Get Inspired By Two Dream-Chasers in Julie and Julia

The Oscars are right around the corner. I find myself woefully unprepared this year, but a couple weeks ago I managed to cross one more contender off my list. It’s a movie that I suspect will inspire many a delicious delicacy at Oscar parties across the country: Julie and Julia.

This film, written and directed by Nora Ephron and based on the book by Julie Powell, tracks the journeys of two women from frustrated obscurity to culinary greatness. Julie (Amy Adams) is an aspiring writer who spends her days as a receptionist fielding angry phone calls from New Yorkers still reeling from 9-11. She longs to do something different, something that will inflame her passions and give her something to look forward to after a difficult day. The solution? A blog.

The subject of the blog? Cooking her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the magnum opus of kitchen virtuoso Julia Child (Meryl Streep). As Julie embraces this project, eventually winning oodles of followers and becoming so caught up in it that it begins to put stresses on her marriage, we see the struggles Julia herself went through as she took up French cooking and embarked on her cookbook project with two friends. This portion of the movie is based on her memoir My Life in France.

I’ve found Adams endearing in nearly every role she’s taken on, and while she doesn’t quite have the charm here that she does in such films as Enchanted and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, she seems like a likable enough young woman, and I can certainly relate to the desire to make a name for oneself as a writer through online efforts. At the same time, Julie has some negative characteristics, such as a tendency toward egotism, that are amplified by her endeavor, which makes her jocular husband Eric (Chris Messina) all the more appealing. A light-hearted and very supportive man, he truly is the glue holding Julie’s life together.

But even he pales in comparison to the gentlemanly, erudite, utterly devoted Paul Child, portrayed by the magnificent Stanley Tucci. This was a man with an impressive career of his own who never sought to keep his wife in the shadows, who always encouraged her to pursue her dreams. This was also a man with great integrity whose diplomatic views earned him one doozy of an interrogation by Senator Joseph McCarthy’s ilk. It’s easy to understand how Julia would have blossomed so brilliantly when sharing a life with such a remarkable fellow.

The incomparable Streep, who starred in Doubt with Adams last year and The Devil Wears Prada with Tucci in 2006, has been getting plenty of raves for her performance, all of them well-deserved, as she completely immerses herself in the role, to the extent that I almost forget who the actress is behind the portrayal. Her voice, mannerisms, inflections, body language... All of it makes her a thoroughly convincing version of the famous chef, and because she is such a distinct character, there’s a lot of humor to be mined from her story. Julia’s joie de vivre comes across perfectly, and more often than not, her escapades bring a big smile to the face.

This is a beautifully shot film that makes one want to go to France and to attempt cooking French cuisine oneself. Rarely has a movie taken such care to make food look so enticing, so that one can almost smell it as it sits simmering on the table. Of course, there are a few disasters too, and a very funny scene involving an unfortunate excess of onions. But whatever is on the menu, Julie and Julia serves up a treat.

2008's Group of Films Is Dark But Ultimately Uplifting

After watching so many movies in 2007, I lost a bit of momentum in 2008, but I've still seen more than 20 of last year's movies and was pretty impressed with most of what I saw. I was disappointed at having to wait until 2009 for the sixth Harry Potter installment, but the return to Narnia and further Pixar and Indiana Jones adventures helped make up for it.

Prince Caspian - One of my most-anticipated moves of the year, this second Chronicle of Narnia transports the Pevensie children to a point more than a thousand years removed from the moment of their departure from Narnia. Their kingdom is in ruins, and few remain who believe the old stories. One of the skeptics is Trumpkin, the dwarf who serves as their guide in this semi-familiar landscape. While I have issues with some of the changes made to plot and character - particular Peter and Caspian - and wish Aslan had been more central, Peter Dinklage's performance as Trumpkin is magnificent, and the cinematography is spectacular.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Indy rides again! Despite being forever traumatized by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, I was looking forward to the chance to see Harrison Ford don the fedora on the big screen, and it sure was fun to whoop and holler along with the opening night crowd as he wriggled out of all sorts of life-threatening situations, scarcely any less spry than he was in the '80s. While it would have been neat if Sean Connery had agreed to reprise his role as Indy's dad, Shia LeBoeuf made a great sidekick. On a shelf in my room, I still have a couple of commemorative Dr Pepper cans with scenes from the movie staring out at me, and they always make me smile. If Harrison wanted to come back for one more, I wouldn't complain.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - I've been a fan of Frances McDormand since Almost Famous, and Amy Adams has won me over immediately in every film role I've seen her in since Catch Me If You Can, so when I saw that the two were starring together in a period dramedy about a frumpy English nanny who finds herself in the employ of an elegant American actress, I was immediately intrigued. Throw in the adorable Lee Pace from Pushing Daisies and a glowing recommendation from a friend who tends to be ruthless in his film criticism, and it all adds up to a movie for which I had huge expectations. Happily, this utterly charming film fulfilled them all. Definitely one of the best of the year.

Penelope - This fun, visually appealing modern-day fairy tale boasts a terrific cast that includes Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Reese Witherspoon and Peter Dinklage. Some of it is a bit over-the-top, but on the whole, this tale of a girl with the snout of a pig hits the right notes, particularly as a family film. Its message about the importance of education and independence is a good one, and even the characters who start out antagonistic end up sympathetic.

Secret Life of Bees - Dakota Fanning, on the verge of no longer being a child actress, portrays a young teen desperate to get away from her borderline abusive father and learn something about the mother she accidentally killed years before. With her is a feisty black housekeeper played by Jennifer Hudson. Before long, they come to stay at a home run by three black sisters, from whom the runaway learns a lot about life, love, prejudice and what home ought to feel like. A sweet romance and a powerful performance by Sophie Okonedo and the anchoring serenity of Queen Latifah help make this coming-of-age story a great movie.

Swing Vote - The election was on everybody's mind in 2008, so this was a very timely movie. Kevin Costner stars as a hapless guy who is more or less being raised by his precocious pre-teen daughter, played by Madeline Carroll. I was excited to see her, as she previously played Annie, Ben Linus's childhood best friend on LOST, and I found her pretty likable, albeit a tad self-righteous, in this role. The movie is far-fetched, as it revolves around the idea that due to a voting glitch, the next President of the United States will be determined by this everyman, but it's an interesting concept. While the two candidates and their advisors do their best to win him over, he eventually comes to appreciate what an important task he has. Fun performances, especially by Kelsey Grammer and Stanley Tucci, make this thought-provoking family film even more likable.

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl - Speaking of Tucci, he has a supporting role in this movie as well, along with several other big names, including Joan Cusack and the always-hilarious Wallace Shawn. Abigail Breslin plays the intrepid would-be reporter who seeks a great story to sell to the newspaper. This Depression-era story feels very timely, with enough excitement and plenty of colorful characters to keep children engaged. This was the first American Girl movie to make it to the big screen, and it feels like the sort of wholesome flick that belongs on The Wonderful World of Disney. A winner all around.

Doubt - This quietly unsettling movie is anchored by three powerful performances, with a fourth that packs an incredible whallop despite the actress's short time on screen. Amy Adams is the naive young nun who thinks she may have seen something fishy; Philip Seymour Hoffman is the forward-thinking priest who stands accused. Both are compelling, but most riveting of all is Meryl Streep as the school's formidable principal, a sister who has long suspected the priest of wrongdoing and is determined to bring him down. By the end of the movie, there's still no clear statement of exactly what happened, and viewers are left to contemplate for themselves which person's testimony is the most gripping.

WALL-E - Pixar just keeps cranking out amazing movies, so it's become pretty much guaranteed that each new year will bring a fantastic new computer-animated film, probably during the summer. I'd been looking forward to this one in particular for quite some time, as my brother had shown me a preview the previous year. Given my love of Short Circuit, I immediately took to the little roving robot with the enormous eyes. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I went into this one opening night, as the robot of the title was practically the only character I'd seen mentioned. Would there be any humans? How many other robots would we meet? By the time people did show up, I was startled. The second portion of the film is more action-oriented, providing most of the plot momentum for the movie. But the beginning is absolutely gorgeous and devastating at the same time, a slice of near-silent film in which one stoic little piece of machinery collects bits of beauty in a discarded world. It's a darn shame this didn't score a Best Picture nomination.

In Bruges - It's fairly uncommon for me to list R-rated movies among my favorites - and this one earns its rating more than most - but I couldn't help being amused and profoundly moved by this movie about a pair of hit-men taking a very strange holiday together in Belgium. Brendan Gleeson is the gleeful mentor, Colin Farrell the brooding apprentice, Ralph Fiennes the harsh boss who doesn't turn up until late in the movie. There are scenes of explosive violence, and scarcely a sentence goes by without profanity, yet I think the movie's screenplay nomination was well-deserved, and it has stuck with me more than most of the movies I've seen in the past year.

Interestingly, most of my favorite movies of 2008 had a dark element, but most also left me feeling very positive about the resilience of the human spirit. In times of adversity, that's a very encouraging message to find in the theater.

Lord of the Rings Alums Help Me Get Through 2004's Post-LOTR Blues

The biggest media event in 2004 for me was LOST - and I didn't even experience it in 2004, since my VCR failed to tape the first couple of episodes and I knew I wouldn't want to watch the series out of order. It took LOST to fill the void left by Lord of the Rings, but 2004 had a pretty good crop of movies, most of which I didn't catch in the theater. These were my ten favorites.

13 Going on 30 - Probably my favorite movie of the year. I found it much funnier and sweeter than I expected, an endearing story of childhood sweethearts and the mistakes made along the road to adulthood. I loved getting to see Andy Serkis playing a regular old human, and quite a charming one at that, and Sean Marquette and Mark Ruffalo are extremely lovable as the younger and older versions of Matty, the love interest of Jennifer Garner's Jenna. But Garner was the one who really impressed me as the teenage girl in adult shoes trying to figure out just where she went wrong in the 17 years she never experienced.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - One of the strangest movies of the year, it too boasts a Lord of the Rings alum. Elijah Wood's role as an unethical memory wiper is a far cry from the virtuous Frodo. The movie stars Jim Carrey in one of his most dramatic, least frenetic roles to date, while Kate Winslet is his extremely eccentric love interest. I much prefer his character to hers, but they play off one another well in this pleasantly bizarre movie about the importance of one's memories to one's identity. I'm glad I waited for this one to come out on DVD, since I ended up watching it two times in a row. It made a lot more sense the second time...

Finding Neverland - I find Winslet a lot less grating in this film, which also stars Johnny Depp and Freddie Highmore. Depp is Scottish playwright J. M. Barrie, who seems a little out of touch with reality and is happiest when reclaiming his childhood with the family led by the widowed Sylvia (Winslet). Depp's low-key performance is most endearing, as is that of Highmore, who plays one of Sylvia's sons, the lad who supposedly served as the model for Peter Pan. A lovely score and cinematography and creative incorporation of Barrie's fantasy world added to my enjoyment of this unusual biopic.

Garden State - There were three main reasons I rented this one. An acquaintance of mine had heartily recommended it, and I'd heard that its soundtrack included one of my favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs and that the cast included Ian Holm, yet another Lord of the Rings alum. I'm glad they led me to this movie, which is part romance between the quirky characters played by writer-director Zach Braff and Natalie Portman, part a reflection on dealing with grief, part coming-of-age story, part buddy comedy. It all adds up to a pretty impressive directorial debut.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - I couldn't leave this one out. Third in the Harry Potter film series, it departs more from the books than the first two films but is still in many ways a wonderful adaptation, from the soaring score to the sweeping cinematography. Important characters such as Remus Lupin and Sirius Black are introduced, and while it's a rather painful transition from Richard Harris to Michael Gambon, Emma Thompson is hilarious as the wacky Divination professor. Meanwhile, the visual spectacle of the Hippogriff and the Patronuses are fantastic, and the Dementors are terrifying.

Mean Girls - Lindsay Lohan stars in this story of an innocent newcomer to high school who befriends a pair of oddballs, who encourage her to infiltrate the class's top clique and do some spying. Of course, she ends up getting sucked in and must ultimately decide whether popularity is worth the changes it has wrought to her personality. Based on Queen Bees and Wannabes, a treatise on teen behavior, the movie is a little over-the-top but still fun and occasionally thought-provoking.

Napoleon Dynamite - I saw this one in the theater with my brother, his friend and the exchange student staying with us. We enjoyed it, but we couldn't really think of anything to say about it as we hung around waiting to get picked up afterward. It's an odd, amusing movie about the triumph of the underdog. Jon Heder's Napoleon is awkward and towering, always sounding like he's mad at the world but expressing his frustration with a surprisingly clean vocabulary. Tina Majorino plays the most normal character in the bunch, a shy girl who actually finds Napoleon appealing. The cult hit is full of great catch-phrases that have spawned everything from magnets to t-shirts. I'm a little surprised there hasn't been a sequel, but then one movie's worth of Napoleon may be enough...

Spider-Man 2 - Probably the best of the series, though each installment has its charms. Alfred Molina and James Franco give great performances as men turned sour by tragedy, and Spidey's big heroic train scene is one of my favorite moments in a superhero movie.

The Terminal - This one didn't get a lot of attention and generally seems to have been regarded as a bit of a flop for director Steven Spielberg and star Tom Hanks. However, I loved this fairy tale-like story of a gentle man from a fictional war-torn country in eastern Europe who spends weeks living in an airport, infuriating the airport director (Stanley Tucci) but inspiring everyone else. Very sweet and very funny.

Two Brothers - This was the movie that introduced me to Freddie Highmore, my favorite child actor since Haley Joel Osment. It also stars Guy Pearce. Each of them has a significant relationship with one half of a pair of tigers, the brothers of the title. The boy and the man don't meet until late in the movie, but their scenes together are quite moving. Most notable, though, is the gorgeous cinematography that so perfectly captures the majesty of these creatures.

I've still got some catching up to do on 2004's crop of movies, but so far, what I've seen is a pretty good batch.

An Everyman Strives to Make the Country - and Himself - Better in Swing Vote

This past week found me glued to the television two nights in a row for a pair of long-anticipated events: the Inauguration of Barack Obama and the season five premiere of LOST. A couple days later, I found myself watching a movie with relevance to both: Swing Vote, a feel-good satire about our nation's political process.

Okay, so it's mostly relevant to the ushering in of a new president, as the whole movie is about an extraordinarily close presidential election whose outcome is to be determined by a single man, an immature, beer-swilling single dad in New Mexico named Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner). The particulars of how this duty is bestowed upon him stretch believability, but this is a movie designed to lampoon the circus that is campaigning, so realism isn't a terribly important consideration.

There's enough truth within it to strike a chord with those weary of the endless games politicians seem to play in hopes of winning that coveted vote. In this film, the contenders are Republican incumbent Andrew Boone (Kelsey Grammer), an ultra-conservative fellow who finds common ground with Bud in such earthy activities as football and Nascar, and Democratic hopeful Donald Greenleaf (Dennis Hopper), who appeals to Bud's love of fishing and his fondness for Willie Nelson. I appreciate that writer-director Joshua Michael Stern depicts both candidates as honorable and capable, albeit with very particular prejudices on certain matters. With only one man to impress, both parties throw all of their effort behind attempts to appease him, egged on by their unethical advisors, played by a sibilant Stanley Tucci and pushy Nathan Lane. Meanwhile, Bud becomes a media darling, an instant celebrity on whom the hopes of the country are pinned.

The LOST connection comes in the form of Madeline Carroll, the young actress who plays Bud's daughter Molly. It only took me a moment to realize why I recognized her; though her total onscreen time probably amounted to less than fifteen minutes, she made a big impression on me as Annie, childhood sweetheart of the perpetually perplexing Ben Linus, in season three's The Man Behind the Curtain. I've been itching for the return of her character on the show and expect it will happen at some point, though not necessarily with Carroll in the role; hence, I was pretty tickled to see her here.

Inevitably, I had to draw a few LOST comparisons. We don't know much about Annie's parentage, other than that she must have at least one parent who works for the Dharma Initiative. But Molly's relationship with her father has parallels with Ben's - not, happily, in his level of affection toward her, which is undeniable, but in the way that she has to look after him, particularly after he has been drinking. Bud is clueless but not abusive, but Molly's best friend isn't so lucky, and the isolated children find solace in each other, particularly during a swing set scene that reminds me not only of Ben and Annie but also of a certain shadowy Hogwarts professor and his long-lost love.

Molly really is the heart of the film, a middle schooler with big ambitions who's tired of feeling as though she is raising her dad instead of the other way around. At times, she's an insufferable know-it-all, as only a clever preteen girl can be, but for the most part, she is likable, and it's heartwarming to see how Bud's awareness of the importance of his decision develops because of his daughter. The movie is less snarky and more warm-hearted than I expected, and the great cast helps make the outlandish situation easier to swallow. With this last election still fresh in everyone's minds, Swing Vote is a funny and timely film.

American Girl Hits the Big Screen in Kit Kittredge, Hopefully Not for the Last Time

When I was about ten years old, I fell in love with the American Girl company. First I read the books, and then I sent away for the catalogs, which I would rapturously peruse for hours, studying each of the dolls from various historical periods and marveling at all the intricate props and costumes available for purchase. My level of obsession was high enough that when Christmas arrived, I received Samantha, a Victorian orphan living with her wealthy grandmother, along with the glasses meant for World War II-era Molly and the Santa Lucia dress belonging to Kirsten, a Swedish immigrant living on the frontier in the mid-1800s. At that time, those were the only three girls in the collection. Now that number has increased to nine. One of the newbies is Kit, whose books take place during the 1930s. Though I hadn't read any of the stories pertaining to her, I trust the quality of the American Girl franchise and was looking forward to watching Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, the first American Girl movie to be released in theaters rather than on television.

Kit, a plucky ten-year-old who dreams of being a reporter, is played by Abigail Breslin, and she's only one of the big names in this charming piece of historical fiction. Others include the dashing Chris O'Donnell as Kit's doting dad Jack, who leaves town to search for work after he is laid off early in the film; the explosive Wallace Shawn as Mr. Gibson, a newspaper editor who sees reporter potential in Kit but isn't about to print one of her stories unless it genuinely wows him; Joan Cusack as eccentric mobile librarian Miss Bond; Stanley Tucci as Jefferson Berk, a charismatic magician with a ridiculous mustache; and Colin Mochrie of Whose Line Is It, Anyway? as a kindly hobo Kit and her friends encounter in a settlement just outside of town.

The context of the tale is the Great Depression, and the situations may ring all too true for many of the children watching. Job loss is rampant, and many of those accustomed to extravagant living find themselves having to drastically alter their lifestyles in order to scrape by. Kit's compassionate mother, Margaret (Julia Ormond), copes by opening her home to boarders. She also hires on Will (Max Thieriot), a teenage transient with a strong work ethic, in exchange for food. Kit's home becomes a place of constant activity, and she and her loyal friends, wealthy Ruthie (Madison Davenport) and destitute Stirling (Zach Mills), are always on the lookout for a promising lead that could win her that much-desired publication.

There's adventure aplenty in this wholesome tale, which encourages generosity, determination and tolerance. It's rare these days to see a G-rated movie, especially a live-action one; Kit Kittredge feels like a throwback to the glory days of family-friendly films. I would certainly consider it appropriate for children and adults to watch together; the movie is likely to entertain as well as educate viewers of all ages. Ann Peacock's script, based in part on the books written by Valerie Tripp, is full of fun little twists that keep even adults guessing. All the clues are laid out so that the audience can draw the correct conclusions, but they are subtle enough that if you'd rather just go along for the ride and be surprised, the solutions to various mysteries won't necessarily jump right out at you.

I was impressed by every aspect of this movie, from the excellent cast to the clever plotting and the attention to detail with the costumes and props. I especially loved Kit's tree house and the cart that she uses to sell eggs later in the movie. Although I've been a fan of American Girl for many years now, I found this movie even better than I expected. Nothing about it suggested to me that it should have been put on television like its predecessors; if anything, it made me wonder if perhaps the earlier films should have gotten the theater treatment as well. I'm eager to investigate that matter, and I hope that, although Kit didn't make much of a splash at the box office, she won't be the last of the American Girls to hit the big screen.

The de Vil Wears Prada...

When I started watching Ugly Betty last year, it reminded me of The Devil Wears Prada, a movie I'd heard a lot about but hadn't seen. I finally amended that this weekend, and as I watched, nearly every scene reminded me of Ugly Betty. The two explore very similar territory: smart but frumpy girl gets a job as an assistant at a fashion magazine and overcomes obstacles to distinguish herself. Plucky Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is like Betty, while catty Emily (Emily Blunt) and sycophantic Nigel (Stanley Tucci) are somewhat similar to Amanda and Marc and devilish editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) recalls the scheming Wilhemina. Ultimately, I like Ugly Betty better, but the movie, adapted from Lauren Weisberger's popular novel, is still very enjoyable.

When Andy seeks a job with Runway, a premiere fashion magazine, she doesn't even know the name of the editor-in-chief, but she doesn't let her ignorance stop her from trying to make a strong impression. Though Miranda, a cool professional with Cruella De Vil looks and a deadly calm demeanor, initially rejects Andy with a curt "That's all," a line she repeats frequently as an assertion that her authority leaves no room for debate, Andy's impassioned plea wins her a shot at the job she's told a million girls would kill for. It's not long, however, before she begins to see it as the job that would kill a million girls...

Just attempting to fit in with this ultra-fashion-conscious group is hard enough, as Ugly Betty demonstrates. But when your boss is completely unreasonable, making demands at a mile a minute, many of them ludicrous tasks like getting a flight out of a city in a hurricane and tracking down copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows a year before its publication, one can't help but wonder whether the job is really worth all the trouble, even with the promise that it will open doors to valuable opportunities.

Streep is just as sensational as all the buzz led me to believe, and she's really what makes this movie so much fun. But Hathaway is winning, and Blunt does a great job as the demeaning but hard-working assistant who, unlike Andy, aspires to work in the fashion industry. Probably my favorite character is Nigel, who showers Andy with snark but also becomes her ticket to the inner track, using his expertise to perform an extreme makeover on her which, while not as dramatic as Hathaway's transformation in The Princess Diaries, is still pretty striking. I always enjoy Tucci, and he makes Nigel both entertaining and sympathetic.

The movie is a coming-of-age story about Andy finding her way in the fashion industry and trying not to lose herself in the process. As such, the romantic subplot feels like a side trip, especially since neither of her love interests - live-in boyfriend Nate (Adrian Grenier) and famous writer Christian Thompson (Simon Baker) - is very exciting. Christian comes across as too cocky and looks about twice Andy's age, while Nate just seems completely bland and disengaged.

But people don't watch The Devil Wears Prada because they want to see a touching love story. They watch it so they can see Streep pushing Hathaway around, and there's plenty of that, though Miranda does eventually display a modicum of humanity. Is the title really a fair assessment? I'll let you be the judge!

Shall We See Shall We Dance? Yes, Indeed!

I work in a mall that is in walking distance to a dollar theater. I have often taken advantage of this fact when going to the mall with my family or friends, capping off a shopping trip with a movie. But it also came in handy the other day when I closed up my store on New Year’s Day with an hour or so to go before I could get a ride home. I just headed over to the theater and bought a ticket to whatever happened to be playing closest to my time of arrival. The movie, as it turned out, was Shall We Dance, which my parents had just seen two days before. They had liked it, so I had no qualms about going in. And though my friend at work urged me to opt for Shaun of the Dead - which didn’t start for another half an hour - I think I slept easier with this zombie-free romance bouncing around in my head.

The film stars Richard Gere, who already proved his worthiness as a soft-shoe in Chicago, as estate lawyer John Clark, a man vaguely dissatisfied with his life without quite understanding why. Each night during his ride home on the train he passes by a dance studio and sees a beautiful but forlorn-looking woman (Jennifer Lopez) through the window. Intrigued, he decides one day to stop and investigate, taking the first step in an experience that will change his life.

Upon his arrival, he learns that he will not be spending much time with Paulina, the woman he saw from the window, during the ballroom dancing lessons she signs him up for. Instead, he will be under the tutelage of Miss Mitzi (Anita Gillette), a mildly frazzled older woman with years of experience. His fellow pupils are Chic (Bobby Cannavale), a man whose grace on the dance floor is matched by his apparent homophobia, and Vern (Omar Benson Miller), a big teddy bear of a guy who hopes to impress his girlfriend with his newfound skill (and the pounds he will lose because of it). Thrown into the mix is Bobbie (Lisa Ann Walter), an abrasive wannabe diva who spends the bulk of her time at the studio practicing for a tournament she can’t enter without a dancing partner, and Link Peterson (Stanley Tucci), John’s eccentric coworker who secretly does Latin dancing by night.

While the bulk of the movie follows John’s growing love affair with the art of ballroom dancing, the subplot focuses on his wife Beverly’s (Susan Sarandon) concerns that he is engaging in an affair of a different kind. His long absences and secretive behavior, not to mention the unfortunate experience of a coworker, lead her to hire an investigator, uber-casual Devine (Richard Jenkins), to scope out the situation. With the help of his quote-spewing assistant Scottie (Nick Cannon), he uncovers the not-so-adulterous nature of her husband’s activities. But is the marital rift that has already developed reparable?

Shall We Dance is a simple love story that comes to a somewhat unexpected climax. While this movie was advertised as a Gere / Lopez collaboration, her part in the film is smaller than anticipated. In fact, Sarandon’s role is just as important. But Lopez brings suitable depth to a character who obviously has darkness in her past that she hasn’t been able to evict. While Gere is the film’s focal point, and we are treated to several shining examples of his character’s newly acquired skill, it is the supporting cast who make the film so much fun. Tucci brings delightful zaniness to Link, also letting the audience in on the pain the derision of his coworkers causes him. Jenkins makes his detective crusty but lovable, and Cannavale introduces a comical imbalance between Chic’s machismo and obvious delight in gliding across the dance floor. My favorite character, though, is easily Miller’s gentle Vern, which was reminiscent of Forest Whitaker’s turn as Nate in Phenomenon. Though he may not ever be Fred Estaire, Vern has a heart to match his girth; he’s easily the most huggable fellow in the film.

Shall We Dance was never on my must-see list, but I’m glad circumstances conspired for me to watch it. It’s a sweet film that will leave you smiling.

Leavin' On a Jet Plane, Don't Know When He'll Be Back Again

I am drawn to movies for a variety of reasons. One of them, which does not happen terribly often and is perhaps a silly excuse to see a movie, is that the preview contains a song that I like very much. It was the playing of Simon and Garfunkel’s America in the trailer that first attracted me to Almost Famous, and it was the melodic strains of a lovely cover of John Denver’s Leavin’ on a Jet Plane that grabbed my attention when I first saw a trailer for The Terminal. I cannot claim, however, that my interest stemmed from the song alone. I am generally a big fan of both Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Throw John Williams into the mix, and that’s one heck of a winning combination. I added it to my list of films I wanted to see.

I suspected that I probably wouldn’t catch The Terminal while it was still in the theater, but Mom proposed a trip to Tinseltown as a capper to Father’s Day, with this as the movie of choice. I’ve heard and read a number of negative reviews of this movie, though my favorite critic, Good Morning America’s Joel Siegel, loved it. As is generally the case, I agree with him. This will probably not go down as one of the major films in either Hanks’ or Spielberg’s career, but it is a perfectly enjoyable movie nonetheless.

Hanks turns in one of his most endearing performances yet as Viktor Navorsky, the gentle traveler from the fictional Krakozhia who becomes stuck in limbo at the airport when a coup breaks out in his homeland and his visa is declared invalid. He comes across as a very simple man, partly because his command of the English language, even at its best, is shaky, but also because of the naive decency he constantly displays. It’s not that this character lacks intelligence, but rather that he boasts a certain spark that can’t help but touch many of the airport denizens with whom he comes into regular contact. In addition to his overabundance of common courtesy, his skills as a builder and artisan are considerable and help him to pass his days in the airport in a useful manner.

Though Hanks is the film’s focal point and his performance is a brilliant mixture of befuddlement, devotion, charity and charm, the supporting cast members all enhance the film with their unique characterizations. Stanley Tucci brings an interminable twerpiness to the role of Frank Dixon, the airport administrator who antagonizes Viktor after the latter refuses to enter the United States through illegal or dishonest means. He’s an annoying fellow who generally lacks both common sense and compassion, yet Tucci brings a comedic touch to the role that prevents us from disliking him too much.

Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Amelia Warren, a stewardess with a knack for landing in bad relationships. Viktor is smitten with her on their first meeting, while she gradually comes to realize that he is unlike the men she has unsuccessfully romanced in the past. Although they have several sweet scenes together, the female cast member I most enjoyed was Zoe Saldana as Delores Torres, the icy security clerk softened by Viktor’s visits to her as romantic liason for his lovestruck friend, food service worker Enrique Cruz (Diego Luna). When she finally melts entirely, she is luminous.

Along with Enrique, Viktor bonds with Joe Mulroy (Chi McBride), a gentle baggage handler, and Gupta (Kumar Pallana), a crusty old janitor who gets his jollies from watching people slip on his freshly mopped floors. These three help Viktor navigate his way through life in the airport, providing equal helping of heart and humor along the way. Also very enjoyable is Barry Shabaka Henley as Ray Thurman, Dixon’s personal assistant. He is the first major character we meet after Viktor, and his quiet, sometimes statuesque manner stand in contrast to Dixon’s manic panic. Although his interactions with Viktor are limited, Thurman subtly demonstrates to the audience Ray’s growing respect and affection for the unintended guest. Aside from Hanks, he probably gave my favorite performance in the film.

Although this is a drama, at no point could I take the movie as seriously as, say, The Green Mile or Forrest Gump. There is a fairy tale air about it. We never have a sense of Viktor being in any real danger or discomfort. He’s such an easy-going guy, it seems as though he would be content in any circumstance, and if you’re going to be stuck somewhere for weeks on end, an airport isn’t such a bad place to be stuck in. Moreover, Viktor’s ability to re-align rows of chairs to his liking, support and repaint an entire wall and construct an intricate work of art on airport property without being stopped seems highly suspect. But it didn’t bother me. Balancing out the more unnatural aspects of the film are brand-name establishments, which reeks of product placement to some but which made it easier for me to accept this as a functioning current-day airport.

I found The Terminal to be funny and heart-warming. I enjoyed hearing Hanks take on an accent other than some sort of Southern dialect, and the character he produced stands among my favorites of his. Although the film is rated PG-13, there is little within its two-hour span to merit that rating. The profanity in the film is unusually sparse, there are only a few passing references that would make a prude squirm and the most violence we see is some silent video footage of a war-torn Krakozhia. With a cast of fine actors and an engaging story, The Terminal is a feel-good, family-friendly movie that I would readily recommend.

"It's Simon and Garfunkel! You Can't Just Turn Them Off!"

Last year, my dad and brother had the opportunity to spend an evening in Buffalo watching Beatlemania!, a tribute to the Beatles, which is my brother’s favorite musical group. Mom and I had acquired the tickets by chance when the two of us went to see Art Garfunkel in February; a local radio station had a booth set up, and I gave the wheel a lucky spin and walked away with the tickets. We only thought it fair to make Beatlemania! a boys’ night out to balance our February concert, but while Dad and Nathan were grooving to I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Let it Be, Mom and I decided to veg out for the evening with a couple of chick flicks. We debated a bit but wound up with two, one of which was Maid in Manhattan. Mom was especially interested in seeing it. I doubted I would strongly dislike it, but I didn’t expect it to thrill me too much either. While exceedingly high expectations sometimes lead me to think badly of an otherwise good movie, one that delivers more than I expected usually ranks high with me. I suspected from the movie’s opening moments that this would be such a film.

The film opens with shots of New York City set, I noted with excitement, to the tune of Paul Simon’s Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, a lively Latin-flavored tune that also showed up in The Royal Tenenbaums. It captures the energy of the city well and also gives a nod to the ethnicity of the protagonist. I was just tickled to hear the song and thrilled with the opening dialogue between the titular maid, Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez), and her son Ty (Tyler Posey), which reveals that the boy is a big Simon and Garfunkel fan. Now that, I thought, is one cool kid!

Ty is eccentric and precocious, driving much of the action in the film, including his mother’s first encounter with Chris Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), a senatorial candidate staying at the hotel where Marisa works. Chris is a very pleasant fellow, annoyed by all the special treatment his staff wants him to receive and refreshed by Marisa and her gregarious son. The only trouble is that when he meets her, she is wearing the luxurious outfit of a wealthy guest, a dangerous dress-up game initiated by her trouble-making fellow maid Stephanie (Marissa Matrone). They hit it off, but Chris doesn’t know Marisa’s a maid instead of a socialite and she doesn’t want him to find out. The whole story plays out much like Ever After, with the class boundaries, deception, confrontation, and eventual inevitable reconciliation. Not overly creative, I suppose, but I’m the sort of gal who can tolerate multiple incarnations of basic plotlines. I think Maid in Manhattan does very well for what it is.

Marisa is both timid and ambitious, an hard-working woman who wants to do her job well and rise to a higher position in society but makes a big mistake along the way. Lopez handles the character well, while Fiennes’ slightly aloof approach makes Chris come across as shy and kindly. I also found Posey very enjoyable in his role as the clever, match-making Ty, and supporting roles by Stanley Tucci, as Chris’ cynical campaign manager, and Bob Hoskins, the honorable head butler who sympathizes with Marisa, enhance the film considerably.

I must attribute some of my enjoyment of the movie to the unexpected presence of Simon and Garfunkel. After that promising beginning, I kept alert for any future references and was rewarded with Eva Cassidy’s exquisite rendition of Kathy’s Song toward the end of the film. The movie was not as much of a comedy as I had anticipated, but that didn’t bother me; too much of the humor in most romantic comedies I’ve seen lately tends to be crude anyway. I just found it a nice, feel-good movie with a happy ending and a nifty soundtrack. And that was good enough for me.