What is with the Indie flicks?

Broken Flowers - Bill Murray is Don Johnston - not Don Johnson, an aging Don Juan. The movie opens with his present girlfriend leaving him. He receives a card in the mail which states that a former girlfriend from 20 years ago found out she was pregnant and decided to keep the baby. The letter states that she has not told her son who the father is but that he is a bright boy and may figure it out. Don's neighbor, Winston is a wannabe detective and goads Don into visiting the four women he dated at that time to determine if the letter was speaking the truth. Don's visit to each woman last a varying length of time and with varying results.

This movie has the requisite indie feel - the lingering shots, the "dead" screen time, and the feeling that it ends with no point. I loved the secondary characters, and the parade of past lovers - each one different, sad, and lovely in their own right. This movie moves too slowly for comfort and doesn't give one a feeling of resolution. The one thing I will say for the movie, it gives you perspective on the fear of the unknown. The idea that you could have a child in the world and not know about it - boggles the mind. I don't know if I would say this is a rental, but if you liked Bill Murray in Lost In Translation you'd probably enjoy this film.

"Is this where the club meets?"

Holiday - I first saw this movie years ago on PBS and fell in love with it. I am a sucker for Katherine Hepburn movies. So when my mom sent me some money I decided to purchase this film. I now own this lovely film.

Johnny Casey falls in love with Julia Seton whom he meets while vacationing. He knows little of her and yet like all old movies they fall in love and ten days later he proposes. They want to get married in a month. The movie surrounds Johnny meeting Julia's family. The Setons are rich rich. He is not. Linda Seton (Katherine Hepburn) is the "black sheep" of the family. Linda is the carefree woman who does not buy into the money. Julia, on the other hand, is not at all like Linda. Julia wants to mold Johnny into a version of her entrepreneurial grandfather.

Of course there is tension between Johnny and Julia. Julia wants Johnny to go into the business. Johnny wants to make enough money while he is still young in order to enjoy life and figure out what he wants to do with his life later. He will go back to work when he knows what he wants to work for. Linda instantly likes him and sees him as a breath of fresh air.

This film is wonderful. You know where the film is going and you can't wait for it to get there. Linda and Julia's brother Ned is a drunken delight, as are Johnny's good friends the Potters - who are called The Porters through out the film. I say this is a great movie to catch on PBS or I'll lend to you. "Walk, don't run, to the nearest exit." Just so many great lines in this film.

Nothing Says I love you like blackmail

Happy Endings - I had not heard of this movie but I had seen the DVD box. A stellar cast - Lisa Kudrow, Tom Armold, Jason Ritter, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jesse Bradford, Laura Dern and a few others whose names I don't know but recognize from other films. The style of the movie is a documentary - but still unfolds like a normal film. There are several threads that run through the movie and eventually the threads fold in on each other and we see how all the stories relate.

There is Lisa Kudrow's character (Mamie) who at 17 gives up a baby for adoption a decision that haunts her years later. There is her step brother who is gay and convinced that his lover is the father of their friends two year old child. There is Otis (Jason Ritter) who is a musician with a rich father who is denying his sexuality. This movie is pretty funny, heart warming, and overall an enjoyable film. There are a few twists and turns, that make it fun. Plus there are several types of films I enjoy one being films that take place during the course of one day and another type of film I enjoy is one where they tell you what happens to each of the characters in the end. This one does and helps close up loose ends. So go rent.

"She knows about us? .... So? Does she know we have sex?"

Saving Face - I really enjoyed this film. In a way it reminds me of The Wedding Banquet because it has a similar theme. A Chinese family dealing with a gay child - however in this movie it is a gay daughter. She is doctor and her family - mother and grandparents all live in New York. She falls in love with a Chinese Ballet dancer. Meanwhile her mother is pregnant at 48 and refuses to tell anyone who the father is. Misunderstandings ensue but as with all my favorite romantic comedies loves wins out in the end.

This is a great people film. Mothers and daughters, generational challenges, American tendencies clashing with Chinese culture, and of course the love story. Such a delight. Laugh out loud funny in parts, cringe-worthy in other parts, and a call to champion the characters. I would say this is a great rental - go rent it.

"You've got to tell them!"

Soylent Green - after hearing the infamous line "Soylent green is people." Who could not want to watch the movie now that its premise had been revealed. But in reality that is only part of the movie. You get the big twist but you don't get the lead in which is actually interesting.

Set in 2022 in New York, the world is grossly overpopulated as seen by Thorn (Charlton Heston) who walks through people who are slumped/asleep from the bottom of the stairs to the top in his apartment building. The world is experiencing global warming to such a degree that it is always warm, unemployment is rampant, and water is scarce. In order to feed the populace a company has created soylent yellow and red, and the new very popular solyent green supposedly developed from sea kelp/plankton - basically an oceanic food source.

The movie is actually a detective story. The murder of a wealthy business man whose death is investigated by Thorn. In the future cops are corrupt and women are either poor, dying, or furniture. Furniture are pretty women who provide entertainment for men and all they do apparently is wait at home look pretty, have sex with their "tenants" and occasionally corrupt cops, and enjoy whatever luxuries their men can provide. This movie had more to offer than I thought. I'd recommend it as a rental or tv view if one is the mood for an interesting view on the future.

"It's 2 in the morning, you fat f*ck!"

Mad Dog and Glory - I have been wanting to see this film for a long time. I need to take a second to plug Netflix. I love Netflix because it has enabled me to see movies I have seen in video stores for years. I love Netflix - just don't tell Tivo! Mad Dog Wayne (Robert De Niro) is a cop. Glory (Uma Thurman) is a bartender who is in debt to Frank Milo (Bill Murray). Wayne saves Frank's life and after a night of drinking and bonding Frank gives Glory to Mad Dog for a week as a thank you. Mad Dog falls in love with Glory. And as one would suspect Frank is unhappy with this development.

This movie is interesting because both Murray and De Niro play against the norm characters. Murray is the mafia/made/man with connections whose comedy routine fails at the club he owns and therefore performs at. DeNiro is the cop with the soul of an artist. They both are very interesting in how they fill their roles.

It begins as a film noire. There is a murder, a woman in distress (well, actually two) and a resolution. However, this movie is set in "modern" day and moves a little slowly. There are secondary characters - Lee Wayne's abused neighbor (Kathy Baker), Mike Wayne's ballsy, sarcastic mouthy partner (David Caruso), and Harold Frank's hired gun (Mark Starr) (typical Italian 'thug') - they are interesting but not developed enough. This movie has some flaws - why is Wayne called Mad Dog - there are some hints but nothing outright. Who is playing whom?

I was entertained and for the most part absorbed but I think if you didn't like The Singing Detective you may not enjoy this film.

"No, no, that wasn't a question."

The Devil Wears Prada - I should probably have read this book after I saw the movie. While this movie didn't fall short it just was so different from the book and yet partially like the book, it more difficult to enjoy because I kept seeing and recalling the differences. The movie follows a new college graduate who ends up working for a fashion magazine, Runway, and the boss from hell, Miranda Priestly. The movie gives more depth to the boss (Meryl Streep) and makes the assistant (Anne Hathaway) appear more competent than in the novel. This movie is funny and interesting; it ends on a high note.

The movie had to deviate from the book and I understand that. In the book, the boss is so over the top demanding and the assistant does not like, understand, or care about fashion. Both of these facts were altered for the movie as was a major subplot about the assistant's friend. So I would say the movie is funny and entertaining. In ways I think the movie is better than the book because for most of the book the reader is left wondering why the assistant doesn't just quit this horrible, horrible job - the movie helps explain why she stays. So all in all a movie to watch.