Film Society Showing Tomorrow- Winter's Bone, 6PM, Goodwin Library

Winter's Bone Website: http://www.wintersbonemovie.com/

Film Review-Cash McCall

Cash McCall was one of the films in the Natlaie Wood movie collection we recently purchased and it was not one we had seen before. It was about what I expected from a romantic comedy from this era. I really enjoyed it, but many people will not enjoy it nearly as much as I did. I have to be honest the romantic elements of the film are thin, the comedy is dry and very dated, and the drama is contrived. This film gives you a very idealistic, isolated view of the nation at the time. Family values, traditional paradigms, and WASP visions of home and marriage dominate many of the rom-com films of the fifties and sixties and this one is not any different. Natalie Wood and James Garner make this film and give it modern relevance it would not have without them. The supporting cast is wonderful and has many greats from the time including Dean Jagger, Nina Fox, E. G. Marshall, and Henry Jones. Natalie Wood is Lory Austen in the film, a young and up and coming illustrator and the daughter of a well respected inventor and plastics manufacturer, who decides to sell his plastics company. James Garner is Cash McCall, a young, successful businessman, whose character is in question, as he has built his fortune by buying, retooling, and then selling companies. Cash McCall decides to buy Lory’s father’s company. It is fun to watch the predictable story take its’ odd path and watch the Lory/Cash romance unfold, though the romance is a bit strange. The costumes in Cash McCall highlight the styles and paint a beautiful fashion snapshot of the time. The sets are scaled well, fit each character like a glove, and reflect high décor prevalent in pop culture of the time. If you like romance films from the fifties or early sixties, give this one a try. I did and I do not regret it at all. 4 stars out of 5

Find out about Cash Mccall on IMDb here.

Film Review-Coco Chanel

I was expecting much more from Coco Chanel. This Lifetime biopic is about one of France’s most famous fashion designers, where is the drama? Coco Chanel clawed her way to her iconic status after being abandoned as a child, how much more dramatic a base could you have for a film? This is the woman who created one of the world’s signature perfumes, Chanel No. 5 and gave birth to idea of the little black dress. She was witty and funny and difficult, and was equally revered and disliked by her contemporaries. Unfortunately, this story, as written, is very tame; it does not have any bite. It shows nothing of the style and grace of the woman, only the elegance of her creations and her ideas. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed seeing the magnificent clothes, and the art design of the film couldn’t be better. From furniture, to appliances, from sets, to the details of each costume, this film is a visual feast. The personal relationships in the film are dead and the emotions are lifeless. The script isn’t a mess, but it is not pulled together in a fashion that makes the story pull you in. Shirley MacLaine was an admirable addition to the film, but she does not get much screen time compared to the rest of the cast. This film is worth watching to see Shirley or if you have an interest in clothing design or Coco Chanel. For everyone else, I think it is safe to say you can leave this one out of the queue. 3 stars out of 5.

Find out about Coco Chanel on IMDb here.

Film Review-Star Trek

I am a huge fan of the Star Trek franchise and I have always been entranced by Gene Rodenberry's vision of humanity's future. I saw the cast and knew JJ Abrams was to direct; both gave me good reason to believe the franchise could have life again and a new generation would know the characters I grew up with and now hold dear to my heart. Nothing could prepare me for the emotional impact the film would have or the incredible sensory rollercoaster ride it would take me on. This new version of Star Trek was not just a great film for Star Trek fans and science fictions aficionados; this film was everything a film should be, in one, tightly wrapped, mind-blowing package. This film uses equal amounts of carefully measured character development, glorious special effects, and steam rolling action. The talented cast brought every character forward and they give you a reason to have interest in them. Every character is enhanced, bigger and better than they have ever been. Not only did this film stay close to Roddenberry's vision, but it is also one of the best science fiction movies that I have ever seen. It is better not to tell you the story, that should be a surprise, but I will say this incarnation does have some differences and I like them. Those differences do not over shadow the lore or the characters; both remain squarely intact, though many die hard Trekkers like myself may not like the differences. The script only has a few holes I could see, but the average viewer would never know what to look for, so it does not matter. The CGI is spectacular, but it is JJ Abram's use of traditional cinematography effects, that really makes what is on the screen special. The DVD extras are well worth watching; they give tremendous insight into the actors, the script, the director, the costumes, and the special effects. This film will revive the franchise, a franchise that now deserves a second chance. 5 light speed stars our of 5.

See the official trailer here.

Find more info about Star Trek on IMDb here.

Film Review-The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a horrific tale with deep beauty, meaning, substance, and humanity. The story follows an upper class German family during the height of World War II. The father is a Nazi officer and his wife is willing to go along with all of this, as long as she does not have to be reminded of what is really happening and her family is safe. When Berlin is being heavily bombed the officer is reassigned to a small town and gladly excepts the assignment to get his family to safety, This small rural town houses a work/concentration camp and the father is to be the lead officer of the camp. The officer also has a young son and a tween daughter. Neither is very happy about the move to the country, away from their very comfortable lives in Berlin. That changes when the son meets a boy his age that lives on a strange farm nearby. He is perplexed by this strange farm, where everyone wears striped pajamas all the time, the farm is fenced in, and no one can leave. The two boys strike up a friendship and they begin to play together, well as best they can through the fence. Do not be fooled by this light description, because this film has a very dark undercurrent that sweeps you in and does not let go. Though it is not terribly graphic, this film saturates your mind and uses what you do know about this period to fill in all the disgusting details of what is really going on in the film. The cinematography is a visual feast, the music a fitting partner, and the sets and costumes perfectly scaled for the production. The entire cast brings this film to life, with characters that are not easy to define or pin down. You know these people; the awfulness, the goodness, the fear, the hope, the love, the tragedy and the horror these people experience feels true and that resonates to the audience in every scene. A film I highly recommend. 5 stars out of 5.

Find out more about the Boy in the Striped Pajamas on IMDb here.

Film Review-Sparkle

What a movie! I wanted to watch Sparkle after hearing about it, after falling in love with Dream Girls, when that film was released. Sparkle, made in 1976, has some obvious similarities to Dream Girls, but has many differences that set it apart from the Hollywood titan. Sparkle might be three decades old, but the story and characters are just as relevant today as they were when this film was made. Sparkle was probably made with a fraction of the cost of Dreamgirls, but shines just as bright and sounds just as wonderful, it just isn’t as showy in its’ delivery. The performances, both acting and singing, are nuanced and never seem contrived or misplaced. Sparkle is not a musical, but seats itself as a dramatic film, that follows the life of several women as they try to build lives in the entertainment industry. It also details how painful life is for those around them. Every choice we make has effects we do not often realize, with consequences we never intend, and this film is very good at exposing those moments, bringing the characters to life. The cast is incredible; they have a strength and power missing in many films and they make this film timeless. This film is a bit darker than Dreamgirls, but that adds to the movie; it does not burden it. Watching the eldest sister fall into a life of drugs and abuse is painful, but it is also entirely real and plausible. This film is not without some faults. The story is too often predictable and many times the era it was constructed in shows. The film seems a bit too melodramatic at times, but these slips are few and the film does not lose focus because of them. A classic film in my book; add this one to the queue. 4.5 stars out of .

Find out more about Sparkle on IMDb here.