The Trip

The Trip is where travel meets food with an on-ramp to hilarity. A smart, British road trip through the "north" of England follows Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon for a funny week of competing impressions
(Michael Caine- "She was only 15!", and Sean Connery- "Come, come Mr. Bond, you derive just as much pleasure from killing as I do!"), consumption of pretentiously prepared food (yes, there is foam), and picturesque scenery. Movie and literary references abound as the pair realize a few things about themselves, the price of fame, and their lives. I laughed and sang along for the entire Range Rover ride. Watch "Small Man in a Box" or Steve Coogan "Impressions" on YouTube for more on this pair with real British flair!

A Single Man

Caught the last half hour of A Single Man last night on TV. Tom Ford did a beautiful job with not only the costumes, but also with the fade in, fade out color schemes. The dialog was crisp and intelligent, the acting impeccable, and the music is exquisite. Julianne Moore as Charley is mesmerizing, and Colin Firth should have won Best Actor two years in a row. A movie of "absolute clarity". Worth a second watch.

Beginners

Beginners is a quirky comedy entwined in five cathartic love stories, mildly entertaining on a rainy afternoon. Ewan MacGregor, as a 38 year old artist, Christopher Plummer, as a recently out 75 year old dying of cancer, and Melanie Laurent, as a lonely french actress, all find love before the credits roll. It's easy to be sad and alone, but harder to find love and recognize what it feels like. Stylistically original, using long pauses to convey emotions, simplistic drawings to trace progressions, and newsreel repetitions for historical context, the film touches everything from family and death to Judaism and homosexuality between 1938 and 2003. There is even a talking, charismatic Jack Russell named Arthur. The Freud, Charlie Chaplin, laryngitis bit at the Halloween party seemed forced.
Overall, "You make me laugh but it's not funny."

Tree of Life

After almost 40 years, Terence Malick, who thrilled us with the Martin Sheen/Sissy Spacek wild ride "Badlands", returns to the stark life and landscape of 1950's Waco, Texas in "Tree of Life". Before embarking on an almost dialog free expose of a hardscabble family, one is subjected to the most visually stunning creationist movie making since I took LSD in 1968 and watched Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey". Dinosaurs stand in for the apes, but you get the point. Questions of Nature vs. Grace, the meaning of life & love, and the existence of God are just a few of the themes. This movie might not be everyone's cup of tea (Gary dozed at the end and claimed "too heady for me!"). For me, the gift of Brad Pitt and Sean Penn on screen were enough. The acting was mostly facial expressions but the feelings and emotions conveyed were real. The older of the three boys is incredible as he loses his childhood innocence under his father's strict hand. I don't recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys special effects, as one might see in X-Men, yet for thought-provoking cinema, this is the real thing. Plus I loved the word "Tree" in the title!

Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris is a must see delight! Woody still has it in his 41st film. Who remembers Annie Hall and Sleeper?! Owen Wilson can act, Rachel McAdams is sufficiently bitchy, but Paris is the real star! Listen closely for all the writers and artists, and don't miss Woody's smart and funny lines!