyzing my own life to observing the lives of fictional characters. The movie The Hedgehog was that perfect escape for me. Paloma is a perceptive and imaginative 11 year old who always wears horizontally stripped shirts and dissociates herself from those around her. She believes that to grow up is equal to living in a fish bowl. To prevent this from happening, Paloma plans to kill herself on her 12th Birthday. Up until then the pre-teen occupies her time filming the sadly ironic lives of her family and neighbors. One of her film subjects is her upper class mother who fills herself with anti-depressants and champagne and talks to her plants as if they can hear her.

Everything is going according to plan until an interesting man, Kukaro, moves into the apartment building. Kukaro befriends young Paloma and re-excites her mind and creativity. You could say that he is a kind of enlightened spirit who sees things that the other adults in her world do not. He gives Paloma someone to learn from and talk to.

Kukaro is captivated by the building's superintendent, Renee Michel. Renee is a shell of a woman who seems to avoid human interaction at all cost. She spends her time reading in the company of her cat Leo (named after Loe Tolstoy). She is not friendly but also not rude. When Renee and Kukaro first meet Renee says "All happy families are the same." Kukaro replies, "But all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way." You learn that these are quotes from a book that they have both read. Those simple sentences start a spark of human interaction that they both deeply need. The two bond from a shared interest in books, movies, and life experience.

Paloma also finds a fascination in the unsocial superintendent. She uses Renee's apartment as an escape from her family. They have simple conversations over tea and  Renee turns out to be Palomas most interesting film subject. I have a hard time ignoring the ties between the two. I wonder if Renee may have once had the curious spirit of Paloma and lost it along the way.

I love this movie because I can see pieces of myself in these characters. I can see myself shutting out the world and living a life of solidarity to avoid the pain and drama that comes with company. I can see myself being curious, maybe a little lost, and feeling Paloma's need for something new, a hope for possibilities. Paloma, Kukaro, and Renee spin a delicate tale of hopefulness, friendships, and love. The Hedgehog is a movie for anyone who has felt lost, overlooked, or hopeless, so really... it's a movie for everyone.

Off The Beaten Path

I'm a big fan of independent films, but usually these films don't make it to the main stream theater. For those of you who do not know, I want to point out a few of the theaters that do show independent films. One is right here in Dayton, OH, close to the Oregon District. It's the Neon Movie Theater. It's a small quirky theater that usually only shows two movies at a time. The people who work there are really friendly and seem to have a strong passion for indie films, as well as local film makers. There is also a theater a little north in Yellow Springs, OH called Little Art Theater. It is also a small theater that only shows one or two movies at a time. It's in the center of Yellow Springs which is kind of a little hippie town filled with art, music and food. There are plenty of beautiful outdoor spaces to go hiking. Another theater is The Esquire. It's in a really cool section of Cincinnati surrounded by artsy shops, yummy restaurants, and amazing Indian food. The Esquire is larger than the other theaters and shows main stream films as well as indie films. So, step off the beaten path, get out of your comfort zone, and venture out to one of these theaters to see a different kind of movie

Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris asks the viewer this question... wouldn't life be more exciting, adventurous, or more inspiring in a different time period? I myself have always fantasized about living in the 60's... sitting outside barefoot in my t-shirt and cut-off jeans listening to people sing and play guitar. I would've made a great hippie :) Or sometimes I think it would be fun to live in the time of evening gowns and ballrooms, dancing to an orchestra. In this movie... Gill (Owen Wilson) has a fantasy of living in 1920's Paris... only this fantasy becomes a reality. He gets taken in by the art, music, and writing of the 1920's. Iconic figures such as Dali, Hemingway, and Picasso become his friends. By day Gill is traveling with his high maintenance fiance and her disapproving parents. By night he's immersed in the minds of the great thinkers and creators of Paris in the 20's. In the process of writing his first novel, Gill takes all the advice he can and uses it to better his writing and his life. This fun, smart story of fantasy and reality is sure to warm the heart.