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Year:  2010
Genre:  Drama, Western
Country:  United States
Language:  English
Starring:  Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, Bruce Green
Director:  Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Coen Brothers
Run time:  110 minutes
DVD distributor:  Paramount Home Entertainment
Related reviews:  True Grit (1969)

     The new True Grit, as done by the Coen Brothers, IS better than the original.  In my recent review of the 1969 movie, I pointed out why it isn’t really as good as people think it is.  And those problems have been addressed in 2010.  Hailee Steinfeld, who plays little Mattie Ross, is vastly superior to Kim Darby in the original.  In that she’s far less irritating and I wasn’t rooting for her to be shot.  That being said, she wasn’t quite Best Supporting Actress worthy, as far as I was concerned, and apparently the Academy agreed.

     Jeff Bridges was up for Best Actor – in the same role for which John Wayne won his only Oscar 42 years ago.  Wayne didn’t deserve that one then, Bridges didn’t now.  It’s just not a role that requires a nuanced performance.  Rooster Cogburn is a tuogh, angry, sloppy drunk with a good heart and a hair trigger, and that’s about it.  Bridges is very good, as was Wayne, but they have both had far better performances in other films.  Where was Bridges’ Oscar love for The Big Lebowski?  Sacrilege!

     And then there’s the Best Picture nom.  Deserving of a nomination, perhaps, but not a win.  The Coens have done some superior work in their time, and No Country For Old Men was a deserving win, no question.  But they too have done much better work than True Grit.  Fargo, for example, came before the Coens had made a big name for themselves, and therefore lost out on Best Picture.  And while I’m at it, where was the love for The Big Lebowski?  Sacrilege!

     Some of the best elements of the original movie are kept in place.  I would have been keenly disappointed if I didn’t hear “fill your hands, you sonofabitch!”, or if Rooster hadn’t fallen off his horse dead drunk.  The sweeping vistas and staggering camera work here actually exceed the success of the original, and I was disappointed that Roger Deakins didn’t win the Oscar for cinematography.  He was doubtless the most deserving candidate this year.

     The Coen Brothers’ True Grit is more than just an amazing looking movie with some good performances.  It’s a reminder of how westerns used to be, and used to look, before spaghetti westerns clouded the line permanently between good guy and bad guy, and then the genre quickly died out under the weight of some pretty poor ideas and Kevin Costner in the 70s and 80s.  The 2010 edition of True Grit feels like a 60s western, and yet still works today.  And that’s good enough for me.  Love it!  True Grit comes out June 7th on DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment.

Year:  2010
Genre:  Documentary
Country:  United States
Language:  English
Starring:  Benazir Bhutto
Directors:  Duane Baughman, Johnny O’Hara
Featuring:  Pervez Musharraf, Condoleeza Rice, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Asif Ali Zardari, Sanam Bhutto, Fatima Bhutto, Arianna Huffington
Run time:  111 minutes
DVD distributor:  First Run Features

     If you’re a hardcore follower of the news, and you spent a lot of time paying attention to pundits and commentators in the wake of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007, then you might not get a whole lot out of Bhutto, out May 10th from First Run Features.  It is a documentary that plays as though it could have been one of those documentaries on MSNBC, with just the facts that seem to be pretty well known to international observers.

     While I wouldn’t describe myself as hardcore, I consume a lot of news and I was fascinated by the story of Benazir Bhutto both before and after her assassination.  And I knew a lot of the stuff covered in this documentary – the allegations of corruption in Bhutto’s government, her exile to Dubai, her family background (the Bhuttos are called “the Kennedys of Pakistan”), her assassination and the allegations of involvement by the Pervez Musharraf government, and her husband’s subsequent election to the position Bhutto herself held twice – Prime Minister of Pakistan.

     That being said, I loved this documentary anyway.  I really enjoyed having Bhutto’s life, history, family, politics and influence packaged together so I could consume it all at once.  And for people who haven’t followed her legacy closely, it’s as comprehensive as a documentary can be without delving really deeply into any kind of investigative territory.

     The film features interviews with familiar faces, like former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and journalist Arianna Huffington, as well as Bhutto’s children.  Her husband (current Pakistani president Asif Al Zardari) is terrific in his interviews, getting choked up when he talks about Benazir’s assassination and the family in-fighting that led to her downfall during her second term as Prime Minister.

     Also interviewed is Bhutto’s niece.  Fatima Bhutto is the daughter of Benazir’s brother Murtaza.  The Bhutto family was beset by jealousy, infighting and political gamesmanship on an almost Shakespearean level.  That may be the most fascinating part of the documentary – this incredible story of hatred and tension and lingering animosity that comes through clearly in the interviews with Fatima.

     Bhutto doesn’t come down one way or another on any of the big questions.  Was Bhutto involved in the assassination of her brother?  Her family certainly says no, her niece says yes.  The movie leaves it there.  Was her government really corrupt, or were the allegations just standard operating procedure in Pakistani politics?  We see both sides with no definitive answer.  And was Bhutto’s assassination carried out at the behest of Pervez Musharraf and his government?  SHE certainly seemed to think it was – but the film doesn’t say for sure.

     It’s pretty timely, the release of Bhutto now, just a few days after the assassination of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan.  Al Quaeda is mentioned several times over the course of the movie, and a plausible case is made that the terrorist group would never have been able to be so successful had Benazir Bhutto been allowed to govern freely.  That could well be the case, but we’ll never know.  Bhutto was, of course, murdered in December of 2007.  Her story was a remarkable one, and Bhutto does a terrific job of telling that story.

Years:  2008, 2009, 2010, 2007
Genre:  Short film, Gay 
Countries:  United States, Sweden
Language:  English
Run time:  104 minutes
DVD distributor:  First Run Features

     First Run Features is releasing Best Gay Shorts and Best Lesbian Shorts on DVD May 17th.  I think there should be more DVDs like this, that gather up the best short films and present them so film buffs can check them out.  Here are the movies on the Best Lesbian Shorts disc:

   25 Random Things I Did During My Big Fat Lesbian Depression (****4/10)

Starring:  Chris Russo
Director:  Chris Russo
Run time:  11 minutes

     Long, self-indulgent…just like the title!  Chris Russo basically does a one-woman show that just isn’t terribly funny.  Or gripping.  Or…anything, really.  Poor way to start the set.

     At The End Of The Street (*******7/10)

Director:  Jennifer Malmqvist
Run time:  14 minutes  

     After a breakup, a confrontation between estranged lovers lead to a fight over a table.  Which is really, it seems, just an excuse to show up at the ex-girlfriend’s house.  Then an encounter with a man that also deals with the table is eye-opening.  Polish, with English subtitles.

  Birthday (*********9/10) 

Starring:  Asa Karlin, Lotten Roos, August Lindmark
Director:  Jennifer Malmqvist
Run time:   18 minutes

     The best film on the disc.  Swedish with English subtitles.  A lesbian couple comes apart at the seams on Katrina’s 40th birthday, as she reveals to her partner Sara that she is pregnant with the baby of a mutual friend.  Their daughter becomes involved, and a canoe.  Poignant and heartfelt. 

  Parental Guidance (******6/10) 

Starring:  Rachel Nicole Hamilton, Ryan Ochoa
Director:  Meredith Scott Lynn
Run time:  4 minutes  

     Two little kids have grown-up words stuffed in their mouths as they discuss their parents’ marital woes.  The little girl has two moms, the little boy has two dads, and they are all on a camping weekend.  The parents are fighting, the kids are precocious, and it all ends very quickly. 

  Public Relations (********8/10)

Starring:  Summer Bishil, Sienna Farall, Jessica Tuck, Wendi McLendon-Covey
Director:  Gianna Sobol
Run time:   17 minutes

     A wonderful little movie starring two beautiful young women.  Both women work as assistants to horrible women (cleaning their houses, booking their appointments, getting birthday gifts for their rotten spoiled children), and have talked only over the phone from LA and New York.  Now their bosses are moving to the same city, and the girls can finally meet and fall in love.

    Swimming (*****5/10)

Starring:  Dominique Dibbell, Jamie Tolbert
Director:  P. David Ebersole
Run time:  7 minutes  

      Meh.  A lifeguard obsesses over a woman taking swimming lessons in the pool where she works.  Dreams and fantasies and so forth.  But no one in the movie compels me to more than a passing interest – and at 7 minutes, a film shouldn’t feel “long”.

   Tech Support (*******7/10)

Starring:  Carrie Barrett, Marla Caceres
Director:  Erik Gernand
Run time:  9 minutes  

     A sweet short about two women who connect over the phone when one of them calls for tech support and the other one answers.  Some pretty weak “acting” in this one, considering it’s all dialogue, but it works and has a sweet ending.  Nice.  Included above in this review.

  Tools 4 Fools (***3/10)

Starring:  Julie Goldman
Director:  Kate A. Brandt
Run time:  8 minutes  

     Even at 8 minutes, this self-indulgent, not-funny dildo infomercial is way too long.

  You Move Me (******6/10)

Starring:  Drae Campbell, Rebecca Drysdale, Lena Bouton
Director:  Gina Hirsch
Run time:  13 minutes

     A woman helps her friend move out of her old house after she breaks up with her girlfriend.  Apparently they need a massive U-Haul truck for one little trunk full of stuff…and there is some really odd (and possibly offensive) native American role-playing lesbian stuff going on.  But it works!

Years:  2008, 2009, 2010
Genre:  Short film, Gay 
Countries:  United States, Sweden
Language:  English
Run time:  104 minutes
DVD distributor:  First Run Features

     First Run Features is releasing Best Gay Shorts and Best Lesbian Shorts on DVD May 17th.  I think there should be more DVDs like this, that gather up the best short films and present them so film buffs can check them out.  Here are the movies on this disc:

   After (******6/10)

Starring:  Cole J. Alvis
Director:  Mark Pariselli
Run time:  13 minutes

     Three teenage boys sit on their front porch and watch the pickup football game in the street, each of them fantasizing about one of the players.  Well, they are all fantasizing about the same player, who comes to visit them in their daydreams (and sometimes in the bathtub).  Interesting, with a surprise ending.

  Bedfellows (********8/10)

Starring:  Paul Caiola, Bret Shuford
Director:  Pierre Stefanos
Run time:  15 minutes

     I think the best short on the disc.  Two guys hook up at a bar – one of them hopes the one-nighter will lead to more, the other appears to be more interested in a one-off hookup.  Great dialogue, good performances, and another (kinda) surprise ending.

  Curious Thing (*******7/10)

Starring:  Danny Bernardy, Matthew Wilkas
Director:  Alain Hain
Run time:  9 minutes

     Interesting look at a gay man (Bernardy) and his straight best friend (Wilkas), and the dynamics in that relationship.  No dialogue between the two stars, it’s all narration from (presumably real) interviews with gay men in New York talking about their relationships with straight men.

  Gayby (********8/10)

Starring:  Jenn Harris, Matthew Wilkas
Director:  Jonathan Lisecki
Run time:  12 minutes

     The funniest short on the disc, this time Wilkas plays the gay man, and his best friend is Jenn Harris.  She wants him to help her conceive a baby “the old-fashioned way”, and he obliges.  The awkwardness in the bedroom is palpable and hilarious, and the series of revelations along the way make this a really quick and entertaining 12 minutes.

  Gaysharktank.com (*******7/10)

Director:  Guy Shalem
Run time:  15 minutes

     Gaysharktank.com is one of those dating websites where people click through a series of chats to find someone they might want to date.  Or hook up with.  Or rob.  A woman is on there with a picture of her husband, trying to see if anyone has seen him.  Another guy is casing out peoples’ houses, presumably to hook up with someone who has stuff worth stealing.  It’s an interesting premise, with some scenes that are very funny.  It goes on a little long though.  15 minutes?  Come on!

  My Name Is Love (*****5/10)

Starring:  Adam Lundgren, Jonas Rimeika
Director:  David Fardmar
Run time:  21 minutes

     Swedish, with English subtitles.  Two guys have a chance meeting and share a deep, dangerous secret.  And then have an affair.  This could actually have been a little better if it were longer.  I was interested in the premise…and then it was over.

  Mouse’s Birthday (*****5/10)

Director:  Barry Morse
Run time:  4 minutes

     Weird.  Just plain weird.  A mouse, a cockroach, and a gay man with a massive mohawk and no shirt dance around and…well.  It’s less that 4 minutes long, and I posted it up top on the review if you want to check it out.  A note here – the Barry Morse who wrote and directed this short is NOT the same Barry Morse who played Lt. Gerard in The Fugitive fifty years ago.  That Barry Morse passed away in 2008.

  Steam (*******7/10)

Starring:  Scott Hislop, Julien Zeitouni
Director:  Eldar Rapaport
Run time:  15 minutes

     An award-winning short about two men stuck in a steam room who have nothing to do except talk to each other.  Eventually they explore their pasts and…talk some more.  Decent dialogue (and there better be, considering that’s all there is) and an interesting talk.  But still – it’s just 15 minutes of talking.

Year:  2009
Genre:  Drama, Thriller
Country:  Australia
Language:   English
Starring:  Guy Pearce, Sam Neill, Miranda Otto, Justine Clarke, Rebecca Gibney, Ruth Bradley, Kate Bell
Eye candy:  Bell gets naked early on…and she is almost 30 years old…but she is playing a 15-year-old…so do with that what you will.
Director:  Simone North
Run time:  100 minutes
DVD distributor:  Alliance Films

                For a movie about a crazy girl who obsesses over the hot young dancer she babysits, I Am You is remarkably boring.  I think the reason may be that it’s based on a real story, the abduction and murder of a 15-year-old Australian girl by her deranged babysitter.  And maybe the producers didn’t want to add any extraneous details that would have made the story less true but the movie more entertaining.

                Additionally, for a movie with big-name actors like Guy Pearce, Miranda Otto and Sam Neill, this is a surprisingly poorly acted movie.  Pearce and Otto seem to be going through the motions as the parents of the missing girl who keep pressuring the police to look for her.  Neill seems vaguely bemused as the father of the insane girl.  And Kate Bell isn’t terribly convincing as the pretty young dancer on the edge of womanhood and childhood.  But it’s Ruth Bradley, as the insane killer Caroline, who really kills this movie for me. 

               First of all, Caroline is desperately ashamed and enraged about her own lousy looks and crappy body.  But Ruth Bradley, the actress, isn’t half bad looking.  It’s like one of those teen movies where they put like Mila Kunis in overalls and glasses and call her the ugly chick.  Bradley may be a bit bigger than most young actresses, but she is by no means the hideous eyesore everyone seems to think she is.

                The thing is, Bradley is pretty good for most of the film.  She is low-key creepy and socially inept at work and at home, she obviously has mental issues that people don’t want to deal with any more.  But when she loses it, and freaks out, and gets all murderous, I couldn’t stop laughing.  When someone murders a person in a dramatic movie, it’s not supposed to be hilarious.  But it IS hilarious.  Hmm.  On second thought, maybe that’s a reason to watch I Am You after all.  It comes out May 10^th from Alliance Films.

Year:  2010
Genre:  Drama
Country:  United States
Language:   English
Starring:  Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Faith Wladyka, John Doman, Mike Vogel, Marshall Johnson, Jen Jones, Ben Shenkman, Eileen Rosen, Enid Graham, Carey Westbrook, Barbara Troy, James Benatti, Maryann Plunkett
Eye candy:  Williams is naked a lot…but it isn’t always titillating nakedness!
Director:  Derek Cianfrance
Run time:  112 minutes
DVD distributor:  Alliance Films

                Blue Valentine is a remarkable movie that comes out May 10^th from Alliance Films.  It garnered an Oscar nomination for Michelle Williams this year, but I think Ryan Gosling is even better as her husband.  Williams and Gosling play a married couple whose relationship is falling apart.  We get to see flashbacks of their early life together, the way they met and fell in love, while we watch their life together unravel in the present day.

                You might remember Ryan Gosling from that ultimate chick flick The Notebook.  Think of Blue Valentine as The Notebook for real people.  No matter how charming their meeting is, no matter how idyllic the romance may seem, couples have problems at some point down the road.  That charming childlike lust for life might be a reason to fall in love with this man, but a few years later (in this case it appears to be about six years later) it has become irritating.  I get that.  I think we all get that.

                The best thing about Blue Valentine is how realistic it all is.  There is graphic sex that is as uncomfortable to watch at home as it is on screen.   There are totally believable fights and blowups.  There are familiar scenes of begging and whining and complaining and breaking down.  And it’s wonderful, thanks to Gosling and Williams, who give the best performances as a couple coming apart at the seams since Kate Winslett and Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road.  And in case you never saw Revolutionary Road, that is high praise.  High praise indeed.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (*********9/10)

Year:  2009
Genre:  Action, Crime, Thriller
Country:  Sweden
Language:   Swedish w/ English subtitles
Starring:  Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Annika Hallin, Lena Endre, Peter Andersson, Jacob Eriksson, Sofia Ledarp, Georgi Staykov, Michalis Koutsogiannakis 
Eye candy:  Rapace, Hallin, Endre, Ledarp
Director:  Niels Arden Oplev
Run time:  152 minutes
DVD distributor:  Alliance Films

     I loved the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo books by Stieg Larsson, even though I didn’t find them to be quite as powerful a “feminist fantasy” as did some others.  (More on that way, way down in this post.)  And as a fan of the books, I was initially disappointed in this first movie adaptation.  Huge portions of the story were left out, huge leaps were made between plot points, and I kept waiting for scenes that never came.

     It was only on the second viewing that I realized how great this film really was.  Noomi Rapace gives one of the best performances I have ever seen as Lisbeth Salander, the girl of the title.  Michael Nyqvist is perfectly cast as crusading investigative journalist Mikael Blomqvist, and Lena Endre is almost exactly as I pictured Erika Berger while reading.

     I also realized that the stuff that was left out of the movie made it a better film.  Still long, at two and a half hours, it would have been interminable had they included Blomqvist’s affair with Berger, Berger’s husband’s free-thinking take on the subject, and the inner workings of the news magazine.  They would have had to make this a SIX-movie trilogy instead.  As it stands, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is tight, fast-paced and perfectly contained in its run time.

     Another great thing about Dragon Tattoo is that it stands on its own.  Even though it leads into two sequels, it could just be its own movie and that would be good enough.  A satisfying conclusion, everything wraps up nicely, and only a few threads are left to lead into the sequel…

The Girl Who Played With Fire (****4/10)

Year:  2009
Genre:  Action, Crime, Thriller
Country:  Sweden
Language:   Swedish w/ English subtitles
Starring:  Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Annika Hallin, Lena Endre, Per Oscarsson, Peter Andersson, Jacob Eriksson, Sofia Ledarp, Johan Kylen, Tanja Lorentzon, Georgi Staykov, Michalis Koutsogiannakis, Anders Ahlbom Rosendahl, Niklas Hjulstrom, Micke Spreitz
Eye candy:  Rapace, Hallin, Endre, Ledarp, Lorentzon
Director:  Daniel Alfredson
Run time:  129 minutes
DVD distributor:  Alliance Films

     This second installment in the Dragon Tattoo trilogy almost killed the entire thing for me.  Unlike the first movie, this one asks more questions than it answers, doesn’t work on its own as a film, and ends up being totally disjointed and confusing.  Rapace is once again magnificent, but she really doesn’t have a ton of screen time considering pretty much the whole film is about her back story.  A couple more characters are added (bikers this time) but they appear to be in the movie just so they can get beaten up by Lisbeth so we can see how badass she is. 

     A little more context is needed here.  A lot more, actually.  Unless you’ve read the book, there’s a good chance you won’t have a clue what’s going on most of the time – otherwise, you’ll have to wait until the third movie to actually figure most of this stuff out.  Now, about the third movie…

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest (********8/10)

Year:  2010
Genre:  Action, Crime, Thriller
Country:  Sweden
Language:   Swedish w/ English subtitles
Starring:  Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Annika Hallin, Lena Endre, Per Oscarsson, Peter Andersson, Jacob Eriksson, Sofia Ledarp, Johan Kylen, Tanja Lorentzon, Georgi Staykov, Michalis Koutsogiannakis, Anders Ahlbom Rosendahl, Mirja Turestedt, Niklas Hjulstrom, Hans Alfredson, Micke Spreitz
Eye candy:  Rapace, Hallin, Endre, Ledarp, Lorentzon, Turestedt
Director:  Daniel Alfredson
Run time:  148 minutes
DVD distributor:  Alliance Films

     The third installment in the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy is good.  It’s a solid, competent finale to a really good trilogy of films.  And it’s far better than the second movie, The Girl Who Played With Fire.  (In that it makes sense, and it’s possible to follow the plot.)  It is NOT as good as the first movie, which was spellbinding.  What sets this third one apart, however, is that it’s the ultimate performance in the series by Noomi Rapace, reprising the role of Lisbeth Salander for the third and (presumably) final time.  She has been great in all three, this time she’s masterful.

     More on Rapace in a minute.  First, a quick deconstruction on the books.  Because I think most people who were interested in these movies first read the books.  The Stieg Larsson trilogy has been hailed as a contemporary vision in feminist iconography.  Some of that makes sense – all rapists, molestors, abusers, stalkers and woman-killers get their comeuppance, and every woman in the novels is strong, powerful, brilliant, and totally together.

     But by the time I got to the third book, I realized a few things.  It all clicked in for me when Lisbeth Salander, almost inexplicably, bought herself breast implants.  Why would this girl, who ostensibly doesn’t care at all what anyone thinks of her appearance, get her boobs done?  Then the rest fell into place a little bit - consider this – every woman in the series is, yes, tough and smart and great at her job and better than most of the men.  But they are also…beautiful.  Every one of them.  And almost every one of these beautiful, powerful, brilliant women sleep with the same man.

     That same man is crusading investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist.  It is interesting to note that Larsson, who wrote the books, is himself an investigative journalist.  And has written a book where the one basically flawless character is Blomkvist.  He is so self-assured and charismatic that every hot woman he meets (and he meets only hot women) comes on to him and hops into his bed.  (It should be noted that they all come after him, he never makes any effort to initiate the proceedings.)  The women know about each other, and don’t care, as long as they can spend some time with this magnificent man!

     Blomkvist is, of course, entirely successful with every woman in his life, and none harbour animosity toward him except for the one who may have fallen in love with him.  (And how could they NOT fall in love with him, he’s flawless!)  But he is also successful beyond the wildest dreams of any investigative journalist in his professional life.  He and his magazine, Millenium, are constantly uncovering massive corruption scandals that reach the highest levels of Swedish society and government.  Quite a life, this guy has!

     On an unrelated note, I am currently preparing a series of screenplays that will revolve around an intrepid radio personality who solves crimes through his radio program, becomes a national celebrity with a syndicated show that earns him millions of dollars, and who bangs the hottest women on the planet two and three at a time, only to wake up each morning to see them cooking me – I mean him – breakfast.  It will be lauded by feminists everywhere!

     Back to the movie.  The thing I like best about the transfer of the books to the screen is that the films have (for the most part) done away with this unnecessary plot device.  The second and third movies make it clear Blomkvist is nailing his editor, Erika Berger.  But that’s about it as far as the sex goes.  It actually makes the story better and the movies are much more of a feminist fantasy than are the books, on closer inspection.

     And so now we get the final film, directed once again by Daniel Alfredson, and Noomi Rapace.  Rapace makes the absolute most of her final screen appearance as Salander, a character she has come to define by herself.  I could no longer read the books without picturing Rapace as Salander, and I will not be able to watch the American version of these films, the first one coming out this year, without making the comparison. 

     Although there’s less of a back story in Hornet’s Nest than in Played With Fire, more focus is put on Salander herself this time.  And although she spends time in only three locations in the movie – the hospital, the prison and the courtroom – it’s a welcome change that she gets the bulk of the screen time.  She is as emotionless as ever, as cold and brilliant and intense as I have come to expect.  But when things start going her way, and the evil men in her life start to receive their comeuppance one by one, the veneer cracks just a little. 

     What’s amazing about Rapace’s performance in those moments is that the little half-smile that plays across her face is NOT an indication that she is trying to hold back that emotion.  In most scenes like this, you think the character would be bursting into peals of laughter were she alone, but that she’s repressing the urge in the company of others.  Not Lisbeth Salander.  She is not capable of such subterfuge.  No, Rapace makes it clear that this little half smile is the most emotion Salander is capable of showing.  And therein lies the brilliance of these moments.  And of this movie.  And, to an extent, of the whole series.

     The trilogy is being released together, as a box set, on May 10th from Alliance Films.  I highly recommend picking up all three.  Make a weekend of it or something.  And even though the second one is pretty weak, you DO have to watch it to get to the third.

Year:  2002
Genre:  Drama
Country:  Canada
Language:  French w/ English subtitles
Starring:  Pierre Lebeau, Karine Vanasse, Roy Dupuis, Remy Girard, Robert Brouillette
Director:  Charles Biname
Run time:  110 minutes
DVD distributor:  Alliance Films

     The cast list for Seraphin: Heart of Stone is impressive.  Quebec movie stalwarts like Roy Dupuis and Remy Girard, the lovely Karine Vanasse, and the terrific Pierre Lebeau star in the movie, which is a re-working of the classic novel Un Homme Et Son Peche by Canadian journalist Claude-Henri Grignon, written in 1933. 

     The problem is that the movie feels more like an extended episode of Road To Avonlea than like a period piece or a romantic drama or a sweeping tragedy.  You know, if Road To Avonlea had had mildly uncomfortable rape scenes.  (I say mildly uncomfortable, because the film didn’t have the sack to make those scenes really unpleasant, the way you might think rape would actually be.)

     And maybe more troubling is the central character, Seraphin (Lebeau).  He is an old miser who runs the town as the mayor with an iron fist, swindling people and taking everyone’s money.  He takes beautiful Donalda (Vanasse) as his bride, as payment for a debt owed him by her father (Girard).  This of course makes her fiancee Alexis (Dupuis) very angry.  And that’s the central premise of the movie.

     Seraphin is miserly, corrupt, mean and just generally despicable.  He won’t feed Donalda enough, because it would cost too much money.  He won’t let her have kids, because kids are expensive.  Not that she wants kids with the creepy old man anyway.  But all this over-the-top money grubbing makes Seraphin seem more like Scrooge McDuck than a real person, and the finale somehow cheeses up what was already a pretty cheesy ending to the book.

     Seraphin: Heart of Stone just isn’t worth it.  But if you’re a huge Roy Dupuis fan, or something, you can pick it up May 3rd from Alliance Films.  It comes in French only, with the option of English subtitles.

Year:  2010
Genre:  Drama, Comedy
Country:  United States
Language:  English
Starring:  Renee Zellweger, Forest Whitaker, Madeline Zima, Nick Nolte, Elias Koteas, Annie Parisse, Andrea Powell, Chandler Frantz
Director:  Olivier Dahan
Music:  Bob Dylan
Run time:  102 minutes
DVD distributor:  Alliance Films

     Some great actors are punching way below their weight class in My Own Love Song, on DVD May 3rd from Alliance Films.  Renee Zellweger and Forest Whitaker star as a couple of best friends, each with a terrible past and horrific memories, who embark on a road trip across the States.  Zellweger plays a singer who has survived a horrible tragedy and is confined to a wheelchair.  Whitaker, having survived a (different) horrible tragedy, is a slow-witted giant who believes he can talk to angels.

     So off they go – Whitaker to meet a guy who has written a book about talking to angels, and Zellweger to re-connect with the son she has given up for adoption.  Along the way, they meet a series of zany characters, each damaged in their own way.  (Presumably, if the pattern fits, from some other horrible tragedy.)  Madeline Zima (Californication) is a young woman whose husband has just run off and disappeared.  Nick Nolte is a broken down drunk guitar player.  And Elias Koteas is a creepy car thief.

     Much of the music for the movie is composed by Bob Dylan, who has created a bunch of new songs for the soundtrack.  But they also make use of other classics, like Robert Johnson’s “Crossroad Blues”, and Zellweger does a very moving and remarkable rendition of “This Land Is Your Land”.  There may be a little TOO much music though, as it feels like almost a third of the movie is a series of music videos.

     Then again, the music videos (mostly) work.  And the comedy (mostly) works.  And the drama (sometimes) works.  The problem here is that My Own Love Song is three different movies.  It’s a road-trip-comedy, with pratfalls and crazy gun-waving people and police chases.  It’s a heartfelt love-and-loss drama, as the simpleton Whitaker tries to coax the sullen withdrawn Zellweger out of her shell and convince her to live again.  And it’s a series of music videos.

     It’s just distracting to have three totally different tones, each of which pops up out of nowhere and takes the movie in a completely different direction for a few minutes, until it abruptly switches again.  It’s too bad, because there are some great moments in the film, and Zellweger, Whitaker and Zima do a pretty good job with their under-written characters.  But My Own Love Song is just way too uneven to be as good as its best moments.