Your Sister’s Sister

— Mark Duplass sure picks an odd mix of films to be in, but he always seems to add a depth to every performance and his efforts in “Your Sister’s Sister” (DVD) follow suit. It’s a fun-to-watch romantic comedy without a lot of plot, but a good deal of subtlety of character. Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt are perfect as the sisters. It’s just too bad the film doesn’t end about a minute earlier.

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[2011. 90 min. Directed by Lynn Shelton. Starring Mark Duplass, Emily Blunt, and Rosemarie DeWitt.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/15/movies/lynn-sheltons-your-sisters-sister.html?_r=0

Unfinished Song

— I’m part of the demographic for which all these films about old people are aimed. I go expecting the same old formula, but it’s a formula that lures me in. In the case of “Unfinished Song”, it becomes irresistible even if the film could also have been titled “Same Old Song”, kind of a “Young@Heart” as drama instead of documentary. The absolute highlight, the thing that grabs you sets the film apart, is the acting. Vanessa Redgrave is always incredible, but I’d forgotten how Terence Stamp can take over the screen. He is perfect. It may be a tear jerker, but it’s my kind of tear jerker! If you’re at all susceptible to this kind of manipulation, you'll like it.

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[2012. 93 min. Directed by Paul Andrew Williams. Starring Terence Stamp, Gemma Arterton, and Christopher Eccleston.]
http://movies.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/movies/in-unfinished-song-vanessa-redgrave-lives-for-music.html?_r=0

RED 2

— I saw “RED 2” yesterday. It wasn’t quite as entertaining as “RED”, but still passable. It would have been much better with more of Helen Mirren. Luckily, Mary-Louise Parker’s on screen a lot since she’s very good. The surprising thing is that Bruce Willis wasn’t phoning in his performance and, instead, showed some spunk and spark. [Last week I watch “A Good Day To Die Hard” (DVD) and Willis didn’t even bother trying to act in it!] I’m just a sucker for established and talented actors getting together to have fun with an “ensemble cast” film, but this one just misses being fun for the audience.

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[2013. 116 min. Directed by Dean Parisot. Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich,Mary-Louise Parker, and Anthony Hopkins.]
http://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/film-review-red-2-1200562715/

The Lone Ranger

— “The Lone Ranger” isn’t the film the reviewers talked about or Disney touted. It’s actually much better than you’d expect, if you can empty your mind of memories of the original Lone Ranger. Mark Hughes hits the nail on the head when he says “The film is actually about the early expansion across the western USA, the rise of warfare between the white settlers and the Indian nations, and the way politics and business colluded to create a war with a terrible, inevitable outcome.” I almost didn’t go to see it after all the negative reviews. It’s a little long, but I’m still glad I went.

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[2013. 149 min. Directed by Gore Verbinski. Starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer.]
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes/2013/07/04/review-the-lone-ranger-is-a-fun-summer-ride/

Much Ado about Nothing

— What to do when your pedigree is “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, an episode of “Glee”, and “The Avengers”? Josh Whedon went for a low budget, black-and-white, modern day adaptation of “Much Ado about Nothing”, supposedly filmed at his house in Santa Monica in twelve days. It’s Shakespeare with all the iambic pentameter and a whole lot of energy for the common man. The comedy’s a little physical at times and at first I wanted a bit more subtlety, but the actors are really very good and manage to carry off their almost over-the-top performances so everything works. The audience was laughing--really, honestly laughing, more than at some other comedies I’ve seen lately. A little quirky and certainly a whole lot of fun.

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[2012. 109 min. Directed by Josh Whedon. Starring Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, Fran Kranz, Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, and Reed Diamond.]
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2013/06/20/movie-review-there-much-ado-about-quite-bit-actually-joss-whedon-takes-shakespeare/LnhTEQBNKLKau9eJNpUXEM/story.html

Liberal Arts

— “Liberal Arts” (DVD) was right up my alley, having lived in a college town for so many years and having recently retired from a University job. I enjoyed the humor, the writing, the characters, and the somewhat sitcom-ish vibe. It spends most of its time looking at youth, aging, maturing, and generally coping with growing up or not growing up, but it also touches on, among other things, the value of reading literature and of a liberal arts education. It’s written by, directed by, and starring Josh Radnor. This may not be on anyone's Top 10 List, but I really enjoyed seeing it and nodding knowingly as the characters ponder their lives.

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[2012. 97 min. Directed by Josh Radnor. Starring Josh Radnor, Elizabeth Olsen, Zac Efron, and Allison Janey.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/movies/liberal-arts-from-josh-radnor.html?_r=0