Lose yourself in a film...

Moneyball. Great film to get ready for baseball season. Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) challenges the system and defies conventional wisdom when his is forced to rebuild his small-market team on a limited budget. Despite opposition from the old guard, the media, fans and their own field manager Beane - with the help of a young, number-crunching, Yale-educated economist- develops a roster of misfits…and along the way, forever changes the way the game is played. There's much to be learned here about what athletes can do if someone believes they can. (1/29/12)

Tibet in Song.  This intriguing documentary tells the story of the struggle to preserve the traditional song and dance of Tibet in the face of Chinese attempts to replace them with propaganda 'radio box music."  The director of this film was imprisoned just for collecting Tibetan folk music. You don't have to know anything about Tibet or Buddhism to get caught up in this fight for cultural independence-- and the film trumpets the importance of art-- and the way it can be abused. (1/29/12)

Secret of Santa Vittoria. One of those classics where you know exactly who the good guys are! Mussolini's departure should come as good news for the hilltop town of Santa Vittoria, but new problems lie ahead. Feeling betrayed by Il Duce, wine merchant Italo Bombolini drinks his disappointment away to the consternation of his rolling pin-wielding wife, Rosa. Nonetheless, the townspeople like the "drunken, stupid clown," as Rosa calls him, enough that they appoint Bombolini mayor. When Fabio brings news that the Nazis plan to raid their wine reserves, Bombolini, who's growing into his position,  and Tufa, a former soldier, arrange to hide one million bottles in a Roman cave. German Capt. Von Prum suspects subterfuge and orders a search of every nook and cranny, but he proves no match for this incredible, ingenious, live-loving town. Anthony Quinn is splendid as Bombolini. (1/29/12)

The Tempest. This is for everyone, especially people who thought they didn't like Shakespeare!! Helen Mirren plays a duchess-turned-wizardress,  'Prospera,' in a story about love, revenge, forgiveness, magic and wisdom. It's visually exciting and the language that too often seems daunting on a page comes clear and alive here in the mouths of actors both articulate and passionate. It's not often that someone has all the power in the world and chooses to give it up...but that's what The Tempest is about! Politicians, take note. (1/29/12)

Dolphin Tale. Wish you could help save all those stranded dolphins on the Cape??? Gather the whole family to watch this. Inspired by a true story, Dolphin Tale is about courage, ingenuity, and never giving up. Sawyer is a young boy who's struggling with school and doesn't have many friends other than his cousin Kyle. When Kyle, a star swimmer, joins the army and is called to active duty, it looks like Sawyer is destined to spend his summer alone until he stumbles upon a dolphin that's been severely injured, becomes fascinated by dolphins, and is suddenly intellectually engaged like never before. In spite of his shyness, he forms a friendship with a marine rescue doctor Clay and his daughter Hazel and, more importantly, a special and very powerful bond with the rescued dolphin, Winter. As the newly formed team struggles to save Winter's life and ensure her continued safety, financial concerns, an accident that leaves Kyle crippled for life, and a hurricane all seem to join forces against them. In the end, it is Sawyer's determination, coupled with a little bit of luck and a lot of ingenuity from an army doctor (Morgan Freeman) who specializes in prosthetics, that helps make each member of the team, including Kyle and Winter, whole again. (1/29/12)

Midnight in Paris. A fetching blend of fantasy and reality. Don't miss it!! 
Paris is a city for daydreaming, for walking the streets and imagining all sorts of magic, a quality that director Woody Allen understands perfectly. A screenwriter named Gil (Owen Wilson) strolls the lanes of Paris with his head in the clouds (and away from his horrible fiancee and her equally unpleasant parents) right into his favorite 1920's fantasy world, where the first people he meets are Zelda and F Scott Fitzgerald. This film is for everyone who ever imagined living in another time, ever dreamed of meeting their heroes, ever had a dream than others couldn't understand.  (1/2/12)

Captain America the first Avenger.  Old enough to remember WWII era superhero Captain America? 
Whether you are or not, this is sheer entertainment, with lots of action, the kind of film where you can hiss at the bad guys and cheer for the good ones! In 1943, a puny (but gung-ho) military reject named Steve Rogers is enlisted in a super-secret experiment masterminded by scientist Stanley Tucci and a skeptical military bigwig, played by Tommy Lee Jones. Rogers ends up taller, with great abs and a keen ability to bounce back from injury. He's also someone you'd like your daughter--or sister-- to marry. Now he can take on a super Nazi whose goal is to conquer the world before Hitler does. (1/2/12)


Cave of Forgotten Dreams.  Truth can be even more exciting than fiction. 
A breathtaking new documentary  follows an exclusive expedition into the nearly inaccessible Chauvet Cave in France, home to the most ancient visual art known to have been created by man., providing a unique and unforgettable glimpse of pristine artwork dating back to human hands over 30,000 years ago -- almost twice as old as any previous discovery. Watch this one...you'll never be able to go in person, since the cave treasure have to be protected, but the film will make you feel as if you're there. (1/2/12)


Joe Maddison's War.  A WWII film a couple can enjoy together.
Newcastle, England, 1940. A veteran of the First World War and now too old to serve in World War II, shipyard worker Joe Maddison (Kevin Whately - Inspector Lewis) feels depressed and past his prime. Shocked when his wife leaves him for a sailor, Joe and his friend Harry decide to volunteer to join the Home Guard, headed by local pharmacist Mr. Simpson (Derek Jacobi - The King's Speech) - a decision that leads Joe on an unexpected journey of self-discovery and back--or forward--to love. (1/2/12)

Mr. Popper's Penguins. This is just plain fun for the whole family. Jim Carrey is hilarious. The surprise appearance of a penguin at a New York businessman's door turns his life completely upside down.  Mr. Popper,  a real estate developer who lives in an exclusive apartment on Park Avenue, has his sights set on becoming a partner in his firm, and is an every-other-weekend father to his two children. A ruthless developer with no time for anything but business, Mr. Popper resolves to deal with his father's parting gift of a penguin by getting rid of the annoying bird as quickly as possible. That process proves much more difficult than expected, and Mr. Popper soon winds up with six penguins and whole new relationship with his family. Be sure to watch the special feature about what it was like for the actors to work with the penguins! (1/2/12)


Captain Abu Raed. In the mood for a foreign film ? Don't miss this one. Filmed in Aman, Jordan, Captain Abu Raed is a universal story of friendship, inspiration and heroism, the first dramatic independent feature film to come out of Jordan in the last 50 years. Abu Raed is an aging airport janitor who has always yearned of seeing the world but has never been able to afford to travel. One day a group of children in his poor neighborhood assume he is a pilot and beg him to share stories of the world outside of Amman, Jordan. Through imaginary tales, a friendship forms and discovering the grim realities of the children's home life, he takes it upon himself to make a difference . (11/29/11)

On the Double. This is about a timid American soldier (Danny Kaye) tapped by the military to serve as a decoy for a famous British Colonel (who's targeted for death by the Nazis) after it's discovered he's a dead ringer for the man.  The poor soldier fumbles through his role as the stakes get higher, involving himself in the Colonel's personal entanglements with his lovely but underappreciated wife and amorous chauffeur. As with Kaye's best films, this one relies on his special gifts for dialect, wordplay & rubber-faced timing. A real classic. (11/29/11)

Judge John Deed. If you haven't seen this BBC series yet, grab it. Deed is an upright, forthright judge dedicated to making the law work and justice prevail. But he also is all too human, a charming womanizer at the same time he is in love with barrister (the kind of English attorney that can argue a case in court) Jo Mills. You'll be struck by the honesty of the show, as it reveals just as much corruption and incompetence in the British legal system as we too often discover in ours. There are four seasons on DVD so far. (11/29/11)
Fair Game. An engaging thriller inspired by the experiences of real-life CIA officer Valerie Plame (Academy Award® nominee Naomi Watts). When Plame's retired ambassador husband Joe Wilson (played by Academy Award® winner Sean Penn) writes a newspaper article challenging the basis for the U.S. war on Iraq, the White House leaks Plame's  undercover status leaving her international contacts vulnerable, her career in shambles and her life in danger. Great conspiracy story, and sad that it really happened. (11/29/11)

The Man who Sued God. The Man Who Sued God defies simple definition, managing to be several types of movie all at the same time, funny and serious. Connolly's life as a fisherman is sunk by the destruction of his boat by a bolt of lightning. The insurance company won't pay up, because it falls under that age-old excuse of being an "act of God". So Connolly decides to sue the deity. The premise raises issues about how the law and the church have apparently conspired together. This is the perfect film for Cape Codders, who recently went through Storm Irene and then a nor'easter. (11/29/11)

Off the Map. Sort of 'Doctors without Borders' in a too short-lived television series  Welcome to "La Ciudad de las Estrellas", a tiny village in the South American rain forest with just one understaffed, under-stocked medical clinic. Against this low-tech, high-stress backdrop, seven maverick physicians struggle to make a difference while they also grapple with the personal demons that brought them there. Be prepared.. the program was cancelled after one season in spite of considerable outcry, so some plot threads are left hanging, but don't let that keep you from watching this great show. (11/29/11)


Source Code. An MIA soldier (Jake Gyllenhaal) awakes in a mysterious capsule, with contact with the outside world limited to a video feed from a shadowy military officer. It turns out he's the unwilling participant in an experiment that lets him relive a stranger's past life in 8-minute chunks, a process that will hopefully allow him to avert the terrorist bombing of a packed commuter train. The story unfolds in tantalizing layers, and the ending is riveting, as he tries to take back control of his life. (9/22/2011)

Paths of Glory. Safe in their picturesque chateau behind the front lines, the French general staff passes down a direct order to Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas): take the Ant Hill at any cost. A blatant suicide mission, the attack is doomed to failure. Covering up their fatal blunder, the generals order the arrest of three innocent soldiers, charging them with cowardice and mutiny. Dax, a lawyer in civilian life, rises to the men's defense but soon realizes that, unless he can prove that the generals were to blame,nothing less than a miracle will save his clients from the firing squad. An incredible film about hypocrisy and inhumanity in war. (9/22/2011)

Mid-August Lunch. Set in Rome, this is a charming story of feasts, feisty ladies and unlikely friendships. Broke, and armed with only wit and a glass of wine, middle-aged, good cook Gianni shares a well-worn apartment with his 93-year-old mother. Gianni agrees to look after his condo manager's mother over a holiday in return for debts forgiven, but she arrives with an elderly sister, and a friend arrives with his aging mother. Can Gianni keep four ancient ones happy in these cramped quarters? You'll have fun finding out. (9/22/11)

A Shine of Rainbows. A good family film.  Shy and stammering 8-year-old orphan Tomas is rescued from a city orphanage and brought to a magical island off the coast of Ireland. His new mother is as loving as his new father Alec (Aidan Quinn) is gruff and disappointed that his beloved wife chose "the runt of the litter." As Tomas's adoption papers remain unsigned, he escapes into the island's legend and beauty and makes friends with a stranded seal pup. The events that finally bring Tomas and  Alec together will have you on the edge of your seat.(9/22/11)

Crossing Over. Exciting and eye-opening. Harrison Ford plays an L.A. Immigration and Customs officer who likes his job---dragging illegal immigrants back over the border--less and less. Now he has to battle bureaucracy, fraud and murder to try to save one family, and, especially, one child. The movie dramatizes so many of the faces of immigration, whether it's a sleazy official trading sex for a green card, or an Arab-American family being accused of terrorism just because their adolescent daughter gives an outspoken speech at school. It's a kind of Crash about what all kinds of foreigners go through to live in the U.S. (9/22/11)

Flipped. A film for all ages, about a boy and girl, Bryce and Juli, who meet each other in 2nd grade, follows their friendship through her crush-turned to first love- then falling out of it and finding it again. Part of the charm is seeing many of the same incidents from her point of view, then his. It'll make you laugh and cringe and bring back moments you thought you had forgotten forever, and what the two kids learn, about themselves, their families, and each other, is moving and universal. (5/1/11).  

Get Low. Felix Bush, who has chosen to live like a hermit and is now facing death, has a secret  and a yen to hear the tall tales people tell about him, so he plans-- and attends-- his own funeral. The funeral director is glad to have the business, Felix reconnects with a preacher who will bend convention, and an old flame appears just when he needs her. Sure, it's about death, and you'll wonder why he's been so hard on himself, but the film speaks volumes about how we shape our lives. And anyway, haven't you ever secretly wondered what people really think of you? (5/1/11)  

Wish Me Luck. This is a riveting series, based on fact, about the British citizens who joined the French resistance. What makes this different is that it focuses not only on men but women, often young and inexperienced but who were determined to help win the war. It's not always easy to watch---you'll feel in your gut the tension and danger as they lead double lives in Nazi-occupied villages--- but their stories are exciting, they're not made out to be super-human but just like you or me-- and their bravery is incredible. Since the series has everything from sabotage to romance this is one for both him and her. Two seasons are in DVD and there'll be a third. (5/1/11)

Waking Ned Devine. Someone in an little Irish village has done what we've all dreamed of-- won the lottery. When he dies of the shock, his friends cook up an outrageous plan to collect his winnings. With everything from a naked motorcyle rider to a eulogy for a friend who isn't really dead, this is nutty, funny and irreverent. And amid all the antics, it manages to remind us of what really matters. (5/1/11)

127 Hours. You'll probably know that this movie is about the man who got trapped and had to cut off his arm to survive, but what you may not know is that everyone should see it. You can turn away-- or go fix a snack-- for the grisliest part, but you'll be struck by the main character's incredible resilience and determination to survive. Interestingly enough, it is his physical fitness, wilderness training and knowledge of Utah's desert that both get him into this dire situation-- and out of it. It's fascinating to watch the stages -- mental and physical--he goes through before he does what he ultimately has to. And what he learns makes us all reflect. (5/1/11) 

Bone Collector. If you read the Deaver novel this is based on, you'll notice changes, but this is still a real thriller. Denzel Washington plays Lincoln Rhyme, a paralyzed detective who's pulled back into service by a series of grisly serial murders in NYC. The murderer plays a horrible game of cat-and-mouse with Rhyme whose brilliant mind is dependent on assistants to go places he no longer can. Angelina Jolie plays a sharp young beat cop who faces more than one kind of darkness for him. The ending is breath-taking. (3/11/2011) 

Just Wright. Queen Latifah shines as a physical therapist who's hired to work with a badly injured basketball player, played by rapper Common. Of course we know he will come back to play again-- this is, after all, a sports flick --- but even better is watching Latifah's character, up to now in the shadow of a more fashionable friend, finally getting what she richly deserves. It's got both romance and heart. (3/11/2011)

Maigret. Maigret (Michael Gambon) is a detective in Paris, in a British series based on George Simenon's classic mysteries and part Pie in the Sky, part Columbo, part Sherlock Holmes. He thwarts the bad guys, from robbers to serial killers, with calm, style, and sharp insight. His wife loves him for what he is, his sidekicks are a mix of respectful and irreverent, and Maigret gives us the comforting sense that we can remain civil and humane in the face of violence and deception. (3/11/2011) 

Secretariat. If you want a film that will make you feel good, this is the one. Based on the real story of the famous Triple Crown winner in 1973, this is about a woman who inherits both her father's racing stables and the horse sense to back an underestimated champion. Making 'Big Red' into a winner takes faith and doggedness and years away from her family, but this is one of those dreams you can't turn your back on, whatever the sacrifice. You'll like them all--- owner, trainer and jockey-- and you'll be our of your chairs and off your couches at the end. (3/11/2011)  

The Kids are All Right. Don't let the bad language and a couple of sex scenes keep you from watching this all the way through. The relationships may be unconventional, but it's about what families share, no matter who's in them, and how messy love can be.  Nic and Jules are two gay moms whose teens suddenly decide they want to meet their sperm donor dad, but this isn't Hallmark. He's charming and dynamic, but doesn't much care who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants. This is a story about flawed people, like most of us, trying to find their way in a world that shifts fast. It's also about what being a parent is---and isn't. (3/11/2011)

Lightkeepers. Taking place on Cape Cod in 1912, this features Richard Dreyfuss as an irascible, isolated lighthouse keeper, whose solitude is forever disturbed first by the arrival of a young New Yorker who becomes his assistant and then two women vacationing in a nearby house on the dunes, one of whom is part of the past he has tried to leave behind. Based on a novel by once famed Cape Codder Joseph Lincoln, the movie isn't supposed to be a tour de force; it's just a lovely, slice-of-life story set in a landscape we all love. (1/7/2011)

The Karate Kid. Many were skeptical about this remake but it manages to be both fun and very much itself. The idea is the same-- how learning a martial art gives a bullied kid confidence-- but this one, in spite of the borrowed name, is about kung fu, not karate, it's set in China so the kid, played by Will Smith's son Jaden, has to contend not only with meanness but racism and culture shock, and the Jackie Chan who usually is an action figure plays the mentor role with grace and restraint. The film is too violent for small children, but offers the rest of us a chance to marvel at what the human body is capable of and to cheer for the good guy. (1/7/2001)

Pillars of the Earth. Based on Ken Follett's powerful historical novel about the evolution of a medieval cathedral, this riveting HBO mini-series has everything: kings and bishops, war and politics, class struggle and craftsmanship, faith and treachery, love and betrayal, beauty and ugliness. You'll watch the vast cathedral's progress with awe, especially since it is built not by rulers and priests, but by commoners who have the gift of carpentry and art. It's visually exciting, full of action, and a compelling behind-the-scenes look into everyday life in the Middle Ages. (1/7/2011)

Ghost Writer. In this messy political thriller, a writer is assigned to ghost the memoirs of Adam Lang, a former British prime minister, played by Pierce Brosnan. The first catch: his predecessor died very suddenly under very mysterious circumstances. The second lots more is going on here than Lang's dull text reveals. There's much at stake here, from Lang's marriage, to international relations, to the ghost writer's life. And the ending is stunning. (1/7/2011)

A Majority of One. This charming and wise classic film, graced by Sir Alec Guinness and Rosalind Russell, is not to be missed. When a cultured Japanese businessman and widower meets a forthright Brooklyn housewife and widow on a boat going to Japan, they have much to overcome: the wreckage of WWII, the pull of old loves, the clash of differing customs, and the well-meaning but self-serving, prejudiced advice of family members. It is not long before you know exactly what you hope will happen--but can it? (1/7/2011)