Why not?

Tournée (On Tour) ** (vo French and English) Desperately trying for a comeback, a failed entrepreneur (Mathieu Amalric – actor and director) brings a troupe of buxom, feminist showgirls from the U.S. over to France. Going from one sleazy joint to another, they begin to get to know each other better. It’s at times touching and gritty, at other times merely depressing and degrading. Shades of Cassavetes.

The Karate Kid **  This franchised film is simplistically obvious and too long and slow, but Jacky Chan is a cutie and Will Smith’s son, Jaden Smith, is a true and striking talent as the new kid on the block – watch him rise.

Crime d’amour *1/2 (vo French)  With Kristin Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier overacting to the hilt, this crime thriller à la All About Eve is entertaining but a bit too slick to be convincing.

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Movies are good for us.  They help to enhance our Age Esteem.

• Movies allow us to dream,
• To visit far away places,
• To meet new people and join in rare experiences.
• Movies tickle our emotions,
• Challenge our listening skills and enlarge our vocabulary.
• They teach us, train us and entertain us.
• They create social occasions for us to catch a film with friends.
• And they keep us up with new trends.

Why not enjoy a good movie today?

WORTH YOUR WHILE

When you’re Strange ***1/2   Narrated by Johnny Depp, this illuminating documentary by Tom DiCillo (the cool director of such films as Johnny Suede and Living in Oblivion) once again opens up the world of the Doors and their charismatic lead singer Jim Morrison, who played so hard with life, music, women and drugs that he was dead by age 27. It’s as though he wanted to reach for immortality through fame cut-short, like Dean, Hendrix and Joplin. Moving and exhilarating.

Copacabana *** (vo French)    Isabelle Huppert often plays cold, twisted characters, but here she is terribly human and simply fun-loving. A caring but basically irresponsible mother who realizes that she has to change to gain back her daughter’s respect, she decides to take a job up in Belgium, selling apartments in a god-forsaken coastal town. Amusing and touching, Huppert is at her most vulnerable in years in this tongue-in-cheek film by Marc Fitoussi.

Frontier Blues *** (vo Farsi)   This languid, strangely poetic film from Iran features various characters living in the northern Turkman region of that country. With very little dialogue, we encounter an uncle who runs a deserted boutique and his weird nephew who loves a donkey. There’s a photographer from Tehran who has come to capture the mood of area through a local musician and his entourage of four kids. And there’s also a young man who works on a poultry farm and is learning English so he can leave to the city, maybe with the pretty girl he desires but has not yet spoken to nor convinced to marry him. Slow, contemplative and quite hypnotic, Babak Jalali’s film pulls you into this lonely, Jim Jarmusch-like universe with gentle humor. But you must have patience to savor it fully.

Knight and Day **1/2   If you like action, thrills and charm, you can’t miss with this wild and funny ride starring Tom Cruise as a super spy on the run and Cameron Diaz as his unwilling but talented sidekick, directed by James Mangold of Walk the Line. Don’t listen to the sour critics who may still be negative about Cruise – the man has talent, presence and charisma. And these two make an exciting pair.

Inception **1/2   “Pure creation” is what Ellen Page’s character calls these illusions of dreams and reality mixed in various layers. Leonardo DiCaprio, playing an expert at invading others’ dreams – whether planting an idea or stealing one – is on a mission to instill a germ of an idea in a magnate’s mind. But he and his crew may have misjudged the many dream levels and the dangers of descending too deeply into this strange limbo of possibilities… Are you following this? Director Christopher Nolan makes smart, intricate films (such as Memento, in which the story goes backwards, or the powerful Dark Knight) but this one is too convoluted for its own good.  It gets lost in mind-bending special effects which serve no purpose but to inflate the director’s ego and often lose the audience in the process. Do we really need the lengthy James Bond-like snow chases and all those blown-up grocery stores or foldable buildings in Paris? Give me clever mind games rather than exaggerated pyrotechnics any day.

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****  Superb    *** Very Good ** Good    *  Mediocre     – Forget it

Do Not Miss These.

The Tree (l’Arbre) ****     When the husband and father of a large, happy family dies suddenly at the base of a huge tree adjoining their home, the tree becomes a symbol of their love and their memory of him. Based in northern Australia, this film by French director Julie Bertuccelli (who made the sublime Since Otar Left and has been assistant director to such greats as K. Kieslowski and Bertrand Tavernier) stars the always moving Charlotte Gainsbourg as the widow, and a slew of brilliant little actors as the children. It’s a must-see, for its depth, simplicity and honest look at love, fidelity and family. It will stay with you for quite awhile.

Toy Story 3 ***1/2   Pixar never fails to enchant the audience with their amazing animation, and they don’t miss this time, when it’s the moment to say goodbye to those boisterous toys that have been keeping Andy company throughout his childhood. But now he’s going off to college and they can’t imagine what will happen to them. This is about friendship, loyalty and growing up, and will have you laughing at Buzz Lightyear’s Spanish interlude yet will surely also bring a tear to your eye. I bet on it.

Benda Bilili ***1/2  (vo French)  Remember Wim Wenders’ Buena Vista Social Club from Cuba? Well this is an African version of that joyous celebration of the power of music to overcome misery. Here is a group of destitute, handicapped musicians – most of them in makeshift wheelchairs – in Kinshasa, Congo, who live for making music and becoming famous, someday. Thanks to Renaud Barret and Florent de la Tullaye, the directors of this astounding documentary, the group records their first album and goes on a European tour. They even had the Cannes film festival rocking this year. With this film, they can now reach the world through their contagious music and enthusiasm. Run to it!

Lola ***1/2  (vo Philippine-Tagalog)  Terribly tragic and so real, here is a tale of two Filipina grandmothers (Lolas) seeking justice, one whose grandson has been killed for his cellphone, and the other whose grandson was the killer. This excellent social commentary, done in almost documentary style by director Brillante Mendoza, is not so much about crime as about the social, economic and cultural structure of that country. The love of family and respect for elders is evident throughout as is the poverty, but also the resilience of these good people. Awe-inspiring.

Tamara Drewe ***   Sharp wit, well-drawn characters (from Posy Simmonds’ illustrated novel), perfect casting and acting, and of course the inimitable touch of Stephen Frears’ direction (My Beautiful Laundrette, Dangerous Liaisons, The Queen) make for joyous entertainment, as the British can do so well. In a small English hamlet, a peaceful writer’s retreat is turned on its head when a transformed and unrestrained Tamara comes back to town. Literary gatherings, teenage crushes, silly dog chasing cows, rock stars and infidelity are on the menu in this delightful, satisfying yarn.

The Switch ***   Here’s a rarity – a convincing romantic comedy – so it’s definitely in the Unmissables section.  Jennifer Aniston and an excellent Jason Bateman have real chemistry, though they’re only friends. She wants to have a baby by artificial insemination; he’s aghast. They meet again years later and they are now a threesome. The directing duo of Josh Gordon and Will Speck ensures crisp, refreshing dialogue and creates good vibes. The little kid will steal your heart and you’ll leave with a big smile on your face. What more would you want?

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At The Movies

Superb  ****    Very Good  ***     Good  **      Mediocre   *    Forget It  -

Why Not ?

The Back-up Plan (Le Plan B) ** Jennifer Lopez just can’t find the man of her dreams, so she gets pregnant by artificial insemination. And then she meets Mr. Right (Alex O’Loughlin) – what else? Actually their chemistry is pretty good, but will he commit? Can she hang in there? Romantic comedies are difficult to pull off just right, and some of the side shows here don’t gel – the women’s group is a useless bore – must we constantly hear the “v” word and assist in prolonged births? But Jaylo is lovely and O’Loughlin is surprisingly good.

Imogène   *1/2 (vo French)     Here’s another one of the silly, minor comedies that France keeps grinding out, which is no better than banal TV fare. Such top actors as Catherine Frot and Lambert Wilson are wasted here with all the required overacting. It’s a limp spy farce and no more.

At your own Risk

Camping 2   *1/2 (vo French)     The first one was fresh and such fun – a super summer holiday. Like most sequels, this one falls flat with a silly script and humdrum characters who go nowhere. Too bad, for there are good actors here.

Chaque jour est une fête  *1/2 (vo Arab)     The scenario is everything and this one, about a busload of women going to visit their men in prison, lacks any verve or finesse. The fine actress Hiam Abbas can’t do much without the right structure or direction.

Street Dance  *1/2 Some good dancing, forget the story and wish they would stop with those cumbersome 3D glasses. Who needs it!

Date Night (Crazy Night) * Here’s another foolish, embarrassing dud of a “comedy”. Tiny Fey was wonderful as Sarah Palin, but her range doesn’t go much further – or is it the awful script and direction? The only thing that shines is a moment of Mark Wahlberg, with his amazing body and cool poker face.

Mammuth  * (vo French)      And then there’s this Depardieu “event” that’s gotten lots of positive press. Don’t bother. Like the avant-garde works of the 60s, it’s framed by sloppy, grainy, shaky camerawork that follows the action mainly from behind Depardieu’s head – that’s not the way our eyes see the world, so why should film do it?! This is the story of a loser – un con (excuse my French) – who goes on a road trip looking for documents that he needs for his retirement. But he is utterly inept. What’s the use of glorifying stupidity? Some fine co-stars along the way – Benoît Poelvoorde and Anna Mouglalis – supply moments of respite to the dullness. What a waste of talents such as Depardieu, Adjani and Yolande Moreau!

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At The Movies

Superb  ****    Very Good  ***     Good  **      Mediocre   *    Forget It  -

Worth your While

Cinco Dias Sin Nora (Nora’s Will) *** (vo Spanish)     Mexican director Mariana Chenillo charms and amuses with this wry drama about a woman who plans her own wake. It features a stubborn atheist ex-husband who gets stuck with arranging the funeral while the local rabbi wants to take over the corpse. It’s Passover, the table has been set and the maid is preparing the Seder meal that the woman has left in the fridge. Close friends and the son and his family are arriving while the ex begins to discover some long-hidden facts about their past. Fernando Lujàn is fine as the husband in this revealing gem of a social comedy of errors.

Solutions locales pour un désordre global  *** (vo French)     From the socially-crusading director Coline Serreau, of such films as La Belle Verte, La Crise and Chaos, this documentary is a vital message about the killing of the soil and our atmosphere as a result of pesticides that have been disingenuously forced down the throats of farmers of the world by huge conglomerates (such as Monsanto, the biggest and most ruthless of them all). To put it in a nutshell, when you next sit down at the table, instead of saying good appetite, say good luck! That’s how far we’ve come in this battle between money and common sense. Serreau has a myriad of experts and workers tell of the perils of pesticides and the possible solutions. Both frightening and hopeful, this is an important, informative film for all who care about their health and that of our earth. (The site: www.solutionslocales-lefilm.com.)

Cold Souls (Âmes en Stock) *** Sophie Barthes directs this weird, metaphysical film about a depressed actor (Paul Giamatti playing himself – like Malkovich in the film Being John Malkovich) who decides to store his soul with a specialized company in N.Y that keeps them in vaults. But things get complicated when it is trafficked to Russia (in the shape of a chickpea!) and borrowed by the spoiled wife of an oligarch. Something between a farce and a serious metaphor on the state of our lives in a morally and financially corrupt world, this is both touching and amusing – a tongue-in-cheek change from big Hollywood productions.

Rabia *** (vo Spanish)     Here’s another fine film from the southern hemisphere – this time from Ecuadorian director Sebastian Cordero via Columbia/Spain. A love story between two South American immigrants in Spain turns perilous when the man, who is tired of being treated as a second-class citizen, accidentally kills his foreman and then hides out in the huge house where his girlfriend is working as a maid. This is a torturous study of an upstairs/downstairs situation, with tension that is palpable and an outcome that is like a Greek tragedy still valid in our modern times.

L’amour c’est mieux à deux  **1/2 (vo French)     It’s trés French, it’s a sweet romantic comedy, and it has the always charming Clovis Cornillac (powerful in dramas such as A la petite semaine or hilarious in Brice de Nice) along with an adorable Virginie Efira as the girl he wants to fall in love with, but only accidentally! You’ll see – check it out for a heartwarming feeling…

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Many of the films for May/June are from around the world: France, Spain, Argentina, Switzerland, Norway, Mexico, United States.  I no longer dare call them foreign films since AgeEsteem readers come from most areas of the globe so many films will be foreign to most.

Films are a wonderful escape into another world and other lives far removed from our own, or perhaps not so different.   They are good for our age-esteem.

• We continue to learn through movies.  They stimulate our minds.
• Going to a theater is a social event, as is watching a DVD with friends.  We share the film and our impressions and reactions.
• Films often make us laugh or cry.  Laughter is a great preventive medicine..  Crying is also a good release that rids us of toxins.
• Films help keep us abreast of what is ‘in’.
• Watching films can be an intergenerational activity.  It offers us the occasion to ask questions and to learn from others, including small children and teens.

Research also shows that to watch a film in another language, whether or not we read subtitles, helps to connect our mental neurons in new ways.

At The Movies

Superb  ****    Very Good  ***     Good  **      Mediocre   *    Forget It  -

Unmissables

El Secreto De Sus Ojos ( The Secret in their Eyes) **** (vo Spanish)  It seemed an upset when The White Ribbon from Austria/Germany did not receive the best foreign film Oscar and this Argentinean film picked it up instead. Well, I just saw the film and am still in awe as I write this. Using flashbacks to some 25 years ago, director Juan José Campanella has woven an elegant tale of love, injustice, loyalty and empty lives around a crime of rape and murder that was never quite resolved. This intricate account is exceptional on many levels. It’s about a retired justice official (Ricardo Darin) who is writing a novel on the unsolved crime that will not leave his mind. It’s a love story that has remained locked in the hearts of the two colleagues (Darin and Soledad Villamil) involved in the old investigation. It’s a reminder of the duplicity and power politics of revolving-door governments. And above all, it’s a manifestation of the exquisite quality of South American and especially Argentinean cinema – the dialogue, direction, the subtlety of the acting, cinematography and editing – you name it, they excel.

Une Exécution Ordinaire  **** (vo French)  During the last days of Stalin’s life, an infernal triangle forms between a doctor who has extraordinary healing powers in her hands, her physicist husband and the father of the country himself, who summons her to alleviate his pains. Marina Hinds continues her brilliance (after her tender portrayal of Lady Chatterley) as the frightened healer, while André Dussollier becomes Stalin, in all his power, ruthlessness and enigma. This is quite an intimate foray into what was the terrible pressure on common citizens under Stalin’s vicious reign. With great sensitivity and discretion, the multi-awarded writer Marc Dugain directs here his first film based on his own book. Impressive!

Romans d’Ados 1- 4  **** (vo French)   Béatrice Bakhti as director and her husband Nasser as producer, backed by the Swiss TSR, have created an exhaustive documentary about a group of teenagers in Yverdon whom they followed from the ages of 12 to 18. This is an amazing, caring work about personable characters as well as a psychological quest through the turmoil of growing-up. The families give of themselves completely, without inhibition, while the individual teenagers grow on us with their emotional disclosures. The four episodes of approximately two hours each are as gripping as any fine work of fiction, beautifully filmed, paced and edited, as well as being important pedagogically. This is truly a revelatory tour-de-force of courage, pain and joy in a cycle of continuity.

Troubled Water (En Eaux Troubles)  ***1/2 (vo Norwegian)  A kidnapping gone terribly wrong and the guilt over a child’s death are shown from two points of view – that of the kidnapper who has been released from prison and that of the child’s mother. Brilliantly and delicately balanced, it bares the truest of reactions on all sides – responsibility, revenge, redemption – casting the spectator in the role of Solomon. The acting is superb all around (young Pal Sverre Valheim Hagen has the makings of a world star – might help to drop a few of those names) and the Norwegian director, Eric Poppe, grabs our attention from the first tentative minutes till the end, using music as a balm for so much sorrow.

Moon  ***1/2 Duncan Jones (son of David Bowie) has deservedly picked up a slew of awards for this first feature film, a science-fiction tale about a lone man on the moon who works for a company that extracts helium for energy use on earth. Impatiently waiting for the end of his three-year stint, he begins to have delusions that develop into some sinister realities. Sam Rockwell is excellent, as is the voice of Kevin Spacey as Gerty, his indispensable computer. There are obvious shades of Kubrick’s Hal and 2001, A Space Odyssey, though this one is a far more personal, engrossing and well-written version of what can happen up there. Sorry Stanley, but I never could warm to that film of yours.

Robin Hood (Robin des Bois) *** The dynamic Oscar-winning duo of Ridley Scott as director and Russell Crowe as star are back again (They’ve done Gladiator, A Good Year,  American Gangster and A Body of Lies together.), this time with an old classic which they’ve decided to turn on its head, by telling it as a historical prequel. You will be surprised, for this is not your everyday outlaw-in-green-tights. As Crowe (who’s also producer this time) puts it, “It’s anarchy, violence and adrenaline… with an instinctively heroic Robin Hood who could have really existed…With research you discover the story is probably based on up to 30 real people” in the late 12th century when King Richard the Lionhearted was returning from the Crusades. With a top-notch cast including Cate Blanchett and Max Von Sydow, it blends history, grand battle scenes (the one of the French invasion at the cliffs of Dover is reminiscent of the sea landing in Saving Private Ryan), the struggle between royal power and a just social order and a tender love story growing between Robin and Lady Marion. As always, Crowe is simply riveting.

La Tête en friche  *** (vo French)  Jean Becker tends to make nostalgic films of bucolic friendships, such as his Les Enfants du Marais or Dialogue avec mon Jardinier. This one, with the monumental Gérard Depardieu (the Marlon Brando of France, in so many ways), is a wonderfully gentle tale of a simple man who meets an elderly lady (Sophie Guillemin) on a park bench and gradually becomes what he could have been, through her love of books. It’s moving, amusing and so human, with an array of quirky characters. Don’t listen to the negativism of snob critics.

Kick-Ass  *** How can one say that a film is entertaining and super fun if it’s also terribly violent, with an 11-year-old girl who ends up pulverizing more men than Schwarzenegger?! But it is brilliantly done, which makes it that much more dangerous for the kids who will end up seeing it. It’s smart and a treat on various levels – the reality of being a nerdy teenager, the fantasy of becoming a super-hero, and the collision of a criminal gang (headed by Mark Strong), a surrealistic father/daughter revenge machine (Nicolas Cage and Chloe Moretz) and the wannabe Kick-Ass (Aaron Johnson). British Matthew Vaughn (producer of Guy Ritchie’s films and husband of Claudia Schiffer) does an amazing job of creating thrills and comedy drenched in violence. I guess you could just say it’s kick-ass…

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Movies – Films

Superb  ****    Very Good   ***     Good **       Mediocre  *      Forget it   -

Why Not?

Blanc comme Neige (vo French)   **1/2  A happy and successful man living in the south of France, with a thriving car dealership and a gorgeous wife, has a crooked partner and two ne’er-do-well brothers on his back. Inevitably, things begin to unravel badly as he gets in deeper with a Nordic mafia that was involved with the partner. Excellent acting by François Cluzet and Olivier Gourmet saves this taut crime story with some holes in its scenario.

Remember Me **  Looks like Robert Pattinson produced this film to further enhance his brooding aura that has teeny boppers crying for more since the Twilight franchise. A sullen young man who resents his tycoon father (Pierce Brosnan) and misses his deceased brother falls in love with a cop’s daughter who also has a dark death in her past. But their happiness is jeopardized by a momentous happening, which actually makes the film. Powerful ending!

Chicas (vo French)   **  The fine playwright (Art, The God of Carnage) Yasmina Reza has written and directed her first film and it’s moving and effective. About a mother and three sisters, it feels autobiographical, with the bitter theater actress probably her own character. Introspective and revealing.

The Bounty Hunter **  Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler have a great time bugging each other while trying to forget they were ever married (but oh, they look so good together). She’s on a police wanted list and he’s the bounty hunter. Good laughs if you’re not expecting much.

Valentine’s Day **  This is a light pastiche of several lives around Valentine’s Day and the hopes and disappointments that all the related hype entails. The fun comes from the multitude of stars in cameo roles, but Demi’s boy, Ashton Kutcher, is the most charming and convincing.

Greenberg **  Ben Stiller’s gone serious. He’s a depressive New Yorker who comes to stay at his brother’s California home and ends up with a younger, similarly lost girl. Curious, meandering, but what’s the point?

La Danse (vo French)  **  This lengthy documentary observes the Paris Opera Ballet, its choreographers, classes and performances. It’s for those who love dance – the daunting and intricate sculpting of the body in movement. But it could have been cut by a quarter and given more character through the dancers rather than repetitive shots of corridors and exterior scenes.

At Your Own Risk

Sherlock Holmes *1/2  Just love Guy Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; Snatch), but why has he turned scholarly Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his sidekick Watson (Jude Law) into violent action heroes?! All the explosions and noise wipe out any semblance of a plot.

L’Arnacoeur (vo French)   *1/2  A supposedly seductive conman falls for his victim in Monte Carlo. Vanessa Paradis is adorable, but would you fall for the guy (Romain Duris)?

L’Immortel (vo French)   *1/2  A mafia-type rivalry in Marseilles (based on a true story) is heightened by the always “sympathique” Jean Reno, but the excruciatingly violent scenes are outrageous. A Goodfellows wannabee.

Nenette (vo French)   *1/2  Orangutans are such fun to watch, but more than an hour and a half of old Nenette, mostly immobile, is a bit much. One can watch similar things on the nature channels.

Law-Abiding Citizen *  More blood and gore, in minute detail, in the genre of the Silence of the Lambs or Seven. This may give impressionable adolescents cause to act likewise. Shame on Gerard Butler (he’s everywhere these days), who produced this and plays the devious protagonist.

North (vo Norwegian)  *  Boy, do you know you’re north – icy, slow, pale, frigid emotions.  A chain-smoking, drinking, depressed ski-lift operator goes farther north to connect with a neglected son…..

Couples Retreat - Juvenile, light garbage. Save your money!

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Movies – Films

Superb  ****    Very Good   ***     Good **       Mediocre  *      Forget it   -

Worth your While

Alice in Wonderland ***  The fantabulous team of Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter is back to enchant us once again, after such delights as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd. It’s of course the classic tale of Alice, who is somewhat older this time, with a wonderfully dazed and touching Mad Hatter, as only Johnny Depp could portray.

How to Train your Dragon ***  Dreamworks is inching in on the brilliance of Pixar animation with exuberant tales like this one about a Viking village that is constantly attacked by dragons. But the son of the village chief just doesn’t feel like killing them, to his father’s shame. In fact he ends up befriending one of them …This is an invigorating and humorous tale of understanding those whom we have mistakenly come to fear and hate. Wonderful!

Men Who Stare at Goats (Les chèvres du Pentagone) ***  Don’t take this film seriously and just enjoy a super team of actors including George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey. You’ll laugh yourself silly at the antics of an “anti-war” unit in the U.S. Army. Weird, goofy and a hoot!

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang ***  Set in the English countryside, this is a magical, feel-good film for the whole family, with a disguised Emma Thompson (who also wrote the screenplay) as an amazing nanny who is transformed with each good deed she teaches her young brood. The kids are great, as is the versatile Maggie Gyllenhaal as their mother, along with a woozy Maggie Smith. It’s a moving, funny and adventurous story of a family waiting for Dad to come home from war.

Les Invités de mon Père (vo French)   ***  With a super cast that includes Fabrice Luchini and Karin Viard as his sister, this is a film    about a close-knit family that wonders what’s up with their father when he takes in a dubious mother/daughter duo from an Eastern-bloc country. Anne Le Ny’s refreshing French comedy manages both to amuse and dissect a multitude of family quirks and prejudices.

Shutter Island ***  If this is not an homage to Hitchcock, I don’t know what is. There’s the twisted plot, the heightened colors and fake backdrops (especially at sea), the winding staircase in a lighthouse (Vertigo) and even a cliff-hanging scene (North by North West). Scorsese and DiCaprio give us the shivers until the brilliant ending, better than any of Hitchcock’s. I didn’t want to see the film, as it seemed so creepy, but it was finally well worth the chills.

The Ghostwriter **1/2  Here is Roman Polanski’s take on a Tony Blair-like British leader’s memoirs and intrigues – an interesting, austere political thriller with Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan.

Tetro **1/2  A young sailor from Europe arrives in Argentina to find his long-lost older brother. Francis Ford Coppola has turned to dramatic black & white to tell this tale of a family torn apart by an overbearing, illustrious father with some deep secrets. Intense and esthetically sumptuous, it’s a grand old melodrama set in Buenos Aires.

Precious **1/2  Highly acclaimed and Oscarized, this downer of a film is about a terribly abused black girl who gradually comes out of her shell through a caring teacher. Fine acting all around, especially by the abusive mother, but the whole tragic process leaves you feeling queasy.  Can any of this relentless scrutiny help somehow, somewhere?

Chloe **1/2  There are films that grab you from the outset and don’t let go. This is one of them, though it leaves you with a disturbing sense of guilt for having watched it. This slick psychodrama, about a wife who hires a call girl to get at the truth about her husband, is an intense observation of the twists of life by the renowned Canadian/Armenian director Atom Egoyan (Exotica). Julianne Moore is especially effective in this remake of the original French film, Nathalie, which starred Fanny Ardant and Emmanuelle Béart.

Les Aventures extraordinaires d’Adèle Blanc-Sec (vo French)  **1/2  Luc Besson (Le Grand Bleu,Subway, Angel) knows how to make films, even if critics regularly drub him – jealousy? This one is pure action/fun entertainment (in the genre of Indiana Jones or Romancing the Stone) based on a well-known comic-book series set in the Paris of the early 1900s. A feisty journalist, Adèle, goes off to Egypt and its pyramids to find a way to cure her comatose sister. It has great characters, exotic locations and cinematography, but it could have been shortened for better effect.

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