Dark Matter (2007) Film Review - Meryl Streep

Plot Summary - Based around true incidents, this is the story of a brilliant young Chinese grad student (Ye Liu) in cosmology who arrives in the United States to study under successful professor Reiser (Aidan Quinn), expert on the early universe. Our student strikes out on his own with his theories on dark matter that seems to contradict Professor Reiser's theory, causing friction between the two and leading the professor to say he's "not a team player". Um - well, they won't let the student use his progressive new theory for his dissertation and all this leads to a rather surprising conclusion.

Review - I found this film slow going, but somewhat interesting - the ending surprised me and made this film seem a bit better. I recalled about half way through the film that this was supposedly based on true incidents - - one of my pet peeves: I don't like it when a film doesn't state at the *beginning* of the movie that it is based on a true story. Meryl Streep appears in this as the student's wealthy patron, a woman who seems rather obsessed with Chinese culture. Sort of boring as a whole, the film does have some nice music in the form of familiar songs performed by a Chinese children's chorus, plus a touch of humor (intended or not) as the group of Chinese students relate to each other (their conservations are mainly in Chinese with English sub-titles). Rating - 7/10 stars

Towelhead (2007) and Pineapple Express (2008) Film Reviews

Catching up with my reviews here - watched these two last week and I didn't get too much written up, but here's what I've got. I've got a couple of Netflix rentals for this week I am quite looking forward too - woo hoo!

Towelhead Plot Summary - Coming-of-age story of an innocent and pretty thirteen year-old girl, Jasira (Summer Bishil), who goes to live with her strict and overbearing Lebanese father in Houston after her mom's live-in boyfriend helps her shave - um - I'm not even going to go there. We now get into a rather sexual tale of a young girl with a neighbor man (Aaron Eckhart) who lusts after her (and more), a black young man at school who she begins to see against her racist father's wishes, and a helpful neighbor lady (Toni Collette) who befriends and tries to protect her. This young girl certainly attracts a lot of attention and she doesn't come across as innocent as she appears.

Towelhead Review - Well, this is an interesting watch, the men are pretty pervy in this though - and the dad is sort of over-the-top with some of his rules (which daughter usually defies), he also hits her. Aaron Eckhart is appropriately slimy in this. The film is set in the early 90s. Rating - 8/10 stars

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Pineapple Express Review and Rating - Silly comedy, has moments but not that good - about a pot head who witnesses a murder and the criminal head drug dealer connects him as the witness via the "Pineapple Express" (exclusive pot) roach he dropped on the street. Our guy goes on the lam with his own dealer, lots of violence to follow. 6/10 stars

Savage Grace (2007) Film Review - Julianne Moore

Plot Summary - Telling the true-life tale of wealthy socialite Barbara Daly (Julianne Moore), married to the grandson (rather dashing, as played by Stephen Dillane) of the man who invented Bakelite. POSSIBLE SPOILERS: The film begins in 1946 when their son, Tony, is a baby and follows his growing-up years all leading to the murder in 1972 of Barbara by her own son. A dysfunctional family from the start it appears - - Barbara is into socializing with the rich and famous, dad seems stand-offish and as the years go by we into some really serious dysfunction here - ya know, dad runs away with Tony's twentyish girlfriend, Mom slits her wrists, Tony dabbles in homosexuality but still has time to get into incest with mom.

Review - A visually appealing film, shot in several locations around the world showcasing the families jet-setting lifestyle - the film features many facial close-ups, adding to the complex, odd relationships between each character. This film kept me interested - really, quite good. Rating - 9/10 stars

Butch Jamie (2007) Film Review

Watched this one Friday afternoon.

Plot Summary - Romantic comedy about Butch Jamie, a Hollywood lesbian and wannabee actress who is having no luck auditioning for parts dressed as Femme Jamie, in mini skirt, wig, and high heels. Deciding to try just being herself, she goes on an audition as Butch Jamie for this seriously low-budget film and gets hired - for the man's part! The people who hire her know she's a woman, but her job's on the line if anyone else on the film finds out the truth. But things are looking up - or are they - for Jamie's love life when Jill, an attractive blonde she is working with, gets a crush on her. Jill loves short men and thinks Jamie is really sensitive - unfortunately she believes that Jamie is a man (in spite of the seriously fake looking side burns and goatee Jamie's been wearing to pass herself as male). They go out on a date, but Jamie must try to keep the truth covered - literally. And meanwhile, Jamie's cute and seemingly straight roommate Lola, who spends her time taking her cat Howard on auditions, shows a new side to Jamie when her *female* date arrives at the door.

Review - This film comes across as pretty low budget, some of the footage seems like sort of a home movie video - but I found the film really entertaining. There are some nice touches of humor throughout the film and the acting for the most part is well done - especially the main character Jamie, played by Michelle Ehlen, who comes across as very engaging and likable. The film includes a nice soundtrack of songs. The cat gets more screen time than usual for a cat part - and he's adorable, black with a little white on his belly - I once had a cat (who I miss) who looked a lot like him. Rating - 8/10 stars

When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007) Film Review

Plot Summary - UK film based on a true story, about the last few weeks between a middle-aged man and his dying father, much of the film told in flashback. Blake (Colin Firth), a poet, is quite resentful, it feels like he never really connected with his father (Jim Broadbent), a doctor - we see Blake in flashback as a little boy and as a teenage young man in the early 1960s, as he recalls memories of incidents with family and father. Dad is a jokester who seems to have a thing about calling his son "fathead", he often does stuff that embarrasses Blake, who doesn't seem to cut the dad that much of a break either. We see incidents involving a possible affair between the father and an "auntie", we see the teenage son and his crush on the family maid, we see dad and son go off on a rain-soaked camping trip. And we see current incidents between Blake and his now terminally ill father, as they face their final moments together.

Review - This is quite a good film, sensitively portrayed characters and, I must say, gorgeous scenery in the English countryside (SO green! I live in L.A., not so green) and a very pretty English town (yes, I'm an Anglophile). Colin Firth (spark! - - will always be my fave "Mr. Darcy", sigh!) is one of my favorite actors, he gives another well done performance in this - Jim Broadbent is great as the father on his deathbed. Some unusual photography in this, several shots done into mirrors where you see the both the person and their reflection on screen. The action changes back and forth throughout the film between the current day and incidents that took place in the past. An excellent, touching film. Rating - 9/10 stars

Then She Found Me (2007) Film Review

Plot Summary - Melodramatic romantic comedy directed by and starring Helen Hunt as April, a very recently dumped schoolteacher who, at 39-years old, is very fragile and absolutely desperate to have a baby. She feels that adoption is out of the question as she was adopted herself and feels that she would never be as close to the adopted baby as her own. She meets the handsome father (Colin Firth) of one of her young students, a recently dumped single father of two and they have sort of a fling as they start to fall for each other. Meanwhile, April has been contacted by her birth mother (Bette Midler), a quirky New York morning talk show host who likes to twist the truth a lot. April spends her time juggling her relationships with her birth mother, new boyfriend, and her ex-husband (Matthew Broderick) who steps back onto the scene and "wants her back" (ugh).

Review - I found this film - what some might call a "chick flick" - an interesting watch, filmed on-location in NYC, and helped along by the fact that I really like all the actors that are in this (um, and Colin Firth will always be my favorite filmland Mr. Darcy). The story is quite a soap opera that really pulled me in, the characters and their complex relationships came across as realistic - the meat of the story seems to revolve around adoption. Helen Hunt is very good in this as the woman who really finds herself in the end (she does look really thin and so, so tired in this, but it fits with the character). Rating - 8/10 stars