The Kids Are All Right (2010)

My wife wanted to go see the film The Kids Are All Right; it has gotten generally good reviews, so I was game and we went on Saturday. Bottom line: we agreed that we'd give the film 2-1/2 stars out of 5.

Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Benning) have the normal American life in California. They're married, have two kids, and live in a comfortable home. The difference is, of course, that they're both women, and their children Lazer (15-year-old Josh Hutcherson) and Joni (18-year-old Mia Wasikowska) are the offspring of a single sperm donor, Paul (Mark Ruffalo). As the kids are maturing, they become curious about their father.

The kids set up an initially awkward luncheon with Paul. However, they remain interested after meeting him, and tell their parents, who invite Paul over for dinner. Gradually, Paul becomes an increasingly important part of the family's life--for better or worse.

The kids and Mark are great in this film. Their characters are well-developed and likable, though Lazer is a bit unbelievable (at least to this adult) because of his relationship with his clearly-toxic best friend. Mark Ruffalo's immense charm saves him, even though the way the filmmakers handle his character is insulting.

The real problem lies with the two moms. There are many unaddressed issues between the two--an ubercontrolling personality, alienation, alcoholism--and, while the issues are given lip service, they are never honestly discussed let alone resolved by the end of the film.

The film is almost schizophrenic, too. The first two-thirds are rather light, occasionally funny, and upbeat. Then, suddenly, after a legitimate crisis, the final third of the film becomes dark and somber.

There's a great film buried in the one currently on the multiplex screens, but it would have taken a better set of writers (and maybe actors, too) to bring it to life.

Young Victoria

When we went to see The Hurt Locker on Saturday, the theater showed a preview of Young Victoria, which inspired us to return on Sunday afternoon. The story starts during Victoria's childhood in Kensington Palace. Her education is in the hands of her mother, the German-born Duchess of Kent, and her conniving and arrogant secretary Sir John Conroy. The young princess lives isolated from everything and everyone, especially from her father’s family.

Being the heiress of the throne of England and underage, there are many who would wish to control her. For example, Victoria is required to walk down staircases holding onto the hand of an adult just in case someone would try to push her down the stairs--at 18 years old in her own house! Conroy tries to force her to name her mother Regent so that he can rule through the duchess. But Victoria, much more determined and perceptive than he thought, refuses and distances herself from her mother. Leopold I, King of Belgium and uncle of the young woman, also tries to influence her and his approach proves to be much more effective: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg is sent to England as a candidate for marriage. He is serious and cultivated, and is sure they would have nothing in common. It doesn’t take long to see these two understand each other very well. The chess game between them is a lovely and telling scene.

The following years as a queen, Victoria tries to educate herself to the tasks and duties expected from a sovereign guided by the scheming but oh-so-charming Lord Melbourne. Some of her choices and inexperience have dreadful consequences.

Emily Blunt is a talented actress but her good looks don’t help her portray the small and energetic queen in the most faithful manner. While considered pretty in her younger years, Victoria was never a beauty. Instead,Victoria impressed her subjects with her radiant personality and her wit.

The real jewel of this movie is, without any doubt, Rupert Friend. I wasn’t a fan of him after seeing him as George Wickham in Pride and Prejudice (2005), but here he has the chance to shine! Intelligent, passionate and with an unshaken common sense, he is the perfect co-sovereign, even if he has some tendencies to control his wife.

The same can be said about actor Mark Strong and his Sir John Conroy. He brought all the aggressiveness and lust for power of Conroy, adding a hint of madness and even some fear towards the end.

Overall, this is a charming story with a lovely photography, gorgeous costumes and excellent performances that certainly would charm any period drama fan. There are some historical inaccuracies like the scene when Prince Albert saves the queen and is shot (actually nobody was hurt and the Prince didn't tried to save anybody’s life), but these changes only add more drama to the plot without actually spoiling the story.

The Hurt Locker

Jeremy Renner as James in The Hurt Locker

In anticipation of the Academy Awards next Sunday, The Hurt Locker has reappeared on my local repertory film screen. I didn't see the film during its original release last year, but the critics all raved about it since, so I decided to take in a matinee on Saturday. I'm glad that I did.

There's not much of a story. Three members of Bravo Company, responsible for defusing bombs in Iraq in 2004, have 39 days left in their deployment. In the opening scene, the senior bomb tech is killed, and is quickly replaced by a seasoned veteran, James, played by Jeremy Renner. (He's a great actor with a lot of sex appeal, too. He starred in the short-lived offbeat cop drama on ABC last year, The Unusuals.) James is a hothead and an adrenaline junkie who always puts up a macho front--and the work truly does exhilarate him--but it also tears him apart inside.

The film is great because it explores the emotional toll that the life-and-death combat duty takes on the three lead characters. It's intense, but definitely one of the best films of 2009.

Bright Star

Bright Star, directed by Jane Campion (The Piano), is the story of Romantic poet John Keats and his lover and muse, Fanny Braune. It's gotten great reviews, so we went to see it on a rainy, cold Saturday afternoon.

The film is a little too long and a little too slow, but its major fault lies in the premise: penniless Keats meets barely comfortable Braune, and, despite the fact that he cannot provide for her financially, they fall in love and she becomes his muse, inspiring his poetry. All well and good, but the film tells the audience that this is happening but doesn't show it. Keats is an accomplished writer before he meets Braune, and he's still a writer (but no more financially successful) after he falls in love with Braune, but Campion never successfully demonstrates the power of Fanny's ability to act as Keat's muse.

Fanny has a younger brother and sister who appear frequently throughout the film, but who, between them, probably have six lines. It's a little weird to have these characters hanging around but not speaking.

Of course, the film is beautifully photographed and a delight to watch, and there's a wonderful and affecting scene in adjoining bedrooms depicting the incredible longing that the two characters share for one another. But in the end, the film really wasn't very engaging.

Turkey Day Weekend

I just had three good days. Three out of four ain’t bad but, unfortunately, the one bad day (Friday) was my wife’s birthday. Can I pick ‘em or what?

We had three days of fine weather this weekend (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; Sunday was a rain-out from sunup to sundown), so we took advantage of them to go for walks each day. On Thanksgiving morning, we went for a walk at a nearby park. While we were walking, we ran into our representative to the U.S. House of Representatives, who was walking the trails with a large, extended family. Then, further along the trail, we ran into a person whom we hadn’t seen in over 10 years. I stared at her at first (not recognizing her) because she was preparing to saddle-up on her bicycle, which she had just removed from her Prius, and I wondered what kind of bike carrier she had attached to the Prius. (We have a Prius, too, which will accommodate few bicycle carriers, so I’m always on the lookout. It turns out that her bike fits in the hatch of the Prius if she takes off the front wheel). While I was staring at her, she called out my name, which surprised me since I hadn’t seen her in so long. We caught up for a few minutes before several of her companions came along and the group took to the trails.

When we got back home after the walk, we began preparing our 22-pound turkey. Because our turkeys are usually boring, we decided to consult our new Bon Appetite cookbook and make a citrus-glazed turkey with wild rice stuffing. It was the most delicious and moist turkey we’d ever made, but was a lot more work than a “standard” turkey. Nevertheless, it was worth it. Plus, now we’ve got leftovers for days.

While the turkey was roasting, I raked leaves. I made a lot of headway, but there are still a lot of leaves left to rake, load into a trash can, and dump on the compost mountain behind the house.

After enjoying and cleaning up after dinner, we watched Moonstruck. I just finished watching Brokeback Mountain on Monday, and then had a chance to watch Moonstruck on Thursday—two of my favorite movies in one week! Moonstruck is nearly perfect—only one false note when Cher first meets Nickolas Cage’s character (Cage overacts his part).

On Black Friday, my wife decided to help pump up the economy, so she went Christmas shopping while I stayed home to take care of errands and to rake leaves. For some reason, I became increasingly depressed as I raked the leaves. By the time she returned around noon, I was in a full-blown foul mood. It was a nice day, so we decided to take a long walk for exercise but hardly said a word to one another for almost two hours.

Because it was her birthday, I decided I’d better do something nice, so I started to bake biscotti late in the afternoon. She came out to help, and my mood began to lift. Of course, by then I had ruined her day. I made dinner, and then we watched The Incredibles on television—a clever animated film we’ve seen several times.

Saturday morning we decided to go see Bolt at the super-bargain matinee ($6 for all shows before noon). We both enjoyed the film and I’d recommend it, but there’s not much to the story; we both agreed that The Incredibles was better. After the movies, we took a long walk at a nearby state park. When we got home, I raked leaves again, and then we went out to dinner at a TGI Friday’s type restaurant.

After we were seated, the hostess seated a young family in a booth across from us. The father was a real “looker”—I couldn’t keep my eyes off him. He appeared to be in his late 30s, had a shaved head, and was handsome, slim and trim—just my type. He was wearing a gray sweatshirt, Carhartt-style canvas pants, and hiking boots. Woof!

Sunday it rained all day. It showered in the morning, and then steady rain arrived around noon. I decided to go Christmas shopping myself. I was gone for three hours, went to lots of different stores, and had mixed results. It wasn’t a total bust, but it wasn’t completely satisfying, either.