Frozen

Family Faire:  Frozen  (2013)  PG   In the kingdom of Arendelle, there are two Princesses: Elsa (Idina Menzel), who is soon to be Queen and who has the strange ability to make snow and ice out of nothing, and her sister, Anna (Kristen Bell). When Elsa lets her emotions get the better of her, she accidentally triggers a magical winter that freezes the entire kingdom. Elsa, known now as the “Snow Queen,” goes into hiding, and Anna must set out on a journey with a mountain man named, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), and a reindeer sidekick named, Sven, to find her sister and save the kingdom.  This the best Disney film in years with great songs, fun sidekicks and a winning cast.  Both Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel have beautiful singing voices, and several of the songs in the film are breakout hits.  The storyline has plenty of twists and turns, and the animation is eye-popping.  The film is worth seeing in 3-D if just for the opening animated short that is one of the best uses of 3-D animation that I have ever seen.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again

Indiefest:  Philomena  (2013)  PG-13   In an effort to resurrect his journalistic career, Martin (Steve Coogan) agrees to do a human interest story on Philomena (Judi Dench), a woman who is searching for her son and whom she gave up for adoption almost 50 years ago. Judi Dench is amazing in this touching, and, at times, funny film.  Her portrayal of Philomena, a kind-hearted, religious woman who is determined to find her long lost son, is worthy of an Oscar.  She plays her part perfectly and matches up well with Coogan, who plays a hard-hearted journalist who is very full of himself and really thinks her sob story is beneath his talents.  As the film develops, Philomena’s charm works over Martin, and he comes to truly enjoy his time with her.  But, it’s Dench who is the film's star, and she carries it off beautifully.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again  Philomena Website

Indiefest:  Nebraska  (2013)  R  Woody (Bruce Dern) is convinced that he has won a million dollars and wants to travel from Montana, where he lives, to Nebraska to collect the winnings. Against the wishes of Woody’s wife, Kate (June Squibb), and brother, Ross (Bob Odenkirk), David (Will Forte), Woody’s youngest son, decides to take his father cross-country to the company that has issued the ticket.  This is a brilliant film and my favorite at this year’s Austin Film Festival.  Dern gives a performance of a lifetime as the broken down, alcoholic Woody.  We never really know what Woody is thinking as Dern plays him as a man of very little words.  Forte does a nice job playing the son who desperately wants to reconnect with his father.  June Squibb steals the film as Woody’s opinionated, speak-her-mind wife.  The film is a road trip film where the people don’t seem to ever move.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Nebraska Website

My View:  Black Nativity  (2013)  PG  After Langston (Jacob Latimore) and his mom (Jennifer Hudson) have been evicted from their apartment, he is sent to New York City to spend the holidays with the Reverend Cornell Cobbs (Forest Whitaker) and his family. There Langston discovers the strength of family and friends.  This musical works much better when the cast is singing as both the dialouge and the storyline are very weak.  I did enjoy the songs, especially when Jennifer Hudson sang but that doesn't make up for the very predictable story.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  Black Nativity Website

Forgotten Film:  Citizen Ruth  (1997) R  Ruth (Laura Dern) is an unlikely poster child for the “Right to Life” movement.  She is a drug-sniffing addict who has had four children taken away from her, and the cops know her by name.  When she is arrested again, and a judge finds out that she is pregnant, he orders her to have an abortion.  A group called “Baby Savers” finds out about the judge’s order and they take up her cause.  She then becomes a pawn in the game between the Baby Savers and a pro-choice group.  This is a smart, and, at times, a very funny satire directed by Alexander Payne (The Descendants) that makes fun of both sides of the abortion battle.  Dern is brilliant as Ruth, who really doesn’t care about anything other than her next high.  The film is full of amazing performances and interesting characters who make this a fun film to watch.  My Rating:  Full Price  Citizen Ruth Info

Weird Credits:  From the film Philomena:  Snow effects floor supervisor

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues  (2013)  Just in time for Christmas, the further adventures of our favorite TV anchorman (Will Ferrell) who takes the gang to New York to be on a 24 hour news channel.  The big question:  Will we be quoting lines from this film as much as we do from the first?  Anchorman 2 Website

Until Next Time!

About Time

My View:  About Time (2013)  R  When Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) turns 21, he discovers that the men in his family can travel in time and gain the ability to change what has happened to them in the past.  He then meets Mary (Rachel McAdams) and is determined to do anything in his power to make her his girlfriend.  The surprising thing about this film is that while it has aspects of a romantic comedy, it's more about the love of family and the small choices you make in your day that can enrich your life.  Gleeson and McAdams have excellent chemistry, and you can see early on in the film why they are attracted to each other.  The more significant relationship in the film isn't between Gleeson and McAdams, but Gleeson and Bill Nighy, who plays Gleeson's dad.  When the dad reveals the time travel aspect of their life, he uses it to teach his son how to be a better husband and man.  This is a warm, touching film that fans of director / writer Richard Curtis (Love Actually) will enjoy and savor for years to come.  My Rating:  Full Price  About Time Website

My View:  All Is Lost  (2013)   PG-13  On a solo voyage in the Indian Ocean, a man (Robert Redford) finds that during the night, his 39-foot yacht has collided with a shipping container floating in the sea.  The man makes a desperate attempt at repairing his boat before it takes on too much water. If he doesn’t make the repairs in time, he could be in left in the middle of the ocean with little or no hope of being rescued.  In a tour de force performance, Robert Redford is impressive in the role of a lifetime, a man who must overcome odds just to survive on the high seas.  Redford has rarely been better, and the film does a masterful job of creating tension out of the little things that he must overcome, like trying to figure out how to repair his two way radio.  The film keeps a satisfying pace and never gets boring, even though there is almost no dialogue. This is a film that truly inspires as it shows the travails of a man battling the elements and at times, himself, surmounting incredible odds by just having faith and trusting in his instincts.  My Rating:  Full Price   All Is Lost Website

Indiefest:  Let the Fire Burn (2013)  In 1985, the Philadelphia police lay siege to a building occupied by a radical group known as Move. By the end of the siege, the police have dropped, via helicopter, two pounds of explosives on the building which results in a fire that kills five adults, six children and wipes out sixty houses in the area.  This is a fascinating documentary that doesn't take sides - it shows you when people don't communicate, things can quickly unravel and create confrontations that have disastrous results.  Using Television footage from the siege and from the governmental hearings held later, the film gives insight into a horrible day in Philadelphia history.   My Rating: Full Price  Let the Fire Burn Website

Forgotten Film:  The Straight Story (1999)  G  This film tells the true story of Alvin (Richard Farnsworth) who lives on the family farm with his daughter, Rose (Sissy Spacek).  Alvin is in poor health and knows he doesn't have much time.  Not having a driver's license, he decides to get on his riding lawnmower and travel from Wisconsin to Iowa to see his ailing brother.  This could have been an incredibly sappy film, but under the skillful touch of director David Lynch and the brilliant acting of Richard Farnsworth, this becomes one of the best, most moving films of the 1990's.  Farnsworth is perfect in the role of the tough, grizzled old man who wants to make one last journey on his own terms.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again  The Straight Story Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD / Blu-Ray):  R.I.P.D.  (2013) PG-13   One of the worst films of this year.  Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges are supernatural cops in a film that was so bad I looked at my watch thirty minutes into the film, thinking it had been going on for two hours.  My Rating:  You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again  R.I.P.D. Website  

Weird Credits:  From the credits of About Time:  Clapper Loader

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Nebraska  (2013)  R  One of the best films that I saw at this year's Austin Film Festival.  Alexander Payne directs this moving film about a son (Will Forte) who is desperate to reconnect with his father (Bruce Dern).  They travel across four states on a quest to turn in what the father thinks is a winning million dollar sweepstakes ticket.  Nebraska Info

Until Next Time!