Intimate Strangers

A nicely paced (meaning not frenetic) relational drama from France. Anna is a young woman seeking the help of an psychoanalyst. When she takes a right out of the elevator instead of a left, she enters the office of William, a second generation tax attorney and quintessential bachelor/homebody. Before he can bring himself to clarify his position, Anna has divulged some difficulty with her marriage and William is feeling a bit to embarrassed to point out the truth. While the ruse is relatively quickly resolved, Anna continues to use William as her sounding board and the the two are each changed by the encounter. In the end, this is a pleasant film that pulls you along in spite of the occasional speed bump and gives a satisfying resolution that fits the change each character chased.
3 stars (out of 5)

Arranged

In spite of feeling like a "made for TV" special, Arranged was pretty good. Two young women are new teachers in a school and become friends. The hook is that one is an orthodox Jew and the other a conservative Muslim. Both are dealing with their family expectations on marriage and the process for finding a mate. While cheesy and formulaic throughout, mixed in with a bit of stereotypical idealism, it is still interesting to see how young people in any culture deal with the expectations of family and history. The themes remind me a bit of A Devil's Playground and the decisions that are made about embracing a family and deciding to let go.
3 stars (out of 5)

The Last Station

There are so many things that I don't know anything about. The Last Station gives us the story of the last year or so of Tolstoy's life. Apparently I don't know much about Tolstoy or Russian history, and I am pretty sure this film does not give a complete representation of Tolstoyan views. But it does seem to hit the highlights. Perhaps the best part of this version of the story is the struggle between Tolstoy and his wife Sofia. They are decades into their marriage and each find it completely different that they expected for different reasons. While they still obviously love each other, they realize that their life values are different. They encounter this realization in the face of beautiful memories of their life journey which had been truly synergistic for many years. In the movies (and in life?) it always seems to come as a surprise when people suddenly recognize that a divergence started long ago. Can people learn to see the small clues along the way? Or are we just too busy...
3-stars (out of 5)

Brick Lane

Sometimes I wonder how many good movies I am missing out on just for sheer lack of time to be sitting in front of the screen. This thought comes up after watching Brick Lane, and wondering where it came from. A recommendation from a friend at some time in the past leads to it showing up on my Netflix queue and eventually into my home? And yet I have no recollection of ever having even heard of it. It is nice to be surprised by a pleasant little film. Nazneen is a Bangladeshi woman who is "sent" to London for her wedding. She leaves behind her entire life, most importantly her sister, for a new life as a wife and mother in a foreign country. Throughout the film, and presumably her entire life in London, we watch Nazneen pine for Bangladesh, always dreaming of a return. But like many of us, where you are becomes your home whether you want it to be or not. That doesn't mean you can't leave, to return to your previous home or to a new home. But it often surprises us when we realize that this place we always thought of as temporary holds us in a comfortable embrace. When that place we always looked toward is revealed to be a bit dirtier, less appealing than in our minds eye. Brick Lane offers an enjoyable journey of discovery of home and family.
3-stars (out of 5)

Howard Zinn: Voices of a People's History

Seven artists join Howard Zinn on-stage to read excerpts from his book "Voices of a People's History of the United States". The readings are all first person accounts and proceed chronologically from the 1500's of Columbus through the Sept 11, 2001 response of victims families. Throughout, we of course get Zinn's point of view of what constitutes the important history. Even in these 15 or so readings, we are challenged to see that power and wealth are more dominant and insidious in this country than we would like to admit. In Zinn's own words, "Civil disobedience is not the problem, civil obedience is the problem". Occasionally funny and occasionally emotional, but always demanding action and involvement, Zinn offers a look at democracy that is sure to spark discussion in any setting.
4 stars (out of 5)

Jerichow

A strange little German film about a guy who tries to save a girl who is not sure she wants to be saved. Thomas is out of money and has no job prospects. He chances across a job as a driver and meets Laura, who happens to be married to Ali. This isn't strange in the odd-ball sort of way. Instead, it is one of those films that I watched and kept waiting for the main part of the story to start. I kept thinking, OK, now we are going to get into it. I kept waiting for some delving into the relationship, any relationship. It could be Thomas-Laura, Thomas-Ali, or Laura-Ali. The best window into the emotional state of these characters is Laura's statement, "Without money, you cannot love. This I know." In the end, we are mostly left with the relationships, connections and motivations to be filled in by our imagination. And while this can be a powerful method in some films, the kind of thing that makes a film stick with you, Jerichow does not carry the power.
3 stars (out of 5)

Crazy Heart

I really like Maggie Gyllenhaal. She is fabulous again here as a reporter following Jeff Bridges' Bad Blake character and discovering what life as an old country music star is like. Blake is on the road and playing in bowling alleys trying to earn some money, his one-time stardom but a distant memory. His drinking is getting the best of him and he isn't able to see a way to change. What I really like about this film is that it gives us a pretty realistic view of life. Redemption is not always what you want it to be, but it can still be redemption. And knowing when to start and/or end a relationship is always more complicated when you are in the relationship than when you are observing from the outside. And Bridges is just plain good as the high functioning drunk who has enough musical genius in him to pull off most anything.
4 stars (out of 5)